The Bum's National Basketball League December Picks/Trends/News !!

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Rockets (10-11) at Nets (5-15)
Date: December 08, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

Undeniably helping the Houston Rockets reclaim a place among the NBA's premier offensive teams has been having a healthy and fresh Dwight Howard available.

It's uncertain whether that will be the case when the resurgent Rockets aim for a fourth straight win Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets.

Houston (10-11) visits Barclays Center for the first of back-to-back games, a scenario where Howard usually sits one night to rest his surgically repaired back. With a matchup at Washington on tap for Wednesday, it's conceivable the All-Star center could be held out against a Nets team that's been one of the league's worst.

Howard did play consecutive nights for the first time this season last week, but showed some lingering effects as he fouled out with eight points on 2-of-6 shooting Wednesday against New Orleans. After subsequently resting Friday at Dallas, the next night he went 7 of 9 from the field in a superb 22-point, 18-rebound effort that helped the Rockets to a 120-113 win over Sacramento.

'He had bouncy legs, you saw that from him,' interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. 'He was dominant."

The Rockets are 2-4 without Howard in the lineup, though they had him and still lost 106-98 to the Nets in Houston on Nov. 11. That began a stretch of four straight defeats that triggered coach Kevin McHale's firing a week later.

Houston has bounced back strongly under Bickerstaff, whose decision to start Patrick Beverley over the disappointing Ty Lawson at point guard has paid dividends. The Rockets are 5-1 and have averaged 110.8 points since the move.

Beverley's expanded role has particularly impacted Houston's 3-point shooting and defense, two major problem areas during its slow start. He's 11 of 18 from beyond the arc in the past four games, and the Rockets have forced an average of 18.0 turnovers over their last five with Beverley making 11 steals.

'We're playing better, playing as a team,' guard James Harden said. 'Defensively we're playing really good.'

Harden has raised his play as well following the coaching switch, averaging 31.6 points and shooting 35.9 percent on 3s in Houston's 10 games under Bickerstaff. The 2014-15 NBA MVP runner-up was previously at 27.3 points and 26.2 percent. He went 5 of 6 from 3 and had 31 points against Sacramento.

The Rockets have won 11 of their last 12 against Brooklyn (5-15) as the visitor, but the Nets' only loss in their last five home games was Sunday's 114-98 defeat to 22-0 Golden State.

Brooklyn owned a 75-70 lead before the Warriors finished the third quarter on a 17-5 run and dominated the fourth.

"We definitely made it a game for a bit, we've just got to win," Brook Lopez told the team's official website.

The Nets played without two rotation players in Andrea Bargnani (hamstring) and rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle), both of whom are unlikely to return Tuesday. Depth was a factor in the teams' earlier meeting, when Brooklyn's bench outscored the Rockets' reserves 56-15.

Bojan Bogdanovic recorded season highs of 22 points and nine rebounds in the Nov. 11 win, but he hasn't scored in double figures in 11 straight.

The Nets and Rockets have split four meetings since Houston won 14 straight in the series from December 2006 to November 2013.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Thunder (12-8) at Grizzlies (12-9)
Date: December 08, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

The Memphis Grizzlies survived a huge night by Russell Westbrook last month to beat an Oklahoma City Thunder team missing Kevin Durant. Even when not at his best, as has been the case lately, Durant showed again in the Thunder's last game how important his presence can be.

No teams have played each other more over the past five years than Memphis and Oklahoma City, and both are looking to build some momentum following wins on late baskets as they square off Tuesday night in Tennessee.

These Western Conference powers are meeting for the 40th time since the beginning of the 2010-11 season, with the Grizzlies holding a 21-18 edge despite losing two of the teams' three playoff series. Oklahoma City has lost its last three trips to Memphis - all regular-season visits in 2015 - though Durant didn't play in the last two.

The Thunder (12-8) led after three quarters there in the only matchup this season despite missing an injured Durant, but they gave up 43 points in the fourth and lost 122-114 on Nov. 16. Westbrook had 40 points on 13-of-19 shooting and handed out 14 assists, but Memphis posted what remains its highest point total of the season and went 12 of 17 from 3-point range.

The Grizzlies (12-9) are only 13 for 54 (24.1 percent) in the last four games but have won three, and they remain the West's worst 3-point shooting team at 30.8 percent.

Oklahoma City has been struggling in that area as well at 29.6 percent in the last four games, and Westbrook enters in a 3-for-19 funk from beyond the arc.

Durant is 3 for 13 in the last two games while committing 15 turnovers, including 10 on Sunday, but he hit the go-ahead jumper with 23 seconds to go and two free throws with 4.4 seconds left in a 98-95 win over Sacramento.

'That's what your best player does,' Westbrook said. 'He's not going to play perfect every night, but you can see he closed the game for us and did a good job defensively.'

Durant hasn't surpassed 25 points in three consecutive games for the first time since last December, and his 20 points Sunday were his second-fewest of the season. Westbrook had 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Thunder improved to 3-0 when he has a triple-double. He's had three against the Grizzlies, all in the postseason.

Memphis' latest win was even more dramatic, with Courtney Lee's inbound pass finding Jeff Green for a dunk with 0.5 seconds left in Sunday's 95-93 victory over Phoenix.

