The Bum's National Basketball League Apri's Picks/Trends/News Thru the Playoffs !!

[StarDust Bum]

NBA ATS

NBA > (529) DETROIT@ (530) CLEVELAND | 2016-04-20 20:05:00 - 2016-04-20 20:05:00
Play ON DETROIT against the spread in All games after a division game
The record is 24 Wins and 7 Losses for the last two seasons (+16.3 units)

NBA > (537) GOLDEN STATE@ (538) HOUSTON | 2016-04-21 21:35:00 - 2016-04-21 21:35:00
Play ON HOUSTON against the spread in Home games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 12 Wins and 1 Losses for the last two seasons (+10.9 units)

NBA > (533) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (534) DALLAS | 2016-04-21 19:05:00 - 2016-04-21 19:05:00
Play AGAINST OKLAHOMA CITY against the spread in Road games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 2 Wins and 14 Losses for the last three seasons (-13.4 units)

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NBA MONEYLINE

NBA > (533) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (534) DALLAS | 2016-04-21 19:05:00 - 2016-04-21 19:05:00
Play AGAINST OKLAHOMA CITY using money line in Road games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 5 Wins and 12 Losses for the last three seasons (-21.05 units)

NBA > (527) CHARLOTTE@ (528) MIAMI | 2016-04-20 19:05:00 - 2016-04-20 19:05:00
Play ON MIAMI using money line in All games in a home game where where the total is between 200 and 204.5 points
The record is 66 Wins and 11 Losses for the since 1992 (+43.7 units)

NBA > (537) GOLDEN STATE@ (538) HOUSTON | 2016-04-21 21:35:00 - 2016-04-21 21:35:00
Play ON GOLDEN STATE using money line in All games against Southwest division opponents
The record is 13 Wins and 2 Losses for the this season (+11.25 units)

NBA > (533) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (534) DALLAS | 2016-04-21 19:05:00 - 2016-04-21 19:05:00
Play AGAINST DALLAS using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season
The record is 15 Wins and 35 Losses for the last two seasons (-26.9 units)

NBA > (541) ATLANTA@ (542) BOSTON | 2016-04-22 20:05:00 - 2016-04-22 20:05:00
Play AGAINST ATLANTA using money line in Road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season
The record is 14 Wins and 28 Losses for the last three seasons (-26.9 units)

NBA > (537) GOLDEN STATE@ (538) HOUSTON | 2016-04-21 21:35:00 - 2016-04-21 21:35:00
Play ON HOUSTON using money line in Home games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 11 Wins and 1 Losses for the last two seasons (+10.55 units)

NBA > (531) PORTLAND@ (532) LA CLIPPERS | 2016-04-20 22:35:00 - 2016-04-20 22:35:00
Play AGAINST PORTLAND using money line in All games in April games
The record is 93 Wins and 126 Losses for the since 1992 (-91.45 units)

NBA > (543) SAN ANTONIO@ (544) MEMPHIS | 2016-04-22 21:35:00 - 2016-04-22 21:35:00
Play ON SAN ANTONIO using money line in All games in all games
The record is 49 Wins and 15 Losses for the this season (+23.2 units)

NBA > (535) TORONTO@ (536) INDIANA | 2016-04-21 19:35:00 - 2016-04-21 19:35:00
Play ON TORONTO using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 27 Wins and 13 Losses for the this season (+14.15 units)

NBA > (529) DETROIT@ (530) CLEVELAND | 2016-04-20 20:05:00 - 2016-04-20 20:05:00
Play ON CLEVELAND using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season
The record is 36 Wins and 14 Losses for the last two seasons (+19.4 units)

NBA > (539) CLEVELAND@ (540) DETROIT | 2016-04-22 19:05:00 - 2016-04-22 19:05:00
Play ON CLEVELAND using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season
The record is 36 Wins and 14 Losses for the last two seasons (+19.4 units)

NBA > (527) CHARLOTTE@ (528) MIAMI | 2016-04-20 19:05:00 - 2016-04-20 19:05:00
Play ON CHARLOTTE using money line in All games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 22 Wins and 14 Losses for the last three seasons (+19.65 units)

