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

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THURSDAY, MARCH 3

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


PHO at MIA 07:30 PM

PHO +13.5

U 209.0 BEST BET


SA at NO 08:00 PM

SA -9.0 BEST BET

O 207.5


SAC at DAL 08:30 PM

DAL -7.0

U 221.5


OKC at GS 10:30 PM

OKC +7.0 BEST BET

U 228.0 BEST BET

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Preview: Pacers (32-29) at Hornets (32-28)
Date: March 04, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

With Kemba Walker leading the way, the Charlotte Hornets have registered a pair of wins over the Indiana Pacers during their recent surge.

The Hornets will try to keep rolling by completing their first season sweep of the Pacers in Friday night's opener to a seven-game homestand.

Charlotte (32-28) has pushed a half-game ahead of Indiana (32-29) for sixth place in the Eastern Conference by winning eight of 10. The Hornets blew out the Pacers 117-95 in their final game before the All-Star break Feb. 10 and edged them 96-95 last Friday with Walker making the go-ahead basket with 2.4 seconds left.

He provided 30 points in a 119-99 rout of Philadelphia on Wednesday, one of Charlotte's two blowouts of lowly teams to open this month. The Hornets topped Phoenix 126-92 on Tuesday.

Walker is averaging a career-high 20.8 points after scoring 23.9 per game in his last nine. He had 25 points in the first meeting with Indiana and scored 22 while dishing out a season-high 10 assists in last weekend's victory.

"(Kemba's) definitely controlling the game and Coach (Steve Clifford) is definitely going through him," guard Jeremy Lin said.

The Hornets have won six of seven at home as Walker has averaged 29.5 points.

They're 20-9 in Charlotte this season and now begin a long homestand a half-game behind fifth-place Atlanta and within striking distance of Miami for the Southeast Division lead. The Hornets don't play on the road again until visiting the Heat on March 17.

"(The homestand) is going to be big. It's going to be some really important games for us," Walker said. "Hopefully, our fans give us a huge push, and we come out and get some big wins."

Indiana is coming off a 104-99 road win over Milwaukee on Wednesday, snapping a three-game slide and remaining 1 1/2 games ahead of the ninth-place teams in the East. Jordan Hill had 19 points - one shy of his season high - to lead seven players in double figures.

Rodney Stuckey had 12 of his 15 in a 3:22 stretch of the fourth quarter in his fourth game since returning from a bruised right foot. The guard, averaging 9.5 points, had a combined 12 on 5-of-16 shooting in his previous three contests.

"I think it's to the point now where my foot is feeling fine, so I'm just going to go out there and play my game and not really necessarily worry about re-aggravating it or anything," Stuckey told the team's official website. "I'm feeling good. Tonight I just saw lanes where I could be aggressive, attack the basket and just shoot the ball when I'm open."

Paul George has averaged 27.0 points in the two games against the Hornets and had 32 in last Friday's defeat. He's averaged 16.3 points in the past three games while shooting 34.8 percent.

Charlotte has not swept a season series from Indiana since entering the league in 1988-89 and is looking to match its longest winning streak in the history of the series, having taken three straight meetings in 2002.

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Preview: Knicks (25-37) at Celtics (37-25)
Date: March 04, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The New York Knicks entered play Jan. 22 one-half game behind the second-place Boston Celtics in the Atlantic Division.

More than a month later, the Celtics are third in the Eastern Conference while the Knicks are third from the bottom.

A big reason for the Celtics' surge is a home winning streak they can extend to 13 by taking the season series from the lowly Knicks on Friday night.

Boston was 22-21 before beginning its current 15-4 surge with a nine-point home win over Chicago on Jan. 22. The same day, New York was 22-22 and looking for a third consecutive victory, but suffered a 116-88 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers that began a stretch of 15 losses in 18 games.

The Celtics helped their own cause by adding to the Knicks' woes with a 97-89 victory Feb. 2.

'I don't know why," Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony said. "I don't know how, it just went downhill from there.'

While the Knicks (25-37) can't explain their extended slump, Boston's success has been highlighted by its longest home winning streak since a 13-game run in 2008-09.

The East's highest-scoring team has averaged 112.7 points in the last 12 at home, and overcame an early 12-point deficit to win 116-93 over Portland on Wednesday. Boston has yielded an average of 92.3 points and 39.7 percent shooting in the past three of a five-game homestand that ends Friday.

"We're all competitors," reserve guard Marcus Smart said. "We love to win. So we're going to find a way to go out there and compete every night."

Isaiah Thomas scored 30 with Smart and Jared Sullinger each recording 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who can match a season high with their fifth straight win.

Even with their impressive roll, the Celtics feel they still have something to prove.

"Teams in the NBA they still don't respect us. And we know that,' Thomas said. 'We go into every game with a chip on our shoulder and knowing that we gotta earn the respect. We gotta earn what we get and take what's ours.'

That familiar chip on the shoulder will be in place even against the Knicks, who have shot 37.4 percent and gone 10 of 39 from 3-point range in their two losses in three meetings with Boston this season. Thomas has averaged 25 points in the three, scoring 34 in a 120-114 defeat at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 12.

Anthony had 29 points in a 100-91 loss at Boston on Dec. 27, then totaled 33 in the next two matchups.

His overall frustration might have peaked during Tuesday's 104-85 loss to the Trail Blazers when he told a heckling fan at MSG to ask team chairman James Dolan for his money back. Anthony apologized for his actions.