"You don't like being in close games like that, but it's always fun when you pull it out and get the win," Green said.

Coach David Joerger said he felt like this team "didn't play great," and that's been a trend lately at home. The Grizzlies struggled to beat a Suns team which had lost seven of eight, three days after being blown out by 20 against San Antonio. In its final two home games of November, Memphis lost by 15 to Atlanta and needed a fourth-quarter rally to defeat league-worst Philadelphia.

The Thunder, though, have a 3-5 road record which is the worst of any division leader. They're allowing an average of 108.1 points in those games, compared to 98.4 at home.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Magic (11-9) at Nuggets (8-13)
Date: December 08, 2015 9:00 PM EDT

While others players might have become a distraction or hung their head, Victor Oladipo said he'd embrace his role when he was moved to Orlando's bench last month.

The guard certainly seems comfortable while leading the Magic on their recent surge.

Following the end of a five-game win streak, Oladipo looks to help surprising Orlando regroup Tuesday night and avoid a seventh consecutive road loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Oladipo had been averaging 12.8 points and shooting 37.0 percent during a 6-8 start before coach Scott Skiles decided it was "time to change the lineup" and replaced him in the starting five with Channing Frye.

The third-year pro has been a different player since, averaging 18.5 points on 44.6 percent shooting in his six games as a reserve to help the Magic (11-9) jump out to their best 20-game start since opening 13-7 in 2011.

His recent strong play has helped Orlando average 104.8 points in its past five, a bump of 4.3 per game that may not seem like much until you consider that the Magic have been playing tight games with six of their losses coming by six points or fewer.

Oladipo finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks Saturday but missed a key stretch in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Clippers snapped the Magic's win streak by rallying from a 12-point deficit in a 103-101 home win.

Orlando led by eight with 4:48 left when Oladipo knocked knees with Los Angeles' Jamal Crawford, and the Clippers had taken the lead by the time he returned. Oladipo, who is expected to play, totaled 38 points and shot 15 of 28 in two losses to Denver last season.

"I think we've been playing good basketball," he said. "This is a little bump in the road, but at the end of the day, it's going to happen. We just have to bounce back now."

The Magic will look to improve to 3-1 on a five-game trip, though they've dropped the past five meetings with the Nuggets (8-13) and 12 of their past 13 at the Pepsi Center.

Evan Fournier, acquired from Denver prior to the 2014-15 season, missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer in a 93-90 road loss Jan. 7 in the most recent matchup. Fournier is averaging a team-high 16.3 points this season but just 10.3 over the past six games.

The Nuggets open a three-game homestand after winning the last two on a five-game trip. Danilo Gallinari had 24 points and Will Barton 16 in Saturday's 108-105 win at Philadelphia.

"We'll take the win obviously, but there's a lot of things that we have to clean up moving forward," said coach Mike Malone after his team committed 17 turnovers and allowed the 76ers to shoot 50.0 percent from the field and 15 for 31 (48.4) from 3-point range.

Gallinari leads Denver with 17.7 points per game, while Barton has averaged 18.0 over his last three. Gallinari scored 40 and hit six 3-pointers in a 119-100 victory at Orlando on March 22.

Since averaging 81.3 points in the last four of an eight-game losing streak, the Nuggets have put up 107.0 over their last two. Orlando let Los Angeles shoot 45.1 percent from the field Saturday after allowing 91.8 points per game and a 40.1 field-goal percentage during its winning streak.

Gary Harris could return for the Nuggets after missing the past five games with a concussion.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Jazz (9-9) at Kings (7-15)
Date: December 08, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

Both the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz are unsure of what to do with their lineups depleted by key big men being out.

The Kings hope that DeMarcus Cousins can get untracked after some recent woes when they open a three-game homestand Tuesday night against the Jazz.

Sacramento (7-15) is without rookie center Willie Cauley-Stein while Utah (9-9) is without center Rudy Gobert. Cauley-Stein has started 14 games for the Kings while Gobert ranks among the NBA leaders with averages of 10.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.

Cousins would be among the leaders with 25.2 points per game if he'd played enough games to qualify, but he's averaging 14.3 points on 24.5 percent shooting in the last three games - all losses. He has played four times after a four-game absence due to a lower back strain, though Sacramento insists he is healthy.

'Nothing that I'm aware of, other than (over) 82 games, it's difficult to be a great player every night,' coach George Karl said. 'That just doesn't happen all the time."

Small forward Omri Casspi has totaled 26 points starting in place of Cauley-Stein in the last two games, though Karl indicated he may re-insert former Utah center Kosta Koufos in the lineup. Koufos, however, has one of the league's worst average plus-minus marks at minus-6.7.

Utah won for the first time in four games without Gobert with Saturday's 122-119 overtime victory over Indiana. Rookie Trey Lyles made his first start since Nov. 13, though it's uncertain if he will be in Tuesday's starting lineup.

'There are no clear answers for our team right now as far as rotations and substitutions go,' coach Quin Snyder said. 'It's all uncharted waters.'

The coach challenged top scorers Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward to perform at a higher level at Friday's practice. Favors scored a career-high 35 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Hayward finished with 22 points, five boards and five assists.

'Terrific, terrific job by both of them,' Snyder said. 'I asked them for that. We needed those two guys to step up. Our two best players."

