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

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, MARCH 26

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


IND at BK 06:00 PM

BK +5.0

U 202.5

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, MARCH 26

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNIT


TOR at NO 07:00 PM

NO +9.5

O 201.0


CHI at ORL 07:00 PM

CHI -5.5

O 208.0


ATL at DET 07:30 PM

DET -1.5

O 207.0


CLE at NY 07:30 PM

NY +8.5

U 202.0


SA at OKC 08:00 PM

OKC -12.5

U 207.0


UTA at MIN 08:00 PM

MIN +8.0

U 196.0


CHA at MIL 08:30 PM

CHA -3.5

U 201.5


PHI at POR 10:00 PM

PHI +14.5

O 218.0


BOS at PHO 10:00 PM

BOS -9.0

U 215.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

The following is based on Baseball America's top 30 prospects for each team:

-- Twins, Blue Jays, Giants are only three big league teams whose top 30 minor league prospects are all home-grown.

-- Braves (14), Padres/Phillies (19 each) have least home-grown top prospects.

-- Twins/Rangers (14 each), Royals (12) have most international top prospects.

-- Blue Jays (17), Rays (15), Reds/Pirates (13) have most high school prospects.

-- Braves have acquired 15 of their top 30 prospects via trade.

-- Giants (19), Angels (15), Astros (14) have most college top prospects.

**********

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Happy Easter to those you believe.......

13) Oklahoma 80, Oregon 68-- Sooners made 12-24 on arc, jumped out quickly and made quick work of the Ducks. Buddy Hield scored 37, made 8-13 on arc and was too much for Oregon, which got only seven points from Dillon Brooks.

12) Villanova 64, Kansas 59-- Strange stat: since 2003, #2-seeds are now 13-5 against #1-seeds SU in regional finals.

Teams combined to go 10-40 on arc in this brickfest. Jayhawks got zero bench points in this game. Bupkus. Bill Self is 2-4 in regional finals; he was favored in all six games.

11) Was reminded yesterday of Jeff Van Gundy's wish that any 3-point shot that is banked in only count as two points. I wouldn't be against that.

10) Greedy bastard update: Gas is back up to $2.29 in beautiful downtown Colonie, after it had gotten down to $2.03 last month. I'm told gas was in $1.60's in Ohio this winter. Price here went up a dime in one day here-- greedy bastards.

9) Home plate ump in Toronto-Philly game Friday looks like he is 15 years old; guy got drilled by a foul ball, he takes his mask off and I'm like, "Why is a kid umping the plate in a big league game?" They said his name; he is already in the majors, too.

8) I'm not a big fan of Reds' TV guy Thom Brennaman; he is brutally honest, but for a spring training game, thats good, because you learn stuff about the Reds' roster you might need for fantasy baseball. Cincinnati is in a major rebuild mode.

He and Chris Walsh were whining about the Reds playing three night games in Wrigley field on their first road trip-- guess they don't like cold weather.

7) Atlanta-Colorado-Milwaukee-Cincinnati-- lot of NL teams are rebuilding.

6) Brennaman was killing the Reds' lineup, saying because no one good hits behind Joey Votto, he is likely to draw 200+ walks this season. Votto won't expand his zone to avoid walks, he just lets pitchers walk him. Maybe he should bat leadoff.

5) Fact of Life: baseball players get hurt a lot, thats hard part of fantasy baseball, it is so aggravating. Brewers lost reliever Will Smith this weekend: he tore the LCL in his knee, when he was putting his shoe on. Seriously.

Imagine if you owned the Brewers and were paying Will Smith $1.475M this year and he blows his knee out putting his shoes on? He is a professional athlete!!!! Oy.

4) Singer Huey Lewis was in uniform and in the Giants' dugout Saturday; no word on whether he got hurt putting his shoes on, and Lewis is 65.

3) Rumors have Pitt Panthers going after Vandy coach Kevin Stallings, who has done well with the Commodores, going 332-220 there, 138-142 in SEC play. Vandy loses so much in football that 138-142 sounds like a great record-- Stallings has been there for 17 years. I'm not even sure Pitt is a better hoop job than Vanderbilt, money aside. Pretty sure he would get a substantial raise in Pittsburgh.

2) Early spread for next weekend: Villanova -1.5 over Oklahoma.

1) CIT tournament has a great mascot matchup today: Cal-Irvine is down south to play Coastal Carolina, the Anteaters against the Chanticleers. Top that.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, March 27

Hot teams
-- Denver won three of its last four games (2-5 last 7AU).
-- Golden State won nine of its last ten games (6-3 last 9HF).
-- Washington won five of its last seven games (4-3AF).

