Announcement

**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 07:59 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: May 12

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Bulls look to close out their set with the Hawks, the Wings try to complete a comeback against the Sharks, and the Rays meet the Tribe.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

There's one game on the NBA's playoff schedule for Thursday, with Chicago at Atlanta in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Bulls took a 3-2 lead in the set with a 95-83 home win in Game 5 on Tuesday night, as Derrick Rose poured in 33 points to go along with nine assists. Luol Deng added 23 points in that win for Chicago, while Carlos Boozer picked up 11 points and 12 rebounds. Jeff Teague had a team-high 21 points in Tuesday's loss for the Hawks, and Josh Smith tossed in 16 points that night.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The American League has just three games on tap for Thursday, with Seattle at Baltimore, Kansas City at the Yankees, and Tampa Bay at Cleveland. The Rays' James Shields (3-1, 2.01 ERA) will go up against the Indians' Justin Masterson (5-0, 2.11 ERA) in that last matchup. Righthander Shields has given up two or fewer runs in six of his seven starts so far this season, holding the Orioles to one run over 7 1-3 innings of work in a win last time out. Righthander Masterson is coming off a no-decision against the Angels in which he allowed just one run on nine hits over seven innings of work, while fanning five. Cleveland has picked up the win in six of Masterson's seven starts this year.

Over in the National League on Thursday it's then St. Louis at the Cubs, Washington at Atlanta, the Dodgers at Pittsburgh, and Arizona at San Francisco. The Diamondbacks will send Daniel Hudson (3-4, 4.47 ERA) to the mound in that last contest; rigthander Hudson took on the Giants back on April 15, giving up five runs (four earned) on six hits over six innings of work while striking out 10 batters in a loss. The Giants will counter with Matt Cain (2-2, 3.37 ERA) in Thursday's game. Righthander Cain won that April 15 matchup, surrendering just a single run on four hits in six innings of work in that victory.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, the NHL playoff schedule offers up Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinal series between the Red Wings and Sharks in San Jose on Thursday night. Detroit staved off elimination for the third straight time on Tuesday night, winning 3-1 at home to tie up the series at 3-3. Henrik Zetterberg, Valtteri Filppula, and Darren Helm (into an empty net) scored for Detroit in Tuesday's win, while Jimmy Howard made 24 saves. Logan Couture had the lone Sharks goal in the defeat, and Antti Niemi stopped 42 shots.

**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 08:02 AM

Thursday’s betting tips: Bulls road warriors ATS

Who’s hot

NBA: Chicago has covered in 11 of its last 16 road games.

NHL: Detroit has won three straight games against San Jose to force Thursday’s Game 7. However, the Red Wings are just 2-6 in their last eight trips to the Shark Tank.

MLB: San Francisco is 20-6 in its last 26 meetings with Arizona.

Who’s not

NBA: Only five of the last 16 meetings between Atlanta and Chicago have played under.

NHL: Just four of the last 16 Detroit-San Jose games have played under.

MLB: Colorado has lost each of the last eight starts Ubaldo Jimenez has made.

Key stat

22-11 – The Detroit Red Wings won’t have their home crowd behind them for Thursday’s Game 7 in San Jose, but they will have experience on their side. The Red Wings have 22 players on the roster compared with Game 7 experience, while San Jose has 11. The last time San Jose played a Game 7 was in 2008, while Detroit will play its fourth series-deciding game in the past three years.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves: The Braves could be without Heyward’s power in the batting order for a while. Heyward, who has seven homers but is hitting only .220, wasn’t in the lineup Wednesday and is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his right shoulder. Eric Hinske will see more time filling in for Atlanta’s young slugger.

Game of the day

Detroit Red Wings at San Jose Sharks (-125, 5.5)

Notable quotable

“When we got into the fourth quarter, we had some bad offensive possessions. We were not executing and that led to bad shots which in turn led to baskets for them on the other end. We just lost our composure. I don’t know if it was their pressure or that we did not have the juice. We talk about it every game ... before we send the guys out on the floor. We want to make sure we have a good shot selection, a shot that allows us to get back defensively.” – Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew after a 1-point lead turned into a 95-83 loss to the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 as an 8.5-point underdog. The Hawks are pegged as 3.5-point home underdogs for Game 6.

