The Bum's National Basketbaqll Association Playoff Thread News, Notes, Trends, Etc.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Saturday, April 18

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Game of the Day: Saturday's NBA Playoffs matchups
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Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors (-3.5, 193.5)

Trash-talking is on high alert status as the Toronto Raptors open the Eastern Conference first-round series against the visiting Washington Wizards on Saturday. Washington forward Paul Pierce was part of the Brooklyn squad that ousted the Raptors out of the first round last season and he made it clear Toronto doesn’t concern him despite the Wizards going 0-3 against the Raptors this season.

“We haven’t done particularly well against Toronto, but I don’t feel they have the ‘It’ that makes you worried,” Pierce told reporters. That didn’t sit well with the Raptors, particularly standout guard DeMar DeRozan. “Paul Pierce has always got to say something,” DeRozan told reporters. “He said something last year. He’s always got to say something. Just let him talk. I could care less what he says.” The Wizards are looking to advance to the second round for the second consecutive season.

TRENDS:

*Raptors are 7-15 ATS in their last 22 home games.
*Over is 8-0 in Wizards last 8 games playing on 2 days rest.
*Under is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings in Toronto.
*Underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.


New Orleans Pelicans at Golden State Warriors (-12, 204.5)

The Golden State Warriors smashed franchise records en route to the best record in the NBA but the real work has yet to begin. The top-seeded Warriors will start that work when they host the No. 8 seed New Orleans Pelicans in Game 1 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs on Saturday.

The Pelicans battled all the way down to the last day of the regular season to lock up the No. 8 spot and have been in playoff mode for weeks while Golden State long ago clinched its position at the top of the West. Instead of sitting its starters for the final two weeks of the season, the Warriors kept their foot on the gas as much as possible and finished out the season with four straight wins. The streak gave them a Western Conference-record 39 home wins. “To get to this number of wins is really surprising, especially in the West,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “Everything has gone well. Our players have played exceptionally well, both individually and as a team. We’ve also been pretty fortunate health-wise. It’s just been one of those years where it has all come together, and it’s been a lot of fun.”

TRENDS:

*Pelicans are 0-4 ATS in the last 4 meetings in Golden State.
*Warriors are 15-2 ATS in their last 17 Conference Quarterfinals games.
*Under is 4-0 in Pelicans last 4 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
*Over is 9-2 in Warriors last 11 home games.


Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls (-7.5, 184.5)

Derrick Rose continues to experience knee soreness but insists he will be on the floor Saturday when the Chicago Bulls host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the first-round Eastern Conference series. “I think I’m used to knee injuries and my knee being sore,” Rose told reporters. “My whole mindset going into these playoffs are no excuses and get the job done.”

The third-seeded Bulls won three of four regular-season meetings with the sixth-seeded Bucks, who are in the playoffs for the first time since 2013. “We talked about the playoffs every day,” guard Khris Middleton told reporters. “That was one of our goals. It was one of the first things we said in our first meeting, and we put ourselves in position to reach it.” Milwaukee cracked the postseason despite losing rookie star Jabari Parker to a season-ending knee injury in December and later revamped the club in February by dealing point guard Brandon Knight and replacing him with Michael Carter-Williams. Chicago received a big season from power forward Pau Gasol, who excelled in his first season since joining the club as a free agent.

TRENDS:

*Bucks are 1-5 ATS in the last 6 meetings.
*Bulls are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 2 days rest.
*Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.
*Over is 7-2 in Bulls last 9 games following a ATS win.


Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets (-5, 211.5)

The Houston Rockets battled all the way to the last night of the regular season to lock up the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference and roll into the playoffs with that momentum. The seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks, who visit the Rockets in Game 1 of the first round on Saturday, will try to find a way to slow down James Harden and Houston’s potent attack.

The Rockets earned their first division title since their championship 1993-94 season when they downed the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, outlasting San Antonio and Memphis in a division race that came down to the final day. “It's a blessing. The regular season was great but whatever happened in the regular season we've got to put that behind us,” Houston center Dwight Howard told reporters. “This is a whole new season and we've gotta come out ready to go.” The Mavericks were locked into the No. 7 spot a week ago and ended up fourth in the Southwest despite reaching 50 wins for the first time since the championship season of 2010-11. The intrastate rivals are meeting in the postseason for the first time since 2005.

TRENDS:

*Mavericks are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
*Rockets are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 2 days rest.
*Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.
*Over is 6-0 in Mavericks last 6 overall.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

-- Toronto Raptors are now 0-7 in Game 1's in first round series.

-- Edmonton Oilers won NHL Draft Lottery, will have first pick in draft for fourth time in last six years. When are they going to become good?

-- Adam Jones has used the same bat in batting practice for four years.

-- 80-year old John Amironte has sung national anthem at NY Ranger games for 35 years; he is "retiring", will be missed. Saturday was his last game.

-- Alabama has 11 tight ends listed on its spring football roster. Eleven.

-- Nashville Sounds, AAA team of the A's has a scoreboard that is shaped like a guitar, seeing as Nashville is Music City.

**********

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday.........

13) FOX Sports hired Pete Rose as a studio analyst for baseball telecasts, a rare burst of sanity in an increasingly insane world. Rose still makes over $1M a year signing autographs, mostly in Las Vegas-- someday baseball will wise up and induct him into Cooperstown, where he belongs.

12) Wizards 93, Raptors 86 OT-- Teams conbined to go 12-50 from arc in this brickfest, only road win of the four games Saturday. Toronto's subs outscored Washington's 48-27, but Raptor starters were combined -30 in an OT game.

11) Warriors 106, Pelicans 99-- Golden State was up 18 at half, won despite getting only three baskets (3-12, 12 points) from bench. Tyreke Evans got hurt for New Orleans, played only 12 minutes.

10) Bulls 103, Bucks 91-- In NBA playoffs, coaches have lot more time to prepare, making it more like college ball; Thibodeau vs Kidd is a big mismatch as far as tactics go. More importantly, Chicago has better players.

9) Rockets 118, Mavericks 108-- I'm guessing Mark Cuban won't like the 32-14 edge Houston had on foul line, but they also had 29 fast break points and hit 10-25 3-pointers. Funny that Stoudemire/Prigioni are in this series; at least some of this year's Knicks made the playoffs.

