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Big Al's Daily Angle: UEFA Europa League, NBA, WNBA, MLB and NHL Previews and Odds - 05/26/2021

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

The Wednesday sports card features games in the NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, and the UEFA Europa League.The NBA playoffs have three games on the docket. Philadelphia hosts Washington on NBA TV at 7:05 PM ET. The 76ers won the first game of this series with their 125-118 victory as an 8-point favorite on Sunday. The Six have won 11 of their last 13 games. The Wizards have dropped four of seven games. Philadelphia is an 8-point favorite with the total set at 230.5 (all odds from BetOnline). New York plays at home against Atlanta on TNT at 7:35 PM ET. The Hawks won their fifth game in a row by taking the opening game of this series, 107-105, as a 2.5-point road favorite on Sunday. The Knicks had their three-game winning streak end with the loss. New York is a 2-point favorite with an over/under of 212.5. Utah is at home against Memphis in the second game of the TNT doubleheader at 10:05 PM ET. The Grizzlies have won eight of their last nine games after their 112-109 upset win on the road as an 8-point underdog on Sunday. The Jazz had their two-game winning streak end with the loss. Utah is an 8.5-point favorite, with the total at 218.Three games are on the NHL playoff schedule. The New York Islanders host Pittsburgh on the NBC Sports Network at 6:38 PM ET. The Islanders took a 3-2 lead in this series with their 3-2 overtime victory on Monday. The Penguins have lost the last two games after being up 2-1 in the series. New York is a -113 money line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. Tampa Bay is at home against Florida on CNBC at 8:08 PM ET. The Panthers extended this series to a sixth game with their 4-1 victory on Monday. The Lightning holds a 3-2 lead in the series. Tampa Bay is a -143 money line favorite with a total of 6. Vegas visits Minnesota on the NBC Sports Network at 9:08 PM ET. The Wild extended this series to a sixth game with their 4-2 win on Monday. The Golden Knights hold a 3-2 lead in the series. Vegas is a -125 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5. Fifteen games are on the MLB slate. Minnesota hosts Baltimore at 1:10 PM ET as a -190 money line favorite with a total of 9. The Chicago White Sox are at home against St. Louis at 2:10 PM ET as a -185 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Seattle visits Oakland at 3:37 PM ET. Texas travels to Los Angeles to play the Angels at 4:07 PM ET. The Chicago Cubs play at Pittsburgh at 6:35 PM ET as a -138 money line road favorite with a total of 8.5. Philadelphia visits Miami at 6:40 PM ET. The New York Yankees plays at home against Toronto at 7:05 PM ET as a -158 money line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Washington hosts Cincinnati as a -134 money line favorite with a total of 9.5. Boston is at home against Atlanta at 7:10 PM ET as a -113 money line favorite with an over/under of 10. Tampa Bay plays at home against Kansas City as a -202 money line favorite with a total of 7. The New York Mets are at home against Colorado as a -130 money line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Cleveland visits Detroit.The Los Angeles Dodgers play at Houston on ESPN at 7:40 PM ET. The Dodgers won their seventh game in a row with their 9-2 victory in the opening game of this series on Tuesday. The Astros have lost four in a row. Los Angeles is a -134 money line road favorite with a total of 8. San Diego travels to Milwaukee at 7:40 PM ET as a -129 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8. San Francisco plays at Arizona at 9:40 PM ET as a -118 money line road favorite with a total of 9.One game is on the WNBA schedule. Las Vegas travels to Phoenix on the CBS Sports Network at 10 PM ET.The final of the Europa League has Manchester United playing Real Villarreal at 3 PM ET. The Red Devils are a -0.5 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.25 with the match being played on a neutral field in Gdansk, Poland. The CBS Sports Network has the broadcast.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, MLB and WNBA Previews and Odds - 05/25/2021

