Announcement

**Udog** · 05-10-2015, 07:20 AM

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

-- Wizards 103, Hawks 101-- Washington was up 19 after third quarter, but needed a banked-in 3-pointer by Pierce for the win.

-- Grizzlies 99, Warriors 89-- Golden State had 39 points at the half in each of last two games; they're in trouble in this series.

-- Lower seeds lead all four NBA series 2-1, first time that has ever happened at this stage of the second round.

-- Canadiens 2, Lightning 1-- Montreal stays alive, forces Game 6 in Tampa.

-- Pirates 7, Cardianls 5-- St Louis lined into a triple play; think it is the first triple play I've seen on live TV.

-- Nationals 8, Braves 6-- Bryce Harper has six homers in his last three games.

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

13) Really nice scene in San Francisco Thursday, with Marlins 1B Michael Morse getting his World Series ring from last year. All the Giants came to home plate and applauded as he got the ring before the game-- very cool.

12) Jon Lester actually takes up two roster spots for the Cubs; his own and one for David Ross, his personal catcher. Cubs carry three catchers, which is really unusual-- its little frustrating having Miguel Montero on my fantasy team- he doesn't play against lefties or when Lester pitches.

11) Golden State scored less than 40 points in the first half once during the regular season; they had 39 in first half of last two games with Memphis.

10) Dodgers' payroll for this year is listed at $271,608,629, highest in history of baseball; that said, their starting outfield Saturday was going to be this trio of obscure players: Scott Van Slyke-Chris Heisey-Keke Hernandez, Hitting fourth was going to be Justin Turner. $271M doesn't go that far these days.

9) Dodgers got rained out in Denver, Rockies third rainout this week- they had a 4th game shortened to five innings. It snowed in Denver last night, so they probably won't play today either. Weather in Colorado is highly erratic.

8) Broncos' 3rd-round pick Jeff Heuerman, a tight end from Ohio State, tore his ACL and is done for the year, the second NFL draft pick this week to blow his knee out and end his rookie season before it ever started.

7) Red Sox are 1-7 in May, having led for only seven of 72 innings; they're 8-2 when they score first, 5-15 when they do not. Their payroll is $184,345,996-- Captain Obvious called in to say they're underperforming.

6) It is neat when NBA players sponsor AAU teams; remember seeing Austin Rivers play in Florida when he was in 9th grade, playing for Team Stat, a team sponsored by Amare Stoudamire. Magic's Elfrid Payton was watching a team he sponsors this weekend- thats putting their salaries to good use.

5) There was an 18-year old kid driving in the NASCAR race last night; how is that possible, that an 18-year old drives well enough to compete with the world's greatest? I didn't even get my drivers' license until I was 19.

4) Back when the Milwaukee Brewers played outdoors at County Stadium, when they hit a homer, mascot Bernie Brewer slid down a ramp into a huge beer mug-- now that they play in Miller Park, they lost the beer mug and he just slides onto a flat landing and waves. Miller is a beer company; how can they not have the mug inside a ballpark sponsored by a beer company?

3) Cleveland Cavaliers cancelled practiced Saturday and had a team yoga session instead- seriously, they did. Its something Phil Jackson used to do when he was coaching- gets the players off their feet for a day.

2) Former sportswriter Bill Scheft is now a writer for David Letterman; he is chronicling the last days of the Letterman show in a Tumbler diary that can be found here. If you've enjoyed Letterman's career, you will enjoy this. His last show on CBS is May 20th, a week from Wednesday.

1) Mike Conley drew a charge in Saturday night's game; he is playing with a broken face, which cannot be said often enough. He is a tough human.

**Udog** · 05-10-2015, 07:21 AM

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, May 10

Cavaliers got 14 points off bench from JR Smith (4-8 from arc) but team shot 31% for game inside arc and trails series 2-1. Bulls blocked 10 shots Friday; they're 3-4 vs Cavs this year-- Chicago won four of last five series games played here. Bulls won 10 of last 13 games overall with five of last eight staying under total; Chicago made 10-18 from arc in Game 1, only 13-41 in last two games- they scored 20 transition points last game, after having total of 14 in Games 1-2. Mirotic was +19 in 22:00 off the bench for Chicago in Game 3.

Chris Paul (hamstring) played 23:00 in Friday's rout of Houston; they've now won eight of last 11 games against Rockets, who were 18-31 on foul line after going 42-64 in Game 2. Houston lost four of last five road tilts in series. Six of last seven Clipper games went over the total. Rockets are just 27-92 on arc in series-- how do they let JJ Redick score 31 points in a playoff game against them (11-15 from floor)? Gut-check time for the Rockets, whose FG% in series has gone from 45.2 to 42.5 to 39.8-- this is where team chemistry will be tested- they've gathered talented guys who might not all be the best team guys.