8) When Marlins pitcher Mat Latos was five years old, he went to the Marlins' first-ever home game, in Joe Robbie Stadium.

7) Purdue center AJ Hammond is coming back to school next year, a big boost for the Boilermakers, who might be a top 25 team now.

6) Royals/A's aren't getting along well this weekend, after Alcides Escobar was injured Friday night on a play at second base, when Brett Lawrie slid hard into the bag. KC was upset because Lawrie actually tried hard on the play, instead of giving up the way lot of guys do.

Benches emptied both nights, nothing happened, because it is baseball after all, but Yordano Ventura drilled Lawrie last night and was ejected- he was mad because Josh Reddick hit a homer off him that might still be going, the batter before Lawrie got plunked.

5) Hanley Ramirez hit a ball in batting practice Friday that took a chunk out of the Green Monster; he chipped a piece of the wall off.

4) They put 99,391 people into the big Horseshoe for the spring football game at Ohio State yesterday. Cardale Jones threw a ball 74 yards, which is really far to throw a football. Imagine 99,000 people going to a glorified scrimmage?

3) Stephen Collier is Ohio State's 4th-string QB; QBs ALWAYS wear the different colored jersey in practice, so no one hits him, right? Collier was the only OSU QB who wasn't wearing one, so it was OK to drill the guy!!!. If I'm Collier, who must be pretty good to even be on Ohio State's roster, I'm taking a look at transferring to a school where they might care if I got hurt.

2) Buffalo Sabres lost out on prize draft prospect Connor McDavid (he played for the Erie Otters in juniors, just a great nickname), but they'll likely land Jack Eichel from Boston U-- he actually wants to play in Buffalo, so good for them.

1) A's pitcher Jesse Hahn and Mets' pitcher Matt Harvey went to high school together in Connecticut; must've had a pretty good baseball team.

[CheCheBoFumbe]

Good luck today Bum and thanks for the info

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

-- I don't like coaches' interviews after first/third quarters in NBA games, even less so during playoff games. No one says anything, it just annoys the coaches.

-- I like 2-hour baseball games a lot less than 3-hour games.

-- A's are 0-5 in games decided by 1 or 2 runs; their six wins are by a combined score of 47-1. I'd rather this happen now than just be winning close games.

-- Darrell Waltrip called the contending drivers "a bunch of hungry hounds" during the Bristol NASCAR race last night; he makes races more fun to listen to.

-- Home teams are 14-6 so far in Stanley Cup playoffs; over is 10-6-4.

-- Mark Cuban can criticize college ball all he wants, but no way is the NBA game more fun to watch- they have better players, but not a better game.

**********

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend........

13) NFL has a way of grabbing headlines year-round; when word came out late on Sunday that the Eagles signed Tim Tebow, it was almost like the Interweb was going to implode. Lot of fuss about a guy who isn't every good, so much so thats its been almost 600 days since he was on an NFL roster.

12) I'm not going to criticize Chip Kelly for what he's doing, mainly because I have no bleeping idea what he's trying to do, but I'm glad he traded Nick Foles to my Rams. Maybe Tebow is a nothing-to-lose attempt to find a diamond in the rough, but Tebow brings a media circus with him and who wants that?

11) Eagles have to be the team on HBO's Hard Knocks, right?

10) The poor bastard who does the NFL schedule may have had to make a few more edits when the Tebow news hit; that can't be an easy job and its already late coming out this year.

9) First eight NBA playoff games, Clippers were only team to shoot higher than than 50% from floor. Five teams shot under 40%. Houston's 29 transition points were most by any team.

8) Three of the four years the Spurs won the NBA title, they lost their first playoff game, but they also haven't repeated.

7) Mariners 11, Rangers 10-- Not often a team scores seven runs in an inning and loses; Texas pulled it off here. Nelson Cruz already has eight homers.

6) Mets 7, Marlins 6-- New York is 10-3 with best record in NL but they lost catcher D'Arnaud and lefty reliever Blevins with broken bones Sunday.

5) Rumors out of Miami have the Marlins looking for another manager already in wake of their terrible 3-10 start- what they need is a new owner. Jeffrey Loria was in New York for the weekend series and didn't look too happy.

4) Milwaukee Brewers are 2-10, with a minus-35 run differential and leadoff hitter Carlos Gomez is on the DL- they play the struggling Reds this week with both teams starving for wins.

3) Golfer Jim Furyk made $1.062M when he won at Hilton Head Sunday, his first Tour win since 2010-- he has now made over $3.8M in his career, just in this one tournament in South Carolina.

2) Good God I hope the Atlanta Hawks win the NBA title; here is the shot distribution for their five starters Sunday: 11-12-12-12-12.

They're a team!!!! No ball hogging, fallaway 25-footers. Just good basketball.

1) In his NBA career, Lebron James is 22-7 in playoff series.
In his NBA career, Carmelo Anthony is 22-41 in playoff games.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Monday, April 20

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MILWAUKEE (41 - 42) at CHICAGO (51 - 32) - 4/20/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 327-394 ATS (-106.4 Units) second half of the season since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 8-17 ATS (-10.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
MILWAUKEE is 45-35 ATS (+6.5 Units) in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 29-20 ATS (+7.0 Units) as an underdog this season.
MILWAUKEE is 26-15 ATS (+9.5 Units) in road games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 29-19 ATS (+8.1 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
CHICAGO is 55-77 ATS (-29.7 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 16-26 ATS (-12.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 8-5 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 9-4 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NEW ORLEANS (45 - 38) at GOLDEN STATE (68 - 15) - 4/20/2015, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ORLEANS is 89-120 ATS (-43.0 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 46-33 ATS (+9.7 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 42-27 ATS (+12.3 Units) as a favorite this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) in home games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 111-82 ATS (+20.8 Units) in April games since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 16-4 ATS (+11.6 Units) in the first round of the playoffs since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 33-23 ATS (+7.7 Units) after scoring 105 points or more this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 26-16 ATS (+8.4 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 24-12 ATS (+10.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 29-16 ATS (+11.4 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 35-20 ATS (+13.0 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 46-35 ATS (+7.5 Units) in all games this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 26-13 ATS (+11.7 Units) as an underdog this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 8-3 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 11-1 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Short Sheet