NBA > (529) DETROIT@ (530) CLEVELAND | 2016-04-20 20:05:00 - 2016-04-20 20:05:00
Play AGAINST DETROIT using money line in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season
The record is 61 Wins and 180 Losses for the since 1992 (-94.35 units)

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NBA FIRST HALF

NBA > (543) SAN ANTONIO@ (544) MEMPHIS | 2016-04-22 21:35:00 - 2016-04-22 21:35:00
Play ON SAN ANTONIO ?>in the first halfin All games versus the 1rst half line in road games
The record is 28 Wins and 12 Losses for the this season (+14.8 units)

NBA > (539) CLEVELAND@ (540) DETROIT | 2016-04-22 19:05:00 - 2016-04-22 19:05:00
Play ON CLEVELAND ?>in the first halfin Road games in all playoff games
The record is 10 Wins and 0 Losses for the last three seasons (+10 units)

NBA > (527) CHARLOTTE@ (528) MIAMI | 2016-04-20 19:05:00 - 2016-04-20 19:05:00
Play AGAINST MIAMI ?>in the first halfin Home games after a win by 10 points or more
The record is 9 Wins and 27 Losses for the last three seasons (-20.7 units)

NBA > (537) GOLDEN STATE@ (538) HOUSTON | 2016-04-21 21:35:00 - 2016-04-21 21:35:00
Play AGAINST HOUSTON ?>in the first halfin All games versus the first half line in all games
The record is 31 Wins and 52 Losses for the this season (-26.2 units)

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NBA TOTALS

NBA > (543) SAN ANTONIO@ (544) MEMPHIS | 2016-04-22 21:35:00 - 2016-04-22 21:35:00
Play UNDER SAN ANTONIO on the totalin Road games after allowing 85 points or less
The record is 1 Overs and 16 Unders for the last two seasons (+14.9 units)

NBA > (541) ATLANTA@ (542) BOSTON | 2016-04-22 20:05:00 - 2016-04-22 20:05:00
Play UNDER ATLANTA on the totalin All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game
The record is 15 Overs and 44 Unders for the this season (+27.5 units)

NBA > (543) SAN ANTONIO@ (544) MEMPHIS | 2016-04-22 21:35:00 - 2016-04-22 21:35:00
Play UNDER SAN ANTONIO on the totalin Road games after 3 or more consecutive wins
The record is 12 Overs and 45 Unders for the last three seasons (+31.8 units)

NBA > (541) ATLANTA@ (542) BOSTON | 2016-04-22 20:05:00 - 2016-04-22 20:05:00
Play UNDER ATLANTA on the totalin All games versus the first half line in all games
The record is 25 Overs and 58 Unders for the this season (+30.5 units)

NBA > (531) PORTLAND@ (532) LA CLIPPERS | 2016-04-20 22:35:00 - 2016-04-20 22:35:00
Play UNDER LA CLIPPERS on the totalin Home games second half of the season
The record is 2 Overs and 15 Unders for the this season (+12.8 units)

NBA > (531) PORTLAND@ (532) LA CLIPPERS | 2016-04-20 22:35:00 - 2016-04-20 22:35:00
Play UNDER LA CLIPPERS on the totalin Home games after scoring 105 points or more
The record is 4 Overs and 18 Unders for the this season (+13.6 units)

NBA > (535) TORONTO@ (536) INDIANA | 2016-04-21 19:35:00 - 2016-04-21 19:35:00
Play UNDER INDIANA on the totalin Home games after a loss by 10 points or more
The record is 4 Overs and 20 Unders for the last three seasons (+15.6 units)

NBA > (535) TORONTO@ (536) INDIANA | 2016-04-21 19:35:00 - 2016-04-21 19:35:00
Play UNDER INDIANA on the totalin All games after a loss by 10 points or more
The record is 15 Overs and 39 Unders for the last three seasons (+22.5 units)