2015 playoffs
Chicago vs Cleveland
Chi 99-92, +4.5, U195
Clev 106-91, -5.5, O195.5
Chi 99-96, -3, O194.5

Washington vs Atlanta
Wash 104-98, +5.5, O197
Atl 106-90, -9, U199
Wash 103-101, +4, O196.5

Memphis vs Golden State
GSt 101-86, -10.5, U196
Mem 101-86, +10.5, U198.5
Mem 99-89, +4.5, U196.5

LA Clippers vs Houston
LAC 117-101, +7.5, O212
Hst 115-109, -8, O214.5
LAC 124-99, -6, O214.5

NBA

Sunday, May 10

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Trend Report
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3:30 PM
CLEVELAND vs. CHICAGO
Cleveland is 6-16 SU in its last 22 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland

8:30 PM
HOUSTON vs. LA CLIPPERS
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Houston's last 13 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
Houston is 1-8 SU in their last 9 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the LA Clippers last 5 games at home
LA Clippers are 8-1 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against Houston

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**Udog** · 05-10-2015, 07:21 AM

NBA

Sunday, May 10

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Game of the Day: NBA Sunday playoff matchups
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Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls (+1.5, 194.5)
Bulls lead series 2-1

The Derrick Rose that makes clutch shots has returned and now the Chicago Bulls are in position to open up a 3-1 lead when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinal matchup. Rose banked in the decisive 3-pointer at the buzzer in Game 3 to give Chicago a dramatic 99-96 victory and the emotional edge in the series.

Rose has been up-and-down performer in this series but Friday’s 30-point effort included the big-time play he used to make prior to his injury woes. “I don’t want to sound cocky,” Rose told reporters. “But that’s a shot you want to take if you are a player in my position. … And no, I did not call glass.” Cleveland forward LeBron James insisted his team will bounce back and not let the adversity alter the approach for Game 4. “I already know how we’re going to respond, the same way we did in Game 2,” James told reporters in reference to the Cavaliers’ lone win in the series. “Whether or not that results in a win, we don’t know but I don’t have any doubt of how we will play on Sunday. We’re going to give ourselves a chance.”

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

LINE HISTORY: CHI opened at -1, but were bet over the fence to +1.5 by Saturday evening. The total of 194.5 has not shifted since opening.

INJURY REPORT: Cavaliers - N/A Bulls - F Pau Gasol (Ques-Hamstring)

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: Point guard Kyrie Irving suffered through a miserable 3-of-13 shooting performance in Game 3 with 11 points and zero assists. Coach David Blatt revealed afterward that Irving has a sore right foot that is hampering his play but James doesn’t want any part of excuse-making. “No one feels sorry for Kyrie because he’s hurting,” James told reporters. “We’re not going to make any excuses. He’s on the floor so he has to make plays. Obviously, from a competitive standpoint, it’s killing him inside because I know what type of competitor he is and I know what type of teammate he is.”

ABOUT THE BULLS: Power forward Pau Gasol departed Game 3 with a left hamstring injury and is questionable for Sunday’s game after experiencing issues in each of the last two games. “A couple minutes into the game, it started tightening up again,” Gasol told reporters. “I just tried to play through it as much as I could, but in the second half and third quarter it got worse so I couldn’t sprint.” Backup Taj Gibson, whose screen necessitated a defensive switch that allowed Rose to get in position to make the game-winning shot, will move into the starting lineup if Gasol is ruled out.

TRENDS:

*Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Chicago.
*Bulls are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
*Under is 34-16-1 in Cavaliers last 51 games playing on 1 days rest.
*Under is 15-6 in Bulls last 21 vs. NBA Central.

Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Clippers (-7.5, 217.5)
Clippers lead series 2-1

A blowout win has put Los Angeles in the driver’s seat but the Clippers need another victory to stay there when they host the Houston Rockets in Sunday’s Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. Los Angeles took a 2-1 lead when it broke the game open in the third quarter and rolled to a 124-99 victory over the Rockets on Friday.

Point guard Chris Paul’s hamstring ailment is improving and he’s expected to be in position to increase his minutes on Sunday after contributing 12 points and seven assists in 23 minutes in Game 3. Backup Austin Rivers stole the show for the Clippers by scoring a personal playoff-best 25 points with 16 coming in the pivotal third quarter. Houston’s two losses in the series have been by an average of 20.5 points and center Dwight Howard – averaging 20 points and 13.3 rebounds in the series – hinted that he needs to see more of the basketball. “We have to do a better job of attacking the basket,” Howard told reporters. “When you shoot all 3s, it’s just easy run-outs for them. There is no easy opportunity to crash the boards and it just puts us in a bad position.”

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: LAC opened at -7.5 and has remained there since. The total has jumped half a point from 217 to 217.5.

INJURY REPORT: Rockets - G K.J. McDaniles (Out-Wrist) Clippers - N/A

ABOUT THE ROCKETS: Star guard James Harden attempted 15 free throws in Houston’s win and averaged just 5.5 attempts in the two defeats and is averaging 25.7 points and 10 assists in the series. “I think I could have been a little bit more aggressive,” Harden told reporters about his inability to take over in the two losses. “Just too passive. Just too passive.” Harden could use some help from backup forward Josh Smith, who has been highly unproductive in the series and is averaging eight points on 9-of-31 shooting.

