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  • Monday's NBA and NCAAB Trends and Indexes - 1/11

    Trends and Indexes

    Monday, January 11

    Good Luck on day #11 of 2016!

    NOTE: As information becomes available, we will attempt to post the trends and indexes as soon as possible.Information is posted from what we believe are reliable sources.Any opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the posting member or BettorsChat.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Matchup Links

    NBA Matchups

    NBA Hot and Not

    NBA Injuries

    NBA Referees


    NCAAB Matchups

    NCAAB Hot and Not

    NCAAB Injuries




    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  • #2
    Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

    -- Seahawks 10, Vikings 9-- Going to be long winter for Minnesota K Walsh.

    -- Packers 35, Redskins 18-- Road teams won all four games this weekend.

    -- Dolphins hired Adam Gase as their new HC, as they desperately try and prove that Ryan Tannehill can be an effective NFL QB.

    -- Eagles are interviewing future Hall of Famer Tom Coughlin for their head coaching job today; does he have to bring a resume?

    -- Next weekend's NFL games: AFC: Chiefs-Patriots, Steelers-Broncos. In the NFC, Packers-Cardinals and Seahawks-Panthers.

    -- Over last nine years, in next weekend's round of NFL playoffs, favorites are 14-22 against the spread.

    **********

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

    13) We start with disappointing but not surprising news: UNLV fired its basketball coach Dave Rice Sunday after the Rebels started 0-3 in conference play. A national search will take place for the next coach. Dave Rice is a good man, a very patient guy who has an autistic child, which requires great patience, but his teams didn't play to their talent level and at the end of the day, it is a performance-based business.

    12) Carnage wasn't limited to the college game; Lionel Hollins was let go by the Nets Sunday, with Brooklyn languishing with a 10-27 record and a big payroll. GM Billy King was also re-assigned; how he ever gets these jobs is beyond me.

    11) Seahawks 10, Vikings 9-- Minnesota missed a 27-yard FG wide left in the last minute on a frigid day in the Twin Cities. Vikings led 9-0 in 4th quarter but failing to score a TD wound up costing them the game. In 260 NFL games this year, Denver is the only team to win a game without scoring an offensive TD-- they did it twice this year, in Weeks 1-5.

    10) Before the game, 88-year old Bud Grant, who led the Vikings to four Super Bowls, came out for the coin toss without a coat on, with the temp at -6. The whole game reminded me of my teenage years, when the LA Rams went to Minnesota three times in playoff games in frigid conditions and came up empty in all three against Grant's Vikings. No bueno. How I hated Metropolitan Stadium; when they knocked it down, they built the **** of America on the same spot. Better use of real estate.

    Quick trivia on Grant: He also played for the Minneapolis Lakers and played in the lowest scoring game in NBA history. Interesting guy.

    9) Chuck Knox was the coach of those really good Rams teams in the 70's; he went 186-147-1 in 22 years as a head coach, but was only 7-11 in playoff games, never making the Super Bowl, a little bit like Marvin Lewis, who is 112-94-2 in his regular season tilts, 0-7 in playoff games. Going to be a long winter for Bengal fans.

    8) Not only did Arizona lose two basketball games in LA this weekend, they lost leading scorer Allonzo Trier for 4-6 weeks with a broken hand. These days, very few teams have much depth; injuries like this are tough to overcome.

    7) Wake Forest 77, NC State 74-- Deacons are 8-0 in games decided by six or less points- they're on the right track under 2nd-year coach Danny Manning.

    6) Illinois 84, Purdue 70-- Illini were 10.5-point home underdog. Big win.

    5) Jason Garrett is 17-28 (60.7%) on replay challenges in his career, best of current NFL head coaches. Detroit's Jim Caldwell (16-27, 59.3%) is next best.

    4) Villanova 60, Butler 55-- High-level Big East game; along with Xavier, these are the best teams in the conference this season.

    3) Indiana 85, Ohio State 60-- This game was 48-18 at the half; rough game for the Buckeyes, who are #346 in experience this season. .

    2) When Knile Davis ran the opening kick back for a TD in Houston Saturday, it was the fifth opening kickoff in playoff history run back for a TD.

    1) I think it is important to remember when these coaches get fired that they have families like the rest of us and job changes affect a lot of people. Yes, they make a lot of money but would you want your job history chronicled in the local paper or have nitwits like me writing about you from 2,300 miles away?