NBA > (531) PORTLAND@ (532) LA CLIPPERS | 2016-04-20 22:35:00 - 2016-04-20 22:35:00
Play UNDER LA CLIPPERS on the totalin All games after scoring 105 points or more
The record is 12 Overs and 28 Unders for the this season (+14.8 units)

NBA > (533) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (534) DALLAS | 2016-04-21 19:05:00 - 2016-04-21 19:05:00
Play UNDER DALLAS on the totalin All games off an upset win as an underdog
The record is 2 Overs and 12 Unders for the this season (+9.8 units)

NBA > (533) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (534) DALLAS | 2016-04-21 19:05:00 - 2016-04-21 19:05:00
Play OVER OKLAHOMA CITY on the totalin Road games revenging a loss vs opponent
The record is 20 Overs and 6 Unders for the last two seasons (+13.4 units)

NBA > (533) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (534) DALLAS | 2016-04-21 19:05:00 - 2016-04-21 19:05:00
Play UNDER DALLAS on the totalin All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game
The record is 22 Overs and 40 Unders for the this season (+15.8 units)

[StarDust Bum]

4/19 - 2 - 2
Overall : 14 - 17

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CHA at MIA 07:00 PM

MIA -5.0

O 198.0


DET at CLE 08:00 PM

DET +10.5

U 202.0


POR at LAC 10:30 PM

LAC -7.5

U 209.5

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday's Tip Sheet
April 21, 2016

Western Conference – Game 3 – Series tied 1-1
Thunder (-8 ½, 196 ½) at Mavericks – 7:05 PM EST – TNT

Everything has gone pretty much to form so far in the NBA playoffs, except for Dallas shocking Oklahoma City as 14-point road underdogs in Monday’s Game 2 of their first round series. Following a 38-point blowout in the series opener, the beat-up Mavericks hung with the Thunder for the first three quarters of Game 2 before hanging on in the final seconds for an 85-84 upset to cash at 10/1 on the moneyline (Bet $100 to win $1000).

The grind-it-out style the Mavericks employed for the final eight games of the regular season that helped them clinch a playoff berth didn’t work too well in a 108-70 setback in the series opener. However, point guard Deron Williams gutted out a sports hernia injury to score 11 first quarter points in Game 2, while Raymond Felton put up a team-high 21 points and dished out 11 assists in Monday’s victory to even up the series.

The concern on the Oklahoma City side is the shooting struggles of Kevin Durant, who missed 26 of 33 attempted shots in Game 2, including several misses in the final minute to give the Thunder the lead. Russell Westbrook didn’t shoot well either (8-of-22), but still scored 19 points and had 14 assists, but the duo knocked down just 3-of-17 shots from three-point range. In spite of OKC converting 33% of its shots, the Thunder limited the Mavericks to 42% shooting, while Mavs’ guard Wesley Matthews missed all seven of his three-point attempts.

VegasInsider.com editorial director and NBA expert Chris David explains that backing OKC can be a concern, “I expected Oklahoma City to sweep this series and was wrong on that prediction but I don’t see the Thunder losing another game to the Mavericks. However, it’s hard for me to back the Thunder versus the number in Game 3 just based on their regular season numbers. While the club was 22-9 as a road favorite, they burned bettors with a 12-18-1 record against the spread. Total bettors should note that the ‘over’ has gone 20-11 in those games and OKC has only been held under 100 points twice in that span.”

The Thunder have still controlled this series in 2015-16, as Billy Donovan’s team has won five of six meetings with the Mavericks. OKC won both matchups at the American Airlines Center, as each game sailed ‘over’ the total. Dallas profited as a home underdog this season by compiling a 7-5 ATS mark in this role, including a cover against Oklahoma City in a 109-106 loss as six-point ‘dogs on January 22.

