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**Udog** · 05-15-2015, 08:24 AM

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

-- Cavaliers 94, Bulls 73-- Chicago is now 0-12 in playoff series when they trail 3-2.

-- Rockets 119, Clippers 107-- LA led by 19, was outscored 40-15 in 4th quarter.

-- Steve Nash played in the most playoff games (120) without ever playing in the NBA Finals; Chris Paul is now up to 64.

-- Angels signed closer Huston Street to a two-year contract extension.

-- San Diego Padres have played 7,363 games, have never had a player hit for cycle.

-- The Sporting News college football magazine is out already!!!!

**********

Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here.....

13) Things got weird after midnight last night; the Clippers gagged away a 19-point lead, were outscored 40-15 in the 4th quarter by Houston, with James Harden sitting on the bench for the whole quarter. Go figure. Clippers haven't played in a conference final, ever- this is their best shot.

12) Harden was -21 for the game; every other Houston starter was at least +11; Rockets didn't foul DeAndre Jordan much-- he was 4-6, but the Clippers fouled Dwight Howard a lot-- he was 6-16 from the line. It wound up not helping.

11) Rockies 5, Dodgers 4-- Carlos Gonzalez is hitting .192, but his 3-run homer in ninth inning at 2:30 am gave Colorado a win, ending an awful 11-game losing streak on a rainy night in southern California.

10) Red Sox 2, Mariners 1-- For some reason, Seattle is playing infielders in the outfield; Rickie Weeks misplayed a single into a double and that turned into the winning run for Boston at Safeco Field. If I'm a Mariner fan, I'm happy with the roster, but they could use an upgrade at manager, for sure.

9) Cavaliers 94, Bulls 73-- Matthew Dellavedova played four years of college basketball, scored 1,933 points for a team that went 108-28 during that time, so when he was called upon in a big game last night, he was more than ready to hammer the nails in Chicago's coffin. Kids who play four years in college have a stigma attached to them by the NBA-- in many cases, it is just stupid.

8) Tom Thibodeau just averaged 51 wins a year with a Chicago team that was ravaged by injuries; if he gets fired by the Bulls, he is re-hired within an hour by a team that cares about winning, about actually being coached.

7) Lakers are the only team sending their head coach to the lottery drawing; three teams are sending players.

6) I'll be in Las Vegas the second half of July; Chris Paul has a charity ping pong tournament at The Venetian July 18-- that could be worth going to.

5) Mets have allowed 11 unearned runs this year, eight when Jonathan Niese is on the mound; five of Wilmer Flores' eight errors came when Niese was on the hill. Mets are an interesting study; a big market team owned by people who were friends/business partners with Bernie Madoff- they claim to be hurting for money, but Fred Wilpon is the head of MLB's Finance Committee. Hmmm

4) Bronx Bombers just played 17 consecutive games against division rivals; from now until July 1, they have only three divisional games.

3) Red Sox are advertising family 4-packs for $75 for home games; you get four hot dogs, four drinks, four snacks and four tickets for $75, a good deal that is less in other big league parks. Weird hearing Boston announcers shilling for people to buy seats though- they used to have a long sellout streak.

2) They did a reality TV show last year about the LA Kiss of Arena Football, the team Gene Simmons owns part of; hope they're not doing a show this year-- saw yesterday the Kiss is 0-7 and just traded for a new quarterback.

1) In 18 day games, Miguel Cabrera is hitting .471 with eight homers; in 17 night games, he is hitting .158 with zero homers.

**Udog** · 05-15-2015, 08:24 AM

Preakness Stakes betting horse-by-horse preview and picks

Twenty years ago, trainer D. Wayne Lukas sent out two horses in the Preakness Stakes and Timber Country, who finished third in the Kentucky Derby two weeks prior, beat the Derby winner, Thunder Gulch.

Thunder Gulch then came back to win the Belmont Stakes, thus, Lukas blew his own chance at a Triple Crown champion.

Here we go again.

On Saturday, trainer Bob Baffert will saddle the top two choices in the Preakness and will Dortmund, who was third in the Kentucky Derby, upset American Pharoah and end the colt's chances of becoming the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978?

Here is a look at the entire field:

1. American Pharoah (Jockey-Victor Espinoza, odds 4-5): Has won five-straight races including the Kentucky Derby by a clear length. Pharoah's owner, Ahmed Zayat, feels his horse is better than Dortmund and since he beat him once, he can do it again. Even Baffert, who is at the whim of Dortmund's owner to enter the colt, intimated the same. It really feels like we'll be headed for a Triple Crown run in three weeks at Belmont. The only question is whether American Pharoah will bounce off a pretty difficult trip in the Derby but this is a small field and I feel that Materiality (who will skip this race) had the best chance of beating him.

