The set-up: The Cleveland Cavaliers finished the regular season a disappointing 50-32. They enter the playoffs as the East's No. 4 seed but will be in search of earning their fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals (LBJ is looking for an 8th consecutive visit!). The Cavaliers will have homecourt advantage in the first round but after that, the Cavs would need some upsets to have homecourt advantage in any future series. In contrast to Cleveland, Indiana was a surprising contender for homecourt in the East behind All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, who led the team in averaging 21.3 PPG. "We've just got to go out there and play at a high level," Oladipo told reporters. "It's not going to be easy, but it ain't been easy all year for us. We've got to go out there with that mentality and try to win it. That's what we're trying to do. We're trying to go make it close and have fun, we're trying to win." Indiana did win three of the four meetings this season but all four came before Cleveland remade its roster at the trade deadline.

Indiana: Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis were the key players the Pacers received from the Thunder in the Paul George deal. Oladipo has been terrific and in about 24 1/2 minutes per game, Sabonis has averaged 11.6 & 7.7. Indiana was swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Cavaliers last spring (with George!) but the Pacers are a different (better?) team this time around thanks to the presence of Oladipo and Sabonis, plus four other Pacers who average in double digits with Stephenson (9.2 & 5.2) and Joseph (7.9) also being regular contributors. Oladipo is now Indiana's best player plus Sabonis has teamed with fellow center Turner (12.7 & 6.4) to give the Pacers an excellent center combo. Collison is Indiana's new PG and he averaged 12.4 points and 5.4 assists, while leading the NBA with a 46.8 three-point field-goal percentage.

Cleveland: The Cavs traded Kyrie Irving last summer for Isaiah Thomas, Ante Zizic, Jae Crowder, and two draft picks. The Cavs also signed Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade. Then, on Feb. 8, Thomas, Crowder, Rose, and Wade (and Channing Frye and Iman Shumpert) were all traded away for George Hill, Rodney Hood, Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson. With a revamped roster, the Cavs battled through some inconsistency with the new rotations and injured players until putting everything together and finishing the regular season with wins in 11 of the last 14 games. Can the team's new dynamic work in the playoffs? Cleveland's advantage over every other team in the East is the presence of LBJ, who played in all 82 regular-season games for the first time in his career. James averaged career highs in rebounds (8.6) and assists (9.1) while adding 27.5 points on 54.2 percent shooting.

The pick: I agree the Cavs look vulnerable and I also agree that the Pacers are better this season, than last. However, look at what LBJ-led teams have done in the first round of the NBA playoffs. They have won 21 games in a row in the opening round (an NBA record) and have never lost a first-round series (12-0), nor even a Game 1 of any first round. The last time his team lost any game in the first round was back May 6, 2012, when the Miami Heat lost by two to the New York Knicks in Game 4. Make the Cavs an 8* play.

The set-up: St. Louis Cardinals have outscored the Reds by a 24-8 margin in taking the first three of a four-game series in Cincinnati. The Cards have been able inch above .500 with this "mini-run," becoming just the latest team to take advantage of the struggling Reds, who own MLB's worst record (2-12) and will need to break a seven-game losing streak to avoid a four-game home sweep. Saturday's 6-1 win came behind seven strong innings from starter Miles Mikolas, with Greg Garcia producing two HRs and a double plus Tommy Pham going 3-for-4 with a walk for St. Louis, (1st time Cards have been above .500 in 2018). The loss gives Cincinnati its worse start since 1931, when the team lost 17 of its first 19 contests.

The pitching matchup: Carlos Martinez (1-1, 2.41 ERA) will get the ball for the Cards and Homer Bailey (0-2, 3.24 ERA) gets teh nod for the Reds. Martinez has just one win after three starts but he's allowed only 14 hits and has 19 Ks through 18 2/3 innings. His problem has been allowing 10 walks, although the bulk of those came in a rocky season debut (4.1 IP / 4 hits / 6 walks / 4 ERs). Martinez is 6-3 with a 3.84 ERA in 19 career games (just eight starts) against Cincinnati,. Bailey has allowed only a run in six innings in two of his first three starts but his team is 0-3 in his outings. He struck out seven and yielded two hits in his six innings of work at Philadelphia on Tuesday, getting through a start without allowing a walk for the first time in 2018. However, Bailey has fared poorly in his career against the Cards, going 6-13 with a 5.86 ERA in 23 career starts.

The pick: The Cardinals have been perennial playoff contenders but hardly looked like ones in opening 5-7. The Reds have given them a chance to gain some momentum (and some confidence) and St. Louis has done just that. Martinez had a shaky 2018 debut (see above) but he's rebounded by allowing just one run in 14 1/3 innings over his last two outings. That bodes well for the Cards, as his counterpart (Bailey) has been awful in his career against St. Louis (again, see above). Absolutely nothing has gone right for the Reds, who have not just been outscored 24-8 in this series vs. the Cards but by a margin of 45-17 during the team's seven-game slide. The Reds are coming off three consecutive last-place seasons in which they've averaged 95 losses and they are currently 'ahead' of that pace in 2018. Cincy is off to its worst start in 87 years, or since the Reds were also 2-12 in 1931, when they lost 96 times during a 154-game season. Make St. Louis an 8* play.

analysis soon

The set-up: Paraphrasing Britney Spears, "Oooops, the D'backs did it again!" Arizona led LA 5-1 by the third inning last night and held on for an 8-7 victory. Amazingly, it was the D'backs' 10th consecutive regular season win over the Dodgers, as Arizona improved to 10-3, Its best start 13-game start in franchise history. 3B Daniel Descalso hit cleanup for the first time in his career Friday and went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and four RBI and LF David Peralta returned to the lead-off spot after missing two games due to a sore left hand to 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Closer Brad Boxberger finished up, recording his fifth save while extending his scoreless streak to 14 games dating back to last season.The loss dropped the defending NL champs to 4-8 plus they received a scare when Matt Kemp crashed into the wall on a HR. However, the veteran was diagnosed with a knee contusion and said he expects to play Saturday. Leadoff hitter Chris Taylor and first baseman Cody Bellinger each homered in Friday’s loss, as the Dodgers are battling a middling .238 (14th), while averaging a modest 3.83 RPG (19th).

The pitching matchup: Arizona will send Taijuan Walker (0-0, 3.27 ERA) to the mound and he'll be opposed bu LA's Rich Hill (1-0, 2.70 ERA). Walker received a no-decision last Sunday dspite holding St. Louis to one run on three hits over six innings.This marks his third start and while he's searching for his first win of 2018 (he went 9-9 with ERA in hist first season with Arizona last year), the D'backs are 2-0 in his 2018 starts. Walker is 2-1 with a 4.91 ERA in five career starts against the Dodgers. Hill tossed six shutout innings against San Francisco in his season debut to earn the 9-0 home win but he allowed three earned runs over four innings in last Saturday’s rematch against the Giants, getting a no-decision in a 7-5 LA loss. Hill has battled blister problems over the past two years but the Dodgers won 14 of his last 21 starts in 2017, before going 3-1 in his four postseason starts. The bad news for LA is, Hill has posted a 1-5 record with a 4.78 ERA in nine career starts against the Diamondbacks.

The pick: Will the Dodgers ever beat the D'backs? Of course they will, but when? How about right here? The Dodgers were a dominating and MLB-best 57-24 in their home park last season and while Hill posted a 4.06 ERA in 11 road starts last season, his ERA in 14 outings at Dodger Stadium was 2.77 ERA. His first home start of 2018 went well (see above), so I'm saying. ":second verse, same as the first." Make LA a 10* play.

The set-up: The Boston Bruins were the best team in hockey for a long stretch of the season but with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference there for the taking at home last Sunday against the Panthers, Boston lost 4-2. In fact, the Bruins lost four of their final five games, including that season-ending loss to Florida. However, they showed no carry-over effects from their late-season slump in their playoff opener. The Bruins turned in a dominating performance (40 shots on goal) in a 5-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. Toronto's chances of earning a split in Boston and climbing back into the series received a jarring setback when 32-goal scorer Nazem Kadri was handed a three-game suspension Friday for a dangerous hit on Bruins forward Tommy Wingels in the third period. The 49-26-7 Toronto Maple Leafs finished 3rd in Atlantic, led by an offense which averaged 3.29 GPG (4th).

Toronto: Head coach Mike Babcock shuffled three of his four lines at Friday's practice, anticipating the suspension of Kadri. Former overall No. 1 pick Auston Matthews missed 20 games to injury in his second season but still finished second on the team with 34 goals (points) and showed no rust in his return from a month-long absence, collecting at least one point in his final nine games. However, he, along with his teammates, were quiet in Game 1. Kadri was expected to be a big key for Toronto and his absence will hurt. Frederik Andersen is a quality goalie and went 38-21-5 during the regular season (2.81 GAA & .918 SP). However, he was peppered with 40 shots and allowed five goals in Game 1 (.875 SP).

Boston: The Bruins were clearly slumping at the wrong time but they were superb in Game 1. After all, they still finished with 112 points, won at least four straight on five different occasions and amassed an 18-game point streak. Boston's No. 1 line has set the tone all season and little changed in Game 1 as David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron combined for six points, with Pastrnak scoring once and setting up a pair of goals. Bergeron, Brad Marchand (team-high 85 points) and David Pastrnak (team-high 35 goals) each scored at least 30 goals aduring the regular season. Former Vezina Trophy winner Tuukka Rask put together point streaks of 21 (19-0-2) and 11 games (10-0-1) but entered the playoffs having lost his last three starts, including that very important game last Sunday to Florida on home ice. He was sure fine in Game 1, stopping 26 of 27 shots (.963 SP).

The pick: I'm not ready to bury the Maple Leafs just yet. Frederick Andersen entered the season a perfect 9-0-0 against Boston and won two of three matchups this season, surrendering a combined eight goals.He was far from at his best in Game 1 but it was hardly all his fault. I'm going to again take the 1 1/2 goals (I did in Game 1, as well) with Toronto and make them an 8* play.

The set-up: The Philadelphia 76ers are in the playoffs for the first time since 2011. "The Process" has been roundly mocked in recent years, as the 76ers entered the 2017-18 season having won 19, 18, 10 and 28 games the previous four seasons. However, behind the play of All-Star center Joel Embiid (22.9 & 11.) and ROY candidate Ben Simmons (15.8-8.1-8.2, the 76ers finished this year's regular season 52-30 to earn the East's No. 3 seed. They will open postseason play tonight at home, on the heels of a franchise-record 16-game winning streak. Philly's opponent, the 44-38 Miami Heat, earned the No. 6 seed after just missing out on the postseason last year when the team's 41-41 record lost out in a tie-breaker to the 41-41 Chicago Bulls. Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra has now led his squad into the playoffs for the eighth time in 10 seasons. "We feel we're battle-tested," Spoelstra told reporters. "I don't know if there's a team right now in the league more battle-tested than us in close games." Miami ended the regular season winners of five of eight.

Miami: All-Star point guard Goran Dragic missed the regular-season finale with a bone bruise in his right knee but indicated that he expects to be in the lineup for Saturday's opener. Dragic leads in scoring (17.3) and assists (4.8) and his fitness will be crucial as he will be called on to slow down standout Philadelphia rookie Ben Simmons. Miami's strength is that the heat can throw a pair of stout centers at their opponents. Hassan Whiteside (14.0 & 11.4) is one of the league's best defenders and rookie Bam Adebayo (6.9 & 5.5 in less than 20 PG) is one of the league's best rebounders per 48 minutes. 76ers head coach Brett Brown noted about Miam's two centers, "They are tremendous rim protectors. You better go to jump or you better find perimeter shooters, because anything soft or non-purposeful is very difficult with those two bodies in there."

Philadelphia; Simmons recorded 10 or more assists on 10 occasions during Philadelphia's 16-game winning streak. He recorded 12 triple-doubles, second all-time among rookies behind legendary Oscar Robertson (26 in 1960-61) and either Simmons or Utah guard Donovan Mitchell will win Rookie of the Year honors. The 76ers have surprsied all by winning all eight games in which Joel Embiid has missed since he broke an orbital bone. It's been confirmed that Embiid will miss the beginning of the playoffs as he recovers but that is doing little to dampen Philadelphia's spirits."We prepare the same way we've been preparing the last seven or so games without him," said Simmons, who has averaged a triple-double over the last month. "Stick with our defense, stick with our offense. We're ready to play; I love stepping up and playing against the best competition."

The pick: The two teams split their four regular season games, with all taking place during a five-week stretch from early February to early March. Philadelphia won at home, 103-97, on Feb. 2, followed by a 104-102 Miami road win on Feb. 14. The teams met again two weeks later in Miami, with the 76ers scoring a 102-101 win and then the Heat closed out the season series with a 108-99 home win on March 8. Doing some quick math, the four contestes averaged 20.4.0 PPG, which is about a 'TD' lower than this over/under. Philly figures to be tight in the team's first playoff game since 2011 and I'm making the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Miami Marlins earned a 7-2 win last night at home over the Pirates in the series opener of a three-game set. It was just the second win in the last nine games for Miami, whose 4-9 record is better than only the 2-11 Cincinnari Reds in the National League. The Pirates lost for the second time in seven road contests this season and will look to bounce back tonight, after opening the 2018 season a surprising 9-4 (sit atop of the NL Central). J.B. Shuck went 4-for-4 with two runs scored in his first game for the Marlins and his first contest in the majors since 2016. Meanwhile, the top-five hitters in the Pittsburgh lineup were a combined 1-for-18 with six strikeouts and catcher Elias Diaz provided all the offense with a two-run HR in the fifth. The Pirates entered the day leading the National League in runs scored but went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

The pitching matchup: The Pirates had the ball to Jameson Taillon (2-0, 1.26 ERA), while the Marlins counter with Trevor Richards (0-1, 8.64 ERA). Taillon is coming off a one-hit shutout of Cincinnati last Sunday at home, using 110 pitches to complete the gem, while striking out seven. Taillon also won his 2018 debut, yielding only two runs and four hits across 5 1/3 innings while tying a career high with nine strikeouts, as the Pirates beat the Twins 5-4. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft but until last Sunday, had not made it into the ninth in his first two seasons. The 26-year-old allowed one run in five innings to get the win in his only prior career start against the Marlins last April in Miami. Richards failed to complete five innings in either of his first two career starts, after allowing three runs in four innings in a no-decision at Philadelphia on Sunday. The 24-year-old Richards posted a 2.53 ERA in 27 games (25 starts) across two levels in the minors last season.

The pick: This could very well be a breakout season for Taillon (that's my prediction) and he couldn't ask for much more of a 'lightweight' opponent in the Marlins to face in looking for his third win of 2018. Miami is just 3-7 at home and Taillon's teammates come in averaging 6.14 RPG on the road so far in 2018 and get to face a struggling rookie in Richards, who not only owns an 'ugly' 8.64 ERA but a whopping 2.16 WHIP, plus opponents are hitting .389 against him (he's allowed five doubles and a HR in his first 8 1/3 innings). The Marlins have yet to win back-to-back games in 2018 and WON"T on Saturday, either. Make Pittsburgh an 8* play.

The set-up: The Avalanche went from the NHL's worst team a year ago (by a wide margin) to a team that went 43-30-9 this season, while earning the West's final wild card spot with 95 points (one more than the Blues' 94!). However, the Avs drew the Nashville Predators in the first round, a team which itself was an 8-seed in the West last season but made an impressive Stanley Cup run that didn't end until Game 6 of the Finals! Nashville built off last year's playoff success and enters this year's playoffs as the team with the most points (117) of any NHL club in the regular season. Game 1 of this series went to Nashville 5-2 on Thursday, as the Presidents' Trophy-winning Predators earned their 10th straight victory over Colorado.

Colorado: The Avalanche weren't in awe of the Predators and seized a 2-1 lead early in the second period, before folding. "I think the first two periods we outplayed them for big parts of it," Colorado head coach Jared Bednar said. "We've got a big one here on Saturday. We're going to try to steal that one and get them back to the Pepsi Center where we're really good." The Avalanche's top line of Mikko Rantanen, potential Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnon and captain Gabriel Landeskog were not too good in the opener, however, finishing with a collective minus-6 rating. MacKinnon led the etam during the regular season in goals (39) and points (97), Rantanen was second in points (84) and Landeskog third (62).

Nashville: Fi lip Forsberg (team-high 64 points) scored twice in the opener, giving him 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) in his last 12 games overall and 28 points (17 goals, 11 assists) in the postseason to match defenseman Shea Weber and David Legwand for the most in franchise history. The 23-year-old Swede has flustered Colorado to the tune of 15 goals and 11 assists in 21 career encounters. Ryan Johansen notched a pair of assists to boost his point total to 10 (three goals, seven assists) in his past 11 games, while fellow forward Austin Watson joined Colton Sissons by scoring and setting up a goal, giving Watson eight points (five goals, three assists) in his past 15 outings.Viktor Arvidsson led the team with 29 goals during the regular season. Likely Vezina Trophy finalist Pekka Rinne turned aside 25 shots in Game 1 to move past Antti Niemi for the most playoff wins by a goaltender born in Finland.

The pick: Pelkka Rinne was a big reason Nashville advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals last year and off a terrific regular season (42-13-4, 2.31 GAA & .927 SP), looked 'ready for primetime " in Game 1 (25 saves & a .926 SP). Nashville is now 29-9-2 at Bridgestone Arena, where it is allowing only 2.42 GPG. Colorado is averaging a modest 2.67 GPG on the road. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Los Angeles Dodgers have won the National League West in each of the last five seasons and in the 2017 postseason, easily dispatched the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game sweep in the NLDS. However, there can be no question that the Diamondbacks have enjoyed the upper hand in their divisional rivalry with the Dodgers as of late. Not when one looks at the fact that the Diamondbacks, who visit Dodger Stadium on Friday to open a three-game series, will be seeking a 10th straight regular-season victory against the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks continued to their recent regular-season mastery of the Dodgers early last week, winning in 15 innings in the opener before yielding a total of one run and five hits over the final two contests to conclude a third straight sweep of the defending division champions with victories of 6-1 and 3-0. Los Angeles did get the last laugh against Arizona last year by sweeping the Diamondbacks in three games during the NLDS but came up short in the 2017 World Series in Game 7 vs. Houston. LA is just 4-7 to open the 2018 season and has yet to win more than two games in a row this season. The Dodgers' pitching staff is also licking its wounds after allowing 16 runs on 21 hits in Wednesday's home loss against Oakland. In contrast, Arizona is off to a 9-3 start, while owning a 2.72 team ERA (3rd-best in MLB) that includes a 1.69 ERA by its bullpen (2nd-best).

The pitching matchup: Zack Greinke (0-1, 5.06 ERA), who pitched for LA from 2013-15, will get the start for Arizona and Kenta Maeda (1-0, 0.00 ERA) for LA. Greinke struggled in the sub-40 degree conditions in St. Louis on Saturday, surrendering five runs on nine hits while striking out five in as many innings. The former Cy Young Award winner has yet to make it through six innings or throw more than 86 pitches in his two 2018 starts but one also needs to note that he owns a 14-0 KW ratio through 10 2/3 innings. Greinke went 1-2 with a 3.65 ERA in four starts against his former team last season and is 1-2 with a 7.56 ERA in three starts at Dodger Stadium since joining Arizona in 2016. Maeda made his first start of the season back on since March 31 but he was skipped in the rotation due to a rainout on April 6, before pitching one inning of relief at San Francisco on Saturday, In his lone 2018 start, he allowed five hits and a walk over five innings but didn't allow a run against the Giants, while striking out 10! However, he was 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA in five starts against the Diamondbacks last season (Dodgers were 1-4). He is 3-3 lifetime against the Diamondbacks with a 4.72 ERA in 11 starts (LA is 4-7).

The pick: Maeda's career number vs. Arizona are not good (see above) plus as noted, the D'backs have won NINE straight regular season meetings with the Dodgers. However, the Dodgers were a dominating and MLB-best 57-24 in their home park last season. The team's slow start to the current season is no more than mild concern and I'll make LA a 10* play.

The set-up: The Vegas Golden Knights set one record after another in its inaugural season and then in the team's first ever Stanley Cup playoff game, edged the LA Kings 1-0. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury 'pitched' a 30-save shutout, making Shea Theodore's first priod goal stand up. The teams are set for Game 2 tonight inb Las Vegas and the Kings will look to avoid falling into an '0-2 hole' but will be without one of their elite players. LA's top defenseman, Drew Doughty, was suspended one game by the NHL on Thursday for an illegal hit to the head of Vegas forward William Carrier. "I mean, he's the best defenseman in the League," Kings forward Dustin Brown said after learning of Doughty's punishment. "So it's a huge hole."

Los Angeles: The suspension of 2016 Norris Trophy winner Doughty is a massive blow for Los Angeles, robbing the team of a player who established career highs this season with 50 assists and 60 points and who routinely plays huge minutes (28:02 in Game 1). Complicating matters for the Kings is the absence of fellow blue-liner Jake Muzzin, who has been sidelined since March 26 and skated Thursday wearing a non-contact jersey. Captain Anze Kopitar is among the front-runners for the Hart Trophy, rebounding from a dismal 52-point campaign in 2016-17 to amass a career-best 92 points (35 goals / 57 assists), 31 more than second-leading scorer Dustin Brown (28 goals / 31 assists). A difference-maker for the Kings could be veteran forward Jeff Carter, who missed more than four months with a lacerated tendon but scored 13 goals in the final 20 games, including in each of the last two matchups versus Vegas (both LA wins). Jonathan Quick had a career-high 28 losses (33-28-3, 2.40 GAA), but the former Conn Smythe Trophy winner posted a .921 save percentage and five shutouts in backboning a defense that surrendered the fewest goals (203 or 2.46 per) in the league, helped by the league's best penalty-kill unit (85.0%). However, the Kings can't win if they don't score.

Vegas: The one player on the roster with ample playoff experience for Vegas is Fleury and he stood tall in the series opener to register his 11th career postseason shutout. “He was great,” said defenseman Shea Theodore, who netted the only goal. Theodore had two goals and eight points in 14 playoff games with Anaheim last season Forward Reilly Smith was sidelined for 15 games before returning for the regular-season finale and joins 43-goal scorer William Karlsson (78 points) and 27-goal scorer Jonathan Marchessault (75 points) on a top line that combined for 13 points in the four matchups against Los Angeles. Center David Perron (66 points, including a team-high 50 assists in 70 games) sat out the final six games but practiced both Monday and Tuesday. However, he did not play in Game 1. His status remains unclear for Game 2.

The pick: I don't see another 1-0 game here and in fact, expect a high-scoring one. Fleury was great in Game 1 but note he was pulled from the team's last regular season game, after stopping just 12 of the 18 shots he faced. Vegas' strength this season has been its ability to put the puck in the net, averaging 3.27 GPG (5th-best in the NHL). That average jumps to 3.56 GPG here at T-Mobile Arena. Expect the Kings to play much better and for Vegas' top players (scorers) to 'join the fight.' Make teh Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Atlanta Braves came into the 2018 season off winning 67, 68 and 72 games the previous three years, so the team's 7-5 start is mildly surprising. The Braves have held their own against some of the National League’s best teams, splitting six games with the Nats (97 wins in 2017) and taking two of three from the Rockies (87 wins). Atlanta will face another big test with a three-game road series against the Chicago Cubs that begins Friday. The Cubs won 103 games and then the 2016 World Series and followed with 92 wins and a second straight NL Central crown last season. However, Chicago's had an inconsistent start in 2018, evidenced by it losing 8-5 on Tuesday in the first of its three-games series with Pittsburgh, then winning on Wednesday 13-5 by scoring a season-high in runs but losing the series finale on Thursday, 6-1. The Cubs have hovered around .500 out of the gate and are back there at 6-6 heading into this weekend's series against the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field. The Braves come into Friday's contest having had a much-needed day off Thursday, after concluding their three-game series at Washington with a 5-3 win in 12 innings. Atlanta’s bats have cooled off after a hot start, as the team has scored a total of only 12 runs over its last five games after averaging eight per game in its first seven contests.

The pitching matchup: Anibal Sanchez (0-0, 2.25 ERA) will get teh ball fro Atlanta and the Cubs will turn to their biggest off-season acquisition, Yu Darvish (0-0, 5.23 ERA). Sanchez beagan his career with the Marlins and threw a no-hitter for them in a 2–0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 6, 2006. Sanchez is hoping to revive his career after a couple of rough years to end his tenure with Detroit and the 34-year-old worked three strong innings of relief in his Braves debut (April 2) plus was effective in his first start for Atlanta this past Saturday at Colorado, allowing two runs and seven hits with six strikeouts over five innings in a no-decision (Braves lost 3-2). Sanchez is 3-2 with a 3.82 ERA in seven career starts against the Cubs, with the last occurring in 2015. Darvish was far from sharp in his Chicago debut, allowing five ERs in 4 1/3 innings but was dominant in his second start with the Cubs. He registered nine strikeouts and allowed only two hits – including a solo homer – over six innings Saturday at Milwaukee. Darvish will be facing the Braves for the first time in his career.

The pick: The Braves are wrapping up a nine-game road trip with these three games in Wrigley Field and the Braves are just 4-9 against the Cubs the last two seasons, including just 1-6 in 2017. Darvish looked very good in his last outing (plus Atlanta's bats have gone quiet) and I'm not even a little bit convinced that Sanchez has 'anything left in his tank!' Make the Cubs a 6* play.

The set-up: The 44-25-13 Anaheim Ducks' 101 points were good enough for a second-place finish in the Pacific Division. Meanwhile, the 45-27-10 San Jose Sharks ended the regular season with 100 points to finish third in the Pacific. That sets up a first round showdown between the two division rivals, who will be meeting in the postseason for only the second time ever. The teams square off tonight at Hond Center, coming into the contest heading in opposite directions as the regular season came to a close. While teh Ducks earned points in 11 of their final 12 games (10-1-1), the Sharks floundered down the stretch, losing five of their final six contests (1-4-1). The Sharks won three of the four regular-season meetings, including both games in Anaheim, but the Ducks upset San Jose in the lone playoff meeting, winning their 2009 first-round series in six games.

San Jose: Evander Kane proved to be a nice addition for San Jose as he recorded nine goals and five assists in 17 games after being acquired from Buffalo. Kane finished one goal shy of the career high of 30 he set in 2011-12 while with Winnipeg and returned to the lineup for the regular-season finale, after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. Defenseman Brent Burns finished with a team-high 67 points (including 55 assists), after notching two goals and 10 assists over his final 10 contests. That left him one point ahead of team captain Joe Pavelski's 66 points. Logan Couture led the team with 34 goals. San Jose's No. 1 goalie is Martin Jones and he reached 30 wins for the third time in as many seasons with the club, despite a career-worst 2.55 GAA. Aaron Dell, who won 15 games in his second season, has never played a minute in the postseason.

Anaheim: The Ducks expect to have John Gibson in the crease for the opener, as the goaltender began practicing Monday after missing the final three games of the regular season with an upper-body injury. He was playing well before suffering his injury April 1 against Colorado, going 14-4-2 with a 1.95 goals-against average after the All-Star break. However, considering his numbers at home this season, Ryan Miller would be a more than acceptable option to start the opener as the veteran backup went 7-0-2 with a 1.97 GAA in 10 games at Honda Center. Rickard Rakell led the team in the regular season with career highs of 34 goals and 69 points, while captain Ryan Getzlaf tied a career low with 11 goals, but also put up 50 assists. He appeared in only 56 games, as he missed 19 between late October and mid-December after facial surgery.

The pick: The Ducks are clearly playing better hockey right now and regardless of which goalie gets the nod (Gison or Miller), Anaheim is 26-10-5 at home this season. San Jose limps into the postseason and has been outscored 2.93-to-2.73 GPG on the road, despite its 20-14-7 away record. Make Anaheim an 8* play.

The set-up: The 4-9 San Diego Padres return home to open a four-game series against the 5-6 San Francisco Giants on Thursday. The Padres went 3-3 against Houston and Colorado but ended their trip with a benches-clearing brawl Wednesday at Coors Field, when Luis Perdomo threw behind Nolan Arenado in the third inning, resulting in five ejections. Perdomo’s early exit came one day after Padres outfielder Manuel Margot was hit by Scott Oberg, forcing him to the disabled list with bruised ribs The Padres are an 'ugly' 1-6 so far at Petco Park in 2018 and welcome the Giants to San Diego, as San Francisco begins an 11-day, 10-game road trip after dropping two of three against Arizona, including Wednesday’s 7-3 loss.

The pitching matchup: Chris Stratton (0-1, 4.35 ERA) takes the hill for the Giants and the Padres will hand the ball to Bryan Mitchell (0-1, 4.22 ERA). Stratton's appearance will be his first in 2018 against a team other than the Dodgers. He's allowed a total of six runs (five earned) on nine hits over 10 1/3 innings against LA (Giants won one and lost one). Stratton has bounced between the minors and majors for the last two seasons but earned a spot in the rotation after posting a 3.29 ERA over 27 1/3 innings this spring, while drawing raves for his improved curveball. Stratton owns a 1-1 record with a 6.43 ERA in two career games (one start) across seven innings against the Padres. Mitchell bounced back from a rough Padres debut against Colorado (8 hits & 5 ERs over 5 IP) by holding Houston scoreless over 5 2/3 innings last Saturday. He was acquired from the New York Yankees during the off-season and the 26-year-old will be making his first career appearance against San Francisco.