Monday, April 20

Eastern Conference - Rd 1 - Best of 7 - Game 2 - CHI Leads 1-0

Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls, 8:05 ET
Milwaukee: 25-15 ATS after 1 or more consecutive losses
Chicago: 17-32 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 12 points

Western Conference - Rd 1 - Best of 7 - Game 2 - GSW Leads 1-0

New Orleans Pelicans at Golden State Warriors, 10:35 ET
New Orleans: 18-6 ATS off a road loss
Golden State: 26-17 UNDER after playing 4 consecutive games as favorite




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, April 20

Chicago made 12-32 from arc in Game 1 win- it was 60-51 at half, then game slowed down. Bulls went 50-32 despite ton of injuries; they've won seven of last eight games with Milwaukee (6-1 vs spread in last seven)-- six of last nine games stayed under total. Chicago won last four games, allowing 92.5 ppg; they've lost in first round of playoffs four of last six seasons. Five of last six Milwaukee games went over the total.

New Orleans lost 10 of last 11 games with Golden State, losing by 7 in Game 1, which is misleading-- Warriors led by 18 at half, but they only got 12 points from bench, a red flag for future rounds in playoffs. Golden State won nine of last eleven games, but covered only one of last seven- they got to line 34 times in Game 1. Davis had 35 for New Orleans in Game 1, but other starters went 12-31 from floor and Evans (played only 12:00) got hurt.

Home favorites are 5-3 in this round; over is 3-5.

2015 playoffs
Brooklyn vs Atlanta
Atl 99-92, -10, U201.5

Boston vs Cleveland
Clev 113-100, -11.5, O203

Milwaukee vs Chicago
Chi 103-91, -8, O186

Washington vs Toronto
Wash 93-86 OT, +4, U194.5

New Orleans vs Golden State
GSt 106-99, -12, U205

Dallas vs Houston
Hst 118-108, -5.5, O212.5

San Antonio vs LA Clippers
LA 107-92, -1.5, U207

Portland vs Memphis
Mem 100-86, -5.5, U188.5

East vs West
SU: West 242-177 ATS: West 214-202-3
East teams HF vs West: 56-57
East teams HU vs West: 46-52
West teams HF vs East: 81-79-3
West teams HU vs East: 24-21




NBA

Monday, April 20

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. CHICAGO
Milwaukee is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Chicago
Milwaukee is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

10:30 PM
NEW ORLEANS vs. GOLDEN STATE
New Orleans is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
New Orleans is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Golden State is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Golden State is 15-7-1 ATS in its last 23 games when playing New Orleans

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Monday, April 20

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Game of the Day: Monday's NBA Playoffs matchups
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Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls (-7.5, 187.5)

The Golden State Warriors spent most of Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series showing why they earned the top record in the regular season. The Warriors will try to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series when they host the New Orleans Pelicans for Game 2 on Monday.

MVP candidate Stephen Curry was phenomenal en route to 34 points in Game 1, but Golden State let a 25-point lead slip down to four before putting the finishing touches on Saturday’s 106-99 triumph. “We didn’t finish it off right,” Warriors center Andrew Bogut told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We know they’re young; they haven’t been in the playoffs in a number of years. They’re going to come out hungry, so we’ve got to finish teams off while we can.” Pelicans star Anthony Davis scored 20 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter but the gap proved to be too large. Davis could need to do even more in Game 2 if Tyreke Evans (knee) can’t take the court.

TRENDS:

*Bulls are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 home games.
*Over is 5-1 in Bucks last 6 overall.
*Bulls are 8-17 ATS in their last 25 games following a ATS win.
*Bucks are 1-6 ATS in the last 7 meetings.


New Orleans Pelicans at Golden State Warriors (-11, 205)

Derrick Rose made his initial postseason appearance in three years a memorable one and aims to help Chicago open a 2-0 lead when the Bulls host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of the first-round Eastern Conference series on Monday. Rose had 23 points and seven assists in his first playoff game since tearing the ACL in his left knee in the 2012 postseason.

Jimmy Butler aided Rose by scoring 25 points as Chicago posted a 103-91 win in Saturday’s series opener while Rose battled to keep his mind from thinking about his past injury setbacks. “You can’t think that way when you’re on the floor and you’re in a battle,” Rose told reporters. “When you step on the floor, all those thoughts have to be in the back of your mind. You have to have a clear mind.” The Bucks haven’t advanced past the first round since the 2000-01 campaign and would like to gain a split before the series shifts to Milwaukee. “There were a lot of nerves and whatnot, but we got rid of it and have a great opportunity on Monday,” Bucks guard Jerryd Bayless told reporters after Game 1.

TRENDS:

*Warriors are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games.
*Under is 6-2-1 in Pelicans last 9 overall.
*Pelicans are 3-7-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
*Under is 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Monday, April 20


Pelicans G Evans questionable for Game 2

The New Orleans Pelicans listed guard Tyreke Evans as questionable for Game 2 against the Golden State Warriors with a bone bruise in his left knee that he suffered Saturday night.

Evans underwent an MRI ?exam Saturday night after suffering the injury in a second-quarter collision with Golden State guard Andre Iguodala. ESPN.com reported that the exam revealed no structural damage.

The Warriors built a 15-point lead and rolled to a 106-99 victory in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series. Game 2 will take place Monday night.

After the game, Evans said he "felt a little pop, felt a little snap" in the knee.

Evans, in his sixth NBA season, averaged 16.6 points, 6.6 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 79 games.



NBA roundup: Irving, Cavs roll in Game 1

CLEVELAND -- Guard Kyrie Irving scored 30 points in his postseason debut, including making his first five 3-pointers, and the Cleveland Cavaliers posted a 113-100 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday in Game 1 of a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

Cavs forward LeBron James added 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and forward Kevin Love finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Guard Isaiah Thomas had a team-high 22 points and 10 assists, and center Kelly Olynyk added 12 points for Boston, both off the bench. Swingman Evan Turner had 12 points and seven rebounds, and guard Marcus Smart and forward Brandon Bass had 10 points each to lead the Celtics' starters.

Love missed his first four shots in his playoff debut -- he missed the rim on three of them -- and struggled to shoot 2-for-11 in the first half before erupting in the third quarter. He had eight points and six rebounds within the first 7 1/2 minutes of the third, and the Cavaliers outscored the Celtics 16-4 during a five-minute stretch to take command of the game.

