The Bum's NBA March Trends/News/ Stats/ All You Need To Know !

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Wednesday, March 4


Pelicans' C Anthony Davis, questionable Wednesday

Davis has been out with an injured right shoulder but could return Wednesday against the Pistons.


Grizzlies' PF Zach Randolph, questionable Wednesday

Randolph did not play in Tuesday's game due to an illness and is questionable Wednesday against the Rockets.


Dogs, over good bets in the NBA Tuesday night

It was a good night to back underdogs and the over in NBA action Tuesday night.

Dogs went 5-2 against the spread last night with road dogs going 3-1 ATS and home dogs 2-1 ATS. The only favorites to come through were Cleveland and Sacramento.

In the totals market, the over also went 5-2. It's a good night considering the over has cashed just 46.3 percent of the time this season.


Wizards don't cover for seventh straight game

The Washington Wizards are going through a big slump, both on the court and at the betting window, dropping their seventh game in a row against the spread.

The skid has dropped the Wizards to 23-37-1 ATS on the season, making them the worst bet in the Association.

The Wizards have been no better straight up, winning just one time in their last eight games.

While bettors might think of fading the Wizards for now, they will try to end the streak Friday when they host Miami.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Portland at LA Clippers
The Trail Blazers (14-13 on the road) head to Los Angeles tonight to face a Clippers team that is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 home games versus a team with a winning road record. Portland is the pick (+2) according to Dunkel, which has the Trail Blazers favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Portland (+2). Here are all of today's NBA picks.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4

Game 710-702: New York at Indiana (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: New York 108.072; Indiana 127.118
Dunkel Line & Total: Indiana by 15; 192
Vegas Line & Total: Indiana by 13 1/2; 188
Dunkel Pick: Indiana (-13 1/2); Over

Game 703-704: Phoenix at Orlando (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 119.028; Orlando 111.502
Dunkel Line & Total; Phoenix by 7 1/2; 195
Vegas Line & Total: Phoenix by 4 1/2; 201 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (-4 1/2); Under

Game 705-706: Utah at Boston (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Utah 121.946; Boston 119.207
Dunkel Line & Total: Utah by 2 1/2; 187
Vegas Line & Total: Boston by 1; 192 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Utah (+1); Under

Game 707-708: Cleveland at Toronto (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland 124.217; Toronto 122.945
Dunkel Line & Total: Cleveland by 1 1/2; 210
Vegas Line & Total:: Cleveland by 4 1/2; 203
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+4 1/2); Over

Game 709-710: Charlotte at Brooklyn (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Charlotte 115.589; Brooklyn 123.822
Dunkel Line & Total: Brooklyn by 8 1/2; 199
Vegas Line & Total:: Brooklyn by 5 1/2; 193 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Brooklyn (-5 1/2); Over

Game 711-712: Denver at Minnesota (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Denver 109.206; Minnesota 121.504
Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 12 1/2; 212
Vegas Line & Total: Minnesota by 5 1/2; 207 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-5 1/2); Over

Game 713-714: Memphis at Houston (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Memphis 119.688; Houston 120.491
Dunkel Line & Total: Houston by 1; 194
Vegas Line & Total: Pick; Houston by 3 1/2; 198
Dunkel Pick: Memphis (+3 1/2); Under

Game 715-716: LA Lakers at Miami (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Lakers 114.819; Miami 118.854
Dunkel Line & Total: Miami by 4; 196
Vegas Line & Total: Pick; Miami by 9; 201
Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (+9); Under

Game 717-718: Philadelphia at Oklahoma City (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 110.298; Oklahoma City 127.850
Dunkel Line & Total: Oklahoma City by 17 1/2; 198
Vegas Line & Total: Pick; Oklahoma City by 15; 203
Dunkel Pick: Oklahoma City (-15); Under

Game 719-720: Detroit at New Orleans (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 115.409; New Orleans 121.414
Dunkel Line & Total: New Orleans by 6; 199
Vegas Line & Total: Pick; New Orleans by 4 1/2; 195
Dunkel Pick: New Orleans (-4 1/2); Over

Game 721-722: Sacramento at San Antonio (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Sacramento 116.017; San Antonio 121.595
Dunkel Line & Total: San Antonio by 5 1/2; 211
Vegas Line & Total: Pick; San Antonio by 10; 206
Dunkel Pick: Sacramento (+10); Over

Game 723-724: Portland at LA Clippers (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Portland 122.722; LA Clippers 121.516
Dunkel Line & Total: Portland by 1; 200
Vegas Line & Total: Pick; LA Clippers by 2; 205 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Portland (+2); Under

Game 725-726: Milwaukee at Golden State (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee 113.186; Golden State 129.592
Dunkel Line & Total: Golden State by 16 1/2; 208
Vegas Line & Total: Pick; Golden State by 13 1/2; 203 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Golden State (-13 1/2); Over

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday's Tip Sheet

March 4, 2015

Cavaliers at Raptors – 7:35 PM EST

These two teams are fighting it out for the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race behind Atlanta as they meet for the final time in the regular season. After getting blown out at home in November by the Raptors, the Cavaliers have captured the past two matchups, both wins coming in a five-day stretch in early December. Cleveland heads north of the border with no rest after blowing out Boston last night, 110-79 to snap a two-game skid, as the Cavs led by as many as 44 points to easily cash as 11-point favorites.

The Raptors ended a five-game losing streak in Monday’s 114-103 victory at Philadelphia as 9 ½-point favorites. Toronto eclipsed the 100-point mark for the first time in six games, in spite of point guard Kyle Lowry sitting out his second straight contest to rest his body. Lowry is questionable for tonight’s showdown, as the Raptors look to put up a better home effort than their last performance at the Air Canada Center, a 113-89 blowout loss to Golden State last Friday. The Raptors are 2-2 SU/ATS this season as a home underdog, which includes wins before the All-Star break against the Spurs and Clippers.

Grizzlies at Rockets – 8:05 PM EST

Houston is back at home with its leading scorer ready to take the court after missing Tuesday’s 104-96 loss at Atlanta. James Harden missed his first game this season after getting suspended one game for kicking LeBron James in the groin of Sunday’s overtime win over Cleveland, as the Rockets threw away an 18-point lead last night, snapping their five-game winning streak. All five victories in that hot streak came at the Toyota Center on Houston’s recent homestand, as the Rockets covered four times.

The short-handed Grizzlies were tripped up by the Jazz last night, 93-82 as seven-point favorites, as Zach Randolph, Beno Udrih, and Tony Allen all sat out. Randolph is questionable for tonight’s action after missing Tuesday’s game with an illness, as Memphis has lost three of four while posting an 0-4 ATS record in this stretch. These division rivals are hooking up for the last time in the regular season, as the Rockets have claimed the previous two meetings after Memphis blew out Houston in November. The Grizzlies have profited as a road underdog of late, cashing three of the past four times in this role, including victories over the Clippers and Blazers.

Blazers at Clippers – 10:35 PM EST

Los Angeles is back at home following a successful 3-1 road trip, highlighted by victories at Chicago and Memphis. The Clippers blew an 18-point lead on Monday at Minnesota, but L.A. managed a 110-105 triumph at the Target Center to claim their seventh win in nine tries following a four-game skid in early February. Doc Rivers’ squad has won six of the past seven times at the Staples Center, while taking both meetings from the Blazers this season, including a 100-94 win at the Moda Center in January.

The Blazers have suddenly won three straight games, while the offense has picked things up by busting the 110-point mark in each victory during this hot streak. On Sunday, Portland captured only its second road win in 10 tries by taking care of Sacramento, 110-99 as eight-point favorites. However, the Blazers own a dreadful 1-8 ATS record since early January off an ATS win, so consecutive covers have been hard to come by for Terry Stotts’ team. The Blazers have fared well this season as a road underdog against Western Conference foes, covering in seven of 11 tries.

