INSIDE THE LINES
SUNDAY, APRIL 26
Updated by 2:00 P.M. Eastern Weekdays
Updated by 9:00 A.M. Eastern Weekends
NBA PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(2) Boston (2-1, 1-2 ATS) at (7) Chicago (1-2, 2-1 ATS)
The Celtics regained control of this best-of-7 opening-round playoff series with a dominating Game 3 victory and now look to put the Bulls on the ropes when these teams return to the United Center for Game 4.
After splitting the first two contests at home – including a last-second, two-point win in Game 2 – Boston flexed its muscle, particularly on the defensive end, in Thursday’s 107-86 blowout victory as a 3½-point road underdog. The defending champs never trailed in the contest and led by as many as 34 points in the second half, and after giving up 105 and 115 points on 46 percent shooting the first two contests, Boston held Chicago to 86 points on 37.5 percent shooting. Paul Pierce led all scorers with 24 points in just 27½ minutes of action, and point guard Rajon Rondo – coming off at triple-double in Game 2 – added 20 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and five steals.
Chicago struggled with its shooting all night in Game 3 and had just three players reach double figures in scoring, led by Ben Gordon’s 15 points. The Bulls did have a 45-37 rebounding edge Thursday, but after making 46 of 51 free throws in two games in Boston, Chicago was a dismal 17-for-27 from the charity stripe at home.
The Celtics has now topped the century mark in five straight games and 11 of their last 12, while the Bulls have done so in 18 of their last 24 contests, putting up 106.5 ppg during this stretch.
Boston snapped a three-game ATS losing skid to the Bulls with Thursday’s blowout victory and is now 8-2 SU in the last 10 meetings and 8-3 ATS in the last 11, including 4-1 ATS in its last five visits to the United Center. Also, the underdog has been the play in each of the last four head-to-head meetings after the favorite cashed in each of the previous nine in this rivalry.
Chicago is now 28-14 at home this year (22-20 ATS), while the Celtics are 28-14 as a visitor (23-19 ATS).
The Celtics are on ATS surges of 6-1 on the road (regular and postseason), 36-15 as an underdog, 43-17 as a road pup and 6-0 when catching points in the playoffs. On the downside, Doc Rivers’ club is on pointspread declines of 1-5 against Central Division teams, 1-4 on Sunday, 1-4 after two days’ rest and 1-4 after a spread-cover.
Chicago had cashed in five straight first-round postseason games before its Game 3 defeat, but it remains on positive ATS runs of 11-6 at home, 13-4 after a SU loss and 4-0 following a non-cover. Conversely, the Bulls are in ATS ruts of 1-4 at home, 1-4 as a favorite and 3-8 on Sunday.
Game 3 stayed under the posted total, ending a 4-0 “over” streak in this rivalry.The under is now 6-1 in the last seven meetings in Chicago.
For the Celtics, the over is on runs of 4-1 overall, 17-6 against the Eastern Conference, 6-2 in first-round postseason games and 6-2 after a SU win. Also, the Bulls are on “over” stretches of 8-4 against the Atlantic Division, 6-2 in first-round playoff action and 7-3 after two days off.
ATS ADVANTAGE: CHICAGO and OVER
(1) Cleveland (3-0 SU and ATS) at (8) Detroit (0-3 SU and ATS)
The Cavaliers are looking to complete a first-round sweep of the Pistons when the division rivals square off in Game 4 of their best-of-7 Eastern Conference playoff series inside the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Cleveland has won and covered in all three games to this point, including Thursday’s 79-68 win in Detroit as a five-point chalk. After scoring just nine points in the third quarter and going into the final period tied, the Cavaliers dominated the final 12 minutes, outscoring the Pistons 26-15 to grab the 11-point victory. LeBron James just missed a triple-double in the contest, finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Cleveland’s defense held Detroit to just 38 percent shooting and allowed just two players to reach double-digits in points.
The Cavs are on an 8-1 SU and ATS run overall and they are looking to get past the first round of the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Detroit has now lost six straight and it is 0-7 in its last seven overall. Furthermore, the Pistons are just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games and 1-9 ATS in their last nine against Central Division foes.
Cleveland has now won six straight against the Pistons (5-1 ATS), losing only the first meeting of the season back on Nov. 19, 96-89 as a 2 ½-point underdog. The Cavaliers are just 2-4 SU and ATS in their last six trips to Motown as the home team is on an 8-4 ATS run in this series. The favorite in these series clashes is on an 11-1 ATS streak.