This contest features teams who play at different tempos, with Sacramento averaging a league-high 102.2 possessions per 48 minutes and Utah last at 95.1.

Cousins and Rajon Rondo, who leads the NBA with 10.9 assists per game, each had poor efforts in Sunday's 98-95 defeat at Oklahoma City. Cousins made 5 of 20 shots for 13 points while Rondo shot 3 of 9 for seven points and had 10 assists.

The Kings have one of the league's top scoring benches at 41.7 points per game, with Darren Collison averaging 13.7 as a reserve. Two other Sacramento players average at least 10 points off the bench, with Marco Belinelli at 12.0 and Casspi at 10.8.

The Jazz's bench features Alec Burks, who averages 15.6 points as a reserve to rank second in the NBA.

Utah has taken five of the last six meetings with Sacramento, though Cousins missed three of them.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA ATS

NBA > (511) UTAH@ (512) SACRAMENTO | 2015-12-08 22:05:00 - 2015-12-08 22:05:00
Play ON UTAH against the spread in Road games after allowing 105 points or more
The record is 18 Wins and 2 Losses for the last three seasons (+15.8 units)

NBA > (511) UTAH@ (512) SACRAMENTO | 2015-12-08 22:05:00 - 2015-12-08 22:05:00
Play AGAINST SACRAMENTO against the spread in All games in December games
The record is 2 Wins and 14 Losses for the last two seasons (-13.4 units)

NBA > (509) ORLANDO@ (510) DENVER | 2015-12-08 21:05:00 - 2015-12-08 21:05:00
Play AGAINST DENVER against the spread in All games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 2 Wins and 13 Losses for the last two seasons (-12.3 units)

NBA > (505) HOUSTON@ (506) BROOKLYN | 2015-12-08 19:35:00 - 2015-12-08 19:35:00
Play ON HOUSTON against the spread in All games on Tuesday nights
The record is 9 Wins and 0 Losses for the last two seasons (+9 units)

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NBA MONEYLINE

NBA > (511) UTAH@ (512) SACRAMENTO | 2015-12-08 22:05:00 - 2015-12-08 22:05:00
Play ON UTAH using money line in Road games after allowing 105 points or more
The record is 13 Wins and 7 Losses for the last three seasons (+22.9 units)

NBA > (509) ORLANDO@ (510) DENVER | 2015-12-08 21:05:00 - 2015-12-08 21:05:00
Play AGAINST DENVER using money line in All games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 4 Wins and 11 Losses for the last two seasons (-18.05 units)

NBA > (509) ORLANDO@ (510) DENVER | 2015-12-08 21:05:00 - 2015-12-08 21:05:00
Play AGAINST DENVER using money line in Home games after playing 3 consecutive road games
The record is 3 Wins and 8 Losses for the last three seasons (-16.95 units)

NBA > (507) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (508) MEMPHIS | 2015-12-08 20:05:00 - 2015-12-08 20:05:00
Play ON MEMPHIS using money line in All games on Tuesday nights
The record is 17 Wins and 4 Losses for the last three seasons (+15.3 units)

NBA > (511) UTAH@ (512) SACRAMENTO | 2015-12-08 22:05:00 - 2015-12-08 22:05:00
Play AGAINST SACRAMENTO using money line in All games in December games
The record is 4 Wins and 14 Losses for the last two seasons (-15.5 units)

NBA > (501) GOLDEN STATE@ (502) INDIANA | 2015-12-08 19:05:00 - 2015-12-08 19:05:00
Play ON GOLDEN STATE using money line in Road games after 3 or more consecutive wins
The record is 28 Wins and 8 Losses for the last two seasons (+18.3 units)

NBA > (501) GOLDEN STATE@ (502) INDIANA | 2015-12-08 19:05:00 - 2015-12-08 19:05:00
Play ON GOLDEN STATE using money line in All games first half of the season
The record is 37 Wins and 5 Losses for the last two seasons (+25.65 units)

NBA > (503) PORTLAND@ (504) CLEVELAND | 2015-12-08 19:05:00 - 2015-12-08 19:05:00
Play ON PORTLAND using money line in All games first half of the season
The record is 59 Wins and 27 Losses for the last three seasons (+27.45 units)

NBA > (505) HOUSTON@ (506) BROOKLYN | 2015-12-08 19:35:00 - 2015-12-08 19:35:00
Play ON HOUSTON using money line in All games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 9 Wins and 1 Losses for the last two seasons (+9.5 units)

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NBA FIRST HALF

NBA > (507) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (508) MEMPHIS | 2015-12-08 20:05:00 - 2015-12-08 20:05:00
Play AGAINST OKLAHOMA CITY ?>in the first halfin Road games after 3 or more consecutive unders
The record is 1 Wins and 15 Losses for the last three seasons (-15.5 units)

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NBA TOTALS

NBA > (511) UTAH@ (512) SACRAMENTO | 2015-12-08 22:05:00 - 2015-12-08 22:05:00
Play UNDER UTAH on the totalin All games versus the 1rst half line in road games
The record is 233 Overs and 570 Unders for the since 1992 (+313.7 units)

NBA > (511) UTAH@ (512) SACRAMENTO | 2015-12-08 22:05:00 - 2015-12-08 22:05:00
Play UNDER UTAH on the totalin All games after a non-conference game
The record is 10 Overs and 28 Unders for the last two seasons (+17 units)