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

The Tuesday sports card features games in the NBA, NHL, MLB, and the WNBA.The NBA playoffs have three games on the docket. Brooklyn hosts Boston in the first game of a doubleheader on TNT at 7:35 PM ET. The Nets took a 1-0 lead in this series with their 104-93 victory against the Celtics as an 8-point favorite on Saturday. Brooklyn has won six games in a row. Boston has lost six of their last eight games. The Nets are a 9.5-point favorite with the total set at 227.5 (all odds from BetOnline).The Los Angeles Lakers visit Phoenix in the second game on TNT at 10:05 PM ET. The Suns took the first game in this series with their 99-90 win as a 2.5-point favorite on Sunday. Phoenix has won four games in a row. The Lakers had their six-game winning streak end with the loss. Los Angeles is a 1.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 208.The Los Angeles Clippers are at home against Dallas on NBA TV at 10:35 PM ET. The Mavericks took a 1-0 lead in this series with their 113-103 upset win as a 6-point underdog on Saturday. Dallas has won seven of their last nine games. The Clippers have lost three games in a row. Los Angeles is a 6-point favorite with the total of 216.Two games are on the NHL playoff schedule. Toronto plays at Montreal on the NBC Sports Network at 7:38 PM ET. The Maple Leafs took a 2-1 lead in this series with their 2-1 victory on Monday. Toronto is a -165 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5.Carolina hosts Nashville on CNBC at 8:08 PM ET. The Predators evened this series at two games apiece with their 4-3 victory in double overtime on Sunday. Carolina is a -183 money line favorite. Fifteen games are on the MLB slate. The Chicago Cubs travel to Pittsburgh for a game at 6:35 PM ET. Miami plays at home against Philadelphia at 6:40 PM ET as a -126 money line favorite with a total of 7. Washington hosts Cincinnati at 7:05 PM ET as a -165 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The New York Yankees are at home against Toronto as a -170 money line favorite with a total of 9. The New York Mets play at home against Colorado at 7:10 PM ET as a -260 money line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Tampa Bay hosts Kansas City as a -171 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. Atlanta visits Boston as a -157 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Cleveland is at Detroit as a -140 money line road favorite with a total of 9. Milwaukee hosts San Diego at 7:40 PM ET as a -118 money line favorite with an over/under of 7. Minnesota plays at home against Baltimore as a -202 money line favorite with a total of 9. The Chicago White Sox are at home against St. Louis at 8:10 PM ET as a -140 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Los Angeles Dodgers visit Houston on FS1 at 8:10 PM ET. The Dodgers have won seven games in a row after their 11-5 victory at San Francisco on Sunday. The Astros have lost three in a row after their 3-2 loss at Toronto on Sunday. Houston sends out Zack Greinke to duel against Clayton Kershaw. Los Angeles is a -118 money line road favorite with a total of 8.The Los Angeles Angels play at home against Texas at 9:38 PM ET as a -159 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Oakland is at home against Seattle at 9:40 PM ET as a -161 money line favorite with a total of 8. San Francisco travels to Arizona to close out the card for a game that starts at 9:40 PM ET.Three games take place in the WNBA. Washington visits Indiana at 7 PM ET. Atlanta travels to Chicago on the CBS Sports Network at 8 PM ET. Connecticut plays at Seattle in the second game of a CBS Sports Network doubleheader at 10 PM ET. 

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NHL Hockey: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Nashville Predators Preview, Odds and Prediction - 05/25/2021

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

NHL Tuesday CNBC Preview: Nashville Predators at Carolina Hurricanes.Nashville made this a best-of-three series with their 4-3 victory in double-overtime at the Bridgestone Arena on Sunday. That victory came after the Predators won the third game of this series at home in double-overtime, 5-4, on Friday. Luke Kunin opened the scoring in the first minute for Nashville on Sunday. Vincent Trocheck evened the score at 1-1 at the 18:03 mark of the first period. Ryan Johansen gave the Predators’ a 2-1 lead 3:15 minutes into the second period. Brock McGinn tied the game up with under two minutes to go in the period. He scored again 13 seconds into the third period to give Carolina the 3-2 lead. Nick Cousins tied the game with a power-play goal at the 16:10 mark of the third period to force overtime. After a scoreless 20 minutes in the first overtime session, Kunn scored his second goal of the game at the 16:10 minute mark of the second overtime to give Nashville the win.Predators’ goaltender Juuse Saros stopped 58 of the 61 shots he faced, including 20 shots in overtime. Saros stopped 52 of the 56 shots he faced in the double-overtime game on Friday. He became the second goalie since the 1955-56 season to make at least 50 saves in two straight playoff games. Curtis Joseph last accomplished this feat in 1993 when he made 61 and 51 saves for St. Louis. Saros has a .940 save percentage in these last two games. For the series, Saros has a 2.52 goals-against-average and a .929 save percentage. Head coach John Hynes' decision to have Matt Duchene join the top line of Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen in the wake of the lower-body injury to right wing Viktor Arvidsson has produced dividends. The trio has combined to produce 10 points in this series. Defenseman Ryan Ellis leads the team with four points. Carolina won the first two games of this series by 5-2 and 3-0 scores. They hold a 10-9 lead in goals when playing at even strength, and they have a 40 to 36 edge in high-danger opportunities. Sebastian Aho leads the way with five points in this series. His three goals are tied with Jordan Staal for most on the team. Brett Pesce has four points coming from one goal and three assists. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 39 of the 43 shots he faced on Sunday. The rookie has a 2.13 goals-against-average and a .928 save percentage in his four starts in this series. After two straight losses, head coach Rod Brind’Amour may turn to Petr Mrazek or James Reimer to serve as the team’s goaltender. Top pair defenseman Jacob Slavin missed his third straight game for the Hurricanes. He is questionable to play tonight with his lower-body injury. Arvidsson is questionable for the Predators. This series returns to Carolina’s PNC Arena for this pivotal fifth game. The home team has held serve in all four games so far this series. BetAnySports lists the Hurricanes as a -185 money line favorite with the total set at 5.5. The puck drops at 8:08 PM ET on CNBC.Computer prediction:  Carolina Hurricanes 4 Nashville Predators 1