"We are all frustrated by the team's recent results - everyone, including me, my teammates, coaches and the fans," he said. "I should not have responded the way I did.'

Following last Friday's 108-95 victory over Orlando, the Knicks averaged 83.0 points and 37.1 percent shooting in back-to-back losses to Miami and Portland. They scored 13 points in the fourth quarter Tuesday.

New York guard Arron Afflalo had four on 2-of-10 shooting at Boston in December, but scored 42 over the two home meetings.

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Preview: Trail Blazers (33-29) at Raptors (40-19)
Date: March 04, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

A select few can rival the production of a backcourt that's catapulted the Portland Trail Blazers into playoff contention. The Toronto Raptors are one of them.

Two of the NBA's best teams of the second half face off Friday night at Air Canada Centre, where the Raptors aim for an unprecedented 12th consecutive home win and the Trail Blazers look to put behind a road loss which has been rare recently.

After opening this season-high six-game trip with three victories, Portland (33-29) had a six-game road win streak halted by becoming the 12th straight visitor to lose at Boston's TD Garden in Wednesday's 116-93 defeat to the Celtics. The Blazers had been 8-1 on the road in 2016.

They haven't dropped back-to-back games overall since a three-game skid Jan. 4-8. They've since gone 18-5 for the league's fourth-best record, eclipsed only by Golden State, San Antonio and a Raptors team that's 19-4 since Jan. 6.

Portland has lost just three times in its last 17 games, one being a 110-103 home defeat to Toronto on Feb. 4. The Raptors (40-19) also won the battle of guard tandems, as Kyle Lowry hit seven 3-pointers and amassed 30 points to complement 29 from fellow All-Star DeMar DeRozan.

Both also delivered big performances in Wednesday's 104-94 win over Utah, with Lowry scoring 32 and DeRozan 31 on 11-of-15 shooting to help Toronto to a franchise-record 11th straight home victory.

"We just go out there and do their job," Lowry said. "We try to make sure that we still have everyone else contributing and get those guys involved. For me and (DeRozan), we try to take some of the attention we get and make other guys get open looks."

Lowry and DeRozan's 44.9 points per game rank third among NBA guard combos, just behind Portland's Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum (46.1). The duo's play has been instrumental to the Blazers' rise, with Lillard averaging 31.6 points over his last 10 and McCollum shooting 50.0 percent from 3-point range in averaging 21.6 over the past eight.

The two combined for 48 points in last month's matchup but were mostly held in check by Boston, which outscored the Trail Blazers 60-34 in the paint and had 19 offensive rebounds leading to 21 second-chance points.

'We just weren't good enough," said Lillard, held to 20 points after scoring 30 or more in each of the trip's first three games. "We didn't do a lot of the things that we've been doing at the level that we've been doing them."

Portland forced a season-low five turnovers, its fourth straight outing of nine or less. Toronto has been terrific at taking care of the ball of late, averaging a league-low 9.4 giveaways over its last eight.

The efficient Raptors are averaging 108.0 points while shooting 50.1 percent over their last five. They've won four times during that stretch, with the lone blemish Sunday's 114-101 loss at Detroit in which Lowry was rested two days after scoring a career-high 43 against Cleveland.

'It's a long season, it's a grind and we put our bodies through a lot," he said. "We get paid really good money to do it, so I know the resting thing is not too popular with everyone, but in the end we want to be able to put out the best product possible.'

Toronto is seeking its first season sweep of Portland since 1996-97. The Trail Blazers have won 12 of the last 14 matchups.

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Preview: Wizards (30-30) at Cavaliers (42-17)
Date: March 04, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The Washington Wizards have gained ground in the playoff race by capitalizing on opportunities such as facing a Cleveland Cavaliers team without LeBron James earlier this week.

That won't be the case when the resurgent Wizards visit Cleveland on Friday night seeking a season-high fifth consecutive win.

Three games out of a playoff spot at the All-Star break, Washington (30-30) has closed within a half-game of eighth-place Detroit in the Eastern Conference by winning seven of nine since returning. It's taken advantage of two meetings with NBA-worst Philadelphia and one with another non-contender in Minnesota during its streak, the club's longest since a four-game run Jan. 9-15.

The Wizards also received an assist from their former point guard Tyronn Lue in Cleveland's visit to Washington on Sunday, as the Cavaliers coach decided to rest James in a 113-99 loss in which his team trailed by 30.

Cleveland (42-17) put forth a considerably more determined effort in Monday's 100-96 win over Indiana, closing on a 9-2 run to halt a two-game skid. Having James return to score 33 points in 37 minutes certainly helped as well.

'We showed some mental toughness,' James said. "We were able to keep our composure, get some stops, make some shots and win the ballgame.'

The Cavaliers figure to be challenged again in this one, as the Wizards have averaged 108.3 points and 50.8 percent shooting in winning two of three matchups this season. John Wall in particular has given Cleveland a hard time, averaging 25.3 points and 11.7 assists in the season series.

Wall had 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and added 13 assists Sunday. The All-Star guard was held to 14 on a 6-of-18 effort at Minnesota on Wednesday, but Washington got a huge night from its bolstered bench in a 104-98 win.

Bradley Beal scored 26 points while Alan Anderson had 18 in his fourth game back from offseason ankle surgery, helping the Wizards' reserves outscore the Timberwolves' 64-18.