Bucks at Warriors – 10:35 PM EST

Milwaukee hopes to end an ugly road trip on a positive note after losing the first three games to below .500 competition. The Bucks fell twice as a road favorite, the first time to the Lakers last Friday, but the low point came last night in a 106-95 setback at Denver as 5.5-point chalk, as the Nuggets ended a six-game skid. Jason Kidd’s club looks like a deer in headlights right now, covering just twice in the last 12 games, including an 0-5 SU/ATS record in the past five road contests. Prior to this cold stretch on the highway, Milwaukee posted an impressive 13-1 ATS ledger away from the BMO Harris Center from mid-December through the start of February.

The Warriors are back in the Bay Area following a 3-3 road swing, which included losses at Brooklyn and Indiana. Golden State erased a 26-point deficit in Sunday’s 106-101 miracle win at Boston, but couldn’t complete the comeback against the Nets on Monday, in spite of tying the game late after trailing by 10 points. Steve Kerr’s squad begins a three-game homestand that continues with the Mavericks and Clippers this week, as the Warriors are playing their third home game in the last month. The Warriors have cashed the ‘over’ in five of the past seven games at Oracle Arena, but Golden State has failed to cover in each of its previous five home meetings with Milwaukee since 2010.

[StarDust Bum]

Blazers, Clippers hook up

March 4, 2015


PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (39-19) at LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (40-21)

Tip-off: Wednesday, 10:30 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line and Total: L.A. Clippers -2, 205.5

Two of the better Western Conference teams, the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers, look to improve on their playoff seeds when they meet Wednesday night.

The Trail Blazers have been a tremendous team all year, but they have been borderline dominant over their past three games, going 3-0 SU (2-1 ATS) against some pretty solid competition. The offense was clicking over the contests, scoring 112.0 PPG as they defeated their opponents by an average of 10.0 PPG. Most recently they went to Sacramento to take on the Kings and were able to get a relatively easy 110-99 victory as eight-point favorites. Portland shot 49.4% from the field in the game and made 10-of-24 threes (41.7% 3PM) with 18-of-20 free throws also going in (90% FT).

The Clippers also come into this one riding a three-game winning streak and they have taken victories in seven of their past nine games SU (6-3 ATS). They scored at least 110 points in five of the seven wins and failed to cover in just one as they defeated the Timberwolves 110-105 as 6.5-point road favorites this past Monday. It was the team’s fourth straight road game and they went into the fourth quarter down a point, but were able to outscore Minnesota 24-18 in the final quarter behind 47.8% shooting as a group in the contest. Los Angeles had six players in double-figures in the victory despite shooting a poor 52.6% from the charity stripe.

The Blazers tend to play some mediocre basketball on the road and are 14-13 SU (13-14 ATS) when away from home as the Clippers have managed a solid mark of 23-8 SU (14-17 ATS) when in front of their hometown fans. Los Angeles has managed to win each of the first two meetings with Portland this year, taking the victories by an average of 5.0 PPG. The last time they faced-off, the Clips went on the road as they were getting 3.5 points and left with a 100-94 win while holding their opponent to a meager 40.2% shooting. Overall in the past three seasons, Los Angeles is 6-3 SU (4-4-1 ATS) in this matchup and they have won the past six home games against the Blazers.

Some trends to keep an eye on in this game include that Portland is 12-6 ATS (67%) after a combined score of 205 points or more this year while the Clippers have put together a record of 17-9 ATS (65%) after playing two or more consecutive games as a road favorite in the last three years. The Trail Blazers have had plenty of injuries this year but will be playing with a fully healthy squad on Wednesday as they go against a L.A. team which has both SG Jamal Crawford (Calf) and SF Matt Barnes (Hamstring) listed as questionable while PF Blake Griffin (Elbow) is out until at least Sunday.

Portland’s offense has been solid throughout the year as they put up 102.5 PPG (8th in the league) behind 44.4% shooting. Where they have really improved is on defense as they are allowing opponents to score just 97.4 PPG (9th in league) on a meager 43.4% shooting (5th in league). PF LaMarcus Aldridge (23.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.1 BPG) has had three consecutive double-doubles leading up to this game and has averaged some huge numbers (27.5 PPG, 15.5 RPG) over the past two contests. He’s had a double-double in each of the matchups with this opponent so far this season and despite his team taking a loss in the most recent bout, he was huge with 37 points and 12 rebounds.

PG Damian Lillard (21.2 PPG, 6.2 APG, 4.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG) has also had some monster performances of late and has made 21-of-42 shots (50% FG) over his past couple of games in which he has netted 30.0 PPG and added 6.0 APG. He struggled in the last meeting with L.A., going for 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting, but nearly had a triple-double (25 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds) the last time playing them on the road. SG Wesley Matthews (16.2 PPG, 1.3 SPG) has bounced around between poor and solid performances and was an efficient 6-for-8 with 17 points against the Kings on Sunday. He’s made only 8-of-24 shots (33% FG) in the two games against L.A. this year, averaging a mere 11.0 PPG.

The Clippers continue to be one of the better offensive units in the game as they are going for a very impressive 106.6 PPG (2nd in league) on 47.2% shooting (2nd in league). Their fast offensive pace has allowed opponents to score 100.4 PPG (12th-worst in league) while making 44.5% of their shots. PG Chris Paul (18.2 PPG, 10.0 APG, 4.8 RPG, 1.8 SPG) has a double-double in 10 of his last 11 performances and is shooting an incredible 55.9% from the field over his last five games (25.0 PPG). He is much of the reason that his team won against Portland in the first two meetings, averaging 22.5 PPG, 10.5 APG, 5.0 RPG and 1.5 SPG.

C DeAndre Jordan (11.2 PPG, 14.4 RPG, 2.3 BPG) is having another phenomenal year and has put together a huge stretch of games lately with 13.4 PPG (72% FG), 20.4 RPG and 1.8 BPG over his last five outings. His 11.5 PPG, 16.0 RPG and 2.5 SPG in the two games against the Blazers this year were a clear factor in why his team earned the wins. SG Jamal Crawford (16.4 PPG) led the team in scoring (20.1 PPG) over 11 February games but came out of his last contest with a thigh contusion. He hopes that it is nothing more than a Charley horse and wants to be on the court against a team which he has put up 22.5 PPG against this year.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

-- San Diego State 60, UNLV 58-- Referee David Hall worked his 89th game in 111 nights this college basketball season.

-- Eight of UNLV's last nine losses were by 6 or less points or in overtime.

-- Turns out that Jim Harbaugh is a big fan of Judge Judy's TV show; who knew?

-- Odd fact: Werner Ladder is the official ladder of the NCAA tournament.

-- Dodgers apparently have offered to pay about half of the $56M they owe Andre Ethier over the next three years, if some team will trade for him.

-- Leftfield bleachers in Wrigley Field won't be available until at least May 11; ones in rightfield not until June at the earliest, as renovations at the ballpark are dragging.



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Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud.......

13) Hard to believe its been 25 years since Hank Gathers died. Young man was a star for Loyola Marymount; he had a heart attack on the court during the WCC tournament and passed away shortly thereafter. Very sad, seems like yesterday.

12) Irony of Reggie Jackson being called Mr October: first time one of teams he played for made the World Series, in 1972, Jackson didn't play in the series because he tore his hamstring sliding into home plate in Game 5 of the playoff series with Detroit. A's replaced him with George Hendrick/Angel Mangual in that series.

11) Exhibition baseball is therapeutic, but I watch highlights Tuesday and I see Josh Donaldson playing for Toronto, Yoenis Cespedes for Detroit and for those several minutes, it is not fun to be an A's fan. No one good ever stays.