Cold teams
-- Clippers lost five of their last seven games (1-5 last 6HF).
-- Dallas lost eight of its last ten games (5-0 last 5AU). Sacramento lost seven of last ten games (3-4 last 7HF). .
-- Rockets lost four of their last six games (5-3 last 8AU). Pacers lost four of last seven games (4-6 last 10HF).
-- 76ers lost their last eight games (5-3 last 8AU).
-- Lakers lost six of their last seven games (1-4 last 5HU).

Series records
-- Clippers won four of last five games with Denver.
-- Mavericks won seven of last nine games with Sacramento.
-- Pacers lost their last four games with Houston.
-- Warriors won last five games with Philly (4-6 vs spread last 10).
-- Lakers lost five of last six games with Washington.

Totals
-- Last six Nugget-Clipper games stayed under the total.
-- Eight of last nine Dallas-Sacramento games stayed under.
-- Five of last seven Indiana games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Philly games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 3-0 in last three games for both Wizards/Lakers.

Back/backs
-- Indiana is 3-9 vs spread in last 12 games if it played the night before.
-- 76ers are 4-8 vs spread in last 12 games if it played the night before.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Sunday, March 27

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Trend Report
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3:30 PM
DENVER vs. LA CLIPPERS
Denver is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Denver's last 8 games
LA Clippers are 13-6 SU in their last 19 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of the LA Clippers last 22 games

6:00 PM
HOUSTON vs. INDIANA
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Houston is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Indiana is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Houston
Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston

6:00 PM
DALLAS vs. SACRAMENTO
Dallas is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Dallas's last 20 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Sacramento's last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
Sacramento is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games at home

8:00 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. GOLDEN STATE
Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Golden State's last 6 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
Golden State is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games

9:30 PM
WASHINGTON vs. LA LAKERS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Washington's last 13 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
LA Lakers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games
LA Lakers are 15-5 SU in their last 20 games when playing at home against Washington

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, March 27

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DENVER (31 - 42) at LA CLIPPERS (44 - 27) - 3/27/2016, 3:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 6-4 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 6-4 straight up against DENVER over the last 3 seasons
7 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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DALLAS (35 - 37) at SACRAMENTO (28 - 44) - 3/27/2016, 6:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SACRAMENTO is 8-1 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 7-3 straight up against SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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HOUSTON (36 - 37) at INDIANA (38 - 34) - 3/27/2016, 6:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 4-1 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 4-1 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PHILADELPHIA (9 - 64) at GOLDEN STATE (65 - 7) - 3/27/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 39-64 ATS (-31.4 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 210 since 1996.
PHILADELPHIA is 30-39 ATS (-12.9 Units) as an underdog this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 16-26 ATS (-12.6 Units) after allowing 105 points or more this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 13-23 ATS (-12.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 39-30 ATS (+6.0 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 56-41 ATS (+10.9 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 210 over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 89-65 ATS (+17.5 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 49-34 ATS (+11.6 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 67-40 ATS (+23.0 Units) in home games against Atlantic division opponents since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 68-54 ATS (+8.6 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 56-42 ATS (+9.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 19-8 ATS (+10.2 Units) in non-conference games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 3-2 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 5-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WASHINGTON (35 - 37) at LA LAKERS (15 - 57) - 3/27/2016, 9:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 3-2 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 4-1 straight up against LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Sunday, March 27


Denver @ LA Clippers

Game 701-702
March 27, 2016 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Denver
115.986
LA Clippers
121.434
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Clippers
by 5 1/2
206
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Clippers
by 8 1/2
211 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Denver
(+8 1/2); Under

Dallas @ Sacramento

Game 703-704
March 27, 2016 @ 6:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
118.650
Sacramento
117.184
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 1 1/2
212
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Sacramento
by 2 1/2
218 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(+2 1/2); Under

Houston @ Indiana

Game 705-706
March 27, 2016 @ 6:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
116.242
Indiana
121.410
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Indiana
by 5
216
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 2
210 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(-2); Over

Philadelphia @ Golden State

Game 707-708
March 27, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
106.615
Golden State
131.259
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 24 1/2
230
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 21
224 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(-21); Over

Washington @ LA Lakers

Game 709-710
March 27, 2016 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
118.587
LA Lakers
113.440
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 5
207
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 7
213 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
LA Lakers
(+7); Under

[StarDust Bum]

SUNDAY, MARCH 27

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


DEN at LAC 03:30 PM

DEN +8.0

U 210.0


HOU at IND 06:00 PM

HOU +2.0

U 209.5


DAL at SAC 06:00 PM

SAC +1.0

U 216.5


PHI at GS 08:00 PM

PHI +21.5

U 224.5


WAS at LAL 09:30 PM

WAS -8.0

U 212.5

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

-- Underdogs are now 16-3 vs spread in last 19 West Region finals; weird stat.

-- Last year, Cincinnati started a rookie pitcher in their last 64 games. Not good.

-- Baseballs used in Japan are smaller than major league baseballs.

-- Robinson Cano hit three HRs Sunday; he's ready for the season to start.