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NHL, NBA, WNBA and MLB Previews and Odds - 05/24/2021

by Big Al Staff

Monday, May 24, 2021

The Monday sports card has action in the NBA, NHL, MLB, and the WNBA.The NBA playoffs have two games on the docket. Milwaukee hosts Miami on TNT at 7:30 PM ET. The Bucks won the opening game of this series on Saturday with their 109-107 victory as a 5.5-point favorite. The Heat have lost two of their last three games. Milwaukee is a 4.5-point favorite with the total set at 222.5 (all odds from BetOnline). Denver plays at home against Portland in the second game on TNT at 10:05 PM ET. The Nuggets have dropped two games in a row after losing the first game in this series, 123-109, as a 1-point favorite. The Trail Blazers have won seven of their last eight games. Denver is a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 227.Five games are on the NHL playoff slate. Pittsburgh is at home against the New York Islanders on the NBC Sports Network at 7 PM ET. The Islanders evened this series at 2-2 with their 4-1 victory on Saturday. The Penguins are a -137 money line favorite as a -137 money line favorite with the total set at 5.5. Toronto visits Montreal on the NHL Network at 7 PM ET. The Maple Leafs evened this series at 1-1 with their 5-1 victory on Saturday. The Canadiens have lost six of their last seven games. Toronto is a -157 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5.Tampa Bay travels to Florida on CNBC at 8 PM ET. The Lightning took a 3-1 lead in this series with their 6-2 victory at Florida on Saturday. Tampa Bay is a -109 money line road favorite with a total of 6. Edmonton plays at Winnipeg on the NBC Sports Network at 9:45 PM ET. The Jets took a 3-0 lead in this series with their 5-4 win in overtime on Sunday. The Oilers are a -116 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5.Vegas hosts Minnesota on CNBC at 10:30 PM ET. The Golden Knights took a 3-1 lead in this series with their 4-0 shutout victory on Saturday. Vegas is a -181 money line favorite with a total of 5.5.Eight games are on the MLB schedule. Tampa Bay visits Toronto at 1:07 PM ET as a -120 money line road favorite with an over/under of 10.5. Miami plays at home against Philadelphia at 6:40 PM ET as a -118 money line favorite with a total of 7. Detroit is at home against Cleveland at 7:10 PM ET as a -120 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. The New York Mets are at home against Colorado as a -133 money line favorite with a total of 7. Milwaukee hosts San Diego at 7:40 PM ET as a -110 money line favorite with an over/under of 7. Baltimore travels to Minnesota as a -106 money line road favorite with a total of 9. The Chicago White Sox play at home against St. Louis as a -160 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Oakland is at home against Seattle at 9:40 PM ET as a -155 money line favorite with a total of 8.One game is on the WNBA schedule. Dallas visits New York at 7 PM ET. 

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What has happened to MLB offenses this season?

by ASA, Inc.

Sunday, May 23, 2021

What’s up with MLB offenses this season?  Do we have an influx of below average hitters or has the pitching become that dominant?  The average team BA as of May 23rd is just .237.  To put how poor that is in perspective, the last time the league average was lower than .237 was NEVER!  And those numbers go back to 1871.  Are you kidding me?  MLB did hit for an average of exactly .237 back in 1968 but never lower than that.  Even through the so called “dead ball ERA” in the early 1900’s the league batting average never dipped below .239.  Now we realize it’s still early and things can improve but the offenses have been poor so far this season to say the least. Let’s did a little deeper.  Teams are averaging less than 8 hits per game on the season which is also historically bad.  Since the 1910 season, only ONCE has the league averaged less than 8 hits per game and that also was in 1968.  The average number of at bats per team is 33 and the average strike outs per game is just over 9.  So nearly 30% of the time players are walking to the plate and getting sent back to the dugout with a K!  The league has never averaged more than 9 strike outs per game which is some more perspective on just how poor it has been early on in 2021.  The MLB OPS (on base percentage + slugging percentage) is at .709 which is the 2nd lowest number since 1992.  The average RPG scored per team is 4.39 which is the lowest since 2015.  We could go on and on but we all get the point that MLB offenses have been far from stellar this season but why?  Is it dominant pitching?  Maybe defensive positioning with more shifts to take away hitter’s strengths?  Simply a run of hitter’s that might just be below what this league is used to?  It’s tough to pinpoint one main reason and is most likely a combination of all of the above plus other factors. How has this affected Totals this year?  It hasn’t necessarily created a market where the Unders are cashing regularly.  In fact our numbers show the Overs have actually come in a bit more often this season with a record of 662-648-44 as of Sunday, May 23rd.  Even in Divisional match ups where we might expect the Unders to be a bit stronger the Overs have a very slight advantage at 312-309-20.  The oddsmakers have obviously adjusted as we’re seeing 7, 7.5, and 8 as common totals nowadays.  Offensive numbers are way down this season but blindly betting Unders because of that hasn’t been a profit maker.       

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA and EPL Previews and Odds - 05/23/2021