10) This goes all the way back to New Years Eve, 1974; I was 15 and went bowling. Came home and turned the sports ticker channel on, the cool channel with a light blue screen that spouted out sports stuff whenever the stock market was closed.

That night, the channel delivered me bad news: Catfish Hunter had signed with the baseball team in the Bronx. My favorite player had left the A's for money, something that has repeated itself over and over and over for the last 40 years. It sucks.

9) Side note that I mentioned here once before: that bowling alley, Sunset Lanes, will soon be turned into a warehouse for the many Asian grocery stores and restaurants in this area. America needs more bowling alleys, not less. Not all change is positive.

8) While I'm complaining about things, selling Personal Seat Licenses to stadiums should be illegal. You build a stadium with taxpayer dollars, you charge fans a fee just to have the right to buy tickets for the games there; how is this not extortion?

7) There were 14,400 pitching changes in the major leagues last year, thats 5.94 per game, or roughly 2,500 more than in 1998. How long does a pitching change take, if it is done during a half-inning? 5-7 minutes? There are two main reasons baseball games are longer now than they were 20 years ago:
-- More commercials in between innings.
-- More pitching changs, a lot more.

6) Baseball fans don't care that games are a little longer; the media does and the media influences a lot of what the average fan thinks, so the things they bitch about become the things a lot of average fans bitch about. Its too bad.

5) Saw this somewhere today, maybe an ESPN magazine I was reading: the average number of balls in play during a 2014 baseball game: 52. There are obviously 54 outs in a 9-inning game if home team bats in 9th inning; subtract strikeouts, add in hits and errors and you get 52. I had never thought about it, but it is an interesting number.

4) Peyton Manning took a $4M pay cut for next year, will play for $15M, which is not pocket change, but it is less than his brother Eli makes.

3) Peyton Manning threw 21 TDs with only four INTs at home LY; he threw 18 TDs, 11 INTs on the road.

2) Virginia is expected to get Justin Anderson back for its next game at Louisville Saturday and more importantly, the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Anderson is their best player; would be curious to see the Cavaliers play Kentucky.

1) Underrated move: Buffalo Bills traded for Matt Cassel Wednesday. Cassel once led the Patriots to an 11-5 record when Tom Brady got hurt in the season opener. He never started a game at USC, backing up Carson Palmer/Matt Leinart.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, March 5

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OKLAHOMA CITY (34 - 27) at CHICAGO (38 - 23) - 3/5/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 44-27 ATS (+14.3 Units) after allowing 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 47-33 ATS (+10.7 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 48-74 ATS (-33.4 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 15-28 ATS (-15.8 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 53-83 ATS (-38.3 Units) in home games off an upset win as an underdog since 1996.
CHICAGO is 24-39 ATS (-18.9 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 3-1 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 4-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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DALLAS (40 - 22) at PORTLAND (40 - 19) - 3/5/2015, 10:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 7-2 against the spread versus PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 6-3 straight up against PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, March 5

Hot Teams
-- Thunder won nine of last eleven games (6-2 last eight AF). Bulls won eight of last eleven games (3-2 HU).
-- Dallas won ten of its last fifteen games (1-8 last nine AU). Portland won its last four games (3-7 last ten HF).

Cold Teams
-- None

Series Records
-- Thunder won their last five games with Chicago.
-- Mavericks won five of last seven games with Portland.

Totals
-- Last six Oklahoma City road games went over total.
-- Six of last seven Dallas road games stayed under total.

Back-to-Backs
-- Thunder is 6-2-1 vs spread on road if they played night before.
-- Portland is 7-5 if it played night before, 3-2 if it won.

East vs West
SU: West 195-132 ATS: West 168-156-3
East teams HF vs West: 44-46
East teams HU vs West: 36-41
West teams HF vs East: 63-65-3
West teams HU vs East: 18-13




NBA

Thursday, March 5

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. CHICAGO
Oklahoma City is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 6 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City
Chicago is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City

10:30 PM
DALLAS vs. PORTLAND
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Portland is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Dallas
Portland is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas


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NBA

Thursday, March 5


NBA roundup: Westbrook scores 49 in Thunder win

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Guard Russell Westbrook posted 49 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 123-118 overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

It was the fourth consecutive triple-double for Westbrook. He is the first player since Michael Jordan in 1988 to accomplish the feat.

The Thunder improved to 34-27 on the season and have won nine of their last 11 games.

Despite leading by 16 points in the second half, the Sixers dropped to 13-48.

Guard Isaiah Canaan led the 76ers with 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Guard Jason Richardson added 29 points and six rebounds. Forward Luc Mbah a Moute posted 18 points and 14 boards.

Guard Dion Waiters came off the bench to score 20 points and grab 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City. Guard DJ Augustin added 17 points.

Pacers 105, Knicks 82

INDIANAPOLIS -- Guard George Hill scored a season-high 21 points and handed out six assists, and Indiana led from start to finish in an easy victory over New York in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Indiana (26-34) earned its third win in a row and its sixth in seven games while battling for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Pacers scored a season-best 65 first-half points, five more than they scored during the first half of a Dec. 15 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers. Indiana scored 66 second-half points in a Feb. 4 victory against the Detroit Pistons.

Suns 105, Magic 100

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Recently acquired guard Brandon Knight scored 28 points and Phoenix Suns kept its flickering playoff hopes alive with a victory over slumping Orlando.

The Suns (32-30) are chasing the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot, struggling to stay in contention.

Suns forward Markieff Morris had 23 points. Guard Eric Bledsoe had 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Forward P.J. Tucker had 19 points after going scoreless in the first half. The Magic were led by guard Victor Oladipo with a career-high 38 points.

Hornets 115, Nets 91

NEW YORK -- Center Al Jefferson scored 19 points as Charlotte rode a hot start and never trailed en route to a rout of Brooklyn in a matchup of teams vying for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

Jefferson made 8-of-16 shots from the floor, getting nearly half of his points in the first quarter when Charlotte made 14 of its first 16 from the field. Jefferson hit two mid-range jumpers, a short jumper and two dunks as the Hornets opened a 31-8 lead 8 1/2 minutes in.

Charlotte's starting frontcourt made 13 straight shots at one point in the first half and finished a combined 17-of-31 from the floor. Forwards Marvin Williams had 18 points and seven rebounds and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist contributed 10 and 13 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season.

Cavaliers 120, Raptors 112

TORONTO -- Cleveland weathered a fourth-quarter surge by Toronto and held on for the victory at Air Canada Center.

Cavaliers forward LeBron James led the way with 28 points and 13 assists while guard Kyrie Irving chipped in with 24 points. Cleveland forward Kevin Love added 22 points 10 rebounds.

With the win, Cleveland takes three of four in the season series with the Raptors.

Cleveland (39-24) improved to 20-4 since Jan. 14and are now 10-3 against the Atlantic Division.

Celtics 85, Jazz 84

BOSTON -- Boston blew an eight-point lead in the final 2:17 but pulled out the victory over Utah when center Tyler Zeller scored on a reverse layup at the buzzer.

After forward Gordon Hayward had put the Jazz ahead with a jumper with 1.7 seconds left, the Celtics called a timeout to get the ball in the front court. Rookie guard Marcus Smart couldn't get the ball in and called another timeout. This time, he lobbed the ball down low to Zeller, who managed to get the shot off between Hayward and swingman Rodney Hood; with center Rudy Gobert also in the picture.

The basket was called good and held up under review, as the Celtics rebounded from a 31-point loss at Cleveland that came on the heels of blowing a 26-point lead and losing to the Golden State Warriors at home.

The win was the eighth in the last 13 games for the Celtics, who won their 24th game of the season, one shy of last year's total.

Grizzlies 102, Rockets 100

HOUSTON -- Marc Gasol sank a running jumper with 0.01 seconds remaining to lift Memphis to a victory over Houston at Toyota Center.