Can the Thunder rebound from the poor shooting performance in Game 2? David believes OKC will put up points tonight, “Game 3’s total opened 197 and has dropped to 196. The first two games in this series have easily gone ‘under’ the number and those totals ranged from 203 to 206. While Dallas has had trouble scoring, Oklahoma City has proven that it can get any shot it wants so far and more importantly, it’s been great off bad performances. The Thunder offense was held in the eighties three times in the regular season and they responded 114, 128 and 119 points. With that being said, I’m buying the Oklahoma City team total ‘over’ (102 ½) on Thursday.”

Eastern Conference – Game 3 – Series tied 1-1
Raptors (-1 ½, 193) at Pacers – 7:35 PM EST – NBATV

Toronto rebounded from a disappointing second half in its 10-point loss in Game 1 to even up its series with Indiana following a 98-87 victory in Game 2. The Raptors picked up the cover as eight-point home favorites, while its defense stepped up by limiting the Pacers to 21 points or less in three of four quarters. The big question heading into Game 3 with the venue shifting to Bankers Life Fieldhouse is whether or not the dynamic Raptors’ backcourt can get its scoring on track.

Coming off last season’s first round sweep at the hands of the Wizards, the Raptors were none too thrilled to drop the opener to the Pacers and continue their playoff struggles. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined to shoot 8-of-32 and score 25 points in the Game 1 defeat, while not performing much better in Game 2 by scoring 28 points on 9-of-27 shooting. Lowry helped his cause by getting to the foul line and making all 10 free throw attempts in Game 2, while DeRozan failed to attempt a single free throw. The advantage in the middle in this series clearly belongs to Toronto, as center Jonas Valancuinas has pulled down 34 rebounds through two games.

Paul George continues to carry this Indiana offense by averaging 30.5 points per game through the first two contests of this series. George put up 28 points in the Game 2 loss on Monday, but only one other Pacer reached double-figures as Monta Ellis scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Pacers’ center Ian Mahinmi failed to score a point on six shot attempts, while being listed as questionable with a back injury for Game 3.

The line has shortened up with the series headed to Indianapolis as David breaks down Game 3, “Even though this line is short, it’s rare to see the Pacers as home underdogs but the oddsmakers have been spot on with their ratings on the club. Indiana was listed as a home ‘dog six times this season and it went 2-4 in those games while managing to cover three of them. Toronto has gone a respectable 15-7 as a road favorite this season and that makes me believe they’ll get at least a spilt in these next two games played at Indiana.”

The Raptors have won in three of their last four visits to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, including a 101-94 overtime triumph on March 17. Four of the six games between Toronto and Indiana have finished ‘under’ the total, including each game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Western Conference – Game 3 - Warriors lead 2-0
Warriors (-5 ½, 215) at Rockets – 9:35 PM EST – TNT

There isn’t much doubt that Golden State will knock out Houston, but there is plenty of doubt regarding the status of Stephen Curry’s sprained right ankle heading into Game 3. Curry’s status is currently listed as doubtful after last season’s MVP missed Golden State’s 115-106 victory over Houston in Game 2 to take a 2-0 series advantage.

The Warriors won their fifth straight home playoff game over the Rockets since last season’s Western Conference Finals as the defending champions shot 49% from the floor. Klay Thompson paced the Warriors with 34 points, including knocking down 15-of-16 free throws, while Shaun Livingston filled in for Curry with 16 points. Last season’s NBA Finals hero Andre Iguodala scored 18 points off the bench for Golden State, while hitting four three-pointers.

James Harden put together a better Game 2 performance with 28 points and 11 assists after scoring just 17 points in the series opener. Five Rockets scored in double-figures in Game 2, but center Dwight Howard is averaging 13 points per game in this series after attempting seven shots in Monday’s loss. Harden struggled from three-point range by hitting 1-of-8 attempts, but Josh Smith and Jason Terry combined to drill six treys off the bench.

The Rockets have lost six straight meetings with the Warriors since knocking off Golden State in Game 4 of the conference finals last May, 128-115 as 4 ½-point home underdogs. Houston put together an impressive 5-3 SU/ATS mark in the role of a home ‘dog this season, which includes wins over the Thunder (twice), Clippers, and Spurs. The Rockets haven’t been impressive at the Toyota Center since the All-Star break by posting a 7-5 SU and 5-7 ATS record in the last 12 home contests.