Clippers 107, Spurs 92

LOS ANGELES -- Point guard Chris Paul scored 25 of his game-high 32 points in the second half, and Los Angeles pounded San Antonio in the opener of a first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Forward Blake Griffin added 26 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals for the Clippers, who won their eighth game in a row and their 15th in the past 16. Guard Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 17 points.

Forward Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points to lead the Spurs.

Hawks 99, Nets 92

ATLANTA -- Guard Kyle Korver fueled an electric atmosphere inside Philips Arena with a 21-point performance, lifting Atlanta past Brooklyn in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference playoff series.

The Hawks controlled the game and were dominant in stretches, but couldn't put away the scrappy Nets until the final minute. Brooklyn forward Thaddeus Young cut the Atlanta lead to 93-89 on a floater in the lane with two minutes to play. However, Hawks point guard Jeff Teague scored his team's final six points to secure the win for top-seeded Atlanta.

Teague finished with 17 points, as did forward DeMarre Carroll for the Hawks, who improved to 36-6 at home. Korver hit five 3-pointers, almost always sparking Atlanta runs. Brooklyn forward Joe Johnson and center Brook Lopez each led the Nets with 17 points. Johnson spent seven seasons in Atlanta and was bombarded by boos every time he touched the ball.

Grizzlies 100, Trail Blazers 86

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Reserve point guard Beno Udrih scored a playoff career-high 20 points, and forward Zach Randolph and center Marc Gasol posted double-doubles as Memphis rolled over Portland to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Randolph finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Gasol added 15 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks. The Grizzlies got 16 points from point guard Mike Conley.

Forward LaMarcus Aldridge scored a game-high 32 points for the Trail Blazers, shooting 13-for-34 from the floor. Aldridge also pulled down 14 rebounds and blocked four shots. Portland made 33.7 percent of its field-goal attempts, while Memphis shot 44.3 percent.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Monday, April 20


New Orleans Pelicans @ Golden State Warriors

Game 719-720
April 20, 2015 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New Orleans Pelic
117.143
Golden State Warr
133.113
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State Warr
by 16
201
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State Warr
by 11
205
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State Warr
(-11); Under

Milwaukee Bucks @ Chicago Bulls

Game 717-718
April 20, 2015 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee Bucks
117.360
Chicago Bulls
126.866
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago Bulls
by 9 1/2
183
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago Bulls
by 7 1/2
188 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago Bulls
(-7 1/2); Under

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

-- Running a 26-mile marathon seems unhealthy; then again, if I drive 26 miles, I'm looking for a Wendy's drive-thru window.

-- Cubs face Francisco Liriano tonight, their first game against a lefty starter- they also brought up infield prospect Addison Russell, who will play 2B..

-- North Carolina PG Marcus Paige had his ankle scoped this week; he didn't do lot of practicing this season.

-- San Jose Sharks "fired" Todd McLellan after seven years; he was 311-163-66 as Sharks' coach, but never made the Stanley Cup finals. No one quits these jobs.

-- Why would Oklahoma City fire Scott Brooks? Is it his fault his players were hurt all season? Sometimes coaching an NBA team seems like running an asylum. He has not been fired yet, but rumors are they want to hire Kevin Ollie.

-- Jimmy Butler scored 31 points for the Bulls last night; he didn't have a D-I scholarship offer coming out of high school. He went to Tyler JC for a year, then went to Marquette. Life is funny sometimes.

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

13) Losing isn't fun; Cincinnati Reds' manager Brian Price went on a 5:34 tirade against a sportswriter, complete with 77 F-bombs and 11 other expletives. My first thought on this was: the season is two weeks old and the guy sounds like he's going to have a nervous breakdown. He might not be cut out for the job.

12) Seriously, 77 F-bombs in 5:34 is tremendous and he got off to a slow start. Worst thing about the whole thing is that his basic point is wrong; its the job of the reporter to give out news on the team. If a manager can't deal with this being the age of instant news via social media, then he shouldn't have the job he has. If he doesn't start winning soon, he won't have it anyway.

11) Sad day for a couple of tough guys: Doug Buffone, 71 and Bob St Clair, 84 two very tough men, passed away Monday. Buffone was a LB for the Bears with Dick Butkus, St Clair was a Hall of Famer for the 49ers. RIP fellas.

10) Anaheim Ducks are first team in NHL history to lead a playoff series 3-0 when they trailed all three games in the third period. Ottawa is down 3-0 in its series with Montreal, losing last two games in OT- they led all three games after the first period.

9) Woman was standing behind the plate in Pittsburgh last night; a foul ball hit the net, the net gave way a little and the ball hit the lady square in the side of the head. She was taken away on a stretcher after a 15-minute delay- can you say "personal injury lawsuit"?

8) Steve Spurrier turned 70 years old this week, is still going strong, playing golf and coaching the Gamecocks. He's had a tremendous career.

7) Adrian Peterson will make $765,000 a game this season, $15M in 2016, $17M in 2017; will another team take a chance on such an expensive player in his 30's? Peterson hasn't played since Week 1 of last season.

6) Kyle Wiltjer is coming back to Gonzaga next year, Jakob Poeltl is coming back to Utah, great news for both those teams.

5) Couple transfers to note: PG Ricky Tarrant goes from Alabama to Memphis and Evan Payne goes from LMU to Long Beach State.

4) Rumors say the Marlins will hire Wally Backman as manager if they can Mike Redmond; Backman is a fiery type who has done well in the minors, but Redmond is highly respected. Two weeks is a little quick to be firing people.

3) 15 of 30 current major league managers caught in the big leagues.

2) Ranger-Penguin series is first time since 2009 Stanley Cup finals that the Penguins haven't had home ice advantage in a series- thats ten series ago.