The Rockets (41-20) rallied from a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit in dramatic fashion, pulling even at 98-98 when guard James Harden drilled a step-back jumper with 1:27 remaining and doing so again when forward Terrence Jones converted at the rim with 55.9 seconds left following a scrum in the paint.

But, following a Harden turnover with 5.4 seconds left, Gasol tracked down an errant inbounds pass, dribbled hard to his right and scored over Jones. Memphis (43-17) extended its lead over Houston in the Southwest Division to 2 1/2 games.

Gasol (21 points, seven rebounds, six assists) and forward Zach Randolph (15 points, eight rebounds, six assists) overwhelmed the Rockets in the second half, with Randolph keying a 10-0 run that opened the fourth quarter. Guard Mike Conley added 17 points and six assists for the Grizzlies.

Nuggets 100, Timberwolves 85

MINNEAPOLIS -- Forward Kenneth Faried had 18 points and 14 rebounds, leading Denver to a win over Minnesota at the Target Center.

The victory improved the Nuggets to 2-0 under interim coach Melvin Hunt, who took over after Brian Shaw was fired on Tuesday.

For the Timberwolves, it was their fourth consecutive loss.

Minnesota (13-47) led by one after the first quarter, paced by an 8-0 run that gave the Timberwolves their largest lead of the night at 19-12. Rookie Andrew Wiggins had 10 points and three rebounds in the quarter.

Pelicans 88, Pistons 85

NEW ORLEANS -- Playing for the first time after missing five games with a sprained right shoulder, forward Anthony Davis scored a game-high 39 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked eight shots to become the all-time franchise leader in blocks to power New Orleans to a victory over Detroit at the Smoothie King Center.

Davis had 19 points at halftime and then poured in another 20 in the second half -- including two critical jumpers in the final 1:14, as the Pelicans (33-28) won their fifth consecutive home game.

Davis' eight blocks gave him 437 in just 180 games, and he became the franchise leader in blocks after just 2 1/2 seasons.

Heat 100, Lakers 94

MIAMI -- Miami, battling to earn one of the two final seeds in the Eastern Conference playoff race, beat Los Angeles at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Heat center Hassan Whiteside turned in his fourth straight double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing a career-high 25 rebounds. He also had four blocks. In his past 16 games, he has 12 double-doubles. In just 33 games this season, he has four 20-plus-rebound efforts.

With the Heat holding onto a one-point lead in the final minute, Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade earned two creative assists, going to Whiteside rolling to the basket each time. Wade finished with a game-high 25 points and six assists.

Miami (27-33) improved to just 12-17 at home. They could become the first team since the Boston Celtics to make the NBA playoffs despite a losing record at home.

Spurs 112, Kings 85

SAN ANTONIO -- Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points and helped San Antonio open a six-game homestand with a win over Sacramento at the AT&T Center.

The Spurs forward started hot and eventually teammates followed his lead. San Antonio guard Tony Parker added 19 points and guards Danny Green and Manu Ginobili each scored 13.

Center DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field as he played through foul trouble for the majority of the game.

Kings guard Ray McCallum scored 12 points and forward Rudy Gay had 10 in the loss on the second night of a back-to-back.

Warriors 102, Bucks 93

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Draymond Green scored a game-high 23 points on his 25th birthday, and Stephen Curry bombed in 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions during a decisive fourth-quarter burst, leading Golden State to a victory over Milwaukee.

The win opened a stretch in which the Warriors (47-12) play 10 of 12 at home, where they are a league-best 25-2 this season. Golden State and Brooklyn are tied for having played the fewest home games in the league.

Coming off seasons in which they went 47-35 and 51-31, the Warriors now have 47 or more wins in three consecutive years for the first time in franchise history.

Trail Blazers 98, Clippers 93 (OT)

LOS ANGELES -- Forward LaMarcus Aldridge scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Portland rallied for an overtime victory over short-handed Los Angeles. Forward Nicolas Batum added 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and he hit a 3-pointer in overtime that allowed the Trail Blazers to win their fourth in a row.

Portland prevailed despite an awful shooting night from point guard Damian Lillard, who finished with five points on 1-of-13 shooting, missing all seven of his 3-point attempts. Lillard, though, led the Blazers with 18 rebounds.

Point guard Chris Paul scored 36 points and had 12 assists to lead the Clippers, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Shooting guard J.J. Redick had 26 points, but no other Clipper managed double figures.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Thursday, March 5

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Game of the Day: TNT NBA Thursday doubleheader
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Oklahoma City Thunder at Chicago Bulls (+4, 200.5)

The Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder are both dealing with injuries to All-Star players, and so far both are making the necessary adjustments. The Bulls will try to take advantage of a tired Thunder squad when they play host Thursday. Oklahoma City got Russell Westbrook back from a facial fracture on Wednesday, and he once again proved that he is a legitimate contender in the MVP race.

Westbrook went for a career-high 49 points and 16 rebounds while adding 10 assists to post his fourth straight triple-double in a 123-118 overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday while wearing a face mask. Westbrook’s heroics have helped cover for the loss of Kevin Durant (foot), who is slowly making his way back and is expected to be out at least another week. The Bulls are used to playing without Derrick Rose (knee), but also are dealing with the loss of All-Star Jimmy Butler (elbow), who sat out Tuesday’s win over Washington and will miss three to six weeks.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened the Bulls as 4-point dogs and the total at 200.5.

INJURY REPORT: Thunder - C Steven Adams (Questionable, hand), F Kevin Durant (Out indefinitely, foot), F Steve Novak (Out indefinitely, appendix). Bulls - F Taj Gibson (Mid March, ankle), G Jimmy Butler (Early April, elbow), G Derrick Rose (Mid April, knee).

ABOUT THE THUNDER (34-27 SU, 30-29-2 ATS, 27-34 O/U): Westbrook took a knee to the side of the head late in a loss at Portland on Friday, resulting in a dent in his face where the bone was fractured. The 26-year-old took one game off before coming back with the mask and became the first player since Michael Jordan in the 1988-89 season to post four straight triple-doubles when he picked apart the 76ers on Wednesday, leading to loud “M-V-P” chants from the home crowd while the reigning MVP, Durant, waved to the crowd for more from the bench. “For those of you, including myself, that thought Russell might need a few games to get used to the mask,” Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks told reporters, “we were wrong.”

ABOUT THE BULLS (38-23 SU, 28-33 ATS, 28-32-1 O/U): Chicago needs players to step up and fill the scoring load vacated by Butler and Rose, and so far rookie forward Nikola Mirotic is up for the challenge. Mirotic is averaging 26 points and 8.5 rebounds over the last two games while playing more than 30 minutes off the bench in each contest. “We’ve just got to hold the fort down until (Rose and Butler) come back,” Bulls center Joakim Noah told reporters. “I think a lot of the young boys really stepped up in a big game (Tuesday against Washington).”

TRENDS:

* Favorite is 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings.
* Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Thunder are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
* Under is 4-1 in Bulls last five home games.



Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trail Blazers (-2.5, OFF)

The Portland Trail Blazers are fresh off an emotional comeback victory on the road and will be on the court again Thursday when they host the Dallas Mavericks. Portland faced a 10-point deficit with under three minutes left in regulation Wednesday before finishing with a flurry and notching a 98-93 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The victory elevated the Trail Blazers to third place in the Western Conference, while the Mavericks are tied for fifth with the Clippers.

Dallas, which has split two games with Portland this season, is an unbelievable 30-0 when leading after three quarters. “We’ve been decent with leads,” forward Dirk Nowitzki told reporters. “We get in trouble when we have suspect first halves and we need to chase all game, and then we run out of gas in the fourth. But we’re usually pretty good when we take the lead.” Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard collected a career-best 18 rebounds against the Clippers but had just five points on 1-of-13 to snap a streak of scoring in double figures in 58 straight games.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened the Blazers as 2.5-point faves.