During last season’s championship run, Steve Kerr’s club compiled a 6-3 SU and 5-4 ATS record as a road favorite in the playoffs. The Warriors split their four Game 3’s last season on the highway, but routed the Rockets in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals as 1 ½-point underdogs, 115-80.

[StarDust Bum]

Game 3 questions: Will Curry play? Will Durant play better?
April 21, 2016

The Oklahoma City Thunder are certain Kevin Durant will play better.

The Golden State Warriors may not know until Thursday night whether Stephen Curry will play at all.

It's the NBA version of the Texas two-step.

With two Western Conference playoff series moving to The Lone Star State for Game 3s, the biggest questions surround the former MVPs.

Durant didn't look like one of the league's best shooters in Game 2 on Monday, when he was 7 for 33 in the Thunder's 85-84 loss to Dallas. It was the most missed shots in Durant's career, and the Mavericks capitalized to even the series with the third-seeded Thunder.

Russell Westbrook said his teammate missed some easy shots, but ''that won't happen again.''

In the lone Eastern Conference game Thursday, Toronto travels to Indiana with the series tied 1-1.

The Warriors lead Houston 2-0, having little trouble with the Rockets on Monday even while Curry rested his injured right ankle.

Golden State lists the NBA's leading scorer as questionable. He said Wednesday he wouldn't have been able to play if the game was that night.

''It's different in the training room walking around versus on the court doing actual basketball moves. But it is getting better,'' Curry said.

A look at the three games Thursday:

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Raptors at Pacers, series tied 1-1. 7:30 p.m., NBA TV.

Indiana has contained All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan but not center Jonas Valanciunas, who is averaging 17.5 points and 17 rebounds and has sparked Toronto's 32-15 advantage on the offensive glass.

There will be fewer rebounds to get if DeRozan and Kyle Lowry start hitting.

Lowry is 7 for 26, though he played better in Game 2 after the Pacers won the opener. DeRozan is 10 for 37, joining his backcourt mate at 27 percent, and has missed all five 3-point attempts.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey doesn't want DeRozan to force shots, and his teammates are confident they'll come through when the Pacers force DeRozan to give up the ball.

''I still think they're going to try and take me and DeMar out. I think that's still going to be their primary play,'' Lowry said. ''They probably want those guys to do what they've been doing and those guys are hurting them. They're playing extremely well.''


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Thunder at Mavericks, series tied 1-1. 7 p.m., TNT.

Dallas seemed to get some good injury news Wednesday. Dirk Nowitzki and JJ Barea both said they felt better after some rest, and Nowitzki said he expects to play Thursday after bruising his right knee early in Game 2. Barea is hopeful he can return after sitting out with a strained right groin.

Deron Williams, David Lee and Devin Harris all are still with one ailment or another, making for some long odds against an Oklahoma City team that won all four games in the regular season before a 108-70 rout in Game 1.

''Banged up as we are, we're here to fight,'' Nowitzki said. ''We're here to make this a series, but they're going to come in ready to play obviously.''

And play better, in Durant's case.

''I've just got to make them next time. I've got to prepare, put the work in. It's going to happen, nights like that. That's part of the business,'' Durant said. ''I've just got to keep staying confident. My teammates and my coaches stay confident in me.''

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Warriors at Rockets, Golden State leads 2-0. 9:30 p.m., TNT.

Even if Curry remains out or limited, the Warriors have shown they're deep enough to win without him. Shaun Livingston got the start at point guard and scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting during Golden State's 115-106 victory Monday.

''It doesn't matter if he plays or if he doesn't play. As you can tell, they're still going to run their offense, they're still going to pass, still going to do all that stuff,'' Houston's Dwight Howard said. ''So we just have to make sure that we come out and do what we need to do.''

For Rockets coach JB Bickerstaff, that means playing nastier basketball to match the aggression he said the Warriors are showing.

''This isn't Tuesday night in February in Milwaukee,'' he said.