1) NFL schedule comes out tonight at 8:00; as Bud Grant used to say, "Its not who you play, its when you play them." Steelers-Patriots is early favorite to be the Thursday night season opener.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Pointspreads for Week 1 of the 2015 NFL season

-- Steelers @ Patriots -6
-- Packers -4 @ Bears
-- Chiefs @ Texans -1.5
-- Browns @ Jets -1
-- Colts -3 @ Bills
-- Dolphins -2.5 @ Redskins
-- Panthers -4 @ Jaguars
-- Seahawks -3.5 @ Rams
-- Saints @ Cardinals -2.5
-- Lions @ Chargers -2
-- Titans @ Buccaneers -3
-- Bengals -3 @ Raiders
-- Ravens @ Broncos -4
-- Giants @ Cowboys -5.5
-- Eagles @ Falcons -1.5
-- Vikings @ 49ers -3.5

**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Initial thoughts on the '15 NFL schedule

13) Week 1 Thursday night game: Steelers @ Patriots. New England doesn't have lot of strong opponents on its '15 schedule; with this game on NBC, the opponent had to be a good team, and Pittsburgh fits that bill.

12) Eagles have five primetime games, plus Thanksgiving Day in Detroit, so the league is saying they like what Chip Kelly is doing. Weeks 6-7-9, Philly is on in primetime all three weeks, with a bye in Week 8.

11) Four of the Giants' first six games are night games, with three of the four divisional games.

10) Week 1: Ravens @ Broncos-- Gary Kubiak against team he worked for last year. Week 11: Broncos @ Bears-- John Fox against team he worked for LY.

9) Week 6: Cardinals @ Steelers-- Ben Roethlisberger wasn't happy when the Steelers let Bruce Arians go as OC; Arians returns here as a very successful head coach of the Cardinals-- he spent eight years in Pittsburgh.

8) Rex Ryan faces his old team in Week 10 when the Bills visit Swamp Stadium; they meet again January 3 in Orchard Park. Starting in Week 10, Buffalo plays five of six games on the road, including three in row in Weeks 10-12.

7) Week 1: Packers @ Bears-- Last three years, the team Green Bay opened the season with eliminated the Packers in the playoffs that year.

6) Andre Johnson catches passes for the Colts now; the longtime Texan WR will see his former team in Weeks 5 and 15, with Week 5 in Houston.

5) Week 1: Titans @ Bucs-- If Winston/Mariota are the first two picks in the draft next week, they could face each other in the first game of their careers.

4) Week 2: Seahawks @ Packers-- If Seattle kicks off to start the game, they have to onside kick, right?

3) Thanksgiving tripleheader:
-- Eagles-Lions, Panthers-Cowboys, Bears-Packers. Green Bay will retire #4 that night, as Brett Favre returns to the frozen tundra.

2) Jerry Jones better order some warm parkas for his team; their last three road games are in Washington (Dec 7 night game), Green Bay six days later, then in Buffalo on Dec 27. Something to ponder when you draft your fantasy team.

1) Oh yeah, DeMarco Murray is an Eagle now; Philly-Dallas games are Week 2, a 4:25 (presumably national) game, then a Week 9 Sunday night game.

[StarDust Bum]

See spot. See spot bet: This week's best spot bet opportunities

Schedule spot

The Pittsburgh Pirates blow the dust off the suitcases this week, flying cross country for a date with the Arizona Diamondbacks starting Friday. The Bucs don’t have much down time to get their travel plans or home life in order before this nine-game road run that takes them into May. They host the Chicago Cubs for a day game Thursday, then immediately rush to the airport to catch their flight to Phoenix.

Last season, the Pirates avoided a situation like this, with at least a day between cross-country hikes. In 2013, the Bucs kicked off the season with a three-game home stand versus the Cubs that finished on a Friday and traveled overnight to play the L.A. Dodgers that Saturday, losing the opener 3-0 and getting swept in that three-game set, outscored 10-2.

Letdown spot

Gas was thrown on the Giants-Dodgers rivalry last October when San Francisco won its third championship in five years. The Giants continue to come through in October while Los Angeles spends millions on talent every offseason only to come up short. These National League West members picked up that rivalry this week with a three-game set in the Bay Area, and San Fran could be ripe for a letdown in the game immediately following the series finale Thursday.

San Francisco heads to Coors Field Friday, where letdown games usually involve the hometown Rockies sending a few balls over the fences at the homer-friendly park. The Giants were already swept by Colorado at home, getting outscored 10-3 in that series. San Fran has a 3.92 ERA on the road to start this season and the last time they went mile high, the Giants gave up 26 runs in three games to the Rockies.

Lookahead spot

The Golden State Warriors have cruised to two easy victories to open their first round NBA Playoffs series against the New Orleans Pelicans, winning 106-99 in Game 1 and 97-87 in Game 2 Monday. But while those games were rarely in doubt, outside of a slow start in Game 2, Golden State has burned backers who gladly gave the big points in those contests.

The Warriors are 0-2 ATS versus spreads of 12.5 and 13.5 points in the postseason and have actually struggled against double-digit chalk in recent weeks (1-6 ATS last seven). The Warriors are giving five points with the series swinging to New Orleans in Game 1 but bettors should beware over these next two games, especially if Golden State takes Game 3. They could start looking ahead to their possible Round 2 matchup, extending a 1-7 ATS record in their last eight overall.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, April 22

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BROOKLYN (38 - 45) at ATLANTA (61 - 22) - 4/22/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 49-31 ATS (+14.9 Units) in all games this season.
ATLANTA is 36-22 ATS (+11.8 Units) as a favorite this season.
ATLANTA is 26-16 ATS (+8.4 Units) in home games this season.
BROOKLYN is 53-37 ATS (+12.3 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 13-29 ATS (-18.9 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 7-5 against the spread versus BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 8-4 straight up against BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PORTLAND (51 - 32) at MEMPHIS (56 - 27) - 4/22/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PORTLAND is 25-40 ATS (-19.0 Units) against Southwest division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
PORTLAND is 10-23 ATS (-15.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 3 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 142-105 ATS (+26.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more since 1996.
MEMPHIS is 28-17 ATS (+9.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 9-3 against the spread versus PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS is 10-2 straight up against PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SAN ANTONIO (55 - 28) at LA CLIPPERS (57 - 26) - 4/22/2015, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 21-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) in home games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 901-788 ATS (+34.2 Units) in all games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 405-341 ATS (+29.9 Units) second half of the season since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 127-90 ATS (+28.0 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 323-270 ATS (+26.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 9-20 ATS (-13.0 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 171-234 ATS (-86.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 130-169 ATS (-55.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA CLIPPERS is 7-5 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 6-6 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, April 22

Brooklyn lost last six games with Atlanta, losing by seven in Game 1 as Atlanta's starters took 11-12-12-12-12 shots. Hawks made 10 of 30 from arc, 21-22 on line. Nets had only four fast break points. Brooklyn lost last three road games by 32-23-7 points. Hawks' C Horford hurt his finger in Game 1, but he came back in game later. Johnson was just 6-17 for Nets; he'll have to do better.