Beal and Nene's returns from lengthy injury absences have improved the depth as well, as has the acquisition of Markieff Morris at the trade deadline.

'I think this year it's more the healthiest we've been. I think that's the main reason," coach Randy Wittman said of his team's surge.

Improvements on defense also have played a part in the turnaround. The Wizards have held seven of their last 10 opponents to fewer than 100 points and are 6-0 since the break when yielding 99 or less.

Washington has been much tougher in defending the 3-point shot of late, limiting teams to 29.9 percent over its 7-2 stretch. The Wizards entered the break last in 3-point percentage defense at 38.7.

They've held Cleveland to a combined 36.8 percent from the field in their two victories, though the Cavaliers won the lone matchup in which both James and Kyrie Irving played. Cleveland shot 53.9 percent in a 121-115 road win Jan. 6 with James collecting 34 points and 10 rebounds and Irving scoring 32.

Irving had 28 on Sunday and 22 against Indiana, going a combined 19 of 19 from the foul line and 5 of 10 from 3-point range.

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Preview: Timberwolves (19-42) at Bucks (25-36)
Date: March 04, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

An intriguing 6-foot-11 youngster plays for both the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Milwaukee Bucks - one at center and the other at point guard.

Minnesota's Karl Anthony-Towns should keep getting plenty of attention in the post and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo is likely to continue handling the playmaking duties when the teams meet Friday night at the Bradley Center.

Anthony-Towns has started every game at center for the Timberwolves (19-42) since being drafted No. 1 overall last year. He appears to be the Rookie of the Year favorite, tied for fifth in the league with 35 double-doubles while averaging 17.3 points and 10.3 rebounds.

All that production, though, has caused opposing defenses to increase their focus on him. The 20-year-old has failed to reach 15 points in back-to-back games for the first time since mid-January, totaling 21 field-goal attempts and six free throws. Anthony-Towns attempted an average of 18.7 field goals and 6.3 free throws in the previous six games.

"I'm trying to attack, I'm trying to get to the rim," he said. "Doing things like that allows the court to be more open for my teammates."

Anthony-Towns said he was "catching the ball seeing about four people, three people at a time" very early in Wednesday's 104-98 home loss to Washington. Minnesota fell to 2-16 since the beginning of December when he has fewer than 15 points, though he grabbed 15 rebounds and tied a season high with five assists.

Antetokounmpo has averaged 7.8 assists in the Bucks' past five games, with coach and former point guard Jason Kidd giving the 21-year-old much of the ballhandling duties. Still, he remains a scoring threat and a force on the boards, averaging 17.9 points and 11.3 rebounds in his last eight.

'You can see that his leadership skills are starting to come out," said Kidd, who mentioned that Antetokounmpo's height allows him to see different passing lanes. "He has that skill of being able to find guys.'

The Greece native has topped 40 minutes in each of the last two games with backup point guard Michael Carter-Williams sidelined by patella tendinitis. It's unclear if he will return Friday.

Antetokounmpo was among six Bucks to score in double figures in a 95-85 win in Minnesota on Jan. 2.

Greg Monroe helped harass Anthony-Towns into one of his worst games as a pro - eight points on 4-of-17 shooting - while leading Milwaukee with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Monroe still sees significant playing time despite being relegated to the bench in early February but has gone a season-high five straight games without a double-double.

The Bucks (25-36) have won the past three meetings.

Both teams have lost three of four overall due greatly to poor defense. Milwaukee has allowed an average of 107.0 points in that span and has let three straight opponents hit at least 40 percent from 3-point range. Minnesota has given up more than 100 points in 12 consecutive games, yielding an average of 112.0, and allowed at least 10 3-pointers in each of the last five.

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Preview: Jazz (28-32) at Grizzlies (36-24)
Date: March 04, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The Memphis Grizzlies have displayed a lackluster offense in two defeats against the Utah Jazz but have been a more dynamic team since the latest matchup - even with their roster makeover.

The Grizzlies will try to avoid another poor performance against the Jazz on Friday night while sending Utah to a season-high fifth consecutive defeat.

Memphis (36-24) averaged 83.0 points and shot 36.6 percent in two visits to Utah but took the Jazz to overtime in a 92-87 defeat Jan. 2. The Grizzlies head into this matchup averaging 105.8 points in a 15-5 stretch - a nearly 10-point increase from their 95.9 mark in the first 40 games - and 110.6 while winning four of five.

They've been productive despite losing leading scorer Marc Gasol to a season-ending foot injury last month and Tony Allen (knee) missing the past six games.

Memphis has also continued to work Chris Andersen, P.J. Hairston and Lance Stephenson into the mix. All three were brought over before the trade deadline.

Mike Conley has aided the Grizzlies by averaging 19.0 points on 50.8 percent shooting in his last nine games while going 15 of 34 on 3-pointers. He made all three attempts from beyond the arc and 9 of 12 overall while scoring 24 in a 104-98 victory against Sacramento on Wednesday.

Zach Randolph had 19 points in the opener to a three-game homestand and has averaged 18.1 in 12 games since the beginning of February, up from 13.7 in his first 43.

"We're getting closer but we've got a long way to go," Conley said. "We're happy with getting these wins but we're not satisfied. We've got to keep on pushing forward, get the guys acclimated to all our new plays and to our new system."