-- CBS sideline reporter Allie LeForce is married to Angels' reliever Joe Smith.

-- Want to feel old? William Shatner turned 85 last week, Randall Cunningham 53.

**********

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

13) Syracuse 68, Virginia 62-- Over last 30 years, when teams from same conference meet in a regional final, the lower seed is 8-4 SU, 10-2 vs spread. Virginia led this game 54-39 with 9:32 left, before their epic collapse began. Syracuse is the first double-digit seed to make the Final Four since VCU five years ago.

12) North Carolina 88, Notre Dame 74-- Carolina shot 61.5% inside arc- they made 15-33 on arc this weekend. Tar Heels beat Syracuse by 5-11 points in two meetings this season, UNC was 8-40 on arc against the Orangemen this season. Next week is a dome setting, better suited for a zone defense.

11) Early Final Four line: North Carolina -9.5 over Syracuse

Over last 31 years, when teams from same conference meet in Final Four, higher seed is 3-3. St John's/Georgetown were both #1 seeds when they met in '85.

10) Pitt hired Kevin Stallings away from Vandy, hire that got mixed reviews- some suggest that Vanderbilt was about to can Stallings anyway, after their lackluster loss in the play-in game. He's been at Vandy 17 years; is 35-37 in SEC play last four years.

Considering how Vanderbilt gets treated like a pinata in football, you'd think they'd throw Stallings a parade, but apparently not, and that is why he left for Pitt.

9) Weird sidebar to Vandy-Pitt story: Sheldon Jeter is a 6-8 junior for Pitt; he started his college career at Vanderbilt-- when he wanted to transfer back home to Pitt, it was blocked by Stallings. Now the kid is playing for him again, unless he wants to transfer. I'm guessing the NCAA would give him a waiver if he wants to transfer again, without him having to sit out a year.

8) Good to see Lon Kruger, Jay Wright make Final Four; I'm told they're good guys that everyone likes. Kruger made the Final Four with Florida way back in 1994, has coached the Atlanta Hawks- he might be the most underrated coach in the game.

7) Looks like hitters will try to bunt more to beat the shift; Jay Bruce did it against the Dodgers yesterday. How many times will have a hitter have to take a free basehit by bunting, before teams don't shift against him anymore?

6) Diamondbacks have won 20+ spring training games; but it means zero, bupkus. Could it sell some extra season tickets? Maybe, but otherwise it means nothing. You can tell their TV guys want to talk about it, but sometimes it raises expectations to a stupid high level. Arizona spent a lot of $$$ last winter; we'll see if it helped.

5) Colorado Rockies look like they've got a keeper in rookie SS Trevor Story, which makes the Jose Reyes debacle an intriguing one. Reyes goes on trial over his domestic abuse charges next week in Hawai'i- considering he makes $22M this year and next, they'd probably be just as happy if he got suspended for the year- he's not tradeable, not at age 33, with a history of hamstring problems.

4) Cardinals' coach Jose Oquendo is taking medical leave after knee surgery; he's both the third base coach and infield instructor- he will be missed.

3) Actress Condola Rashad, whose character Kate works in the prosecutor's office in Showtime's Billions, is the daughter of Ahmad and Felicia Rashad.

2) Columbia beat NJIT 80-65, Cal-Irvine whacked Coastal Carolina 66-47 in CIT.

1) One week until Opening Day; make sure you log on every day for information on each and every baseball game, thru the World Series. Pitchers/umpires/team trends, it will be all be ther

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Monday, March 28

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Game of the Day: Thunder at Raptors
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Toronto Raptors earned a 103-98 win at Oklahoma City on November 4th behind 28 points from Demar DeRozan.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Toronto Raptors (+3, 211)

The Toronto Raptors and the Oklahoma City Thunder have both already clinched playoff spots and are both relatively secure in their spots in their respective conferences but that doesn’t mean that either team has started slowing down. Both teams will try to continue a sprint to the finish when the Raptors host the Thunder on Monday.

Toronto sits in second place in the Eastern Conference, six games clear of third-place Atlanta and 2 1/2 behind the Cleveland Cavaliers with 10 games left in the regular season. The Raptors tied the franchise record – set last season – with their 49th win on Saturday, crushing the New Orleans Pelicans 115-91 to bounce back from a pair of tough losses. Oklahoma City sits comfortably in the No. 3 slot in the West and ran its winning streak to seven straight with a 111-92 destruction of the second-place San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. The Thunder are averaging 117 points during the winning streak and got a combined 60 points from stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant on Saturday.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Oklahoma, Sportsnet One (Toronto)

LINE HISTORY: The spread for this Monday night matchup opened with the Raptors getting two points from most books. The betting public immediately hit the Thunder and they were bumped up to three-point favorites. The total began at 211 and has been steady since release.