2. Dortmund (Martin Garcia, 7-2): Baffert has won the Preakness five times and if American Pharoah doesn't fire, this one surely has the best chance at securing the victory. But, he was in a great spot in the Derby and looked like the winner but didn't get it done so I'd pass on him this time.

3. Mr. Z (Corey Nakatani, 20-1): Wasn't going to run this week but the colt was sold to the Calumet Farm during the week and its connections decided to enter him. It wouldn't surprise me if he tried to steal this race from the gate but he's lost 12 straight races and doesn't appear to be at this level. He was previously owned by the Zayat Stables and the Ahmed Zayat wasn't go to run him against American Pharoah – just in case.

4. Danzig Moon (Julien Leparoux, 12-1): Actually had excuses in the Derby finishing fifth after a troubled trip. He's getting better and I'd keep him in mind later in the season, perhaps around Breeder's Cup time.

5. Tale of Verve (Joel Rosario, 30-1): Can you win the Preakness in your first start after breaking your maiden? He's well-bred but with a top Beyer figure of just 72 it's far from likely. First of three new shooters in the eight-horse field.

6. Bodhisattva (Trevor McCarthy, 20-1): Hoping to parlay the home-track advantage into a win. The local star won the Tesio Stakes at Pimlico and is the only horse in the field with a race over this surface but he's a former maiden claimer who’s never faced horses this good.

7. Divining Rod (Javier Castellano, 12-1): Won the Lexington Stakes changing tactics and coming from off the pace. That's usually a sign that the horse is in great form but he's also never ran against a field this good, hasn't worked well and loses Leparoux to Danzig Moon. That's just too many negatives (but I might have a ticket with No. 7 on it in my pocket just to be safe).

8. Firing Line (Gary Stevens, 4-1): A big threat who finished second to Pharoah in the Derby by just a length at 9-1. Has never been worse than second in six career starts and actually led the Run for the Roses at the top of the stretch. It's been a grueling stretch of races for Firing Line who is always in a war but with a small field and a clear trip from the outside he should hit the board.

Picks: 1. American Pharoah. 2. Firing Line. 3. Dortmund. 4. Mr. Z.

**Udog** · 05-15-2015, 08:26 AM

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, May 15

Wall came back, played 37:00 in tough Game 5 loss; Wizards are 3-6 in their last nine games vs Atlanta; ten of last 13 series games went over total. Both benches struggled last game; Wizard subs were 3-21, Atlanta's 7-22, but four Hawk subs were combined +12. Nine of last 12 Wizard games went over total. Korver hasn't done much, but his threat from arc has opened stuff for other guys. Hawks are 2-3 in last five visits here; last three series games were all decided by 5 or less points.

Winning side has been up by 8+ points at half in all five series games, as only one of five games was decided by less than 10 points. Warriors are 41-91 from arc in three series wins, 12-54 in two losses- Tony Allen's absence was a disaster in Game 5-- Warriors had 28 fast break points in 98-78 win. Nine of last 11 series games stayed under the total, including all five in this series. Grizzlies scored 99-101 points in two series wins, 86 or less in their three losses.

2015 playoffs
Chicago vs Cleveland
Chi 99-92, +4.5, U195
Clev 106-91, -5.5, O195.5
Chi 99-96, -3, O194.5
Clev 86-84, -3 U194
Clev 106-101, -5.5, O190.5
Clev 94-73, +2.5, U192.5
Cavaliers win series, 4-2

Washington vs Atlanta
Wash 104-98, +5.5, O197
Atl 106-90, -9, U199
Wash 103-101, +4, O196.5
Atl 106-101, -4.5, O198
Atl 82-81, -7.5, U200.5

Memphis vs Golden State
GSt 101-86, -10.5, U196
Mem 101-86, +10.5, U198.5
Mem 99-89, +4.5, U196.5
GSt 101-84, -3.5, U196
GSt 98-78, -10, U198

LA Clippers vs Houston
LAC 117-101, +7.5, O212
Hst 115-109, -8, O214.5
LAC 124-99, -6, O214.5
LAC 128-95, -6.5 O217.5
Hst 124-103, +3, O219
Hst 119-107, +8.5, O220.5

NBA

Friday, May 15

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. WASHINGTON
Atlanta is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Atlanta is 4-9-1 ATS in its last 14 games
Washington is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 5 games at home

9:30 PM
GOLDEN STATE vs. MEMPHIS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Golden State's last 6 games on the road
Golden State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Memphis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis's last 5 games when playing Golden State

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**Udog** · 05-15-2015, 08:30 AM

NBA

Friday, May 15

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Game of the Day: NBA Friday's playoff matchups
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Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards (-2.5, 197)
Hawks lead series 3-2

John Wall and the Washington Wizards have no margin for error as they look to rebound from a demoralizing loss when they face the visiting Atlanta Hawks in Friday’s Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Washington led by 11 points midway through the fourth quarter on Wednesday before collapsing as Atlanta rallied for an 82-81 victory to take a 3-2 series lead.

