The Timberwolves are up 2-0 and that doesn't surprise me. They had a great season and are better than a lot of people still realize. Winning on the road against a desperate and loaded Phoenix team is going to be a lot harder! Minnesota isn't as good defensively on the road. Winning at Phoenix is never easy for them.

The Suns are 6-0 both straight up and versus the spread the past 6 meetings here. All 6 of those victories came by 7 or more points. The Suns are also 5-2 straight up and versus the spread after scoring 100 or fewer points. They will not be held back again. Suns win big!

The Yankees have been excellent when coming off a loss. Off a 3-1 defeat to the Athletics yesterday, they will bounce back big today. The Yankees are 3-1 with Gil on the mound. He has the advantage of starting against Milwaukee for the first time. He has a 2.75 ERA. Rea has also been good. The Yankees have seen him before though, most recently last September.

With Rea failing to last 5 innings in last September's game against NY, Milwaukee relievers have a 3.75 ERA at home. New York relievers have a terrific 2.09 ERA on the road. As a team, the Yankees have been strong on the road. This is a great price and they will take Game 1 of this series.

The Jets seemed like they'd never lose there for awhile but the Avalanche ended their winning streak in Game 2. The magic of the winning streak is now over. Worse, the Jets are now away from the comforts of Winnipeg. Instead, they are in hostile Colorado where the Avalanche have a 31-10 record.

When their backs against the wall, the Avalanche responded with a big win in Game 2. This is a playoff-tested team. The Game 2 win gave them control of home ice advantage in the series and they're not about to just relinquish that. The Avalanche outscore teams by 2.2 goals per game here. This is a pivotal game and they will not be denied!

You likely saw what happened in the first 2 games. They both sailed over the total. Tonight, we work with a very high total of 6.5. We don't even have to lay heavy juice to get it. Winnipeg is 15-9-3 to the under when playing in a road game where where the total is 6 or more.

The Jets only allow 2.5 goals a game on the road. The Avalanche concede just 2.7 goals per game at home. The goal scoring barrage comes to an end tonight. Go with the Under.

At first glance, the over 3.5 goals might appear to be an attractive option. Further review reveals that the opposite is true. Off a 5-0 loss to Arsenal, Chelsea will be determined to clean up its goals conceded. In its previous match, Chelsea recorded a clean sheet.

Aston Villa has only conceded one goal in its last 2 league matches combined. Eight of the past 9 meetings have produced 3 goals or less. The last 3 matches had scores of 1-0, 2-0 and 2-0. Go with the Under!

How about those Miami Heat. Not only were the Heat more competitive in Game 2, they won the game outright. Can they do it again? They sure could but I'm not going to bet on it. Instead, the total is what intrigues me. Did you know that the Heat are 8-2 to the under off an upset win?

In order to win, the Heat have to do it with defense. The Celtics are also capable of taking their defense to another level. They are likely to give the Heat a dose of their own medicine tonight. They are 9-7 to the under off an upset loss and 13-9 to the under their last 22 against winning teams. The Celtics are 7-5 to the under their last 12 tries when tied in a playoff series. In same period, the Heat are 6-2 to the under when tied in a series. Go with the Under!

The Marlins are off to a terrible start and they dropped yesterday's series opener. They're favored for a valid reason this afternoon though and will take advantage of the opportunity for victory.

Mitchell Parker has gotten off to a wonderful beginning for Washington. He's still only made 2 major league starts though and his minor league numbers were mostly mediocre. He'll come back down to earth and that should happen this afternoon. Even if Parker pitches well again, he's unlikely to get a whole lot of support. Cabrera struck out 10 in his lone home start, allowing only 1 run in 6 innings. Cabrera is 2-1 with a solid 3.86 ERA in 4 career appearances versus Washington. Miami gets it done with a rare home win! **NL EAST GOM**