The pick: These NL West rivals play the first of their 19 meetings this season tonight, as the Padres open a seven-game homestand (Giants are beginning a 10-game road trip). It's true that the Giants come in averaging a MLB-low 3.00 RPG but San Diego's start at home has been dreadful. The Padres are allowing 5.14 RPG at Petco, a pitcher-friendly park, leading to their 1-6 home mark. No reason to think Mitchell will improve on San Diego's home pitching so far, as he's made a modest 50 career appearances (just 11 starts), posting a 4.87 ERA and 1.64 WHIP. As for Stratton, his "solid spring" has yet to carry over to the regular season. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The 49-26-7 Washington Capitals didn't win the Presidents' Trophy this season (entered the season off back-to-back wins) but the team's 105 points were enough for them to capture their third consecutive Metropolitan Division title. Few teams can match the regular-season success of the Washington Capitals over the past few year but Alex Ovechkin and company are more concerned with erasing a lengthy history of playoff flops. The Capitals have not been to the Stanley Cup Final since 1998 and have been drummed out of the playoffs in the second round in each of the past three seasons. Washington will face a familiar rival when it hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight in Game 1 of their first-round series.The 45-30-7 Blue Jackets finished eight points behind Washington,after closing on a 13-2-2 run to reach the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time as the East's No. 1 wild card team. However, Columbus has never won a postseason series.

Columbus: The Blue Jackets were unable to get their offense untracked for much of the season but a trio of trade-deadline acquisitions were vital in the late-season surge. Columbus picked up orwards Thomas Vanek, Mark Letestu and defenseman Ian Cole. Columbus averaged more than a goal per game following the deals. Columbus will also need to rely on two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky, who has notched 78 wins over the past two seasons but was 1-3-0 with a 3.04 goals-against average and .868 save percentage versus the Capitals this season.

Washington: Ovechkin rebounded from a 33-goal campaign in 2016-17 to score 49 this season, claiming his seventh Rocket Richard Trophy (player with the most goals). However, hanging over his head is that he also is one of seven players in this postseason to appear in 1,000 games and have not win the Stanley Cup. However, the Russian standout is storyline No. 2 for Washington following the decision by head coach Barry Trotz to bypass longtime No. 1 netminder Braden Holtby in favor of backup Philipp Grubauer, who will make only his second postseason start in Game 1. Grubauer went 7-3-0 with a 2.31 goals-against average down the stretch.

The pick: Considering Washington's longstanding playoff flops, who can blame Trotz for his Game 1 decision, especially with Grubauer playing so well. Bobrovsky's 3-10 playoff record (3.63 GAA and .887 save percentage) is somewhat concerning but I'm still saying make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The 49-26-7 Toronto Maple Leafs (3rd in Atlantic) will open their seven-game first round series with the 50-20-12 Boston Bruins (2nd in the Atlantic) Thursday night at the TD Garden. The high-scoring Maple Leafs (3.29 GPG ranks 4th), will present a tough test for Boston, as they won three of four against Bruins this season and pushed top-seeded Washington to six games a year ago. "We're just not happy to be here," Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. "The guys got a real belief in the room. They've earned the right, because of the way the season's gone, to feel like that. So, I think that's a little bit different feeling than we had at this time (last year)." Boston was the best team in hockey for a long stretch of the season but with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference there for the taking at home last Sunday against the Panthers, Boston lost 4-2. In fact, the Bruins lost four of their final five games, including that season-ending loss to Florida.

Toronto: Former overall No. 1 pick Auston Matthews missed 20 games to injury in his second season but still finished second on the team with 34 goals (points) and showed no rust in his return from a month-long absence, collecting at least one point in his final nine games. A big key for Toronto could be the No. 2 line centered by Nazem Kadri, who matched a career best with 32 goals and is joined by veteran Patrick Marleau (27 goals) and second-year forward Mitch Marner, the team's leading scorer with 69 points. Frederik Andersen is a quality goalie and went 38-21-5 during the regular season (2.81 GAA & .918 SP).

Boston: The Bruins clearly slumped at the wrong time in the season's final five games but they still finished with 112 points, won at least four straight on five different occasions and amassed an 18-game point streak. The Bruins have been one of the NHL's better defensive teams (2.57 GPG allowed ranks 4th) but they alos own more than enough offensive firepower. The No. 1 line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand (team-high 85 points) and David Pastrnak (team-high 35 goals) saw each score at least 30 goals and were the team's top three point producers. Forward Rick Nash, acquired in a blockbuster trade with the New York Rangers, practiced for the last two days after missing the final 12 games due to a concussion and is expected back in the lineup. Former Vezina Trophy winner Tuukka Rask put together point streaks of 21 (19-0-2) and 11 games (10-0-1) but enters having lost his last three starts, including that very important game last Sunday to Florida on home ice.

The pick: Speaking of home ice, the Bruins went an impressive 28-8-5 at home this season, averaging 3.59 GPG. However, Frederik Toronto's Frederik Andersen entered the season a perfect 9-0-0 against Boston and won two of three matchups this season, surrendering a combined eight goals. Meanwhile, not only has Rask stumbled in his last three starts (allowing 11 goals) but he has just one win in his last six starts against the Maple Leafs the last two seasons. Take the 1 1/2 goals and make Toronto a 6* play.

The set-up: The Pirates and Cubs were postponed by bad weather on Monday and then Pittsburgh took Tuesday's rescheduled game, 8-5.The Cubs bounced back Wednesday night, banging out 16 hits in a 13-5 victory that evened the series. Every starting position player recorded at least one hit, including Javier Baez, who became the first Cubs player with consecutive multi-homer performances since Alfonso Soriano in 2008 and the first player in the majors to accomplish the feat this season. Baez now has four HRs in his last eight at-bats! The teams will play the rubber game of the series this afternoon, as the Pirates look to avoid suffering their first series loss of the year. The 8-3 Pirates have yet to lose back-to-back games this season while the 6-5 Cubs hope to move two games over .500 for the first time in 2018.

The pitching matchup: Pittsburgh's Trevor Williams (2-0, 1.59 ERA) puts his perfect start to 2018 on the line this afternoon, opposed by Chicago's Kyle Hendricks (0-0, 4.09 ERA). Williams threw six hitless innings in a 1-0 win at Detroit on April 1 but issued five walks and struggled to command the strike zone. He then allowed 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings but only two runs in his second outing, a 14-3 win at home over Cincinnati this past Friday. Williams makes his third start of 2018 today. However, in five career games (three starts) against the Cubs, he has not been at his best. He is 1-2 with a 4.82 ERA in 18 2/3 innings. During that span, he has walked 10 and struck out 13. Hendricks has been on the wrong end of a pair of one-run games to open 2018.the season (both Chicago losses and no-decisions for him). He gave up a pair of HRs the last time out, allowing four runs and nine hits over five innings in a 5-4 loss at Milwaukee. Hendricks took a no-decision in his season-opener in Miami on March 30, allowing four hits and one run over six innings of a 2-1 Chicago loss. In 10 career starts against Pittsburgh, Hendricks is 4-2 with a 3.23 ERA. He has struck out 49 and walked nine in 55 2/3 innings. Last year, he went 1-1 in three starts against the Pirates, allowing five runs in 17 2/3 innings for a 2.55 ERA.

The pick: Hard-fought series are nothing new to these division rivals, as despite Chicago finishing 17 games better than Pittsburgh in 2017, the Cubs barely edged the Pirates for a 10-9 season-series win. This marks Williams' second full season and he's coming off a 7-9 (4.07 ERA) mark in 31 appearances (25 starts) in 2017. Meanwhile, Hendricks was the third-place finisher in the 2016 National League Cy Young Award voting (16-8, 2.13 ERA) and is 38-22 in his career. He's also been outstanding at home in his career, going 19-9 with a 2.48 ERA in 50 games (49 starts) at Wrigley Field. Make Chicago an 8* play.

analysis soon

The set-up: The Vegas Golden Knights completed a record-setting regular season for a first-year club, going 51-24-7 to win the Pacific Division, while their 109 points were the fourth-most of any team in the entire NHL. After shattering a slew of league records for a first-year team, the Golden Knights prepare for their first foray into the postseason when they host the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.The 45-29-8 LA Kings finished fourth in the Pacific Division but the team's 98 points were enough to enable them to claim the top wild card spot in the West. The Golden Knights dominated Pacific foes, posting a 20-6-3 mark in division play (including two meaningless losses to close the season), and split the four-game series with the Kings, although they dropped both ends of a home-and-home on Feb. 26-27. Los Angeles has not won a postseason series in a while, but it is accustomed to the bright lights, having won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014.

LA Kings: Captain Anze Kopitar is among the front-runners for the Hart Trophy, rebounding from a dismal 52-point campaign in 2016-17 to amass a career-best 92 points (35 goals / 57 assists), 31 more than second-leading scorer Dustin Brown (28 goals / 31 assists). A difference-maker for the Kings could be veteran forward Jeff Carter, who missed more than four months with a lacerated tendon but scored 13 goals in the final 20 games, including in each of the last two matchups versus Vegas (both LA wins). Jonathan Quick had a career-high 28 losses (33-28-3, 2.40 GAA), but the former Conn Smythe Trophy winner posted a .921 save percentage and five shutouts in backboning a defense that surrendered the fewest goals (203 or 2.46 per) in the league, helped by the league's best penalty-kill unit (85.0%)..

Vegas: If it's true that goaltending is the name of the game in the playoffs, then Vegas has an elite one in Marc-Andre Fleury, who won three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and piled up a 29-13-4 record (2.24 GAA & .927 SP) this season despite missing two months due to a concussion. Forward Reilly Smith was sidelined for 15 games before returning for the regular-season finale and joins 43-goal scorer William Karlsson (78 points) and 27-goal scorer Jonathan Marchessault (75 points) on a top line that combined for 13 points in the four matchups against Los Angeles. Center David Perron (66 points, including a team-high 50 asssists in 70 games) sat out the final six games but practiced both Monday and Tuesday. However, his status remains unclear for the series opener.

The pick: The expansion Vegas Golden Knights were the feel-good story of the regular season but the question before us now is can they continue their storybook season in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Vegas opened was an eye-popping 27-9-2 as of Jan. 2 but sputtered down the stretch, including an 8-3 home loss to New Jersey and also a 7-1 season-ending clunker at Calgary, a game in which Fleury was pulled from after stopping just 12 of the 18 shots he faced. Both teams will send out playoff-tested goaltenders but Vegas' strength this season has been its ability to put the puck in the net, averaging 3.27 GPG (5th-best in the NHL). That average jumps to 3.56 GPG here at T-Mobile Arena, which should be rockin' for the club's first-ever playoff game. The play is a 10* on the Over.

The set-up: The Los Angeles Angels have scored 19 runs while banging out 31 hits in taking the first two of a three-game series against the Rangers in Arlington. The team's 9-3 record is tied for the best 12-game start in franchise history, with LA leading the majors in runs scored (79), hits (128) and HRs (20). Mike Trout belted a 441-foot HR to mark the second time he's gone deep in three outings and Albert Pujols recorded his second straight multi-hit performance and fourth during his seven-game hitting streak in Los Angeles' 11-1 romp over Texas on Tuesday. Pujols resides one RBI shy of tying Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx (1,925) for seventh place on the all-time list. While LA is off to a great start, the reeling Rangers' 4-9 start is the Rangers' worst through 13 games since 2002. The Rangers have 15 hits over the first two games of this series but have not had a "big hit," scoring only four runs.

The pitching matchup: The Angels' Jaime Barria makes his MLB in this contest and will opposed by the Ranger's Matt Moore (0-2, 11.05 ERA). Barria was signed by the Angels out of Panama at just 16 years-old. The now-21-year-old Barria is expected to be activated on Wednesday to make his major-league debut. He worked his way through High-A and Double-A before finishing with three starts in Triple-A Salt Lake last season in which he struck out 11 in 14 2/3 innings. As for Moore, he was awful last year with the Giants, going 6-15 with a 5.52 ERA (SF was 10-21 in his starts, minus-$1233 vs. the moneyline). He has now stumbled out of the box in 2018 for Texas by allowing 10 runs (nine ERs) on 12 hits in pair of sub-par performances, with his four walks in just 3 1/3 innings on Friday against Houston raising more concerns.

The pick: Starting pitching was one of the biggest question marks for the Texas Rangers entering the 2018 campaign but the Rangers were expected to compensate by being able to go toe-to-toe with opponents in hitting and in the power department. So far it has not happened. The Rangers are batting a modest .236 (16th) and are even worse in runs scored, as teheteam's 3.23 RPG ranks 26th. Texas has just 10 HRs (21st) and its OPS is .600 (also 21st). Texas has the kind of lineup that a young pitcher should feel comfortable facing in his MLB debut. As for Texas' Moore, despite is ugly numbers coming in, he can gain confidence from the fact he owns a 4-0 mark with a 1.78 ERA in five career outings vs. the Angels. That ERA is fourth-lowest among active pitchers with five-plus starts against Los Angeles. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves have each played 81 games and both will go into their final game of the regular season with identical records of 46-35. Simply put, the winner will move on to play this weekend in the first round of the 2018 NBA playoffs, while the loser begins its off-season on Thursday morning. The Timberwolves were in third place in the Western Conference at several points this season and could still finish as high as fifth with a win on Wednesday and some help, or they could miss the playoffs. That would be a devastating finish to a season in which the franchise looked like a 'lock' to qualify for the postseason for teh first time since 2004, not that long ago. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are full of confidence coming in, as they overcame an 11-point, second-half deficit to earn an 88-82 victory on Monday over Portland, holding the Blazers to 13 points in the fourth quarter. The victory was Denver's sixth in a row, while the T-wolves come in 4-4 over their last eight games.

Denver: Center Nikola Jokic, the team's leading scorer (18.2), rebounder (10.7) and assist-maker (6.1). He has been the team's 'driving force,' scoring 15 points, adding 20 rebounds and handing out 11 assists in Monday's win for his second straight triple-double and 10th of the season. He is averaging 23.7 points, 16.0 rebounds and 8.2 assists during the six-game winning streak. More good news for Denver is that shooting guard Gary Harris (17.6) returned from an 11-game absence due to a kne injury on Monday and was eased back into the rotation with 12 points in 18 minutes off the bench. Behind Jokic and Harris, five more Denver players are averaging in double digits, while the 6-10 Lyles just misses at 9.9 PPG.

Minnesota: All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler's return helped the T-wolves picked up wins in the last two games. Butler played 23 minutes against the Lakers and the Grizzlies and averaged 16.5 points while going a combined 10-of-18 from the floor. Butler (22.0-5.3-4.9) leads a terrific starting-five which includes Towns (21.2 &12.3), Wiggins (17.7 & 4.4), Teague (14.2 & 7.0 APG) and Gibson (12.2 & 7.4).

The pick: The Nuggets snapped a four-game losing streak in the series with last Thursday's 100-96 win in Denver but can only make the postseason by earning its first victory in Minnesota since Nov. 3, 2016. The Nuggets are surely peaking at the right time (six straight wins, overall) plus note that Denver has covered seven straight and 11 of its last 12 games in Minneapolis. Expect another close game and more to the point, a low-scoring one. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Winnipeg Jets enter the Stanley Cup playoffs as a legitimate championship contender, after putting together the greatest regular season in franchise history by going 52-20-10. The team's 114 points did fall three shy of that of the Central Division-winning Nashville Predators but the Jets accumulated more points than any other NHL team save the Preds! The 45-26-11 Minnesota Wild surged in the second half of the season, posting the third-best record in the Western Conference since Jan. 1 at 25-10-8. However, that includes the team's modest 9-6-4 mark since the beginning of March. Minnesota finished third in the Central Division but its 101 points were 13 behind that of the Jets.

Minnesota: The Wild finished 11th in the NHL in scoring (3.05 GPG), and also 11th in goals allowed (2.79). However, Ryan Suter will miss the playoffs with a broken ankle and fellow defenseman Jared Spurgeon will be a game-time decision for the opener due to a torn hamstring. Defense figures to be an issue against Winnipeg’s high-octane offense without Suter and with Spurgeon coming off a month-long layoff (assuming he plays). Veteran goalie Devan Dubnyk won 35 games in goal while posting a .918 save percentage and it's true that the Wild are a playoff-hardened bunch with 11 players having skated in at least 20 postseason games together. Center Eric Staal leads the Wild in goals (a franchise-record tying 42) and points (76), highlighting a trio of 60-point performers along with forwards Mikael Granlund (21 goals) and Jason Zucker (33 goals).

Winnipeg: The Jets' patient rebuild paid off this season, as the 19-year-old Patrik Laine exploded for 19 goals in his final 25 games, ending the season with 44 goals and 70 points points. Forward Kyle Connor led all NHL rookies in goals (31) and forward Blake Wheeler tallied a league-high tying 68 assists along the way his team-best 91 points. Five Jets finished with 57 points or more, and they ranked fifth on the power play (23.4%) and the team's 3.33 GPG ranked second-best in the entire NHL. No. 1 goalie Connor Hellebuyck has had a terrific regular season, going 44-11-9 with a 2.36 GAA and .924 SP.

The pick: The biggest question surrounding Winnipeg this postseason is, can Winnipeg handle postseason pressure given its lack of playoff experience? 13 Jets have played in four playoff games or fewer. The Jets captured the season series 3-1 but the two teams have played just once since Nov. 27, a 4-1 Wild triumph on Jan. 13. This franchise, which started as the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999, has never won a playoff game and the opportunity to do that for the first time is the talk of the town. I say the Jets get that first postseaon win right here, as the Wild are allowing 3.41 GPG on the road, while Winnipeg is averaging 3.80 GPG at home (wjhile allowing just 2.42), in going 32-7-2 on home ice. Make Winnipeg an 8* play.

The set-up:The Astros beat the Twins 2-0 on Monday but Minnesota rebounded with a 4-1 victory Tuesday over Houston to even the series at a game apiece. The rubber match of this three-game series goes Wednesday and the afternoon start may make conditions a little better (warmer), as the teams played in frigid conditions last night with temperatures in the 30s. Minnesota is just a modest 5-4 on the young season but the Twins have yet to lose a series this season. They can keep that streak intact this afternoon with a win. The 9-3 Astros averaged 7.00 RPG during a five-game winning streak from March 31 through April 4 but Houston comes into this contest having scored only nine runs over its the past five games

The pitching matchup: The Astros will send Lance McCullers Jr. (1-1, 3.48 ERA) to the mound and he will be opposed by the Twins' Kyle Gibson (1-0, 0.87 ERA). McCullers turned in a strong performance in winning his season debut, striking out 10 and allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings at Texas but he took the loss with five innings of three-run ball against San Diego on Friday. McCullers hasn't faced the Tiwns since was a rookie in 2015 and will come into this game 0-1 with a 2.77 ERA in two career starts versus Minnesota. Gibson struggled with his control but otherwise was unhittable in his season debut, tossing six scoreless innings and not allowing a single hit to earn the win at Baltimore. He then gave up two first-inning runs in his second start of 2018 against Seattle and seven hits over 4 1/3 innings, as the Twins beat the Mariners 4-2 (Gibson settled for a no-decision). Gibson is 3-1 with a 2.76 ERA against the Astros but that one loss came last season when he gave up four runs in six innings.

The pick: The Astros' bats have been quiet lately but there is noihing wrong with their pitching staff. Houston's owns MLB's lowest team ERA at 2.02, including a 2.19 ERA from its bullpen (6th-best). Most will remember McCullers' strong efforts in last year's ALCS and World Series, when he made four appearances, going 1-0 with a save and an ERA of 2.04. Gibson's 65 starts are the most in Target Field history but now in his sixth season, he's still just 45-48 overall, with a 4.64 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. I say Houston takes the series and I'll make the Astros an 8* play.

The set-up: It's been a trying season for the Golden State Warriors but at 58-23, the Warriors have long ago clinched the West's No. 2 seed. Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz punched their ticket to the postseason with a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday but are still waiting for the seedings to shake themselves out. The Jazz will try to lock up homecourt advantage in the first round when they host the Warriors on Tuesday. Utah finishes up at No. 3 seed Portland on Wednesday and is coming into the postseason as hot as any team in the NBA after going 28-5 over its last 33 games to surge from nine games under .500 to the top half of the West playoff bracket. As noted, the Warriors are locked into the No. 2 spot and priority No. 1 has to be getting themselves healthy and back in rhythm before heading to the postseason. Golden State snapped a two-game slide with a 117-100 win at Phoenix on Sunday but come on, it was the Suns!
Golden State: The Warriors are still missing All-Star point guard Stephen Curry (26.4-5.1-6.1) but most expect that the Warriors can survive his absence in the first round of the playoffs. KD (26.6-6.9-5.4), Thompson (20.0) and Green (11.1-7.7-7.3) should be enough. However, Golden State has lost nine of its last 16 games and defense has been a primary factor behind the slump. The Warriors allowed 126 points in back-to-back losses to Indiana and New Orleans, as the Pacers shot 54 percent and the Pelicans shot 56 percent.

Utah: The Jazz have began their surge shortly after center Rudy Gobert returned from a knee injury. He is averaging 14.5 points and 11.5 rebounds over the last 33 games. Gobert is getting plenty of help from rookie guard Donovan Mitchell, who led the way in the clinching win with 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. The Louisville product is averaging 20.5-3.7-3.7 on the season.

The pick: The Warriors have suffered two straight lopsided losses to Utah and they fell 129-99 to the Jazz in their other visit to Salt Lake City back on Jan. 27. However, don't be too sure the Warriors will 'mail it in,' here. If Golden State wins, it would finish the season at 59-23 and if the Raptors were to lose Wednesday night in Miami, those teams would finish with the exact same record. However, because the Warriors won both regular season meetings, Golden State would earn the homecourt edge in a possible Finals' showdown. Anyone think that Golden State doesn't believe it is more than capable of getting past the Rockets in the West? Maybe I'm 'all wet' here but I'm taking the points and making Golden St a 10* play.

The set-up: The Los Angeles Angels finished 80-82 in 2017, 21 games back of the first-place Houston Astros in the AL West, a team which would go on to capture last year's World Series title. The Angels would end the season 22nd in runs scored and ranked just 28th (of 30 teams) in team batting average in 2017. Of course, Mike Trout missed 48 games. The team's demise gave management plenty of motivation to make a late August trade for Justin Upton (re-signing him in the off-season) and to sign Zack Cozart in December. That duo was expected to fortify the top of LA's batting order and the early returns suggest the vision to protect Mike Trout was right on target. Cozart has scored a run in five straight games and Upton owns a team-leading nine RBI. The Angels lead the majors with 68 runs scored and pace the American League in batting average (.270), despite a slow start from two-time AL MVP Trout. Los Angeles is 8-3 after 11 games for the first time in 31 years, after last night's 8-3 win. It figured to be tough 2018 season for Texas and the Rangers have opened 4-8, including a poor 2-6 record at home. They have yet to win consecutive games after falling 8-3 in Monday's series opener. To make matters worse, Texas watched second baseman Rougned Odor leave in the first inning with a left hamstring strain.

The pitching matchup: A pair of lefties square off tonight, Tyler Skaggs (1-0, 1.64 ERA) takes the mound for LA and he'll be opposed by the Rangers' Martin Perez (1-0, 5.06 ERA). Skaggs struck out five over 4 2/3 innings but needed 103 pitches to do so in Wednesday's no-decision at home against Cleveland, which reached him for two runs on five hits and two walks. The lefty was dominant in his season debut on March 30, permitting only three singles while striking out five over 6 1/3 scoreless frames in a win at Oakland. The Angels are 2-0 in Skaggs' first two starts of 2018, but he went 0-1 with a 7.79 ERA in four starts versus the Rangers last season (Angels were 2-2). Perez received some early run support and managed to do just enough to get the victory Thursday at Oakland, allowing three runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings while recording only one strikeout. This makes his second start of 2018 and it's a fact that he has been much more successful at home throughout his career (26-19, 4.18 ERA) than on the road (16-23, 4.73). Perez went 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in three starts versus the Angels last season, getting both wins over a 10-day span from Aug. 24-Sept.3.

The pick: Eleven games into the 2018 season, the Los Angeles Angels look as if they will have a team that can contend for the American League West while conversely, the Texas Rangers have more questions than answers. The two teams meet on Tuesday at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, for the second game of their three-game series. It's true that Perez has a better history against the Angels than Skaggs has against the Rangers but the Angels are currently just the way better team. LA is averaging 6.18 RPG, while Texas averages only 3.42 plus is allowing 4.82 RPG, including 5.75 RPG here at Globe Life Park. Make the Angels a 10* play.

The set-up: The NBA's regular season ends Wednesday and its hottest team, the 50-30 Philadelphia 76ers ,will play tonight in Atlanta and then wrap up their season with a home game against the Bucks. The 76ers will go for their franchise-record 15th consecutive win when they visit the 24-57 Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday in their final road game of the regular season. Philadelphia, which won just 10 games only two seasons ago, clinched homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 109-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. The Sixers can also clinch the No. 3 spot with wins in their last two games. In stark contrast, The Hawks are fighting to finish above the Orlando Magic (also 24-57) and out of the East basement. The Magic's final game is a home contest Wednesday night against the Washington Wizards.

Philadelphia: It's been more than just a little surprising that the 76ers have continued to thrive despite being without All-Star center Joel Embiid (22.9 & 11.0). He was sidelined with an orbital fracture back on March 28 but Philly has won all six games that he's sat out and he is not expected to play in the final two games of the regular season. Embiid's absence is allowing rookie PG Ben Simmons to step into the starring rol, and he is averaging 14.7 points on 61.1 percent shooting, 10.9 assists and 10.1 rebounds during the winning streak. Simmons is trying to hold off Utah's Donovan Mitchell for the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award. Simmons is third on the team in scoring at 16.0 PPG, while adding 8.1 RPG and APG. SG Redick checks in with 17.0 PPG, PF Saric at 14.7 & 6.8 and SF Covington at 12.8 & 5.4. Additions like Belinelli (13.3 PPG in 26 games) and Ilysova (10.5 & 6.8 in 21 games) have been huge plus last year's overall No. 1 pick (Fultz) has averaged 7.4 & 4.1 APG in his eight games back on the court.

Atlanta: The Hawks have been checking out current players with an eye towards the future. Small forward Taurean Prince has made strides all season long and is off a 33-point effort while adding eight rebounds and five assists in Sunday's 112-106 win at Boston. Prince has scored 20 or more points in each of the last three games and 10 of the last 15 games (he's averaging 14.8 & 4.8 on the season). Atlanta bested Boston, despite being without injured starters Dennis Schroder (19.4 & 6.2 APG) and Kent Bazemore (12.9).

The pick: The bottom line is, the Hawks have continued to play hard for head coach Mike Budenholzer. The Hawks have won two straight for only the second time this season and three of their last five. The 76ers have won two previous meetings with the Hawks (each one by exactly 10 points) but note Phily is 21-19 SU on the road, averaging 107.7 PPG and allowing 107.0. Meanwhile, the Hawks have been outscored by a modest four points per game at home this season. Take the home dog and make Atlanta an 8* play.

The set-up:The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Red Sox 6-4 on Opening Day but just this past Sunday, blew a five-run lead in a demoralizing 8-7 loss at Boston. The Rays' eighth consecutive loss came despite a season-high 11 hits. However, the Rays pounded out 14 hits on Monday to earn a much-needed 5-4 win to open their series at Chicago with the White Sox. Chicago fell to 3-6 in 2018 after losing for the fourth straight time and being outscored 21-12 during its early season skid. Wet, cold weather has frustrated hitters and pitchers alike for Chicago, as the White Sox are 0-4 at home this season, after leaving the tying and winning runs at second and third with none out in the ninth inning. It marks the club's first 0-4 home start since 1987.

The pitching matchup: Tampa Bay sends Blake Snell (0-1, 5.00 ERA) to the mound and he will be opposed by Chicago's Carson Fulmer (0-0, 5.40 ERA). Snell had a strong season debut (5.2 IP/ 3 hits 0 runs) but could not match that effort last Wednesday at New Yrok, as he allowed four hits and five ERs in just 3 1/3 innings of a 7-2 loss to the Yankees. Snell takes the mound having not allowed an earned run in 9 1/3 innings of limited work against the White Sox. Fulmer did not get a decision in his 2018 debut last Wednesday when he surrendered three runs on five hits and a walk with five strikeouts over five innings at Toronto. Fulmer, the eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft, made seven appearances (five starts) last year, going 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA, which including a 3-0 mark and 1.64 ERA in four September starts. His only appearance in his brief career against Chicago was a two-inning relief effort against Tampa Bay back on Sep. 2 of 2017 in Chicago, when he earned a victory.

The pick: The Rays' start to the 2918 season has been awful but the etam's bats have begun to 'warm up,' banging out 25 hits and scoring 12 runs over their last two games. Yes, Chicago's Fulmer pitched well last September (see above) but his 2018 debut was hardly impressive (again, see above), plus one can't expect Chicago's bullpen to bail him out. Heading into today's game, the White Sox bullpen owns a 6.30 ERA, the highest in all of MLB. Chicago is allowing 5.78 RPG on the season, while Tampa Bay is allowing 7.17 RPG in its first six road games of 2018. Make the Over an 8* play.

The-set-up: The 45-35 Denver Nuggets are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference but currently, would lose a tiebreaker and miss out on the postseason with the way things stand now. However, the Nuggets can make it easy on themselves by winning their final two regular season games, starting with the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
Denver visits Minnesota in the regular season finale on Wednesday and is playing some of its best basketball of the season, extending its winning streak to five straight by crushing the Los Angeles Clippers 134-115 on Saturday at Staples Center. The 48-32 Trail Blazers currently own the No. 3 spot in the West but have dropped their last three and after tonight's game in Denver, will host the 47-33 Jazz on Wednesday night.

Portland: The Blazers are 0-3 on their current four-game road trip, losing losing in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. "One gives us home court for sure, and if you win these last two -- 50 wins and the three seed. It is getting tight because we have things we can still get done, but for us it’s more about how we’re playing," said star guard Damian Lillard. He has his match right and scored 33 points in the latest setback in San Antonio, after sitting out at Houston on Thursday to rest an ankle injury. Lillard (26.8-4.5-6.6) and McCollum (21.5) have carried the Blazers all season, although center Jusuf Nurkic (14.3 & 8.8) continues to be a key component, recording a double-double in each of the last three games.

