The Bum's Best Bets For Friday March 27th - NBA -NHL-NCAABB- !

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NBA

Friday, March 27

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Game of the Day: Warriors at Grizzlies
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Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies (+3.5, 198.5)

The Golden State Warriors are breaking franchise records and running away with the Western Conference. The Warriors will try to set the franchise record for road wins in a season when they visit the second-place Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. Golden State is under no real threat from the Grizzlies, who sit 8 1/2 games back in the West, and clinched the Pacific Division title on Tuesday by starting the four-game road trip off with a 122-108 win at Portland.

The Grizzlies are coming off a 111-89 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday that marked their worst home loss of the season. Memphis tends to control the interior with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph but was beaten up on the glass and could not get anything going on the perimeter in the loss. While the Warriors have all but wrapped up the No. 1 spot, the Grizzlies have played their way into a battle for the No. 2 spot and lead the Houston Rockets by 1 1/2 games.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), SportSouth (Memphis)

LINE HISTORY: Vegas opened the Grizzlies +3 before quickly moving them to +3.5. Books opened the total anywhere from 198 to 199.

INJURY REPORT: Warriors - Shaun Livingston (Ques-Hand) Grizzlies - N/A

POWER RANKINGS: Warriors (-15.7) + Grizzlies (-8.9) + Homecourt (-3) = Grizzlies +3.8

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (58-13 SU, 42-28-1 ATS, 34-37 O/U): Golden State took some time to acknowledge its first Pacific Division title since 1976 while pointing toward bigger goals. “Obviously, we all know the main goal, but it takes baby steps,” forward Draymond Green told reporters. “You reach certain milestones to get to the main goal, and this is one of them. … The goal is still the goal, so the focus must remain the same.” The Warriors have won seven straight and turned close games into routs by dominating the third quarter in the last two contests.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (50-22 SU, 34-36-2 ATS, 32-38-2 O/U): Memphis began a string of three straight games against title contenders with the loss to the Cavaliers and is hoping to put the bad performance behind it quickly. “It makes you have a sickness in your stomach because you know that you are better than that,” Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph told reporters. “It’s the NBA, so it’s a good thing because you always have a game the next day. You have to prepare – it’s tough.” Randolph, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 105-98 home win over the Warriors on Dec. 16, was held to five points on 2-of-8 shooting by Cleveland.

TRENDS:

*Warriors are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
*Favorite is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.
*Over is 5-0 in Warriors last 5 vs. Western Conference.
*Under is 5-0 in Grizzlies last 5 vs. NBA Pacific

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Hoop Trends - Friday

March 27, 2015


ATS TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Nuggets are 0-15 ATS (-8.60 ppg) since Apr 23, 2011 at home after a double digit loss in which they shot less than 40% from the field.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Magic are 14-0 OU (10.89 ppg) since Mar 03, 2012 at home off a loss in which they led at the end of the third quarter.

PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Jazz are 0-10 OU (-10.50 ppg) since Nov 26, 2014 on the road after Derrick Favors had a double double.

NBA BIBLE ACTIVE TREND:

-- The Celtics are 0-15 ATS (-9.37 ppg) with at most one day of rest after a home game in which they scored more than 24.5% of their points from the free throw line.

ACTIVE TRENDS:

-- The Clippers are 7-0 OU (11.93 ppg) since Mar 23, 2013 after Blake Griffin took fewer than 10 shots.

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Friday's Top Action

March 27, 2015


MIAMI HEAT (33-38) at ATLANTA HAWKS (54-17)

Tip-off: Friday, 7:35 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: Atlanta -9, Total: 193

The Heat continue to fight for their spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs when they face the Hawks in Atlanta Friday.

The Heat went into Boston on Wednesday and beat the Celtics 93-86 as 8-point underdogs. Miami has allowed 93 or less points in each of the past four games, but the team also hasn’t scored over 100 in each of the past three. It will need to find a way to score or will continue to struggle.

The Hawks beat the Magic 95-83 as 9-point favorites in Orlando Wednesday. The win ended a three game SU and ATS losing streak for Atlanta. The team is struggling offensively of late, averaging just 99.6 PPG over the past seven games.

These two teams have met three times this season and Atlanta is now 3-0 SU and 2-0-1 ATS in those games. The last time they met in Atlanta, the Hawks won 114-103 as a 5-point favorite. Over the past three seasons, Atlanta is 3-2 SU and ATS when hosting Miami. Miami is 8-5 ATS in March games this season and 61-44 ATS in the second half of the season over the past three seasons. Atlanta, meanwhile, is 8-1 ATS off a road win by 10 points or more this season.

C Hassan Whiteside (Hand) is doubtful on Friday and SG Dwyane Wade (Knee) is questionable for the Heat, who are already without C Chris Bosh (Blood Clot) and PF Josh McRoberts (Knee) for the season. PF Mike Scott (Toe) is out indefinitely for Atlanta and PG Jeff Teague (Ankle) is out for this one.