NBA > (509) ORLANDO@ (510) DENVER | 2015-12-08 21:05:00 - 2015-12-08 21:05:00
Play UNDER ORLANDO on the totalin All games as a favorite vs. the 1rst half line
The record is 3 Overs and 15 Unders for the last two seasons (+11.7 units)

NBA > (501) GOLDEN STATE@ (502) INDIANA | 2015-12-08 19:05:00 - 2015-12-08 19:05:00
Play UNDER INDIANA on the totalin All games after a non-conference game
The record is 20 Overs and 45 Unders for the last three seasons (+23 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Recapping last nights action:

NBA............... 5 - 3
CBB................5 - 4 - 1
NHL................2 - 4
NFL.................1 - 1


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

GS at IND 07:00 PM

IND +6.0 SLAM DUNK

O 214.0 SLAM DUNK


POR at CLE 07:00 PM

POR +9.0 *****

U 199.0


HOU at BK 07:30 PM

HOU -4.0 *****

U 207.0


OKC at MEM 08:00 PM

MEM +2.0 DOUBLE PLAY

O 203.0 DOUBLE PLAY


ORL at DEN 09:00 PM

ORL -2.5 TRIPLE PLAY

O 199.0 TRIPLE PLAY


UTA at SAC 10:00 PM

SAC -2.0

O 205.5 SLAM DUNK

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Ben Zobrist signs with the Cubs for four years, $56M, reuniting him with his old Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon.

-- Cubs then shipped Starlin Castro to the Bronx for Adam Warren, Brendan Ryan.

-- Diamondbacks are serious; they acquired Shelby Miller from Atlanta, giving the Braves Ender Inciarte, Dansby Swanson, #1 pick in LY's draft, in 5-player deal.

-- South Dakota State 84, Minnesota 70-- Jackrabbits get a solid road win.

-- Broncos worked out 17 players Tuesday, including nine DBs; teams that win are sharp on maintaining their depth to replace injured players.

-- Jay Cutler's brother-in-law has been missing for 12 days; police in Utah are still looking for him.

**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Tell your statistics to shut up.......

I like numbers, think they can explain a lot, but not everything; some people don't like them as much, but there's enough room in this world for all kinds of ideas.

NFL moved kickoffs up to create more touchbacks, since most injuries were occurring on kick returns; as a result, more drives start 80+ yards from the end zone. Defenses and special teams that create short fields help teams win, but which offenses are best at driving the ball 80+ yards?

13) There are six NFL teams averaging 2.00+ ppp on drives starting 80+ yards from goal line (you lose points for defensive TDs/safeties allowed):

Cardinals/Steelers 2.28, Bengals 2.15, Raiders 2.13, Chiefs 2.08, Patriots 2.07.

12) Rams have started 80 drives 80+ yards from end zone, scored only 71 points on those drives; they're only NFL team averaging under 1.00 ppp in that scenario.

11) Other teams that struggle scoring on long (80-yard+) TD drives:

Rams 0.89, Browns 1.03, 49ers 1.19, Panthers 1.26-- Carolina has 10 drives of less than 60 yards and five defensive TDs, lightening the load on its offense. .

10) Chargers have started 92 drives 80+ yards from goal line, seven more than any other team (Saints), 12 more than any of the other teams. Hard to win when you're playing on a longer field than your opponent.

9) Patriots lead NFL with 15 TDs on drives of less than 60 yards, but they haven't scored a TD on defense or special teams this year- they gave up three on Sunday.

Bowl matchups were announced this week; some numbers on how conferences have done in recent bowl games.......
8) Big 14 teams have been an underdog in 27 of last 33 bowl games, going 13-20 SU in those games (14-17-2 vs spread).

7) SEC teams were favored in 32 of last 38 bowl games, going 25-13 SU, 23-14-1 vs spread, 5-1 in few games when they were an underdog.

6) Surprisingly good bowl league: Conference USA, which is 15-7 SU in bowls last four years, 12-8 vs spread (9-3 when favored).

5) ACC teams are 13-19 SU in their last 32 bowls, 3-8 vs spread when favored.

4) Big X games are famous for being high-scoring, but over last four years, bowl games involving Big X teams have seen 18 go under total, only ten go over.

Elsewhere in the world of numbers.........
3) Chicago White Sox used a lefty starting pitcher in 119 games LY, third-most by any team over the last 100 years.

2) Summit League is a mid-major basketball league that has teams like South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Oral Roberts, Denver; heading into Tuesday's games, teams from Summit League were 39-19 against the spread this year, pretty damn good.

1) Golden State Warriors are now 23-0 this season; they're 16-7 against the spread, 9-3 as a road favorite- their last seven games went over the total.

[StarDust Bum]

Sharp bettors are drooling over these can't-miss spot bet opportunities

Going back to last season, the Niners are 1-5 ATS in their last six games coming off an outright win.

Lookahead spot

The Chicago Bulls have busy week. They lost at home to Phoenix Monday night and have Tuesday to stew on that disappointment before visiting Boston Wednesday. That is shaping up as a possible lookahead spot, with Chicago returning to the United Center the next night to host the Los Angeles Clippers Thursday.

