Case of the Mondays: Clippers Crack, Charlotte Can't Close it Out

by Ricky Dimon - 5/2/2016

The Charlotte Hornets were not alone in suffering a tough first-round series loss, and they were not even the only team to fall in seven games. But no other club blew a chance to close things out on its home court. Charlotte went home for Game 6 with a 3-2 lead in hand only to fall victim to a Dwyane Wade onslaught before getting blown out at the Miami Heat in Game 7. Out West, the Los Angeles Clippers could not make it to a seventh game after seeing both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin go down.

Odds provided by BetOnline Sportsbook unless otherwise indicated.

Charlotte Hornets . It was all right there for the Hornets to wrap things up at home this past Friday night. They had won three in a row and were coming off a thrilling victory in Miami. Kemba Walker put on a late show, but he could not bring Charlotte back from a nine-point halftime deficit and Wade came up with all the answers in Game 6. The Heat's veteran guard drained two fourth-quarter threes, having previously gone without dialing long distance since December. Wade finished with 23 points in tying the series before much less was required of him in Sunday's 106-73 Game 7 blowout. Miami led by double-digits after one quarter and by 30 heading into the fourth in what was nothing short of a laugher. The Heat are +4.5 road underdogs in Game 1 against Toronto on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Clippers . Could what happened last week be any more Clippers? It's just so Clippers. Of course, this time around it wasn't really their fault. Rewinding to the previous weekend and L.A. was not only leading its first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers 2-1, but it also appeared to be in line for a conference semifinal showdown against a Golden State Warriors squad without Stephen Curry. But grand designs of an epic playoff run all came crashing down last Monday, when both Paul (hand) and Griffin (quad) suffered injuries that would end their 2015-16 campaigns. Griffin was ruled out for the remainder of the postseason and Paul's return at any point was questionable. Without their top two players in Game 5 and Game 6, the Clippers dropped both contests-and the series. Golden State is a -10 home favorite over Portland on Tuesday.

Anaheim Ducks . The Ducks already had a hat-trick of sorts-and not a desirable one. In 2013, 2014, and 2015 they failed to close out series in Game 6 on the road before losing Game 7 at home. And, yes, it happened again. Anaheim led the Nashville Predators 3-2 but dropped Game 6 at Bridgestone Arena and inevitably got beat in Game 7 last Wednesday, 2-1 inside the friendly confines of the Honda Center. Head coach Bruce Boudreau got fired two days later. Boudreau is now 1-7 lifetime in Game 7 situations, having previously compiled a 1-3 mark with with the Washington Capitals. Nashville now trails the San Jose Sharks 2-0 and is +1600 to win the Western Conference. San Jose is a +160 favorite.

Laremy Tunsil . Nobody has endured a draft day quite like Tunsil. Just minutes before the start of last Thursday's festivities, someone allegedly hacked the offensive tackle's Twitter account and posted a video of Tunsil smoking marijuana through a gas-mask bong. His Instagram was also allegedly hacked, and it featured text messages suggesting he accepted money from coaches while playing at Ole Miss. Tunsil admitted to that during his press conference after the Dolphins selected him 13^th overall. The difference between No. 3, Tunsil's initial projection, and No. 13 is at least $8 million in guaranteed money. Ouch. Miami is a +7.5 underdog at Seattle in Week 1.

Dee Gordon . The Miami Marlins' second baseman was suspended 80 games last Friday for violating Major League Baseball's substance-abuse policy. Gordon reportedly tested positive for exogenous testosterone and clostebol. The reigning National League batting champion was hitting .266 with 13 runs scored and six stolen bases through 21 games this season. Gordon may get pretty bored over the next three months, but hey, things could be much worse for the guy. After all, he signed a five-year, $50 million contract in January. His game may be going away, but that money isn't. Miami is a +1300 third choice to win the NL East (MyBookie.ag).

Grigor Dimitrov . The 29^th-ranked tennis player in the world lost his mind-several times-in the final of the Istanbul Open on Sunday. Going up against unseeded and unheralded opponent Diego Schwartzman, Dimitrov led by a set and 5-2 in the second before squandering all of his lead and getting pushed to a decisive third. That's when the Bulgarian started to meltdown and he incurred three penalties for racket abuse, breaking rackets to pieces on all three occasions. The first earned him a warning. The second incurred a point penalty. The third came with the automatic loss of a game, and it occurred with Dimitrov trailing 5-0. That ended the match right then and there. Dimitrov is +5000 to win the French Open; Novak Djokovic is a -145 favorite.

Danica Patrick . It was a wild one at Talladega on Sunday. According to NASCAR's version of the box score, 35 of 40 cars were involved in some type of accident. Barely more than half (21) finished on the lead lap and 12 were ruled out of the race. There was 21-car wreck and another that involved 12 drivers. Patrick was running in the top 10 when she got sent into a wall with eight laps remaining in a crash that saw Matt Kenseth go airborne. Brad Keselowski emerged from all of the scrums unscathed and he ultimately cruised to victory without too much trouble. "There [were] no moments to relax at all," Patrick reflected. "I'm sure that kind of expanded people's comfort zones at the end of the race because we were already so used to running close. Some people took it over the edge."

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 3:30 PM
Expert:	Scott Spreitzer
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