Including Friday’s win and cover, Cleveland is 28-14 on the road this season (23-19 ATS) while the Pistons are just 21-21 at home, including a horrible 13-29 at the betting window.
The Cavaliers are on several positive ATS streaks, including 13-3 as a playoff favorite, 4-1 as a road chalk, 4-0 on Sundays, 4-0 in conference quarterfinal games and 7-0 against the Eastern Conference. The Pistons are 18-8 ATS in their last 26 as ‘dogs of five to 10½ points, but otherwise it’s all negative runs for them, including 11-28 after a straight-up loss, 7-19 at home, 9-23 after a non-cover, 1-5 as a home ‘dog, 1-7 after just one day off and 0-7 against the Eastern Conference.
Friday’s game came nowhere near the posted total, leaving the under standing at 37-15 in the last 52 meetings between these two teams, including 18-5 in Detroit.
Cleveland has topped the total in four of its last five on the road and five of its last seven as a road chalk, but it is on a slew of under runs, including 39-14-1 on Sundays, 24-9 after a spread-cover, 11-4 against Central Division teams and 5-0 as a playoff favorite of between five and 10 ½ points. Detroit has topped the total in 11 of 16 games after getting one day off, but otherwise it’s all “unders” for the Pistons, including 21-5 against teams with a winning record, 37-17-1 as ‘dogs of between five and 10 ½ points, 20-8-1 as a playoff pup and 5-1-1 as a home ‘dog.
ATS ADVANTAGE: CLEVELAND and UNDER
(3) Orlando (60-25, 49-35-1 ATS) at (6) Philadelphia (43-42, 39-44-2 ATS)
The upstart 76ers look to put a stranglehold on this series when they host the struggling Magic in Game 4 today at the Wachovia Center.
Philadelphia got a Thaddeus Young layup in the waning seconds of Game 3 Friday night to snare a 96-94 home victory as a 3½-point home underdog, giving the Sixers a 2-1 lead in this first-round series. Philly let a 17-point lead slip away, but still got the victory and has cashed in all three games of this series. Andre Iguodala had 29 points and seven rebounds, and Andre Miller had 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Orlando got 36 points and 11 rebounds from Dwight Howard, but the Magic shot just 42.5 percent from the floor, while the Sixers shot 52.1 percent. Orlando is on a 2-5 SU skid and has covered in just one of its last nine games.
Orlando is still 5-2 SU (4-3 ATS) in the last seven games between these two teams, and the road team in this rivalry has cashed in the four of the last five clashes. However, the underdog is now 26-11 ATS in the last 37 contests, including 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
The Magic are 27-15 SU and 26-15-1 ATS on the highway this year, while the Sixers are 25-17 SU but just 19-21-2 ATS at home.
The 76ers are 12-3-1 ATS in their last 15 starts against Southeast Division foes, covering the last five in a row, and they’re on additional ATS runs of 4-1 after a SU win, 21-10 as an underdog of less than five points and 11-3 as a home pup of the same price. But they’re still just 8-15-1 ATS in their last 24 starts as a playoff underdog.
The Magic are 37-18-1 ATS in their last 55 starts following a pointspread setback and are on a 48-19-1 ATS roll following a SU loss. However, along with their current 1-8 ATS skid, they are on spread-covering slides of 0-9 against the Atlantic Division, 1-6 in the Eastern Conference, 1-6 laying points and 0-4 on the highway.
The over for Philadelphia is on streaks of 7-2 overall (all against the East), 4-1 after a day off, 7-2 from the underdog role and 7-3 with the Sixers a home pup. But the under for the 76ers is on runs of 8-3 in first-round playoff games and 8-3 with Philly a playoff dog, and the under for Orlando is on tears of 8-2 overall, 8-2 against the Atlantic Division, 6-1 after a non-cover, 9-2 after a day off and 7-2 on the road.
Finally, the last two games in this playoff series both fell below the posted total.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(4) Portland (1-2 SU and ATS) at (5) Houston (2-1 SU and ATS)
After holding on for a crucial Game 3 victory Friday, the Rockets now look to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their best-of-7 series with the Trail Blazers when this opening-round series resumes inside the Toyota Center in Houston.
The Rockets led virtually wire-to-wire on Friday, holding off a late barrage of Portland three-pointers to win 86-83, but they came up short as six-point favorites. Luis Scola led the charge for Houston with 19 points and nine rebounds and Yao Ming controlled the glass with 13 rebounds as the Rockets outrebounded Portland 41-32.