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, May 23, 2021

The Sunday sports card has action in the NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, and the English Premier League.The NBA playoffs have four games on the docket. Philadelphia hosts Washington on TNT at 1 PM ET. The 76ers have won 10 of their last 12 games after their 128-117 victory against Orlando as a 6.5-point favorite last Sunday. The Wizards have won three of four after defeating Indiana in the Play-In Tournament, 142-115, as a 4.5-point favorite on Thursday. Philadelphia is a 7.5-point favorite with the total set at 228.5 (all odds from BetOnline). Phoenix plays at home against the Los Angeles Lakers on ABC at 3:30 PM ET. The Suns won their third straight game with their 123-121 victory at San Antonio as a 2-point favorite last Sunday. The Lakers have won six in a row after defeating Golden State, 103-100, as a 5.5-point favorite in the Play-In Tournament on Wednesday. Phoenix is a 2.5-point favorite with an over/under of 213.5.New York is at home against Atlanta on TNT at 7 PM ET. The Knicks have won three in a row after their 96-92 victory against Boston as a 12-point favorite on Sunday. The Hawks have won seven of their last eight games with their 124-95 win against Houston on Sunday. New York is a 1.5-point favorite with a total of 215. Utah hosts Memphis on TNT at 9:30 PM ET. The Jazz have won seven of their last nine games after their 121-99 victory at Sacramento as an 11.5-point favorite on Sunday. The Grizzlies won their seventh game in their last eight with their 117-112 upset victory at Golden State as a 4.5-point underdog in the Play-In Tournament on Friday. Utah is an 8.5-point favorite with an over/under of 216.Four games are on the NHL playoff slate. Carolina plays at Nashville on the NBC Sports Network at 2:30 PM ET. The Predators come off a 5-4 victory in the third game of this series on Friday. The Hurricanes still hold a 2-1 lead in the series. Carolina is a -140 money line road favorite with a total of 5.5.Colorado visits St. Louis on the NBC Sports Network at 5 PM ET. The Avalanche took a 3-0 lead in this series on Friday with their 5-1 victory. Colorado is a -212 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5. Boston travels to Washington on the USA Network at 7 PM ET. The Bruins have won the last three games in this series after a 4-1 victory at home on Friday. The Capitals hope to stave off elimination as they trail 3-1 in the series. Boston is a -125 money line road favorite with a total of 5.5.Edmonton visits Winnipeg on the NBC Sports Network at 7:30 PM ET. The Jets took a 2-0 lead in this series with their 1-0 victory in overtime on Friday. The Oilers have lost three games in a row. Edmonton is a -125 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5. Fifteen games are on the MLB schedule. The New York Yankees play at home against the Chicago White Sox at 1:05 PM ET as a -128 money line favorite with a total of 9. Washington hosts Baltimore as a -182 money line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Philadelphia is at home against Boston as a -122 money line favorite with the total at 8.5. Tampa Bay visits Toronto at 1:07 PM ET. Cleveland plays at home against Minnesota at 1:10 PM ET as a -128 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Milwaukee plays at Cincinnati as a -124 money line road favorite with a total of 8. The New York Mets play at Miami. Atlanta hosts Pittsburgh at 1:20 PM ET as a -190 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.Kansas City plays at home against Detroit at 2:10 PM ET as a -144 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. Houston visits Texas at 2:35 PM ET as a -167 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Colorado is at home against Arizona at 3:10 PM ET as a -140 money line favorite with the total at 11.5.The Los Angeles Dodgers visit San Francisco at 4:05 PM ET as a -128 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Oakland is at Los Angeles to play the Angels at 4:07 PM ET as a -110 money line road favorite with a total of 8.5. San Diego hosts Seattle as a -220 money line favorite with an over/under of 7. St. Louis plays at home against the Chicago Cubs on ESPN at 7:08 PM ET. The Cardinals are a -130 money line favorite with a total of 8.5.Three games are on the WNBA schedule. New York plays at Chicago on ESPN at 1 PM ET. Washington visits Indiana at 1 PM ET. Connecticut travels to Las Vegas at 6 PM ET.Matchweek 38 concludes the English Premier League season with all ten matches starting at 11 AM ET. Manchester City is at home against Everton as a -1.25 goal line favorite with an over/under of 3. Leicester City hosts Tottenham on the NBC Sports Network as a -0.5 goal line favorite with a total of 3. Liverpool plays at home against Crystal Palace as a -2.25 goal line favorite with an over/under of 3.5.

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NHL Hockey: Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals Preview, Odds and Prediction - 05/23/2021

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, May 23, 2021

NHL Sunday USA Network Preview: Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals.Boston looks to close out their seven-game series with Washington on Sunday at 7 PM ET on the USA Network. The Bruins took a 3-1 lead in this series with their 4-1 road victory on Friday.Brad Marchand opened the scoring for Boston with a power-play goal eight minutes into the second period. David Pastrnak added a power-play goal 29 seconds into the third period. Charlie Coyle scored the team’s third goal 34 seconds later to break the game wide open for the Bruins. Alex Ovechkin got the Capitals on the board with a power-play goal of his own at the 4:54 mark of the final period. Matt Grzelcyk scored the final play on a power play at 14:50. Boston converted in three of their five power-play opportunities. Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced to earn his 54th career victory in the postseason. After some shaky moments in this series, Rask has a 1.99 goals-against-average and a .930 save percentage after the first four games. Charlie McAvoy had three assists in the win. He leads the Bruins with five points from five assists in the postseason. Pastrnak is second on the team with four points including a goal. Marchand’s three playoff goals are tops on the team. Ilya Samsonov made 33 saves for Washington. He made 40 saves in the third game of this series, but he made a mistake that cost his team that game in overtime. Samsonov has posted a 2.67 goals-against-average and a .929 save percentage since returning from COVID quarantine to play the third and fourth games. Craig Anderson started the second game after coming into relief for Vitek Vanecek in the first period of the opening after he incurred a lower-body injury. Vanecek is questionable for this game. Ovechkin’s power-play goal was his 71st playoff goal in his career. He leads the Capitals with four points in this series from two goals and two assists. T.J. Oshie and Garnett Hathaway both have three points.Game 4 was the first time in this series that the game did not go into overtime. Washington took the opening game, 3-2. Boston won game two by a 4-3 score before winning the third game in double overtime, 3-2.The Capitals got centers Evgeny Kuznetsov and Lars Eller back on the ice on Friday after both players did not play in Game 3. Yet Washington endured a stretch lasting 18:40 minutes in Game 4 where they failed to muster a shot on goal. The Caps have converted on just three of their 17 power-play opportunities in this series. Washington tied for first place in the East Division with Pittsburgh but settled for the second seed given tie-breakers. The Capitals had 77 points in the regular season, coming from a 36-15-5 record under first-year head coach Peter Laviolette. Led by Ovechkin and a core group of veterans who led the franchise to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018, the hope is the pieces are in place to make another deep postseason run. Boston finished in third place in the East Division with a 33-16-7 record. Bruce Cassidy's team finished four points behind the Capitals and Penguins. The Bruins ran away with the President’s Trophy last year, but they lost their mojo after the stoppage of play in March. They lost all three of their round-robin games in the bubble to determine playoff seeding before losing to Tampa Bay in the second round.BookMaker lists Boston as a -136 money line road favorite with the total set at 5.5.Prediction:  Washington Capitals 4 Boston Bruins 2

