Sports Handicapper Sean Murphy's Picks & Predictions

My selection is on Phoenix minus the points over Toronto at 10 pm et on Tuesday.

The expansion Tempo and Mercury own identical 2-2 records entering Tuesday's matchup in Phoenix. Not all records are created equally, however. Toronto has faced a manageable early season slate with games against the Mystics, Storm and Sparks (two). Meanwhile, Phoenix has faced an incredibly difficult schedule, going up against the Aces, Valkyries, Lynx and Sky. I've been encouraged by the way the Mercury have limited their opponents' scoring opportunities, allowing 71, 67, 64 and 68 field goal attempts through four games. Phoenix's offense has yet to really get going but I see this as a potential breakout spot. Toronto has to feel satisfied after securing a double-digit win in Los Angeles on Sunday - avenging a 99-95 loss suffered two nights earlier. The Tempo have now reeled off three straight ATS wins. I do think there's trouble brewing, however, as their defensive play has regressed, allowing 25, 27, 37 and 33 made field goals over the course of their first four games. While they may be able to stick around for a while in this game, I think the Mercury's talent edge ultimately wins out as they pull away for a convincing win. Take Phoenix (8*).

My selection is on San Diego +1.5 runs over Los Angeles at 9:40 pm et on Tuesday.

The Padres stayed red hot, taking the opener of this series 1-0 last night. We'll grab the insurance run with San Diego on Tuesday as it looks to move past the mighty Dodgers in the N.L. West standings with a victory in Game 2. Emmet Sheehan will take the ball for Los Angeles. He's off to a mediocre start to the season but it's his career home-away splits that are most concerning. In 20 appearances (18 starts) at Dodger Stadium, Sheehan has posted a 2.70 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with a 3.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In 16 road outings he has logged a 5.75 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with a 2.8 K:BB ratio. He does own solid numbers against current Padres hitters but we're talking about a very small sample size (15 collective at-bats). No current Padre has seen Sheehan more than twice. Griffin Canning will counter for San Diego. His reputation as a back-of-the-rotation starter precedes him and his numbers through three outings this season are poor to say the last. With that being said, he did turn in his best effort of the campaign last time out as he held the White Sox to one earned run over five economical innings (73 pitches - 42 for strikes). Canning has actually held up well against current Dodgers hitters, holding them to 22-for-91 (.242) with a .770 OPS. He has limited Shohei Ohtani to just one single in seven at-bats. The bullpens are a virtual wash in this matchup. The Dodgers 'pen is a little more rested right now but the Padres have the depth to contend in the later innings on Tuesday. Take San Diego +1.5 runs (8*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Cleveland and New York at 8 pm et on Tuesday.

Both of these teams are coming off 'over' results but I look for a different story to unfold as they open the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday. Cleveland has settled into a fairly slow pace in these playoffs, hoisting up 85 or fewer field goal attempts in all but two of their 14 games. That should suit the Knicks just fine in this series as New York is one of the more deliberately-paced teams in the NBA. The Knicks have held an incredible 14 of their last 16 opponents to fewer than 40 made field goals with a high-water mark of 43 over that stretch (that came in their series-clinching win over the 76ers that got out of hand in a hurry). These two teams last played back on February 24th and the result was a game that totalled just 203 points. That contest was played at a similar pace to what I'm anticipating in Game 1 on Tuesday. Take the under (8*).

My selection is on New York minus the points over Cleveland at 8 pm et on Tuesday.

We won with the Cavaliers in their Game 7 'upset' victory in Detroit on Sunday but I won't hesitate to go the other way and fade them on Tuesday as they head to New York to open the Eastern Conference Finals. The fact that Cleveland is coming off an ATS victory is notable as it has strung together just three ATS winning streaks dating back to February 20th. On the flip side, the Knicks check in off back-to-back ATS wins and have now recorded four ATS winning streaks since February 27th with the previous three all lasting at least four contests. Look for New York to roll in Game 1 at Madison Square Garden. Take New York (8*).