    Comment


    • #3
      NCAAB
      Dunkel

      Monday, January 11


      Samford @ Furman

      Game 507-508
      January 11, 2016 @ 6:00 pm

      Dunkel Rating:
      Samford
      49.999
      Furman
      54.777
      Dunkel Team:
      Dunkel Line:
      Dunkel Total:
      Furman
      by 5
      139
      Vegas Team:
      Vegas Line:
      Vegas Total:
      Furman
      by 3 1/2
      131 1/2
      Dunkel Pick:
      Furman
      (-3 1/2); Over

      VMI @ E. Tennessee State


      Game 509-510
      January 11, 2016 @ 6:00 pm

      Dunkel Rating:
      VMI
      40.456
      E. Tennessee Stat
      56.400
      Dunkel Team:
      Dunkel Line:
      Dunkel Total:
      E. Tennessee Stat
      by 16
      148
      Vegas Team:
      Vegas Line:
      Vegas Total:
      E. Tennessee Stat
      by 10 1/2
      144
      Dunkel Pick:
      E. Tennessee Stat
      (-10 1/2); Over

      NC-Greensboro @ Western Carolina


      Game 511-512
      January 11, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

      Dunkel Rating:
      NC-Greensboro
      45.683
      Western Carolina
      48.574
      Dunkel Team:
      Dunkel Line:
      Dunkel Total:
      Western Carolina
      by 3
      137
      Vegas Team:
      Vegas Line:
      Vegas Total:
      Western Carolina
      by 5 1/2
      140 1/2
      Dunkel Pick:
      NC-Greensboro
      (+5 1/2); Under

      Monmouth @ Fairfield


      Game 513-514
      January 11, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

      Dunkel Rating:
      Monmouth
      57.280
      Fairfield
      54.113
      Dunkel Team:
      Dunkel Line:
      Dunkel Total:
      Monmouth
      by 3
      152
      Vegas Team:
      Vegas Line:
      Vegas Total:
      Monmouth
      by 6
      161
      Dunkel Pick:
      Fairfield
      (+6); Under

      Chattanooga @ Wofford


      Game 515-516
      January 11, 2016 @ 6:00 pm

      Dunkel Rating:
      Chattanooga
      55.177
      Wofford
      50.637
      Dunkel Team:
      Dunkel Line:
      Dunkel Total:
      Chattanooga
      by 4 1/2
      143
      Vegas Team:
      Vegas Line:
      Vegas Total:
      Chattanooga
      by 2 1/2
      135
      Dunkel Pick:
      Chattanooga
      (-2 1/2); Over

      Bucknell @ Lehigh


      Game 517-518
      January 11, 2016 @ 7:30 pm

      Dunkel Rating:
      Bucknell
      55.593
      Lehigh
      51.177
      Dunkel Team:
      Dunkel Line:
      Dunkel Total:
      Bucknell
      by 4 1/2
      159
      Vegas Team:
      Vegas Line:
      Vegas Total:
      Bucknell
      by 1
      155 1/2
      Dunkel Pick:
      Bucknell
      (-1); Over





      NCAAB
      Long Sheet

      Monday, January 11


      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      SAMFORD (10 - 6) at FURMAN (8 - 8) - 1/11/2016, 6:00 PM
      Top Trends for this game.
      FURMAN is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in all home games over the last 2 seasons.
      FURMAN is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in home lined games over the last 2 seasons.
      FURMAN is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) in home games against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
      FURMAN is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
      FURMAN is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games over the last 2 seasons.
      SAMFORD is 25-13 ATS (+10.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
      SAMFORD is 25-13 ATS (+10.7 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
      SAMFORD is 21-10 ATS (+10.0 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
      SAMFORD is 13-2 ATS (+10.8 Units) when playing with one or less days rest over the last 2 seasons.
      SAMFORD is 26-13 ATS (+11.7 Units) versus good defensive teams - allowing <=64 points/game since 1997.

      Head-to-Head Series History
      FURMAN is 2-2 against the spread versus SAMFORD over the last 3 seasons
      SAMFORD is 3-1 straight up against FURMAN over the last 3 seasons
      2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      VMI (5 - 9) at E TENN ST (9 - 6) - 1/11/2016, 6:00 PM
      Top Trends for this game.
      E TENN ST is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
      E TENN ST is 5-16 ATS (-12.6 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.

      Head-to-Head Series History
      E TENN ST is 1-1 against the spread versus VMI over the last 3 seasons
      E TENN ST is 1-1 straight up against VMI over the last 3 seasons
      1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      UNC-GREENSBORO (5 - 11) at W CAROLINA (6 - 9) - 1/11/2016, 7:00 PM
      Top Trends for this game.
      W CAROLINA is 46-71 ATS (-32.1 Units) off a win against a conference rival since 1997.