Notes and tips

The Atlanta Hawks know they need to keep Chicago’s Derrick Rose out of the paint to contain the Bulls, but that isn’t exactly the easiest task. Rose leads the NBA in scoring and assists within five feet of the bucket in the playoffs. "The series is not over with," Atlanta’s Josh Smith told reporters after Game 5’s loss. "We have to go and play with a ton of energy on Thursday. We have to do a better job of keeping Derrick Rose out of our paint. If we do that we should be coming back here to play a Game 7."

Team Canada will start Jonathan Bernier over James Reimer in Thursday’s IIHF World Championships quarterfinals against Russia. The move comes as a bit of a surprise considering Bernier didn’t join the team until after the Los Angeles Kings were eliminated from the NHL playoffs. Without the trapezoid behind the net in international play, Bernier’s puckhandling skills were one factor in coach Ken Hitchcock’s decision. Canada is currently set as a -165 favorite.

Tiger Woods returns to action on Thursday at the US PGA Players Championship after missing a couple of weeks with a knee injury and oddsmakers have him set as tournament favorite at +1300. Meanwhile, the PGA’S No. 1 ranking is also on the line at this weekend with current No. 1 Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy both skipping the tournament. That leaves the door open for No. 2 Martin Kaymer (+2800), No. 3 Luke Donald (+1600) or No. 3 Phil Mickelson (+1600).

The Detroit Red Wings could have sturdy forward Johan Franzen back in the lineup for Thursday’s Game 7 in San Jose. Franzen reinjured his ankle during the second period of Game 5 and hasn’t played since. He didn’t speak to reporters Wednesday, but teammate Niklas Kronwall said “I think so… definitely,” when asked if he thought “The Mule” would play Thursday. Franzen has two goals and one assist in the postseason. Meanwhile, San Jose has said nothing about Ryane Clowe’s status after its leading scorer missed Game 6 with an upper body injury.

**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 08:05 AM

Thursday's six-pack

-- Padres had 23 hits Wednesday. In one game. Seriously.

-- White Sox scored winning run in Anaheim on a wild pitch when the Angels were trying to issue an intentional walk.

-- Kansas City came to the Bronx and allowed six runs in two games; they've really upgraded their bullpen.

-- Dallas Braden/Kendry Morales are both out for the year, as baseball players continue to drop like flies.

-- Two rainouts Wednesday bring this year's total to 21, same amount as all of last season.

-- A's trailed 7-0 in 4th inning, then game got rained out, so its like the game never happened. The worst rule in baseball; game has to finish the fifth inning to be official. Everything that happens should count.

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Thursday's List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind..........

13) Has Mike Krzyzewski ruined the ACC?

Seems like no bigtime coaches want to come in and try to build a program to compete against Duke, which is probably smart, since nitwits that run these athletic programs now have no patience, and Duke is hard to beat no matter how much time you have.

ACC’s football expansion hasn’t helped the basketball side either; the big-money payoff from the ACC title game hasn’t materialized as it has in other leagues. Anyway, seven of the 12 ACC basketball jobs have changed hands in the last two years, an alarming number.

12) Put it this way; when the unrealistic expectations of NC State fans ran Herb Sendek out of Raleigh and to the Arizona desert, it was a sign that wackiness was ruling the roost at some schools. Sendek is a superior coach who had the Wolfpack in the NCAAs most every year, but it was never enough.

11) Check out espn.com's Los Angeles page for an excellent article on Laker assistant coach Brian Shaw, who lost almost his whole family in a car accident 18 years ago. Very touching article.

10) Very odd at-bat in Mets-Rockies game Tuesday night; bottom of 7th, Mets led 4-3, with Pelfrey facing Dexter Fowler when the rains came, forcing a delay. After the roughly one hour delay, Mets changed pitchers, bringing Isringhausen in; on his first pitch, Fowler fouls a ball off his knee and has to leave the game, so Spilborghs picks up his AB.

Not often (mostly because its usually against the rules) where you have two pitchers and two hitters in the same at-bat.

9) Matt Holliday’s batting average this season on balls he puts in play is a whopping .471; no one else in the big leagues has an average higher than .429. He’s also driven in 24.4% of the runners he’s had on base, a very good percentage.

8) Last three times Roy Halladay and Josh Johnson hooked up on the pitching mound, they gave up a total of only three earned runs in 47 innings. The total for their game Tuesday was 6, the lowest total of the year so far, and it was never threatened.

7) A’s are 2-10 in the second game of a series this season, 0-5 if they won the opener.

6) Angel Hernandez has umpired eight games behind the plate this season; the underdog won all eight.