INJURY REPORT: Mavericks - F Chandler Parsons (Questionable, ankle), C Tyson Chandler (Probable, hip). Blazers - N/A

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (40-22 SU, 30-30-2 ATS, 25-36-1 O/U): Power forward Amar’e Stoudemire continues to adjust to his role and put forth a good effort during Monday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans with 14 points in 23 minutes off the bench. It was his second 14-point outing in four games since joining Dallas, and Stoudemire expects his production to improve as he learns the system and his responsibilities. “It takes a lot of studying and it takes communication to be able to get things figured out,” Stoudemire told reporters. “But I think for the most part we’ve been able to work hand-in-hand, be positive throughout the entire situation and it’s been working for us.”

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (40-19 SU, 30-28-1 ATS, 26-32-1 O/U): Small forward Nicolas Batum was a late-game hero against the Clippers by draining the tying 3-pointer in regulation and then contributing five points, three assists and a blocked shot in overtime, including a 3-pointer that all but sealed the win with 21.1 seconds left. “My job with this coach with this team the last three years is I have to do a little bit of everything on the court,” Batum told reporters after the club’s fourth straight win. Batum was just 3-of-12 from the field over the previous two games before scoring 20 points and making 4-of-8 from 3-point range against Los Angeles to reach 20 for the first time since Feb. 5.

TRENDS:

* Favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Under is 6-1 in Mavericks last seven road games.
* Trail Blazers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven vs. NBA Southwest.
* Mavericks are 7-18-2 ATS in their last 27 vs. Western Conference.

[StarDust Bum]

Fortunate Blazers host Mavs

March 5, 2015

Needless to say, the Trail Blazers flight from L.A. back home was far more pleasant than anyone expected it would be as the fourth quarter unfolded at Staples Center on Wednesday night. A 98-93 comeback win that came after it looked like all was lost has the potential to be a season-changer.
Even if you’re of the belief that momentum lasts only as long as the next possession, the Blazers avoided a loss that had the potential to hauntingly linger. Portland rallied by getting lucky with Hack-a-Jordan, knocking down a few clutch late 3-pointers and avoiding Chris Paul’s likely game-winner that simply rimmed out at the end of regulation.

It overcame Damian Lillard’s nightmare of a night. Paul destroyed him. Defensively, he had him on skates. Portland’s All-Star point guard managed to get a career-high 18 rebounds by keeping his head up and finding a way to contribute, but his 1-for-13 shooting was even worse than it sounds. Lillard didn’t just miss shots, he floundered like a doomed fish out of water trying to get going, dragging the entire offense into his struggles. It didn’t help that DeAndre Jordan was making it impossible to do much around the rim, controlling the paint and frustrating Blazers big men by altering most of their shots.

New acquisition Arron Afflalo had opportunities but couldn’t do what he was brought in to do, knock down the open corner jumper. He was 2-for-7. Wes Matthews was 2-for-8 from 3, though he had one of the biggest makes in the comeback, trimming a six-point deficit to three with 1:06 left in regulation. The Blazers worked their way back from 10 down with 2:53 to go.

Portland found a way to win when it had very little, which means it deserved to win more than if it had just coasted by taking advantage of the absence of Blake Griffin, Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes, who all sat out with injuries. The Trail Blazers gutted out a win, their first against the Clippers in three tries this season.

Memories of an awful night on the court, filled with slamming balls down in disgust and losing patience with referees, were replaced by those of their resilience. Lillard is too confident to let Paul’s domination of him linger, but the win certainly helped, especially since he finally made a basket in OT. Sure, it came at the rim off a perfect feed from Nicolas Batum, but at least he saw something go in.

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Trail Blazers will have their exceptional home crowd behind them after an unlikely win instead of a loss that would’ve left a mark. With only 3.5 games separating No. 2 seed Memphis from current No. 6 seed Dallas, every one of these games between Western Conference contenders is going to take on added importance over the next six weeks. Because of Wednesday’s win, Portland would open the postseason at home against the Clippers in the 4-5 series if the playoffs started today. The Mavericks are only a half-game behind L.A. and could very well be the Blazers first-round opponent, too, which means the home team will be playing another game that may end up being dissected over and over again by coaches and players come mid-April.

The first two games between Dallas and Portland this season were each won by the home team by double-digits, though the Blazers took the Mavs to OT at the American Airlines Center. This will be the first meeting including Rajon Rondo, who will team with Devin Harris to try and keep Lillard from finding a rhythm. He had scored a combined 60 points in the two games prior to Wednesday’s brutal effort and is averaging 22.5 points, 6 rebounds and 6.5 assists against the Mavs thus far. LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored a team-high 29 points last night, is averaging 22.5 points and 10.5 rebounds against Dallas, his hometown team.

Center Tyson Chandler has missed the last three games due to a hip flexor injury but is scheduled to make his return, giving the Blazers another agile shot-blocker to try and solve. Chandler Parsons has been ruled out due to a nasty ankle sprain that will cost him his sixth straight game. Dallas is 3-2 without him, relying on veteran Richard Jefferson and Al Farouq Aminu to play extended minutes. Amar’e Stoudemire will be playing his fifth game since being bought out by New York and signing with the Mavs, averaging 10.8 points and four rebounds off the bench thus far.

Coaches Rick Carlisle and Terry Stotts are good friends who worked together for four seasons, bringing a 2011 NBA title to Dallas before Stotts took the Portland job in 2012. Both are excellent offensive minds and the majority of their nine meetings as adversaries have gone over the posted total, but the last eight Mavs games have all gone under. Despite going to OT, last night’s improbable win ended a streak of three consecutive overs for the Trail Blazers.

[StarDust Bum]

Thunder, Bulls clash in Chicago

March 5, 2015


OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (34-27) at CHICAGO BULLS (38-23)

Tip-off: Thursday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line and Total: Oklahoma City -4.0, Total: 200.5

The Oklahoma City Thunder hit the road to take on the injury-riddled Chicago Bulls this Thursday night.

The Thunder played the past six games without SF Kevin Durant and have still managed to play some great basketball behind the leadership of PG Russell Westbrook as they are 9-2 both SU and ATS since Feb. 8. The offense has been very impressive in that time, scoring in triple-digits each time as they averaged an amazing 114.0 PPG. The team hosted the 76ers most recently and nearly took an upset defeat as they were 15-point favorites and walked away with a 123-118 overtime win. The defense held Philadelphia to a meager 35.4% shooting in the victory as Oklahoma City’s bench added 62 points.

The Bulls have been hit with numerous big injuries in the past week and are 4-3 SU (3-4 ATS) over the past seven games. The defense has stepped up in that time, allowing opponents to score a mere 93.3 PPG as the offense has hit triple-digits just once. Chicago put together a solid effort against Washington in its last game, winning by a score of 97-92 as 1.5-point underdogs on its home-court. They overcame 16 turnovers in the game by holding the Wizards to a mere 35-of-84 shooting (41.7% FG) and were able to grab eight more rebounds.

As an away team, the Thunder have not played too well with a record of 14-19 SU (13-19-1 ATS) and they will be going up against a Bulls team which is 19-13 SU (13-19 ATS) in the Windy City. These clubs have not faced-off since last year when Oklahoma City took both games SU (1-1 ATS), winning by an average of 12.0 PPG and holding Chicago under 38% shooting as a team in each contest.

The Thunder have won the past five meetings with this opponent and are a tremendous 12-5 SU (13-4 ATS) when playing on the road since 1996. Some trends to watch in this game include that Oklahoma City is 66-48 ATS (58%) as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 over the last three seasons while the Bulls have put together a 72-45 ATS record (62%) after two straight games where they had five or fewer steals since 1996.