      Head-to-Head Series History
      W CAROLINA is 4-0 against the spread versus UNC-GREENSBORO over the last 3 seasons
      W CAROLINA is 4-0 straight up against UNC-GREENSBORO over the last 3 seasons
      3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      MONMOUTH (11 - 4) at FAIRFIELD (8 - 7) - 1/11/2016, 7:00 PM
      Top Trends for this game.
      FAIRFIELD is 31-51 ATS (-25.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
      FAIRFIELD is 19-38 ATS (-22.8 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games since 1997.
      FAIRFIELD is 6-18 ATS (-13.8 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game since 1997.

      Head-to-Head Series History
      FAIRFIELD is 4-0 against the spread versus MONMOUTH over the last 3 seasons
      MONMOUTH is 3-1 straight up against FAIRFIELD over the last 3 seasons
      3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      UT-CHATTANOOGA (13 - 3) at WOFFORD (6 - 9) - 1/11/2016, 6:00 PM
      Top Trends for this game.
      UT-CHATTANOOGA is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) when playing with one or less days rest over the last 2 seasons.
      UT-CHATTANOOGA is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record after 15 or more games over the last 2 seasons.
      WOFFORD is 27-14 ATS (+11.6 Units) against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.

      Head-to-Head Series History
      UT-CHATTANOOGA is 2-1 against the spread versus WOFFORD over the last 3 seasons
      UT-CHATTANOOGA is 3-1 straight up against WOFFORD over the last 3 seasons
      2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      BUCKNELL (7 - 8) at LEHIGH (4 - 11) - 1/11/2016, 7:30 PM
      Top Trends for this game.
      LEHIGH is 15-4 ATS (+10.6 Units) as an underdog since 1997.

      Head-to-Head Series History
      LEHIGH is 2-2 straight up against BUCKNELL over the last 3 seasons

      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------




      NCAAB
      Armadillo's Write-Up

      Monday, January 11


      Samford is 5-3 in last eight games with Furman, winning two of last three here; Bulldogs lost first two SoCon road games by 19-5 points, scoring 57 ppg. Furman is 2-5 in last seven D-I games but they won their first two SoCon home games, by 28-15 points. Samford is 4-5 overall on road with win at Nebraska; they force turnovers 22.7% of time (#15). SoCon home favorites are 7-2 against the spread.

      Home side won both VMI-East Tennessee games LY, Keydets losing by 10 here, but change of coaches has lowered their tempo from #1 to #207. VMI lost first three SoCon games by 28-4-21 points; they've got #325 eFG%, shooting 30.3% on arc. ETSU scored 84 ppg in winning its first two league games by 16-3 points; they're 6-1 at home, with only loss to a pressing team, NC-Wilmington.

      Western Carolina is 15-1 in last 16 games with NC-Greensboro, winning last seven in row, five by 7 or less points. Spartans lost last ten visits to Cullowhee, last two by 21-10 points. WCU is 3-9 vs D-I teams, losing all eight road games, but they did only lose by 6 at Pitt. UNCG lost six of last seven games; they have #335 eFG% defense. SoCon home favorites are 7-2 against the spread.

      Monmouth won three of last four games with Fairfield, splitting pair in this gym, with two games decided by total of five points. Hawks are 7-1 in last eight games with loss at Army; they've got #20 eFG% defemse in country. Monmouth is 6-3 on road- they scored 84.3 ppg in their last three games overall. Stags are 2-3 in MAAC, beating Rider by 4 in only home game. MAAC home underdogs are 7-4 against the spread.

      Chattanooga won four of last six games with Wofford, winning last two here 71-57/56-46. Mocs had 7-game win streak snapped at Furman on Saturday; they're 5-3 on road, with its two SoCon wins by 6-12 points. Wofford won first three SoCon games by 11-4-5 points after startng the season 3-9; Terriers played #26 non-conference schedule, probably too hard for them. SoCon home underdogs are 3-2 vs spread.




      NCAAB

      Monday, January 11


      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Trend Report
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      6:00 PM
      SAMFORD vs. FURMAN
      Samford is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Furman
      Samford is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Furman
      Furman is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Samford
      Furman is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Samford

      6:00 PM
      CHATTANOOGA vs. WOFFORD
      Chattanooga is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games on the road
      Wofford is 23-2 SU in its last 25 games at home
      The total has gone OVER in 4 of Wofford's last 6 games

      7:00 PM
      MONMOUTH vs. FAIRFIELD
      Monmouth is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
      Fairfield is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
      Fairfield is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

      7:00 PM
      UNC GREENSBORO vs. WESTERN CAROLINA
      The total has gone OVER in 4 of UNC Greensboro's last 6 games on the road
      UNC Greensboro is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
      Western Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against UNC Greensboro
      Western Carolina is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against UNC Greensboro

      8:05 PM
      CS BAKERSFIELD vs. CHICAGO STATE
      CS Bakersfield is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games on the road
      Chicago State is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home
      Chicago State is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games


      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      Comment


      • #4
        NBA
        Armadillo's Write-Up

        Monday, January 11


        Hot teams
        -- Spurs won last seven games, covered four of last five.
        -- Chicago won six of last seven games (4-1 last five HF).
        -- Warriors won last six games, covered last three. Miami won four of its last six games (3-1 last four AU).

