Michael Cannon
Tuesday's Plays...
25 Dime –
76ERS
Take the points with the 76ers tonight on the road over the Magic.
Philadelphia has withstood some of the best punches thrown by the Magic and they are still standing toe-to-toe with them. In fact, the 76ers could have been playing to close the series out tonight had Hedo Turkoglu not hit a three-pointer in the last second of Game 4 Sunday night.
Orlando has been overpriced this entire series and tonight is no exception.
I know the Magic looked better in stretches of Game 4, but that’s been their problem. They’ve only been good in stretches. They have yet to put a 48-minute effort together and they’re not going to be able to pull away from a scrappy team like Philadelphia.
The Magic are on ATS slides of 2-8 overall, 1-4 at home, 0-10 against the Atlantic Division, 1-7 against the Eastern Conference, 1-7 as a chalk and 0-4 after a SU win.
Philadelphia has been solid against the spread, going 13-3-1 ATS in its last 17 against Southeast Division opponents, including 6-0 ATS in the last six. The 76ers are also on an 8-2 ATS run as a road dog of five to 10 ½ points.
Take the points with Philly as they stay within the number.
10 Dime –
BULLS
Take the points with the Bulls tonight on the road over the Celtics.
I really think that Game 4 double-overtime win will do more for the Bulls than people realize.
The Bulls had so many chances to tank it, but kept grinding away until they finally imposed their will over the Celtics and got the win. You could argue that home court made a difference there as they had the crowd behind them, but this Bulls team did steal a win in Boston so it’s not like they aren’t capable of competing with the Celtics.
I still maintain that Boston minus Kevin Garnett is just another good team in the East, and I would not be surprised if Chicago got the outright win here.
The only thing holding me back is the health of Ben Gordon, who is suffering from a strained groin.
The Bulls are 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings with the Celtics since March 17. The underdog is also 4-0-1 ATS during that stretch.
Take the points with Chicago as they stay within the number on the road.
5 Dime –
CARDINALS (With Lohse and Reyes as listed pitchers)
Take the Cardinals for the road win over the Braves.
I can’t ignore Kyle Lohse at this price, especially not with how well the Cards have played this year.
St. Louis has won six of seven, and Lohse checks in with a 3-0 record and a 2.42 ERA.
Atlanta has lost nine of 13 overall, including four straight at home. They are averaging just 3.2 runs per game while batting .237 during that slide.
The Cards have won eight of their last 10 versus the Braves, going 5-1 in the last six at Atlanta.
Jo-Jo Reyes will start for the Braves and he’s lost nine straight decisions dating back to last season.
Take the Cardinals as they grab the road win.
ANGELS (With Saunders and Eaton as listed pitchers)
Take the Angels for the road win over the Orioles.
Joe Saunders will get the start for Los Angeles and he has enjoyed nothing but success against Baltimore.
The left-hander is 4-0 in five career starts against the O’s, and the Angels have won all five of those games. That’s due in large part to an offense that’s scored 35 runs in those contests.
Baltimore will counter with Adam Eaton, who is 1-2 with a 7.04 ERA in three starts this year. The right-hander is 2-2 with a 6.16 ERA in six lifetime games versus the Angels.
Take the Angels as they grab the road win.