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Ness Notes: 2021 NBA playoffs-Part 2

by Larry Ness

Saturday, May 22, 2021

Play-In results: The Celtics beat the Wizards 118-100 (Tatum had 50 points!) on Tuesday to claim the No. 7 seed in the East, as Boston will make its seventh straight playoff appearance and its 13th in the last 14 seasons). The Lakers edged the Warriors 103-100 (LBJ won it by making a 34-foot three-pointer!) on Wednesday to grab the West's No. 7 seed, giving last year's champs a chance to defend its title. Raise your hand if you had predicted BEFORE the start of the current season that Boston and LA, the NBA's two most storied franchises with 17 NBA titles apiece, would be this season's No. 7 seeds! The Wizards recovered from their loss at Boston by crushing the Pacers 142-115 win in Washington giving them the East's No. 8 seed. The Pacers saw their run of five straight playoff appearances end (note: Indiana had lost in the first round in each of those five appearances). The last team to claim a berth in this year's postseason was Memphis, which avenged a 113-101 loss at Golden St last Sunday by beating the Warriors 1117-112 (OT) last night in San Francisco. The Grizzlies led 62-49 at the half but the Warriors sent it into OT. Curry had 39 points for the Warriors but Ja Morant scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and OT, as the Grizzlies became the youngest playoff team since the 2010-11 Oklahoma City Thunder (average age of Memphis' roster is 24.8 years old), The NBA's 16-team playoff field is now set and here are the eight series and the prices, courtesy of BetAnySports: Bucks -290/Heat +260Clippers -375/Mavs +335Nets -1100/Celtics +900Blazers -128/Nuggets +118Sixers -925/Wizards +725Lakers -150/Suns +140Hawks -120/Knicks +110Jazz -1100/Grizzlies +900The NBA expanded its playoff field to 16 teams for the 1983-84 season but first round series were best-of-five with all remaining series being the best-of-seven. The first round was extended to a best-of-seven series for the 2002-03 season (and has remained in place) with the change arguably benefitting the higher seeded teams by reducing the likelihood of an upset by a lower seed. The lowest seed to reach the NBA Finals was the No. 8 NY Knicks in the 50-game strike season of 1998-99, who would lose 4-1 to the Spurs (the first of Pop's five championship teams). The lowest seed to win an NBA title was the No. 6 Houston Rockets in the 1994-95 season. Houston had won the NBA title the year before but the team's second consecutive title was an unforgettable one. Houston won all FOUR series without the home court edge and its 'victims' that postseason had a combined record of 238-90 (.726) during the regular season. No championship team, before or since, has beaten a more impressive group of challengers on its way to an NBA title.Is there a long shot in this season's NBA playoff field? I guess it depends how one defines a long shot. Here's a quick look at a trio of first round matchups in which the lower seed could advance. The Lakers are a No. 7 seed but are also defending champs and have LBJ and A.D. Can they really be considered a long shot? That said, they are a No. 7 seed, so like Houston back in 1995, would have to win four consecutive series without the home court edge in any one. LA gets the Suns in the first round, who ended a 10-season playoff drought in 2021 by going 51-21 to grab the West's No. 2 seed plus own the West's best ATS record at 42-28-2. Phoenix is a VERY talented group but its leader is Chris Paul and for all the talk surrounding just how good he is, looms the fact that he's never  led one of his teams to a conference final (no less an NBA Finals or a championship). The irony heading into the series is that the Lakers seem healthy, while the Suns are concerned over center Ayton's (14.4 & 10.5 in playing 69 of 72 games) knee and SF Johnson's (9.6) wrist. Would anyone really be surprised if LA were to pull the 'upset?' What upset? The Lakers are a -150 favorite to win the series.Both No. 6 seeds are also worth mentioning. The Heat are the East's No. 6 seed and will meet the Bucks, the East's No. 3 seed. As most probably know, the Bucks owned the East's (and the NBA's) No. 1 seed each of the last two seasons. Milwaukee's.639 winning percentage (46-26) this season is far off its .748 percentage of the previous two seasons (116-39). Milwaukee made the Eastern Conference finals two seasons ago but after going up 2-0 against the Raptors, lost FOUR in a row. Last season in Orlando, the Bucks fell to Miami 4-1 in the second round. The Heat would make it all the way to the NBA Finals in 2020, before losing to the Lakers. Miami was last postseason's best pointspread team at 16-5. Milwaukee is the NBA's highest scoring team (120.1 PPG) and would surely love to finally put its playoff disappointments of the last two postseasons behind them. Will that be enough or will Spoelstra's Heat surprise again? The Bucks are a sizable favorite at -290 to win the series but...Moving back to the Western Conference, the Blazers (No. 6 seed) will take on the Nuggets (No. 3 seed). Portland's dynamic guard duo is back healthy, as McCollum (23.1) missed 25 games earlier but has been back since mid-March to join Lillard (28.8-4.2-7.5). Center Nurkic (11.5 & 9.0) missed 35 games but now gives the Blazers a two-headed center threat along with Kanter (11.2 & 11.0). Then there is 'Melo (13,4), who has revived his career with the Blazers and will face the team that made him No. 3 overall pick in the 2003 draft. Denver lost PG Murray (21.2-4.0-4.8) for teh season but MVP favorite Nikola Jokic (26.4-10.8-8.3) has kept Denver winning, as the Nuggets went 13-5 without Murray. Denver has also had injuries to backup PG Morris (10.2 & 3.2 APG) and swingman Barton (12.7-4.0-3,2) but Morris is back and Barton is expected back soon. SF Porter (19.0 & 7.3) has had a breakout year and acquiring PF Aaron Gordon (10.2 & 4.7) at the trade deadline from Orlando has been a great "fit," with the Nuggets going 19-6 in his 25 games with the team. However, Portland comes in having won 10 of 12 and like with the Lakers over the Suns, is a case where the lower seed is favored (-128).Enjoy the NBA playoff 'ride' and I'll be back June 1 for a MLB update through Memorial Day play.Good luck...Larry 