While seeking a fourth consecutive home win, the Grizzles will try to hand the Jazz their eighth loss in 10 games. Utah (28-32) has fallen to ninth in the Western Conference and dropped its fifth in a row on the road Wednesday, 104-94 to Toronto.

Starting guard Rodney Hood suffered what was deemed a minor head injury with 8:23 remaining in the second quarter.

"It's huge," forward Gordon Hayward said. "He's another guy who can make plays for himself, make plays for our team, and the defense has to respect him. ... It was a bad loss for us."

Hood's status is unclear for Utah's attempt at its first season sweep of the Grizzlies since 2008-09 and its third consecutive win in Memphis. The Jazz are in a stretch where they're playing nine of 13 on the road, and they conclude a four-game trip Saturday against New Orleans.

Hood, averaging 14.7 points in his second season, scored a career-best 32 with a career high-tying eight rebounds in the victory in January.

Conley has shot 31.7 percent against Utah but has still scored 35 points. Randolph has totaled 18 points while missing 13 of 22 shots.

The Jazz have held the Grizzles to less than 90 points in each of the last four matchups dating to their most recent visit to Memphis, a 93-82 victory last March.

Utah hasn't lost five in a row since a nine-game skid Nov. 21-Dec. 8, 2014.

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Preview: Nets (17-44) at Nuggets (24-37)
Date: March 04, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

The Denver Nuggets put an end to a three-game home losing streak their last time out. Now they appear to be in good position to snap a couple of slides against the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nuggets have dropped four in a row and two straight at home to the lowly Nets, who stagger into Denver looking to avoid a third straight loss as they continue a nine-game road trip Friday night.

Denver (24-37) averted a third consecutive defeat overall in ending its home skid by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 117-107 on Wednesday. D.J. Augustin scored 22 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead six Nuggets in double figures, and Denver shot 48.7 percent from the field and went 12 of 23 from 3-point range.

The Nuggets have shot 47.8 percent in the past six at home, but they've allowed opponents to score 111.0 points per contest over the last five of them.

Augustin helped to overcome another shaky night on defense - the Lakers are averaging 97.8 points - with his second 20-point game in the last three. Both were season highs.

'Just going with the flow of the game. It happens sometimes,' said Augustin, who went 3 for 3 from beyond the arc and 9 for 9 from the foul line. 'I took what they gave me.'

Augustin has hit 57.6 percent from the floor over the past three.

He'll look to continue his hot shooting against the Nets (17-44), who fell to 2-3 on their grueling trek with a 107-101 loss to the Lakers on Tuesday. Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young and Bojan Bogdanovic combined for 60 points, but Brooklyn allowed Los Angeles to shoot 49.4 percent and go 11 of 26 from 3-point range.

Rookie D'Angelo Russell torched the Nets for 16 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter and went 8 for 12 on 3s.

'We didn't play well, and they got going, so it's on us,' said Lopez, who's averaged 23.4 points in his last seven. 'We played selfish. All things considered, we still had a shot and we got some good looks. We had opportunities to get back into the game, but it just never happened.'

Young added 15 rebounds while Bogdanovic scored 18 in his fourth straight start since the Nets parted ways with Joe Johnson. He's averaged 17.3 points in that span - well above his season mark of 9.9.

Brooklyn has outscored Denver 107.3-92.8 in its four-game run in the series. It took the first meeting of the season 105-104 at home Feb. 8, and its two consecutive road victories over the Nuggets have come by an average of 25.5 points.

The Nets played for the second straight night Tuesday and third time in four days, and they're opening another back-to-back with Minnesota on tap for Saturday night. Brooklyn's trip, which began Feb. 23, runs through March 11.

Young scored 20 points Feb. 8 while Kenneth Faried had 22 and 13 rebounds for Denver. Teammate Danilo Gallinari scored 24, but he's missed two straight games and is day-to-day with a sprained ankle.

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Preview: Hawks (33-28) at Lakers (12-50)
Date: March 04, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

Though not in a position to celebrate moral victories, the Atlanta Hawks still had to be encouraged by how they began an important road trip.

The Hawks stand a better chance of being rewarded in Friday night's matchup with a Los Angeles Lakers team that may have Kobe Bryant among several notable absences.

After recording key wins over fellow Eastern Conference contenders Chicago and Charlotte to build momentum for a season-high five-game trek, Atlanta (33-28) nearly ended Golden State's 42-game regular-season home winning streak in Tuesday's 109-105 overtime loss.

Though the Warriors held out Stephen Curry with a sore ankle, the Hawks continued a strong defensive stretch by limiting the NBA's highest-scoring team to 39.8 percent shooting - the fourth time Golden State has finished below 40 percent this season. Atlanta trailed by only one when the Warriors' Draymond Green hit a desperation 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 40.2 seconds left in overtime.

The Hawks had held the Bulls and Hornets to a combined 34.9 percent and yielded a season low in points in Sunday's 87-76 win over Charlotte. They are allowing 97.6 points per game since Jan. 16 and lead the NBA in defensive rating during that span (96.2 points per 1000 possessions).

"I think there was a lot of, continues to be a lot of good positives on the defensive end of the court," coach Mike Budenholzer said. "They made a couple of tough shots, crazy shots, and offensively we didn't get quite enough to go down for us."