The key is doing that without leading to fouls. Howard, who fouled out of Game 2, believes the Warriors get away with things that he doesn't.

''They won the championship, so in order to beat them you've got to play better than them. Because you're not going to get any calls,'' Howard said. ''It's just like a boxing match. If you want to beat the champ you've got to knock them out. If you expect to win a decision it's going to be hard. So you've got to go knock them out.''

[StarDust Bum]

Pacers remain hopeful about Mahinmi's availability in Game 3
April 20, 2016

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana Pacers starting center Ian Mahinmi is ready to fight back.

Two days after a sore back forced the 6-foot-11, 262-pound French native out of Monday night's loss at Toronto, Mahinmi told reporters he intends to play Thursday night in Game 3.

''It's that time of year. You always hope to be 100 percent, but it rarely happens,'' Mahinmi said after Wednesday's practice. ''It's one of those things where you just try to play through it.''

Back trouble has been a recurring theme for Mahinmi, who missed six of his 11 games during the regular season with the same injury.

But regardless of his health, Mahinmi has struggled in this first-round series.

Foul trouble limited him to a combined total of 39 minutes in the first two games. He has six points and eight rebounds in the series. Without Mahinmi's strong defense, the Pacers have been unable to slow down Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas, who has back-to-back double-doubles and is averaging 17.0 rebounds.

The series is tied 1-1 as it shifts to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4, and the Pacers remain hopeful that Mahinmi will be part of the solution to Toronto's strong inside game.

''We're hopeful Ian plays. If he doesn't we'll adjust,'' coach Frank Vogel said. ''You just try to put it (the injury) out of your mind.''

Vogel would not say who would move into the starting lineup if Mahinmi can't go.

All-Star Paul George joked Wednesday that he was practicing at the No. 5 spot, and Myles Turner, the 7-foot rookie who had 10 points, five rebounds and five blocks in a Game 1 victory, said he will be ready to play extended minutes if needed.

But the Pacers understand their defensive problems are not exclusively the result of Mahinmi's injury or foul trouble, and that it will take a group effort to take control of this series on their home court.

''We've got to do a better job of helping our guys down there (in the post),'' George said.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

-- Cavaliers 107, Pistons 90-- Cleveland was 20-38 behind the arc.

-- Heat 115, Hornets 103-- Favorites are 12-4 vs spread so far in playoffs.

-- Clippers 102, Trailblazers 81-- LA held Lillard to 6-22 from floor.

-- Florid 3, NY Islanders 2-- Series heads south tied 2-2

-- Flyers 2, Washington 1-- Philly staves off elimination, at least for one night.

-- Sharks 3, Kings 2-- All four NHL games last night were decided by one goal.

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Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud.......

13) Cleveland traded the #2 pick in the NFL Draft to the Eagles, for two #1's, a second, third and fourth round draft picks. Browns cit seven starters during this offseason, so they need to re-stock their team. It also means they're going with Robert Griffin at quarterback, which should be interesting.

12) Not sure what the Eagles' new regime is doing; they're obviously going to take whichever QB the Rams do not take, so they must like both players to be OK with trading so many choices, when they don't know which QB it will be. Wonder what Sam Bradford thinks about all of this?

11) Last time the top two choices in the same draft got traded was 1997-- the #3 pick that year got traded too.

10) Carolina Panthers took the franchise tag off CB Josh Norman, making him a free agent; 49ers are rumored to be the team that can afford him that wants him the most.

9) Alabama's spring football game got better TV ratings Saturday than the NHL playoff games played that day.

8) Steve Spurrier would make a terrrific college football analyst, right? I'm hoping one of the networks signs him up so we can learn from him this fall.

7) Random prediction: Jose Reyes winds up as the shortstop for the Bronx Bombers. Reyes' contract and Trevor Story make Reyes expendable in Denver.

6) RIP Dwayne (Pearl) Washington, one of the Big East's first great players, who passed away too early this week at age 52. Washington was a playground in Brooklyn who became a terrific college player.