INJURY REPORT:

Thunder - No injuries to report.

Raptors - SF T. Ross (Questionable Monday, thumb).

POWER RANKINGS: Thunder (-9.9) - Raptors (-7.7) + home court (-3) = Raptors -0.8

ABOUT THE THUNDER (51-22, 32-40-1 ATS, 33-40 O/U): Oklahoma City did not face a full-strength San Antonio team on Saturday but made the most of its time against the Spurs’ backups and avoided a letdown by leaning on Durant, who went for 31 points on 13-of-20 shooting. “There’s a balance for him because he’s so unselfish,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan told reporters of Durant. “He’s such an efficient player. He’s as good as anybody in the word from that 15- to 18-foot range, whether he’s facing up or with his back to the basket. He’s just an incredible scorer from there.” Durant’s efficiency has been on display of late as he is shooting 58.1 percent from the field in the last five games.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (49-23, 39-33 ATS, 37-34-1 O/U): Toronto may have squandered its best chances to hang with the Cavaliers in the fight for the No. 1 spot with losses in Boston and Houston to begin the road trip but started looking like a contender again in Saturday’s drubbing of the Pelicans. The Raptors shot 53.4 percent from the field in the win while All-Star DeMar DeRozan led the way with a 9-of-11 effort. DeRozan managed to keep his cool in the contest after drawing a pair of technical fouls and getting ejected with three minutes remaining in the 112-109 loss to the Rockets on Friday.

TRENDS:

* Thunder are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Raptors are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Under is 8-1 in the last 9 meetings.
* Over is 9-1-1 in Raptors last 11 vs. Western Conference.

CONSENSUS: The early Sunday night consensus action was split 50/50 on both the side and the total.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, March 28

Hot teams
-- Miami won three of its last four games (1-3 last 4HF).
-- Oklahoma City won its last seven games (4-1 last 5AF). Toronto won five of its last seven games (3-0HU).
-- Hawks won eight of their last nine games (5-3 last 8AF).
-- Spurs won eight of their last ten games (3-6 last 9AF).
-- Denver won three of its last five games (5-2 last 7HF).
-- Jazz won seven of their last nine games (3-4 last 7HF).
-- Portland won three of its last five games (5-3 last 8HF). Kings won last two games, by 22 points each (0-3-1 last 4AU).
-- Celtics won their last four games (2-8 last 10AU). Clippers won three of last four home games (3-6 last 9HF).

Cold teams
-- Nets lost their last five road games (2-4 last 6AU).
-- Suns lost three of their last four games (4-3 last 7AU). Minnesota lost three of last four home games (4-2 last 6HF).
-- Bulls lost their last three games, to NY (2), Orlando (4-4HU).
-- Memphis lost six of its last eight games (5-1 last 6HU).
-- Knicks lost four of their last six games (4-2 last 6A). New Orleans lost eight of its last ten games (1-3 last 4H).
-- Mavericks lost eight of their last ten games (4-1 last 5AU).
-- Lakers lost seven of their last eight games (4-2 last 6AU).

Series records
-- Nets lost eight of last nine games with Miami.
-- Thunder won five of last eight games with Toronto.
-- Suns won six of last eight games with Minnesota.
-- Hawks won five of last six games with Chicago.
-- Spurs won their last four games with Memphis.
-- Pelicans lost five of last seven games with New York.
-- Mavericks won four of last five games with Denver.
-- Lakers lost four of last five games with Utah.
-- Kings lost their last four games with Portland.
-- Clippers won four of last five games with Boston.

Totals
-- Last four Brooklyn-Miami games went over the total.
-- Eight of last nine Thunder-Raptor games stayed under.
-- Five of last six Phoenix-Minnesota games stayed under.
-- Four of last five Chicago games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Memphis games went over total.
-- Seven of last eight New York games stayed under; eight of Pelicans' last ten games went over.
-- Six of last eight Dallas-Denver games went over the total.
-- Seven of last eight Utah games stayed under the total.
-- Seven of last nine Sacramento-Portland games stayed under.
-- Six of last eight Boston games stayed under the total.

Back/backs
-- Dallas is 3-6 in last nine games if they played night before; Denver is 6-3 in last nine if they played night before.
-- Lakers are 8-6 vs spread if they played the night before.
-- Kings lost five of last six games if they played night before.