Denver: SG Gary Harris (17.7) has missed the last 11 games with a knee injury but is coming close to a return. However, Tthe Nuggets are playing well without him, behind center Jokic (18.3 & 10.6), PF Millsap (15.0 & 6.4), guard Murray (16.7) and swingman Barton (15.5-5.0-4.1). Barton led the way with 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting in Saturday's win and is stepping up down the stretch. He is averaging 20 points on 51.4 percent shooting, seven rebounds and 4.6 assists during the five-game winning streak.

The pick: The game has big meaning for both teams, as the Blazers are trying to hold off the Utah Jazz to stay in the third spot, but their postseason seed will likely be determined when they host the Jazz on Wednesday night. The Nuggets are on a roll and with two more wins, will be in the postseason. I won't step in front of Denver's current streak with a Portland team wrapping up its fourth road game in seven nights. Make Denver a 10* play.

The set-up: The 4-3 Seattle Mariners and the 4-3 Kansas City Royals open a three-game road series on Monday at Kauffman Stadium. Seattle set a season high for runs in an 11-4 win at Minnesota on Saturday, but the series finale was postponed due to inclement weather. However, the offensive outburst was a good sign for a Mariners team that had totaled just three runs in losing its previous two games. The Royals have shown even less firepower in the early going, as they rank near the bottom of MLB in most offensive categories. KC ranks last in runs (2.29 per) and HRs (2), while ranking 28th in BA (.205) and 29th in OPS (.555). The Royals went 2-3 on their trip to Detroit and Cleveland but the good news for the Royals was they got good pitching on the trip, giving up just six runs in the last four games.

The pitching matchup: The Mariners will go with lefty Marco Gonzales (1-0, 4.26 ERA) and the Royals will counter with Jakob Junis (1-0, 0.00 ERA).Gonzales’ second start of the season was pushed back to tonight, because of Sunday’s postponement in Minnesota. He was solid in his debut, allowing three runs and six hits over 6 1/3 innings en route to a 6-4 win at San Francisco. However, he did serve up a pair of HRs at spacious AT&T Park, which might warrant some concern. Gonzales has started one game in his career against the Royals, a no-decision on Aug. 6 when he pitched four innings, allowing five runs and seven hits, while striking out five and issuing only one walk. Junis was dominant in his first outing of the season, striking out six over seven scoreless innings to win 1-0 at Detroit last Tuesday. He allowed only three singles and a walk, carrying over from his impressive spring. Junis has been excellent at home in his young career, going 3-0 with a 3.43 ERA in nine games (seven starts) at Kauffman Stadium. Monday will be Junis' second career start against the Mariners. His other start came Aug. 6, a 9-1 victory in which he pitched eight innings, allowing one run and four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.

The pick: Not sure I trust Junis to pitch anywhere near as well as he did last Tuesday, even though the Mariners are dealing with a number of injuries as Nelson Cruz (ankle), Mike Zunino (left oblique) and Ben Gamel (right oblique). are all on the DL. The 2018 season appears to be a rebuilding process for the Royals. this season. Kansas City won the 1985 World Series but it wasn't until 2015 when KC returned to the postseason. The Royals made it to the World Series that season, before losing a dramtic seven-game series to Madison Bumgarner and the SF Giants. KC came right back the following year and captured the franchise's second-ever World Series title by beating the Mets in five games. However, reality has returned to KC, as the Royals own back-to-season of 81 and 80 wins. The Royals lost a couple key contributors during the off-season when Eric Hosmer signed with the San Diego Padres and Lorenzo Cain joined the Milwaukee Brewers. Then right before the start of this season, KC lost five-time All-Star catcher Salvador Perez for at least four-to-six weeks when he tore the MCL in his left knee when he lost his balance while carrying luggage. Can't make that up. Make Seattle a 10* play.

The set-up: The 4-5 Cleveland Indians begin a four-game home series against Central Division-rival the Detroit Tigers on Monday (Detroit has opened 4-4). The Indians manufactured a run without a hit in the eighth inning to tie the game before Yan Gomes delivered a two-run HR in the ninth for a 3-1 victory over Kansas City on Sunday, earning their first series win of the season. "We needed the win and we got a win,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona told reporters after his team improved to 4-5 overall. “We obviously have some work to do offensively, and we will. But it’s nice to win a game like that.” The Tigers come in off a three-game sweep on the road against the Chicago White Sox, scoring 15 runs to win the first two games before recording a 1-0 triumph on Sunday to even their record at 4-4.

The pitching matchup: Detroit will send left-hander Francisco Liriano (1-0, 1.35 ERA) to the mound against reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber (0-1, 2.40 ERA). Liriano was outstanding in his Tigers debut, allowing just one run on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings in a 6-1 win over Kansas City last Monday. He used as a reliever 20 times in 38 appearances with Houston and Toronto last season, finishing with a 6-7 record and 5.66 ERA. Kluber has yet to find the win column despite producing two quality starts, yielding four runs on nine hits and three walks in road games against Seattle and the Los Angeles Angels. He has struck out 14 over 15 innings thus far. Last year, Kluber made five starts against Detroit and was 3-1 with a 3.73 ERA. In 22 career appearances against the Tigers he is 8-7 with a 3.97 ERA. He was dominant at home in 2017 with a 10-2 record and 1.81 ERA with 157 strikeouts over 114 2/3 innings.

The pick: Kluber will be making his third start of the season and while he's pitched well in his first two starts, he didn't win either game, as the Indians only scored a total of three runs. In fact, the Indians' .159 team batting average is the lowest in the American League. That said, Liriano could easily prove to be just what the doctor ordered. He made one start against the Indians last year (pitching for Toronto), and it was a disaster. He gave up seven runs, five hits and three walks in two innings, making him 5-6 with a 4.19 ERA.in 20 career appearances (15 starts) against the Indians. Cleveland comes in with seven straight wins over Detroit, having won 27 of its 37 meetings with the Tigers over the last two seasons. Kluber's presence keeps the over/under number low and the play is a 8* on the Over.

The set-up: The New York Mets are off to a 6-1 start for the first time since the 2006 season when they began 8-1. New York will look to complete a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals tonight, on ESPN. The Mets won 8-2 on Thursday and then survived Bryce Harper's fifth HR, while benefiting from the ejection of Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon and manager Dave Martinez for arguing balls and strikes in a 3-2 win Saturday afternoon. The Nats won 97 games last season, 27 more than the Mets' 70 wins, but after opening the 2018 season 4-0, the Nats are now staring at losing their fifth in a row.

The pitching matchup: Matt Harvey (0-0, 0.00 ERA) takes the mound for the second time this season for New York, opposed by Washington's Tanner Roark (1-0, 1.29 ERA). The Mets are hoping (praying?) that Matt Harvey has put his injuries behind him. Harvey allowed just one hit and a walk while striking out five in five scoreless innings of New York's 2-0 victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday (Harvey settled for a no-decision). The 29-year-old was 25-18 with a 2.53 ERA in his first three seasons before slumping to 9-17, 5.78 in the past two seasons. Harvey is 3-6 with a 3.16 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) versus Washington and 1-3, 3.86 in six starts at Nationals Park. Tanner Roark tinkered with his delivery in spring training before returning to the basics in winning his season opener. He allowed one run, four hits and a walk while striking out six in seven innings of an 8-1 victory at Atlanta on Monday. He is 27-19 with a 3.38 ERA in 74 games (53 starts) at Nationals Park after going 6-6, 5.04 in 17 games (14 starts) there last season.

The pick: The good news for Washington in hoping to avoid a sweep and snap a four-game slide is that Roark is 7-2 with a 2.76 ERA in 17 games (11 starts) against New York. Washington could be the side here but note that Harvey looked sharp (and healthy) in his 2018 debut plus the Nats's bats have been strangely 'quiet' for three straight games now, producing only five runs on 17 hits. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set: There is just one game remaining in this year's NHL regular season and it's one that will carry significance for the Boston Bruins. The Bruins received the help they needed to capture their second Atlantic Division title in five seasons. While the Bruins were beating the Ottawa Senators 5-2 on Saturday night, the Lightning lost in OT at Carolina, earning just a single. Therefore, the 50-19-12 Bruins (with points), who trail the Lightning by just one point for first place in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference, can leapfrog Tampa Bay by earning two points with a regulation win over the Florida panther in tonight's contest. The 43-30-8 Florida Panthers are playing for nothing but pride as they were eliminated from postseason contention with Philadelphia's victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon.

Florida: Vincent Trocheck and Colton Sceviour each registered a goal and an assist as the Panthers edged Buffalo 4-3 for their fifth straight home triumph and franchise-record 27th of the season but Philly's win over teh Rangers did them in. Leading scorer Aleksander Barkov (career-high 78 points) sat out Saturday's win and also won't play against Boston after suffering an upper-body injury in Thursday's win over the Bruins. Trocheck leads Florida with 31 goals and is second on the team with 75 points. LW Jamie McGinn is one assist shy of 100 for his career while Aaron Ekblad needs a goal on Sunday to set a new franchise record for most by a defenseman in a season.

Boston: The Briuins' win on Saturday ended a three-game slide, as rookie Danton Heinen recorded a goal and an assist in the 5-2 win over Ottawa. Rick Nash could be in the lineup for the season finale as he participated in Saturday's pregame skate for the first time since suffering a concussion on March 17 against Tampa Bay. Riley Nash definitely will not be on the ice Sunday, keeping him one game shy of 400 for his career as he recovers from damage outside his ear that required over 40 stitches after taking a puck to the head on March 31 versus Florida. Center Tommy Wingels (hand) was back in the lineup Saturday after missing two games and ended his 15-game goal-scoring drought while RW David Pastrnak netted his 34th goal to match the career high he set last season and tie Brad Marchand for the team lead. Marchand has a team-high 85 points, with Pastrnak checking in with 79 points.

The pick: "Opportunity for us, hopefully we're up to the task," Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after Saturday night's 5-2 victory over Ottawa. "I'm sure the guys will be excited tomorrow." Cassidy said he will start Tuukka Rask in go, with the game being so meaningful. In a scheduling quirk, the Atlantic rivals are meeting for the third time in nine days, with each team posting a victory at home in the first two matchups. Rask is an impressive 21-4-1 with a 1.52 goals against average and .949 save percentage lifetime against the Panthers. As for the Panthers, .James Reimer was in goal for Florida Saturday night, which leaves the door open for Roberto Luongo to play in the finale. Luongo, who played in his 1,000th game and defeated Boston on Thursday night, had a disastrous 2011 Stanley Cup final against the Bruins and now could have a chance for a second tiny bit of revenge Sunday. Expect the Panthers to be loose and for them to want to win. However, a team which allows 3.12 GPG on teh road will have trouble against the Bruins here in Boston, where the club is 28-7-5, whiel averaging 3.62 GPG. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels square off Sunday in the rubber match of their three-game series in Anaheim. Oakland rolled to a 7-3 victory Saturday, after wasting a five-HR performance and squandering a late lead in dropping the series opener, 13-9. The 4-6 A's are looking to post back-to-back wins for the first time this season, while the 6-3 Angels look to bounce back after missing a chance for their best nine-game start in franchise history. Saturday's loss ended LA's second three-game winning streak of the season but the Angels can still capture the series and keep up in the early going with the 7-2 Astros.

The pitching matchup: Oakland's Kendall Graveman (0-1, 8.10 ERA) makes a third attempt to record his first win of the season and will be opposed by the Angels' Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 4.50 ERA), who will get another chance to win a game with his arm. Graveman hopes to last more than five innings for the first time in 2018, as the 27-year-old has allowed nine runs and 15 hits over his first two starts of 2018 with consecutive five-inning efforts. Graveman has made 12 career starts versus Los Angeles, going 2-2 with one complete game and a 4.33 ERA. It will be the second start for Japanese rookie Ohtani, who was a highly sought offseason free agent because he can pitch and hit at the major league level. He performed poorly in spring training but has exceeded expectations so far this season. He had a solid effort at Oakland in his debut. on April 1,giving up three runs and three hits with a walk and six strikeouts over six inning of a 7-4 Angels win. The only mistake in the outing by Ohtani, who has posted a .389 average with three HRs and seven RBI in four games as a hitter, was the three-run HR he served up to Matt Chapman.

The pick: The A's were solid at home last season (46-35, plus-$1309) but only the 26-55 SF Giants won fewer games on the road in 2017 than the A's, who finished 29-52. Oakland's road moneyline mark of minus-$1577 was the third-worst in all of MLB. Ohtani may just be the "Real Deal" (sorry Evander) and why would anyone trust the poor-traveling A's with Graveman on the mound? He's allowed 15 its in just 10 IP, allowing more HRs (4) than he has Ks (2). Along with his hideous 8.10 ERA, he owns a a 1.60 WHIP with opponents batting .357 against him. Make the Angels an 8* play.

The set-up: The Cincinnati Reds had 13 hits in the second of their four-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, yet still lost by 11 runs, 14-3! Cincinnati had 16 baserunners Friday but it was unable to take advantage because it left 10 men on base and 12 of its 13 hits were singles. The two teams met again on Saturday, with the Pirates coming in a surprising 6-1 on the season, while the Reds sat at just 1-5. Last night's game had a different scenario, as Cincy turned its 11-hit attack into seven runs. Eugenio Suarez stepped up in a big way as his two-run single knotted the game in the sixth inning after Pittsburgh had jumped out to a 4-0 lead and his three-run HR in the eighth gave the Reds a 7-4 win. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's offense bogged down after a four-run first, preventing the Pirates from moving to 7-1, which would have matched the club's best eight-game start since 1973.

The pitching matchup: Tyler Mahle (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will take the mound for the 2-5 Reds and the 6-2 Pirates will counter with Jameson Taillon (1-0, 3.38 ERA). Mahle is one of Cincinnati's top prospects and in his first start of 2018, he held the Chicago Cubs to one hit and two walks while striking out seven over six innings to get a 1-0 victory last Monday. Mahle went 0-1 despite a 2.45 ERA in two outings versus the Pirates last season (team was 0-2), accounting for half of his first four career starts prior to this season. Taillon also won his 2018 debut last Monday, yielding only two runs and four hits across 5 1/3 innings while tying a career high with nine strikeouts, as the Pirates beat the Twins 5-4. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft and will try to regain the form that allowed him to thrive at home as a rookie in 2016 (2-2, 2.86 ERA), before struggling iat PNC Park in 2017 (4-5, 5.03 ERA).

The pick: The Reds gave Taillon all sorts of trouble last season, as he was 0-2 with a 6.20 ERA in five starts against Cincinnati in 2017 (Pirates were 2-3). However, I doubt the Reds' bats can keep up what they've done the last two games, when they reached Pittsburgh pitchers for 13 and 11 hits, respectively. Cincy is eying consecutive wins for the first time this season on Sunday but let's remember, those Ciny bats produced a total of just 15 hits over their first five games, along with only runs 15 runs (3.0 per). Make Pittsburgh an 8* play.

The set-up: The Philadelphia 76ers held off the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday 132-130, moving one step closer to clinching the East's No. 3 seed (76ers are 49-30, a half-game up on the Cavs). Philadelphia nearly squandered a 30-point lead but held on Friday night to run their winning streak to 13 straight, the longest for the franchise since the 1984-85 team also won 13 in a row. The 76ers need one more win to clinch their first 50-win season since the 2000-01 squad led by Allen Iverson won 56 games and reached the NBA Finals. As for Dallas, after reaching the playoffs 15 times in a 16-year run (from 2001-16), the Mavs went just 33-49 last season and now get set to play their final road game of the current season with an even worse record, sitting at 24-56. Dallas has dropped he first two of the team's three-game trip at Orlando and Detroit, falling to 9-31 on the road this season.

Dallas: The Mavs have been competitive on this trip, with a five-point loss to the Magic and an overtime setback at the Pistons. The team's young players are seeing extra "PT" and are making the most of their expanded minutes. Rookie PF Johnathan Motley is getting an opportunity to start with future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki (ankle) done for the season and followed up 14 points in 41 minutes on Wednesday with his first career double-double with season highs of 26 points and 12 rebounds on Friday. J.J. Barea (11.6 & 6.3 APG) has also been shut down for the season and even small forward Dorian Finney-Smith has seen some action as of late. He was undrafted last year but signed with the Mavs and played in 81 games last season (4.3 & 3.4). He has been hurt for most of this year but he had 14 & 6 against the Magic and 15 & 10 against the Pistons. Harrison Barnes leads the team in scoring (18.8) and rebounding (6.1) plus rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr. (15.1 & 5.1 APG) has been one of the NBA's top 'freshman' all season.

Philaderlphia: Many felt the the 76ers would fall off after Embiid (22.9 & 11.0) ) was sidelined with an orbital fracture but they have continued to win, going 5-0 in the games he's missed so far. Embiid won't return until sometime during the postseason. No player came up bigger than rookie PG Ben Simmons against the Cavs, as he scored 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting, added 15 rebounds, 13 assists and four steals in Friday's win. He's third on the etam in scoring at 16.0 PPG, while adding 8.2 RPG and APG. SG Redick checks in with 16.9 PPG, PF Saric at 14.8 & 6.8 and SF Covington at 12.8 & 5.4. Additions like Belinelli (13.3 PPG in 25 games) and Ilysova (10.4 & 6.5 in 20 games) have been huge plus last year's overall No. 1 pick (Fultz) has averaged 7.3 & 4.3 APG in his seven games back on the court.

The pick: Philly had not yet gotten its act together when these two met back on Nov. 28, a game in which the Sixers held on for a 112-110 win after blowing most of their double-digit 4th-quarter lead. The team Dallas faces now is a well-oiled 'machine,' even without Embiid. However, this is a YUGE number and while the Mavs are averaging just 102.4 PPG (28th) on the season, they have averaged 107.0 PPG over their last three, despite missing Dirk and Barea. Dallas may be just 9-31 on the road but the Mavs are 20-19-1 ATS away from home. Also, Philly may just have a bit of a letdown after the team's dramatic 132-130 win over the Cavs. Take the points and make Dallas a 10* play.

The set-up: The Sedin twins - Daniel and Henrik - play their final game when the Vancouver Canucks visit the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. The Sedins provided the Vancouver faithful with a lasting memory when Daniel scored twice, including the winner in overtime, and Henrik assisted on both as the Canucks defeated Arizona 4-3 on Thursday at an emotion-filled Rogers Arena. The Sedins, who played with dignity, style and grace for 17 seasons - all with the Canucks, announced their retirement Monday before providing a storybook ending to the home portion of their careers. The question to be answered here is, can they deliver an encore performance tonight in Edmonton, against the Oilers? Edmonton, like Vancouver, will miss the playoffs in a season in which many believed it could contend for the Stanley Cup. The Oilers finished with 103 points last season but will play their final game of the current season at 35-40-6, giving them only 76 points.

Vancouver: Daniel Sedin shares the team lead in points (55) with rookie Brock Boeser (team-high 29 goals), who has been out since March 5 because of a back injury. Henrik is third with 50 points and his 830 career assists - including a club-high 47 this season - are good for 26th on the NHL's all-time list. Both Sedins have bedeviled Edmonton for nearly 20 years. Henrik has 17 goals and 67 assists in 95 games, while Daniel has 37 goals and 47 assists in 92 games.

Edmonton: The lone highlight for the Oilers this season will be Connor McDavid winning his second straight Art Ross Trophy as the league's top point-getter. His 106 points (41 goals) give him a sizable lead in the Art Ross race. "I don't think anybody is missing the fact that he's been a dominant player, night in and night out,'' Edmonton head coach Todd McLellan told reporters about McDavid. "The odd, tough game when you have to really fight through that checking line or that checking pair, but man, he's been a tremendous spark plug for our team and most of our offense runs through him." McDavid had three assists in Thursday's 4-3 victory over Vegas, giving him 14 goals and 21 assists in his last 20 games.

The pick: Vancouver has won two of the first three meetings this season with the Sedins combining for a goal (Daniel) and two assists. Daniel's 37 regular-season goals versus Edmonton are his most against any team. Let's stick with the "storybook ending" and take the 1 1/2 goals and make Vancouver an 8* play.

The set-up: The Colorado Avalanche were the NHL's worst team last season (fewest wins with 22 and fewest points with 48) but will host the St. Louis Blues on the final day of the NHL's regular season and with a regulation win, would clinch the Western Conference's second wild-card spot. St. Louis knocked off Chicago 4-1 on Friday, giving the Blues a 44-31-6 record, good for 94points. The 42-30-9 Avalanche own 93 points, so simply put, Colorado needs a full two points plus for the Blues to not earn one by pushing the game past regulation time, to extend its season.

St. Louis: The Blues snapped their 0-3-1 slide with Friday’s win 4-1 in Chicago over the Blackhawks. Patrik Berglund recorded a hat trick in Friday’s victory and has scored five times in as many games, giving him 17 goals on the season. All-Star Brayden Schenn increased his career-high total to 68 points (27 goals / 41 assists) with an assist on Friday to lead the team, two more than Vladimir Tarasenko, who tops St. Louis with 33 goals. Jake Allen didn't start for the first time in 15 games, giving way to backup Carter Hutton. He made 19 saves for the Blues, who jumped over Colorado into the second wild card with to set up Saturday's showdown. Head coach Mike Yeo's gamble of playing Hutton in Friday's game paid off. He wanted to rest Allen and have him at his best, so he sent the No. 1 goaltender ahead to Denver early Friday so he wouldn't get in late like the rest of the team.

Colorado: The Avs have limped towards the finish line, going 1-4-1 over their last six games, after Thursday’s 4-2 defeat at San Jose. Nathan MacKinnon may have lost a chance at the Hart Trophy with a nine-game goal-scoring drought but he has collected six assists in the team's recent stretch to push his team-leading total to 95 points (38 goals). Captain Gabrie Landeskog (24 goals and 59 points) also has been held without a goal for nine contests while their linemate, Mikko Rantanen (83 points), has recorded three points in four games but owns a minus-6 rating in that span.

The pick: Allen may be the goalie Yeo wants in net but he comes in win-less in his last four contests and will face a desperate Colorado team which averages 3.50 GPG on home ice. Colorado will have Jonathan Bernier in net and he has lost all three outings since Semyon Varlamov (lower body) was lost for the season. I say make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The 5-3 Toronto Blue Jays and the 3-6 Texas Rangers continue their three-game series on Saturday, after the Blue Jays opened a nine-game road trip with an 8-5 victory over the Rangers last night. Toronto has now won five of its last six games, while Texas has dropped five of its last seven.

The pitching matchup: Marcus Stroman (0-0, 7.20 ERA) will get the nod for Toronto and lefty Mike Minor (0-1, 3.86 ERA) gets the call for Texas. Stroman made his season debut against the New York Yankees on Sunday and received a no-decision after giving up four runs over five innings. Stroman was 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA for the Jays last season but was limited to only two starts in spring training because of a sore shoulder, " I telt really strong,” he told reporters after the game. “I don’t feel behind and I feel like my stuff is where I need it to be.” He has gone 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA in two career starts against the Rangers. Minor's 2018 debut (Sunday’s 8-2 loss to Houston, when allowing two runs on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings) was his first start since 2014. The 30-year-old was moved into the rotation by the Rangers after posting a career-low 2.55 ERA in relief with Kansas City last season. Minor is 2-0 in with a 1.69 ERA in four career games (two starts) against the Blue Jays.

The pick: I expect the Rangers to be in for a long season (team owns a patchwork starting rotation) and in fact, home has hardly been where the heart is, lately. Texas has gone 4-14 in its last 18 home games dating back to Sept. 9, 201 and the Jays come in averaging 5.50 RPG, the fifth-best mark in MLB. Texas has opened 1-4 at home in 2018, allowing 6.00 RPG. Make Toronto an 8* play.

The set-up: The rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants was put on hold Friday when a major storm forced the first rainout at AT&T Park since 2006. The two long-time and bitter rivals opened the 2018 season with a four-game series against each other. That match-up provided a rarity, as the Giants won the first two games by identical 1-0 scores, before the Dodgers won the final two games of the series by scores of 5-0 and 9-0. The teams will attempt to start an abbreviated two-game series on Saturday and just maybe, each will score at least once in today's game. After splitting their four-game series against the Giants, the Dodgers went to Arizona and got swept in a three-game series by the Diamondbacks, scoring only one run in the final two contests. The 2-5 Dodgers are hoping to jump-start their offense against the Giants, who hit four home HRs in Wednesday’s 10-1 victory over Seattle to even their record at 3-3.

The pitching matchup: Rich Hill (1-0, 0.00 ERA) takes the mound for LA and Chris Stratton (0-1, 5.06 ERA) for San Fran. Hill tossed six scoreless innings against the Giants last Sunday, allowing five hits with five strikeouts in the Dodgers’ 9-0 victory. A concern may be that Hill posted a 4.06 ERA in 11 road starts last season, compared to a 2.77 ERA in 14 outings at Dodger Stadium. Hill has spent a majority of his 14-year career in the American League and has never won at AT&T Park, going 0-1 with a 3.91 ERA in four career starts. However, he is 6-2 with a 2.33 ERA in 12 career starts against the Giants. Stratton took the loss against the Dodgers on Sunday (opposite Hill) after giving up three runs with four strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. Stratton has bounced between the minors and majors for the past two seasons but earned a spot in the rotation after posting a 3.29 ERA over 27 1/3 innings in spring training and drawing raves for his improved curveball.

The pick: I noted that Stratton earned a spot in the Giants' starting rotation to open the 2018 season but that was only possible because of spring training injuries to Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija. He owns a 1-2 record and 5.91 ERA in four career games (including three starts) against the Dodgers. In contrast, despite battling blister problems over the past two years, the Dodgers won 14 of Hill's last 21 starts in 2017, before going 3-1 in his four postseason starts. He went 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA in three starts last season against the Giants and in his season debut last Sunday, threw six scoreless innings against them, allowing five hits with five strikeouts. Don't see much changing here. Make the Dodgers a 10* play.

The set-up: The Milwaukee Brewers led the National League Central, and the defending World Series champs (Chicago Cubs), for most of the summer, only to fall down the stretch. The Cubs and Brewers opened a four-game series at Miller Park on Thursday, with the Cubs winning 8-0. The loss meant that Milwaukee had been blanked in two straight games and its scoreless streak continued through four innings Friday, before the Brewers busted out with a pair of two-run homers during a four-run fifth. A run in the ninth gave the Brewers a 5-4 win, their third one-run victory of the season, their second walk-off win in four games and their third win in their last at-bat. The Cubs’ bullpen continued its outstanding work with three scoreless innings to keep the game tied before Milwaukee’s ninth-inning rally. The loss dropped the Cubs to 0-4 when scoring four or fewer runs, while they are 3-0 when scoring more than four.

The pitching matchup: The series is tied at one game apiece, as Yu Darvish (0-0, 10.38 ERA) squares off against Zach Davies (0-1, 9.53). Darvish, the Cubs' $126 million off-season acquisition, did not fare well in his first appearance for Chicago. He served up a two-run HR in the opening inning at Miami and couldn't get out of the fifth, allowing five runs and five hits over 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision (Cubs won 10-6). Only 59 of his 102 pitches were strikes in that outing, as he struggled to command his fastball, walked two batters and hitting two more, plus he generated only nine swinging strikes. Davies was the Brewers' leader last year in victories (17), starts (33) and innings (191 1/3),as Milwaukee went 20-13 in his starts, plus-$880 vs. the moneyline (12th-best among all starters). He had a rough outing Monday against St. Louis in his 2018 debut, allowing seven runs (six earned) and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Davies is 5-4 with a 3.90 ERA in 10 starts against the Cubs, including a 2-2 record with a 3.66 ERA against Chicago last season.

The pick: The Brewers have five wins this season and all but one of them have been won in the final inning: As noted above, the Cubs are 0-4 when scoring four or fewer runs, while they are 3-0 when scoring more than four. I believe Davies pitched way over his head last season and that Darvish, greatly underachieved. With that in mind, I'll make the Cubs a 8* play in this one.

The set-up: The 44-34 New Orleans Pelicans are locked in a six-team battle for the final five playoff spots in the West and come into play on Friday sitting in the No. 7 spot, a half-game back of the No. 5 seeded Spurs but also just a half-game back of the No. 8 seeded T-wolves and the Nuggets, who have the same record as Minnesota but would currently lose a tie-breaker for that final playoff spot. The Pelicans just snapped a four-game slide with a 123-95 win over the Grizzlies and tonight get to visit the only team lower than the Grizzlies in the West standings when they face the 20-59 Phoenix Suns. Phoenix ended a franchise-record 15-game losing streak by edging the Sacramento Kings 97-94 at home on Tuesday, which marked the first time the Suns had held an opponent under 100 points since Jan. 31.

New Orleans: The Pelicans are not so much concerned about which team they might play in the first round of the playoffs, rather New Orleans just wants to keep playing after April 11 (final day of the NBA's regular season). “For us, our goal all along has been to make the playoffs,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. "It doesn’t matter who you play, you’re going to play a really good team in the West." Anthony Davis is averaging 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks a game, second in the league in scoring and fifth in rebounds. He and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo are the only players averaging at least 25 points and 10 rebounds a game.Holiday (18.9-4.9-5.9) has had a terrific season and Moore, coming off a 30-point game against Memphis, is up to 12.4 PPG on the season. Mirotic, acquired from the Bulls, has averaged 12.9 & 7.4 in his 26 games for the Pelicans, helping to mitigate the loss of Boogie Cousins (25.2 & 12.9).

Phoenix: The Suns are missing their two leading scorers, shooting guard Devin Booker (24.9) and small forward TJ Warren (19.6), who are both out while battling injuries. Rookie swingman Josh Jackson is trying to fill the void, as Jackson finished with 28 points in Tuesday's triumph and is averaging 21.8 points over the last 11 games (13.0 & 4.5 on the season). He has scored at least 15 points in 11 consecutive games, tying Utah guard Donovan Mitchell for the longest streak by a rookie this season. Jackson is averaging 21.8 points plus 5.4 rebounds in that stretch.