The Celtics are in fine form, going 3-2 on their recent five-game road trip with wins in three of the last four games while covering the spread in each of those contests. This will be Boston’s first game back home since Nov. 27. Chicago, looking past the Celtics to the Clippers, is just 6-8 ATS in non-divisional matchups this season.

Letdown spot

Wins are few and far between for the San Francisco 49ers, who caught Chicago in a letdown spot in Week 13 with a 17-16 road win as 6-point underdogs at Soldier Field. Now the tables have turned on the Niners, who are in danger of falling to the same fate visiting the Cleveland Browns in Week 14 as 1.5-point road dogs.

San Francisco has followed its three previous victories with crushing losses. The 49ers beat Minnesota in Week 1, then lost 43-18 to Pittsburgh in Week 2. They knocked off Baltimore in Week 6, then got dumped 20-3 by Seattle in Week 7. And most recently, San Francisco defeated Atlanta 17-16 in Week 9 and – despite a bye week to prepare – lost 29-13 to the Seahawks in Week 11. Going back to last season, the Niners are 1-5 ATS in their last six games coming off an outright win.

Schedule spot

The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles won’t be home much for the holidays, kicking off a five-game road stretch at state rival No. 8 Oklahoma this Saturday. The Golden Eagles, who play at home versus John Brown Wednesday, won’t have another contest in Tulsa until the New Year, playing South Dakota on Jan. 3.

Following the road game against the Sooners, Oral Roberts plays at Missouri State on Dec. 16, at LSU on Dec. 19, at New Mexico State on Dec. 21, and returns to action after the Christmas break with a trip to IUPU-Fort Wayne on Dec. 30. This year, the Golden Eagles are 2-2 ATS on the road and went just 5-10-1 ATS as visitors last season. With the holiday around the corner, basketball may not be the focus for these college kids as the break gets closer.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, December 9


LA Clippers @ Milwaukee

Game 713-714
December 9, 2015 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Clippers
120.629
Milwaukee
118.726
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Clippers
by 2
207
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Clippers
by 6
201
Dunkel Pick:
Milwaukee
(+6); Over

Orlando @ Phoenix

Game 715-716
December 9, 2015 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Orlando
121.339
Phoenix
119.929
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Orlando
by 1 1/2
202
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Orlando
by 4 1/2
207
Dunkel Pick:
Phoenix
(+4 1/2); Under

New York @ Utah

Game 717-718
December 9, 2015 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
112.711
Utah
122.292
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Utah
by 9 1/2
185
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Utah
by 3
191
Dunkel Pick:
Utah
(-3); Under

Atlanta @ Dallas

Game 719-720
December 9, 2015 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
119.364
Dallas
123.898
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 4 1/2
200
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
by 2
204
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(-2); Under

Miami @ Charlotte

Game 701-702
December 9, 2015 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Miami
116.177
Charlotte
126.570
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Charlotte
by 10 1/2
198
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Miami
by 1 1/2
192
Dunkel Pick:
Charlotte
(+1 1/2); Over

Chicago @ Boston

Game 703-704
December 9, 2015 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
122.303
Boston
120.615
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 1 1/2
208
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
by 3
200
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(+3); Over

Houston @ Washington

Game 705-706
December 9, 2015 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
115.075
Washington
120.537
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 5 1/2
207
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 2 1/2
215 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-2 1/2); Under

San Antonio @ Toronto

Game 707-708
December 9, 2015 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
129.927
Toronto
122.764
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 7
183
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 5
188
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(-5); Under

Memphis @ Detroit

Game 709-710
December 9, 2015 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Memphis
114.264
Detroit
121.385
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Detroit
by 7
186
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Detroit
by 3
192
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
(-3); Under

LA Lakers @ Minnesota

Game 711-712
December 9, 2015 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Lakers
108.955
Minnesota
120.976
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 12
210
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 6
203 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(-6); Over

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, December 9

Hot teams
-- Hornets won seven of last nine games (1-1-1HU). Miami won six of its last nine games (2-1AF).
-- Celtics won five of their last seven games (4-4HF).
-- Houston won five of its last seven games (2-3AU).
-- Spurs won nine of their last ten games (7-3AF).
-- Detroit won four of last five games (5-0 last five HF). Grizzlies won five of their last eight games (3-1 last four AU).
-- Clippers won five of their last six games (2-3AF). Milwaukee won four of last five home games (5-2HU).
-- Orlando won six of its last seven games (6-3AU).
-- Mavericks won three of their last four games (4-2HF).

Cold teams
-- Bulls lost four of their last seven games (2-2AU).
-- Washington lost six of its last nine games (2-4HF).
-- Toronto lost three of its last five games (1-0HU).
-- Lakers lost nine of their last ten games (5-9AU). Minnesota lost its last four games (0-4HF).
-- Suns lost eight of their last ten games (4-4HF).
-- Knicks lost six of their last eight games (6-3AU). Jazz lost three of last four games (2-4HF).
-- Hawks lost four of their last five road games (2-2AU).

Series records
-- Heat won eight of last ten games with Charlotte.
-- Bulls won six of last seven games with Boston.
-- Rockets won seven of last nine games with Washington.
-- Spurs won eight of last nine games with Toronto.
-- Grizzlies won nine of last ten games with Detroit
-- Lakers won three of last four games with Minnesota.
-- Clippers won six of last seven games with Milwaukee.
-- Suns won three of last four games with Orlando.
-- Knicks lost last two games to Utah by total of seven points.
-- Hawks won five of last seven games with Dallas.