Memphis held Portland to 33.7% from floor in 100-86 Game 1 win; they were up 19 at half. Grizzlies won five in row, 10 of its last 11 games with Portland, covering nine of last ten. Memphis held the Blazers to six fast break points. Portland covered six of last nine games, lost four of last five on road, losing by 4-8-14-14- its subs made final score more respectable- starters were combined -71.

Defending champ Spurs are 12-2 in last 14 first round series, 3-1 in years after they won a title. SA lost last three games with Clipper, losing 107-92 in Game 1- Spurs' starting G's shot combined 6-22 from floor. LA won its last seven games overall, winning four in row at home by 5-8-7-5 points. Spurs won 11 of last 13 games; they lost first playoff game in three of four championship seasons.

Home favorites are 7-6 in this round; home teams are 11-2 SU, with Washington getting both road wins-- over is 4-9.

2015 playoffs

Brooklyn vs Atlanta
Atl 99-92, -10, U201.5

Boston vs Cleveland
Clev 113-100, -11.5, O203
Clev 99-91, -11, U206

Milwaukee vs Chicago
Chi 103-91, -8, O186
Chi 91-82, -8, U190.5

Washington vs Toronto
Wash 93-86 OT, +4, U194.5
Wash 117-106, +5, O193.5

New Orleans vs Golden State
GSt 106-99, -12, U205
GSt 97-87, -13, U206.5

Dallas vs Houston
Hst 118-108, -5.5, O212.5
Hst 111-99, -6.5, U214

San Antonio vs LA Clippers
LA 107-92, -1.5, U207
Portland vs Memphis
Mem 100-86, -5.5, U188.5

East vs West
SU: West 242-177 ATS: West 214-202-3
East teams HF vs West: 56-57
East teams HU vs West: 46-52
West teams HF vs East: 81-79-3
West teams HU vs East: 24-21




NBA

Wednesday, April 22

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
BROOKLYN vs. ATLANTA
Brooklyn is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Brooklyn is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Atlanta's last 16 games when playing at home against Brooklyn

8:00 PM
PORTLAND vs. MEMPHIS
Portland is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Portland is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Memphis
Memphis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Portland
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Memphis's last 15 games when playing Portland

10:30 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. LA CLIPPERS
San Antonio is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
San Antonio is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
LA Clippers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 5 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Wednesday, April 22


NBA roundup: Wizards win at Toronto again

TORONTO -- Guard Bradley Beal scored a game-high 28 points and grabbed five rebounds, and the Washington Wizards took a 2-0 series lead with a 117-106 win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night at Air Canada Center.

Washington became the fifth team to go up 2-0 on the road since the first round expanded to best-of-seven in 2003.

Wizards point guard John Wall added 26 points while setting a franchise playoff record with 17 assists. Center Marcin Gortat had 16 points and eight rebounds, while forward Otter Porter added 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

The Raptors, who got 20 points apiece from guard Lou Williams and DeMar DeRozan, face a tough road. Only three teams in NBA history won a best-of-seven series after falling behind 0-2 at home.

Cavaliers 99, Celtics 91

CLEVELAND -- Forward LeBron James and guard Kyrie Irving combined to score all 24 of Cleveland's fourth-quarter points, and the Cavaliers survived a scare from Boston to grab a 2-0 lead in their opening-round playoff series.

James scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth, and Irving added nine of his 26 points in the fourth. James also had nine rebounds and seven assists, while Irving had five rebounds and six assists.

Boston guard Isaiah Thomas, who finished second this week in Sixth Man of the Year balloting, finished with 22 points, including 10-of-10 shooting at the free-throw line on a night the Celtics' bench outscored the Cavs' reserves 51-7.

Rockets 111, Mavericks 99

HOUSTON -- With Josh Smith producing a crowd-pleasing passing exhibition, one that led to several rim-rattling dunks from Dwight Howard, Houston pulled away from Dallas and took Game 2 of its Western Conference first-round series at Toyota Center.

Smith finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, recording seven assists in the fourth quarter. During one decisive stretch, he fed Howard (28 points, 12 rebounds) on four alley-oop dunks, turning a three-point deficit into a 94-86 lead with 7:39 left.

During that stretch, Smith also converted a driving layup, and he tallied the final basket for the Rockets with a thunderous dunk working the pick-and-roll with guard James Harden (24 points, six assists).

The Rockets grabbed a 2-0 series lead by scoring 60 points in the paint. Reserve forward Corey Brewer added 15 points for Houston.

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday's Playoff Essentials

April 23, 2015


Cavaliers at Celtics – 7:05 p.m. ET
LeBron James dropped the passive facilitator act and finished with a game-high 30 points in Game 2, imposing his will on the contest. He distributed seven assists like he did in the series opener, but was certainly more assertive in getting to the rim and took 22 shots. He hasn’t been perfect, shooting just 2-for-8 from 3-point range and committing 11 turnovers, but accomplished his mission of making sure new tag-team partners Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving got off on the right foot. VegasInsider expert Kevin Rogers points out that “while a member of the Heat, James’ squad took a 2-0 series lead in the first round of all four postseasons and in Game 3 on the road, Miami won and covered all four times, a good sign for backing the Cavaliers here.” Irving stole the show in Game 1 with a 30 points, including five 3-pointers, while adding 26 points on Tuesday. Love has shot poorly (8-for-22) but is averaging a team-high nine rebounds per contest. The Cavs opened -3500 to win the series according to Sportsbook.ag and are now -25000 up 2-0. Game 2 snapped a streak of three consecutive games that had gone over the posted total. Cleveland has won six of its last eight as a road favorite, going 5-3 ATS in that span.