Los Angeles (12-50) is the NBA's worst shooting team at 41.6 percent but has been making progress, averaging 108.1 points and connecting on 38.2 percent of its 3-point tries in seven games since the All-Star break.

Jordan Clarkson is 20 of 47 from 3 while averaging 17.1 points over that stretch, but he may not play after exiting Wednesday's 117-107 loss at Denver with a strained left knee. Lou Williams, the team's third-leading scorer behind Bryant and Clarkson, will miss a second straight game with a strained left hamstring.

Bryant returned from a two-game absence to log 11 minutes in his final appearance in Denver. The retiring superstar, dealing with a nagging shoulder injury, said afterward he only played as a show of gratitude to the fans.

'It was important to get out there and play and show appreciation for all these years,' he said. 'Had it not been the case, I wouldn't have played."

Bryant's injury has allowed the Lakers to accelerate D'Angelo Russell's development, and the rookie is indeed showing progress by averaging 26.8 points over his last four. After amassing a career-high 39 points to help end Los Angeles' eight-game skid with Tuesday's 107-101 win over Brooklyn, the No. 2 overall pick followed with 21 and six assists against the Nuggets.

"Everybody knows they've got to step up when guys go down," Russell said.

The Lakers haven't displayed improvement on the defensive end, though. They've allowed 116.4 points per game over their last eight, with opponents shooting 44.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Eight different Hawks hit 3-pointers in a 100-87 home win over the Lakers on Dec. 4.

Los Angeles had won eight straight at home in the series prior to the Hawks' 91-86 victory March 15, 2015. Atlanta hasn't won back-to-back road games over the Lakers since 2002.

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Preview: Heat (34-26) at 76ers (8-53)
Date: March 04, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

With their backcourt providing an offensive spark and Hassan Whiteside anchoring the defense, the Miami Heat have stretched out their Southeast Division advantage.

The Heat look to continue making the most of a soft portion of the schedule Friday night when they open a home-and-home set with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Miami (35-26) was three games back of defending division-champion Atlanta following a 1-7 stretch on Jan. 22 before turning things around by winning 12 of its past 17 games.

Dwyane Wade had 25 points and Goran Dragic added 22 in Thursday's 108-92 home win over Phoenix that gave them a two-game lead on the Hawks. Wade has scored 24.4 per game in his last five, while Dragic has averaged 19.3 points and 7.0 assists over his past eight.

They've helped the club put up 107.4 points per game in its last eight after ranking 29th with a 95.9 scoring average - ahead of only Philadelphia's 94.9 mark - over its previous 52.

Miami, which allows an Eastern Conference-low 96.8 points per game, held the Suns to a 40.2 field-goal percentage and 5-of-22 shooting from 3-point range. Whiteside finished with nine points, 11 rebounds and five blocks and he's averaging 18.4, 15 and 4.1 in his last seven.

The Heat, 6-2 since losing leading scorer Chris Bosh, hope to inch closer to third-place Boston as they chase a fourth straight win in a stretch with five of seven against losing teams. Chicago is the only non-losing club in that span at 30-30, but has dropped 18 of 26.

'It's the time of the year where you've got to win games you're supposed to win,' said Wade, who insists he'll play in the second of back-to-back games.

Highly touted rookies and former Duke teammates Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow might not get a chance to face each other in the opener of back-to-back meetings. Okafor, averaging a team-high 17.5 points, could miss a third straight game with a shin injury.

Jerami Grant has totaled 21 points while replacing Okafor in the starting lineup. He was fined $10,000 for throwing a water bottle into the stands versus Washington on Monday.

Philadelphia (8-53) looks to avoid its 11th straight loss after falling 119-99 to Charlotte on Wednesday. Robert Covington, Nerlens Noel and Isaiah Canaan had 17 points each, but the Hornets shot 49.4 percent and had a 50-38 edge on the glass.

'We've got to find ways to get back in it,' coach Brett Brown said. 'I think the game ends up feeling long; it is long. You're not going to get a win unless you play long.'

The 76ers, last in the NBA with 96.4 points per game, have played better of late with an average of 105.6 over the past nine. They haven't been able to contain opponents at the other end, however, surrendering 118.6 on 49 percent shooting over that stretch.

Canaan finished with 22 points, Covington had 21 and Okafor added 16 and 11 rebounds Nov. 21 when Philadelphia gave Miami everything it could handle in a 96-91 road loss. Wade scored 27 and Winslow had a big tip-in with 27 seconds left to help the Heat overcome a late 11-point deficit for their 24th victory in the past 28 meetings, including the playoffs.

Miami will host the 76ers on Sunday night.

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Preview: Suns (15-45) at Magic (27-33)
Date: March 04, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Coach Scott Skiles hopes a performance that brought back memories of a promising 2015 can spark a run toward the Orlando Magic's first postseason berth in four years.

The Phoenix Suns are just trying to avoid the worst road slide in franchise history.

Coming off a strong defensive showing, Orlando will attempt to move closer to a playoff spot Friday night when it looks to take advantage of another opportune matchup at home.

The Magic (27-33) were playing more like Skiles had envisioned when they ranked sixth in the NBA with 98.4 points allowed per game during a 19-13 start. That all changed once the calender flipped to 2016, as they gave up 107.1 while dropping 20 of the next 27.

Orlando took a step in the right direction Wednesday when it held Chicago to 38.4 percent shooting in a 102-89 home win. It allowed it lowest point total since holding Brooklyn to 77 on Jan. 8 and its lowest field-goal percentage since Denver's 33.3 on Dec. 8.

