INSIDE THE LINES
THURSDAY, MAY 14
Updated by 2:00 P.M. Eastern Weekdays
Updated by 9:00 A.M. Eastern Weekends
NBA PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(2) Boston (7-4 SU, 6-4-1 ATS) at (3) Orlando (5-4 SU, 3-6 ATS)
The Celtics head to Amway Arena in Orlando looking to close out the Magic in Game 6 of their best-of-7 Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Boston scored a 92-88 win on Tuesday at home, covering as a two-point favorite, after trailing by 14 with 8:49 to play and by 10 with 5:39 left. The Celtics used 17-3 run to close the game and grab their first lead in this series. Glen Davis scored 22 points in the victory, while former All-Star Stephon Marbury came up huge in the fourth quarter, when he scored all of his 12 points.
The Magic got 19 points from Rashard Lewis and 18 from Hedo Turkoglu in the defeat, but superstar center Dwight Howard had just 12 points to go along with 17 rebounds. Orlando failed to make a basket over the final 5:39.
Orlando has now dropped three of its last four SU and ATS and now returns home where it lost on a buzzer-beater in Game 4 on Sunday, falling 95-94 as a five-point chalk. The Magic are just 3-2 (2-3 ATS) at home in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Boston has now won two in a row for the first time since Games 2 and 3 of its first-round series against the Bulls. The Celtics are 2-3 (3-1-1 ATS) on the highway in the postseason.
Boston lost the final two regular-season clashes with Orlando, then dropped Game 1 of this series, but the Celtics have since rebounded to win three of the last four meetings SU and ATS. They’re also 2-2 (3-1 ATS) against the Magic in Florida since Jan. 22. However, the host is still 24-11 ATS in the last 35 matchups between these two.
The Celtics are just 4-11 ATS in their last 15 conference semifinal contests, but they are on positive ATS runs of 5-2 overall, 8-2-1 on the highway, 14-5 on Thursdays, 4-1-1 on the road against teams with a winning home record and 5-2 after getting a day off. Orlando is on ATS slides of 5-12 overall, 3-8 after a non-cover and 4-13 against the Atlantic Division, but it is 49-21-1 ATS in its last 71 after a straight-up loss and 6-1 ATS in its last seven Thursday contests.
The under is 6-2 in the last eight battles between these two squads, with the last two games in this series and three of the first five staying low. Meanwhile, Boston is on “over” streaks of 14-5 overall, 21-8 against Eastern Conference teams, 7-3 after getting one day off and 9-4 after a straight-up win. On the opposite side, it’s all been “unders” for the Magic, including 20-8 overall, 16-6 after getting one day off, 6-2 at home, 9-1 on Thursdays, 7-1 after a non-cover and 7-3 against Eastern Conference teams.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) L.A. Lakers (7-3 SU, 5-5 ATS) at (5) Houston (6-4, 5-5 ATS)
After destroying the Rockets in Game 5 in Los Angeles on Tuesday, the Lakers will try to close out their best-of-7 Western Conference semifinal series inside the Toyota Center in Houston.
Los Angeles jumped out to a double-digit lead early Tuesday and never looked back, scoring the 118-78 victory as a 12-point favorite. The Lakers held Houston to just 32.6 percent shooting and forced 18 turnovers. Kobe Bryant had 26 points in just three quarters of play for Los Angeles, leading a charge of seven Lakers who reached double-digits in points. Los Angeles shot 51.2 percent from the floor and outrebounded Houston, 49-42.
After looking great in Game 4 without star center Yao Ming, the Rockets looked completely lost without their big man on Tuesday, with only three players reaching double figures in scoring, led by point guard Aaron Brooks’ 14.
The Lakers are just 2-2 SU and ATS on the road in the postseason. Meanwhile, Houston has dropped three of the last four (SU and ATS) in this series and the Rockets struggled at the window lately, going 3-6 ATS in their last nine. They are 4-1 (2-3 ATS) so far in home playoff contests.
Los Angeles is 7-2 ATS in the nine meetings with the Rockets this season, with the chalk going 7-3 ATS in the last 10. Also, the Lakers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 visits to Houston, including a win and cover in Game 3. Finally, the winner has cashed in each of the last 11 head-to-head battles.
The Lakers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 Thursday games and 10-4-1 ATS in their last 15 conference semifinal contests, but otherwise Phil Jackson’s squad is on ATS slides of 1-5 after a straight-up win and 2-6 on the road against teams with a winning home record. Rick Adelman’s Rockets are just 5-12 ATS in their last 17 against Pacific Division squads and 2-6 ATS in their last eight after getting one day off, but they are on positive pointspread streaks of 7-3 at home, 21-7 after a non-cover and 28-9-3 on Thursdays.
Tuesday’s game narrowly stayed under the posted total, giving the under a 3-2 edge in this series and a 5-2 mark the last seven times these squads have faced off.