5) Tony Larussa has something called Shingles, which apparently is very painful; he’s out for the rest of the week, with bench coach Joe Pettini the interim skipper.

4) I’m not sure why, but Angels gave away 40,000 wrestling masks as a promotion Tuesday night. Hope nobody used their mask to rob a convenience store on the way home.

3) This is how bigtime college sports programs have become; the basketball facility at Texas A&M is open 24 hours a day, so kids can work out whenever they like; each player’s locker has a flatscreen TV in it. This is a college program. Whomever takes Mark Turgeon’s place at A&M has a veteran team that is capable of winning big next season.

2) So the basketball coach at Navy, who had been there seven years, quits to go back to Villanova as an assistant; this doesn’t happen often, but it does once in a while. Its a death knell for the program thats left behind.

What happened at Tulane, where the offensive coordinator of the football team quit to become a high school coach/AD, that almost never happens and is a red flag that there may be trouble ahead for the Green Wave. Its never a good sign when the rats start jumping ship.

1) Miami trailed the Celtics by six with 4:15 left, then rattled off the last 16 points of the game, sending Boston home for the summer, 97-87. Now the Heat awaits the winner of the Chicago-Atlanta series.

**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 08:08 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Chicago at Atlanta
The Bulls look to wrap up the series and take advantage of an Atlanta team that is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games playing on 1 days rest. Chicago is the pick (-3 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Bulls favored by 7. Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-3 1/2). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, MAY 12

Game 741-742: Chicago at Atlanta (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 127.716; Atlanta 120.554
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 7; 182
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago by 3 1/2; 178 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-3 1/2); Over

**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 08:15 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, May 12

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CHICAGO (69 - 23) at ATLANTA (50 - 43) - 5/12/2011, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 23-11 ATS (+10.9 Units) in home games against Central division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 54-37 ATS (+13.3 Units) in all games this season.
CHICAGO is 27-18 ATS (+7.2 Units) in road games this season.
CHICAGO is 25-13 ATS (+10.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
CHICAGO is 44-28 ATS (+13.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 4-17 ATS (-14.7 Units) in the second round of the playoffs since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 9-6 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 9-6 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
10 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 08:17 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Thursday, May 12

Eastern Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round - Best of 7 - Game 6 - CHI 3-2
CHICAGO at ATLANTA, 8:05 PM ET ESPN
CHICAGO: 32-13 ATS off home game
ATLANTA: 4-17 ATS in 2nd Rd Playoff games

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 08:19 AM

NBA
Write-Up

Thursday, May 12

Over is 13-6 so far in second round, after unders dominated in first round; favorites are 12-7 in this round.

Atlanta scored 103-100 points in its series wins, making 51-49% from floor, scored 73-82-83 points in two losses, shooting 43-43-48% in its losses. Chicago was +19/+13/+4 on boards in its three wins- rebounds were even in Atlanta's two wins. Hard to take Atlanta because their last four losses were all by double figure margins. Hawks are just 6-29 from arc in last three games; their home court edge isn't as great as some other clubs in league. Interesting to see if Atlanta can force a Game 7.

**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 08:21 AM

NBA

Thursday, May 12

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Chicago's last 11 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Chicago is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Atlanta's last 16 games when playing Chicago

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**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 08:23 AM

NBA

Thursday, May 12

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Bulls at Hawks: What bettors need to know
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Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks (+3.5, 179)

Chicago leads series 3-2

THE STORY: In a series that keeps shifting momentum, this time the Chicago Bulls are on the attack. After running away with Game 5 in the fourth quarter, the Bulls have a chance to close out the series in Game 6 on Thursday. The Atlanta Hawks have not made things easy for Chicago in the Eastern Conference semifinals and they don’t have to look far to find success. Atlanta was able to defeat the Bulls on their home court just a few days ago.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT THE HAWKS: Atlanta let the Bulls jump out to a big lead in Game 5, falling behind by as much as 15 points in the first quarter. But after slowly chipping away, the Hawks pulled ahead briefly at the end of the third quarter and scored the first basket of the fourth to grab a one-point edge. But just as things were looking up, Atlanta went cold on offense and defense. The Hawks managed only 15 points in the fourth quarter and could not find a way to stop Derrick Rose from getting into the lane. Jeff Teague put up another strong performance, scoring 21 points to lead the way while Josh Smith chipped in 16 and Joe Johnson finished with 15.