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2021 NBA Playoffs: 1st Round Previews, Odds and Predictions

by Al McMordie

Saturday, May 22, 2021

The NBA Playoffs tip off this weekend, and the match-ups have been set.  Let's take a look at the eight First Round series from a point spread perspective.In the Eastern Conference, the match-ups are:(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (8) Washington Wizards(2) Brooklyn Nets vs. (7) Boston Celtics(3) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (6) Miami Heat(4) New York Knicks vs. (5) Atlanta HawksIn the Western Conference, the match-ups are:(1) Utah Jazz vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers(4) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (5) Dallas MavericksThe odds (courtesy of BookMaker) on each team to win its First Round series are:Philadelphia 76ers (-973)/Washington Wizards (+723)Brooklyn Nets (-1164)/Boston Celtics (+838)Milwaukee Bucks (-299)/Miami Heat (+258)New York Knicks (+112)/Atlanta Hawks (-127)Utah Jazz (-1164)/Memphis Grizzlies (+832)Phoenix Suns (+138)/Los Angeles Lakers (-153)Denver Nuggets (+118)/Portland Trail Blazers (-133)Los Angeles Clippers (-368)/Dallas Mavericks (+313)The regular season series records for each of the First Round match-ups are as follows:Philadelphia defeated Washington 3 games to 0Brooklyn defeated Boston 3 games to 0Milwaukee defeated Miami 2 games to 1New York defeated Atlanta 3 games to 0Utah defeated Memphis 3 games to 0Phoenix defeated Los Angeles 2 games to 1Denver defeated Portland 2 games to 1Dallas defeated Los Angeles 2 games to 1The ATS and O/U records for each team are:Atlanta Hawks:  39-32-1 ATS (54.9%); 35 overs, 36 unders, 1 tieBoston Celtics:  34-38-1 ATS (47.2%); 37 overs, 36 undersBrooklyn Nets:  38-34 ATS (52.7%); 40 overs, 32 undersDallas Mavericks:  35-37 ATS (48.6%); 34 overs, 38 undersDenver Nuggets:  34-38 ATS (47.2%); 39 overs, 32 unders, 1 tieLos Angeles Clippers:  39-32-1 ATS (54.9%); 35 overs, 35 unders, 2 tiesLos Angeles Lakers:  32-40-1 ATS (44.4%); 28 overs, 43 unders, 2 tiesMemphis Grizzlies:  43-31 ATS (58.1%); 35 overs, 37 unders, 2 tiesMiami Heat:  34-36-2 ATS (48.5%); 38 overs, 34 undersMilwaukee Bucks:  32-40 ATS (44.4%); 41 overs, 30 unders, 1 tieNew York Knicks:  45-26-1 ATS (63.3%); 32 overs, 40 undersPhiladelphia 76ers:  38-31-3 ATS (55.0%); 34 overs, 37 unders, 1 tiePhoenix Suns:  42-28-2 ATS (60.0%); 42 overs, 30 undersPortland Trail Blazers:  38-34 ATS (52.7%); 36 overs, 34 unders, 2 tiesUtah Jazz:  41-31 ATS (56.9%); 33 overs, 38 unders, 1 tieWashington Wizards:  42-31-1 ATS (57.5%); 37 overs, 37 undersFirst Round trends since 1990:Home:  547-537-24 ATSAway:  537-574-24 ATSUnderdog:  541-604-26 ATSFavorite:  604-541-26 ATSOff Win:  578-597-28 ATSOff Loss:  573-554-24 ATSOff SU/ATS Win:  458-471-24 ATSOff SU/ATS Loss:  462-460-21 ATSOff Back-to-Back SU/ATS Wins:  184-183-12 ATSOff Back-to-Back SU/ATS Losses:  174-159-13 ATSOff 20-point Playoff Win:  65-79-1 ATSOff 10-point Cover in Previous Playoff Game:  171-185-6 ATSOff Upset Playoff Win:  124-151-9 ATSOff Over in Previous Playoff Game:  416 overs, 448 unders, 18 tiesOff Under in Previous Playoff Game:  442 overs, 494 unders, 16 ties#1 seeds:  143-138-4 ATS#2 seeds:  170-109-10 ATS#3 seeds: 149-144-7 ATS#4 seeds: 134-168-5 ATS#5 seeds:  168-134-5 ATS#6 seeds:  144-149-7 ATS#7 seeds: 109-170-10 ATS#8 seeds:  138-143-4 ATSPredictions:Eastern Conference:Philadelphia 76ers win 4 games to 0Brooklyn Nets win 4 games to 0Milwaukee Bucks win 4 games to 1New York Knicks win 4 games to 3Western Conference:Utah Jazz win 4 games to 0Phoenix Suns win 4 games to 3Portland Trail Blazers win 4 games to 2Dallas Mavericks win 4 games to 2Good luck, as always...Al McMordie