There are tons of injuries to be aware of when looking into this contest as SF Kevin Durant (Foot) is out indefinitely and C Steven Adams (Hand) is questionable for the Thunder. On the other side of the ball, the trio of PG Derrick Rose (Knee), SG Jimmy Butler (Elbow) and PF Taj Gibson (Ankle) will all be absent.

The Thunder have seen their offensive output increase of late and as a result are ranked 10th in the league with 102.1 PPG on 44.4% shooting. They remain quite average defensively and have allowed opponents to score 99.4 PPG this year behind 42.7% shooting (2nd in league).

PG Russell Westbrook (26.5 PPG, 8.1 APG, 6.8 RPG, 2.0 SPG) has been unstoppable of late with four straight triple-doubles coming into this game in which he has averaged 37.0 PPG (41% FG), 13.5 RPG, 10.5 APG and 2.0 SPG. In his two games against Chicago last year, Westbrook managed 18.5 PPG (46% FG), 9.5 APG and 5.5 RPG.

C Enes Kanter (14.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG) has made a clear impact since joining the team and scored 15.8 PPG (58% FG) to go with 10.2 RPG in his first five games with the Thunder. He was 9-for-13 with 19 points, eight rebounds, a block and a steal when he met the Bulls earlier this season as a member of the Jazz.

PF Serge Ibaka (14.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.4 BPG) fouled out against Philadelphia after getting a meager two points and two rebounds in 31 minutes on the floor. He didn’t do much against this Chicago team last year with 10.0 PPG (53% FG), 3.5 RPG and 2.5 BPG.

The Bulls have done much better on offense this year with 101.2 PPG (12th in league) on 44% shooting (10th-worst in league). Without two of their bigger stars in the lineup that number will likely decrease and over the past seven games they are putting up a mere 93.6 PPG. The defense has continued to be solid and the unit is giving up 98.4 PPG (11th in league) with opponents making 44.1% of their shots (11th in league).

PF Pau Gasol (18.2 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 2.1 BPG) followed up his abysmal performance against the Clippers (4 points, 15 rebounds) with a nice double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks) in the win over the Wizards on Tuesday. He saw the Thunder three times last year and averaged 16.0 PPG (49% FG), 8.0 RPG and 1.0 BPG.

C Joakim Noah (7.9 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 1.3 BPG) has put up some nice stats (12.7 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 6.3 APG) in the past three games and is coming off a tremendous all-around effort against the Wizards when he netted 14 points to go with 12 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. His two games against this opponent last year went well with him scoring 16.0 PPG (40% FG) to go along with 12.0 RPG, 6.0 APG and 2.0 SPG.

PF Nikola Mirotic (7.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG) is getting plenty of run with all the injuries building up and has played over 30 minutes in each of the past two games, going for 26.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 1.0 BPG. The rookie has yet to meet this opponent in his career.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, March 12

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MILWAUKEE (34 - 30) at INDIANA (29 - 34) - 3/12/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 319-385 ATS (-104.5 Units) second half of the season since 1996.
INDIANA is 35-26 ATS (+6.4 Units) in all games this season.
INDIANA is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) second half of the season this season.
MILWAUKEE is 37-26 ATS (+8.4 Units) in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 23-14 ATS (+7.6 Units) as an underdog this season.
MILWAUKEE is 22-11 ATS (+9.9 Units) in road games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 16-7 ATS (+8.3 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
MILWAUKEE is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
INDIANA is 6-17 ATS (-12.7 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
INDIANA is 5-5 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 7-3 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MEMPHIS (45 - 19) at WASHINGTON (36 - 28) - 3/12/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 75-51 ATS (+18.9 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 216-174 ATS (+24.6 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
MEMPHIS is 78-51 ATS (+21.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 25-37 ATS (-15.7 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 51-75 ATS (-31.5 Units) as a home underdog of 3 points or less since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 30-44 ATS (-18.4 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 2-2 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS is 3-1 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CLEVELAND (41 - 25) at SAN ANTONIO (40 - 23) - 3/12/2015, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 22-35 ATS (-16.5 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 14-25 ATS (-13.5 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 888-781 ATS (+28.9 Units) in all games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 452-380 ATS (+34.0 Units) in home games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 16-4 ATS (+11.6 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 296-239 ATS (+33.1 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 58-37 ATS (+17.3 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 181-137 ATS (+30.3 Units) in home games after a win by 10 points or more since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 67-49 ATS (+13.1 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 158-114 ATS (+32.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 114-83 ATS (+22.7 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 3-2 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 5-0 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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HOUSTON (43 - 21) at UTAH (27 - 36) - 3/12/2015, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UTAH is 29-12 ATS (+15.8 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
HOUSTON is 37-26 ATS (+8.4 Units) in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 52-32 ATS (+16.8 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1996.
HOUSTON is 111-71 ATS (+32.9 Units) in road games after allowing 105 points or more since 1996.
UTAH is 14-26 ATS (-14.6 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 6-3 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 7-2 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NEW YORK (12 - 51) at LA LAKERS (17 - 46) - 3/12/2015, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 25-36 ATS (-14.6 Units) in all games this season.
NEW YORK is 22-32 ATS (-13.2 Units) as an underdog this season.
NEW YORK is 10-23 ATS (-15.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses this season.
NEW YORK is 33-47 ATS (-18.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 136-175 ATS (-56.5 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
LA LAKERS are 52-80 ATS (-36.0 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 3-2 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 3-2 straight up against LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Short Sheet

Thursday, March 12

Milwaukee at Indiana, 7:05 ET
Milwaukee: 25-40 ATS after failing to cover 4 or 5 of their last 6 against the spread
Indiana: 20-11 ATS after covering 2 of their last 3 against the spread

Memphis at Washington, 7:05 ET
Memphis: 8-19 ATS when playing 8 or more games in 14 days
Washington: 75-51 ATS as an underdog

Cleveland at San Antonio, 8:05 ET
Cleveland: 16-4 OVER where both teams score 98 or more points in a game
San Antonio: 208-164 ATS when their opponents make 32% to 38% of their 3 pointers in a game

Houston at Utah, 9:05 ET
Houston: 15-5 ATS after 1 or more consecutive losses
Utah: 1-11 ATS in home games after 6 or more consecutive unders

New York at LA Lakers, 10:35 ET
New York: 1-9 ATS off 2 or more consecutive road losses
LA Lakers: 18-8 ATS when the total is between 190 and 199.5 points




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, March 12

Hot Teams
-- Indiana won its last six games, covering five of them.
-- Cavaliers won four of their last five games (2-3 last five A). Spurs won their last six games, covering five of them.
-- Rockets won seven of their last ten games (3-6 last nine AU). Utah won eight of its last ten games (6-7 HF).

Cold Teams
-- Bucks lost seven of last ten games (9-3-1 last 13 AU).
-- Memphis is 4-5 in its last nine games (5-3 last eight A). Washington is 3-7 in its last ten games (4-2 last six H).
-- New York lost 13 of its last 15 games (3-5-1 last nine AU). Lakers lost five of their last six games (1-3-1 HF).

Series Records
-- Pacers won seven of last eight games with Milwaukee.
-- Grizzlies won five of last six games with Washington.
-- Spurs won their last ten games with Cleveland.
-- Rockets won seven of last eight games with Utah.
-- Knicks won four of last six games against the Lakers.

Totals
-- Four of last five Milwaukee road games stayed under.
-- Last four Washington home games went over.
-- Last four Cleveland road games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Houston road games stayed under.
-- Eight of last eleven New York road games stayed under.

Back-to-Backs
--Milwaukee is 5-4 vs spread on road if it played night before.
-- Memphis is 6-6 on road if it played night before.
-- Rockets are 6-2 on road if they played night before.