The pick: This is a huge game for the Pelicans, as the team can't afford to lose to the sad-sack Suns. Jackson has become the Suns' No. 1 scoring option in the continued absence of Devin Booker, TJ Warren and Elfrid Payton. Booker has missed the last nine games with a sprained right hand and Warren has missed the last eight with a hip injury. Neither is expected to play against New Orleans plus Payton is almost for sure out for the remainder of teh season with a knee injury. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The St. Louis Blues have lost four straight and at 43-31-6 on the season, find themselves against the ropes in a bid to secure the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Blues have 92 points, one point behind the Avalanche for the final wild-card spot. St. Louis' most recent loss saw Chicago storm back from a two-goal deficit for a 4-3 victory. Defenseman Duncan Keith scored in the final seconds to complete the comeback and weaken the Blues' playoff chances. St. Louis goaltender Jake Allen took the blame for the loss (more later). The Blues play tonight in Chicago and then finish the season with a Saturday road game in Colorado. The 33-37-10 Blackhawks have just three wins in their last 10 outings (3-5-2), as they head toward their first spring without a playoff appearance since 2007-08. However, the team did address its future on Thursday by announcing that senior vice president/general manager Stan Bowman and head coach Joel Quenneville will remain in their current positions next season.

St. Louis: Vladimir Tarasenko joined Brayden Schenn by scoring and setting up a goal on Wednesday in the loss to the Blackhawks. Tarasenko has a team-high 33 goals but his 66 points are one behind team leader, Schenn. Schenn continued his career season with 10 points in his last 12 games, boosting his personal-best totals in goals (27), assists (40) and points (67). Getting back to Allen taking the blame for the loss, other Blues players said nerves might have played a role. "If you're going to play nervous, then you better play smart," St. Louis coach Mike Yeo said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "It (stinks), but at the end of the day, we have to stay positive," Blues center Brayden Schenn said. "Two-game winning streak here to get into the postseason." Allen is expected to get another chance in net Friday for St. Louis. The 27-year-old is 27-24-3 with a 2.74 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in 58 games (55 starts) on the season

Chicago: Tonight's contest at the United Center is the finale of the home-and-home series. Rookie Alex DeBrincat, who had a hat trick in a 5-4 overtime loss to St. Louis on March 18, scored and set up a goal on Wednesday to boost his point total to 10 (six goals, four assists) in his past nine games. DeBrincat's owns a team-leading 28 goals are one more than former Hart Trophy recipient Patrick Kane, who has a team-leading 74 points. Jonathan Toews has 52 points (as does DeBrincat), while Nick Schmaltz has 51 points (21 goals).

The pick: St. Louis has won five of its last seven trips to the United Center (including the postseason) but knowing it can make the playoffs by winning tomorrow night in Colorado, make teh Blues a shaky investment in this contest. Allen is expected to be in net for the Blues and he is 8-5-1 with a 2.53 GAA and .915 save percentage. However, he also comes in winless in his last four contests. The Blackhawks have been eliminated from playoff contention for the first time in a decade but it is safe to assume that a pride-filled Chicago roster will energized (as will be the crowd) at the possibility of crushing the postseason hopes of its longtime division rival. "It'd be nice to see them miss the playoffs," Blackhawks right winger Patrick Kane said to the Chicago Sun-Times this week. "So it'd be nice to have a hand in that." Take the 1 1/2 goals and make Chicago a 6* play.

The set-up: The Philadelphia 76ers have matched their longest winning streak in 28 years (12 in a row). The 48-30 Sixers now sit just a half-game back of the 49-30 Cleveland Cavaliers for teh East's No. 3, team which comes to Philly tonight. Philadelphia ended an 11-game losing streak against the Cavaliers when they last met on March 1 and the squad feels it is now in a sustained groove entering the rematch.
Cleveland comes in on a stretch of five straight victories and 10 wins in its past 11 games, after overcoming a 17-point, fourth quarter deficit to register a 119-115 win over the Washington Wizards on Thursday. The winner of Friday's game will reside in third place in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland: LBJ (27.5-8.7-9.12 had 33 points, nine rebounds and 14 assists against Washington, just his latest stellar performance. Love (17.4 & 9.3) is back in the lineup but it was recently announced that Jeff Green will start from here out, meaning Love will be asked to play center, a position he's not comfortable with. The Cavaliers will likely be short at point guard on Friday with George Hill (ankle) expected to miss his fourth straight game and Jose Calderon (hamstring) likely to sit out his second.

Philadelphia: 76ers have continued to win despite losing All-Star center Joel Embiid (22.9 & 11.0) to an orbital fracture, as they've won all four games in which he's missed so far. Embiid won't return until sometime during the postseason but starting power forward Dario Saric (14.9 & 6.9)) is expected to play on Friday after a three-game absence due to an elbow issue. Veteran Ersan Ilyasova (10.1 & 6.3 in 19 games with Philly) started in Saric's place and recorded back-to-back double-doubles, as the team's season-long trend of players responding to opportunities continued. "They play for each other," Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown told reporters. "They really co-exist well. It's stuff with our culture you've been building over the years, and the people we have included into this program have played for each other. I really think they get along well." Rookie PG Simmons may never be the eqaua of James (will anyone?) but he's a remarkably versatile player, averaging 15.8-8.1-8.1.

The pick: The Sixers are red-hot but the Cavs aren't far behind. In this showdown game (very important to each team), I have to favor the Cavs and LBJ, with Embiid sidelined. Make the Cavs an 8* play.

The set-up: The 4-2 Atlanta Braves open a nine-game road trip Friday at Coors Field against the 4-3 Colorado Rockies, who will being playing their home opener of the 2018 season. Freddie Freeman put together a strong opening six weeks in 2017 before a fractured wrist sidelined him for two months and the first baseman again is off to a great start He's batting 421 and enters Friday leading or close to the major-league lead in runs scored (nine), RBI (nine), walks (10) and on-base percentage (.621). Freeman is getting help from some surprising sources, including left fielder Preston Tucker (two HRs, eight RBI in 21 at-bats) and third baseman Ryan Flaherty (10-for-23 with four doubles for a career .220 hitter). Colorado capped a 4-3 road trip (at Arizona and San Diego) to start the season with a 3-1 victory Thursday in vs. the Padres, taking advantage of three walks and an error in a three-run ninth. Second baseman D.J. LeMahieu singled home two runs in the ninth and finished 2-for-4, raising his average to .320. Center fielder Charlie Blackmon also collected two hits and brings a slash line of .345/.406/.828 into the opener of the three-game series.

The pitching matchup: Brandon McCarthy (1-0, 3.38 ERA) gets his second start of the season for Atlanta and will be opposed by the Rockies' German Marquez (0-0, 0.00 ERA), who also makes his second start of the young season. McCarthy benefited from a huge uprising by the Braves offense to win his Atlanta debut Saturday, a 15-2 rout of the Philadelphia in which he gave up two runs on six hits with five strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. He pitched well for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season before a variety of injuries limited his availability in the second half but McCarthy posted a 3.45 ERA in spring training. .
Marquez struggled with his control in his first start Saturday against Arizona, walking four hitters and giving up four hits but no earned runs over five innings. Marquez became a solid part part of the Rockies' rotation in 2017, going 11-7 with a 4.39 ERA in 29 starts (Colorado was 17-12 in his starts, plus-$642 vs. the moneyline).

The pick: Atlanta enters Friday leading the majors in runs scored (48) and team batting average (.297). Yes, McCarthy had a good first start for Atlanta but is just 2-3 with a 5.40 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) against the Rockies and 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA in four games (three starts) at Coors Field, where he has yielded 23 hits, including four HRs and seven walks in 17 innings with nine strikeouts. Marquez will make his first career appearance against the Braves, but is 7-3 with a 4.29 ERA in 16 career appearances at home. In 15 starts at Coors Field, the Rockies have gone 10-5. The Rockies are 15-10 in home openers but have never played the Braves in one. Seven of Colorado's past eight home openers and 13 of its past 15 have been against National League West opponents. I'm making Colorado a 10* play.

The set-up: The battle for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, as expected, will go down to the final games of the regular season. This Thursday game between the the 44-34 Minnesota Timberwolves (tied with the Pelicans for the final two spots) and the 43-35 Denver Nuggets (the West's No. 9 team), is a prime example of just how slim the margin will be between seeds 4-8 and the two teams left out of the playoff mix. The Timberwolves come in 2-3 over their last five games, beating only the sad-sack Suns and Mavs. They have been struggling against winning teams and just got rocked at home by the Utah Jazz in a 121-97 loss on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have won three in a row by a grand total of just seven points to pull within a single of the eighth-place New Orleans Pelicans (T-wolves are also just one game up on Denver). The Nuggets will play their final four games against playoff contenders from the West, including a pair against the Timberwolves, beginning with tonight's contest.

Minnesota: The T-wolves are expecting to get a boost down the stretch from All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler, who went through his first full-contact practice on Tuesday since undergoing surgery on his on his right knee five weeks ago. Butler is Minnesota's leader and without him a playoff spot that seemed almost assured, has become uncertain. Minnesota is just 8-8 since Butler (22.2-5.4-5.0) went down and he is looking to bring some much-needed toughness to the team. With Butler back, Minnesota would have a formidable starting-five, including mainstays Towns (21.1 & 12.3) and Wiggins (18.0 & 4.3) plus new additions like PG Teague (13.8 & 7.0 APG) and PF Gibson (12.2 & 7.1).

Denver: The Nuggets' playoff push is being led by center Nikola Jokic, who is averaging 24.5 points on 56.1 percent shooting, 10.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists over the last 14 games. Jokic delivered 30 points in Tuesday's 107-104 win over the Indiana Pacers. The Nuggets were 3-4 on their recent seven-game road trip but.rallied in Oklahoma City on Friday night and back at home against Milwaukee on Sunday, wiping out late deficits in both games and winning in overtime. They didn't need an extra period to beat a hot Indiana team on Tuesday, so there are indications they have found the right sense of urgency. Denver has gone 5-4 since guard Gary Harris (17.7) went down with a right knee sprain by getting heavy production from Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Will Barton and Paul Millsap. Jokic leads the team in scoring (18.3) and rebounding (10.5), while guard Murray (16.6), swingman Barton (15.3-5.0-4.1) and PF Millsap (15.1 & 6.5) all make valuable contributions on a nightly basis.

The pick: Minnesota has taken the first two meetings this season between the teams but that was with Butler averaging 32 points on 51.4 percent shooting. It's also well worth mentioning that Minny's current ATS slide (5-16-1 ATS), began before Butler’s injury. This game (and the re-match on the season's finla day in Minnesota on Apr. 11), has the look of a "playoff eliminator." Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The San Jose Sharks have punched their ticket to the playoffs, despite coming into this contest off four consecutive losses (0-3-1). The Sharks will welcome the 42-29-9 Colorado Avalanche to the SAP Center on Friday and the Avs have 93 points, leaving them one point ahead the Blues and three points ahead of the Stars for the West's final wild card spot. Each club has two games remaining in the regular season.

Colorado: The Avs have dropped two straight to put their postseason plans in peril. Colorado plays in San Jose tonight, before hosting St. Louis in Saturday's season-finale (see above for more details)
Leading scorer Nathan MacKinnon (38 goals and 94 points) has been held off the scoresheet in four of six outings after erupting for 13 goals and 14 assists during his career-high 14-game point streak. Jonathan Bernier has lost both outings since Semyon Varlamov (lower body) was lost for the season. Bernier is 18-12-3 (2.87 GAA & .912 SP) on the season, while Varlamov was 24-16-6 (2.68 GAA & .920 SP).

San Jose: The Sharks won a season-high eight-game games from March 12-26 but then allowed 15 goals during an 0-3-1 stretch. "We're fighting for home ice in the first round here. We have to dial it up. You can't coast for very long in the NHL and win hockey games," said Logan Couture, who scored his career-high 33rd goal in Tuesday's 4-2 setback to Dallas. Timo Meier scored his career-high 20th goal on Tuesday to extend his point streak to three games, but San Jose fell back on its heels and saw a two-goal advantage go by the boards in its last outing. Former Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns set up two goals versus the Stars to give him 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in his last 11 games. Burns has a team-high 65 points, due to his 54 assists.

The pick: San Jose is second in the Pacific, one point over Anaheim and two ahead of Los Angeles. San Jose has dropped both matchups with Colorado in Denver this season but it's been a much different story when the teams meet in the Bay Area, as the Sharks have won 15 of the last 16 matchups dating back to March 2009. Martin Jones will be in goal for San Jose but he has stopped only 34 of 41 shots in losing both games to the Avs this season in Denver. However, it's hard to ignore the fact that San Jose had dominated this series before going 0-2 in Denver this season. The Avs really need a win here but they allow 3.35 GPG on the road. I'm going to OVER and make it a 10* play.

The set-up: Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the greatest performers in Vancouver Canucks history, will play their final home game Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes. The 37-year-old twins, who announced their retirement Monday and were showered with affection before, during and after Tuesday's 5-4 shootout loss to Vegas in their penultimate contest at Rogers Arena, have brought class, dignity and grace to the franchise for 17 seasons. Henrik will play his 1,329th game and Daniel his 1,305th tonight, all with the Canucks. However, it will be bittersweet, as V30-40-10 Vancouver will miss the playoffs for the third straight season. Tonight's opponent will be the 29-40-11 and last-place Arizona Coyotes but they only trail Vancouver by one point in the Pacific Division. Arizona has won two straight by a combined 10-1 score and is 17-8-2 since Feb. 7, as it continues its strong finish.

Arizona: Antti Raanta (21-16-6, 2.24 GAA &, .930 SP), is 6-1-0, 1.29 GAA & .961 SP since returning from a lower-body injury March 17. Defenseman Kevin Connauton (11 goals this season) recorded a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over Calgary, giving him four goals in his last four games and 10 in 30 contests since the All-Star break, while Max Domi (nine goals, 44 points) has a goal and six assists in his last three games. Arizona recorded 23 points in its first 41 games this season and has 23 in its last 18 games.

Vancouver: Henrik and Daniel have recorded 1,068 and 1,039 points, respectively, with Markus Naslund third on the club's list with 756 while Daniel has a team-high 391 goals and Henrik a franchise-best 828 assists. Daniel has 53 points (21 goals0 this season, while Henrik has 48 points (45 assists). Brock Boeser leads the team with 29 goals and 55 points.

The pick: Vancouver won the first of four encounters this season 3-1 back on Feb. 25 (behind a pair of goals from Daniel Sedin) but Arizona has won two straight meetings, 1-0 on March 11 and 2-1 on March 7. A sellout crowd is expected for the second straight game. Vancouver let its fans down in Tuesday's shootout loss to Vegas but won't do so again here vs. Arizona. Make the 'Sedins' or should I say Vancouver, an 8* play.

The set-up: The Western Conference playoff chase has been a logjam behind the Rockets and Warriors all season, as eight teams have been fighting for the final six spots. With the NBA season entering its final seven days (April 11), Portland has clinched a playoff (will likely earn the No. 3 seed) but the next five teams are all withing one game of each other. The 45-33 Utah Jazz have won 26 of their past 31 games but haven't yet clinched a playoff spot (currently own the No. 4 seed), as they get set to welcome the Los Angeles Clippers to Salt Lake City. As for the 42-36 Clippers, they have no margin for error with four games remaining in the regular season when it comes to landing a Western Conference playoff spot. Los Angeles resides in 10th place in the West, one game back of No. 9 Denver and two games back of the T-wolves and Pelicans, who are both 44-34 and own the final two Western Conference playoff spots.

LA Clippers: The Clippers recovered from a 19-point deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, keeping their postseason hopes alive. Head coach Doc Rivers was thrilled about his team's comeback against the Spurs, as a defeat would have been close to a death knell per the postseason chances. Veteran Lou Williams was struggling through a poor outing before he tallied 15 fourth-quarter points to finish with 22 while recording his third straight 20-point outing. Williams is averaging career highs in points (22.2) and assists (5.3) this season. Tobias Harris, acquired from Detroit in the Griffin trade, scored 31 points against the Spurs and is averaging 19.9 & 6.1 in his 28 games with LA (is Blake really missed?).

Utah: The Jazz have won three straight and are a half-game up on San Antonio for fourth place in the Western Conference after the Spurs dropped an overtime decision last night to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Jazz had just beaten the Lakers 117-110 the night before, at home. PG Ricky Rubio (13.2-4.6-5.4) was superb against the Lakers, scoring 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting and also recording eight assists and six rebounds.Center Rudy Gobert (13.7 & 10.9) collected 16 rebounds against the Lakers and is averaging 13 per over the last five contests. Rookie guard Mitchell (20.4-3.6-3.6) is the favorite for ROY honors. He has scored at least 20 points in a season-high 10 straight games and has 44 games with 20 points this season. That’s the most by any rookie since Blake Griffin had 55 such games during the 2010-11 season.

The pick: The Jazz are 2-1 versus the Clippers this season but that's after losing 18 of the previous 20 regular-season meetings between the two clubs. Sure, the Jazz are fighting for playoff positioning but the Clippers are fighting for their playoff lives. LA is a money-making 24-15-1 ATS on the road this season and I'm taking the points. Make the Clippers an 8* play.

The set-up: National League Central rivals Chicago and Milwaukee open a four-game series tonight. Both are coming off shutout losses, with the Cubs coming off back-to-back ones. The Brewers had won four of their first five behind a strong offense but they were blanked 6-0 on Wednesday in the finale of a three-game home series against St. Louis. Milwaukee collected 19 extra-base hits in its first five games before managing just five singles in the shutout loss. The Cubs haven’t scored since Saturday, as they were blanked 6-0 at Miami on Sunday and 1-0 at Cincinnati the following day before being rained out on Tuesday (Cubs had an off day on Wednesday). The 2-3 Cubs have scored 18 runs in their two wins and just one in their three losses, including a 17-inning game. The season is barely a week old but this series will almost certainly have a playoff-like atmosphere at Miller Park this weekend. The Milwaukee Brewers led the National League Central, and the defending World Series champs, for most of the summer, only to fall down the stretch.

The pitching matchup: Jon Lester (0-0, 8.10 ERA) takes the mound for the second time in 2018 for the Cubs and will be opposed by Milwaukee lefty Brent Suter (1-0, 5.40 ERA). Lester struggled on Opening Day against the Marlins, lasting only 3 1/3 innings after allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits. lester is a notoriously slow starter, as he’s 15-17 in March and April and has a winning record in every other month. Lester is 3-2 with a 2.77 ERA in six career starts against the Brewers. Suter won his season debut Friday at San Diego, allowing three runs and five hits over five innings. Suter made 22 appearances (including 14 starts) in 2017, going 3-2 with a 3,42 ERA (Brewers were 9-5, +$421 in his starts). He has been very solid at home throughout his young career, going 4-1 with a 3.23 ERA in 20 games (eight starts) at Miller Park. He’s 1-0 with a 3.14 ERA in six outings (two starts) against the Cubs.

The pick: The last time these two teams met was a four-game September series in Milwaukee (Sep. 21-24). The Cubs arrived looking to snuff out Milwaukee's fading hopes at regaining the division lead. Each of the first three games went 10 innings. Chicago took the first two and was a strike away from winning the third in regulation but Orlando Arcia hit a game-tying home run off closer Wade Davis. Jon Jay put the Cubs up in the 10th with an RBI single but a walk-off home run from Travis Shaw in the bottom of the inning gave Milwaukee the victory. However, Jose Quintana, the Cubs' marquee mid-season acquisition, shut Milwaukee out in the finale 5-0 and the Cubs went on to win the division crown. It's only early April but this series figured to be fun. Forget fun, take the veteran Lester over Suter, who has just 17 career starts. Make Chicago a 10* play.

The set-up: The 4-2 Washington Nationals will finally get a game in their home park, as the Mets visit the nation's capital on Thursday for Washington's 2018 home opener. The Mets bring a 4-1 record into the first of a three-game series this afternoon, led by a dominating group of pitchers who have allowed a total of just 13 runs in team's 4-1 start, after Noah Syndergaard (2-0 but 5.40 ERA) and four relievers combined to allow five hits in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at home. Syndergaard, the team's Opening Day starter, has allowed six of the team's 13 ERs on the season, meaning the rest of the staff has posted a 1.80 ERA. The Nationals burst out of the gate with four wins but on Wednesday, they dropped their second straight 7-1 in Atlanta. Washington didn't hit or field well behind Max Scherzer (1-1), who allowed five runs (just two earned) on six hits over five innings.

The pitching matchup: Jacob deGrom (1-0, 1.59 ERA) goes for the Mets and Stephen Strasburg (1-0, 1.42 ERA) for the Nats, an outstanding pitching matchup between two pitchers, both of whom won their season debuts with solid outings. DeGrom allowed a run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings to lead the Mets to a 6-2 win over St. Louis on Saturday, striking out seven against one walk. He boasts a 2.77 ERA in 12 career starts against the Nationals and is 4-1 in six starts at Washington. Strasburg also recorded seven strikeouts and allowed three runs (one earned) while lasting into the seventh inning in his win over Cincinnati on Saturday, improving to 31-8 over his last three seasons. His personal winning streak is up to six dating to last season and he won each of his last four outings at home in 2017. The former No. 1 pick is 8-4 with a 2.64 ERA lifetime versus New York.

The pick: Washington won 13 of 19 meetings last season, winning the NL East by 20 games a year ago (New York finished 27 games back!). Will it be any different this year? It's hard not to see Washington winning close to 95 games again this season (Nats have averaged 93.5 wins per season over the last six) but if New York's pitching staff remains healthy, the Mets could be 90-win team in 2018. Let's say Under in this one and make it an 8* play.

The set-up: The Buffalo Sabres will play their regular-season home finale against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night, as owners the worst record in all of hockey at 25-42-12 (62 points). The 27-41-11 Senators have 65 points (just three more than Buffalo) but tonight's contest is the first of a season-ending three-game road trip. Buffalo's place in the standings attests to its season-long struggles but its last two games were indicative of the wild inconsistency. The Sabres followed a 7-4 win at NHL-best Nashville with a 5-2 setback in Toronto. The Senators dropped a 6-5 decision to Winnipeg on Monday in their home finale, the eighth defeat in their last nine games. Ottawa will be without captain Erik Karlsson the rest of the way, and has lost five of six in the series, having not beaten Buffalo in regulation in the past 11 matchups.

Ottawa: Karlsson (team-high 62 points, including 53 assists) will be allowed to remain home to be with his wife as the couple deals with the stillborn death of their son. The superstar defenseman, the subject of multiple trade rumors throughout the season, reached into the net after Monday's game to grab the puck, leading to speculation of whether he's played his last game for Ottawa. The will also make a decision on Wednesday morning in regard to F Mark Stone, who has missed the last 12 games. Stone also has 62 points, including 20 goals.

Buffalo: One of the bright spots for Buffalo has been the play of center Sam Reinhart, who followed up a hat trick in Nashville by scoring against Toronto to establish career highs in goals (24) and points (48). Reinhart has amassed 17 goals and 18 assists over his last 35 games.Fellow center Jack Eichel leads the Sabres in scoring with 62 points (25 goals, 37 assists) in 64 games, while a third center, Ryan O'Reilly, is second on the team with 58 points (22 goals, 36 assists) in 58 games.

The pick: The Sabres have lost eight of their last 11 games as they prepare to finish their first season under head coach Phil Housley. However, they still have a chance to climb out of the basement in the Atlantic Division Ottawa is stumbling towards the end of what's been a remarkably frustrating and surprising season. The Senators have lost eight of their last nine games, with the lone win coming in overtime against the Florida Panthers last Thursday. Both teams are among the very worst defensive clubs in the NHL, with Buffalo ranking 29th and Ottawa 30th among the league's 31 teams in goals allowed per game. Ottawa allows 3.26 GPG on the road and Buffalo allows 3.32 GPG at home. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The AL East is loaded and not much was expected from the Blue Jays. Toronto opened the 2018 season with a four-game series against the NYY and promptly lost the first two games, 6-1 and 4-2. That was no way to start but the Jays rebounded to take the final two games against the Yankees and then the first two of this three-game home series with the White Sox. The now 4-2 Blue Jays have homered in each of their first six contests, tying the second-longest streak to begin a season in franchise history. Toronto aims for its fifth straight victory, and seventh consecutive game with at least one HR), when it hosts the Chicago White Sox in the finale of a three-game series on Wednesday night. The White Sox opened the 2018 season 2-0 but have now lost two in a row. However, Chicago has slugged 12 HRs in just four contests.

The pitching matchup: Carson Fulmer (2017: 3-1, 3.86 ERA) makes his first start of 2018 for Chicago, while Aaron Sanchez (0-1, 6.35 ERA) looks for a better outcome than in his first outing, for Toronto. Fulmer was outstanding in September for the White Sox, going 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in six games (four starts / team was 3-1). However, the 24-year-old struggled this spring. That said, the White Sox want to see him in the rotation,where he has proven to be capable, albeit in limited opportunities. Fulmer will be facing the Blue Jays for the first time. Sanchez drew a tough assignment in his season debut, getting the call against the New York Yankees. He allowed four ERs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings, with four walks hurting his cause. Sanchez was limited to just eight starts last season (1-3 with a 4.25 ERA / team was 3-5 in his starts) because of a blister problem on a finger, a split finger nail and a strained ligament on his right middle finger. His final start of the 2017 season was July 19.

The pick: Fulmer was 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA in seven games with Chicago that included five starts. In his final four starts, he was 2-0 (team was 3-1) with a 1.56 ERA. I expect Fulmer tp pitch well and for the Toronto bats to be much 'quieter' after the Blue Jays set a season high for runs in Tuesday's 14-5 victory (15 hits). Also, remember that when Sanchez was healthy enough to make 30 starts in 2016, he was 15-2 with 3.00 ERA. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Philadelphia 76ers lost All-Star center Joel Embiid (22.9 & 11.0) to an orbital fracture suffered in a win over the Knicks on March 28. However, Philly has won and covered its last three without him, extending the NBA's longest active winning streak to 11 games. The 47-30 76ers are 1 1/2 games up on the fifth-place Pacers in the East and also just a half-game back of the third-place Cavs. Phily travels to Detroit to face the Pistons on Wednesday and Detroit's playoff chances are hanging by a thread. Yes, the Pistons have won five in a row and seven of eight to stay alive but at 37-40, Detroit would need to win all of their remaining five games PLUS need either the Heat, Wizards or Bucks to los all SIX of their remaining games to have a chance a winning a tie-breaker.

Philadelphia. The Sixers' 11th straight win came easily, 121-95 at home over the Brooklyn Nets last night. That's despite the team holding power forward Dario Saric (14.9 & 6.9) out due to cellulitis in his right elbow, the result of a cut suffered last week at the New York Knicks. Ersan Ilyasova (9.9 & 6.1 in 18 games with Philly) stepped into the starting lineup against the Nets and responded with 11 points and 13 rebounds, while rookie Ben Simmons (15.8-8.1-8.1 continued his recent tear with 15 points, 12 boards and six assists. Veterans JJ Redick (16.7) and Marco Belinelli (12.6 PPG in 23 with Philly) are playing perhaps their best basketball at the most important time. Redick scored 19 points against the Nets, his fifth straight game with at least that many, and Belinelli added 17 on 7-of-11 shooting, the eighth time in his last nine games that he's shot at least 50 percent from the floor. Rookie Markelle Fultz scored exactly 10 points for the third time in five games since returning from a shoulder injury and saw some time on the floor with Simmons in the third quarter. Fultz has averaged 7.4 & 4.4 APG in about 17 minutes in his five games back.

Detroit: It's almost guaranteed that Detroit's late run will be too little, too late but the Pistons have to be encouraged by the play of Reggie Jackson (14.7 & 5.1 APG) since he returned from a lengthy injury layoff. The 27-year-old PG scored a season-high 29 points at Brooklyn and is averaging 18.8 over his last five games. Anthony Tolliver continues to fill in for the injured Blake Griffin and posted 16.2 points per game average during the same stretch. Isn't it 'rich' that Detroit has won three in a row since Griffin was diagnosed with a bone bruise on his right ankle. The Pistons survived the ejection of All-Star center Andre Drummond (15.0 & 16.0) in a 108-96 win at Brooklyn on Sunday but Drummond managed a double-double (13 & 14) prior to his ejection and he needs one more to reach 60 in that category for the second time in his career.

The pick: Philly is NBA’s hottest team but Stan Van Gundy has his team playing well (five straight wins and seven of eight), even minus Blake Griffin these last three. Detroit's a solid 24-14 SU at home but slowing Philly down, would be a stretch. The 76ers have averaged 116.8 PPG during their 11-game winning streak, including 113.7 PPG without Embiid. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Rangers and A's each opened the season 1-3 and last night, the A's won 3-1 in the first of a four-game series. Pitching dominated Monday's series opener, with No. 5 starters Bartolo Colon and Andrew Triggs both coming up with strong performances in a game the Athletics won by scoring late against the Texas bullpen.Jed Lowrie's two-run double off the Rangers' third pitcher, left-hander Jake Diekman, produced the difference-making runs in the seventh inning, as the A's ended a three-game slide. Matt Chapman provided the other run for the Athletics, going deep for a second consecutive game to help the team post its first win since Opening Day. Texas was unable to record an extra-base hit in the series opener, collecting seven singles en route to its third defeat in a row.