NBA

Monday, March 28

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Trend Report
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7:30 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. TORONTO
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 7 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games at home
Toronto is 17-2 SU in its last 19 games at home

7:30 PM
BROOKLYN vs. MIAMI
Brooklyn is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing Miami
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Brooklyn's last 6 games when playing on the road against Miami
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 6 games when playing at home against Brooklyn
Miami is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home

8:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. MINNESOTA
Phoenix is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Phoenix is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games at home

8:00 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. MEMPHIS
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Antonio's last 8 games on the road
San Antonio is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Memphis's last 15 games when playing San Antonio
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games when playing at home against San Antonio

8:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. CHICAGO
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Chicago
Atlanta is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
Chicago is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Chicago's last 10 games when playing at home against Atlanta

8:00 PM
NEW YORK vs. NEW ORLEANS
New York is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New York's last 10 games when playing New Orleans
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Orleans's last 7 games
New Orleans is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games

9:00 PM
DALLAS vs. DENVER
Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Denver
Dallas is 2-2-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Denver
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Denver's last 9 games
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

9:00 PM
LA LAKERS vs. UTAH
LA Lakers are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games
LA Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games when playing Utah
Utah is 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Utah's last 6 games at home

10:00 PM
SACRAMENTO vs. PORTLAND
Sacramento is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Portland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Sacramento's last 6 games when playing Portland
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Portland's last 10 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Portland's last 22 games

10:30 PM
BOSTON vs. LA CLIPPERS
Boston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Boston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of the LA Clippers last 9 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of the LA Clippers last 11 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

Monday's Tip Sheet
March 28, 2016

Thunder at Raptors – 7:35 PM EST

Following a shaky February, Oklahoma City (51-22 SU, 32-40-1 ATS) has turned it on this month by winning seven straight games. The Thunder swept their three-game homestand against the Rockets, Jazz, and Spurs, while blowing out a short-handed San Antonio squad on Saturday, 111-92 as 12 ½-point favorites. Billy Donovan’s team has scored at least 111 points in each of the seven wins during this hot streak, while covering five times in this span.

The Raptors (49-23 SU, 39-33 ATS) avoided their third three-game losing streak of the season in Saturday’s 115-91 blowout at New Orleans to cash as 11-point favorites. Toronto owns a 17-2 SU and 11-8 ATS in the last 19 games at the Air Canada Center, while putting together a perfect 4-0 ATS record in the role of a home underdog this season. These teams last met in November as the Raptors pulled out a 103-98 victory as eight-point road underdogs, the fifth straight cover by Toronto in the series.

Hawks at Bulls – 8:05 PM EST

Things have spiraled out of control in the Windy City as the Bulls (36-36 SU, 29-43 ATS) sit two games behind the Pistons for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Chicago dropped its third straight contest on Saturday as the Bulls were drilled at Orlando, 111-89 as seven-point favorites. Fred Hoiberg’s club has failed to cover in four consecutive games, while the Bulls have allowed at least 100 points in 25 of the last 27 games.

The Hawks (44-30 SU, 40-33-1 ATS) go for the four-game series sweep of the Bulls with the first three victories coming by double-digits. Atlanta captured the last meeting at Philips Arena on February 26 with a 103-88 triumph as 7 ½-point favorites, as both Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose sat out due to injuries. Mike Budenholzer’s team has caught fire of late by winning eight of the last nine games, capped off by a 112-95 victory at Detroit on Saturday. The Hawks have topped the 100-point mark in eight consecutive games, while putting together an incredible 7-2 SU and 8-1 ATS record in the last nine road contests.

Spurs at Grizzlies – 8:05 PM EST

Time is running out on San Antonio (61-12 SU, 42-31 ATS) to potentially grab home-court advantage in the Western Conference playoffs, sitting five games behind Golden State with nine games remaining. The Spurs took their foot off the pedal in Saturday’s 111-92 setback at Oklahoma City, sitting out LaMarcus Aldridge, Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan. Aldridge is expected to return to the lineup on Monday, but Leonard is listed as questionable, while Parker and Duncan are both expected to rest once again.

Memphis (41-32 SU, 39-33-1 ATS) begins a three-game homestand after dropping six of its last eight contests. The Grizzlies fell short at San Antonio on Saturday, 110-104, but managed to cover as 13-point underdogs, while shooting 53% from the floor. Memphis has lost all three meetings with San Antonio this season, while dropping eight of the past 10 matchups since 2013. Dave Joerger’s team have cashed in seven of the last 10 games in the underdog role, including recent outright home ‘dog victories over the Clippers, Pelicans, and Jazz.

Kings at Blazers – 10:05 PM EST

Sacramento (29-44 SU, 32-40-1 ATS) won consecutive games for only the second time since the All-Star break after pulling off back-to-back home victories over Phoenix and Dallas. The Kings dropped the Mavericks from start to finish in Sunday’s 133-111 drubbing of Dallas, while improving to 4-1 ATS in the last five games overall. Leading scorer DeMarcus Cousins will likely sit out tonight to rest an ailing foot, as Sacramento has compiled a 2-9 SU and 4-7 ATS record without their center this season. The Kings haven’t fared well without rest, putting together a 3-14 SU and 9-8 ATS record, but have covered each of the last two times in this situation on the road.

