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The Lakers were blown off the court in Game 1 but should have taken Game 2 on Wednesday. Los Angeles led 75-68 with two minutes left but the Thunder scored the final nine points, capped byKevin Durant’s baseline runner with 18 seconds left for the winning points.

On L.A.’s final possession, everyone in the world thought Kobe Bryant would attempt the final shot, but instead Metta World Peace passed (smartly, really) to a wide open Steve Blake, who missed a 3-pointer from the corner. Kobe never touched the ball on the play. While it’s assumed Kobe should have taken the shot, he is 0-for-7 on game-tying and go-ahead shots in the final 10 seconds of playoff games since 2006-07. Meanwhile, his teammates are 4-for-7, including Blake’s miss on Wednesday. Kobe looked tired in the fourth quarter as well. He turned the ball over in a critical spot with 1:45 remaining and also missed his final five shots. Bryant and Andrew Bynum led the team overall with 20 points each.

Durant led the Thunder in points (22), rebounds (7) and assists (5). Russell Westbrook was brilliant in Game 1 but whatever the Lakers changed for Game 2 worked as he was held to 15 points on 5-for-17 shooting. A game after scoring 119 points, OKC managed just 29 in the second half Wednesday. The Thunder also had nine more turnovers in Game 2 than the opener.

The Lakers better win Friday because Game 4 is just 24 hours later and the quick turnaround should hugely favor the younger Thunder. L.A. is 3-1 at home this postseason (2-2 ATS) and the Lakers are 6-1 ATS in their past seven games following a loss.

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The Celtics won and paid off on the NBA betting lines at Bovada in a 107-91 result on Wednesday, giving them a 2-1 lead in the series. Boston won Game 1 at home by a 92-91 score, then fell 82-81 on their own court in Game 2 on Monday night.

Kevin Garnett led the way on offense in Wednesday’s win for the Celtics, pouring in 27 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the contest. Rajon Rondo scored 23 points and added 14 assists in that game for Boston, while Paul Pierce pitched in with 24 points on the night.

Jrue Holiday had 15 points to go along with nine assists in the Sixers’ losing cause in Game 3, withThaddeus Young tossing in 22 points off the bench on the night. Starters Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes, Andre Iguodala, and Elton Brand combined for 21 points.

The Sixers had been 2-0 ATS in this series prior to Wednesday’s loss; overall they’re 7-3 ATS in their past 10 games against Boston, winning just four of those contests straight up. The OVER/UNDER is now 2-1 for totals bettors at Bovada through three games of this set.

On the updated NBA futures heading into Thursday night’s action the Celtics were listed at 9/1 on the odds to win the championship, putting them behind the Heat (3/2), Thunder (9/4), and Spurs (12/5), but well ahead of the Sixers (60/1).

Boston also trailed the 1/3 Heat at 7/2 odds to win the Eastern Conference, with the 76ers sitting at 20/1 on those NBA futures at Bovada.

Friday’s Game 4 will get underway at 8:00pm ET in Philadelphia, with the two teams then not returning to the hardwood until Monday’s Game 5 in Boston.

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The Heat clearly aren’t the same without the injured Chris Bosh, having lost the past two games without him. And they were outclassed on Thursday night in Game 3, falling 94-75.  Dwyane Wade was nothing short of terrible for Miami. Wade scored just five points on 2-of-13 and had a sideline confrontation with his head coach.

During a third-quarter timeout, Erik Spoelstra was talking to Wade, who didn’t like what he heard and angrily snapped at his coach. Several Miami players stepped in before the confrontation escalated. Wade reportedly is dealing with a lower leg issue, the same injury that caused him to miss time during the regular season. He has been getting treatment for the last few days to treat the injury. Wade hasn’t been fully practicing in between games and is shooting just 31 percent from the floor during the second round.

LeBron James scored 22 — 16 in the first half before wearing down — and Mario Chalmers made up for Wade’s abysmal night by adding 25 for Miami. Chalmers fell on his wrist late in the game and later had an X-ray, which came back negative. He should play Sunday.