Los Angeles carries “under” streaks of 6-2 overall, 15-5 on Thursdays, 5-2 after getting one day off and 4-1 following a straight-up win. Houston also is on a host of “under” runs that include 7-2 overall, 6-1 at home, 7-2 against the Western conference, 6-2 after getting a day off and 11-5 when coming off a straight-up loss.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
NATIONAL LEAGUE
N.Y. Mets (18-15) at San Francisco (18-15)
The Mets kick off a 10-game road trip with this opener of a four-game weekend series against the Giants at AT&T Park. John Maine (3-2, 4.54 ERA) takes the ball tonight for New York, which concluded an eight-game homestand with Wednesday’s 8-7, 12-inning loss to Atlanta. Jerry Manuel’s club has still won eight of its last 10 overall and three of its last five on the road.
Jonathan Sanchez (1-3, 4.78) is scheduled to take the mound for the surprising Giants, who dropped a 6-3 decision to Washington on Thursday to end a three-game winning streak. Still, the Giants are 5-2 in their last seven games, and their 12-5 home record is the second best in the National League.
In addition to winning eight of their last 10 overall, the Mets are on hot streaks of 10-3 against N.L. West foes, 10-3 on Thursday and 6-1 in series openers. Meanwhile, San Francisco is on surges of 5-2 at home, 4-1 against the N.L. East, 5-1 against righty starters, 7-3 versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 in series openers.
The Mets have dominated this rivalry the last two years, winning nine of the last 11 battles, including the last five in a row in 2008. New York has also taken two of three in San Francisco each of the last three seasons, but ironically it lost the series opener all three years.
Maine has rebounded from a poor start to his season, going 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his last three starts after posting an 0-2 record and a 7.47 ERA in his first three outings. On Saturday, he held the Pirates to a single run on three hits in six innings of a 10-1 home victory. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three road starts, and New York is 2-5 in his last seven on the highway.
Sanchez is coming off consecutive ugly road outings at the Cubs and Dodgers, surrendering a combined nine runs in nine innings, this after yielding just two unearned runs in his first two home starts covering 11 2/3 frames. San Francisco has lost 14 of Sanchez’s last 17 starts overall (1-4 this season), going 2-7 in his last nine at home (1-1 this year).
Maine is 2-0 with a 3.78 ERA in three career starts against the Giants, with New York winning all three games, including a pair of 5-3 victories in San Francisco (one in 2007, one in 2008). Sanchez has faced New York four times (two starts), going 2-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 12 2/3 total innings.
The Mets carry “over” streaks of 6-1 overall, 4-1-1 against the N.L. West, 22-7-1 on Thursday, 13-5-3 with Maine on the mound overall and 5-0-1 when Maine takes on N.L. West squads. Similarly, the Giants are on “over” stretches of 6-3 overall, 5-2 against right-handed starters and 6-1-1 with Sanchez pitching at AT&T Park. Finally, five of the last seven clashes between these squads in San Francisco have topped the total.
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. METS and OVER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees (16-17) at Toronto (23-13)
C.C. Sabathia (2-3, 3.94), who is coming off by far his best effort as a Yankee, will try to guide his team a series victory in this series finale at the Rogers Centre. New York rebounded from Tuesday’s 5-1 loss and pounded out an 8-2 victory Wednesday. Still, the Yanks are just 3-7 in their last 10 overall and are on additional slides of 1-4 against southpaw starters, 17-36 when facing lefties on the road and 3-9 against A.L. East rivals.
Brian Tallet (2-1, 4.95) is slated to make his sixth start of the season for the first-place Blue Jays, who saw their three-game winning streak halted last night. Despite that setback, Toronto has won eight of its last 12, and it is 6-2 in its last eight at home. The Blue Jays still own the best home record in the American League at 12-5, and they’re on further streaks of 39-20 at home since last season, 7-2 on Thursday, 11-5 against lefty starters, 5-1 against A.L. East rivals and 37-19 versus teams with a losing record.
Sabathia ended a string of four consecutive non-quality starts with a brilliant performance at Baltimore on Friday, pitching a complete-game four-hitter while walking one and striking out eight en route to a 4-0 shutout victory. The big lefty has pitched at least 6 2/3 innings in each of his last four trips to the mound, and he’s 2-2 with a 3.10 ERA in four road starts.
Tallet is coming off back-to-back strong efforts, holding the Indians to three runs and four hits in seven innings on May 4, then limiting the A’s to a run on two hits in seven innings Saturday. The southpaw got a no-decision in his team’s 9-7 extra-innings home loss to the Indians, but picked up a 6-4 victory at Oakland. Tallet has made four appearances at home this season (two starts), failing to record a decision while compiling a 2.86 ERA.
Going back to his days with Cleveland, Sabathia is 7-3 with a 3.46 ERA in 10 career starts against the Blue Jays, including 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA in four outings at the Rogers Centre. On the other hand, Tallet’s experience against New York has been limited to 20 relief appearances covering 28 1/3 innings, and he’s 1-0 with a 2.86 ERA.
The under is 9-4 in the last 13 Yankees-Blue Jays clashes north of the border, 3-1 in Sabathia’s last four against Toronto and 3-1 in Sabathia’s last four trips to Canada. Additionally, the under is on streaks of 7-2-2 for New York against left-handed starters, 4-2 for Toronto overall and 8-4 for Toronto against divisional opponents. However, the Yankees have topped the total in nine straight games on Thursday, and the over is 4-0 in Tallet’s last four trips to the mound.
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and UNDER
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