The pitching matchup: Cole Hamels (0-1, 4.76 ERA) makes his second start of the season for Texas, as does Kendall Graveman (0-0, 9.00) of Oakland. Hamels took the loss on Opening Day, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings against Houston. He served up a pair of HRs but did record seven strikeouts, which was one shy of his season high in 2017. Hamels has made seven career starts against Oakland, going 2-3 with a 4.39 ERA. Graveman was fortunate to escape with a no-decision against the Los Angeles Angels in the season opener, after surrendering five runs and seven hits (including three HRs) in five-plus innings. Graveman has posted a 4-2 record and 4.11 ERA in eight career starts against the Rangers.

The pick: Hamels will be facing an Athletics' lineup that has lost most of its power since getting HRs from Khris Davis and Matt Olson on Opening Day. The A's have hit only two more HRs in the last four games, both by Matt Chapman. Oakland's three-run total Monday gave them just 11 in their last four games. Texas got seven hits in the series opener (all singles), totaling just 10 extra-base hits, including four HRs, in their first five games. Both teams figure to have long seasons and tonight, the Rangers' will continue. Make Oakland a 10* play.

The set-up: Th 2-3 LA Dodgers will be in Arizona again tonight for the second of a three-game series with the 3-1 Diamondbacks. LA's Kenley Jansen has been one of the most reliable closers in the game the last two seasons. However, he gave up his second HR in two appearances this season on Monday, when Chris Owings belted a game-tying three-run blast with two outs in the ninth. Arizona went on to win 8-7, when Nick Ahmed and Jeff Mathis each drove in a run off Wilmer Font in the bottom of the 15th inning, after the Dodgers had taken a one-run lead in the top half. Arizona has won its last seven regular-season meetings with the Dodgers. Tonight, both teams will be looking for their starting pitchers to go deep into the game, after combining to use 15 relievers in Monday’s contest, which lasted nearly six hours.

The pitching matchup: Clayton Kershaw (0-1, 1.50 ERA) takes the mound for LA and Zack Godley (2017: 8-9, 3.37) makes his first start of the 2018 season for Arizona. Kershaw made his franchise-record eighth consecutive Opening Day start on Thursday but lost for the first time, despite giving up just one run (on a solo HR) over six innings in a 1-0 loss to San Francisco. After tossing 21 1/3 scoreless frames across six spring starts, the three-time Cy Young Award winner was nearly as impressive in the opener, striking out seven while walking two. Godley stepped into a starting role when Shelby Miller went down early with an elbow injury last season, was 8-9 with a 3.37 ERA in 26 appearances, including 25 starts. He appears primed to build on last season's breakout performance, when he set career highs in starts (25), wins (eight), innings (155) and strikeouts (165).

The pick: Many think that Godley may be primed for success this year, using a four-pitch mix that includes a curve ball that he can get into the high-80 mph range. However, he's really no match for Kershaw, who is 14-8 with a 2.55 ERA in 26 career starts against Arizona. He was 2-0 in two starts against the Diamondbacks in the 2017 regular season, giving up one run and six hits in 15 1/3 innings. Both games were at Dodger Stadium, where he also beat the Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the NLCS. Godley was 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA in three starts against the Dodgers last season after pitching primarily in relief against them in parts of the previous two seasons. Make LA an 8* play.

The set-up-up: The Charlotte Hornets were mathematically eliminated from the postseason race over the weekend on the heels of three straight losses. The 33-44 Hornets dropped a 119-102 decision at home to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday and are embracing the player-development portion of the schedule through the end of the season, as they get set to visit the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. The 26-51 Bulls know all about being out of the postseason race but they come into this contest having won two straight games for the first time since mid-January.. However, Chicago threw a wrench into the East standings by knocking off the playoff-bound Washington Wizards 113-94 on Sunday, as 12 different players logged at least 15 minutes for the Bulls, who shot 52.4 percent from the floor.

Charlotte: All-Star guard Kemba Walker (22.6 & 5.6 APG) was limited to 26 minutes on Sunday, as Charlotte expanded the minutes down the roster, allowing Julyan Stone and Malik Monk to get more "PT." While Stone made his presence felt on the defensive end, Monk contributed on the offensive end of the floor by scoring 16 points in 24 minutes. Center Willy Hernangomez picked up some extra minutes at the expense of veteran Dwight Howard (16.7 & 12.3) and responded with 15 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes. However, Howard did record his 49th double-double of the season (10 & 10), tying him with Larry Johnson for the franchise record. A lot of good Howard's presence has done, as Charlotte's win percentage is .436, compared to .439 last season, without him

Chicago: Zach LaVine (left knee) and Kris Dunn (toe) have each missed the last nine games and Chicago has announced both will be shut down for the rest of the season. Veterans Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday combined to go 8-of-11 from the floor and each played 17 minutes but it was the younger players doing the bulk of the damage in Sunday's triumph. Rookie forward Lauri Markkanen (15.0 & 7.5) scored a team-high 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while hauling in six rebounds in 25 minutes. Bobby Portis (13.2 & 6.8), 23, played just 16 minutes in the win but made his presence felt with 18 points to mark the 11th time in the last 12 games that he reached double figures.

The pick: Chicago has taken two of the first three meetings this season between these "going nowhere" teams and as noted, both are somewhat in "player-development mode." However, no LaVine (16.7) and Dunn (13.4-4.2-6.0) doesn't bode well for Chicago here, as Walker and Howard, along with a number of other veterans, are still playing for contracts next season. I'm making Charlotte a 10* play.

The set-up: The NBA's regular season ends April 11th and the 45-33 OKC Thunder are just a half-game back of the Spurs for the West's No. 4 seed (the last one which comes with a homecourt advantage) but they are also just one game up on the T-wolves (the current No. 7 seed) and 1 1/2 games clear of the 8th-seeded Pelicans. The Thunder had dropped three straight games by a total of just eight points before figuring things out down the stretch on Sunday by snapping their slide with a 109-104 win at New Orleans. OKC and Golden State have no love between them and while the Warriors are
locked into the No. 2 spot in the West, when they visit OKC tonight, they have plenty to play for. Most importantly, they are trying to find a rhythm again now that Kevin Durant (ribs), Klay Thompson (thumb) and Draymond Green (pelvic contusion) are back in the lineup together plus the team also wants to make sure that neither Toronto nor Boston catch them for the NBA's second-best overall record. The Warriors will not own the homecourt edge against the Rockets but they sure do not want to lose that distinction to an East team!

Golden State: Durant (26.3-6.8-5.4) was ejected in his first game back vs/ the bucks but has led the way in back-to-back wins while averaging 28 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists against Sacramento and Phoenix. Thompson (19.9) is playing with his thumb wrapped but it doesn't seem to be hampering his shooting stroke, as he is 20-of-38 from the floor over the last two games. Heading into this game, Curry (26.4-5.1-6.1 will miss his sixth consecutive game with a sprain of his left medial collateral ligament, guard Patrick McCaw is also out after a scary Saturday night injury that left him with a lumbar spine contusion, as is forward Omri Casspi with a right ankle sprain. Super-sub Andre Iguodala (knee soreness) and Kevon Looney (flu) are listed as doubtful, while Durant (rib soreness) and Thompson (fractured right thumb) are both listed as probable. That's more than a few "ifs."

Oklahoma City: "This is a huge win," Paul George told reporters after the Thunder beat the Pelicans on Sunday. "This is a great win, playing against an opponent who is in the same position for us. A must win for both teams. It was a step in the right direction for us to pick up a game like this on an opponent’s floor." However, George (21.6 & 5.7) is shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor over the last five games and was just 9-of-24 on Sunday. Westbrook (25.4-9.8-10.2) recorded a triple-double with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists on Sunday, breaking out of his own shooting slump by going 9-of-17 from the floor. Carmelo Anthony (16.3 & 5.8) completes OKC's "trio of stars," a group which has so far, underachieved (the playoffs will have the last say).

The pick: The Thunder won the first two meetings thi season but the Warriors took the most recent meeting, 112-80 at home back on Feb. 24. OKC has looked shaky as of late (again!) but while the Warriors are off their first back-to-back SU wins in almost a month, their 'victims' were the 25-53 Kings and the NBA-worst Suns (19-59). Impossible to ignore Golden State's 4-12 ATS run since. ate Feb. Make OKC an 8* play.

The set-up: The Philadelphia Flyers missed the playoffs in 2016-17 but an eight-game point streak (5-0-3) has them on the cusp of returning to "extended hockey" this season. Captain Claude Giroux capped a two-goal performance by scoring on a breakaway with 1:21 remaining in overtime of Sunday's 4-3 win over Boston, moving 40-25-14, 94 points) Philadelphia within two points of second-place Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division, while residing behind Columbus based on the fourth tiebreaker. However, Philly is all but assured at least a wild card spot. The Flyers head into the last road game of their season on Tuesday to take on the 32-37-10 NY Islanders. New York sits in the 'basement' of the Metropolitan Division but didn't do Philadelphia any favors on Saturday when it dropped a 4-3 decision to New Jersey (the Devils have 93 points, with both Philly and NJ having three games remaining)

Philadelphia: Giroux has posted career highs in goals (29) and points (95), while Jakub Voracek checks in with 82 points. Couturier leads the team with 31 goals.The 21-year-old Travis Konecny has scored six times in his last eight games and his 24th goal is the most by a Flyers player 21-or-younger since Simon Gagne netted 33 at age 21 in 2001-02. Goalie Petr Mrazek is expected to start in net. He has served as the closest thing the Flyers have had to a No. 1 goalie in the 25 games since Brian Elliott suffered a core muscle injury on Feb. 10. Mrazek improved to 6-5-3 in that span with 36 saves Sunday. Elliott practiced Monday and is expected to play before the regular season ends this weekend so Philadelphia can get an idea if he can start in the playoffs.

NY Islanders: Rookie Mathew Barzal reached the 20-goal total on March 20 and has set up four tallies in his last six games to boost his season total to a team-leading 59 assists, to go along with goals. Captain John Tavares owns a club-best 81 points ( 34 goals) with Anders Lee owning a team-high 39 goals. Anthony Beauvillier has scored in three straight contests and five times in his last six, to creep within one of the 20-goal plateau. Jaroslav Halak has been the goalie of record in 32 of the Islanders' 44 games since the Christmas break but he is a free agent at the end of the season and unlikely to return to New York, which is on pace to lead the NHL in goals allowed and has just one goalie, Thomas Greiss, under contract for next season.

The pick: New York's 31st-ranked penalty kill unit (just 74.1%) has permitted seven power-play goals in the last six games. The Isles allow more shots on goal (35.6 per) than any NHL team and also allow more goals (3.61 per), which seems to make sense. The Flyers have plenty to play for here, are a solid 20-12-8 on the road this season and should have little trouble picking up two points vs. an Islanders team that is 3-12-4 over its last 19. Make Philly an 8* play.

The set-up: AL West Rivals Texas and Oakland will get together for a four-game series starting Monday night in Oakland. The Rangers lost three of four at home to the reigning World Series champion Houston Astros to open the 2018 season, while the A's also dropped three of four at home to the Los Angeles Angels. Texas struggled offensively against the Astros' powerful pitching staff, scoring a total of just 11 runs in the four games. The A's split a pair of one-run decisions Thursday and Friday vs the Angels but then Oakland's pitching staff was 'lit up' in the final two games of the series, allowing 15 runs on 25 hits in back-to-back losses over the weekend.

The pitching matchup: The Ranger will turn to Bartolo Colon (2017: 7-14, 6.48 ERA), who will pitching for his 11th major league team. In contrast to the 44-year-old Colon, the Angels counter with the 29-year-old Andrew Triggs (2017: 5-6, 4.27 ERA), who has made just 36 ML appearances (18 starts) in parts of the last two seasons. Colon has 240 career wins and 2,454 strikeouts but he was pretty awful last year (see above), after earning 14 victories in four straight seasons. Colon is 9-6 with 3.41 ERA in 21 career appearances (20 starts) against the Athletics. Triggs went 4-1 with a 1.84 ERA in April last season but struggled after that while allowing 68 hits in 65 1/3 innings in 12 starts overall, before undergoing season-ending hip surgery in July.

The pick: These two teams were overshadowed during the season's opening week, Texas by the defending champion Astros and Oakland by MLB's most popular newcomer, the Angels' Shohei Ohtani. Neither expect to compete with Houston for the AL West title plus neither figure to be serious wild card contenders, either. The Athletics won 11 of 19 meetings last season and on the season, were a solid 46-35 at home in 2017, going plus-$1309 vs. the moneyline. I believe Colon's done being able to get ML hitters out regularly, plus Triggs has been brilliant in his young career against the Rangers, having allowed just one ER and five hits in 12 2/3 innings (0.71 ERA) over three games, including two starts. Make Oakland a 10* play.

The set-up: Villanova is just one win away from its second national championship in three seasons but the 35-4 Wildcats are well aware that their opponent in Monday's NCAA Tournament title game comes in
as owners of the nation's longest current winning streak. Villanova is the fifth team to win its first five games by double digits since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 (note: the only team in that group to lose the championship game was North Carolina two years ago, against Villanova!). Meanwhile, the Wolverines come into this game on a 14-game winning streak, going 11-2-1 ATS, as nine of their wins have come by double digits. Villanova defeated Michigan en route to winning the 1985 national championship (the school's only other title besides the 2016 team) and won the last matchup in 2014. However, these schools will be meeting for only the fourth time.

Michigan: The Wolverines won their final six regular-season games, followed by a 3-for-3 run in the Big Ten Tournament and now own five wins in the Big Dance. Moritz Wagner (14.6 & 7.1) was scintillating against Loyola-Chicago with 24 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 10 of 16. The 6-11 Wagner became only the third player to post at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a national semifinal game and the first since 1983, when Hakeem Olajuwon did it (Larry Bird did so in 1979). Charles Matthews (13.1 & 5.6) added 17 points but fellow starting guards Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (12.6-3.9-3.3) and Zavier Simpson (7.3 & 3.7 APG) combined for just seven points on 2-of-17 shooting. They MUST be better against the Wildcats' talented backcourt. Sixth-man Robinson, checks in averaging 9.5 PPG and let's not forget freshman Jordan Poole (6.2), whose 'miracle 3' beat Houston. Michigan does not score all that much (73.9 PPG ranks 167th) but the Wolverines know how to play defense, allowing 62.9 PPG to rank 8th-best in the nation. Michigan has given up more than 63 points only once in this tournament. The Wolverines harassed Loyola into 1-of-10 on three-point shots on the game (season lows in three-point attempts and makes), contested 24 of their 27 second-half FG attempts, plus forced 17 turnovers.

Villanova: The Wildcats were a good three-point shooting team in 2015-16 when they won the national championship but they have taken it to a new level this season. The Wildcats set a Final Four record with 18 three-pointers in Saturday's semifinal victory over Kansas (the previous NCAA Tourney single-game record of 13 had been held for 31 years by UNLV's 1987 team) and have made at least 13 three-pointers in four of their five wins in this event. Villanova has already broken the NCAA Tourney record for made threes (previously held by Shaka Smart’s 2011 VCU team) and have broken the season record for threes made by VMI's 2006-07 team. Wooden Award finalist Jalen Brunson (19.2 & 4.7 APG) is leading the way for the top scoring team in the nation (86.8 PPG), one which shoots 50.1% overall (5th), including 40.1% on threes (12th). Jay Wright's team really goes just six-seep but it's quite a group of six. Starting along with Brunson are multi-talented swingman Mikal Bridges (17.6 & 5.3), 6-9 redshirt freshman Omari Spellman (10.9 & 7.9), bruising 6-7, 250-pound Eric Paschall (10.7 & 5.2) and guard Phil Booth (10.3). 6-5 small forward Donte DiVencenzo (Sixth Man of the year in Big East) comes off the bench to average 13.0-4.7-3.5.

The pick: Villanova is and clearly should be the favorite but underestimate the Wolverines at your own peril. John Beilein’s team has been digging in defensively all season on the stop end all season, as ball screens are nullified, cutters are covered and open looks are denied. The Wolverines have especially been unrelenting on shots inside the arc, despite not owning a true rim protector. Michigan's unlikely season continues tonight (Wolverines were a modest 19-7 before ripping off 14 straight wins!) and while I'm not about to call for Michigan to capture its second national championship (only other one came in 1989), I expect Michigan to contain 'Nova's high-scoring team. Michigan’s defense bears a significant resemblance to a physical Providence team which gave the the Wildcats all they could handle, beating in mid-February at home and forcing OT in the Big East Tourney finale at MSG. Then again, 'Nova has been playing impressive defense as of late as well, holding seven of its last 10 opponents under 70 points. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: Villanova is just one win away from its second national championship in three seasons but the 35-4 Wildcats are well aware that their opponent in Monday's NCAA Tournament title game comes in
as owners of the nation's longest current winning streak. Villanova is the fifth team to win its first five games by double digits since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 (note: the only team in that group to lose the championship game was North Carolina two years ago, against Villanova!). Meanwhile, the Wolverines come into this game on a 14-game winning streak, going 11-2-1 ATS, as nine of their wins have come by double digits. Villanova defeated Michigan en route to winning the 1985 national championship (the school's only other title besides the 2016 team) and won the last matchup in 2014. However, these schools will be meeting for only the fourth time.

Michigan: The Wolverines won their final six regular-season games, followed by a 3-for-3 run in the Big Ten Tournament and now own five wins in the Big Dance. Moritz Wagner (14.6 & 7.1) was scintillating against Loyola-Chicago with 24 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 10 of 16. The 6-11 Wagner became only the third player to post at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a national semifinal game and the first since 1983, when Hakeem Olajuwon did it (Larry Bird did so in 1979). Charles Matthews (13.1 & 5.6) added 17 points but fellow starting guards Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (12.6-3.9-3.3) and Zavier Simpson (7.3 & 3.7 APG) combined for just seven points on 2-of-17 shooting. They MUST be better against the Wildcats' talented backcourt. Sixth-man Robinson, checks in averaging 9.5 PPG and let's not forget freshman Jordan Poole (6.2), whose 'miracle 3' beat Houston. Michigan does not score all that much (73.9 PPG ranks 167th) but the Wolverines know how to play defense, allowing 62.9 PPG to rank 8th-best in the nation. Michigan has given up more than 63 points only once in this tournament. The Wolverines harassed Loyola into 1-of-10 on three-point shots on the game (season lows in three-point attempts and makes), contested 24 of their 27 second-half FG attempts, plus forced 17 turnovers.

Villanova: The Wildcats were a good three-point shooting team in 2015-16 when they won the national championship but they have taken it to a new level this season. The Wildcats set a Final Four record with 18 three-pointers in Saturday's semifinal victory over Kansas (the previous NCAA Tourney single-game record of 13 had been held for 31 years by UNLV's 1987 team) and have made at least 13 three-pointers in four of their five wins in this event. Villanova has already broken the NCAA Tourney record for made threes (previously held by Shaka Smart’s 2011 VCU team) and have broken the season record for threes made by VMI's 2006-07 team. Wooden Award finalist Jalen Brunson (19.2 & 4.7 APG) is leading the way for the top scoring team in the nation (86.8 PPG), one which shoots 50.1% overall (5th), including 40.1% on threes (12th). Jay Wright's team really goes just six-seep but it's quite a group of six. Starting along with Brunson are multi-talented swingman Mikal Bridges (17.6 & 5.3), 6-9 redshirt freshman Omari Spellman (10.9 & 7.9), bruising 6-7, 250-pound Eric Paschall (10.7 & 5.2) and guard Phil Booth (10.3). 6-5 small forward Donte DiVencenzo (Sixth Man of the year in Big East) comes off the bench to average 13.0-4.7-3.5.

The pick: Villanova is and clearly should be the favorite but underestimate the Wolverines at your own peril. John Beilein’s team has been digging in defensively all season on the stop end all season, as ball screens are nullified, cutters are covered and open looks are denied. The Wolverines have especially been unrelenting on shots inside the arc, despite not owning a true rim protector. Michigan's unlikely season continues tonight (Wolverines were a modest 19-7 before ripping off 14 straight wins!) and while I'm not about to call for Michigan to capture its second national championship (only other one came in 1989), I expect Michigan to contain 'Nova's high-scoring team. Michigan’s defense bears a significant resemblance to a physical Providence team which gave the the Wildcats all they could handle, beating in mid-February at home and forcing OT in the Big East Tourney finale at MSG. Then again, 'Nova has been playing impressive defense as of late as well, holding seven of its last 10 opponents under 70 points. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Florida Panthers are coming off a 5-1 loss at Boston on Saturday, losing each of the team's final three contests (0-2-1) of their four-game road trip. However, the 39-30-8 Panthers still have an outside shot at a playoff berth, as they trail New Jersey by seven points for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference but do have two games in hand with five remaining on their schedule. As for the 35-33-11 Carolina Hurricanes, they saw their playoff hopes officially end with Saturday's 2-1 home loss to the New York Rangers.

Carolina: Jeff Skinner scored the Hurricanes' lone goal against the Rangers , giving him 24 goals and 24 assists on the season. Derek Ryan has been shining of late, even as Carolina's fortunes have gone south. He carries a four-game point streak (one goal and five assists ) into Monday's meeting with Florida, giving him 36 points on the season (14 goals). Defenseman Roland McKeown, who made his NHL debut earlier this season, was recalled from Charlotte of the American Hockey League. Sebastian Aho tops the club with 64 points (28 goals) and Teuvo Teravainen has a team-high 39 assists and 62 points. Aho has been kept off the scoresheet in two of his last three contests following a nine-game point streak, while Teravainen has recorded just one point over his last five contests after enjoying a seven-game streak.

Florida: Jamie McGinn scored the lone goal against the Bruins, giving him seven points in as many contests. Yandle notched an assist Saturday to extend his point streak to five games. The defenseman has recorded a goal and five assists during his run and is four points away from matching the career high of 59 he set in 2010-11 with the then-Phoenix Coyotes (he has 55 points, including 47 assists). Colton Sceviour left Saturday's game in the second period with an undisclohe suffered while blocking a shot. Barkov (75 points) leads the team with 49 assists and Trocheck (71 points) leads the team with 30 goals..

The pick: The Hurricanes entered this season with high hopes. Scott Darling was brought in from the Chicago Blackhawks to be their No. 1 goalie but he has been outplayed by veteran mainstay Cam Ward, who will be a free agent after this season. Similarly, winger Justin Williams was brought in from the Washington Capitals, where he had 24 goals last season. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, he has not been a difference-maker, scoring just 15 goals, perhaps showing his age. Carolina will be postseason spectators for the ninth consecutive season (the longest such active streak in the NHL) and 11th in 12 campaigns since winning the lone Stanley Cup championship in franchise history in 2006. This will be the first Panthers home game since returning from a disastrous 1-2-1 road trip in which the last three games ended in defeat, one of them in overtime. A slow start this season -- the Panthers ranked 28th in the league in points as of Jan. 30 -- has left Florida with little margin for error as it tries to chase down the final wild-card playoff berth in the Eastern Conference (see above). I'll back them here and Make the Panthers an 8* play.

The set-up: Neither the KC Royals nor Detroit Tigers were expected to be serious playoff contenders in 2018 and each team flopped badly in this season's opening four-day weekend, despite playing at home. The Royals were rained out Sunday against the White Sox, after losing 14-7 on Thursday and 4-3 on Saturday. As for the Tigers, their season-opener against the Pirates was postponed on Thursday and they then lost Friday 13-10 in 13 innings. Saturday's game was again the victim of bad weather, before Detroit lost both ends of Sunday's doubleheader with Pittsburgh, 1-0 and 8-6. It seems like much longer ago than 2015, that Kansas City dethroned Detroit as "the boss team" in the American League Central Division. When the teams meet Monday afternoon to open a three-game series at Comercia Park, KC enters 0-2 and Detroit 0-3.

The pitching matchup: The Royals will send Jason Hammel (2017: 8-13, 5.29) to the mound, while the Tigers counter with lefty Francisco Liriano (2017: 6-7, 5.66 ERA). KC manager Ned Yost pushed Sunday's scheduled starter, Jason Hammel, back to Monday. Hammel is coming off his worst season since his 2007 rookie campaign, as the Royals went 11-21 in his 32 starts, losing $947 against the moneyline. He started five times against Detroit last season but was only 1-0 with a 4.13 ERA (note: KC was 4-1 in his five starts vs. Det.). Hammel is a modest 3-2 with a 6.09 ERA over 14 games against the Tigers, 11 of them starts. Liriano is pitching for his sixth different team since 2012 (pitched for Toronto & Houston in 2017) and is looking to bounce back after posting his highest ERA since 2009. His new home hasn’t been kind to him, as the 34-year-old is 4-7 with a 5.80 ERA in 15 career games (12 starts) at Comerica Park. However, Liriano has fared slightly better against the Royals, going 7-5 with a 4.36 ERA in 19 contests (16 starts), including a win last season.

The pick: Detroit had a win wiped off the board on Friday, when the apparent winning run was overturned by replay, leading to a 13-10 loss in 13 innings.The Tigers look to jump on Hammel, coming off an ugly season and they are hoping his early-season struggles of 2017 (Hammel went 0-3 last April over five starst, as KC went 0-5 while he posted a 6.65 ERA!) will resume here. Plus, the Tigers will welcome a shot at a Kansas City bullpen that has allowed 12 runs and 11 hits (including 4 HRs) over eight innings. Detroit's new manger Ron Gardenhire joked that Detroit is 1-2, still rankled about the overturning of what would have been a game-winning single in the 10th inning Friday afternoon. He gets that "official" first win of 2018, here. Make the Tigers an 8* play.

The set-up: The Dodgers opened the season by getting shutout in back-to-back 1-0 losses to the hated Giants, then broke through for the first time in 2018 by beating the Giants on Saturday with a shutout of their own, 5-0. The Dodgers had just four hits in the win, after getting only a combined seven in losing Thursday and Friday. The team's lack of offense is a concern but the starting pitching has been outstanding, with Kenta Maeda being no exception in last night's win. He struck out 10 over five innings in Saturday’s 5-0 victory as the Dodgers recorded their first win following those back-to-back 1-0 losses. Joe Panik’s two solo HRs on Thursday and Friday were enough for the Giants to open 2-0 but last night, the team's nine hits did not produce a run, as the Giants went 0-10 with RISP and left 10 men on base. The Giants’ bullpen has been outstanding, with Hunter Strickland taking for Mark Melancon (right elbow) to lead a rejuvenated group that hasn’t allowed a run over nine innings in the first three games.

The pitching matchup: Chris Stratton (2017: 4-4, 3.68 ERA) will start for the Giants and LA sends lefty Rich Hill (2017: 12-8, 3.32 ERA) to the mound. Stratton has bounced between the minors and majors for the last two seasons but earned a spot in the rotation after posting a 3.29 ERA over 27 1/3 innings this spring,while drawing raves for his improved curveball. He owns a 1-1 record and 6.75 ERA in three career games (two starts) against the Dodgers. In contrast to Stratton, Hill registered a 7.30 ERA across 12 1/3 innings in four spring training games, including a rough five-inning stint against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. He has battled blister problems over the past two years but the Dodgers won 14 of his last 21 starts in 2017, before going 3-1 in his four postseason starts. He is 5-2 with a 2.43 ERA in 11 career starts versus the Giants, including 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA in three starts last season.

The pick: Sure, the Giants won the first two games of this series but the Giants are batting .131 as a team, are 1-for-21 with runners in scoring position, have struck out 27 times in their first 27 innings and newcomer Evan Longoria is hitless in his first 11 at-bats. It's no surprise then to learn that LA pitching owns an 0.67 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in the three-game series so far. No team had a better home record than LA did last year (57-24), while no team performed worse on the road than the Giants (26-55). Make LA an 8* play.

The set-up: The 41-35 Milwaukee Bucks are well clear of ninth-place Detroit after a 124-122 overtime victory against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Friday. However, the Bucks are jockeying for position with Washington and Miami for the final three playoff spots in the East. Milwaukee currently owns the No. 7 seed, one game back of Washington and only a half-game ahead of the Heat. The Nuggets may have a similar 41-35 record to that of the Bucks, but as they begin a three-game homestand Sunday against Milwaukee, Denver sits two games behind Utah and New Orleans, who are tied for seventh and own the final two postseason spots in the Western Conference. The the Nuggets have a favorable schedule down the stretch but so do the Jazz and Pelicans.

Milwaukee: Giannis Antetokounmpo (27.3-10.0-4.8) recorded 27 points and 16 rebounds Friday, giving him five 25-point, 15-rebound games this season, second-most in the Eastern Conference to Philadelphia's Joel Embiid (six). Eric Bledsoe (17.7-3.9-4.9) added 39 points and is averaging 24 over his last four games. Swingman Middleton (20.3 & 5.2) had 28 points, as Milwaukee's version of a "Big 3" combined for 94 points against LA. Jabari is averaging a modest 11.0 & 4.1 in his 25 games back but is showing progress. Meanwhile, John Henson (8.8 & 6.9) remains day-to-day after missing his second straight game Friday with a finger injury plus Malcolm Brogdon (13.3 points) has missed the last 26 games with a quad injury but is working his way toward a return before the regular season ends.

Denver: The Nuggets continue to play without their second-leading scoer Gary Harris (17.7), who has missed the last seven games with a knee injury. "Unfortunately, I don't think we're going to see him for a while,'' Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told the Denver Post. "Just being completely honest. Obviously, I am not a doctor, but in talking to our training staff, Gary has been working hard to get back, but I think he is still a ways away.'' Denver features six double digit scorers even without Harris, led by center Jokic (17.8 & 10.6). He's followed by guard Murray (16.5), swingman Barton (15.2-4.9-4.1) and now healthy PF Millsap (14.8 & 6.3)).

The pick: Jokic is an under-the-radar star, who has 14 triple-doubles since the start of the 2016-17 season, fourth-most in the NBA behind Russell Westbrook (65), LeBron James (29) and James Harden (25).
Denver has won seven straight at home versus Milwaukee but the odds to make the playoffs are stacked against the Nuggets. Meanwhile, Milwaukee has shown its mettle with a 17-12 record versus the West this season. The 17 wins are tied for second-most among Eastern Conference teams with Philadelphia, behind only Toronto (19). I'll make Milwaukee an 8* play, as Denver's playoff hopes take a YUGE hit!

