Thunder vs Lakers Free Pick May 18, 2012
The Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder meet Friday night May 18 in Los Angeles for game three of their semifinal series in the western conference. The Thunder has won the first two games on their home court. In game one, the Thunder routed the Lakers 119-90, while in game two the final was much closer 77-75.
In the second game, Kevin Durant scored 22 points, hauled down seven rebound and dished out five assists. He scored the basket that put the Thunder ahead for good with just 18 ticks left on the clock. The game was a devastating loss for the Lakers who led 74-69 with less than two minutes in the game.
Turnovers late in the game did in the Lakers. Bryant turned over the ball that led to a Thunder dunk and guard Steve Blake made a bad bass that resulted in another miscue and Thunder hoop. Bryant also took a three-pointer and missed with his team behind by a single point. Over that short stretch, the Lakers saw a five point lead turn into a two-point loss.
The Lakers will look to rebound from the two losses and win the first of two home games on Friday. The defense for Los Angeles was much improved and was able to control Russell Westbrook and shut down most of the Thunder’s offense.
Bryant played well the entire game until crunch time, which is not common for the veteran. The loss is one the Lakers will have a hard time over coming but will have to try to put it behind them and move on.
The line has not opened as of yet for the game, but in this game the Thunder will win by more than the two points they won in game one and will put the Lakers’ backs to the wall. Take the Thunder less the points, as they will be favored and the total will end OVER.
Dodgers vs Padres Free Pick May 17, 2012
Out west, the baseball season is hitting up and two rivals are playing a three-game series in San Diego. The San Diego Padres host the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second game of their three game series tonight at PETCO Park.
The Dodgers are having a fine season thus far and own a record of 24-12. Pitching in this game for the Dodgers will be Aaron Harang. He is 2-2 on the season with an ERA of 4.46. Harang pitched last season for the Padres and had a record of 14-7 before signing an offseason deal to play with the Dodgers.
Pitching for the Padres will be Edinson Volquez. Volquez is 2-2 on the season with an ERA of 2.79. He and Harang were teammates in Cincinnati from 2008 to 2010. Over his last four starts, Volquez is 2-0 with an ERA of just 1.42.
The Padres have only won four games in their last 20 contests against the Dodgers. Wednesday the Padres won game one of the series 4-2. Chase Headley had two hits including a homer and three runs batted in. This season Headley has hit three home runs and knocked in 11 runs against the Dodgers.
The Dodgers are still without Matt Kemp their best offensive player and one of the best in the league as he is sidelined with an injury. With runners in scoring position, the Dodgers were 0-5 on the night and only had five hits in the entire game.
Don Mattingly the Dodgers’ manager said the team was not talented enough to get just five hits and win a game. The Padres can win their third straight with a win tonight and they have not accomplished that feat since September of last season.
The Padres are favored at -120 with the Dodgers at +110. The run total is sitting at 6.5. The Dodgers will win this game and the total will pay out to the OVER, as the Dodger bats will knock Volquez around.
Clippers vs Spurs Free Pick May 17, 2012
If anyone thought that a week’s rest would make a team rusty, they did not take into consideration the San Antonio Spurts. The Spurs played game one of their second round series against the Los Angeles Clippers as if they had not missed a beat. The Spurs took care of the Clippers 108-92 and extended their overall winning streak to 15 games.
Tim Duncan led the Spurs by scoring 26 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. That should be frightening to the Clippers, as Duncan has not been scoring this season as he has in the past with the play of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. The Clippers were playing their sixth game over just 11 days and looked tired as the game wore on. During the Spurs’ 15-game winning streak, they are defeating teams by an average of 17 points.
The Clippers were led by Blake Griffin who had 15 points but in just 28 minutes because of a knee sprain sustained in the series with Memphis. Griffin said he got tired easily in the game and turned his ankle in the first quarter.
The big matchup between All Stars’ Chris Paul and Tony Parker did not amount to what was hyped. Paul only was able to score just six points on the night. He did not score a field goal in the entire second half. Parker played subpar as well. He had just seven points, but produced 11 assists.
Paul only made 3 of his 13 shots on the night and could not explain why to reporters after the game. All he could say was he did not make his shots but game two was what they need to worry about now.
The early line opened with the Spurs as a 10-point favorite and is now at 10 ½. The total is at 191 ½. The Spurs will roll as home again in this game. Take San Antonio SU and ATS to rout the Clippers again. The total will cash out to the OVER bettors.
Cardinals vs Giants Free Pick May 16, 2012
The San Francisco Giants play host to the St. Louis Cardinals tonight at AT&T Park. The Giants are 18-17 on the season while the Cardinals are 21-15. In tonight’s game, Giants’ starter Madison Bumgarner will have a chance to become only the fourth Giants pitcher to win nine straight home starts, since the team move to the Bay Area.
Bumgarner is 5-2 on the season with an ERA of 2.80. He has pitched terrific at AT&T Park since last August. In those eight starts, he is 8-0 with an ERA of 1.00. He also struck out 53 batters in 54 innings during that stretch.