The Heat are fighting for positioning in a very close Eastern Conference playoff race and will need to win all the games they can moving forward. This will not be easy on Friday though, as they have not beaten the Hawks all season. If the team is going to beat the Hawks for a first time on Friday then SG Dwyane Wade (21.6 PPG, 5.2 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.3 SPG) will need to be on the floor. Wade missed the game against the Celtics and is questionable for this one. He’s averaging 25.0 PPG, 5.5 APG and 3.5 RPG in two games against Atlanta this season. Losing that type of production would be a major blow to this Heat team.

PG Goran Dragic (16.4 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.1 SPG) picked his game up against Boston without Wade, finishing with 22 points, seven assists and five boards in 37 minutes. He’ll need to be extremely aggressive as a scorer if Wade is out in this one.

PF Udonis Haslem (3.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG) is now the only big man in this lineup that is capable of playing big minutes because of injuries. Haslem had his best game of the year against Boston, finishing with 12 points, 12 rebounds and three steals in 38 minutes. He must be big in this game on Friday as the Hawks have a very good frontcourt. SF Luol Deng (14.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.0 APG) is going to need to step his game up in this one. With Wade not at 100%, Deng will be counted on to score and he will have to be a more willing shooter against Atlanta.

Atlanta picked up a much-needed victory over Orlando last game, as the team could have gotten low in confidence after losing three straight games. PF Paul Millsap (17.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.8 SPG) has been on fire for Atlanta recently, averaging 23.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 2.0 BPG over the past two games. The Heat are extremely undersized due to injuries at the moment, so Millsap and C Al Horford (15.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.3 BPG) should really have their way in this one. Horford has struggled recently though, averaging just 9.0 PPG over the past four games. He will need to find his game soon, as his team needs him to be playing at a high level heading into the playoffs.

PG Jeff Teague (16.3 PPG, 7.0 APG, 2.4 RPG, 1.7 SPG) played very well against Orlando, finishing with 16 points, nine assists and three rebounds in 33 minutes of action. Teague is dealing with a sore ankle though and is out for this one. PG Dennis Schroder (9.7 PPG, 4.0 APG) will need to step it up big time with him out. He is an excellent passer and can be menacing on defense at times as well.

SG Kyle Korver (12.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.5 APG) is going to need to be on his game against Miami as well. Korver had 13 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals against Orlando. He has been very active defensively since returning from his broken nose and that is a major plus when you add that to his remarkable outside shooting (50% 3PT).

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (58-13) at MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (50-22)

Tip-off: Friday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: Golden State -3.5, Total: 199

The two best teams in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies, meet on Friday Night.

Golden State has been the undisputed best team in the NBA this season and is riding yet another winning streak coming into this one with SU victories in its past seven games (6-1 ATS). During that streak the Warriors have scored 113.4 PPG and defeated their opponents by a solid 18.4 PPG. Their latest victim was Portland on Tuesday when they earned a 122-108 win as they were giving seven points. The Warriors seemingly couldn’t miss in the contest, making 50-of-83 shots (60% FG) while holding the Trail Blazers to 42.4% shooting from the floor.

Memphis has also been solid of late with wins in five of its past seven outings in which they are 4-3 ATS. They haven’t exactly been lighting it up offensively in that time, but gave up a meager 86.6 PPG in the five wins. The team drew a tough matchup in their last game though, getting 1-point at home against the Cavaliers before losing in embarrassing fashion by a score of 111-89. Each of Cleveland’s starters scored at least 13 points as the Grizzlies grabbed just 32 rebounds and made 43.5% of their shots.

Golden State has been a great road team with a 24-11 SU record (17-18 ATS) in away games as it faces a Memphis group which is 27-8 SU (16-17-2 ATS) on its home court. These teams have only played once against each other this year and it was also in at the Grizzlies arena as they won 105-98 as 3.5-point favorites in mid-December. They held the usual potent offense of the Warriors to 41.1% shooting; including just 9-of-31 from behind the arc (29% 3PM). Memphis has been the better team in this matchup over the past three seasons, dominating with a 6-2 SU and ATS record as it has been victorious in 10 of the past 11 meetings when at home.

Some trends to watch before placing a bet include that Golden State is 38-21 ATS (64%) when playing as the favorite this year while the Grizzlies are 46-30 ATS (61%) after playing a game as the underdog in the past three seasons. There are no significant injuries for either team heading into this one.

Golden State has by far the best offense in the game as it is netting 109.8 PPG (best in league) on 47.9% shooting (best in league) and also hitting a league-best 39.4% from behind the arc. They Warriors also put together a great defensive unit which is allowing 99.1 PPG (14th in league) with just 42.4% of balls going in (best in league).