5) DeAndre Jordan committed a foul on the opening tap last night, before any time came off the clock; don't think I've ever seen that before.

4) Minnesota Timberwolves signed Tom Thibodeau to run their franchose, a smart move; I'm still disappointed he never showed up on TV this season-- would've been fun listening to him talk hoops. I'm wondering if any college programs approached him about coaching their team-- he is a basketball genius.

3) Over/under total for all three NBA games combined last night was 613.5; total wound up being 598, an easy win for the under.

2) Quote of the Day, part II: "Last time I hit was eight years ago."

That was A's pitcher Kendall Graveman, after the Oakland A's lost their DH for the fourth time in 15 games this season, this time because 3B Danny Valencia got hurt and DH Jed Lowrie had to take his place in the field.

1) Rough day for Andrew Jackson, who got taken off the front of $20 bills by the US Treasury, replaced by Harriet Tubman. Jackson moves to the back of $20 bills. It is amazing to me that there are people collecting a paycheck for deciding stuff like this.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Thursday, April 21

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Thursday's NBA playoffs betting preview and odds
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Steph Curry had 24 points, in just 19:49 of playing time, in Game 1 before missing Game 2 with an injured ankle and foot.

Reining league MVP Stephen Curry is officially listed as Questionable for Thursday night's Game 3 contest in Houston. Although he has said that his injured ankle and foot are feeling better, the Warriors may hold him out just to be sure.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks (+8.5, 196.5)

Series tied 1-1

Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki plans to play through a bruised right knee and the Mavericks look to take a 2-1 series lead when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. Nowtizki injured the knee during Monday's 85-84 victory, a stunning road win that kept sixth-seeded Dallas alive in the series.

Nowitzki, who said he was injured on the first play of game, underwent an MRI exam that revealed the bone bruise and he was relieved that it wasn't anything more significant. "I had it worked on a little bit and after the game I was really stiff," Nowitzki told reporters on Wednesday. Coming off the plane, I could barely walk anymore. There was some swelling (Tuesday), but it's feeling a lot better, moving around a little bit." The third-seeded Thunder are dealing with a bruised psyche after losing Game 2 following a 38-point beat down of the Mavericks in the series opener. All-Star forward Kevin Durant was a horrid 7-of-33 shooting in Monday's loss, prompting coach Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan to describe it this way: "For a guy that's been as great a scorer as he has his entire career, for him to shoot the ball the way he did was really uncharacteristic."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, TNT, FSN Oklahoma, KTXA (Dallas)

LINE HISTORY: The Thunder opened the betting for this matchup as 8.5-point favorites. The line initially dropped to Dallas +8, then rose as high as +9.5, before settling back down to the opening number of +8.5. The total opened at 197 and dropped slightly to 196.5. View complete line history here.

ABOUT THE THUNDER (56-28, 38-45-1 ATS, 39-45 O/U): Durant, who scored 21 points, had never previously missed 26 shots before in a game and he didn't have any answers for why he shot so poorly. "Bad shooting night for me," Durant said. "It's a part of it. I wish it didn't happen tonight, but it's a part of it. Got some great looks all night and just didn't knock them down. Just stick with my routine - don't do too much extra." Point guard Russell Westbrook also shot a poor percentage (8-of-22) while contributing 19 points and 14 rebounds but only six assists.

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (43-41, 46-37-1 ATS, 39-44-1 O/U): Nowitzki's injury is just the latest in a long line of ailments for Dallas, which won't know until close to game time whether or not point guards J.J. Barea (groin) and Deron Williams (sports hernia) or forward David Lee (foot) will be available. Barea ran after Wednesday's practice - a good sign - while Williams is trying to fight through an injury that will require offseason surgery. "We know from a manpower standpoint we're at a pretty big disadvantage," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. "And we know we're not going to outrun or outdunk or outskill these guys."

TRENDS:

* Thunder are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Mavericks are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Under is 6-1 in Thunder last 7 vs. NBA Southwest.
* Under is 9-2 in Mavericks last 11 overall.
* Over is 24-9-1 in the last 34 meetings in Dallas.