"We're hoping we can start stringing some games together because that's where we were (early in the season)," Skiles said. "If we had bad moments in a game, it tended to be four or five rather than 24 or 25. It's something we got away from and have to get back to."

The Magic, who haven't reached the playoffs since the 2011-12 season, are 11th in the Eastern Conference and 3 1/2 games behind eighth-place Detroit with 22 left. They'll try to keep closing the gap with only their second back-to-back wins since Dec. 28 and 30.

Nikola Vucevic led the way with 24 points Wednesday, while Victor Oladipo scored 17 and Aaron Gordon contributed 13 points and 15 rebounds. Mario Hezonja had a season-high 21 points while filling in for the injured Evan Fournier, who hopes to return against the Suns.

Vucevic is averaging 22.8 points and 9.8 rebounds in his last 10 games and Gordon has put up 15.6 and 8.6 over his past five. Oladipo has chipped in with 17.1 points in his last eight.

Orlando had scored 111.9 per game over a seven-game stretch before shooting just 40.2 percent against the Bulls. They should get some open looks as they play one more at home before starting a stretch with nine of 11 on the road Monday at Golden State.

The Suns, who are 3-30 since Dec. 20, have allowed 113.6 points per game while matching the 1973-74 team with a franchise-record 17 consecutive road defeats. They let Miami shoot 48.2 percent in Thursday's 108-92 road loss.

Devin Booker was a bright spot with 15 of his season-high 34 points in the fourth quarter.

The Suns rank in the league's top 10 with 14.3 fast-break points per game. They scored 19 on the break en route to their fourth win in five meetings with Orlando, 107-104 in Phoenix on Dec. 9.

"We have to get back on defense," Skiles added. "They come at you fast."

Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe led the way with 21 points apiece for the Suns (15-46) in December, but they've long since been sidelined due to injury. Alex Len added 20 points and 14 rebounds and Mirza Teletovic scored 15 with four 3-pointers.

'We all know that our main guys are out,' interim coach Earl Watson said. 'That's not even a secret, but we make no excuses.'

[StarDust Bum]

NBA ATS

NBA > (825) PHOENIX@ (826) ORLANDO | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PHOENIX against the spread in All games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 4 Wins and 17 Losses for the this season (-14.7 units)

NBA > (829) NEW YORK@ (830) BOSTON | 2016-03-04 19:35:00 - 2016-03-04 19:35:00
Play ON BOSTON against the spread in All games when the total is greater than or equal to 210
The record is 24 Wins and 6 Losses for the last three seasons (+17.4 units)

NBA > (825) PHOENIX@ (826) ORLANDO | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PHOENIX against the spread in Road games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 0 Wins and 9 Losses for the this season (-9.9 units)

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NBA MONEYLINE

NBA > (825) PHOENIX@ (826) ORLANDO | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PHOENIX using money line in All games in non-conference games
The record is 5 Wins and 17 Losses for the this season (-19 units)

NBA > (825) PHOENIX@ (826) ORLANDO | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PHOENIX using money line in All games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 23 Wins and 30 Losses for the last two seasons (-40.45 units)

NBA > (833) UTAH@ (834) MEMPHIS | 2016-03-04 20:05:00 - 2016-03-04 20:05:00
Play ON MEMPHIS using money line in All games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 28 Wins and 5 Losses for the this season (+20.5 units)

NBA > (821) MIAMI@ (822) PHILADELPHIA | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play ON MIAMI using money line in Road games against Atlantic division opponents
The record is 12 Wins and 3 Losses for the last two seasons (+14.1 units)

NBA > (823) INDIANA@ (824) CHARLOTTE | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play AGAINST INDIANA using money line in All games revenging a home loss vs opponent
The record is 2 Wins and 11 Losses for the this season (-12.55 units)

NBA > (835) MINNESOTA@ (836) MILWAUKEE | 2016-03-04 20:05:00 - 2016-03-04 20:05:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA using money line in All games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 46 Wins and 90 Losses for the last three seasons (-62.9 units)

NBA > (821) MIAMI@ (822) PHILADELPHIA | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play ON MIAMI using money line in Road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 27 Wins and 18 Losses for the last two seasons (+24.55 units)

NBA > (833) UTAH@ (834) MEMPHIS | 2016-03-04 20:05:00 - 2016-03-04 20:05:00
Play ON MEMPHIS using money line in Home games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 15 Wins and 1 Losses for the this season (+13.45 units)

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NBA FIRST HALF

NBA > (825) PHOENIX@ (826) ORLANDO | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PHOENIX ?>in the first halfin Road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 3 Wins and 16 Losses for the this season (-14.6 units)

NBA > (821) MIAMI@ (822) PHILADELPHIA | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PHILADELPHIA ?>in the first halfin All games against Southeast division opponents
The record is 7 Wins and 23 Losses for the last two seasons (-18.3 units)

NBA > (823) INDIANA@ (824) CHARLOTTE | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play AGAINST INDIANA ?>in the first halfin All games in March games
The record is 8 Wins and 26 Losses for the last three seasons (-20.6 units)

NBA > (825) PHOENIX@ (826) ORLANDO | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PHOENIX ?>in the first halfin All games versus the first half line in all games
The record is 20 Wins and 39 Losses for the this season (-22.9 units)