The Cardinals will counter with Jaime Garcia. Garcia is 2-2 with an ERA of 4.09. In April, Garcia was 2-1 with an ERA of 2.80, but has had a rough May. The southpaw’s ERA for May has mushroomed to 7.71. In his last outing, he gave up five runs on nine hits in just 5 2/3 innings. He said he is frustrated and wants to do much better.
Against the Giants, Garcia is 1-1 with an ERA of 1.29 in just three starts in his career. He has held the Giants to a .194 batting average in those three starts. The Cardinals may be without their best hitter, Carlos Beltran, who was held out for the second consecutive night St. Louis’ game Tuesday night. In his last six games before sitting out two, Beltran was hitting .360 and had six home runs.
The Giants ended their three-game win streak Tuesday when they lost to Colorado 5-4. The Giants only managed to get two hits with runners in scoring position and they had 17 chances.
The line has the Giants as the favorite at -130 and the Cardinals are at +120. The total is 7. With Bumgarner on the mound in San Francisco, the Giants are nearly unstoppable. Take the Giants in this matchup with the total ending UNDER.
Lakers vs Thunder Free Pick May 16, 2012
The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in game two of their western conference semifinal series. The Thunder won the first game of the series 116-90 in a blowout. The Lakers were weary from their seven game series against the Nuggets and did not have any energy from the opening tipoff.
The Thunder has the more talented team. In game one, they only turned the ball over four times and shot over 53% from the field. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, the two players that led the team in scoring all season combined for 52 of the Thunder’s 116 points. James Harden chipped in with 17 points.
The key to the game and the key to the series just may be the turnovers. The Thunder averaged over 16 turnovers each game in the regular season, the worst in the entire league. On Monday night, they only turned it over on four occasions. The Lakers averaged six steals per game during the season, the league’s worst in that category, and Monday they only had one.
Los Angeles must stop Westbrook. He made 10 of the 15 shots he took. He has changed from last season to this season and has improved his pull up jump shot. Westbrook, to go along with his 27 points, had a team high 9 assists and grabbed 7 rebounds.
Bryant led the Lakers with 20 points but needs to get others involved in the offense. The team is better off if he scores between 20 and 30 and others chip in. Ramon Sessions only scored two points on the night. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol must step up in the remaining games of the series otherwise, the Thunder will sweep the Lakers in four.
The early line has the Thunder as a 7-point favorite. The total is sitting at 191 ½. Smart money bettors will put their money behind the Thunder to take game two less the points. The total will cash out to those taking the OVER.
Reds vs Braves Free Pick May 15, 2012
The Cincinnati Reds face the Atlanta Braves in the second game of their three game series at Turner Field in Atlanta. Johnny Cueto will go on the mound against the Braves. Cueto has not been given the recognition other pitchers have, but he has had one of the best starts of any pitcher in baseball. Cueto is 4-0 on the season with an ERA of just 1.12. He leads the National League in ERA. Cueto has only allowed a total of six earned runs over the seven starts he has had this season.
He pitched seven innings of shutout ball against Milwaukee last week, but left with no decision in a 2-1 Cincinnati win. Cueto will come into tonight’s game with a scoreless streak of 12-innings and has given up just a single run over his last three games.
One Braves hitter, Martin Prado has had career success against Cueto. Prado has 3 hits in 9 at bats against Cueto, including a homer. Prado over his last six games overall, is hitting .386.
Tim Hudson will go for the Braves tonight. Hudson is 1-1 on the season with an ERA of 4.50. He hopes he gets support in this game since the last time he pitched he gave up a single run over seven innings, but received the loss 1-0. In six starts lifetime against Cincinnati, Hudson is 3-1 with an ERA of 3.19.
Freedie Freeman, the first baseman for the Braves will be questionable for the game. He left Monday’s loss with blurred vision during the seventh innings. He is leading the team with six homers, but is hitless in his career against Cincinnati starter Cueto.
The line has the Braves as the favorite at -115 with the Reds at +105. The run total is sitting at 7. The Reds will take this game behind a solid pitching performance from Cueto who will increase his record to 5-0. Take Cincinnati to win and the total to end UNDER.
Indians vs Twins Free Pick May 14, 2012
The Cleveland Indians will visit the Minnesota Twins in the first game of a three game series tonight at Target Field. The Twins have not started their season well and are just 10-24 and in need of help. Tonight they will send Carl Pavano to the mound. Pavano is 2-3 on the season with an ERA of 5.02. He has lost velocity on his fastball as it has been only clocked at 86 mph. He has had an MRI to check on his condition, but there is nothing more than some inflammation in his shoulder.
The Twins have the worst team ERA of the major leagues at 6.31. Pavano has played against the Indians on nine occasions and has a career record of 2-3 with an ERA of 3.08. Asdrubal Cabrera is the team leader for Cleveland at the plate with an average of .315 but is just 1 for 26 when facing Pavano.