East vs West
SU: West 208-143 ATS: West 182-166-3
East teams HF vs West: 45-52
East teams HU vs West: 40-42
West teams HF vs East: 67-69-3
West teams HU vs East: 20-14




NBA

Thursday, March 12

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
MEMPHIS vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Memphis's last 10 games on the road
Memphis is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games
Washington is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games

7:00 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. INDIANA
Milwaukee is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Milwaukee is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Indiana is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Indiana's last 7 games at home

9:00 PM
HOUSTON vs. UTAH
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games on the road
Houston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Utah
Utah is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Utah's last 12 games when playing Houston

9:30 PM
CLEVELAND vs. SAN ANTONIO
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Cleveland is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

10:30 PM
NEW YORK vs. LA LAKERS
New York is 4-7-1 ATS in its last 12 games
New York is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
LA Lakers are 11-4 SU in their last 15 games when playing New York
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of the LA Lakers last 9 games when playing New York

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Thursday, March 12


Duncan, Ginobili expected back to face Cavs

SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs plan on being at full strength for Thursday night’s much-anticipated nationally televised showdown with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers at the AT&T Center.

Manu Ginobili missed Tuesday’s 117-107 win over Toronto with a stomach illness. Tim Duncan left the floor in the final minute after hyperextending his left elbow in a collision with the Raptors’ Amir Johnson and Spurs center Tiago Splitter.

For now, the team expects both stars to be available against Cleveland.

The Spurs did not practice Wednesday, with coach Gregg Popovich opting for a light day at the team’s practice facility. Ginobili was asked to stay home, for precautionary reasons. Without the benefit of practice, team officials did not know how Duncan’s elbow has responded, but his injury is not presumed to be serious.

His health, and Ginobili’s, will be re-assessed after Thursday morning’s shootaround.

The Spurs will enter Thursday’s game on a six-game winning streak, their second-longest of the season. The Cavs have won 22 of their past 28.


Warriors stout D making them a solid under play

The under has gone 8-1 in the Warriors last nine games thanks to a defense that has allowed just 96.4 points per game over that stretch.

That makes a big difference when the average total the have faced over the last nine games is 211.4.

Next up for the Warriors is a date with the Nuggets in Denver this Friday.




NBA

Thursday, March 12

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Game of the Day: Cavaliers at Spurs
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Cleveland Cavaliers at San Antonio Spurs (-1, 207)

The Cleveland Cavaliers opened their four-game road trip in impressive fashion on Tuesday and have firmly established themselves as a championship contender. The Cavaliers will try to prove that standing once again when they visit the defending champion San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. The meeting mark LeBron James’ first trip back to San Antonio since a loss in Game 5 of the NBA Finals last season with the Miami Heat.

James averaged 28.2 points on 57.1 percent shooting and 7.8 rebounds in the Finals last season but the Spurs easily fended off the Heat in five games, giving James another reason to leave and start over again in Cleveland. The Cavaliers took a few months to get things going with their revamped roster but have gone 22-5 over the last 27 games to move from sub-.500 into second place in the Eastern Conference, capped by a 127-94 thrashing of the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. Cleveland could catch a break on Thursday if San Antonio forward Tim Duncan (elbow) is limited.

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: Initial lines opened at San Antonio -1 with a total of 207. The line quickly moved to a pick'em with a total of 207.5 at some books.

INJURY REPORT: Cavaliers - F Shawn Marion (Out-Hip) Spurs - F Tim Duncan (Prob-Elbow), G Manu Ginobili (Ques-Illness)

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (41-25 SU, 32-34 ATS, 24-41-1 O/U): Cleveland got at least 17 points from each of its starters against the Mavericks, led by James’ 27 on 10-of-14 shooting. “I like the way we approached the game,” James told reporters. “We approached the game with a physical aggression mindset both offensively and defensively. We shared the ball and we played with great rhythm, everyone did and it was a great win for us.” The Cavaliers have played only three home games over the last month and will play six of their next eight away from home as they try to hold off Chicago and Toronto for the No. 2 spot in the East.

ABOUT THE SPURS (40-23 SU, 28-33-2 ATS, 29-34 O/U): Duncan suffered a hyperextended left elbow when his arm got caught between Tiago Splitter and Amir Johnson in Tuesday’s 117-107 win over the Raptors, but the 38-year-old reportedly plans to play on Thursday. San Antonio, which is battling for the No. 5 spot in the West, has done the Cavaliers a favor with wins over Chicago and Toronto in the last two games and is enjoying a six-game winning streak as Tony Parker pulls his offense around. The former All-Star averaged 6.8 points on 13-of-50 shooting over a five-game stretch before rebounding to 24.5 points on 40-of-68 in the last four contests.

TRENDS:

*Spurs are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
*Over is 8-1 in Cavaliers last 9 vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
*Cavaliers are 2-9 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
*Over is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.

CONSENSUS: 52.94 percent of users are backing the Cavs +1.

[StarDust Bum]

Inside the Paint - Thursday

March 12, 2015

After watching the favorites start the week 10-4 straight up and 9-5 against the spread, I had a feeling the underdogs were going to fare well on Wednesday and they do so accordingly.

The ‘chalk’ still went 6-4 SU but the ‘dogs posted a 6-4 record against the spread. The outright wins were pretty juicy on the money-line as the Kings (+320), Celtics (+235), Clippers (+240) and Nuggets (+260) all won outright.

Unfortunately, there were a couple bad beats last night for some bettors.

The 76ers (+6 ½) took the Bulls to overtime but wound up getting outscored by nine points in the extra session to lose 104-95.

The Rockets (+2.5) cut the Trail Blazers lead to 101-100 with 15 second left only to get outscored 4-0, the last two covering free throws coming with three ticks left.

Total players on the ‘over’ in the Bucks-Magic game probably weren’t happy. Orlando led 57-51 at the break but was outscored 43-34 in the second-half as Milwaukee won 97-91. The total closed 189.

Thursday’s slate has an extended version and once again, VegasInsider.com handicapper Kevin Rogers will chime in with his betting opinion on a few games.

Milwaukee at Indiana: Per Kevin Rogers - The Pacers have been on fire at home recently by posting an 8-1 SU and 9-0 ATS record at Bankers Life Fieldhouse since the start of February. Indiana has taken care of business in the role of a home favorite by winning its last four by double-digits, while limiting six straight opponents overall to less than 86 points. The Pacers and Bucks have played two low-scoring affairs this season, as Milwaukee won at Bankers Life Fieldhouse back in November, 87-81, snapping a seven-game skid in Indianapolis that dated back to 2011.

CD’s Thoughts – I went against the Pacers on Tuesday and they shot lights out against the Magic, hitting 17-of-34 (50%) from 3-point land. I also took Orlando last night and it earned a cover against Milwaukee while still losing. The Bucks have been a great bet on the road (22-11 ATS) but they’ve struggled on zero days rest (6-11 SU, 8-9 ATS). Based on what Kevin mentioned about the two previous encounters and Indiana’s recent hot night, I think the ‘under’ is a decent look especially with fatigue in play for the Bucks.

Editor's Note - Grizzlies have ruled out 4 starters for this game.

Memphis at Washington (TNT): Per Kevin Rogers - The Wizards finally broke their nine-game ATS skid in Monday’s rout of Charlotte, but Washington owns an 0-4 ATS record in its past four contests at the Verizon Center. Washington has struggled at home against unrested teams, putting together a 2-4 SU and 1-5 ATS record since late December, while Memphis has won and covered all three games without point guard Mike Conley this season, who is questionable with a leg injury.