Totals
-- Six of last eight Miami games stayed under total.
-- Five of last six Chicago-Boston games went over.
-- Five of last seven Houston games went over.
-- Seven of Spurs' last ten games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Detroit games went over the total.
-- Three of last four Minnesota games went over total.
-- Three of last four Clipper-Buck games stayed under.
-- Under is 5-0 in Magic's last five visits to Phoenix.
-- Four of last five New York games went over total.
-- Last three Atlanta games stayed under the total.

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NBA

Wednesday, December 9

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. BOSTON
Chicago is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Boston
Boston is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Chicago
Boston is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Chicago

7:00 PM
MIAMI vs. CHARLOTTE
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Miami's last 18 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 5 games on the road
Charlotte is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Charlotte's last 6 games

7:00 PM
HOUSTON vs. WASHINGTON
Houston is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Houston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Washington is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Houston
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home

7:30 PM
MEMPHIS vs. DETROIT
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Memphis's last 14 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing Memphis

7:30 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. TORONTO
San Antonio is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
San Antonio is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Toronto is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Toronto is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games

8:00 PM
LA CLIPPERS vs. MILWAUKEE
LA Clippers are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
LA Clippers are 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games
Milwaukee is 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing LA Clippers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 6 games when playing at home against LA Clippers

8:00 PM
LA LAKERS vs. MINNESOTA
LA Lakers are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games on the road
LA Lakers are 1-11 SU in their last 12 games on the road
Minnesota is 2-17 SU in its last 19 games at home
Minnesota is 1-10-1 ATS in its last 12 games at home

9:00 PM
ORLANDO vs. PHOENIX
Orlando is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Phoenix
Orlando is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games on the road
Phoenix is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

9:00 PM
NEW YORK vs. UTAH
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games when playing on the road against Utah
New York is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Utah
Utah is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing New York
Utah is 1-19 ATS in its last 20 games when playing New York

9:30 PM
ATLANTA vs. DALLAS
Atlanta is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Atlanta is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Dallas is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Atlanta
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Wednesday, December 9


NBA roundup: What's new? Warriors, 23-0, win again, beat Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS -- Klay Thompson scored 29 of his season-high 39 during a 79-point first half, and Golden State improved to 23-0 Tuesday night with a 131-123 victory against the Indiana Pacers.

Thompson made eight of 10 shots from 3-point range during the first 24 minutes, when the reigning NBA champion Warriors led by as many as 22 points. Through three periods, Thompson and guard Stephen Curry had 62 combined points. Curry finished with 29.

At that point, the Warriors had made 44 of 71 field goal attempts (62 percent).

Paul George led Indiana with 33 points, and C.J. Miles added 24.

Cavaliers 105, Trail Blazers 100

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James scored 33 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the Portland.

James added 10 rebounds and three assists while Kevin Love scored 18 points and Matthew Dellavedova had 17 for the Cavaliers, who ended their three-game slide.

Damian Lillard scored 33 points and guard C.J. McCollum had 24, but the Blazers lost for the second time in as many nights.

Thunder 125, Grizzlies 88

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Kevin Durant scored 32 points, Serge Ibaka added 17 and Russell Westbrook had 13 points and 16 assists to lead Oklahoma City.

The Thunder, who needed a late jumper by Durant to beat the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, spent the majority of the game against the Grizzlies with a double-digit lead.

Oklahoma City opened the third quarter with a 20-6 run to build a 79-53 advantage. The visitors led by as many as 37 in the quarter, during which they shot 63 percent. Their lead reached 40 in the fourth quarter.

Nets 110, Rockets 105

NEW YORK -- Joe Johnson scored 15 of his 22 points during the fourth quarter, and Brooklyn held on against Houston.

Johnson hit nine of 15 shots while also collecting eight assists and five rebounds on a night when the Nets held a 16-point lead midway through the third quarter. He also was part of a defensive effort that held James Harden to 10 points on two of nine shooting.

Brook Lopez led the Nets with 24 points and Thaddeus Young added 20 and 12 rebounds.

Magic 85, Nuggets 74

DENVER -- Nikola Vucevic scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and surging Orlando beat Denver.

Tobias Harris finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, and Elfrid Payton had 18 points for the Magic, who won for the sixth time in seven games.

Will Barton led the Nuggets with 23 points, and JJ Hickson had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Kings 114, Jazz 106

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- DeMarcus Cousins shook off a recent slump to score 23 points and add 12 rebounds, and Rudy Gay also scored 23 as Sacramento fought off a stubborn Utah squad.

Omri Casspi added 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Sacramento, which ended a three-game losing streak.

NBA assists leader Rajon Rondo collected 13 more to go with 13 points.

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Wednesday's Tip Sheet
December 8, 2015

Heat at Hornets – 7:05 PM EST

Miami’s unbalanced schedule from a home/road perspective has helped benefit this Heat (12-7, 9-10 ATS) squad so far. Erik Spoelstra’s club sits in first place of the Southeast division as the Heat are 10-4 at home, while playing only five games away from South Florida (2-3). The Heat finished off a four-game homestand at 2-2 after losing to the Wizards on Monday night, 114-103 as eight-point favorites. The 114 points were the most allowed by Miami this season, while the Heat cashed the ‘over’ for just the fourth time in 19 games.