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Big Al's Daily Angle: WNBA, NBA, MLB and NHL Previews and Odds - 05/22/2021

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, May 22, 2021

The Saturday sports card has action in the NBA, NHL, MLB, and the WNBA.The NBA playoffs begin with four games. Milwaukee hosts Miami on ESPN at 2:05 PM ET. The Bucks had their three-game losing streak end with a 118-112 upset loss at Chicago as a 7.5-point favorite on Sunday. The Heat have won five of their last six games with their 120–107 win at Detroit as a 3-point favorite on Sunday. Milwaukee is a 4.5-point favorite with the total set at 227 (all odds from BetOnline). The Los Angeles Clippers play at home against Dallas on ESPN at 4:35 PM ET. The Clippers have lost two in a row after their 117-112 upset loss at Oklahoma City as an 8-point favorite on Sunday. The Mavericks had their two-game winning streak end with a 136-121 upset loss at Minnesota as a 7-point favorite on Sunday. Los Angeles is a 5-point favorite with an over/under of 218.5.Brooklyn is at home against Boston on ABC at 8 PM ET. The Nets have won five in a row with their 123-109 win against Cleveland as a 13-point favorite on Sunday. The Celtics won their play-in tournament game with a 118-100 victory against Washington as a 1.5-point favorite on Tuesday. Brooklyn is an 8-point favorite with a total of 229. Denver hosts Portland on ESPN at 10:35 PM ET. The Nuggets had their three-game winning streak end with their 132-116 loss at Portland as an 8.5-point underdog on Sunday. The Trail Blazers have won six of their last seven games with that victory. Denver is a 1-point favorite with an over/under of 227.5. Four games take place in the NHL playoffs. Tampa Bay plays at home against Florida on CNBC at 12:30 PM ET. The Panthers won their seventh game in their last nine with a 6-5 victory in the third game of this series on Thursday. The Lighting holds a 2-1 lead in the series. Tampa Bay is a -135 money line favorite with the total at 6. The New York Islanders are at home against Pittsburgh on NBC at 3 PM ET. The Penguins took a 2-1 lead in this series with a 5-4 victory on Thursday. The Islanders are a -109 money line favorite with an over/under of 5.5.Toronto is at home against Montreal on CNBC at 7 PM ET. The Canadiens won the opening game of this series by a 2-1 score on Thursday. The Maple Leafs are a -167 money line favorite with a total of 5.5. Vegas visits Minnesota on NBC at 8 PM ET. The Golden Knights took a 2-1 lead in this series with a 5-2 victory on Thursday. The Wild have lost four of their last five games. Vegas is a -113 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5.Fifteen games are on the MLB slate. The New York Yankees host the Chicago White Sox at 1:05 PM ET as a -190 money line favorite with the total of 7.5. Arizona visits Colorado at 3:10 PM ET as a -112 money line road favorite with an over/under of 11. Houston travels to Texas at 4:05 PM ET as a -185 money line road favorite with the total at 9. Washington is at home against Baltimore as a -152 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. Cincinnati plays at home against Milwaukee as a -135 money line favorite with the total at 8.5. Kansas City hosts Detroit as a -145 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Cleveland is at home against Minnesota as a -168 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. The New York Mets visit Miami. Pittsburgh travels to Atlanta. Fox broadcasts three regional games at 7:15 PM ET. St. Louis plays at home against the Chicago Cubs as a -107 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Boston visits Philadelphia as a -130 money line road favorite with a total of 9. The Los Angeles Dodgers plays at San Francisco. Toronto hosts Tampa Bay at 7:37 PM ET as a -114 money line favorite with a total of 9.5. Seattle visits San Diego at 8:40 PM ET. Oakland travels to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers at 10:07 PM ET. One game takes place in the WNBA. The Seattle Storm visits the Dallas Wings at 8 PM ET.

