Hawks-Heat and Kentucky Derby Odds Headline Weekend Betting

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Hawks try to finish off the Heat, the Ducks look to upset the Red Wings, and the Marlins head north to meet the Cubs.

Kentucky Derby…

Horse bettors already have the best 2009 Kentucky Derby preview and will get the winner on race day from GodsTips. According to BetUs Sportsbook the odds of a horse winning the Triple Crown this year is 6-1.

Tipping off on the hardwood  . . .

The Hawks can put away the Heat when the two teams meet in Miami on Friday night in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series. Atlanta rolled to a 106-91 win over Miami at home in Game 5 on Wednesday night to grab a 3-2 advantage in the series. Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks with 25 points in that contest, while Josh Smith added 20 points and eight rebounds. Dwayne Wade had a game-high 29 points in the loss for the Heat. Atlanta center Al Horford sprained his ankle on Wednesday, and forward Marvin Williams is still out with a bad wrist.

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Meeting up on the diamond . . .

Cubs righthander Rich Harden will be looking to pick up his third straight victory on Friday when his team plays host to the Marlins. Harden (2-1, 3.86 ERA) is coming off back-to-back wins over the Cardinals and Reds, allowing just four earned runs over 12 innings of work. The Marlins will counter Harden with Graham Taylor on Friday. Lefthanded Taylor has made just one start so far this year, giving up four earned runs in 3 2-3 innings in a blowout loss to the Phillies.

Elsewhere on the National League schedule for Friday it's Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, the Mets at Philadelphia, St. Louis at Washington, Houston at Atlanta, Arizona at Milwaukee, Colorado at San Francisco, and San Diego at the Dodgers. Padres starter Jake Peavy has allowed 11 runs over his last two starts.

Over in the American League on Friday it's Cleveland at Detroit, the Angels at the Yankees, Boston at Tampa Bay, the White Sox at Texas, Kansas City at Minnesota, Oakland at Seattle, and Baltimore at Toronto. Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay gets the ball on Friday; he's 4-1 with a 3.75 ERA through his five starts.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Two more second-round National Hockey League playoff series get underway on Friday night, with Anaheim at Detroit and Carolina at Boston. The Ducks pulled off the biggest upset of the first round, dispatching the top-seeded Sharks in six games. The Red Wings, meanwhile, blasted past the Blue Jackets in the first round with a four-game sweep. Anaheim and Detroit met four times during the regular season, with the Red Wings taking three of those contests (two at home).

The Bruins had no trouble advancing to the second round, as they got past the rival Canadiens in just four games to open their playoff run. The Hurricanes didn't have such an easy time in their first-round set, as it took a full seven games for them to slip past the Devils. Carolina didn't have any luck against the Bruins in the regular season, as Boston won all four of their matchups by an 18-6 margin.