Following an 0-3 start, Charlotte (12-8 SU, 11-8-1 ATS) has won 12 of its past 17 games to pull within one-half game of first place in the Southeast. The Hornets are 3-1 since Al Jefferson was sidelined with a calf injury, including a 104-84 blowout of the Pistons on Monday to improve to 9-2 in the last 11 home contests. Charlotte plays with revenge against Miami after losing in the season opener at American Airlines Arena, 104-94 as 6 ½-point underdogs. The Hornets have captured the past two home meetings with the Heat, as both games finished ‘under’ the total.

Bulls at Celtics – 7:05 PM EST

Last week, Chicago (11-7 SU, 6-12 ATS) owned the best record in the Eastern Conference at 11-5, but lost consecutive home games to Charlotte and Phoenix. The last defeat to the Suns on Monday burned Fred Hoiberg’s team, as Chicago squandered a 16-point fourth quarter advantage in a 103-101 setback as seven-point home favorites. The Bulls have cashed the ‘under’ in four straight road contests, while splitting eight games this season away from the United Center.

Brad Stevens continues to impress as head coach of the Celtics (12-9 SU, 12-9 ATS) in his third season as Boston won three of the final four games on its road trip. The C’s ripped the Pelicans, 111-93 as short favorites on Monday, topping the 105-point mark for the fifth time in the past six games. Boston will need to keep up this offensive explosion on Friday when undefeated Golden State visits TD Garden, as the Celtics hope to avoid a look-ahead spot. The Celtics have struggled against the Bulls the past few seasons, losing eight of the past 10 meetings, including a pair of home losses to Chicago last season.

Rockets at Wizards – 7:05 PM EST

Houston (10-12 SU, 7-15 ATS) saw its three-game winning streak come to an end in Tuesday’s 110-105 defeat at Brooklyn. The Rockets broke the 100-point mark for the seventh straight contest, as the ‘over’ cashed five times in this stretch, including in last night’s loss to the Nets. Houston dropped to 3-6 against Eastern Conference foes, as the Rockets enter D.C. owning a 3-3 SU/ATS mark with no rest. The road team won each meeting last season, as Houston won at Washington this past March as two-point favorites, 99-91.

Consistency has been a hard thing to find for Washington (9-10 SU, 9-10 ATS), who searches for consecutive wins for the first time since November 21. The Wizards are 3-6 since a three-game winning streak in late November, as Randy Wittman’s club is coming off a 114-103 triumph at Miami on Monday as eight-point underdogs. Washington has won just once in four tries off a road victory, while losing four of its past five games at the Verizon Center.

Spurs at Raptors – 7:35 PM EST

San Antonio (18-4 SU, 14-8 ATS) shoots for its fifth straight victory after routing hapless Philadelphia on Monday, 119-68 as 10-point favorites. Seven of the last nine wins for the Spurs have come by double-digits, while all seven road victories for Gregg Popovich’s club have been decided by eight points or more. Kawhi Leonard missed the rout of the 76ers on Monday with a stomach virus, as his status is up in the air for Wednesday. The Spurs have won four of the past five visits to Toronto, as the Raptors came out with an 87-82 triumph over San Antonio back in February.

In spite of sitting in first place of the Atlantic division, the Raptors (13-9 SU, 14-8 ATS) are down two starters with forward DeMarre Carroll (knee contusion) and center Jonas Valanciunas (broken left hand) sidelined. The Raps got past the Lakers on Monday, 102-93 to snap a two-game skid, but failed to cover as 11 ½-point favorites. Toronto has responded well in the underdog role this season, compiling a fantastic 7-1 ATS record when receiving points. Dwane Casey’s team has stepped up against winning teams, posting a 9-2 ATS mark versus clubs currently above the .500 mark.

Hawks at Mavericks – 9:35 PM EST

Since an 8-2 start, Atlanta (13-9 SU, 10-11-1 ATS) has stumbled to a 5-7 record the past 12 games, while not winning back-to-back contests in over a month. The Hawks have alternated wins and losses in the last 10 trips to the court, coming off a 100-87 home victory over the Lakers on Friday. Mike Budenholtzer’s squad begins a stretch of four games against winning teams, while heading to Oklahoma City on Thursday with no rest. The Hawks are 0-6 SU/ATS in their last six games off a win, while scoring 97 points or fewer in their previous seven defeats.

The Mavericks (13-9 SU, 14-8 ATS) may not be a young squad, but these veterans are playing well of late by winning four of their last six games. Dallas swept a mini two-game road trip at Washington and New York, winning both contests in the favorite role. Rick Carlisle’s club held off the Knicks on Monday, 104-97 as one-point favorites to improve to 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in the last four games against Eastern Conference foes. The Mavs lost both matchups with the Hawks last season, including a 105-102 setback last December at the American Airlines Center.

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Preview: Heat (12-7) at Hornets (12-8)
Date: December 09, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The NBA's admission of a blown call won't do much to console the Miami Heat after their latest loss. It might be tough for them to feel better on the road against one of the NBA's hottest teams.