The set-up: The New Jersey Devils completed a 3-0-1 homestand with Saturday's 4-3 triumph over the New York Islanders. The victory moved the 41-28-9 Devils five points ahead of Florida for the second wild card and pulled it within one of Philadelphia for the first spot with four games remaining. New Jersey hopes to tighten its hold on a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference when they Devils visit the 28-38-12 Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. The Canadiens won the Atlantic Division with 103 points last season but the team's 68 points this season, are better than only two other clubs in the 16-team Eastern Conference.

New Jersey: Taylor Hall, a candidate for the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player, continued his torrid pace Saturday as he scored twice to increase his career-high totals to 36 goals and 88 points while helping the Devils climb within three points of Columbus for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Will Butcher notched a pair of assists against the Islanders to set the franchise record for most by a rookie defenseman (39). Kyle Palmieri had his three-game goal-scoring streak snapped Saturday but registered an assist to extend his point run to four contests before leaving midway through the third period after being clipped under his eye by the stick of captain Andy Greene. Blake Coleman scored the team's 11th short-handed goal of the season Saturday, tying it with Edmonton for the league lead.

Montreal: The Canadiens are kicking off a two-game homestand, before ending the season with a pair of contests on the road. Montreal dropped a 5-2 decision at Pittsburgh on Saturday, marking its third loss to the Penguins in 17 days.Brendan Gallagher recorded two assists against Pittsburgh to extend his point streak to five games (he's reached the 50-point plateau for the first time in his career with 51). Defenseman David Schlemko returned to the lineup Saturday after missing 12 games with an upper-body injury and blocked two shots while posting a minus-2 rating in 17 minutes, 17 seconds of ice time.
Goaltender Carey Price is expected to start for the Canadiens and he comes in 16-24-6 with a 3.07 GAA and .902 SP..

The pick: Both the Devils and the Canadiens will be playing the second of back-to-back games but only the Devils have something to play for. What's more, the Devils are 20-14-5 on the road this season, tied for the third-most victories away from home in the Eastern Conference behind only the Tampa Bay Lighting (25) and the Boston Bruins (22). That said, the Devils are allowing 3.10 GPG on the road this season, while the Cnadiens have been OK on home ice, going 18-13-8. I'm taking the 1 1/2 goals and will make Montreal a 6* play.

The set-up: The final day of the NBA's regular season is April 11th and seven teams are vying for five playoff spots in the Western Conference, separated by just three games from the 4th through 10th spots. The 44-33 OKC Thunder and the 43-33 New Orleans Pelicans square off Sunday, with both teams suffering through ill-timed three-game losing streaks.OKC currently owns the No. 6 seed but is just a half-game up on the Pelicans, who own the eighth and final playtoff spot. New Orleans holds a two-game edge on the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets, who are both currently on the outside looking in.

Oklahoma City: The Thunder saw their stars struggle in a 126-125 overtime loss to Denver at home on Friday, as Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George combined to shoot 25-of-65. OKC wasted their franchise-record 20 three-pointers, as the Thunder blew a six-point lead with 2:22 left in regulation and hurt themselves with missed foul shots and layups. "We just have to finish them," Westbrook told reporters after Friday's loss. "We did a good job of locking in when we needed to get stops. We just need to put the ball in the hole." OKC's three straight losses have come by a combined eight points and all were against West playoff hopefuls, making for a frustrating slide.

New Orleans: Anthony Davis struggled in scoring only16 points on 6-of-19 shooting in the 107-102 loss at Cleveland on Friday. However, Jrue Holiday continued his stellar play and kept New Orleans close while Davis struggled. He scored 25 points on 12-of-18 shooting after recording a triple-double against Portland on Tuesday. Rajon Rondo (wrist) returned from a two-game absence to hand out eight assists and Nikola Mirotic added 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting after producing a total of seven points on 2-of-13 over his previous two games.

The pick: After losing six of eight to Oklahoma City, the Pelicans have won both matchups against the Thunder this season. New Orleans defeated OKC 114-107 at home on Nov. 20 and 114-100 on the road on Feb. 2. However, the Pelicans ranked as high as the fourth seed in the Western Conference standings just 10 days ago but are now holding on precariously to the eighth and final playoff spot entering Sunday's contest against the Thunder. Oklahoma City is in a little better shape but the Thunder badly need a victory to solidify their playoff positioning. After this game with the Pelicans, OKC hosts Golden State and then visits Houston. OKC really needs this one and the optimism of the 4-2 record New Orleans put together during a marathon eight-day stretch is starting to 'melt away.' Make OKC a 10* play.

The set-up: The St. Louis Cardinals remained in the wild-card chase until game No. 159 last season, while the NY Mets began "looking ahead" to 2018 by the All Star break. However, both teams opened the current season with optimism. The Cards have made winning seem like a birthright since the last round of expansion, making the playoffs in 12 of the last 20 years and have missed the postseason in back-to-back years just twice, 2007-08 and 2016-17. The Mets won 90 games in 2015 and then made it to the World Series, before making the playoffs as a wild card team in 2016 with 87 wins. Therefore, last year's 70-win season was to say the least, a huge disappointment. St. Louis responded to a second straight playoff absence by shaking up the coaching staff. Mike Maddux was hired as pitching coach while franchise icons Jose Oquendo and Willie McGee, who were already working for the organization, were named the third base coach and assistant coach, respectively. Marcell Ozuna (.312, 7 HRs & 124 RBI) was part of Miami's off-season fire sale and the Cards landed the promising 27-year-old. He joins an outfield that rivals the best in the majors, with Tommy Pham (.306, 23 HRs, 73 RBI, 95 runs scored & 25 stolen bases) and Dexter Fowler (.264, 18 HRs, &64 RBI) looking to help the Cardinals improve upon their 83-79 campaign in 2017. The Mets have a new manager in Mickey Callaway calling the shots and the team believes that it made wise off-season investments. The team's 70-92 mark in 2017 loosened the purse strings as outfielder Jay Bruce (three years, $39 million), third baseman Todd Frazier (two years, $17 million), left-hander Jason Vargas (two years, $16 million) and right-hander Anthony Swarzak (two years, $14 million) signed contracts. However, a return to health of what could be an excellent starting staff, will be a must. The 2018 season could not have gotten off to a better two-game start for the New York Mets, which conversely means that everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for the St. Louis Cardinals. Yes, it's only two games into the 2018 season but the Mets appear to have their power pitching back. Two days after Noah Syndergaard fanned 10 hitters in Thursday's season opener, Jacob deGrom and three relievers combined for 12 Ks in a 6-2 victory Saturday, giving New York pitchers 27 strikeouts through the season’s first 18 innings. New York has not lacked for offensive production in the series either, scoring 15 runs in two games. As for the Cards, they are hitting .194 as a team, have gone 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position and their bullpen has surrendered six runs in seven innings in their 0-2 start .

The pitching matchup: St. Louis will send Luke Weaver (2017: 7-2, 3.88 ERA) to the mound this afternoon, while the New York counter with lefty Steven Matz (2017: 2-7, 6.08). The 24-year-old Weaver allowed more than two ERs just once in his first 11 appearances last season (including eight starts), going 7-1 with a 2.05 ERA. However, he then surrendering 14 ERs in his final two outings. Weaver was outstanding in spring training, holding opponents to a .113 batting average with a 0.67 WHIP, 19 strikeouts and one run allowed in 16 1/3 innings, so he sure looks ready to to solidify his spot in the St. Louis rotation. Matz suffered through elbow issues and eventual surgery that limited him to only 13 starts a season ago. The Mets went 3-10 in his starts and along with that bloated 6.08 ERA, he had a 1.53 WHIP while opponents batted .305 against him. Matz only allowed four ERs over his final 18 1/3 innings in the spring (plus reported no health issues) but overall, he owned a 6.30 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.

The pick: Mickey Callaway is a rookie manager and is the first New York skipper since Joe Torre in 1977 to win his first two games at the helm. The fast start has been fueled by a balanced attack, as 10 players have scored at least one run, while eight have at least one RBI for the Mets. Will the Mets open 3-0 for the first time since winning their first four games in 2012? The Cardinals are looking to avoid starting 0-3 for the first time since 2016 (no so long ago) but I like them here, taking Weaver over Matz. Weaver was impressive in 2017 (save those last two starts) plus looked outstanding in the spring (see above). Meanwhile, Matz lost his lone career start against the Cardinals back on July 9 (he allowed five runs over 4 1/3 innings as the Mets fell 6-0 at Busch Stadium), a defeat began a season-ending eight-start stretch for Matz in which he went 0-6 (team was1-7) with a 10.19 ERA. No sweep here. Make St. Louis a 10* play.

analysis soon

The set-up: The Miami Heat are on the verge of clinching a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs but they are still battling for seeding positioning as the regular season winds down. The 41-35 Heat are 5 1/2 game inside of the playoff cut line with seven games to go (almost a lock) but are in a three-way battle with the 41-34 Wizards and the 41-35 Bucks for seeds six through eight. Miami has beaten Cleveland and Chicago in the first two of a four-game homestand with the team's schedule lining up nicely. The Heat began a stretch of five consecutive games against opponents well out of the playoff race with Thursday's win over the Bulls. That stretch continues with tonight's game against teh Nets, two straight against Eastern Conference-worst Atlanta and a visit to the New York Knicks. The 24-51 Nets snapped a three-game slide with a 111-104 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday but haven't beaten a team with a current winning record since Jan. 31.

Brooklyn: The Nets do not own their first-round draft pick, so there is no reason to 'tank' in an effort for a more favorable lottery position. “(General manager) Sean Marks talked to us after the All-Star break and (head coach) Kenny (Atkinson) repeats it to us all the time,” Nets guard Joe Harris told Newsday. “We’re about trying to finish this season the right way. We’re trying to compete and set ourselves up the right way with good momentum going into next season.” The Nets started D'Angelo Russell at point guard, Allen Crabbe, DeMarre Carroll and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson on the wings and Jarrett Allen in the post in Wednesday's win. Brooklyn's bench, currently led by Dante Cunningham, Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris, has been outstanding all season. They are averaging 43.7 PPG, which ranks second in the NBA. The Nets had seven players in double figures in the win over Orlando, led by Russell and LeVert with 16 points apiece. The reserves combined for 39 points.

Miami: The Heat Miami got center Hassan Whiteside (14.1 & 11.7) back from a nine-game absence on Thursday due to a hip injury and he scored eight points on 3-of-8 shooting in 19 minutes. Backup center Bam Adebayo (7.0 & 5.5) returned from a one-game absence due to an ankle injury and added three points off the bench. However, Heat starting shooting guard Tyler Johnson (11.9) sprained his right ankle in the first half. He finished with six points in 12 minutes and there was no immediate word on his availability for Saturday. If Johnson can't go, the Heat can turn to several other options at shooting guard, including Wayne Ellington (11.3) and Dwyane Wade (12.8). In addition, small forward Josh Richardson (13.0) could slide to the guard spot.

The pick: The Nets had dropped 13 of their previous 14 games to the Heat but have turned this series around with upsets in the most recent two meetings. Despite Brooklyn's sorry 24-51 record this season, the Nets enter this contest as a phenomenal play as a road dog this season, covering 23 of 34 chances. Expect another close game but even more, I like the Under as 10* play.

The set-up: Philly manager Gabe Kapler said he plans to lighten the load of the starting rotation by leaning heavily on his relievers this season but raised eyebrows by lifting starter Aaron Nola in the bottom of the sixth inning after just 68 pitches with a commanding 5-0 lead on opening Day. The new manager saw his bullpen implode, as five relievers allowed seven runs in just 3 1/3 innings of an 8-5 loss! However. Philly's bullpen was better last night, as eight relievers allowed just one run over seevn innings as the Philles won 5-4 in 11 innings. Philadelphia signed first baseman Carlos Santana (57 HRs the last two years with Cleveland) in the off-season in hopes that he would provide a power bat in the heart of their lineup. Santana homered and drove in the go-ahead run in Friday’s 5-4, 11-inning victory, while teammate Rhys Hoskins (18 HRs in 50 games last year as a rookie) went deep for the first time in 2018. Atlanta committed three errors and left nine runners on base Friday. First baseman Freddie Freeman walked three times for the second consecutive game, while shortstop Dansby Swanson collected three hits, drove in a run and scored once. The loss was particularly painful for Atlanta, which lost Kurt Suzuki when he was hit by a pitch in the right hand Friday - one day after fellow catcher Tyler Flowers left Thursday’s opener in the first inning with an oblique injury that landed him on the disabled list.

The pitching matchup: Vince Velasquez (2017: 2-7, 5.13 ERA) will get the ball for the Phillies, while the Braves will give Brandon McCarthy (2017: 6-4, 3.98) his first start with his latest team. Velasquez strained a flexor muscle early last season and surgery to repair a vascular issue in a finger ended his season in August. Velasquez was 8-6 with a 4.12 ERA in 24 starts in 2016 but in just 15 starst last year, saw his ERA go up a run (team was only in all of his starts). He allowed 15 HR in those 15 starts (total of only 72 innings) but finished spring training at 2-2 with a 2.51 ERA in five starts (14 1/3 innings). McCarthy was acquired from the Dodgers in the Matt Kemp trade this off-season, after the 34-year-old McCarthy battled shoulder, knee and finger injuries that limited him to three regular-season appearances after July 20. It short-circuited a good season in which McCarthy posted a 3.12 ERA with 58 strikeouts in his first 14 starts. Limited to 14 total appearances in 2015-16, McCarthy has been healthy this spring and finished camp with a 3.45 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP while holding opponents to a .193 batting average.

The pick: The two teams combined to use 16 pitchers Friday, so both clubs could use a solid outing from their respective starters. Velasquez gave up six hits in seven shutout innings in his only 2017 appearance against Atlanta, while McCarthy, who began his career in the American League, has faced the Phillies just three times, going 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA. He had a no-decision last season, allowing eight hits and four runs in five innings.I'm sticking with the home team here and making the Braves a 10* play.

The set-up: The 32-36-10 NY Islanders will miss the playoffs for the second straight season and they are coming off a 5-4 loss to Toronto on Friday, the team' fourth consecutive home loss and eighth in nine contests at Barclays Center. As for the New Jersey Devils, who host the Islanders tonight, they have held a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference every day since winning their season-opener back on Oct. 7.
but with only five games remaining on their schedule, the 40-28-9 Devils are clinging to the eighth and final playoff berth in the East, trying to stave off a late-season push by the surging Florida Panthers. New Jersey holds a three-point lead over Florida for the second wild card and trails Philadelphia by three for the first spot. with five games remaining.

NY Islanders: The Islanders are stumbling down the stretch, going just 3-11-4 in their last 18 games following Friday's 5-4 home-ice loss. One bright spot in the most recent defeat was that team captain John Tavares scored a power-play goal to reach 80 points for the third time in his career (34 goals / 46 assists). Goalie Thomas Greiss could get the start against New Jersey after being activated from injured reserve on Friday and serving as Christopher Gibson's backup versus the Maple Leafs. The 32-year-old Greiss had been sidelined since suffering a lower-body injury in a 45-save shutout victory over Carolina back on Feb. 16. Brock Nelson scored on Friday to get within one tally of his fourth straight 20-goal season. Anders Lee leads the team with 39 goals. However, Josh Bailey, who is third on the team with a career-high 69 points (18 goals), missed Friday's game with an upper-body injury and could sit out against the Devils.

New Jersey: The Devils are 3-0-1 in their last four games, after dropping a 4-3 overtime decision to Pittsburgh on Thursday. They hope to extend their point streak to five contests when they conclude a four-game homestand Saturday. Taylor Hall, who leads the team in scoring, scored in the setback to increase his career-high totals to 34 goals and 86 points. He has collected three goals and seven assists during his six-game point streak. Kyle Palmieri scored on Thursday, giving him four goals during his three-game streak and he has now recorded at least 24 goals in each of his three seasons with New Jersey after peaking at 14 during his five-season stay with Anaheim. Nico Hischier (18 goals / 32 assists) notched an assist against the Penguins to become the seventh rookie in franchise history to register 50 points and first since Adam Henrique (51) in 2011-12. Defenseman Will Butcher (3 goals / 37 assists) is the franchise's fourth rookie blue-liner to reach the 40-point plateau and first since Scott Niedermayer, who collected 40 in 1992-93.

The pick: Greiss is just 11-7-2 on the season with a 3.84 GAA and .891 SP, so I'd hardly trust him here. That said, New York's defensive woes go well beyond which goalie is in net. They rank dead-last (31st) in goals allowed (3.60 per), as well as in shots on goal (35.6 per) and penalty kill percentage (just 74.3%). Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: While a pair of No. 1 seeds (Villanova and Kansas) square off in Saturday's second game, the first game of the NCAA's semifinals features the No. 11-seeded Loyola-Chicago Ramblers vs. the No. 3-seeded Michigan Wolverines. The Ramblers are just the fourth No. 11 seed to advance to a Final Four and hope to become the first one to advance to the title game. Loyola's NCAA run has been "magical," winning their first three games by a grand total of four points, before the team's resounding 78-62 win over No. 9 seed Kansas State last Saturday. The Ramblers are 32-5 on the season and enter on a 14-game winning streak (21-1 over their last 22 games), going 23-9-1 ATS on the season, including 11-3 ATS during their current winning streak. Michigan did not look good in its first two NCAA wins (needed a 'miracle three' to beat Houston) but looked great in its Sweet 16 romp over Texas A&M and controlled most of the second half against FSU, although the Wolverines won just 58-54. Michigan also owns 32 wins (seven losses) on the season and comes in 24-12-2 ATS on the year. The Wolverines come in on a 13-game winning streak, going 10-2-1 ATS, as eight of their wins have come by double digits.

Loyola-Chicago: The Ramblers looked very impressive in downing Kansas State, shooting 57.4% from the floor (including 9-of-1) from beyond the arc), while holding Kansas State to just 34.8% shooting. Ben Richardson led with 23 points. He's one of four starting guards but averages a modest 7.0 & 3.9 APG. The other three, all made game-winning or game-clinching shots in Loyola's first three NCAA wins. The trio is led by MVC player-of-the-year Custer (13.2 & 4.2 APG) plus Ingram (11.3 & 6.3) and Townes (11.2 & 3.9). 6-9 freshman Krutwig starts at center, averaging 10.3 & 6.1. SF Jackson (11.0) and guard Williamson (4.9) round out the team's seven-man rotation. Loyola scores a modest 72.0 PPG (225th) but shoots an impressive 50.9% from the floor as team (3rd-best in the nation). Defensively, Loyola has allowed only 62.4 PPG on the season, ranking fifth-best in the nation.

Michigan: The Wolverines used a 9-0 run to start the 2nd half, creating some separation from the Seminoles and held off a late Florida State charge after taking a 54-44 lead with just 2:26 left in regulation. Michigan shot only 38.8% from the floor but did hold Florida State to just 31.4% shooting, including just 4-of-17) on threes beyond the arc. Charles Matthews had 17 points, to lead Michigan to the win. Matthews is one of four contributing guards and is averaging 13.0 & 5.6 on the season. Fellow starters are Abdur-Rahkman (12.8-3.9-3.3 apg) and Zavier Simpson (7.5-3.3-3.7). The 6-11 Warner leads in scoring (14.3 ) and rebounding (6.9) while 6-7 freshman Livers is only a nominal starter (he averages 3.6 & 2.3 in right around 15 MPG). Sixth-man Robinson, checks in averaging 9.5 PPG and let's not forget freshman Jordan Poole (6.2), whose 'miracle 3' beat Houston. Like Loyola, Michigan does not score all that much (74.1 PPG) but similar to the  Ramblers, the Wolverines know how to play defense, allowing 63.1 PPG to rank 8th-best in the nation.

The pick: You've all been told all about Loyola's 1963 NCAA champions and how this year's team is a reminder of that over-achieving group. There are similarities but it's doubtful Porter Moser will go the entire game like the '63 team, which didn't substitute once in regulation or overtime in the title game vs. Cincinnati (can't make that up!). Both teams play excellent D and Michiagn's John Beilein is one of the nation's best. However, Porter Moser is proving he may soon belong in the discussion of top-notch coaches and his team is a worthy Final 4 participant, The Ramblers have plenty of balance with five double-digit scorers, including 6-9 freshman Krutwig in the middle to battle Warner. The team has plenty of size on the wings to shoot over the Michigan defense on the perimeter. In Clayton Custer, Donte Ingram, and Marques Townes, Moser has clutch scorers who each made key last-second baskets that allowed the Ramblers to escape the early rounds. Don't be surprised to see that happen again. Take the points and make Loyola a 10* play.

The set-up: The Seattle Mariners' Nelson Cruz belted a two-run, first-inning HR off reigning American League Cy Young winner Corey Kluber in a 2-1 victory in Thursday's Opening Day game. Longtime Seattle ace Felix Hernandez was sidelined by injuries in 2017 and pitched fewer than 100 innings, going 6-5 (4.36 ERA) in just 16 starts. However, despite making only two appearances in spring training, King Felix got the call on Thursday for his 10th consecutive opening day start. He pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings of two-hit ball plus five relievers made Cruz's HR stand up. Lonnie Chisenhall doubled and scored the only run on Yan Gomes’ bloop single in the 7th inning for Cleveland, which left the tying run at third base in the ninth. Kluber was solid (8 IP / 6 hits / 2 ERs) but as Gomes noted, “Two runs usually doesn’t get us. But they pitched really well. It’s one of those things when you’re battling Kluber, the best is going to come out of everyone.”

The pitching matchup: Carlos Carrasco (2017: 18-6, 3.29 ERA) takes the mound for Cleveland up against Seattle's James Paxton (2017: 12-5, 2.98), after the teams combined for just 11 hits and went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Thursday. Carrasco looks to carry over the success from an outstanding 2017 season when he finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting with career highs in wins, strikeouts (226), innings (200) and starts (32). The team was 24-8 in all of his starts (plus-$1062, which was 7th-best among all starters) and was 11-2 with a 2.65 ERA on the road, before pitching 5 2/3 scoreless innings at the New York Yankees in the playoffs without getting a decision. Paxton took over the role of Seattle's ace last season, with King Felix making only 16 starts. Paxton is primed for a big campaign after the oft-injured lefty put together his best season in 2017, finishing with career highs in wins, starts (24), innings (136) and strikeouts (156). He was named the AL's Pitcher of the Month in July when he won all six of his starts. He was 7-3 with a 2.45 ERA at home last season as opposed to 5-2 with a 3.66 mark on the road while allowing just nine HRs overall.

The pick: Let me run some numbers by you again. First off, the teams combined for just 11 hits and went 1-for-8 with RISP on Thursday. As for today's two starters, Carrasco owned a 2.65 ERA on the road in 2017, while Paxton produced a 2.45 ERA at Safeco. Let's not over-think this. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The 43-33 Minnesota Timberwolves are in seventh-place in the Western Conference but just 1 1/2 games up on the ninth-place Los Angeles Clippers with six games remaining. The T-wolves snapped a two-game slide with Wednesday's 126-114 home, as Karl-Anthony Towns erupted for a franchise-record 56 points to go along with 15 rebounds in the victory. The good news for Minnesota is, it plays its remaining six games against teams below it in the West standings, beginning with a Dallas Mavericks squad that has dropped six of its last seven, after the Mavs scored just 12 points in the fourth quarter of a 103-93 loss at the LA Lakers on Wednesday. Dallas checks in at 23-52, a record better than only the 21-54 Grizzlies and 19-57 Suns in the West.

Minnesota: Towns was 19-of-32 from the floor, 6-of-8 from three-point range and 12-of-15 from the foul line as he eclipsed the team's previous scoring high of 52 points set by Mo Williams in 2015. Towns became just the third player in NBA history with at least 50 points, 15 rebounds and five threes in the same game, joining Russell Westbrook and James Harden. The T-wolves haven't made the postseason since 2004 but the additions of Butler (22.2-5.4-5.0), Teague (13.8 & 7.1 APG) and Gibson (12.3 & 7.1) to join Towns (21.2 & 12.2) and Wiggins (18.1 & 4.7), this had the look of a breakout year. However, the injury to Butler has Minnesota "hanging on for dear life." Butler's knee is improving rapidly but has yet to receive clearance for contact.

Dallas: Head coach Rick Carlisle is utilizing his entire roster when he can and nine players saw between 20 and 26 minutes of action against the Lakers. Rookie PG Dennis Smith Jr. (15.2 & 5.0 APG) finished with 14 points, eight assists and one turnover in 22 minutes after going for 19 points and six assists in 25 minutes in a win at Sacramento the previous night. Dirk Nowitzki averaged 4.3 points on 6-of-24 shooting over his previous three contests before recording 13 points on 4-of-7 on Wednesday. Dirk is averaging 12.1 & 5.7 on the season and is far from the HOF player he's been for most of his career. Harrison Barnes leads the team ins scoring (18.8) and rebounding (6.3), for the second consecutive season.

The pick: The T-wolves have won the first three meetings this season with the Mavs, with Karl-Anthony Towns leading the way with averaging 25 points (on 60.5% FGs) while adding 12 RPG. However, Dallas did slip in under the eight-point spread in Minneapolis in last meeting and considering that Timberwolves are just 1-6 ATS their last seven as a road favorite, I hesitate in laying the points. Minnesota has yet to become the kind of defensive team Tom Thibodeau prefers. With Butler out (he's the team's best defender), I'll make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Braves beat the Phillies 8-5 on Opening Day, as Freddie Freeman opened the floodgates with a two-run HR, Ozhaino Albies added a solo shot and Nick Markakis provided the final dagger with a walk-off, three-run blast in the ninth inning Philly manager Gabe Kapler said he plans to lighten the load of the starting rotation by leaning heavily on his relievers this season but raised eyebrows by lifting starter Aaron Nola in the bottom of the sixth inning after just 68 pitches with a commanding 5-0 lead. The new manager saw his bullpen implode, as five relievers allowed seven runs in just 3 1/3 innings! Maybe he has a Plan B?

The pitching matchup: Nick Pivetta (2017: 8-10, 6.02 ERA) willl get the nod for the Phillies on Friday, opposed by Atlanta's Mike Foltynewicz (2017: 10-13, 4.79 ERA). Philadelphia optioned 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta to Advanced Class-A Clearwater on Thursday as he continues to round into shape for his expected first appearance on April 8. Pivetta took his lumps last season, allowing 144 hits (25 HRs) in 133 innings, fashioning a 1.51 WHIP. However, some positives were his 140 Ks in those 133 IP plus he ended his up-and-down rookie season with a 16-inning scoreless streak and had 19 strikeouts in his final three starts, allowing two runs, 11 hits and eight walks over 17 innings (1.06 ERA). Foltynewicz posted a 6.34 ERA following the All-Star break in 2017, after coming into the break on a 7-1 run from May 12 through July 6. He spent the off-season focusing his attention on his mechanics and pitched exclusively out of the stretch in the spring.

The pick: Pivetta was 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA. against the Braves last season and Philly owned a 13-6 mark against Atlanta in 2017. However,only the SF Giants (with 26 wins) had a worse road record than Philly's 27-54 record in 2017 and yesterday's total collapse hardly inspires any confidence that things are about to change all that much in 2018. Remember, Foltynewicz was 10-2 in 16 starts (team was 13-3) from May 12 through August 5 before stumbling down the stretch. He can pitch and I'll make Atlanta a 10* play.

The set-up: The surging Washington Capitals are the two-time reigning Presidents' Trophy winners. The Caps won't earn that distinction in 2018 but they are closing in on their third consecutive Metropolitan Division title. The 46-24-7 Capitals are five points ahead of the two-time defending champion Penguins (99-to-94 points), as they look to extend their winning streak to a season-high six games tonight, when they host the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina's playoff hopes unraveled after the Hurricanes lost 11 of 14 starting in mid-February and now, even if they win their final five games, they will be mathematically eliminated from contention if New Jersey earns one point over its last five games (Good night, nurse!).

Carolina: The Hurricanes saw their three-game winning streak end Tuesday night in a 4-3 loss at New Jersey. Noah Hanifin, Phillip Di Giuseppe and Warren Foegele scored for the Hurricanes, and Scott Darling made 41 saves. Forward Phillip Di Giuseppe has come alive by netting three goals and setting up three others in the past four contests, after managing just one goal and one assist in an 18-game span. He owns just five goals and five assists in 44 games. The team's top-two scorers are Aho (27 goals and 63 points) and Teravainen (23 goals and 61 points). Rookie Warren Foegele has scored in each of his first two NHL games but he was sent back to Charlotte of the American Hockey League on Thursday.

Washington: The Caps completed a home-and-home sweep of the New York Rangers on Wednesday night (3-2 OT win) to improve to 9-1-0 over their last 10 games With Philipp Grubauer ailing, Washington needed Braden Holtby to come up with a solid effort and he delivered with 35 saves against New York. However, it marked only the second time in 11 starts that Holtby has yielded fewer than three goals. Alex Ovechkin leads with 45 goals and 83 points plus Nicklas Backstrom has eight assists during a three-game point streak and is four shy of reaching 50 for the fifth straight season (19 goals and 46 assists).

The pick: Carolian will certainly fall short of the playoffs but the Hurricanes did skate to a 3-1 victory in their last visit to Washington on Jan. 11.As noted above, Holtby has been far from great in goal as of late for Washington, while veteran Cam Ward has won his last three starst for Caroina. I'll take teh 1 1/2 goals and make the Hurricanes an 8* play.

The set-up: Pittsburgh Pirates open a three-game interleague series Friday at the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers' home opener against the Pirates was postponed from Thursday to Friday afternoon because of inclement weather. The Tigers have a manager in Ron Gardenhire and he's got his work cut out for him, as Detroit has been picked to finish last in the American League Central Division by many experts. As for Pittsburgh, the Tigers begin a new era without their MVP center fielder and No. 1 starting pitcher. Perennial All-Star Andrew McCutchen was dealt to San Francisco , while right-hander Gerrit Cole was sent to Houston in the off-season.