Indiana outscored Miami 51-32 in the second half, when the Pacers could do no wrong. The Pacers were led by Roy Hibbert, who had 19 points (on 9-for-16 shooting), 18 rebounds and five blocks. George Hill scored 20 and Danny Granger 17. For a second consecutive game, the Pacers also battered the smaller Heat on the boards, winning by a 52-36 margin.

Since the NBA began recording blocked shots in the 1973-74 season, only six other individuals have reached the four levels (points, rebounds, blocks, shooting percentage) that Hibbert did in one playoff game: Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan each did it twice, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Artis Gilmore and Dwight Howard each did it once. The last to do it was Howard (25 points, 22 rebounds, five blocks, 61.5 shooting percentage) against the Raptors in the Magic’s playoff opener in 2008.

The Heat scored 10 transition points and were 5-of-13 (38.5 percent) in transition in Game 3. Miami has been outscored 47-42 in transition in the first three games against the Pacers and the Heat have not found the transition success they had against the Knicks.

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The Spurs look flat-out invincible right now as they won their 16th straight game on Thursday night – 13th in that stretch by double figures – 105-88. Now the series shifts to L.A., where the Spurs are 3.5-point favorites on WagerWeb.com.

After a lousy Game 1, San Antonio point guard Tony Parker scored 22 points on his 30th birthday, Tim Duncan had 18 as the Spurs easily took a 2-0 series lead. Only two other teams have sustained a longer winning streak in the playoffs: the 2004 Spurs (17) and the 2001 Lakers (19).

The Spurs outscored the Clippers 50-18 in the paint in Game 2. They have outscored the Clippers by an average of 22.0 points per game in the paint during the first two games of the series. In Game 2, the Spurs made more field goals inside 5 feet (16) than the Clippers attempted.

L.A. point guard Chris Paul responded to his awful Game 1 with only a slightly better encore, scoring 10 points. At halftime, the third-place finisher in the league’s MVP voting had more personal fouls (3) than points (2), assists (2) or rebounds (2). He finished with eight turnovers, a career playoff high. He’s still being bothered by the strained right hip flexor he suffered in Game 5 of the Clippers’ first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

In the four games Paul has played against the Spurs with Parker this season, he’s shot 16-of-51 (31 percent) from the floor and averaged fewer than 12 points. It’s gotten even worse this series, with Paul producing nearly as many turnovers (13) as points (16). And he’s had a plus/minus of minus-40 in the 72 minutes he’s been on the court this series, the second-worst of any player on either team, behind only Caron Butler. By comparison, Paul’s backup, 22-year-old Eric Bledsoe, has been plus-2 in his 50 on-court minutes.

L.A.’s Blake Griffin scored 20 points in Game 2 but added another injury to the list, this time what he described as a hip flexor strain. He’s already battling a sprained left knee and shaking off a turned ankle in Game 1. Randy Foye was the Clippers’ only other player in double digits, scoring 11.

The Clippers are simply beaten up and exhausted. They’ve played seven games in 13 days, and they’ll have played nine in 16 by the time the weekend is over.

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The Cincinnati Reds appeared well on their way to a two-game sweep of the New York Mets on Thursday, but blew a four-run lead and endured a meltdown by baseball’s best bullpen. Relievers Aroldis Chapman and Logan Ondrusek had both been unscored upon before giving up the tying and go-ahead runs. Compounding matters is that Chapman threw 35 pitches and Ondrusek tossed 34, putting their availability in question for Friday night’s contest.

Reds Yankees Betting

When: 7:05 PM ET, Friday, May 18, 2012
Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS Ohio, YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Bronson Arroyo (2-1, 3.25) vs. New York LH Andy Pettitte (0-1, 5.68 ERA)

Arroyo gives up a lot of hits – 35 in 22 2/3 innings over his past four starts – but has done a better job of staying away from the long ball after surrendering a major league-high 46 last year. He has made eight appearances (six starts) against the Yankees with no record and a 5.45 ERA. Raul Ibanez is 4-for-8 against Arroyo, but Derek Jeter has only four hits in 18 at-bats.

Pettitte gave up a pair of two-run homers in his season debut and took the loss against Seattle last Sunday. He gave up four runs on seven hit in 6 1/3 innings while throwing 60 of 94 pitches for strikes. He has made 10 career starts against the Reds, logging a 4-3 record and 3.64 ERA. Arroyo is 3-for-6 with a double and four RBIs against Pettitte.