ABOUT THE BULLS: Chicago is one win away from its first conference finals appearance since Michael Jordan roamed the United Center in 1998. That large shadow has not clouded Rose, who did his best Jordan impression again on Tuesday when he scored 11 of his game-high 33 points in the fourth quarter and finished with nine assists in the 95-83 triumph. Rose bookended a decisive 9-0 run in the fourth quarter with driving layups and had no trouble getting into the paint all night. Rose needed 32 shots to get 34 points as the Bulls lost Game 4 but he was much more efficient on Tuesday, shooting 11-of-24. Chicago outscored the Hawks 26-15 in the final quarter to run away with it. Taj Gibson scored all 11 of his points in the fourth and Luol Deng added 23 in the contest.

WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Jamal Crawford was held to two points on 1-of-9 shooting on Tuesday and is averaging eight points over the last four contests for Atlanta. After going 1-of-8 from the field in Game 4, Kyle Korver was limited to only four minutes in Game 5 and did not attempt a shot for the Bulls.

KEY STATISTIC: Free-throw attempts. Chicago went 21-of-28 from the line in Game 5 while the Hawks made it to the line only 17 times, converting 14. Rose alone attempted 13 free throws.

TRENDS:

* Over is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings in Atlanta.
* Bulls are 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings.
* Favorite is 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings.
* Over is 11-5 in the last 16 meetings.
* Bulls are 2-5 ATS in the last seven meetings in Atlanta.

LAST WORD: “This series is not over with,” Smith said. “We have to go and play with a ton of energy on Thursday. We have to do a better job of keeping Derrick Rose out of our paint. If we do that we should be coming back here to play a Game 7.”

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**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 08:25 AM

NBA

Thursday, May 12

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Pick 'n' roll: Thursday’s best NBA bets
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Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks (+3.5, 178.5)

Jamal Crawford has to score for the Hawks and it doesn't look like he's going to be able to get it going again this series.

Crawford, one of the top sixth man and best streak-shooters in the league, was a beast in Game 1 when he torched Chicago for 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting.

Considering the rest of the team’s bench consists of Damien Wilkens, Jason Collins and Zaza Pachulia, Atlanta needs him to find some pop to help the team score.

But since then, he has gone just 11-of-37 from the field and 2-for-16 from beyond the arc. He is ice cold and without him, Atlanta is having a hard time generating any consistent outside threat. In the Hawks only other win, Crawford had his second best game of the series, making 5-of-11 shots and finishing with 12 points.

Crawford has just 20 total points in the three losses combined.

“One of our biggest demises is when we start holding the ball too long, not playing out of the double team,” Atlanta Coach Larry Drew said. “When we start doing that, we become very predictable. We become very easy to defend.”

No passes out of double teams mean no open jumpers for Crawford and no Crawford jumpers means he stays cold. One-on-one, the perimeter defense of Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer is proving just too much for the Hawks.

Pick: Chicago

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**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 08:26 AM

NHL
Dunkel

San Jose at Detroit
The Sharks look to bounce back from their 3-1 loss in Game 6 and build on their 13-3 record in their last 16 games after scoring 2 goals or less in the previous game. San Jose is the pick (-125) according to Dunkel, which has the Sharks favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: San Jose (-125). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, MAY 12

Game 39-40: Detroit at San Jose (9:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 11.396; San Jose 12.492
Dunkel Line & Total: San Jose by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: San Jose (-125); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Jose (-125); Under

**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 08:30 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, May 12

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DETROIT (54-26-0-12, 120 pts.) at SAN JOSE (55-30-0-9, 119 pts.) - 5/12/2011, 9:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 13-10 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 13-10-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
14 of 23 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.6 Units)

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**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 08:38 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Thursday, May 12

Western Conference Playoffs - Second Round - Game 7 - TIED 3-3
DETROIT at SAN JOSE, 9:05 PM ET VERSUS
DETROIT: 26-15 OVER off an Under
SAN JOSE: 15-4 SU off a road loss by 3+ goals

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 05-12-2011, 08:40 AM

NHL
Write-Up

Thursday, May 12

Red Wings won last three games, winning Game 6 after Sharks grabbed a 1-0 lead early in third period; immense pressure on San Jose not to blow this series after once having 3-0 lead. Sharks are 0-10 (17:25) with a man advantage in last three games after being 4-15 (23:38) on power play in first three games. Five of six series games have been decided by one goal. Red Wings outshot San Jose 32-13 in first two periods last game; they scored six third period goals in last two games.

Announcement

Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 5/12 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 5/12 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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