The Heat are left trying to avoid their first losing streak Wednesday night against a Charlotte Hornets team in search of their eighth win in 10 games.

Miami (12-7) had a chance at a third straight win when it closed a four-game homestand Monday against Washington, but a late no-call proved costly and the Wizards cruised thereafter to a 114-103 victory.

The league said Tuesday that Bradley Beal's 3-pointer that extended Washington's lead to 108-103 with 1:07 left shouldn't have counted due to an uncalled traveling violation. But before the NBA's announcement, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra pointed to the rest of the game as concerning.

Miami shot a season-best 59.4 percent but failed to contain Washington's five-guard lineup late. The Wizards shot 50 percent - the second Heat opponent to reach that number, -and Miami committed nine of its 17 turnovers in the fourth quarter.

"I was more focused on things we could have done better to get ourselves in a better position to win going down the stretch," Spoelstra said. "Were we happy about that call? No. I don't want to leave it to that call to be the reason why."

The Heat lost for the first time ever when shooting at least 59 percent, and no other team had done so since Atlanta fell at New York on Dec. 14, 2013.

Miami joins Golden State and San Antonio as the only teams yet to lose back-to-back games. The Heat have opened the season with 14 of 19 games at home but play four of their next five on the road, where they are 2-3. Dwyane Wade averaged 25.8 points on the Heat's homestand but has averaged 9.3 and shot 29.3 percent in the last three road games.

Their first road game in 12 days comes against a team it has beaten in 19 of the past 21 meetings, but the losses have come in their two visits to Charlotte since losing LeBron James. The Hornets did lose 104-94 at Miami in their season opener, but they haven't lost much lately.

Charlotte (12-8) has won seven of nine games with the only defeats coming to conference leaders Golden State and Cleveland. The Hornets have won their last two without center Al Jefferson, who will miss 1-2 more weeks with a strained calf.

Starting at center in place of Jefferson, Cody Zeller finished one point off his career high with 20 in Monday's 104-84 rout of a Detroit team which had won four straight. Kemba Walker played through an illness to add 14 points and nine rebounds, and Nicolas Batum chipped in 13 points, eight assists and seven boards.

The Hornets entered the game in the bottom third in the league in rebounding margin (minus-2.2) and boards per game (43.5), but they pulled down a season-high 57 to Detroit's 41 - even without Jefferson.

'It has to become who we are,' coach Steve Clifford said. 'It has to be an every-night thing. If it is we have the chance to be the team that we think we can be.'

Charlotte improved to 9-3 at home and 10-0 when scoring at least 100 points.

Luol Deng was a full participant at Miami's practice Tuesday. The 12-year veteran has missed the last six games with a strained left hamstring.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Bulls (11-7) at Celtics (12-9)
Date: December 09, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Following a winning trip, the Boston Celtics look to continue the recent success they've also enjoyed at home.

The Celtics can record their fourth consecutive home victory by handing the Chicago Bulls a third straight defeat Wednesday night.

After shooting 40.9 percent in a 110-91 loss to Orlando that opened a five-game road swing Nov. 29, Boston (12-9) averaged 108.8 points and shot 47.4 percent while holding all but one opponent to fewer than 100 to complete a 3-2 trip.

"We've just played as a team," said center Jared Sullinger, who had 11 points and matched a career high with 20 rebounds in Monday's 111-93 win over New Orleans.

The Celtics hope to do the same at home, where they took advantage of three teams in the bottom five of the Eastern Conference to win their last three following a 3-4 start there. Boston held Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Washington to an average of 84.3 points and 36.3 percent shooting in the run.

Averaging a career-high 21.0 points, guard Isaiah Thomas totaled 51 and went 7 of 17 from 3-point range in the last two at home. Thomas was 9 of 13 from the floor and hit all four 3-point attempts to shoot better than 50 percent for the second time in three games Monday, when he scored all but three of his 22 points in the first half.

"He's one of those guys that can go off for 10 or 12 in a couple of minutes," teammate Kelly Olynyk told the Celtics' official website. "It's huge to have that kind of threat."

Though Boston has dropped three straight and 13 of 17 to Chicago (11-7), the Bulls enter this season's first meeting trying to get back on track after losing two in a row for the first time. Two nights after faltering in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 102-96 home loss to Charlotte, the Bulls blew a 16-point advantage while being outscored 42-24 in the final period, losing 103-101 at home to Phoenix on Mirza Teletovic's fadeaway putback with 0.3 seconds left.

Chicago had held opponents to 24.1 points and 38.9 percent shooting in the fourth before the Hornets and Suns totaled 72 and went 24 of 48 from the field.

"I don't know what it is," guard Jimmy Butler told the Bulls' official website. "Can't close teams out; have a lead, don't finish, lose games ... We keep talking about it, yadda, yadda, yadda, but eventually we're going to have to fix it or we're going to keep finding ourselves on the losing end of ball games."

Pau Gasol had 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and Butler scored 19 for the Bulls, who turned the ball over eight times in the fourth Monday.

"You have to have that killer instinct," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "We have yet to find it this year."

Derrick Rose seemed to have it while totaling 50 points and 14 assists in Chicago's two victories at Boston last season. Rose, however, is shooting 35.5 percent and has scored more than 20 twice while averaging 13.7 points this season.