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS: The much-maligned Rivers took over Game 3 and scored 15 of his points during the 20-3 burst that broke open the contest. Part of the criticism hurled his way stems from the fact that his father Doc coaches the club and Paul was encouraging dad to enjoy his son’s impressive splurge. “Even when C.P. said that, it was like white noise to me,” Doc Rivers told reporters. “He was just very aggressive and that’s what we’ve been telling him to do. The scoring and all that was great, we love it but the big picture was we allowed C.P. to get back in this series, feel comfortable and not overextend himself.”

TRENDS:

*Rockets are 2-9 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
*Clippers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 home games.
*Over is 5-0 in Rockets last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
*Under is 20-8 in the last 28 meetings in Los Angeles.

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**Udog** · 05-10-2015, 07:22 AM

NBA

Sunday, May 10

Chris Paul to start Game 4 for Clippers

Chris Paul is expected to get the start for the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4 Sunday. Paul played in Game 3, but had a minutes restriction while backup point guard Austin Rivers played well enough, which gave the All-Star point guard a chance to rest.

Paul is averaging 21.4 points, 7.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds in his eight games during the playoffs this season. The Clippers have played better with Paul despite still winning, as they have averaged nearly 21 more points per 100 possessions with Paul on the floor.

LA is currently -7.5 when they host the Rockets Sunday.

Bulls' Gasol questionable for Game 4

Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol has a strained left hamstring, and his status for Sunday's Game 4 against the Cleveland Cavaliers is uncertain, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Saturday.

Thibodeau said an MRI revealed the strained hamstring, and that Gasol is still sore.

"(He's) day to day," Thibodeau said. "He didn't do anything today. We just did some walkthrough stuff. We'll see how he feels (Sunday)."

Gasol said after Game 3 that he initially hurt the hamstring in Game 2 and tried to play through the injury. However, he was unable to complete Game 3 on Friday, leaving the contest in the second half after scoring six points in 22 minutes.

The Bulls lead the series 2-1, but may have to play a pivotal Game 4 in Chicago without Gasol.

Gasol averaged 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds during the regular season, and is averaging 15.1 points and 9.9 rebounds through nine playoff games.

All three games in Rockets-Clippers went over

Despite ever escalating closing totals, the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers continue to go over in each of their games during their playoff series.

The average total for the series so far has been 214, with the two teams combining for an average of 221 points per game.

Currently, the total for Game 4 Sunday is 217.5.

**Udog** · 05-10-2015, 09:53 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Sunday, May 10

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Chicago Bulls

Game 725-726
May 10, 2015 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland Cavalie
127.221
Chicago Bulls
123.309
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland Cavalie
by 4
200
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland Cavalie
by 1 1/2
194 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland Cavalie
(-1 1/2); Over

Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Clippers

Game 727-728
May 10, 2015 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston Rockets
121.531
Los Angeles Clipp
133.735
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles Clipp
by 12
222
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles Clipp
by 7 1/2
217 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles Clipp
(-7 1/2); Over

NBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 10

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CLEVELAND (58 - 31) at CHICAGO (56 - 35) - 5/10/2015, 3:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 15-7 ATS (+7.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
CHICAGO is 57-78 ATS (-28.8 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 10-5 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 9-6 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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HOUSTON (61 - 29) at LA CLIPPERS (62 - 30) - 5/10/2015, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 52-37 ATS (+11.3 Units) in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 115-76 ATS (+31.4 Units) in road games after allowing 105 points or more since 1996.
HOUSTON is 13-3 ATS (+9.7 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more this season.
HOUSTON is 31-22 ATS (+6.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
HOUSTON is 30-21 ATS (+6.9 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 18-28 ATS (-12.8 Units) in home games this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 15-29 ATS (-16.9 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 135-173 ATS (-55.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA CLIPPERS is 10-4 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 10-4 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**Udog** · 05-10-2015, 10:36 AM

NBA

Sunday, May 10

Dogs go 2-0 in playoff action Saturday

Both underdogs in the NBA playoffs not only covered Saturday, but won straight up.

The Washington Wizards topped the Atlanta Hawks 103-101 as 4-point home dogs and the Memphis Grizzlies hammered the Golden State Warriors 99-89 as 4.5-point home dogs.

**Udog** · 05-10-2015, 12:16 PM

NBA
Short Sheet

Sunday, May 10

Eastern Conference - Semifinals - Best of 7 - Game 4, CHI Leads 2-1

Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls, 3:30 ET

Cleveland: 33-19 ATS when playing 4 or less games in 10 days
Chicago: 23-43 ATS in home games after a close win by 3 points or less

Western Conference - Semifinals - Best of 7 - Game 4, LAC Leads 2-1

Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Clippers, 8:30 ET
Houston: 16-7 ATS revenging a road loss vs opponent
Los Angeles: 12-21 ATS in home games after 1 or more consecutive wins

Announcement

Sunday's NBA and NCAAB Trends and Indexes - 5/10

Sunday's NBA and NCAAB Trends and Indexes - 5/10

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