The pitching matchup: Ivan Nova (2017: 11-14, 4.14 ERA) will take the mound for Pittsburgh, while Detroit counters with Jordan Zimmermann (2017: 8-13, 6.08). Both hurlers look to rebound from disappointing seasons. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle calls Nova the dean of a mostly young rotation. Nova came to camp 10 pounds lighter and determined to improve on an up and down season that ended with a combined record of 1-6 over 10 starts (Pirates went 2-8) in August and September. He gave up a career-most 29 HRs while pitching a career-high 187 innings in 2017.Gardenhire surprised a lot of people when he named rJordan Zimmermann as his Opening Day starter. Zimmermann has struggled mightily during his first two seasons in Detroit after signing a five-year, $110 million free-agent contract. He had an 8-13 record and 6.08 ERA last season (Tigers were 10-19 in his starts, minus-$678) the fewest games he's won since 2011, while posting the worst ERA of his career and allowing 29 HRs in 29 starts.

The pick: Pittsburgh played poorly on the road last season (31-50, minus-$1171 vs. teh moneyline) but Detroit was even worse at home, going 34-47, minus-$3128 vs. the moneyline. Can one really trust either team in the early going? I think not but noting both Nova's amd Zimmermann's HR struggles (see above for a reminder) and that Nova is 0-3 with a 7.04 ERA in six games (five starts) lifetime versus the Tigers, while Zimmermann is 1-3 with a 3.96 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates, the Over looks like a solid 8* play.

The set-up: The 34-37-6 Edmonton Oilers and the 28-40-9 Vancouver Canucks have both been eliminated from the postseason and will meet tonight at Rogers Arena. However, there is interest in this contest, as Edmonton's Connor McDavid is starting to pull away in his quest for a second straight Art Ross Trophy, reaching a career-high 102 points after posting six goals and seven assists during a five-game point streak. As for the Canucks, they expect to have recently signed forward Adam Gaudette in the lineup for his NHL debut against the Oilers. Gaudette led the NCAA in goals (30) and points (60), while being named Hockey East Player of the Year for Northeastern. He was picked in the fifth round in 2015 and has scored 56 times in the last two seasons, taking the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament last weekend before signing Monday.

Edmonton: The Oilers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period on Tuesday before suffering a 7-3 loss to Columbus at home, despite three more points from red-hot captain Connor McDavid (40 goals and 62 assists). McDavid has joined a group including Wayne Gretzky, Dale Hawerchuk, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Joe Sakic and Jimmy Carson with multiple 100-point seasons before their 22nd birthday.
Leon Draisaitl is two points from his second straight 70-point season (24 goals & 44assists) and McDavid’s new linemate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (22 goals & 23 assists) boasts two goals and five assists in the past five contests. Allowing goals, rather than scoring them, has been the main reason for Edmonton's disappointing season. The Oilers have given up the third-most goals in the league this season (249 or 3.24 per) after allowing 207 in 2016-17, the eighth-fewest in the NHL.

Vancouver: The Canucks have played the spoiler role well the last two games, getting a pair of 4-1 victories against playoff hopefuls Dallas and Anaheim. Goalie Jacob Markstrom (21-26-6, 2.72 GAA & .912 SP) has allowed only four goals in winning his last three starts to reach 20 victories (21) for the first time in his career. Center Henrik Sedin (3 goals / 44 assists) has a goal and three assists over the last four games and sits three points from his 12th straight full season with at least 50 points. His brother Daniel has 51 points and Brock Boeser leads the team in goals (29) and points (55).

The pick: Vancouver has no "spoiler" motivation here, as the Oilers are already out of the playoffs. Vancouver is a poor 13-18-6 at home, where it has allowed 3.41 GPG. That doesn't spell good news, as the Oilers are 7-1-2 in their last 10 meetings with the Canucks. Make Edmonton a 10* play.

The set-up: The 40-35 Miami Heat are almost assured a playoff spot, as they are 5 1/2 games clear of the 9th-seeded Pistons with just seven games left to play (Detroit has eight left). They currently own the No. 7 seed but are just a half-game ahead of the Bucks, who like the Pistons, have eight games remaining. The Heat are coming off a dramatic 98-79 home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday and are expected to have center Hassan Whitesideback in the lineup when they host the struggling Chicago Bulls on Thursday. Whiteside (14.7 & 11.8) has missed the past nine games due to a hip flexor and he is expected to be cleared in the hours prior to tip-off. Chicago is 24-50 and comes in off six straight losses by an average of 20.5 PPG.

Chicago: The Bulls have been without two of their top-three scorers in shooting guard Zach LaVine (16.7 PPG in 24 games) and PG Kris Dunn (13.4-4.3-6.0), because of knee and toe injuries, respectively. However, the Bulls still have five other players in double digits, led by 7-0 rookie Markkanen (14.9 & 7.5). Markkanen displayed he is moving forward after his recent back issues, scoring 22 points in 28 minutes during Tuesday's 118-86 loss to the Houston Rockets. However, Chicago didn't have many other bright spots to boast about as it committed 19 turnovers and went 8-of-37 from three-point range while being no match for the powerful Rockets. Chicago is allowing 110.2 PPG (27th) on the season.

Miami: The Heat were without their top two centers Tuesday against Cleveland but both could return to face Chicago. Starting center Hassan Whiteside is expected back from his hip injury and backup Bam Adebayo (7.0 & 5.6) could play through a sprained ankle. Whiteside's interior presence has been missed but Miami has gone 5-4 without him. PG Dragic (17.4-4.3-6.0) has led the team in scoring all season and the return of Dwayne Wade (13.1 PPG in 15 games with the Heat), has been huge.

The pick: The really good news for Miami is that the team has a favorable schedule down the stretch. The Heat have the Bulls tonight, the 24-51 Nets, back-to-back with the 21-54 Hawks and the 27-49 Knicks lined up for the next five games. Kelly Olynyk (11.5 & 5.7) has played well during Whitehead's absence and is averaging 17.4 points over the past seven games, after scoring a team-best 19 against the Cavaliers. I mentioned Chicago's poor defense earlier and will add here that they are allowing 113.1 PPG on the road, where they are just 9-28 SU. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Florida Panthers fell into an early three-goal hole at Toronto on Wednesday and was unable to recover in dropping a 4-3 decision. The 39-29-7 Panthers (85 points) remain three points behind New Jersey for the second wild-card spot with just seven games remaining. Florida will be in Ottawa tonight to face the 26-39-11 Senators, whose losing streak reached six games with Tuesday's 4-3 home loss to the New York Islanders. Ottawa's 63 points leaves them just three points ahead of last-place Buffalo in the East with six contests left.

Florida: Jonathan Huberdeau (25 goals and 67 points) scored twice to end his seven-game drought for the Panthers but they failed to take advantage of their chance to gain ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race in falling to Toronto. Henrik Borgstrom was a healthy scratch against Toronto but could make his NHL debut versus the Senators. He was the 23rd overall pick in the 2016 draft and is a top-10 finalist for the 2018 Hobey Baker Award after completing his sophomore season at the University of Denver,. He was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday. Aleksander Barkov (team-high 75 points, including 26 goals) remains one goal away from 100 for his career after his drought reached five games on Wednesday. Vincent Trocheck leads the team with 30 goals and has 70 points.

Ottawa: The Senators' 4-3 loss to the Isles marked the fifth straight contest in which they have allowed at least four goals. Bobby Ryan and Matt Duchene each recorded a goal and two assists. Duchene's goal against the Islanders (his 20th of the season) drew him within two of 200 in the NHL. Captain Erik Karlsson has collected four goals and 20 assists in 22 contests since last being kept off the scoresheet in consecutive games (Feb. 3 and 4) and leads the team with 49 assists. Mark Stone leads with 62 points, including 20 goals..

The pick: The Panthers aren't 'dead' just yet and James Reimer should be in goal tonight. He's a good choice, as he owns a career mark of 13-5-2 against the Senators that includes a 7-2 victory in Ottawa last week. Impossible to back the Senators here, as they've been outscored 28-11 while dropping six in a row. Make Florida an 8* play.

The set-up: The Kansas City Royals won the 1985 World Series but it wasn't until 2015 when KC returned to the postseason. The Royals made it to the World Series that season, before losing a dramtic seven-game series to Madison Bumgarner and the SF Giants. KC came right back the following year and captured the franchise's second-ever World Series title by beating the Mets in five games. However, reality has returned to KC, as the Royals own back-to-season of 81 and 80 wins. Kansas City opens the 2018 season with a three-game home series against the White Sox and it appears to be a rebuilding process for the Royals this season. The Royals lost a couple key contributors during the off-season when Eric Hosmer signed with the San Diego Padres and Lorenzo Cain joined the Milwaukee Brewers. Then this week, they lost five-time All-Star catcher Salvador Perez for at least for the next four-to-six weeks when he tore the MCL in his left knee on Tuesday night when he lost his balance while carrying luggage from spring training up the stairs of his house (that can't be a good sign!). There is a very different vibe for the Chicago White Sox, as they open the 2018 season. Chicago is hoping this is the year its rebuild moves into the next phase (meaning being able to reasonably compete for a playoff spot). The White Sox have a roster loaded with talented, young players. Infielders Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson and Yolmer Sanchez are expected to take the next step in their development and complement star first baseman Jose Abreu (.304, 33 Hrs & 102 RBI) and All-Star right fielder Avisail Garcia (.330, 18 HRs & 80 RBI). Second baseman Moncada and outfielder Nicky Delmonico will begin their first full seasons with the team, plus the same goes for right-hander pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, each of whom showed promise late last year.

The pitching matchup: James Shields (2017: 5-7, 5.23 ERA) goes for Chicago and will be opposed by KC lefty Danny Duffy (2017: 9-10, 3.81). The veteran Shields is making his eighth Opening Day start for his fourth different team, which includes the Royals in 2013. He was awful in 2016 pitching for SD and then Chicago (those teams were a combined 9-24 in his starts, losing $1403 vs. the moneyline) but last year was better, as he finished strong by winning three of his last four starts (team was 9-12 in his 21 starts, going plus-$174 vs. the moneyline). Duffy takes the ball on Opening Day for the second straight year. He was coming off an excellent 2016 season (team was 12-3 with a 3.651 ERA and KC was 17-9 in his 26 starts, going plus-648 vs. the moneyline) and struck out eight while allowing just one run over six innings at Minnesota last season in his 2017 debut.. However, Duffy couldn't repeat his 2016 season, going 9-10 with a 3.81 ERA last year. He left his last spring start with shoulder tightness but threw on Sunday and reported he was ready for the opener.

The pick: I'm no fan of Shields, whose moniker "Big Game James" has to be among the most ludicrous in any sport (he's never won a single thing!). Note that he's struggled at Kauffman Stadium, even when he was with the Royals, as he comes in with a 9-13 record with a 4.35 ERA in 36 career starts there. The White Sox struggled on the road last season (28-53) and were also just 20-26 against lefties on the entire season. Meanwhile, KC did go a respectable 43-38 at home, so I'll go against the infamous "Big Game James" and make KC a 10* play.

The set-up: The Yankees surprised many by hiring Aaron Boone as their new manager (first-ever managerial job) but taht news was overshadowed by their off-season acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton. The Yankees took the Astros in seven games in the ALCS last season and now will pair Stanton, the NL's MVP, with Aaron Judge, the AL's rookie-of-the-year. The duo combined for 111 HRs in 2017. The Blue Jays finished 10 games below .500 in 2017, after making the playoffs in back-to-back years. More bad news is that the Jays enter 2018 with concerns over the left side of their infield, as oft-injured third baseman Josh Donaldson is dealing with general body soreness and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is scheduled to see a specialist for a bone spur that sidelined him in spring training. Health is always a concern for second baseman Devon Travis, who missed the final 100 games last season, while the outfield will have a new look with National League imports Curtis Granderson and Randal Grichuk.

The pitching matchup: Luis Severino (2017: 14-6, 2.98 ERA) blossomed into New York's ace in his third year, finishing third in the American League Cy Young voting and will get the Opening Day start.
Toronto's Opening Day starter was expected to be Marcus Stroman, but he will start the finale of the four-game series on Sunday, after a sore shoulder delayed his beginning to spring training. The nod has instead gone to lefty J.A. Happ (2017: 10-11, 3.53). Happ was 20-4 with a 3.18 ERA in 2016 (team was 24-8, plus $1189 in all starts) but he fell off last season (Toronto was 11-14 in his 25 starts).In fact, he needed a strong finish last season, going 4-1 and allowing seven ERs over his last five starts, just to reach double digits in wins for the fourth consecutive season. Meanwhile, Severino nearly doubled his win total from his previous two seasons combined and ranked third in the AL with a 2.98 ERA (230 Ks and just 51 walks)..

The pick: However, Severino has never defeated Toronto, going 0-3 with a 5.52 ERA in seven games, including six starts. He was 0-1 with a 4.97 ERA in two starts against the Blue Jays in 2017 (NYY were 0-2). In stark contrast, while Happ was limited to 25 starts last season because of injury, he was 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA in two starts in 2017 against the Yankees (Jays were 2-0) and he's 8-2 with a 3.51 ERA in 16 career starts against New York. Take the 1 1/2 runs and make Toronto an 8* play.

The set-up: The St. Louis Cardinals remained in the wild-card chase until game No. 159 last season, while the NY Mets began "looking ahead" to 2018 by the All Star break. However, both teams head into the current season with optimism. Starting with the Cards, they've made winning seem like a birthright since the last round of expansion. The Cards have made the playoffs in 12 of the last 20 years and have missed the postseason in back-to-back years just twice, 2007-08 and 2016-17. The team has no linterest in seeing 2018 become a 'hat trick.' As for the Mets, they won 90 games in 2015 and then made it to the World Series, before making the playoffs as a wild card team in 2016 with 87 wins. Therefore, last year's 70-win season was to say the least, a huge disappointment. St. Louis responded to the second straight playoff absence by shaking up the coaching staff. Mike Maddux was hired as pitching coach while franchise icons Jose Oquendo and Willie McGee, who were already working for the organization, were named the third base coach and assistant coach, respectively. All that activity around manager Mike Matheny gives off the perception that Matheny is on the hot seat entering his seventh season, even though he has directed the Cardinals to a 544-428 record during his tenure. Marcell Ozuna (.312, 7 HRs & 124 RBI) was part of Miami's off-season fire sale and teh Cards landed the promising 27-year-old. He joins an outfield that rivals the best in the majors, with Tommy Pham (.306, 23 HRs, 73 RBI, 95 runs scored & 25 stolen bases) and Dexter Fowler (.264, 18 HRs, &64 RBI) looking to help the Cardinals improve upon their 83-79 campaign in 2017. The Mets have a new manager in Mickey Callaway calling the shots and the team believes that it made wise off-season investments. The team's 70-92 mark in 2017 loosened the purse strings as outfielder Jay Bruce (three years, $39 million), third baseman Todd Frazier (two years, $17 million), left-hander Jason Vargas (two years, $16 million) and right-hander Anthony Swarzak (two years, $14 million) signed contracts. AHowever, a return to health of what could be an excellent starting staff, will be a must.

The pitching matchup: The Cardinals send Carlos Martinez (2017: 12-11, 3.64 ERA) to the mound against the Mets' Noah Syndergaard (2017: 1-2, 2.97). Martinez is another in a long line of relievers turned starters for St. Louis. He receives his second consecutive Opening Day nod, after leading the team in quality starts (20), innings (205.0) and strikeouts (217) last season. He set career highs in strikeouts and innings pitched, plus in starts (32). However, he was victimized by the home-run ball in 2017, as he tied now former teammate Lance Lynn after being taken deep a club-high 27 times in 2017. Martinez is 3-2 with a 2.41 ERA in eight games (five starts) against the Mets, limiting them to a .220 batting average. Noah Syndergaard was a breakout star in 2016, going 14-9 with a 2.60 ERA and 218 Ks in 182 1/3 IP. However, he missed approximately five months of last season with a partial tear in his right lat, going just 1-2 (2.87 ERA) in seven starts (team was 2-5).

The pick: I'm a big fan of Martinez who has won 42 games the last three seasons for the Cards but when healthy, Syndergaard is one of MLB's best pitchers. Note that Syndergaard had a 1.73 ERA and a 30/0 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his first four starts last year before he tore his right lat muscle on April 30. He didn't return until making a pair of brief "peace of mind" starts in late September, during which he tossed three scoreless innings. He also looked good this spring, showing no ill effects from last year's injury woes, posting a 1.35 ERA while striking out 23 against just six walks in five Grapefruit League starts.Make the Mets an 8* play.

The set-up: The Philadelphia Flyers dropped a 3-2 decision in overtime last night in Dallas, making it three straight road games in which the Flyers have gone beyond regulation without coming away with a "W." However, the Flyers extended their point streak to six games and maintained their hold on the first wild card in the Eastern Conference with five games remaining (90 points). Also, the 38-25-14 Flyers can move past Columbus (91 points) for third place in the Metropolitan Division with a victory tonight in Denver. As for the 41-27-8 Avalanche (90 points), they fell out of a wild-card spot in the West on Tuesday (Blues and Ducks have 91 points) but hope to regain it and pull within two points of Minnesota for third in the Central Division by defeating Philadelphia. Colorado is coming off a split of a home-and-home series against Pacific-leading Vegas, posting a 2-1 shootout win at home Saturday before falling 4-1 on the road Monday in Las Vegas. The Avalanche look to complete a sweep of the two-game season series, as they edged the Flyers 5-4 in a shootout way back on Nov. 4 in Philly.

Philadelphia: Captain Claude Giroux leads the team with 92 points (26 goals), and is riding a five-game point streak during which he has collected nine assists to set a career high of 66. He is one point shy of matching the personal best he recorded in 2011-12 and has not been kept off the scoresheet in back-to-back games since Feb. 3 and 6. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (59 points) has been a major factor in the team's offense of late, posting back-to-back two-assist performances to give him three two-point efforts over his last four games and a total of nine points in his last eight contests. Sean Couturier leads the team with 31 goals.

Colorado: This has been quite a season for Colorado, after the Avs won just 22 games last year and finished with an NHL-worst 48 points. Colorado is the first team to make a 40-point improvement from its previous season since Pittsburgh went from 58 in 2005-06 to 105 the following campaign. However, there is still work to be done if Colorado wants to make the playoffs. The Avalanche have just three regulation goals in their last three games and leading scorer Nathan MacKinnon (92 points, including 34 goals) has been held off the scoresheet for two straight games, the first time he hasn't recorded a point in consecutive contests since Dec. 23 and 27. Center Alexander Kerfoot needs one point to break a tie with T.J. Galiardi (39) and become the 10th-highest scoring rookie in team history. The Avs are 26-10-2 at home this season, outscoring opponents 3.53-to-2.47 GPG.

The pick: The Flyers are in a solid position to make the playoffs. However, they had a chance to catch and pass the Penguins over the past two games but fell to the defending champions in overtime Sunday before losing again in overtime Tuesday. Philadelphia's 14 losses after regulation are the most in the NHL this season. Meanwhile, despite the 42-point (and counting) improvement, the Avs sit outside the playoffs after St. Louis won its sixth in a row Tuesday night. That said, Colorado is just ONE point behind the Blues and Anaheim Ducks. The Avs aren't worrying about what other teams are doing, they feel they control their own fate. Colorado is in a tenuous spot with six games remaining. The Avalanche have lost two of their last three games, so beating Philadelphia on home ice is almost a must if they want to complete an incredible turnaround from a season ago.They do just that here. Make Colorado a 10* play.

The set-up: "The Process" is working, as the 43-30 Philadelphia 76ers have won seven straight games and are now just a half-game back of the Cavs for the East's No. 3 seed. After dominating the Denver Nuggets in a 123-104 home victory on Monday, the 76ers upped their home record to 25-10 (24-11 ATS). More good news comes their way in that they will play seven of their last nine games against teams with losing records, beginning with the 27-48 Knicks. New York is 21 games under .500 but is playing well on its road trip, stunning the Washington Wizards in a 101-97 win on Sunday and then falling 137-128 in overtime at Charlotte on Monday. The Knicks are

NY Knicks: New York is spending the rest of the season giving players a chance to earn a spot on next year's team. PG Trey Burke is making the most of his opportunity, scoring a team-high 19 points in the win at Washington, then exploding on Monday for a career-high 42 points on 19-of-31 shooting, while adding 12 assists. Burke is 25-years-old and the former Wolverine was a lottery pick for the Jazz but was plucked out of the G League by the Knicks in January. He is averaging 23 points on 57.4 percent shooting over the past four games. Center Enes Kanter has recorded a double-double in each of the last five games and has had a solid season, despite New York's woes, averaging 14.0 & 10.9

Philadedlphia; The 76ers have been led all season by Joel Embiid (23.2 & 11.1) plus rookie PG Ben Simmons (15.8-8.-8.0). That duo has been joined by SG Redick (16.5), PF Saric (14.9 & 6.8) and SF Covington (12.7 & 5.4), giving Philly a quality starting-five. Also, picking up Marco Belinelli has been huge, as he is averaging 15.8 points on 60.4 percent shooting over the last four games and 11.9 PPG in his 19 games with Philly. What's more, the 76ers got another promising youngster back in the lineup on Monday, when No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz (shoulder) returned from a five-month absence. Fultz collected 10 points and eight assists in 14 minutes off the bench and is trying to get up to speed in time to be a factor off the bench in the postseason. "The way he was embraced by his teammates just reinforces what I think of our group and how close they really are," 76ers head coach Brett Brown told reporters of his team's reaction to Fultz's return. "And then he came out and he played. He showed signs of why he was the first player chosen."

The pick: Philadelphia has taken each of the first three meetings this season. At first blush, this looks like a "lay the points kind of game." However, this is a huge pointspread for the young Sixers to lay (could close as the team's largest pointspread lay of the season!) and the Knicks are 6-1 ATS their last seven. Take the big points and make the Knicks an 8* play.

The set-up: The Cleveland Cavaliers went down to Miami last night on a five-game winning streak (4-1 ATS), having averaged 122.2 PPG. However, that streak came to a crashing halt in Miami, as the Heat held them to just 36.5 percent shooting in a 98-79 loss. It marked Cleveland's lowest-scoring effort in exactly one year. The Cavs have no time to pick up the pieces, as they visit the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. The 44-30 Cavs will play five of their final seven games at home after finishing up in Charlotte, and currently sit just a half-game ahead of both the Sixers and Pacers in the race for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the 34-41 Hornets are on the verge of being eliminated from playoff contention, although they have refused to go quietly. Charlotte has averaged 122.5 points during a four-game winning streak, just a single victory shy of matching its longest winning streak of the season.

Cleveland: Not much went right for the Cavs last night in Miami. Kevin Love managed one point in seven minutes before he was knocked from Tuesday's loss due to an elbow by Miami's Jordan Mickey. Love also exhibited some concussion-like symptoms and will be re-evaluated in the morning before it is determined whether he will continue the trip to Charlotte. LeBron James was limited to 18 points (on 7-for-18 shooting) his lowest total since Feb. 23. As a team, Cleveland finished with a season-low four makes from beyond the arc in 26 attempts.

Charlotte: Kemba Walker (23.1 & 5.7 APG) scored 11 of his 31 points in overtime, as Charlotte got past the New York Knicks 137-128 on Monday. Charlotte is 5 1/2 games out of a playoff spot with seven to play and the writing is on the wall, which frustrates someone like Walker, who is in his seventh season with the Hornets and has appeared in just 11 playoff games. However, the two-time All-Star is doing all he can to keep Charlotte's slim hopes alive and is averaging 31.3 points during the winning streak. I guess the same can be said about Dwight Howard, who on Mar. 21 (the first of Charlotte's four straight wins) scored 32 points while grabbing 30 rebounds. Howard was the first NBA player with a 30-point, 30-rebound game since Kevin Love did it for Minnesota on Nov. 12, 2010. He's averaging 16.7 & 12.4 on the season but once again, his addition to yet another team has not improved that team's lot in life! It's becoming a 'broken record.'

The pick: However, Charlotte has no pressure and I see them playing well here.Sure, Cleveland has won each of the last eight meetings, including three straight at Charlotte, but the Cavs could be without Love tonight plus LBJ played 38 minutes in the front end of a back-to-back last night in Miami. The Cavs are a money-burning 26-47-1 ATS on the season and that includes a horrific 16-42-1 mark when favored. Take the small home dog and make the Hornets a 10* play.

The set-up: The CIT Tournament flies "way under the radar" but the semifinals of this tourney will be contested tonight. The UIC Flames and Liberty Flames will square off at the Vines Center, Liberty's homecourt in Lynchburg, Va. UIC has had a nice season as the 19-15 Flames will finish this season with their first winning record since the 2012-13 season and look poised to be a contender in the Horizon League next year. Liberty made it to the Big South championship game where it was nipped by Radford at the buzzer and comes into this contest at 22-14, after two home wins.

UIC: The Flames defeated Austin Peay a week ago Wednesday, despite trailing by a 14-points early in the 2nd half. An 11-0 run was the key and after a Tai Odiase dunk gave the Flames an 80-76 lead with 1:11 left in regulation., UIC held on for an 83-81 win. Did UIC hold Austin Peay to just 2-of-16 shooing from beyond the arc, or did the Governors just shoot poorly? Leading the way for the Flames was Tarkus Ferguson ,who had 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Ferguson (10.2-5.3-5.2) is joined by two others in double digits. The 6-7 Dixson (14.2 & 3.5) is the team's leading scorer (more on that in a bit) and guard Ottey adds 13.5 PPG. Odiase, the team's 6-9 center, adds 9.4 PPG and a team-high 5.7 RPG. UIC averages 75.6 PPG (12nd) on 45.3% shooting.

Liberty: Try to figure out the CIT bracket methodology. Liberty's first game was Mar 12 (a 65-52 home win over NC A&T) but then didn't play again until March 24, when it used a big second half to defeat the Central Michigan Chippewas 84-74, this past Saturday. Liberty closed the 1st half on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 39-all. Then pulled away from Central Michigan midway through the 2nd half after an 11-0 Flames run gave Liberty a 64-53 lead with 9:18 left in regulation. Liberty shot 56.1% from the floor and 44.0% (12-25) from beyond the arc in the victory. Leading the way for the Flames was Scottie James who had 20 points and nine rebounds. The 6-7 James (a transfer from Bradley) leads in scoring (13.6) and rebounding (8.9), while four guards follow, three in double digits. PG Cabbil (11.2-4.4-3.8) heads the team's quartet of guards, followed by Kemrite (10.3), Pacheco-Ortiz (10.1) and Homesley (8.1 & 4.6). Liberty averages a modest 71.4 PPG (243rd) but holds opponents to just 63.5 PPG (9th) on 41.5% shooting (50th).

The pick: Maybe this is "Chicago's year," considering Loyola is in the Final Four? Then again, winning on Liberty's homecourt will be a real challenge, as head coach Ritchie McKay’s team already owns a pair of 13-point home wins in this tourney. What's more, UIC's leading scorer, Dikembe Dixson, decided to go the Leonard Fournette/Christian McCaffrey route and sit out the postseason to instead prepare for the upcoming NBA draft. Does he think he's LBJ??? Make Liberty a 10* play.

The set-up: The 42-24-9 Minnesota Wild and the 48-16-11 Nashville Predators conclude their five-game season series tonight at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Predators lead the Central Division with an NHL-best 107 points, while the Wild's 93 points have them third in the Central but also just four points inside of the playoff 'cut line.' The teams met Saturday in Minnesota with the Wild coming away with a 4-1 win. That victory was part of a current 11-4-2 mark over Minnesota's last 17 games. As for the Preds, Sunday's 5-4 shootout loss at Winnpeg was the team's third straight setback, following their franchise-best 15-game point streak (14-0-1) from Feb. 19 through Mar. 19.

Minnesota: The Wild's win over Nashville was big but they sure could have done without Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss to Boston. "We're playing against really good teams right now and we're managing to get points, but it sure would have been nice to get that other one," Zach Parise said after the game. Captain Mikko Koivu's goal midway into the third period versus the Bruins gave him points in 11 of his last 15 games but just 41 on the season. Eric Staal saw his four-game point streak end versus the Bruins, but continues his attempt to become the second player in NHL history to bookend 40-goal seasons around an absence of at least nine years (Gordie Howe, 1956-77, 1968-69). Staal has 39 goals and 72 points on the season. Granlund and Zucker are tied for second on the team with 59 points.

Nashville: Filip Forsberg increased his point total to 13 (four goals, nine assists) in his last 13 games after setting up a goal for the second straight contest in the loss to Winnipeg. His 55 points are second on the team to Viktor Arvidsso, who owns club bests in goals (28) and points (58). Ryan Johansen (48 points) scored Nashville's lone goal in the last meeting with Minnesota, giving him five points (two goals, three assists) in the season series. Defenseman P.K. Subban has the same totals against the Predators in 2017-18 and has an assist in three straight and four of his last five games overall, raising his team-leading total to 39.

The pick: The Wild have won three of the first four meetings with the Predators and Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk (32-14-6, 2.60, GAA &.916 SP on the season) owns three wins against Nashville this season, fashioning a .925 save percentage. However, the Wild are just 17-18-1 on the road this season, allowing 3.44 GPG. Nashville's Pekka Rinne (40-11-4, 2.27 GAA & .928 SP) is more than the equal of Dubnyk and how does one ignore Nashville's 25-8-4 home record, where the Preds are outscoring opponents 3.35-to-2.46 GPG.