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1. The Yankees lead the American League with a 157-109 record in interleague play, including 13-5 last year.

2. Cincinnati is 5-4 against the Yankees in interleague play.

3. Arroyo makes his first appearance in the Bronx since a relief stint with Boston in the famous Curt Schilling “bloody sock” game in the 2004 AL Championship Series.

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The Marlins were shut out by Atlanta’s Brandon Beachy on Thursday and slipped 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading Braves. But Miami has won 12 of 16.

Marlins Indians Betting

When: 7:05 PM ET, Friday, May 18, 2012
Where: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Florida (Miami), SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Carlos Zambrano (1-2, 1.88 ERA) vs. Indians RH Justin Masterson (1-3, 5.40 ERA)

Although his record doesn’t show it, Zambrano has been dominant in his new surroundings with the Marlins. He has allowed only one earned run over his past three starts, and he has posted quality starts in all seven of his outings. His only win, though, came in a three-hit shutout at Houston, as Miami hasn’t offered much run support while he is on the mound.

Masterson struggled against his former team Sunday in Boston, walking one and hitting three batters while allowing six runs over six innings in a 12-1 loss. He has issued 26 walks and hit four batters in 48 1/3 innings this season, and he doesn’t have a win at home since beating the Yankees on July 6, 2011.

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1. Indians DH Travis Hafner left Thursday’s game with a right hand contusion and is listed as day-to-day. Cleveland 3B Jack Hannahan (back) is also day-to-day and has missed four straight games.

2. The shutout Thursday marked the fourth time this season Miami has been held scoreless.

3. Hafner was hit by a pitch for the 80th time in his career Thursday, passing Nap Lajoie for the franchise’s all-time record.

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Bautista is hitting .333 (9-for-27) with five home runs and seven RBIs in his last seven games to pull his batting average over .200 for the first time this month. Toronto will need all it can get from Bautista this weekend while Brett Lawrie serves a four-game suspension for throwing his helmet and having it hit an umpire. The Mets have their own hot hitter in David Wright, who went 2-for-2 with three walks on Thursday to raise his average to .411.

Mets Blue Jays Betting

When: 7:07 PM ET, Friday, May 18, 2012
Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario
TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), RSN (Toronto), MLB Network

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets LH Jon Niese (2-1, 3.40 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH Ricky Romero (4-1, 3.88 ERA)

Niese has not won since April 14 but is coming off one of his better efforts, a six-inning performance at Florida last Sunday in which he did not allow a run. The left-hander has issued a total of seven walks in his last two starts and has completed seven innings only once this season. Niese has never faced the Blue Jays and is 3-2 with a 4.86 ERA in six career interleague starts.

Romero suffered his first loss last time out, allowing four runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins. The 27-year-old did not record a strikeout and walked five in the start. In 53 1/3 total innings, Romero has walked 26 and struck out 36. He is 4-2 with a 1.88 ERA in nine career interleague outings.

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1. New York is 14-4 all-time against Toronto but the teams have not faced since 2006.

2. The Blue Jays sent 1B Adam Lind to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday and called up Yan Gomes, who became the first Brazilian-born player in MLB with his 2-for-3 effort.

3. Toronto went 8-10 in interleague play last season while the Mets were an even 9-9.

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Tampa Bay Rays

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Atlanta jumped back in front of Washington to take a half-game lead in the National League East on Thursday, shutting out Miami 7-0 while the Nationals lost to Pittsburgh. The Braves have been road warriors, going 14-8 away from home. They won seven of nine on their last road trip.

Braves Rays Betting

When: 7:10 PM ET, Friday, May 18, 2012
Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, Peachtree/Fox Sports South (Atlanta), Sun Sports (Tampa Bay)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Tommy Hanson (4-3, 3.43 ERA) vs. Rays RH James Shields (6-1, 3.52 ERA)

Hanson has put together two solid outings since getting shelled by Philadelphia earlier this month. He struck out nine over five innings Sunday at St. Louis to earn his fourth win, allowing one run on five hits. In his only start against Tampa Bay, Hanson threw seven innings of shutout ball, allowing three hits to earn the win. He is 5-2 with a 4.78 ERA in eight interleague starts.