NBA > (829) NEW YORK@ (830) BOSTON | 2016-03-04 19:35:00 - 2016-03-04 19:35:00
Play ON BOSTON ?>in the first halfin Home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 17 Wins and 5 Losses for the this season (+11.5 units)

NBA > (823) INDIANA@ (824) CHARLOTTE | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play AGAINST INDIANA ?>in the first halfin All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season
The record is 24 Wins and 52 Losses for the last three seasons (-33.2 units)

NBA > (831) WASHINGTON@ (832) CLEVELAND | 2016-03-04 20:05:00 - 2016-03-04 20:05:00
Play ON CLEVELAND ?>in the first halfin All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season
The record is 39 Wins and 18 Losses for the last two seasons (+19.2 units)

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CBB TOTALS

NBA > (833) UTAH@ (834) MEMPHIS | 2016-03-04 20:05:00 - 2016-03-04 20:05:00
Play UNDER UTAH on the totalin Road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 14 Overs and 54 Unders for the last three seasons (+38.6 units)

NBA > (839) ATLANTA@ (840) LA LAKERS | 2016-03-04 22:35:00 - 2016-03-04 22:35:00
Play UNDER ATLANTA on the totalin All games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season
The record is 1 Overs and 14 Unders for the this season (+12.9 units)

NBA > (823) INDIANA@ (824) CHARLOTTE | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play UNDER INDIANA on the totalin Road games against Southeast division opponents
The record is 6 Overs and 27 Unders for the last three seasons (+20.4 units)

NBA > (839) ATLANTA@ (840) LA LAKERS | 2016-03-04 22:35:00 - 2016-03-04 22:35:00
Play UNDER ATLANTA on the totalin Road games after scoring 105 points or more
The record is 0 Overs and 10 Unders for the this season (+10 units)

NBA > (823) INDIANA@ (824) CHARLOTTE | 2016-03-04 19:05:00 - 2016-03-04 19:05:00
Play UNDER INDIANA on the totalin Road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season
The record is 1 Overs and 13 Unders for the last two seasons (+11.9 units)

NBA > (837) BROOKLYN@ (838) DENVER | 2016-03-04 21:05:00 - 2016-03-04 21:05:00
Play OVER DENVER on the totalin Home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 16 Overs and 4 Unders for the this season (+11.6 units)

NBA > (837) BROOKLYN@ (838) DENVER | 2016-03-04 21:05:00 - 2016-03-04 21:05:00
Play OVER DENVER on the totalin All games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 28 Overs and 12 Unders for the this season (+14.8 units)

NBA > (829) NEW YORK@ (830) BOSTON | 2016-03-04 19:35:00 - 2016-03-04 19:35:00
Play OVER BOSTON on the totalin Home games after 3 or more consecutive unders
The record is 10 Overs and 0 Unders for the last three seasons (+10 units)

NBA > (835) MINNESOTA@ (836) MILWAUKEE | 2016-03-04 20:05:00 - 2016-03-04 20:05:00
Play OVER MILWAUKEE on the totalin Home games after a division game
The record is 20 Overs and 5 Unders for the last three seasons (+14.5 units)

NBA > (829) NEW YORK@ (830) BOSTON | 2016-03-04 19:35:00 - 2016-03-04 19:35:00
Play UNDER NEW YORK on the totalin All games after scoring 85 points or less
The record is 9 Overs and 25 Unders for the last two seasons (+15.1 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

Six of the better minor league prospects for the Minnesota Twins

1) Byron Buxton, OF-- Promoted to majors after only 55 ABs in AAA.

3) Max Kepler, 1B/OF-- Hit .322 in AA Southern League LY.

4) Nick Gordon, SS-- Half-brother of Marlins' 2B Dee Gordon.

7) Byung Ho Park, 1B-- Will be 30 in July; hit over .300 last three years in Korea.

8) Kohl Stewart, P-- Turned down shot to succeed QB Manziel at Texas A&M

25) Huascar Ynoa, P-- Won't be 18 until May; had 2.70 ERA in rookie ball.

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

13) Warriors 121, Thunder 106-- Oklahoma City has 10 losses when they led in 4th quarter, tied with 76ers for most in NBA this season.

Golden State has 31 games this year with 30+ assists; Thunder has four.

12) Sacramento 104, Dallas 101-- Kings ended an 0-22 skid in Dallas.

11) Longtime Clippers' TV announcer Ralph Lawler got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Thursday; he's worked for Braves/Clippers since 1978, and is probably the best local TV play-by-play guy in the NBA, other than maybe Mike Breen.

10) Golf coach at Arizona State is Tim Mickelson; yes, Lefty's brother. Recruiting probably isn't a real big problem.

9) Arizona 64, California 61-- Wildcats scored last 11 points of game; had the idea after this was over that the better team lost.

8) Manhattan basketball coach Steve Masiello signed a contract extension, which is not going to be worth the paper it is printed on if a big money school comes calling. Chances are when the UNLV job is filled, it is going to create a domino effect with lot of coaching changes all over the country.

7) Louisiana Tech 97, Marshall 94-- This was one of the most fun games I watched all season; two coaches who just let the players have at it. Kid on Tech drained one at the buzzer from halfcourt to win it. Hopefully these teams will meet up again at the Conference USA tournament next week.