The Blazers (38-36 SU, 41-33 ATS) have yet to win back-to-back games in March, going 0-5 SU and 1-4 ATS off a victory this month. Portland outlasted Philadelphia on Saturday, 108-105, but failed to cash as 15-point home favorites in spite of taking a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter. Terry Stotts’ club has finished ‘under’ the total in three straight games at the Moda Center, but owns an 0-3 ATS record in its last three opportunities as a favorite. Portland has won each of the first two matchups with Sacramento this season, including a 112-97 victory as five-point home favorites in late January.

Celtics at Clippers – 10:35 PM EST

Boston (43-30 SU, 39-33-1 ATS) continues a five-game West Coast swing after holding off Phoenix on Saturday, 102-99 as 8 ½-point favorites to extend its winning streak to four games. The Celtics have stepped up their defense of late by allowing 99 points or less in each of their past three victories, while going on a 6-2 run to the ‘under’ the last eight contests. Brad Stevens’ team has struggled recently in the underdog role by losing five straight times when receiving points, while failing to cover in all five of those defeats since the All-Star break.

Los Angeles (45-27 SU, 33-36-3 ATS) hits the court following a 105-90 triumph over Denver on Sunday afternoon to pick up only its second cover in the last 11 games. The Clippers have won eight of their past 11 times in the home favorite role, but have covered only four times in this span dating back to mid-January. L.A. looks for revenge after losing at TD Garden on February 10 in a 139-134 overtime epic as 1 ½-point underdogs, snapping a four-game winning streak against Boston dating back to 2013.

[StarDust Bum]

Monday's Top Action
March 28, 2016

ATLANTA HAWKS (44-30) at CHICAGO BULLS (36-36)

Tip-off: Monday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: Atlanta -3.5, Total 206.5

The Hawks will be going for their fourth straight victory when they face the struggling Bulls on Monday.

Atlanta is coming off of a 112-95 victory as a 1.5-point favorite in Detroit on Saturday. The Hawks have now won three straight games and 13 of their past 16 as well. Not only has Atlanta been winning, but the team has also covered in 13 of their past 16 games.

The Bulls, meanwhile, have now lost three straight games and have failed to cover in each of their past four. Chicago is not only losing games, but the team is losing to inferior squads. The Bulls lost two straight against the Knicks last week and followed it up with a 22-point loss to the Magic on Saturday.

Atlanta has dominated this head-to-head series recently, winning-and-covering in each of the three meetings between these teams on the season.

One thing that is worth noting for the Hawks is that the team is 11-3 ATS in March this season.

The Bulls, meanwhile, are a miserable 1-8 ATS after playing a game as a road favorite this season.

PF Paul Millsap (Head) is probable for the Hawks on Monday and the Bulls should have everybody except for SG E’Twaun Moore (Hamstring) and C Joakim Noah (Shoulder), who are both out indefinitely for the team.

Atlanta is playing some incredible basketball right now and this team is going to be dangerous in the playoffs. PF Paul Millsap (17.2 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.5 BPG) is a bit banged up coming into this game, but he had a huge game against Detroit on Saturday. Millsap played 29 minutes and finished with 23 points, nine boards, five assists, four steals and four blocks. Millsap went 3-for-4 from the outside in that game and he badly needed to get it going from deep, as he was just 1-for-9 from three in his previous four games. He should be able to play well against the Bulls in this one.

One guy that will need to get it going for the Hawks is PG Jeff Teague (15.0 PPG, 6.0 APG, 1.2 SPG). Teague is averaging 13.4 PPG and 7.0 APG over the past five contests, but he is shooting just 34.9% from the floor and 28.0% from three in those games. Teague is at his best when he is knocking down shots because it opens up more space for him and his teammates to get to the rim.

Atlanta also needs C Al Horford (15.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.6 BPG) to have a big game in this one. He has a tough matchup with Pau Gasol in this game and the Hawks badly need Horford to hold his own.

The Bulls desperately need a victory on Monday, as they are in serious danger of missing out on the playoffs this season. One guy that will need to be more consistent for his team is PG Derrick Rose (16.9 PPG, 4.8 APG, 3.5 RPG). Rose followed up a 30-point performance against the Knicks with just nine points on 4-for-14 shooting against the Magic. He has looked a lot more explosive for Chicago lately, but he can’t afford to have many more outings like the one he had on Saturday.

SG Jimmy Butler (21.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.7 SPG) must also be a lot better for his team moving forward. Over the past five games, Butler is averaging just 12.4 PPG on 40% shooting from the floor and 16.7% shooting from the outside. He has not looked the same since his knee injury, but he must find a way to be more effective or he is hurting his team when on the floor.

C Pau Gasol (16.6 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 2.0 BPG) is another guy that needs to figure it out quickly for Chicago. He’s averaging just 6.3 PPG and 6.0 RPG on 39.1% shooting over the past four games and that is not going to be good enough for the Bulls, especially against the Hawks.