The Hawks won the contest on Al Horford’s putback with 1.9 seconds left, and it capped a strong game from the standout center. Horford delivered 23 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots to become the first player in franchise to history to have 20 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a playoff contest. Wall returned to action after missing three games with a broken left wrist and hand, and his presence energized the attack. “I didn’t have any problems with my hand,” Wall told reporters. “I was able to play aggressive and make plays so I was fine.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

LINE HISTORY: The opening spread of Washington -2.5 has not moved. The total opened at 198 and has since dropped to 197.

INJURY REPORT: Hawks - N/A Wizards - G John Wall (Prob-Head)

ABOUT THE HAWKS: Horford has four double-doubles in the series and his stellar effort was capped by the key rebound, for which he slyly worked his way into position and then overpowered Washington’s Nene to get the board and lay it in the basket. It is the type of clutch play the Hawks expect from the three-time All-Star and it leaves Atlanta one win away from claiming the series. “He’s always calm and collect; thoughtful, yet intense,” shooting guard Kyle Korver told reporters. “Obviously on the basketball court, he is a steadying force and he’s a consistent player. This was obviously a big moment for him.”

ABOUT THE WIZARDS: Forward Paul Pierce scored a series-low 11 points, but that didn’t keep him from popping off at the Atlanta bench and reportedly insisting the series was over when he made a 3-pointer to put Washington ahead with 8.3 seconds remaining. Now he’ll be hoping for another trip down south as the Wizards first need to tie the series at home before having a chance to win it. “I think the sting of this game is going to motivate us for Game 6,” Pierce told reporters. “We’re going to go back home with aspirations of winning and making another trip to Atlanta.”

TRENDS:

*Hawks are 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 games overall.
*Wizards are 12-3-2 ATS in their last 17 games overall.
*Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Washington.
*Over is 14-3 in Wizards last 17 home games.

Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies (+5, 193.5)
Warriors lead series 3-2

The Golden State Warriors have a chance to close out the series when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies in Friday’s Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals. Golden State has won the last two games by an average of 18.5 points against the scoring-challenged Grizzlies.

Memphis scored a series-low 78 points in Wednesday’s loss, marking the third time the Warriors have limited the Grizzlies to 86 or fewer points. “I think I said the first couple games, ‘Our defense was good enough but it wasn’t championship defense,’” Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “I was wrong. This is what it’s going to take.” Memphis hasn’t once reached 100 points in the series and its vaunted defense took a hit as well with swingman Tony Allen sidelined with a hamstring injury. Warriors point guard Stephen Curry made six 3-pointers and registered a personal playoff-best six steals in Game 5 while veteran guard Andre Iguodala had his best outing of the series with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

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

LINE HISTORY: The Grizzlies opened as +5 and have remained there. The opening total of 195 has dropped down to 193.5.

INJURY REPORT: Warriors - C Ognjen Kuzmic (Ques-Ankle), F Marreese Speights (Out-Calf) Grizzlies - G Tony Allen (Prob-Hamstring)

ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Golden State knocked down 14 3-pointers in Game 5, and shooting guard Klay Thompson made three of them while scoring a series-best 21 points. Thompson is averaging 17.4 points against Memphis and he struggled early in the series when routinely guarded by Allen. The Warriors are trying to get forward Draymond Green loose but he scored just seven points in Game 5, is 13-of-40 shooting over the past four games and is averaging 11.8 points in the series.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES: Memphis has drawn criticism for its impotent offense, with Allen receiving much of the blame, but coach Dave Joerger was quick to point out that Memphis tallied only 78 points without Allen being in the lineup. Allen plans to play in Game 6 as will go as far as the ailing hamstring will allow. “I am doing this for the guys in that locker room,” Allen told reporters. “I’ve been there with them since Day One. I’d rather be in there in that battle. If they say our season is on the line and we need everybody, I’m one of the troops.”

TRENDS:

*Favorite is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
*Warriors are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games following a SU win of more than 10 points.
*Under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.
*Under is 24-2 in Grizzlies last 26 home games.