6) Georgia 74, South Carolina 72-- Emotional Senior Night may have drained South Carolina some here; Gamecocks' three seniors are all from other countries, and it was a very emotional pre-game ceremony. Frank Martin has built a winning program where there hasn't been one in quite a while- their last NCAA appearance was in 2004.

5) Canisius 102, Niagara 97 3OT-- Rivals played a triple OT thriller in beautiful downtown Albany; I saw Canisius win a 3OT game against UL-Monroe in Las Vegas in December. Griffins have to play Iona tonight; Gaels beat them by 18-8 this year.

4) Oregon State freshman Tres Tinkle got hurt in a walkthrough Wednesdsy; his status for the UCLA game and the Pac-12 tournament is still unknown. he is a skilled scorer and is also the coach's son

3) Pittsburgh Pirates will wear old-fashioned, pillbox hats at Sunday home games this season; lot of teams wore those hats in 1976, for the nation's bicentennial- they were actually called bicentennial caps back then. Pirates were the only team, I think, that wore them after 1976.

2) Marco Rubio had the onions to say on TV last night that people move to Florida, not because of the better weather, but because government in Florida is run better than in the north. Alrighty then. Does this nitwit even listen to himself? Aren't there people who tell him not to say stupid things?

1) Texas Longhorns have an artificial turf baseball field, which is odd, because it doesn't rain that much in Texas, and only two big league teams (Tampa Bay/Toronto) have artificial turf fields and they both play in domed stadiums.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, March 4

Hot teams
-- Miami won six of its last eight games (8-4AF).
-- Hornets won eight of their last ten games (4-2 last 6HF).
-- Raptors won five of last six games (7-2 last 9HF). Portland won nine of its last ten games (5-3 last 8AU).
-- Celtics won five of their last six games (8-3 last 11HF).
-- Washington won seven of its last nine games (7-3 last 10AU). Cavs won seven of their last ten games (3-6HF with Lue).
-- Memphis won four of its last five games (10-4-1 ast 15HF).
-- Nets split last four games, covered five of their last seven.

Cold teams
-- 76ers lost their last ten games (1-6 vs spread in last seven).
-- Indiana lost three of its last four games (3-0 last 3AU).
-- Suns lost 15 of their last 15 games (0-11 last 11AU). Magic lost four of last seven games (8-2 last 10HF).
-- Knicks lost 11 of their last 13 games (5-2 last 7AU).
-- Utah lost five of its last six games (3-9 last 12AU)
-- Bucks lost three of last four games (4-1 last 5HF). Minnesota lost five of its last seven games (4-3 last 7AU).
-- Denver lost five of its last seven games (2-5HF).
-- Hawks lost six of their last nine games (6-9 last 15AF). Lakers lost nine of their last ten games (5-3 last 8HU).

Series records
-- 76ers lost four of last five games with Miami.
-- Pacers are 6-4 in last 10 games with Charlotte, but lost last two.
-- Suns won four of last five games with Phoenix.
-- Trailblazers won four of last five games with Toronto.
-- Knicks lost five of last six games with Boston.
-- Cavaliers won four of last six games with Washington.
-- Jazz won three of their last four games with Memphis.
-- Bucks won their last three games with Minnesota.
-- Nets won their last four games with Denver.
-- Lakers lost four of last six games with Atlanta.

Totals
-- Four of last five Miami road games stayed under.
-- Seven of last nine Indiana games went over the total.
-- Five of last six Phoenix games went over the total.
-- Eight of last eleven Toronto games went over total.
-- Under is 3-0 in last three games for both Boston/New York.
-- Five of last seven Cleveland games stayed under total.
-- Over is 17-5 in last 22 Memphis games.
-- Eight of last ten Minnesota games went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Denver games went over the total.
-- Six of last eight Laker games went over the total.

Back/backs
-- Phoenix is 3-7 vs spread if it played night before.
-- Miami covered its last four games if it played night before.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Friday, March 4

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. ORLANDO
Phoenix is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Orlando
Phoenix is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Orlando is 11-3-1 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Phoenix
Orlando is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Phoenix

7:00 PM
MIAMI vs. PHILADELPHIA
Miami is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Miami is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Philadelphia is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home
Philadelphia is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Miami

7:00 PM
INDIANA vs. CHARLOTTE
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 6 games
Indiana is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Charlotte is 5-17 SU in its last 22 games when playing Indiana
Charlotte is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home

7:30 PM
PORTLAND vs. TORONTO
Portland is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Portland's last 5 games when playing Toronto
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Toronto is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Portland

7:30 PM
NEW YORK vs. BOSTON
New York is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Boston
New York is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Boston is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games when playing at home against New York

8:00 PM
UTAH vs. MEMPHIS
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Utah's last 8 games when playing Memphis
Utah is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Memphis
Memphis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Utah
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Memphis's last 8 games when playing Utah

8:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. MILWAUKEE
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games on the road
Minnesota is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Milwaukee's last 7 games when playing Minnesota
Milwaukee is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Minnesota

8:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. CLEVELAND
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Washington is 6-17 SU in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Cleveland's last 9 games when playing at home against Washington

9:00 PM
BROOKLYN vs. DENVER
Brooklyn is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Denver
Brooklyn is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Denver is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Denver is 14-6-1 ATS in its last 21 games

10:30 PM
ATLANTA vs. LA LAKERS
Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
LA Lakers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing Atlanta
LA Lakers are 8-1 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against Atlanta