Shields wasn’t at his sharpest Sunday at Baltimore, but he still picked up his sixth win of the season, giving up four earned runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings. Shields lost his only previous start against Atlanta, allowing three runs in six innings in 2010. He is 9-7 with a 4.30 ERA in 22 interleague games in his career.

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1. The Braves have posted double-digit hits in three consecutive games and six of their last seven.

2. Shields will have the advantage of pitching at home, where he is 41-26 with a 3.37 ERA in 96 career starts. He is 2-0 with a 3.79 ERA in three home starts in 2012.

3. Braves LF Martin Prado has hit safely in nine consecutive games and has 14 multi-hit games this season, including five straight.

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Texas leads the majors in most offensive categories thanks largely to a superhuman start by OF Josh Hamilton, the American League’s runaway leader with a .399 batting average, 18 home runs and 45 RBIs. Houston has totaled just eight more homers than Hamilton, but they have scraped together an improved lineup led by diminutive 2B Jose Altuve (.319). Wandy Rodriguez, Friday’s starter for the Astros, has been among the National League’s most effective hurlers this season.

Rangers Astros Betting

When: 8:05 PM ET, Friday, May 18, 2012
Where: Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, KTXA (Texas), Fox Sports (Houston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers RH Neftali Feliz (3-1, 3.32 ERA) vs. Astros LH Wandy Rodriguez (3-3, 1.99 ERA)

Feliz has been effective in his first season as a starter, delivering quality starts in four of his six trips to the mound (excluding an April 25 relief appearance). He has been far from overpowering, though, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 31 to 18 in his 38 innings of work. Feliz is 0-1 with three saves in four chances against the Astros, allowing four runs in six total innings.

Rodriguez, one of the most coveted trade chips in the majors over the past year or so, has been every bit as good as expected thus far, holding opponents to one run or fewer in five of his eight starts. He held Pittsburgh to one run on three hits in eight innings during a May 13 road outing. Rodriguez is 4-2 with a 5.13 ERA in six lifetime starts against Texas.

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1. Houston has won just eight of its last 28 games against AL West teams. The Astros were 2-4 against the Rangers last season.

2. Texas C Yorvit Torrealba is 0-for-10 against Rodriguez, but 2B Ian Kinsler has crushed the left-hander, going 9-for-15 (.600) with three doubles and two home runs.

3. Houston reliever Wilton Lopez finally allowed a walk Thursday after not walking any of the first 77 hitters he faced this year, the longest streak to open a season since John Smoltz (92) in 2004.

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The Diamondbacks swept a three-game set at Kansas City last season and are frequent interleague opponents of the Royals, owning an 11-7 record against them all-time and a 9-3 mark at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City enters having dropped back-to-back home games after a 6-1 stretch. The Royals lost a 15-inning affair on Wednesday and have totaled six runs in the last 24 innings. Arizona earned a wild win on Thursday but is just 3-9 over its last 12 games.

Diamondbacks Royals Betting

When: 8:10 PM ET, Friday, May 18, 2012
Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FSAZ (Arizona), FSKC (Kansas City)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks LH Joe Saunders (2-3, 3.43 ERA) vs. Royals RH Luis Mendoza (2-2, 4.76 ERA)

The wheels have come off a bit for Saunders lately. After holding his first five opponents to two earned runs or less, the veteran left-hander has surrendered a total of 12 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings over his last two turns. Saunders has given up four home runs in that span while recording only three strikeouts. He is 5-1 with a 3.32 ERA in seven career starts against Kansas City.

Mendoza is trending in the opposite direction, having allowed two runs or less in each of his last three starts. The problem for the right-hander has been sticking around, as his 5 2/3 innings at Chicago last weekend matched a season high. He has issued 18 walks while striking out just 13 in 28 1/3 total innings.

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1. Kansas City went 5-13 in interleague play last season while Arizona went 10-8.

2. Upton snapped a 13-game homerless streak with a two-run blast on Thursday.

3. Royals 1B Eric Hosmer was held out of the lineup on Thursday. He is batting .174 and has not homered since April 25.

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