The Celtics have held second-quarter leads in both games thus far, but the Cavs have won the third quarter by a combined margin of 53-40 and have therefore coasted into both fourth quarters with comfortable leads. Brad Stevens has put an emphasis on improving after the break, so don’t be surprised to see him mix things up in Game 3. Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Isaiah Thomas has come off the bench to score 22 points in both losses in Cleveland while also averaging 8.5 assists. He’s only playing 31 minutes per contest, so the adjustment may simply be to give him more run. Rookie Marcus Smart is averaging 10 points per game but is just 2-for-9 from 3-point range and has been dared by the Cavs to keep shooting. Avery Bradley is just 6-for-19, so Boston’s top defenders simply haven’t been able to find the range. Stevens sat Jonas Jerebko in Game 2 and gave more of Kelly Olynyk’s minutes to Jared Sullinger, who has started regaining his rhythm after missing 24 games post-All-Star break. Sullinger got 22 minutes and scored 14 points in Game 2, the most he’s managed since Feb. 11. The 6-11 Olynyk can still be useful in taking advantage of mismatches on the perimeter. Evan Turner has seen the majority of time on James and has averaged 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds, but is just 7-for-23 from the field. Rogers adds that “the Celtics put together a solid winning stretch at TD Garden from February through mid-March, but have dropped four of their past seven home contests. One of those wins came against a Cavaliers’ squad that sat James, Irving, and Love towards the end of the regular season in a 117-78 blowout, but Boston has compiled a 4-1 ATS record in its past five as a home underdog.” Boston was +1500 to pull the upset in this series per Sportsbook.ag and is now +5000. Unders have prevailed in four of the Celtics last six games, including Game 2.

Bulls at Bucks – 8:05 p.m. ET

Right off the bat, we’ll get to see how engaged the Bucks crowd will be in their first home playoff game since 2013, only the sixth time they’ve hosted since ‘06. Complicating matters is the opponent, since Bulls fans are very likely to make their voices heard less than 100 miles from home. This is the first time the long-time rivals have met in the postseason in 25 years, but that’s not expected to alter the custom of Chicago fans finding tickets and being just as loud as the Milwaukee backers. Bulls Nation is riled up, too. Point guard Derrick Rose and former Marquette standout Jimmy Butler have thrilled Chicago with how healthy and explosive they’ve looked since returning from significant injuries. Rose has averaged 19 points and eight assists, getting to the rim and showing off an improved 3-point stroke, currently 5-for-13 from beyond the arc in the series. Butler is averaging 28 points through the first two games, shooting 18-for-33 (55 percent). His 31 points in Game 2 was the All-Star’s best scoring night since Jan. 29, helping the Bulls prevail despite the rest of the team shooting a combined 21-for-62 (33.8 pct) in a 91-82 win. Rookie forward Nikola Mirotic, typically able to give Chicago a boost with his perimeter touch and ability to create matchup problems, will miss Thursday’s game with a left knee strain suffered on Monday night. Kirk Hinrich (knee) has yet to play in the series but went through practice yesterday and will likely see his first postseason action. Joakim Noah has played through a hamstring issue and is averaging 15 rebounds per contest despite managing just 6.0 points per game. Pau Gasol is just 9-for-29 this postseason, but is averaging 10.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 blocks. The Bulls opened -750 to hold serve in this series according to Sportsbook.ag and are now -7000. Chicago has won six consecutive games and has covered five of those. The under is 6-3-1 in the team’s last 10 games.

The Bucks are shooting just 37.4 percent thus far this postseason, including 8-for-33 from 3-point range (24.2 pct). They’ve been outrebounded 116-89 and are really being exposed by Tom Thibodeau’s elite defense. Jason Kidd is the only coach in NBA history to take two different teams to the postseason in his first two years as a head coach, but this group is much younger than last year’s veteran Nets squad and is viewing this more as a learning atmosphere than a pressure situation. Point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who came over at the All-Star break, has averaged just 2.5 assists in the series and has shot 9-for-25 (36 pct) from the field, taking just one 3-pointer. The Bulls have been cutting off his driving angles and daring him to take open perimeter looks. Shooting guard Khris Middleton has led the Bucks in scoring, averaging 20 points per game in the series despite shooting 40.5 percent, roughly the same clip he shot against them in four regular-season meetings (21-for-51). Talented young small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is shooting just 25 percent against Chicago (6-for-24), averaging 9.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. Milwaukee was 23-18 at home this season, but is just 4-6 at Bradley Center since March 18, going 4-5-1 ATS. The Bucks are just 2-6 SU in their last eight games as a home underdog. They opened at +500 to win the series according to Sportsbook.ag, but are now +2000 after falling into an 0-2 hole. Five of their last seven games have gone over the posted total.

Warriors at Pelicans – 9:35 p.m. ET

All five starters scored in double-figures in the series opener, but the scoring wasn’t quite as balanced in Game 2. Klay Thompson took his turn playing primary catalyst, connecting on 11 of 17 shot attempts to finish with a team-high 26 points. He averaged 19.7 points over three regular-season games, but shot just 41 percent against the Pelicans, so seeing him rebound from a 6-for-17 performance in Game 1 was reassuring. MVP front-runner Stephen Curry has been great, opening the playoff run with 34 points and adding 22 on Monday. For the season, his scoring output of 23.5 points in four regular-season meetings with New Orleans is right there near his average over 80 games (23.8), but he stepped his game up further at Smoothie King Center, averaging 29.5 and eight assists while shooting 11-for-18 from 3-point range. Despite the “Splash Brothers” getting off nicely, the key to persevering through a sneakily complicated series lies in the continued success of Draymond Green. The undersized power forward has been incredibly impressive defending Anthony Davis, who is a few inches bigger and longer, not to mention more talented. Green’s defense was the key in holding him to 9-for-22 shooting in Game 2 after his 35-point explosion on Saturday, keeping him from making a shot in five fourth-quarter attempts. Davis was 3-for-12 when Green guarded him. Andrew Bogut, the key to the Warriors winning a championship since they can’t replace his rim protection or how well he facilitates on offense from the five-spot, averaged 7.3 points,8.0 rebounds and 4.7 blocks against the Pelicans, during the regular season, has grabbed 28 boards and blocked five shots in the two wins in Oakland. VI’s Rogers researched that the “Warriors are favored on the road in the playoffs for the first time in 17 games, which stretches back to their first round upset of the Mavericks back in 2007. In the last three postseasons, Golden State has lost seven of 10 away from Oracle Arena, surrendering at least 100 points in five straight road playoff contests.” GSW opened at -5000 to win this series at Sportsbook.ag, by far the largest favorite of the first-round. Up 2-0, the Warriors are now -16500. The Warriors are 1-7 ATS in their last eight, but had covered in nine of 10 prior to this stretch. They’re 2-4 ATS against the Pelicans despite winning five of the six encounters.