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**Udog** · 05-15-2015, 08:34 AM

NBA

Friday, May 15

Allen says he will play for Grizzlies in Game 6

Tony Allen missed the Memphis Grizzlies 98-78 Game 5 loss to the Golden State Warriors, but the guard says he is ready to go for Friday. Allen plans to play in Game 6 despite a hamstring injury according to Marc Spears.

"If they say our season is on the line and we need everybody, I'm one of the troops, I'm riding out," Allen said Wednesday.

The Grizzlies have been outscored by 19 points with Allen on the floor this series and 16 points without him.

Wizards' Wall should be good to go in Game 6

Washington Wizards guard John Wall is expected to play in Game 6 against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night after experiencing no swelling in his injured left hand and wrist.

Wall overcame five non-displaced fractures to produce 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals in the Wizards' 82-81 loss to the Hawks on Wednesday night.

"He'll get checked again later with our doctors," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "Just to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be. After the game, everything looked good in terms of no swelling. That was a good sign. Right now, I am anticipating that he will be able to play."

Wall showed no apparent effects of the injury suffered 10 days ago with his performance against the Hawks. His block on a late-game drive by Atlanta guard Dennis Schroder nearly gave the Wizards a victory, but Hawks forward Al Horford scored on a putback to give Atlanta a 3-2 series lead.

"It was incredible," Wittman said.

Cavs' Irving exits with possible leg injury

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving left Thursday night's game against the Chicago Bulls because of an apparent leg injury.

Irving hobbled badly toward the bench after stepping on the foot of teammate Tristan Thompson with 9:47 remaining in the second quarter. Irving needed to be helped off the court as he headed to the locker room.

ESPN's Lisa Salters reported that Irving's left knee was being re-wrapped and that he was likely to return to the game.

The score was tied at 35 when Irving exited.

Irving has battled nagging foot and knee injuries throughout the series. Coach David Blatt revealed last week that Irving initially injured his foot in Cleveland's first-round series against the Boston Celtics.

Cleveland held a 3-2 lead against Chicago entering Thursday's Game 6 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series.

**Udog** · 05-15-2015, 09:55 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Friday, May 15

Atlanta Hawks @ Washington Wizards

Game 745-746
May 15, 2015 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta Hawks
121.956
Washington Wizard
126.444
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington Wizard
by 4 1/2
193
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington Wizard
by 2 1/2
197 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington Wizard
(-2 1/2); Under

Golden State Warriors @ Memphis Grizzlies

Game 747-748
May 15, 2015 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Golden State Warr
129.852
Memphis Grizzlies
122.569
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State Warr
by 7 1/2
190
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State Warr
by 5
194
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State Warr
(-5); Under

NBA
Long Sheet

Friday, May 15

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ATLANTA (67 - 26) at WASHINGTON (52 - 39) - 5/15/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 14-32 ATS (-21.2 Units) in road games in all playoff games since 1996.
ATLANTA is 6-21 ATS (-17.1 Units) in the second round of the playoffs since 1996.
ATLANTA is 53-37 ATS (+12.3 Units) in all games this season.
ATLANTA is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) on Friday nights this season.
ATLANTA is 27-13 ATS (+12.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WASHINGTON is 342-412 ATS (-111.2 Units) in home games since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 130-173 ATS (-60.3 Units) on Friday nights since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 158-202 ATS (-64.2 Units) vs. division opponents since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 52-79 ATS (-34.9 Units) in home games after scoring 85 points or less since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 9-6 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 10-7 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
13 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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GOLDEN STATE (74 - 17) at MEMPHIS (61 - 31) - 5/15/2015, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 66-97 ATS (-40.7 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1996.
MEMPHIS is 32-21 ATS (+8.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 50-37 ATS (+9.3 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 46-31 ATS (+11.9 Units) as a favorite this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 30-17 ATS (+11.3 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 28-16 ATS (+10.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 9-6 against the spread versus GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS is 8-7 straight up against GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
10 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**Udog** · 05-15-2015, 02:03 PM

NBA
Short Sheet

Friday, May 15

Eastern Conference - Semifinals - Best of 7 - Game 6 - ATL Leads 3-2

Atlanta Hawks at Washington, 7:05 ET
Atlanta: 18-8 ATS after failing to cover 2 of their last 3 against the spread
Washington: 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) after 2 or more consecutive losses

Western Conference - Semifinals - Best of 7 - Game 6 - GSW Leads 3-2

Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies, 9:35 ET
Golden State: 2-11 ATS in road games after having won 2 of their last 3 games
Memphis: 16-7 ATS after playing a game as a road underdog

Announcement

Friday's NBA and NCAAB Trends and Indexes - 5/15

Friday's NBA and NCAAB Trends and Indexes - 5/15

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