The set-up: With Golden State's starting-five looking like a M*A*S*H unit, the Houston Rockets are close to clinching the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs, as well as the No. 1 overall seed . The 60-14 Rockets have already set a franchise record for wins but that doesn't mean they plan on taking their foot off the gas. James Harden's triple-double (18-10-15) in Sunday's 118-99 rout of the Atlanta Hawks cliched the team's first 60-win campaign, upped Houston's lead over Golden State to 5 1/2 games and was the Rockets' 26th win in their last 27 games (the lone loss in that span came by three points at East-best Toronto on March 9). The Rockets will play five of their last eight games at home and after easily taking care of the Eastern Conference-worst Hawks (19-53), the Rockets welcome the almost as bad 24-49 Chicago Bulls to the Toyota Center. The Bulls are losers of five in a row and aren't even getting a chance to look at their three best young players, as Lauri Markkanen (back), Kris Dunn (toe) and Zach LaVine (knee) all sat out in Saturday's 117-95 loss at Detroit.

Chicago: Markkanen (14.8 & 7.6) and Dunn (13.4-4.3-6.0) are both questionable for Tuesday while LaVine (16.7 PPG in just 24 games) is expected to be out until early April. Other young players are trying to step up. Small forward Denzel Valentine (10.4 & 5.3) averaged 19 points while going 14-of-27 from the floor in the last two games, including 8-of-14 from beyond the arc. Cameron Payne (9.0 & 4.1 APG) is starting at point guard in place of Dunn and scored in double figures in each of the last three games, his longest run of the season.

Houston:The Rockets have relied on the isolation brilliance of James Harden and Chris Paul, plus their volume t-point shooting, to overwhelm opposing defenses. That the Rockets continue to score with breathtaking efficiency without mashing the throttle is a testament to their talent and execution, although they can hurry when the need arises. Harden (30.7-5.4-8.7) and Paul (18.8-5.6-7.9) are the stars, although Gordon (18.1) scoring makes for a terrific guard trio, while center Clint Capela (14.1 & 11.0) has turned into a double-double 'machine.' Houston ranks second in scoring (113.5) and leads the NBA in offensive rating at 113.1 points per 100 possessions

The pick: The Rockets are riding a nine-game winning streak and have gone 16-1 since the break. Meanwhile, the Bulls are 4-12 since the break. Chicago doesn't have much incentive to win games down the stretch given its position in the Eastern Conference standings and the possibility of landing an impact prospect high in the lottery of the upcoming draft. However, the Rockets are a more modest 5-4 ATS during the nine-game streak and the closing pointspread on this contest may well be the most amount of points that Houston had given up all season. Don't ignore the fact that the Rockets are 7-14 ATS at home when laying 10 points or more. Take those points and make Chicago a 10* play.

The set-up: The Washington Wizards won their first five games after losing PG John Wall (19.4 & 9.3 APG) to knee surgery in late January. Washington would continue to play well without Wall going on an 11-3 run but the now slumping Wizards have lost eight of 12 after with losses in three straight. All of a sudden, Washington is excited to get their PG back on the court. Wall underwent knee surgery on Jan. 31 but participated in his second full-contact practice on Monday, but there is still no firm timetable for his return. "It's getting close," Wizards head coach Scott Brooks told reporters of Wall's return. "He's had two really, really good days. His energy level is high. He's anxious. You can tell. He wants to get out there. We still want to be patient." The Wizards will welcome the the Spurs to D.C. on Tuesday night. The 43-31 Spurs swept a six-game homestand (before losing Sunday at Milwaukee) to put a little space between themselves and ninth-place Denver in the Western Conference (Nuggets are 40-34, giving the Spurs a three-game lead).

San Antino: While the Wizards are close to getting their star PG back, the Spurs can't say the same about their star player. Kawhi Leonard (quad) reportedly has yet to return to practice and the reports (rumors?) are not encouraging. San Antonio is instead leaning on All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (23.2 & 8.4) as it has closed to within a half-game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 4 spot in the West. Aldridge was named the Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 34.8 points and 9.3 rebounds in four games last week, including 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting in Sunday's 106-103 loss. The only time in the last five games that Aldridge failed to score at least 33 points came against Washington at home on Wednesday, when he was held to 27 points on 12-of-23 shooting and nine boards in a 98-90 San Antonio win. Considering that Leonard may be "done for the season," veteran Pau Gasol, will need more efforts like Sunday's. He collected 22 points and 13 rebounds off the bench, after scoring in single digits in each of the previous three games (he's averaging a modest 10.5 PPG on the season).

Washington: The Wizards lost 101-97 at home to the lowly New York Knicks on Sunday (unacceptable) and are now 2-6 in their last eight home games. They 40-33 Wizards are now 6th in the East, just 1 1/2 games up on the 8th-place Heat but also only 2 1/2 games back of the 4th-place 76ers. "We thought that we could just show up and play because they don't have anything to play for," All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal told reporters after the latest setback. "We just thought it was going to be a cake walk and they just smacked us in the mouth." Beal leads the team in scoring at an average of 23.1 points (also adds 4.4 RPG and 4.6 APG) but was held to 14 on 5-of-17 shooting in the loss, including 1-of-6 from three-point range.

The pick: The Spurs were tied with the Bucks at halftime but then were outscored 41-28 in the third quarter. The 41 points matched the most San Antonio has given up in a quarter this season. The defeat means San Antonio will be trying to snap a four-game road losing streak tonight in Washington (note: Spurs are on a 1-8 run away from AT&T Center). However, the Wizards are a poor 2-6 over their last eight at home, so I want no part of "the side" in this one. These teams just recently played in San Antonio (Spurs won 98-90), and considering the fact that 23 of the Spurs' 37 road games this year have gone "under the total," I'll make the Under an 8* play in this quick rematch.

The set-up: The 44-24-7 (95 points) Washington Capitals go after their eighth win in nine games Monday as they attempt to create more of a cushion atop of the Metropolitan Division when they visit the New York Rangers for the opener of a home-and-home series (Caps will host the Rangers on Wednesday). Washington heads into tonight's contest with a three-point lead over second-place Pittsburgh in the division, after extending their winning streak to three games with Saturday's 6-4 triumph at Montreal. Meanwhile, the 33-34-8 (74 points) Rangers are close to officially being eliminated from playoff contention despite going 3-2-2 over their last seven games.

Washington: Captain Alex Ovechkin leads the league with 44 goals and tops the Caps with 81 points but has been kept off the scoresheet in two straight contests. Evgeny Kuznetsov (23 goals & 73 points) has recorded three goals and six assists during his four-game point streak while Nicklas Backstrom (19 goals and 61 points) helped set up four tallies Saturday, prompting coach Barry Trotz to tell reporters afterward, “He could have had six assists.” John Carlson leads all NHL defensemen with 63 points after posting 10 in his last eight contests.

NY Rangers: The Rangers are all but officially eliminated from playoff contention (their "tragic number" is three points) but this rebuilding team has been revitalized by a spate of youngsters thrust into pivotal roles. New York has gone 5-4-2 in March, during which it has beaten Pittsburgh as well as handed damaging losses to two fringe wild-card contenders, the Calgary Flames and the Carolina Hurricanes. The Rangers knocked off Buffalo 5-1 on Saturday behind two goals from second-year player Jimmy Vesey and 43 saves by rookie Alexandar Georgiev, who made his second straight start in place of injured veteran Henrik Lundqvist (back). Georgiev is a 22-year-old Russian who was signed as a free agent. He is 4-3-1 with a 2.85 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in nine games (eight starts). Mika Zibanejad leads a group of red-hot forwards with a five-game goal-scoring streak during which he has netted seven of his team-leading 27 goals (has 46 points). However, Chris Kreider might be the team's hottest player of all with three goals and seven assists during a five-game streak, pushing his total to 36 points in 51 contests.

The pick: It seems like the Washington Capitals are rounding into form as the playoffs approach. Seven wins in the Caps' last eight games have kept the Pittsburgh Penguins at bay in the race for the Metropolitan Division championship. Washington is three points ahead of Pittsburgh and has one game in hand on the Penguins. The Rangers have not stopped trying but the Caps could really put themselves in a greta position to hold off the Pens with win sin this home-and-home series. It will either be Holtby or Gubauer in net. Holtby is 31-15-4 on the season (3.3 GAA & .906 SP) and while Gubauer posted a poor .886 save percentage over the first two months of the season, he has recorded a .937 mark since. Either one will do. Make teh Caps an 8* play.

The set-up: The Lakers have shown signs that the team is on the rise, despite suffering a plethora of injuries. LA wraps up a four-game road trip tonight in Detroit, with a chance for a 2-2 split. The Lakers dropped the first two stops at Indiana and New Orleans before snapping a four-game slide with a 100-93 win at Memphis on Saturday. The 33-40 Detroit Pistons have played their way out of a realistic shot at an Eastern Conference playoff spot (trail the eighth seed by 5 1/2 games with nine games remaining) but are winners of three of their last four.

LA Lakers: The Lakers are trying to give their prized rookies as much playing time as possible, as the season winds down. PG Lonzo Ball (second overall pick) and forward Kyle Kuzma (27th overall pick) have played heavy minutes in March, with Kuzma continuing to make the stronger impression. During the month, Ball is averaging 9.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.3 steals in 37.4 minutes per game but is shooting just 31.9 percent from the floor. Meanwhile, Kuzma is averaging 17.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 37.5 minutes while shooting 46.4 percent. However, LA is expected to be without two of its top players on Monday, as Isaiah Thomas (15.6 & 5.0 APG in 17 games) has already been ruled out because of a sore right hip. Also, leading scorer, SF Brandon Ingram (16.2-5.4-3.9) has missed the last 11 games because of a groin injury and is doubtful. 6-9 PF Julius Randle, having a breakout season in averaging 16.1 & 7.8, suffered an injured ankle during his last outing, leaving his status unclear for Monday's game against the Pistons.

Detroit: The Pistons Detroit took advantage of the depleted Chicago Bulls on Saturday and set a franchise record with 13 three-pointers in the first half in a 117-95 rout. Anthony Tolliver scored a season-high 25 points and went 6-of-12 from 3-point range to lead the way, and the Pistons handed out 33 assists. It was Detroit's third win in four gam,es but after going 3-13 from Feb. 9 through Mar. 17, it's all but assuredly too little too late. Blake Griffin continues to be heralded as a "difference-maker" but the Pistons' record since he joined them paints a very different picture.Griffin is averaging 20.0-6.7-6.3 in 24 games with Detroit, with the Pistons going 10-14 SU & 9-15 ATS.

The pick: Blake Griffin is getting a lot of heat for Detroit’s shortcomings but in fairness, without PG Reggie Jackson for so long (he has returned the last three games and doesn't look 100 percent), Griffin is being asked to do WAY too much.The Lakers are fighting some key injuries but are 13-9 ATS since the start of Feb. Take the points and make LA a 10* play.

The set-up: The Florida Panthers rallied for a 4-2 victory over Arizona on Saturday to remain three points behind New Jersey for the second wild-card spot in the East with two games in hand. However, the 38-27-7 (86 points) Panthers play five of their last nine games away from home, beginning with a four-game road trip that starts tonight at Barclays Center against the NY Islanders. New York is 31-34-10 on the season (72 points) and is one point away from officially being eliminated from playoff contention. The slumping Isles have just two wins in their last 15 games (2-9-4) after suffering a 3-1 home loss to Chicago on Saturday despite owning a 32-25 advantage in shots.

Florida: The Panthers have won three of their last four overall and are 3-1-1 in five regular-season meetings with the Islanders since their 2015-16 playoff series. Vincent Trocheck scored twice to push his career-high total to 30 goals and added an assist to give him 69 points, five fewer than team leader Aleksander Barkov (26 goals & 48 assists). Florida could use more from Jonathan Huberdeau (23 goals & 65 points), who has registered only two points in his last six games. Defenseman Keith Yandle notched an assist Saturday to reach 50 points for the first time since 2013-14 while with Arizona.

NY Islanders:Captain John Tavares continues to put up points as the season winds down. He has collected two goals and seven assists during his five-game point streak to lead the team with 78 points - two better than rookie Mathew Barzal, who has seven points in his last six contests. Anders Lee tops New York with a career-best 38 goals, after scoring five times in his last four games and is one away from his first 60-point season.

The pick: When the Panthers arrived at Barclays Center for the first game of the NHL's second half back on Jan/ 29, Florida was a whopping 12 points behind. J in the race for the second wild card but ut a 4-1 win over the Islanders jump-started a 26-game stretch in which Florida has gone 19-6-1. Both the Panthers and Islanders have goaltending situations in flux and neither one has revealed a possible starter for Monday. Florida's starting goalie Roberto Luongo is day to day because of an upper-body injury, backup, so James Reimer could draw his second straight start (Reimer had 26 saves ain Saturday's 4-2 win over the Coyotes). Jaroslav Halak would appear to be in line to make the start for the Islanders after taking the loss Saturday, when he stopped 22 shots against the Blackhawks. However, as an impending free agent, he has been ceding playing time to rookie Christopher Gibson, who has started five of the last eight games but was chased Thursday after giving up six goals in a little more than 1 1/2 periods to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Yes, this looks like an over on first blush but i'm going contrarian on this one with the high number. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Portland Trail Blazers won 13 straight games from Feb. 14 through Mar. 18 but head out on for a three-game road trip off back-to-back home losses to Houston and Boston. The 44-28 Blazers open the trip with a visit to OKC and the 44-30 Thunder are just one game back of the third-seeded Blazers, although they are two back in the loss column. With home-court advantage in the Western Conference playoffs a distinct possibility for both teams, this Sunday matchup is a critical one. Looming just behind these two teams are the 43-30 Spurs and the 43-31 Pelicans (four teams separated by two games!).

Portland: "I wouldn't say 'letdown,'" Portland guard Damian Lillard told reporters of the two consecutive defeats. "Any time you can have a streak of 13 games, that means you did a lot of good things, the team is focused." We'll see now, as Portland plays seven of its final 10 games on the road and still gets little production except from Lillard ( 26.6-4.4-6.5) & McCollum (21.6-3.3-3.9), plus center Nurkic (14.2 & 8.6). That said, a recent bright spot has been power forward Al-Farouq Aminu (9.6 & 7.5), who has scored in double figures in five consecutive games, including at least 16 in each of the last three.

Oklahoma City: The Thunder also recently lost to the Celtics on a buzzer-beater, before it rebounded to top Miami 105-99 on Friday, giving them seven wins in their last games. Center Steven Adams scored 20 of his 24 points in the first three quarters of Friday's win and Russell Westbrook took it from there, pouring in 17 of his 29 in the fourth. Outside of OKC's "Big 3" of Westbrook (25.4-9.7-10.2), George (21.7 & 5.7) and Anthony (16.5 & 5.9), Adams (14.1 & 9.0) is the team's only other regular contributor,

The set-up: The Blazers have taken each of the first three meetings this season with the Thunder, including a 117-106 triumph Jan. 9 in OKC. In fact, Portland owns five straight wins in the series, so I hesitate to step in front of them, here. Also, let me add that Portland has shot 49% as a team against OKC this season in three games, led by C.J. McCollum (52%) and Jusuf Nurkic (56%). OKC should go down fighting, and may even win, but my play is a 10* on the Over.

The set-Up: There is more than just a small dose of normalcy on deck in the NCAA's Midwest Regional Final from CenturyLink Center in Omaha, as two of college basketball's true blue bloods, top-seeded Kansas and second-seeded Duke square off for the right to advance to the Final Four. Kansas and Duke have combined to win eight NCAA titles, including three of the last 10, and are two of the top-four winningest programs in NCAA history (rank 2nd & 4th in all-time victories). After extending its record Big 12 regular-season title streak to 14, Kansas won the Big 12 tourney and has now advanced to the Elite Eight for the third straight year, jumping out to a 20-point lead early in the second half before holding off Clemson, 80-76, on Friday night. Duke, the AP's preseason No. 1, will be trying to advance to the Final Four for the 17th time (it would a record 13th Final 4 for Coach K) after grinding out a 69-65 victory over Syracuse. The Blue Devils are back in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2015, when they won their fifth NCAA championship.

Duke: The Blue Devils beat the Orange despite shooting only 39.3 percent (including 5-of-26 from three-point range,), while getting outrebounded, 37-33. Duke starts four freshmen but don't feel too sorry for Coach K, who picked up his 1,100th career coaching victory and 94th career tournament win against Syracuse (both NCAA record). Two of the freshmen, 6-11 forward Marvin Bagley III (21.2 & 11.1), who garnered ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors plus the 6-10 Wendell Carter Jr. (13.6 & 9.3) are both both projected as top-10 draft picks (most likely, HIGH top-10 picks!). Freshman guards Gary Trent Jr. (14.4 & 4.3) and Trevon Duval (10.0 & 5.6 APG) are also considered potential first rounders and senior guard Grayson Allen (15.6 & 4.7 APG) may just join his freshman teammates on draft night, as well. Bagley has been a 'rock,' scoring exactly 22 points in each of Duke's tourney wins. Allen had 15 points and a team-high eight assists in Friday night's win but was just 3-of-14 from three-point range. Duke's 84.4 PPG ranks 8th in the nation and the team's 49.4 percent shooting from the floor ranks 12th.

Kansas: The Jayhawks have made it this far despite the loss of five-star recruit Billy Preston to eligibility issues and 7-foot center Udoka Azubuike being forced to play with a left knee brace to help support a MCL injury suffered in a March 6 practice. The team's lone big man of note was forced sit out the Big 12 Tournament and then played just three minutes in a 76-60 opening-round win over Pennsylvania. However, Azubuike has averaged 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in the last two games while connecting on 11-of-14 shots despite limping noticeably at times (he's shooting 77.5 percent on the season!). Azubuike's (13.2 & 7.0) presence inside will be a key factor in trying to defend the imposing Duke front line of Bagley and Carter but Kansas will likely need to rely on its outstanding perimeter people to win The quartet of Graham (17.3 & 7.4 APG), Svi Mykhailiuk (14.8 ppg), Malik Newman (13.5 7 4.9) and Lagerald Vick (12.1 &4.9) are quite a handful and all are excellent three-point shooters, who will test Duke's 2-3 zone. Kansas averages 81.4 PPG (29th) plus ranks 11th in both FG percentage (49.5) and three-point percentage (40.5).

The pick: Here's the bottom line in a battle between Kansas (2,247 wins is second in all-time Division I victories) and Duke (fourth with 2,144 wins). This marks the sixth time Bill Self's Kansas team has been a No. 1 seed and and advanced to the Elite 8. However, Self's teams are 0-5 in their previous five tries and considering Duke is a money-making 22-12 ATS this season (including 9-3 ATS as a single-digit favorite), the Blue Devils are an 8* play.

The set-up: The East Regional final will feature the top-seeded 33-4 Villanova Wildcats against the 27-9 and third-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders. Villanova seems determined to shoot its way to the Final Four, as the Wildcats connected on 13-of-24 from three-point range in Friday's 90-78-point win over No. 5 West Virginia. 'Nova us now making 47.8 percent from the arc in its NCAA wins and has drained 432 three-pointers on the season (just 10 shy of the single-season record held by VMI back in the 2006-07 season),.In contrast, Texas Tech has made just 15 threes and is shooting only 31.3 percent from long range in this year's tourney. However, the Red Raiders have yet to allow more than 66 points in any of their three wins, holding their opponents to 63.7 PPG on a modest 41.1 percent from the floor, including only 33.3% on threes.
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders' Keenan Evans (leading scorer at 17.7 PPG) had a combined 45 points in the team's first two wins but the senior guard was only 3 of 8 from the floor against Purdue, although he still scored 16 points to lead the team. Finally healthy, 6-8 senior Zach Smith (only 6.4 & 3.8 on the season) added 14 points off the bench and is shooting 15-of-19 over his last four games. 6-5 freshman Zhaire Smith (11.4 & 4.9) has registered double-digit points in all three Big Dance contests to average 13.7 (plus 7.3 RPG) in the tourney. Fellow freshman Culver (11.2 & 4.9). had just two points but senior Justin Gray, averaging just 5.1 PPG on the season, surprised with 12 points against Purdue, matching his second-highest total of the season.

Villanova: The Wildcats are seeking their second national title in the last three years and their third all-time..They survived a slug-fest against former Big East opponent West Virginia on Friday, despite 16 TOs vs "Press Virginia." Jalen Brunson (19.3 & 4.6 APG) led with 27 points and 6-9 freshman Omari Spellman (10.8 & 7.9) added 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and two steals. Brunson has made at least half his shots in six of the last seven games, while the 6-6 Mikal Bridges (18.0 & 5.4) has done so in 11 of his last 12 games. Senior guard Phil Booth (10.5), one of the stars from Villanova's national championship game victory two years ago, is just 2-of-11 from the floor over the last two games and 5-of-20 over the last four contests (a problem?)..

The pick: Villanova is looking for its second trip to the Final Four in three years, while Texas Tech is playing in the Elite Eight for the first time in school history, As pointed about above, this is a battle of opposing views on how the game is played. Texas Tech freshman Jarrett Culver leads Texas Tech with 54 three-pointers and by comparison, Villanova's Booth has 52 three-pointers to rank fifth on the Wildcats in made threes. I won't buck Villanova but the Texas Tech D is capable of slowing down Jay Wright’s nation’s-best 87.0 PPG offense (six double digit scorers). However, Tech's Chris Beard is proving quickly he's one of the nation's upcoming coaching stars. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cavs have welcomed Kevin Lowe back and the team's second-best player has been missed. Love (18.0 & 9.3) has not missed a beat, averaging 20.3 & 8.3 in his three games back in the lineup and the Cvs will take a four-game winning steak into their road game at Barclays Center Sunday afternoon against the Brooklyn Nets. The 43-29 Cavs are 10 1/2 games back of the Eastern-leading Raptors plus are also six games back of the Celtics and with only 10 games left, are likely going have to settle for the East's No. 3 seed. However, the Cavaliers are starting to put the pieces together as they get set for another playoff run. Not so much for the 23-50 Nets, who sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Then again, the Nets have not 'mailed it in,' evidenced by them taking the East-leading Toronto Raptors down to the wire before falling 116-112 on Friday.

Cleveland: The Cavs open a three-game road trip on Sunday and will play five of their remaining 10 games against teams with losing records. Along with the recent return of Love, Cleveland welcomed back Rodney Hood (back), Tristan Thompson (ankle) and Larry Nance Jr. (hamstring) in Friday's win. They are now just waiting on Kyle Korver (personal) and Cedi Osman (hip) to get back. "Ten games is enough time when you have your whole team back for the first time all season, it gives you an opportunity to, No. 1, establish some type of rotation that you're going to be using," assistant coach Larry Drew, who is acting as the head coach while Tyronn Lue sits out due to illness, told reporters. Of course, a guy named James (27.4-8.6-9.1) is still "the straw that stirs the drink." LBJ raging 34 points on 59.1 percent shooting, 10.4 rebounds and 10.8 assists in the last five games to carry Cleveland.

Brooklyn: "We're not into moral victories, but I did like our compete," Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters after Friday loss to the Raptors. However, the Nets were up nine at the start of the fourth quarter against the Raptors,before falling off. It mirrored Wednesday's game when Brooklyn squandered a 23-point lead in a 111-105 loss to Charlotte. In the end, Friday was just another close loss for the Nets, who are 16-30 in games where there is a five-point margin with less than five minutes to play. Brooklyn was outscored 36-18 in the fourth on Wednesday, then 32-21 on Friday, dropping to 5-21 in its last 26 games.

The pick:Sure, the Cavs are starting to gear up for another playoff run but the Nets have covered five straight in the series. Cleveland hasn't played much defense at all this season, ranking 28th in defensive efficiency, while allowing 110.2 PPG (27th). The Cavs are a terrible favorite (covering right around 30% of the time this season), while the Nets are 13-4 ATS in 2018 when getting seven-plus points. Make Brooklyn an 8* play.

analysis soon

The set-up: The West Regional Final will feature No. 3 Michigan against No. 9 Florida State. The Wolverines were hardly impressive in reaching the Sweet 16 (freshman Jordan Poole's long three at the buzzer beat Houston in the Round of 32) but set a new NCAA Tournament single-game record as eight players made at least one three-pointer in an impressive 99-72 win against seventh-seeded Texas A&M on Thursday, as Michigan its most points scored in an NCAA Tournament game since 1992. 31-7 Michigan has now won 12 straight games, including nine in a row away from home and can set a single-season program record with its 32nd victory at the Staples Center Saturday night against Florida State..The Seminoles had just one player finish in double figures against Gonzaga but Florida State was the more active and more aggressive team against the Bulldogs, blocking nine shots while holding Gonzaga to 33.9 percent shooting from the floor. The Seminoles' press was just too much for Gonzaga throughout the game and the 'Noles were efficient in transition. Florida State has reached the Elite 8 for the first time since 1993 and a win over Michigan would put them in the Final Four for the first time since 1972 (lost to Bill Walton's UCLA Bruins in the title game!).

Florida State:Terance Mann (12.9 & 5.5) led the way with 18 points in the win over Gonzaga, despite being hampered by a groin injury. Three more guards had solid efforts, as Braian Angola (12.7) and C.J. Walker (8.1) each added nine points, while Trent Forrest (4.9-4.9-4.1) provided a big spark off the bench with seven points, six rebounds and six assists. The 6-8 Cofer (12.7 & 4.9) has been the team's best frontcourt player this season but he had just seven points plus grabbed only one rebound. The 6-9 Kabengele (7.3 & 4.7) and the 7-4 Koumadje (6.7 & 4.3) have contributed on and off all season and against Gonzaga, Kabengele came off the bench to block four shots and add seven points. "We're a team that operates with the philosophy that we have to win games by committee," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton told reporters. "They're all able to contribute offensively and defensively because of that philosophy." This is Hamilton's best postseason run in his 16 years at Florida State.
Michigan: Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (12.9-3.9-3.4) scored 16 of his team-leading 24 points in the second half and dished out seven assists against Texas A&M after shooting a combined 7-of-26 from the floor in his previous two NCAA Tournament games. The 6-11 Moritz Wagner, the team's leading scorer (14.4) and rebounder (6.9) this season, bounced back from two pedestrian performances by scoring 14 of his 21 points in the first half to set the offensive tone as the Wolverines shot 61.9% as a team, including making14-of-24 from three-point range against the Aggies. Charles Matthews (12.9 & 5.6) continued his stellar play in the tournament by adding 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting while Zavier Simpson (7.4-3.3-3.7) contributed 11 points, six steals and five assists.

The pick: Michigan and Florida State both know the winner will meet either Loyola-Chicago (an 11-seed) or Kansas State (a 9-seed) in the national semifinals, so a trip to the title game just could be in the cards for the winner of this contest. No way one can ignore Michigan's 12-game winning streak, which includes eight wins by double digits. However, the Wolverines' points were the second-most they've scored this season and second-most of any team in the NCAA Tournament this year. Plus, their 61.9 percent field-goal shooting is the best of any team in the tourney this year. Does anyone really expect them to come anywhere near that type of offensive efficiency against an FSU defense 61.3 allowing 61.3 PPG on 37.6% shooting in its three NCAA wins? Also, let's not forget that this may be Hamilton's best offensive team at FSU, as the Seminoles are averaging 80.9 PPG on 47.2 % shooting on the season. Make FSU a 10* play.

The set-up: The New Orleans Pelicans just survived a stretch of three games in three nights (all at home), handing the Mavs a 10-point loss but then needed to eke out a four-point win over the Pacers and a three-point win over the Lakers. The Pelicans aren't making it look easy but with a four-game winning streak, have moved to 43-30, a half-game back of the 4th-seeded Thunder and one game back of the third-seeded Blazers. However, in the tightly contested West (behind the Rockets and Warriors), the Pelicans also find themselves just three games clear of the playoff 'cut line!' Speaking of the Rockets, if the Pelicans want to extend their current winning streak to five games, they'll have to beat the Rockets in Houston. The Rockets are coming off an unimpressive 100-96 home win over the Pistons on Thursday (in OT!) but are winners of seven straight, 24 of 25 and own the best record in the NBA at 58-14. Houston will play seven of its final 10 games at home, where it owns a 28-6 record.

New Orleans: The Pelicans have been toughing it out in a stretch that had the team playing five games in six days (Mar. 17-22). However, New Orleans had enough energy left on Thursday to outscore the Lakers 31-17 in the fourth quarter. Anthony Davis continues to make his case for league MVP and comes in averaging 28.2 PPG and 11.1 RPG on the season. Combo guard Holiday (19.1-4.4-5.8) has been terrific all season and with Cousins out, E'Twaun Moore (12.4) is the only other regular averaging in double digits. However, the 6-10 Nikola Mirotic has been a 'life-saver,' averaging 12.9 & 7.8 in hsi 22 games since being acquired from the Bulls.

Houston: VP frontrunner James Harden (31.0-5.3-8.7) struggled in making only 2-of-16 from the floor in regulation on Thursday before finding his stroke in overtime, scoring 10 of his 21 points. However, Harden went 0-of-8 from three-point range in the win, marking the first time this season that he failed to make at least one 3-point attempt. Joining Harden on teh perimeter are Chris Paul (18.8-5.6-7.9) and Eric Gordon (18.1), giving Houston an outstanding trio. Center Clint Capela (14.0 & 10.9) has developed into a double-double 'machine' and Houston's reserves have contributed on a regular basis all season. Houston ranks second to only Golden State in scoring (113.5 PG) plus has grealy improved at the defensive end this season, allowing 104.7 PPG (10th-best).

The pick: The Rockets are closing in on clinching the best record in the league and they’ve been tough to beat at home going 28-6, including winning 14 straight. However, Mike D’Antoni’s team is just 13-20-1 ATS at the Toyota Center this season, including coming in on a 5-11 ATS run its last 16 as a home favorite. Meanwhile, the Pelicans have covered three straight and 11 of the last 17 in the series, plus they come in on a 7-1 SU & ATS run on the road. Take the points and make New Orleans a 10* play.