When the Pelicans held off the Warriors 103-100 on April 7, Davis told reporters they considered themselves “an elite team” that “can play with anybody and beat anybody on any given night.” New Orleans put a couple of scares into Golden State at Oracle and is out to prove it can make this a series. Davis, despite his struggles with Green, is averaging 30.5 points, 9.0 boards and 3.0 blocks, so any chance the Pelicans have starts and ends with him. Unfortunately, Davis doesn’t have the help he envisioned since point guard Jrue Holiday (leg), missed Game 2 and is still dealing with soreness that has him questionable for Thursday. Tyreke Evans (knee) played 41 minutes after being limited to just 12 in Game 1. He came up with 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists on Monday but was visibly hampered and is just 4-for-15 in the series Ryan Anderson returned after missing most of March and still hasn’t been able to find the range. He shot 32 percent over nine April contests and is 2-for-11 in the series, making just one 3-pointer. Eric Gordon has continued to shoot the ball well and is 9-for-17 from beyond the arc in the series, lifting him to 33-for-67 (49 pct) from beyond the arc in April. Rogers likes that New Orleans can regroup at home, seeing this as “a favorable spot as a home underdog in Game 3. New Orleans owns a perfect 5-0 SU/ATS record since the All-Star break when getting points at home, which includes victories over Toronto, Golden State, and San Antonio.” The Pelicans are also 5-0 SU/ATS in their last five home outings, winning three as a favorite and two as a dog. The Pelis opened at +1800 at Sportsbook.ag and are at +4000. The under has gone 6-2-2 in New Orleans’ last 10 contests.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, April 23

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CLEVELAND (55 - 29) at BOSTON (40 - 44) - 4/23/2015, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 7-6 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 7-6 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CHICAGO (52 - 32) at MILWAUKEE (41 - 43) - 4/23/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 17-26 ATS (-11.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
MILWAUKEE is 45-36 ATS (+5.4 Units) in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 29-20 ATS (+7.0 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
MILWAUKEE is 136-101 ATS (+24.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 50-71 ATS (-28.1 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 13-22 ATS (-11.2 Units) second half of the season this season.
MILWAUKEE is 46-64 ATS (-24.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
MILWAUKEE is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 9-5 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 10-4 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
9 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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GOLDEN STATE (69 - 15) at NEW ORLEANS (45 - 39) - 4/23/2015, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ORLEANS is 47-35 ATS (+8.5 Units) in all games this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 27-13 ATS (+12.7 Units) as an underdog this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) against Pacific division opponents this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 25-16 ATS (+7.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 46-34 ATS (+8.6 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 42-28 ATS (+11.2 Units) as a favorite this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) when playing with 2 days rest this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) in the first round of the playoffs since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 28-15 ATS (+11.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 26-17 ATS (+7.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 24-13 ATS (+9.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 29-17 ATS (+10.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 35-21 ATS (+11.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 8-4 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 12-1 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, April 23

Lebron James is 39-7 in first round games in his career; Cleveland won eight of last ten games overall, covering two of its last eight; they were 20-59 on arc, 50-59 on line in first two wins, as Irving was on court for 80 minutes, James 84. Boston covered nine of its last eleven games overall; they had only 13 fast break points in first two games, were -20 on the boards. Smart/Turner are 15-38 combined from floor in first two series games.

Chicago made 24-65 from arc in first two series wins- they held the Bucks to 39%/36% from floor. Bulls won eight of last nine games with Milwaukee (7-1 vs spread in last eight)-- seven of last ten games stayed under total. Chicago won last five games. Bucks are 8-33 from arc in two games; they've only turned ball over 12 times in two games, but also have only 21 fast break points in the two games. Five of last seven Milwaukee games went over the total.

New Orleans lost 10 of last 12 games with Golden State, losing by 7-10 in first two games- they were down only 55-52 at half in last game, after being down 18 in Game 1. Golden State won ten of last twelve games, but covered only one of last eight- they got to line 34 times in Game 1, but only 19 last game. Davis had 61 points for New Orleans in first two games, but other starters went 27-74 from floor, even with Evans back in lineup (41:00) in Game 2.

Home favorites are 8-8 in this round; home teams are 13-3 SU, with two of three road wins in OT-- over is 5-11.

2015 playoffs
Brooklyn vs Atlanta
Atl 99-92, -10, U201.5
Atl 96-91, -9.5, U202

Boston vs Cleveland
Clev 113-100, -11.5, O203
Clev 99-91, -11, U206

Milwaukee vs Chicago
Chi 103-91, -8, O186
Chi 91-82, -8, U190.5

Washington vs Toronto
Wash 93-86 OT, +4, U194.5
Wash 117-106, +5, O193.5

New Orleans vs Golden State
GSt 106-99, -12, U205
GSt 97-87, -13, U206.5

Dallas vs Houston
Hst 118-108, -5.5, O212.5
Hst 111-99, -6.5, U214

San Antonio vs LA Clippers
LAC 107-92, -1.5, U207
SA 111-107 OT, +1.5, O207.5

Portland vs Memphis
Mem 100-86, -5.5, U188.5
Mem 97-82, -6, U189

East vs West
SU: West 242-177 ATS: West 214-202-3
East teams HF vs West: 56-57
East teams HU vs West: 46-52
West teams HF vs East: 81-79-3
West teams HU vs East: 24-21




NBA

Thursday, April 23

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
CLEVELAND vs. BOSTON
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cleveland's last 9 games on the road
Boston is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games when playing at home against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games

8:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. MILWAUKEE
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 7 games

9:30 PM
GOLDEN STATE vs. NEW ORLEANS
Golden State is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Golden State's last 6 games on the road
New Orleans is 2-7-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans's last 5 games when playing at home against Golden State