CD’s Thoughts – The Grizzlies were real sloppy last night and they got knocked off by a feisty Boston squad. That loss snapped an eight-game winning streak for Memphis against Eastern Conference opponents. Fatigue could be in play but Memphis has gone 9-5 SU and 7-7 ATS on zero days rest this season. Outside of a four-game skid in mid-December when Zach Randolph was banged up, this Memphis team doesn’t lose back-to-back games often. Washington has gone 11-10 versus the Western Conference this season, seven of those wins coming at home.

Cleveland at San Antonio (TNT): Per Kevin Rogers - The Cavs have been solid as a road favorite of late, winning and covering five of the past six times in this role. San Antonio is listed as a home underdog for the first time this season, but the Spurs have struggled when receiving points by going 2-5 ATS the last seven times as a ‘dog. Since last season, LeBron James has lost six of seven times to the Spurs, including a 92-90 defeat at Quicken Loans Arena back in November.

CD’s Thoughts – I’m surprised the Spurs have been installed as home ‘dogs, especially since they’re playing great basketball right now. It’s a great test for both teams and I don’t have a feel on the side. The total got some early action on the ‘over’ (207) and it’s hard to argue against it with the Spurs averaging 112.6 points per game during their recent winning streak.

Houston at Utah: The Rockets opened as one-point road underdogs and a lot of bettors felt that was a mistake. Houston is now listed as a solid two-point favorite and that number seems fair. The Rockets have dominated the Jazz, winning seven of the last eight encounters and both meeting this season were by double digits. Houston is playing with no rest and it’s been respectable (10-6 SU, 10-6 ATS) in these spots. While the Rockets are the better team, the Jazz have gone 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS since the All-Star break and all three non-covers came when they were favored. I’m indecisive on the side but hard to go against the ‘under’ in this spot. Utah has watched the ‘under’ go 9-1 in the second-half and even though Houston likes to push the pace, I’ll always side with a slower team dictating the tempo especially in the NBA.

New York at L.A. Lakers: If you’re betting on this game tonight, then you’re either chasing or you really can’t stand playing college basketball, which I completely understand. The Lakers opened as eight-point favorites and somebody starting placing buy orders on the Knicks. Los Angeles has gone 7-2 ATS since the break but it’s only won four of those nine games. The Lakers have been listed as favorites five times this season and they’ve gone 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS.

Fearless Predictions: Little bit of a bounce back with a 4-2 record (+190) last night and fortunate to do so with the Bulls earning the infamous overtime cover against the 76ers. Through two days, 5-5 overall but down 40 cents ($40). As always, Press, Pass or Fade but in the end – Good Luck!

1) Memphis +2 (Not having 4 starters doesn't help but I still wouldn't back Washington)
2) Under 190 Houston-Utah
3) Under 187 Milwaukee-Indiana

[StarDust Bum]

Hoop Trends - Thursday

March 12, 2015


ATS TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Pacers are 0-10 ATS (-9.20 ppg) since Feb 12, 2014 as a favorite after a win at home in which they scored 10 or fewer fast break points.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Cavaliers are 0-11 OU (-10.32 ppg) since Dec 12, 2012 on the road with at most one day of rest after a win in which they scored more than 30% of their points from the three-point line.

PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Cavaliers are 0-9-2 OU (-7.59 ppg) since Dec 05, 2014 after Kyrie Irving had a positive plus/minus on the road.

NBA BIBLE ACTIVE TREND:

-- Carlos Boozer’s teams are 0-8 ATS (-10.69 ppg) since January 2011 at home after a win in which Carlos Boozer had more rebounds than points.

ACTIVE TRENDS:

-- The Jazz are 9-0-1 ATS (9.80 ppg) since Jan 22, 2015 after Trey Burke had a negative plus/minus.

[StarDust Bum]

Grizzlies to sit three starters on Thursday

March 12, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Memphis Grizzlies say they will be without injured point guard Mike Conley against the Washington Wizards and also will rest Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Tony Allen.

The Grizzlies announced the lineup changes several hours before playing at the Wizards on Thursday night.

Memphis, second in the Western Conference standings, is playing for the second consecutive night. Conley twisted his right ankle in the second half of a 95-92 loss at the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.

Gasol, Randolph and Conley are the Grizzlies' three leading scorers.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

-- Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez got thrown out of an exhibition game last night after one pitch, a pitch called a ball. Never saw that before.

-- I'm surprised Utah State is passing on the NIT, CBI or CIT; they've got a young team that is pretty good. Stew Morrill is retiring; not really sure why.

-- CIT already has one first round matchup: New Hampshire vs NJIT. Not exactly Duke-Carolina, but I'm sure they're excited about making the postseason.

-- Cavaliers 128, Spurs 125, OT-- Kyrie Irving scored 57 points for Cleveland.

-- Irving played one year at Duke, but never played in an ACC game; he got hurt in pre-conference play and never came back until the NCAA tournament.

-- There are two bowling alleys in the White House; do they have to rent shoes?



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Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Wrapping up a college hoop Thursday

13) AAC
-- East Carolina 81, Central Florida 80 OT-- Jeff Lebo got on TV a lot when he played at North Carolina; his Pirates get a rare national TV shot today.

Was told Thursday that if UConn doesn't get in a Power 5 football conference, they will drop football and concentrate on basketball as a revenue sport.

12) ACC
-- Notre Dame 70, Miami 63-- Irish blew 18-point halftime lead, still won.
-- North Carolina 70, Louisville 60-- Cardinals first conference tourney loss since '11.

11) A-14
-- VCU 63, Fordham 57-- VCU isn't a very good team without injured star Weber; they play crosstown rival Richmond today. Spiders beat them twice already. .

10) Big X
-- Iowa State 69, Texas 67-- Cyclones scored last 12 points of game, led for only one second-- the last second. This game could cost Texas an NCAA bid.
-- Kansas 64, TCU 59-- Horned Frogs are fighting a tremendous uphill battle in this league; refs made sure they lost this game late. Kansas is banged up.
-- Baylor 80, West Virginia 70-- Bears are my sleeper team to make Final Four.

9) Big 14
-- Penn State 67, Iowa 58-- Hawkeyes had won six games in a row.
-- Michigan 73, Illinois 55-- Wolverines had lost seven of last nine games.

8) Big Sky
-- Top four seeds all advanced, but host Montana needed OT to win.
-- Idaho hit 10-18 on arc, still didn't cover as a 7-point underdog (lost 81-73).

7) Big West
-- Long Beach State started four seniors but got smoked by Hawai'i; Long Beach seemed OK with their college careers ending. Hawai'i totally outhustled them.

6) C-USA
-- UAB 53, Western Kentucky 52-- League's accountants breathe a sigh of relief, since tournament is in Birmingham. Will be lot of empty seats if Blazers lose.
-- Middle Tennessee 59, Old Dominion 52-- Favored Monarchs were 8-19 on foul line.

5) MAC
-- Akron 53, Kent 51-- Zips avenged last week's 79-77 loss to Kent; not sure why this league doesn't get more exposure on ESPN.

4) Mountain West
-- San Diego State 67, UNLV 64-- Pretty sure this was 10th game this year that the Rebels lost after leading at halftime; thats a lot of games to lose that way.
-- Wyoming 67, Utah State 65-- End of line for Utah State's fine coach Stew Morrill.

3) Pac-12
-- All four top seeds advanced; Oregon and Utah had dominant second halves.
-- I heard Ben Howland doing the A-14 tournament tonight; how has he not gotten another head coaching job? He had UCLA in Final Four three times.

2) SEC
-- South Carolina 60, Ole Miss 58-- Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter.

These teams both did it in the last 0:05 of a brickfest where both teams shot under 31% for the game. Ole Miss has made themselves a bubble team.

1) Sun Belt-- When ESPN first started, this league was the first one to let them show a lot of games. Now they never get games on TV; nice gratitude there. Both underdogs won quarterfinal games on Thursday. The league kingpins play the winners today.