Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The NBA ends the second round of its playoffs, the NHL starts its third round, and the Mets and Giants finish their series.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The Lakers and the Celtics will both be trying to avoid playoff disasters on Sunday when they take to the court at home in the deciding game of their series (official betting preview).
Los Angeles and Houston will get things started at 3:30pm ET, with the Rockets coming off a 95-80 home win in Game 6 on Thursday night. Aaron Brooks led the way with 26 points for Houston in that victory, while Luis Scola tossed in 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Kobe Bryant had a game-high 32 points in the defeat for the Lakers, who have been pegged as big 12.5-point favorites Sunday.
At 8:00pm ET the second round of the NBA playoffs will then conclude with the Celtics playing host to the Magic. Underdog Orlando got 23 points and 22 boards from Dwight Howard in Game 6 on Thursday night in an 83-75 home win, which tied up the series 3-3. Rashard Lewis had 20 points in that contest. Rajon Rondo had 19 points in the loss for the Celtics, who are slim 2.5-point faves for Sunday.
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Meeting up on the diamond . . .
Baseball’s primetime matchup on Sunday has the Mets finishing off their series in San Francisco. New York‘s probable starter for the matchup is undefeated righthander Mike Pelfrey, who sits at 4-0 with a 4.89 ERA on the season. Pelfrey took a no-decision vs. the Braves last time out. The Giants will counter Pelfrey with righthander Matt Cain, who boasts a 3-1 record and an ERA of 3.00 in 2009.
Also on the National League schedule for Sunday: the Dodgers at Florida, Colorado at Pittsburgh, Philadelphia at Washington, Milwaukee at St. Louis, Houston at the Cubs, Cincinnati at San Diego, and Arizona at Atlanta. Braves righthanded starter Derek Lowe is 5-1 with a 3.80 ERA through his eight outings.
The top pitcher on tap in the AL on Sunday is Blue Jays ace righthander Roy Halladay, who is 7-1 with a 2.95 ERA. Halladay will take the mound at home against the ChiSox and righthander Gavin Floyd (2-3, 7.32 ERA). Rounding out the AL slate: Oakland at Detroit, Minnesota at the Yankees, Cleveland at Tampa Bay, the Angels at Texas, Baltimore at Kansas City, and finally Boston at Seattle.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
The NHL’s Western Conference final gets underway on Sunday afternoon, with Detroit playing host to division-rival Chicago. The Red Wings finally dispatched the Ducks on Thursday, getting the game-winning goal from Dan Cleary in a 4-3 Game 7 victory. The Blackhawks got past the Canucks in their second-round set earlier in the week, riding a Patrick Kane hat trick to a 7-5 win in the clincher. Oddsmakers have the Red Wings pegged as the -180 home favorites for Sunday.