[StarDust Bum]

Hoop Trends - Monday
March 28, 2016

ATS TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Raptors are 0-13 ATS (-7.96 ppg) since Dec 29, 2006 as a home dog with rest off a game as a favorite in which they scored fewer than 10 fast break points.


OU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Pelicans are 17-0 OU (7.53 ppg) since Jan 15, 2016 at home with rest.

PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Clippers are 0-8-1 OU (-13.94 ppg) since Oct 29, 2015 at home after Jamal Crawford took fewer than 10 shots lat game.

CHOICE TREND:

-- The Celtics are 0-12 ATS (-7.92 ppg) since Mar 16, 2005 after a game as a road favorite in which their turnovers increased by at least 10 from the game before.

ACTIVE TRENDS:

-- The Kings are 11-0 OU (10.86 ppg) since Mar 22, 2009 as a dog after they shot over 55% from the field.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA ATS

NBA > (739) SAN ANTONIO@ (740) MEMPHIS | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play ON MEMPHIS against the spread in All games after allowing 105 points or more
The record is 17 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+12.6 units)

NBA > (737) ATLANTA@ (738) CHICAGO | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play AGAINST CHICAGO against the spread in All games against Southeast division opponents
The record is 8 Wins and 26 Losses for the last two seasons (-20.6 units)

NBA > (735) PHOENIX@ (736) MINNESOTA | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA against the spread in Home games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 9 Wins and 26 Losses for the last two seasons (-19.6 units)

NBA > (743) DALLAS@ (744) DENVER | 2016-03-28 21:05:00 - 2016-03-28 21:05:00
Play AGAINST DENVER against the spread in Home games after a loss by 10 points or more
The record is 5 Wins and 19 Losses for the last two seasons (-15.9 units)

NBA > (735) PHOENIX@ (736) MINNESOTA | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play AGAINST PHOENIX against the spread in Road games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 2 Wins and 12 Losses for the this season (-11.2 units)

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NBA MONEYLINE

NBA > (735) PHOENIX@ (736) MINNESOTA | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play AGAINST PHOENIX using money line in All games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 8 Wins and 21 Losses for the this season (-22.95 units)

NBA > (733) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (734) TORONTO | 2016-03-28 19:35:00 - 2016-03-28 19:35:00
Play ON TORONTO using money line in Home games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 14 Wins and 2 Losses for the this season (+12.8 units)

NBA > (743) DALLAS@ (744) DENVER | 2016-03-28 21:05:00 - 2016-03-28 21:05:00
Play AGAINST DENVER using money line in Home games after a loss by 10 points or more
The record is 10 Wins and 28 Losses for the last three seasons (-29.1 units)

NBA > (741) NEW YORK@ (742) NEW ORLEANS | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play AGAINST NEW ORLEANS using money line in All games revenging a loss vs opponent
The record is 9 Wins and 28 Losses for the this season (-23 units)

NBA > (735) PHOENIX@ (736) MINNESOTA | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA using money line in All games after a division game
The record is 1 Wins and 12 Losses for the this season (-12.5 units)

NBA > (743) DALLAS@ (744) DENVER | 2016-03-28 21:05:00 - 2016-03-28 21:05:00
Play AGAINST DENVER using money line in Home games when playing on back-to-back days
The record is 1 Wins and 8 Losses for the last two seasons (-13.5 units)

NBA > (743) DALLAS@ (744) DENVER | 2016-03-28 21:05:00 - 2016-03-28 21:05:00
Play ON DALLAS using money line in Road games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 25 Wins and 8 Losses for the last two seasons (+19.45 units)

NBA > (731) BROOKLYN@ (732) MIAMI | 2016-03-28 19:35:00 - 2016-03-28 19:35:00
Play ON MIAMI using money line in All games when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season
The record is 24 Wins and 7 Losses for the last two seasons (+17.8 units)

NBA > (747) SACRAMENTO@ (748) PORTLAND | 2016-03-28 22:05:00 - 2016-03-28 22:05:00
Play ON PORTLAND using money line in Home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 32 Wins and 11 Losses for the last two seasons (+21.2 units)

NBA > (737) ATLANTA@ (738) CHICAGO | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play AGAINST CHICAGO using money line in Home games against Southeast division opponents
The record is 7 Wins and 10 Losses for the last two seasons (-21.7 units)

NBA > (737) ATLANTA@ (738) CHICAGO | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play ON CHICAGO using money line in All games revenging a loss vs opponent
The record is 48 Wins and 21 Losses for the last two seasons (+27.6 units)

NBA > (747) SACRAMENTO@ (748) PORTLAND | 2016-03-28 22:05:00 - 2016-03-28 22:05:00
Play AGAINST SACRAMENTO using money line in All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season
The record is 6 Wins and 18 Losses for the this season (-16.4 units)