PG Stephen Curry (23.4 PPG, 7.9 APG, 4.3 RPG, 2.1 SPG) is coming off a phenomenal showing (33 points, 10 assists) in the win over the Blazers and has made 13-of-23 three-pointers (57% 3PM) over the past three contests. He made a meager 9-of-25 shots (36% FG) with 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals in the loss to Memphis in December.

SG Klay Thompson (21.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.1 SPG) has played just 21.0 MPG in the two games since returning from a three-game injury absence and put up 16 points in 25 minutes against Portland. He had a good performance when last meeting with the Grizzlies as he scored 22 points with a block and a steal.

SF Draymond Green (11.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 1.3 RPG) was an absolute beast (14 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks) in the win over the Blazers on Tuesday night and had another great all-around showing (4 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocks, 1 steal) against Memphis earlier in the year.

Memphis’ calling card is not offense as it is scoring 98.9 PPG (13th-worst in league) on 45.8% shooting (9th in league). Rather, it earns its wins on defense where it is giving up 95.4 PPG (2nd in league) with opponents making 44.3% of their shots (11th in league).

C Marc Gasol (17.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.7 BPG) has hit double-digits in each of his past seven games and has two double-doubles in that time. He was great against the Warriors in the victory this year, netting 24 points with seven rebounds and a block.

PF Zach Randolph (16.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 1.0 SPG) did little against the Cavaliers with five points and three rebounds in the loss over 20 minutes as he made just 2-of-8 shots. He could rebound in this one, though, as he was impressive against Golden State in December with 17 points (8-of-12 FG) and 10 rebounds in just 26 minutes on the court.

PG Mike Conley (16.1 PPG, 5.3 APG, 1.3 SPG) has put up a mere 13.0 PPG over his past four outings and has just one steal in that time. He had 17 points to go along with five assists and four steals in the last matchup with the Warriors.

[StarDust Bum]

Thunder's Durant to miss rest of season

March 27, 2015

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Reigning MVP Kevin Durant will have bone graft surgery next week to deal with a fractured bone in his right foot, and he will miss the rest of the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced Friday.

Durant had surgery on a broken bone in his right foot in October. He had been healing well, but in late February, he had a procedure to replace a screw that was rubbing up against another bone and causing discomfort. At the time, the Thunder expected him to be able to return in one to two weeks.

Last week, the Thunder said he likely would be shut down for the season as they tried to figure out why his pain wasn't subsiding. On Friday, the team said the initial injury, which had been healing well, had shown regression.

The team expects Durant to return to basketball activities within the next four to six months.

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NHL

Friday, March 27

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Calgary - 8:00 PM ET Minnesota -179 500 *****
Minnesota - Over 5 500

Columbus - 8:30 PM ET Columbus +205 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Chicago - Under 5.5 500

Dallas - 9:30 PM ET Dallas -174 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Edmonton - Over 5.5 500

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NBA

Friday, March 27

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Detroit - 7:00 PM ET Detroit -2 500 SLAM DUNK
Orlando - Over 197.5 500

L.A. Clippers - 7:00 PM ET Philadelphia +12.5 500
Philadelphia - Over 200.5 500

Charlotte - 7:00 PM ET Charlotte +4 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Washington - Under 188 500

Miami - 7:30 PM ET Miami +9.5 500
Atlanta - Over 194.5 500

Cleveland - 7:30 PM ET Cleveland -8.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Brooklyn - Over 208 500

Boston - 7:30 PM ET New York +10 500
New York - Over 194 500

L.A. Lakers - 7:30 PM ET Toronto -8.5 500 *****
Toronto - Over 203.5 500

Minnesota - 8:00 PM ET Houston -13.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Houston - Over 205.5 500

Golden State - 8:00 PM ET Golden State -3.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Memphis - Over 198.5 500

Sacramento - 8:00 PM ET Sacramento +6.5 500
New Orleans - Over 206.5 500

Dallas - 8:30 PM ET Dallas +9 500 DOUBLE PLAY
San Antonio - Over 206.5 500

Utah - 9:00 PM ET Utah +2.5 500 SLAM DUNK
Denver - Under 189 500

Portland - 10:00 PM ET Phoenix +1 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Phoenix - Under 204 500

[StarDust Bum]

CBB

Friday, March 27

Game Score Status Pick Amount

UCLA - 7:15 PM ET Gonzaga -8.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Gonzaga - Over 144 500 DOUBLE PLAY

N.C. State - 7:37 PM ET N.C. State +2.5 500 *****
Louisville - Under 129 500

Utah - 9:45 PM ET Duke -4.5 500 SLAM DUNK
Duke - Under 134.5 500

Kent St. - 10:00 PM ET Kent St. +2 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Northern Arizona - Over 137 500

Michigan St - 10:07 PM ET Michigan St -1.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Oklahoma - Over 136 500


GOOD LUCK ALL !!