The Trail Blazers, back in the postseason for the first time in six years, have won seven of their last nine overall (6-3 ATS). The Rockets have also won seven of their last nine overall (6-3 ATS). The Rockets are in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, but they have lost six straight playoff series and haven’t gotten out of the first round since 1997.
So far in this series, the road team has cashed each game, but the host has won five of the last six meetings between these two this season. The Rockets have won eight of the last 10 head-to-head matchups, including five in a row at home, and they’ve cashed in six of the last nine overall.
Portland is 20-22 on the road this season (20-22 ATS) while the Rockets are 34-8 inside the Toyota Center (21-20-1 ATS), including seven straight home wins (5-2 ATS).
The Blazers are just 5-10 ATS in their last 15 as a road ‘dog, but they are on a host of ATS runs, including 14-5 overall, 11-4 against Western Conference teams, 8-2 on the road and 13-6 after getting one day off. Houston is just 1-5 ATS in its last six as a playoff favorite, but it is on ATS streaks of 5-1 at home, 5-1 on Sundays, 7-2 against the Northwest Division and 38-17-1 after a non-cover.
Friday was the first time in the series the under came in, and the first time in the last seven head-to-head meetings the under has cashed.
For Portland, the under is 26-12 in its last 38 as a road ‘dog and 6-1 in its last seven on the highway, but the “over” is on runs of 6-1 against teams with a winning record and 5-1 in conference quarterfinal action. The Rockets are on “over” streaks of 5-1 against teams with a winning record but they are on “under” runs of 4-0 as a playoff favorite, 4-1 on Sundays, 5-2 after getting a day off and 12-5 after a non-cover.
ATS ADVANTAGE: PORTLAND
AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees (9-8) at Boston (11-6)
The Red Sox go for the series sweep of the hated Yankees when they send youngster Justin Masterson (1-0, 3.18) to the mound at Fenway Park opposite Andy Pettitte (2-0, 2.53 ERA) in a nationally televised contest.
One night after a thrilling come-from-behind 5-4 victory in 11 innings against New York, Boston rallied from a 6-0 deficit Saturday and pounded out a 16-11 victory, the team’s ninth consecutive win. During the winning streak, the Red Sox are 8-0 at home, 7-0 against right-handed starters and 6-0 versus division foes, and they’ve outscored their last six opponents by a combined 52-21. Additionally, Terry Francona’s club is on streaks of 73-31 at Fenway Park as well as 35-17 at home against southpaw starters, but the Sox have dropped four of their last five on Sunday.
New York has now followed up a three-game winning streak with consecutive defeats, and while the team has scored 48 runs in its last eight contests, the pitching staff has surrendered 71 runs during this span. Still, Joe Girardi’s club is on surges of 21-10 overall since last season, 12-6 against the A.L. East, 5-2 versus right-handed starters and 4-1 on Sunday.
The Yankees are still 7-5 in their last 12 matchups against the Red Sox. Also, the visitor has taken nine of the last 15 battles.
Pettitte has been terrific through three starts – all New York wins – giving up a total of just six runs while pitching at least seven innings in each contest. In Tuesday’s 5-3 home win over Oakland, the southpaw yielded nine hits but only two runs and no walks in seven frames. With Pettitte on the bump, the Yankees are on streaks of 4-0 overall and 37-17 against the A.L. Esat, but 3-9 when he starts on grass.
Pettitte has faced the Red Sox 32 times in his career (30 starts), going 16-8 with a 3.74 ERA (6-2, 3.53 ERA at Fenway Park). However, in nine starts against Boston over the past two seasons, he’s just 3-3 with a 5.80 ERA. Still, New York is 5-2 in Pettitte’s last seven clashes with the Red Sox (3-0 at Fenway).
After four solid relief appearances to begin the season, Masterson made his first start of 2009 on Monday and handcuffed the Orioles, allowing a run on four hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings, earning an easy 12-1 victory. The second-year big-leaguer is 6-0 with a 2.91 ERA in 23 career appearances (six starts) at Fenway Park. The right-hander has also faced New York five times (one start), going 0-2 with a 4.82 ERA. In the lone start, Masterson allowed just two runs in six innings, losing 2-1 at Yankee Stadium.
With yesterday’s score-fest obliterating the posted total, the over is now 6-3 in the last nine series meetings overall and 22-8 in the last 30 battles at Fenway. Additionally, the “over” is on streaks of 11-2 for the Red Sox overall, 6-2 for the Red Sox at home, 8-4 for New York overall, 6-2 for New York against A.L. East foes and 9-3 for New York against right-handed starters.
ATS ADVANTAGE: BOSTON and OVER
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