The Cleveland Indians will send Jeanmar Gomez to the mound. Gomez is 2-2 on the season with an ERA of 4.66. The right-hander against the Twins is 1-1 with an ERA of 5.60. The Indians lost three of four over the weekend to the Boston Red Sox. They won the first game of the series but have lost their last three straight.
Last season the Indians were 8-1 in their last nine games against the Twins. That was the first season they had won the head to head series against Minnesota since 2007. Minnesota split with the Toronto Blue Jays in a four game set over the weekend.
The current line has the Indians as the favorite at -120 and the Twins at +110. The run total is 8.5. With the ERA of both pitchers not the best and the fastball of Pavano not hitting the velocity he wants, look for a high scoring game. Take the OVER on this with the Twins winning.
Clippers vs Spurs Free Pick May 15, 2012
The San Antonio Spurs have been waiting for over a week to face their second round opponent. Tuesday May 15 they get their chance when they host the Los Angeles Clippers in the first game of their best of seven series. The two teams are completely different from one another and this will end up being a very competitive series.
The Spurs have three veterans who will run the show for them. Tim Duncan is in his 15th season, Tony Parker in his 11th and Manu Ginobili in his 10th. All three players have played their entire NBA careers with the Spurs. The Clippers have stars Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan who came to them through the draft, but the rest of the nucleus of the team came via trades or free agent signings.
The Spurs will have a huge advantage with experience and can count on any of their veterans down the stretch of a game. The Clippers have Chris Paul and Griffin they can go to in key situations.
The Spurs will play tradition basketball on offense working the ball around and looking for the inside shot after sharpshooter Parker opens the defense with this outside shots and drives to the hoop.
The Clippers will look to run and attack and get as many shots as they can at the basket. Both teams are full of talent and the series should go to at least six if not seven games. The Spurs come in red hot as they have won 18 of their last 20 games, but have had to sit and could be out of game shape for the first game.
The current line has the Spurs as an 11-point favorite, but should come down some as game time approaches. The total is sitting at 191 ½. Smart money takes the Clippers ATS and if you are a SU bettor, take the Spurs. The total will cash out to the OVER bettors.
76ers vs Celtics Free Pick May 14, 2012
The Boston Celtics take on the Philadelphia 76ers in game two of their semifinal best of seven series in the eastern conference on May 14. The Celtics won game one of the series 92-91 in Boston. Veteran Kevin Garnett who scored 29 points and pulled down 11 rebounds led Boston. Guard Rajon Rondo also helped tremendously as he had another triple-double for the Celtics, his eighth career playoff triple-double.
Andre Iguodala who had 19 points, six assists and six rebounds led Philadelphia. Boston played very efficiently on the offense end under the court leadership of Rondo. Rondo ended the night with 13 points, 17 assists and 12 rebounds.
The 76ers looked strong on both offense and defense and if not for the last hoop, they might have stolen the first game from the veteran Celtics. Evan Turner had 16 points and 10 rebounds to help the 76ers, who will look to play the same game in Monday’s game and try to head back to Philly with the series tied at one game apiece.
Early in the fourth quarter the Celtics trailed by 10 points, by outscored the Sixers 23-7 down the stretch. Boston hopes that Paul Pierce, the team’s high scorer will have a better second game. The veteran was slowed by a sprained MCL and only hit 3 of 11 shots to score 14 points.
Garnett was the only starter for the Celtics to make a basket during the first quarter of the game. Ray Allen shot 3 for 5 for the game in 14 minutes while nursing bone spurs. Boston only made 2 of their 18 three-point shots.
The current line has Boston as a 5-point favorite with the total sitting at 172 ½. Take the Celtics less the points to win the second game of the series. The total will pay out to the OVER bettors.
Angels vs Rangers Free Pick May 13, 2012
The Los Angeles Angels are finding out just how tough the Texas Rangers are. The Angels meet the Rangers in game three of their of three game set in Texas. The teams split the first two games of the series, but Hamilton has continued his torrid hitting. The Rangers’ outfielder has three home runs in the first two games. He is leading the American League in hitting with a .402 average and leads the majors in both home runs with 18 and RBIs with 41.
Tonight Jered Weaver will get the opportunity to quiet the bat of Hamilton. Weaver is 5-0 on the season and has an ERA of just 1.60. He is only allowing a league low .174 batting average against opponents. In his last outing, he beat Minnesota by giving up just one run in six innings. He has already thrown a no-hitter this season on May 2 against the Twins.
Offensively for the Angels, their acquisition in the offseason, Albert Pujols is still trying to find his way. Pujols is hitting just .195 and has only one home run. In this series, he has had only one hit and has not had an extra base hit on the road in his last 52 times at bat.
Neftali Feliz will take the mound for the Rangers in Sunday. Feliz is 2-1 on the season with an ERA of 3.38. Feliz is attempting to become a starter for the team and has started well. On Tuesday, he only allowed one run in six innings of work in the game Hamilton hit four home runs. He has not given up any earned runs against the Angels in 12 1/3 innings.
The current line has the Rangers as the favorite at -120 with the Angels at +110. The total is at 8.5. Take the Angles behind the arm of Weaver to win this game and the total will end UNDER.
