Mavs Playoffs – Rangers get Started – Stars Golfing
Dallas Round-Up – Mavs heading for playoffs, Rangers getting started, Stars get clubs ready
Masters 2010 odds will probably be a big focus in Dallas this weekend, but as for the professional teams, all three are at significantly different stages of their seasons. Here’s a look at how everything is shaking out.
The Mavericks are tied with Denver and Phoenix in winning percentage, but they sit in the second spot due to tiebreakers. The Mavericks lost home games to Orlando and Oklahoma City before beating Memphis on Wednesday, and starting Friday, they play three road games in four nights at Portland, Sacramento, and in Los Angeles against the Clippers. There isn’t much room to move in the West, and this closing stretch will be huge, both for seeding, and for momentum as the Mavericks have been a bit inconsistent in the past month, especially on defense, which makes basketball betting players wary.
The Rangers will wrap up their three-game set at home against Toronto on Thursday afternoon, splitting the first two games. The Rangers were held hitless by Toronto’s Shaun Marcum for seven innings, yet fought all the way back for a 5-4 win on Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s ninth-inning hit, although he is now injured. On Wednesday, Rich Harden allowed three runs on one hit in an eventful 3.2-inning stint in a 7-4 loss, striking out eight, but he also walked five. Harden signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract in the offseason, and when he’s on, Harden is lights out. However, sportsbooks won’t put too much faith in him as he’s injury-prone, and with a pitch count of 90 in 3.2 innings, you can bet that Texas management may be a bit worried. Finally, second baseman Ian Kinsler is on the disabled list with a sprained ankle.
The Stars are ready to start golfing as they are eliminated from the playoff race, so with two games left, the attention switches to off-ice issues, such as a decision from Mike Modano about retirement. The 39-year-old was the Stars’ first pick in the 1988 draft, and ironically, his last game could come this Saturday in Minnesota, where this franchise was located before moving to Dallas before the 1993-94 season. He leads the franchise in games, goals, assists and points, and he won a Stanley Cup in 1999, so he has nothing left to prove. Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull are allegedly trying to talk Modano into joining a group looking to buy the Stars, which would be great as Modano has long been the face of the franchise. It may not raise their NHL betting odds, but having Modano on board with the ownership group would be huge for this franchise.
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