ScoresandStats.com Latest Sports Previews

The Angels and Reds head into Sunday’s rubber game with very different reasons for confidence. Los Angeles is only 7-8 and sitting third in the AL West, but the bigger story is Jose Soriano taking the ball with a 0.45 ERA and real ace-level form through three starts. Cincinnati is 9-6, second in the NL Central, and coming off Saturday’s 7-3 win after getting blown out 10-2 in the opener, so this feels like one of the better spots on the Sunday MLB preview slate even before you get to the pitching matchup. First pitch is set for 1:40 p.m. EDT at Great American Ball Park, with the game streaming on MLB.TV. At the top of the handicap, it starts

The final game of the season does not mean nothing here, even if neither team is headed to the postseason. Chicago comes into Dallas at 31-50 after another frustrating year in the East, while the Mavericks are 25-56 and trying to close out an ugly season with one more good offensive night at home. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center, and the backdrop is a little strange on both sides. The Bulls are dealing with front-office fallout and questions about Billy Donovan’s future, while Dallas is playing through the final days of a season that never found stability. Chicago has dropped seven of its last nine and is limping into this finale short-handed. Josh Giddey

The Denver Nuggets head to Frost Bank Center on Sunday night for a regular-season finale that still carries real playoff weight. Denver is 53-28, has won 11 straight, and can lock up the No. 3 seed in the West with a win. San Antonio is 62-19, already secured in the No. 2 spot, and has been just as hot lately with 14 wins in its last 15 games. Tipoff is set for 7:30 PM local time in San Antonio, and the game will be on ESPN. What makes this handicap tricky is that the standings urgency belongs more to Denver, but the cleaner roster situation belongs more to San Antonio. The Nuggets have several key pieces ruled out, Nikola Jokic

The Memphis Grizzlies head to Toyota Center on Sunday night for the regular-season finale, and this is one of those matchups where the standings tell only part of the story. Memphis is 25-56 and limping to the finish line after seven straight losses, while Houston is 51-30 and already locked into the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. Tipoff is set for 8:30 PM ET, and on paper it looks like a mismatch. In reality, it is a little messier because both teams are missing so much. Houston just had its eight-game winning streak snapped in a 136-132 loss to Minnesota, a game that exposed some defensive slippage at exactly the wrong time. The Rockets still have nothing to