        Cold teams
        -- Brooklyn lost last four games; they fired the coach yesterday.
        -- Wizards lost five of their last seven games (6-2 last eight AU).

        Series records
        -- Spurs won eight of last ten games with Brooklyn.
        -- Wizards won six of last nine games with Chicago.
        -- Warriors won five of last seven games with Miami.

        Totals
        -- Five of last six San Antonio games went over total; Nets' last six games all stayed under.
        -- Under is 7-3 in last ten Washington games.
        -- Four of last six Golden State games went over total.

        Back/backs
        -- None




        NBA

        Monday, January 11


        ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Trend Report
        ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        7:30 PM
        SAN ANTONIO vs. BROOKLYN
        San Antonio is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Brooklyn
        San Antonio is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
        Brooklyn is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing San Antonio
        Brooklyn is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against San Antonio

        8:00 PM
        WASHINGTON vs. CHICAGO
        Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Chicago
        The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games when playing on the road against Chicago
        Chicago is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
        The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Chicago's last 23 games at home

        10:30 PM
        MIAMI vs. GOLDEN STATE
        The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Miami's last 14 games on the road
        The total has gone OVER in 6 of Miami's last 9 games when playing on the road against Golden State
        Golden State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
        The total has gone OVER in 11 of Golden State's last 16 games when playing Miami


        ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Comment


        • #5
          NBA
          Dunkel

          Monday, January 11



          San Antonio @ Brooklyn

          Game 501-502
          January 11, 2016 @ 7:30 pm

          Dunkel Rating:
          San Antonio
          132.067
          Brooklyn
          115.997
          Dunkel Team:
          Dunkel Line:
          Dunkel Total:
          San Antonio
          by 16
          185
          Vegas Team:
          Vegas Line:
          Vegas Total:
          San Antonio
          by 14
          193
          Dunkel Pick:
          San Antonio
          (-14); Under

          Washington @ Chicago


          Game 503-504
          January 11, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

          Dunkel Rating:
          Washington
          115.163
          Chicago
          124.643
          Dunkel Team:
          Dunkel Line:
          Dunkel Total:
          Chicago
          by 9 1/2
          200
          Vegas Team:
          Vegas Line:
          Vegas Total:
          Chicago
          by 8
          207 1/2
          Dunkel Pick:
          Chicago
          (-8); Under

          Miami @ Golden State


          Game 505-506
          January 11, 2016 @ 10:30 pm

          Dunkel Rating:
          Miami
          118.104
          Golden State
          128.200
          Dunkel Team:
          Dunkel Line:
          Dunkel Total:
          Golden State
          by 10
          211
          Vegas Team:
          Vegas Line:
          Vegas Total:
          Golden State
          by 13 1/2
          205 1/2
          Dunkel Pick:
          Miami
          (+13 1/2); Over

          Comment


          • #6
            NBA
            Long Sheet

            Monday, January 11


            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            SAN ANTONIO (32 - 6) at BROOKLYN (10 - 27) - 1/11/2016, 7:35 PM
            Top Trends for this game.
            BROOKLYN is 64-46 ATS (+13.4 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
            SAN ANTONIO is 26-12 ATS (+12.8 Units) in all games this season.
            SAN ANTONIO is 26-11 ATS (+13.9 Units) as a favorite this season.
            SAN ANTONIO is 13-3 ATS (+9.7 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
            SAN ANTONIO is 50-32 ATS (+14.8 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
            SAN ANTONIO is 16-4 ATS (+11.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
            SAN ANTONIO is 20-8 ATS (+11.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.
            BROOKLYN is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in home games in January games over the last 2 seasons.

            Head-to-Head Series History
            SAN ANTONIO is 3-2 against the spread versus BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
            SAN ANTONIO is 3-2 straight up against BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
            5 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            WASHINGTON (16 - 19) at CHICAGO (22 - 13) - 1/11/2016, 8:05 PM
            Top Trends for this game.
            WASHINGTON is 19-8 ATS (+10.2 Units) in road games against Central division opponents over the last 3 seasons.

