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NBA Basketball
4 Units on Dallas Mavericks +5½ -110
The Mavericks only have reached the conference finals once in their history, in 1988, when they fell in seven games to the Los Angeles Lakers. On Tuesday, Dallas took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series with a 112-93 triumph at the American Airlines Center. Steve Nash, who was held to just six points in a 99-83 loss here on Sunday, scored 25 points. Dirk Nowitzki, who contributed 11 and was ejected late in Game Four, totaled 16, 15 rebounds and a career-high nine assists. Raja Bell scored nine of his 13 points during the decisive third quarter, when Dallas outscored Sacramento, 29-10, to turn a seven-point halftime deficit into a 12-point lead. Coming off a five-point performance, reserve Nick Van Exel added 18 points while Michael Finley chipped in 16 for the Mavs, who shot 44 percent and limited the Kings to 36 percent. Doug Christie scored 21 points and Peja Stojakovic 19 for Sacramento, which held a 15-point second-quarter lead. The Kings beat the Mavs in five games in the conference semifinals last season.
MLB Baseball
3 Units on Houston Astros -1½ -110 (Oswalt - R, Benson - R)
Now that they've figured out how to beat the Houston Astros, the Pittsburgh Pirates will try to salvage a split of the teams' four-game series at PNC Park. Kenny Lofton's two-run homer backed Jeff D'Amico's seven shutout innings as Pittsburgh snapped its 10-game losing streak to Houston with a 3-2 win Wednesday. It was Pittsburgh's longest losing streak against an opponent since dropping 11 straight to the Cardinals in 2000-01. After the win, Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said his team will be back in the NL Central race. ``I'm telling you now, we'll be in this race a month from now -- and you guys (the media) will be saying that I told you so,'' McClendon said. ``These guys are competitors and they're going to compete. The Pittsburgh Pirates are not going away.'' By winning, the Pirates have a chance to split the four-game set. The team has lost its first six series at home this season.
4 Units on Chicago Cubs -1½ -135 (Wood - R, Sheets - R)
Milwaukee has dropped four straight games, including the first three of this series, and are coming off a 6-1 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday. Now the Brewers are hoping Sheets can continue his winning ways against the Cubs to end their skid. Sheets limited Chicago to three runs and five hits in 7 1-3 innings in the Brewers' 5-3 win at Wrigley Field on May 5. With the victory, he improved to 6-0 with a 2.72 ERA in six career starts against the Cubs. He's pitched well this year -- all four of his wins have come after a Milwaukee loss -- and continually impresses first-year skipper Ned Yost. Cubs manager Dusty Baker, who wasn't around for the other losses to Sheets, said he believes his team will break through against him eventually. ``Nothing stays the same. We'll figure him out,'' Baker said. The Cubs improved to 4-0 since Sammy Sosa went on the disabled list, and will be looking for their their first four-game sweep of the season. Baker will turn to Kerry Wood to counter Sheets, hoping the right-hander is rested enough after he tossed a career-high 141 pitches in his last start -- a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals last Saturday.
2 Units on Chicago White Sox -1½ +135 (Ponson - R, Colon - R)
The Orioles haven't won since Friday, when Ponson limited Kansas City to an earned run and six hits over seven innings in a 5-4 decision. The right-hander improved to 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA over his last three starts. Baltimore has lost four in a row since, including Wednesday's 5-1 setback to the White Sox. The Orioles starting pitchers have a 3.49 ERA during the slide, but the offense has produced just 10 runs. The skid comes in the absence of manager Mike Hargrove, who left the team on Saturday following the death of his mother. Bench coach Sam Perlozzo, managing in Hargrove's place, shook up the lineup Wednesday, moving Larry Bigbie, who has batted seventh in all but one of his starts, to the No. 2 spot and dropping Gary Matthews Jr., the normal No. 2 hitter, to seventh. Bigbie and Matthews combined to go 2-for-7, while Jay Gibbons drove in the lone run. ``Four games ago we scored 14, and it just seems after that we got into trouble getting the key hits,'' said Gibbons, who has nine RBIs in his last seven games. ``It's just one of those things.'' The White Sox have won three of four since a 1-6 stretch. Frank Thomas has played a key role in the resurgence, hitting .462 (12-for-26) with three homers, three doubles and five RBIs.