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NHL Hockey: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild Game 2 Preview, Odds and Prediction - 05/22/2021

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, May 22, 2021

NHL Saturday NBC Preview: Vegas Golden Knights at the Minnesota Wild. The Vegas Golden Knights play at the Minnesota Wild on Saturday at 8 PM in the fourth game of their opening-round West Division playoff series. NBC has the broadcast. The Golden Knights won the third game of this series on Thursday by a 5-2 score. Vegas trailed after the first period, 2-0, yet almost dug themselves into a deeper hole. The Wild opened the scoring 2:16 minutes into the first period with Ryan Hartman beating Marc-Andre Fleury. Joel Eriksson Ek made it 2-0 a little over five minutes later. Eriksson Ek then appeared to score a third goal at the 13:05 minute mark of the period. Vegas head coach Peter DeBoer risked a delay of game penalty by challenging the goal, a big gamble since if the review confirmed the scoring play, Minnesota would go on the power play with a 3-0 lead. But the scoring play was called offsides to give the Golden Knights a reprieve.Mark Stone got Vegas on the board 8:39 minutes into the second period. Patrick Brown evened the score almost seven minutes later. The Golden Knights took the lead at the 17:37 mark with Reilly Smith beating the Wild’s goalie Cam Talbot off his own rebound. William Karlsson scored the team’s fourth goal with only about 2 1/2 minutes left in the third period. Stone added an empty netter with just over a minute left for a 5-2 final score that obscures how close the game was. Fleury had his least challenging night so far in the series despite giving up the two first-period goals. He only faced 16 shots after making 34 and 29 saves in the first two games. Fleury has stopped 77 of the Wild’s 81 shots for a .951 save percentage. Talbot made 35 saves in the losing effort. The Minnesota goaltender has stopped 102 of the 109 shots he has faced in this series for a .936 save percentage. Talbot made 42 saves in the Wild’s 1-0 overtime victory in the opening game of this series on Tuesday. He allowed three goals on 28 shots in the Golden Knights’ 3-1 win on Thursday in Game Two. Minnesota left win Marcus Johansson left the game at 6:55 in the first period after crashing into the nest. The third-line left wing is out indefinitely with a broken arm. Johansson had seven goals and eight assists in 36 games in the regular season playing with center Nick Bonino and Kevin Fiala. The Golden Knights’ Max Pacioretty missed his ninth straight game with an injury after being a game-time decision. The left wing led the team in the regular season with 24 goals. Fourth-line center Tomas Nosek also missed the game as a game-time decision. He left Game Two midway through the first period after taking a hit from Marcus Foligno. Minnesota won five of the eight games between these two teams during the regular season. Vegas’ victory on Thursday was just the third time in the franchise’s nine games played at Xcel Energy Center, where they defeated the Wild. BetAnySports lists the Golden Knights as a -110 money line road favorite with the total set at 5.5.Prediction:  Minnesota Wild 4 Vegas Golden Knights 1

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WNBA Early Season Shootaround

by Sean Murphy

Friday, May 21, 2021

We're one week into the 2021 WNBA season and we've already seen plenty of surprises across the league. Here's a quick look at some key situations to keep an eye on heading into the second weekend of the season.Minny-slumpThe Minnesota Lynx are off to an improbable 0-3 start after a complete fourth quarter collapse against the Seattle Storm on Thursday. While the schedule-makers haven't been overly kind to the Lynx in the early going with two of their three games coming against title contenders in the Mercury and Storm, both of those games came at home and they also had a winnable road game against the Liberty which they lost 86-75. The good news is, reinforcements are on their way with two-way star in the making Napheesa Collier set to return from Covid quarantine. Note that the Lynx are in for an extended layoff as they won't take the court again until next Friday when they head to Seattle for a rematch with the Storm. Aces are wildWhile the Las Vegas Aces only managed to earn a split in a two-game season-opening set in Seattle, they still managed to put on quite a show, scoring 179 points led by 42 points from A'ja Wilson. Going back to the brief preseason, the Aces rank second in the WNBA in pace rating but they've been anything but careless, also checking in second in the league in fewest turnovers per game. Off Tuesday's blowout win over the Storm, the Aces have the opportunity to go on a run with four of their next five games coming at home, beginning with a date with the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night. It's early but the Aces certainly look the part of a title contender - this time with a big chip on their shoulder after last year's Finals disappointment.Unpleasant Dream?The Atlanta Dream started the season completely out of sorts after head coach Nicki Collen surprisingly bolted for Baylor just weeks before the 2021 campaign began. They're off to a winless start through two games, checking in 10th in the league in defensive rating and 11th in offensive rating. Things don't figure to get a whole lot easier as they'll play their next two games on the road. The good news is Friday's opponent, the Indiana Fever, are in complete disarray having dropped their first three games this season. Dream first round draft pick Aari McDonald has yet to find her way, contributing just a single point in 27 minutes of action so far. Atlanta does have high hopes for a potential backcourt duo of McDonald and Chennedy Carter. For her part, Carter has accounted for nearly a quarter of the Dream's scoring output through two games. Mercury risingPhoenix is going to be a problem for many opponents this season with an explosive starting five that has seen all five players score in double-figures in two of three games so far (with four reaching the mark in the other). Having Brittney Griner back in the fold is obviously a major plus and she already appears to be in midseason form, contributing 47 points while grabbing 26 rebounds through three games. Along with Sue Bird of the Storm, Diana Taurasi is an ageless wonder, pouring in 50 points in her first three contests this season. Phoenix's tough early season schedule continues with consecutive home games against the undefeated Connecticut Sun and Las Vegas Aces up next.

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