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

            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            MIAMI (22 - 15) at GOLDEN STATE (35 - 2) - 1/11/2016, 10:35 PM
            Top Trends for this game.
            GOLDEN STATE is 23-13 ATS (+8.7 Units) in all games this season.
            GOLDEN STATE is 22-13 ATS (+7.7 Units) as a favorite this season.
            GOLDEN STATE is 40-27 ATS (+10.3 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
            GOLDEN STATE is 47-27 ATS (+17.3 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
            GOLDEN STATE is 53-40 ATS (+9.0 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
            GOLDEN STATE is 46-32 ATS (+10.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
            GOLDEN STATE is 42-28 ATS (+11.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
            MIAMI is 140-106 ATS (+23.4 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game since 1996.

            Head-to-Head Series History
            GOLDEN STATE is 2-0 against the spread versus MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
            GOLDEN STATE is 3-1 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
            3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Comment


            • #7
              Why NBA bettors should fade the Cavs on their 'Texas Triangle' road trip

              Since 1990, NBA teams are an awful 133-260 SU on this Lone Star State trip. And they're especially poor when the Texas teams are off back-to-back SU/ATS wins.

              It's been a fantastically entertaining first half of the NBA season, with Golden State garnering most of the attention, due to its 24-game win streak to start the season. But a number of teams are starting to play very good basketball, among them the Clippers and Knicks. And that must make Commissioner Adam Silver very happy, as he no doubt wants relevant teams in the two biggest markets. Let's take a look at some of the stories making news around the NBA.

              Spread watch

              The Brooklyn Nets are an absolute train wreck. They're 10-27 SU, and fired GM Billy King and coach Lionel Hollins this weekend. Tony Brown, who played a season for the Nets in 1986-87, has been named interim head coach.

              Owner Mikhail Prokhorov claimed that he made the moves because the franchise needed a "fresh start and a new vision for the direction of the team." But it was Prokhorov's impatient "Win Now" vision, which was at the root of Billy King's player moves the last few years, that started the team down this path.

              Brooklyn has failed to cover its last four games and has been installed as a 14-point home underdog to the Spurs Monday night. Given that the Nets are 8-20-1 ATS their last 29 versus the Spurs does not bode well for Tony Brown's first day on the job. Brooklyn's best chance in the near term for a win seems to be at home versus Portland Friday.

              Total watch

              Two weeks ago, I highlighted the Atlanta Hawks, who were on a six-game streak of going Over the total. Well, all the Hawks have done since then is go Over the total in five of their last six (so, 11 of their last 12), including the last five in a row.

              One of the main reasons for Atlanta's high-scoring run has been the insertion of Kent Bazemore into the starting lineup by coach Mike Budenholzer. And, in their last 12 games, the Hawks have averaged 110.08 points, compared to 100.1 prior to the insertion of Bazemore into the starting five.

              Atlanta will attempt to go Over the total for the sixth straight time when it takes the court on Wednesday, at Charlotte. And the Hornets have been a red carpet on defense, lately, as they've allowed five of their last seven opponents to reach the century mark and have given up an average of 107 points per game over their last seven games (compared to 98.9 ppg prior to that point). Another high-scoring game by the Hawks wouldn't surprise.

              Injury watch

              Rudy Gobert missed 18 games for Utah with a sprained MCL, but returned last Thursday and played 15 minutes versus the Rockets. But his playing time expanded to 28 minutes against the Heat Saturday, and 30 minutes at the Lakers Sunday. Gobert's one of the best defensive players in the league and his value is illustrated by the fact that, in the 18 games he missed, Utah's defense was the fourth-worst in the NBA, but ranked as the seventh-best defense in the games Gobert's played this season.

              The Jazz held the Miami Heat to 83 points, in a 15-point win Saturday and followed that up with an 86-74 victory against the Lakers the next night. With games this week against Portland, Sacramento and the Lakers, I look for Utah to continue its strong defensive play and extend its win streak to five games.

              Schedule watch

              The Cleveland Cavaliers will embark on the dreaded "Texas Triangle" this week. They'll play three consecutive road games at Dallas (Tuesday), San Antonio (Thursday) and Houston (Friday). LeBron James' Cavs have been a money-burner on the road in the regular season the past two years, as they're 25-34-1 ATS.

              Since 1990, NBA teams are an awful 133-260 SU on this Lone Star State trip. And they're especially poor when the Texas teams are off back-to-back SU/ATS wins, as they're 12-47 SU and 22-36 ATS in that situation. So, check the recent results of the Mavericks, Spurs and Rockets prior to playing the Cavs to see if any of the games qualify under this angle.

              Comment

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