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NBA FIRST HALF

NBA > (735) PHOENIX@ (736) MINNESOTA | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play AGAINST PHOENIX ?>in the first halfin All games versus the first half line in all games
The record is 24 Wins and 48 Losses for the this season (-28.8 units)

NBA > (747) SACRAMENTO@ (748) PORTLAND | 2016-03-28 22:05:00 - 2016-03-28 22:05:00
Play ON PORTLAND ?>in the first halfin Home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season
The record is 18 Wins and 4 Losses for the last two seasons (+13.6 units)

NBA > (735) PHOENIX@ (736) MINNESOTA | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play AGAINST PHOENIX ?>in the first halfin Road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 6 Wins and 19 Losses for the this season (-14.9 units)

NBA > (739) SAN ANTONIO@ (740) MEMPHIS | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play ON SAN ANTONIO ?>in the first halfin All games versus the 1rst half line in road games
The record is 25 Wins and 10 Losses for the this season (+14 units)

NBA > (747) SACRAMENTO@ (748) PORTLAND | 2016-03-28 22:05:00 - 2016-03-28 22:05:00
Play ON PORTLAND ?>in the first halfin All games as a favorite vs. the 1rst half line
The record is 24 Wins and 10 Losses for the this season (+13 units)

NBA > (745) LA LAKERS@ (746) UTAH | 2016-03-28 21:05:00 - 2016-03-28 21:05:00
Play ON LA LAKERS ?>in the first halfin Road games when playing on back-to-back days
The record is 20 Wins and 6 Losses for the last two seasons (+13.4 units)

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NBA TOTALS

NBA > (741) NEW YORK@ (742) NEW ORLEANS | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play OVER NEW ORLEANS on the totalin Home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 21 Overs and 4 Unders for the this season (+16.6 units)

NBA > (737) ATLANTA@ (738) CHICAGO | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play UNDER ATLANTA on the totalin All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game
The record is 13 Overs and 36 Unders for the this season (+21.7 units)

NBA > (739) SAN ANTONIO@ (740) MEMPHIS | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play UNDER SAN ANTONIO on the totalin Road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 6 Overs and 22 Unders for the this season (+15.4 units)

NBA > (737) ATLANTA@ (738) CHICAGO | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play UNDER ATLANTA on the totalin Road games after scoring 105 points or more
The record is 1 Overs and 12 Unders for the this season (+10.9 units)

NBA > (739) SAN ANTONIO@ (740) MEMPHIS | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play OVER MEMPHIS on the totalin Home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game
The record is 19 Overs and 5 Unders for the this season (+13.5 units)

NBA > (745) LA LAKERS@ (746) UTAH | 2016-03-28 21:05:00 - 2016-03-28 21:05:00
Play UNDER UTAH on the totalin All games after allowing 85 points or less
The record is 7 Overs and 25 Unders for the last two seasons (+17.3 units)

NBA > (749) BOSTON@ (750) LA CLIPPERS | 2016-03-28 22:35:00 - 2016-03-28 22:35:00
Play UNDER LA CLIPPERS on the totalin Home games after scoring 105 points or more
The record is 3 Overs and 15 Unders for the this season (+11.7 units)

NBA > (749) BOSTON@ (750) LA CLIPPERS | 2016-03-28 22:35:00 - 2016-03-28 22:35:00
Play UNDER LA CLIPPERS on the totalin All games after scoring 105 points or more
The record is 9 Overs and 25 Unders for the this season (+15.1 units)

NBA > (749) BOSTON@ (750) LA CLIPPERS | 2016-03-28 22:35:00 - 2016-03-28 22:35:00
Play UNDER BOSTON on the totalin All games versus the 1rst half line in road games
The record is 24 Overs and 53 Unders for the last two seasons (+26.6 units)

NBA > (749) BOSTON@ (750) LA CLIPPERS | 2016-03-28 22:35:00 - 2016-03-28 22:35:00
Play UNDER LA CLIPPERS on the totalin Home games in March games
The record is 3 Overs and 17 Unders for the last three seasons (+13.7 units)

NBA > (747) SACRAMENTO@ (748) PORTLAND | 2016-03-28 22:05:00 - 2016-03-28 22:05:00
Play OVER PORTLAND on the totalin All games as a favorite vs. the 1rst half line
The record is 24 Overs and 9 Unders for the this season (+14.1 units)

NBA > (735) PHOENIX@ (736) MINNESOTA | 2016-03-28 20:05:00 - 2016-03-28 20:05:00
Play UNDER PHOENIX on the totalin All games versus the first half line in all games
The record is 25 Overs and 47 Unders for the this season (+19.5 units)

NBA > (743) DALLAS@ (744) DENVER | 2016-03-28 21:05:00 - 2016-03-28 21:05:00
Play OVER DENVER on the totalin All games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 33 Overs and 16 Unders for the this season (+15.4 units)