NBA Basketball
4 Units on Dallas Mavericks +5½ -110
The Mavericks only have reached the conference finals once in their history, in 1988, when they fell in seven games to the Los Angeles Lakers. On Tuesday, Dallas took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series with a 112-93 triumph at the American Airlines Center. Steve Nash, who was held to just six points in a 99-83 loss here on Sunday, scored 25 points. Dirk Nowitzki, who contributed 11 and was ejected late in Game Four, totaled 16, 15 rebounds and a career-high nine assists. Raja Bell scored nine of his 13 points during the decisive third quarter, when Dallas outscored Sacramento, 29-10, to turn a seven-point halftime deficit into a 12-point lead. Coming off a five-point performance, reserve Nick Van Exel added 18 points while Michael Finley chipped in 16 for the Mavs, who shot 44 percent and limited the Kings to 36 percent. Doug Christie scored 21 points and Peja Stojakovic 19 for Sacramento, which held a 15-point second-quarter lead. The Kings beat the Mavs in five games in the conference semifinals last season.
MLB Baseball
3 Units on Houston Astros -1½ -110 (Oswalt - R, Benson - R)
Now that they've figured out how to beat the Houston Astros, the Pittsburgh Pirates will try to salvage a split of the teams' four-game series at PNC Park. Kenny Lofton's two-run homer backed Jeff D'Amico's seven shutout innings as Pittsburgh snapped its 10-game losing streak to Houston with a 3-2 win Wednesday. It was Pittsburgh's longest losing streak against an opponent since dropping 11 straight to the Cardinals in 2000-01. After the win, Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said his team will be back in the NL Central race. ``I'm telling you now, we'll be in this race a month from now -- and you guys (the media) will be saying that I told you so,'' McClendon said. ``These guys are competitors and they're going to compete. The Pittsburgh Pirates are not going away.'' By winning, the Pirates have a chance to split the four-game set. The team has lost its first six series at home this season.
4 Units on Chicago Cubs -1½ -135 (Wood - R, Sheets - R)
Milwaukee has dropped four straight games, including the first three of this series, and are coming off a 6-1 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday. Now the Brewers are hoping Sheets can continue his winning ways against the Cubs to end their skid. Sheets limited Chicago to three runs and five hits in 7 1-3 innings in the Brewers' 5-3 win at Wrigley Field on May 5. With the victory, he improved to 6-0 with a 2.72 ERA in six career starts against the Cubs. He's pitched well this year -- all four of his wins have come after a Milwaukee loss -- and continually impresses first-year skipper Ned Yost. Cubs manager Dusty Baker, who wasn't around for the other losses to Sheets, said he believes his team will break through against him eventually. ``Nothing stays the same. We'll figure him out,'' Baker said. The Cubs improved to 4-0 since Sammy Sosa went on the disabled list, and will be looking for their their first four-game sweep of the season. Baker will turn to Kerry Wood to counter Sheets, hoping the right-hander is rested enough after he tossed a career-high 141 pitches in his last start -- a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals last Saturday.
2 Units on Chicago White Sox -1½ +135 (Ponson - R, Colon - R)
The Orioles haven't won since Friday, when Ponson limited Kansas City to an earned run and six hits over seven innings in a 5-4 decision. The right-hander improved to 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA over his last three starts. Baltimore has lost four in a row since, including Wednesday's 5-1 setback to the White Sox. The Orioles starting pitchers have a 3.49 ERA during the slide, but the offense has produced just 10 runs. The skid comes in the absence of manager Mike Hargrove, who left the team on Saturday following the death of his mother. Bench coach Sam Perlozzo, managing in Hargrove's place, shook up the lineup Wednesday, moving Larry Bigbie, who has batted seventh in all but one of his starts, to the No. 2 spot and dropping Gary Matthews Jr., the normal No. 2 hitter, to seventh. Bigbie and Matthews combined to go 2-for-7, while Jay Gibbons drove in the lone run. ``Four games ago we scored 14, and it just seems after that we got into trouble getting the key hits,'' said Gibbons, who has nine RBIs in his last seven games. ``It's just one of those things.'' The White Sox have won three of four since a 1-6 stretch. Frank Thomas has played a key role in the resurgence, hitting .462 (12-for-26) with three homers, three doubles and five RBIs.