Toronto Raptors at Indiana Pacers (+1.5, 193)

Series tied 1-1

Jonas Valanciunas has been Toronto's most reliable performer through the first two games of the series and the Raptors hope the 7-foot center has another strong effort in him when they visit the Indiana Pacers in Thursday's Game 3. Valanciunas averaged team-leading figures of 17.5 points and 17 rebounds as second-seeded Toronto split the first two games with seventh-seeded Indiana.

Valanciunas had 23 points and 15 rebounds in Monday's 98-87 victory as the Raptors evened the series in a contest in which All-Star guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan continued to struggle. "We've all got to step up," Valanciunas told reporters. "It's not an individual sport. Some nights are tough for Kyle, some nights it's tough for DeMar, tough for me. Everybody has tough times, so everybody has got to pull for each other." All-Star forward Paul George is averaging 30.5 points in the series but he was annoyed the Pacers returned to Indianapolis with a split instead of a 2-0 lead. "You usually feel good walking away from a road trip with the series tied at one, but I'm upset because a lot of stuff that we gave up was preventable," George told reporters. "(Game 2) was set up the same way for us as Game 1 to rally back and win this game. I thought our focus was lost and we gave up some plays that we shouldn’t have."

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

LINE HISTORY: This game opened as a PICK and the public pushed the Raptors all of the way up to -1.5. The total opened at 193 and was bumped up to 193.5. View complete line history here.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (57-27, 46-38 ATS, 42-41-1 O/U): Lowry is averaging 14 points on 7-of-26 shooting and DeRozan is averaging 12 points on 10-of-37 shooting as neither player has come close to his All-Star form in the series. Most concerning was DeRozan's Game 2 showing as he didn't attempt a single free throw - he averaged 8.4 per game in the regular season - and coach Dwane Casey kept him on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. "I feel like it's nothing to get frustrated about, I really do," DeRozan told reporters at Tuesday's practice. "I don't mind having bad shooting nights. You have to be able to take the good with the bad. I had a great season, the season is over with and I've had two rough shooting nights. I don't think it's the end of the world; we still won (Game 2)."

ABOUT THE PACERS (46-38, 42-41-1 ATS, 37-47 O/U): George has been terrific but could certainly use some help from his teammates as shooting guard Monta Ellis (15 per game) is the only other Indiana player averaging in double digits in the series. "We all have to do a better job of helping Paul out," Pacers guard Rodney Stuckey told reporters. "We're at our best offensively when we're moving the ball around and moving (our feet)." Other than George, Indiana's frontcourt production has been practically non-existent with starting center Ian Mahinmi (0-of-8 shooting) and starting power forward Lavoy Allen each averaging three points per game and reserve forwards Myles Turner (nine per game) and Solomon Hill (7.5) also with room to improve.

TRENDS:

* Raptors are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Pacers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up loss.
* Under is 6-0 in Raptors last 6 games following a ATS win.
* Under is 4-0 in Pacers last 4 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Raptors are 8-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings in Indiana.



Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets (+6, 217.5)

Warriors lead series 2-0

The Golden State Warriors got some good news in regards to Stephen Curry’s health, but the team might not even need the superstar to get through the first round. The eighth-seeded Houston Rockets are down 0-2 and will try to get back into the series when they host Game 3 on Thursday.

Curry scored 24 points in the first half of Game 1 before leaving with an ankle injury and sat out Game 2. The Warriors breezed to a 115-106 win behind 34 points from Klay Thompson on Monday and on Tuesday announced that an MRI exam on Curry’s ankle showed nothing of concern. "We'll see how he responds the next couple of days, and if he's not right, obviously being up 2-0 does give us more cushion if we decide to sit him," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters after Monday’s win. "But it will be based on his health - not the series score." Whether or not Curry plays, Houston is going to need to find a way to hang onto the ball after totaling 43 turnovers in the first two games.

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), ROOT (Houston)

LINE HISTORY: The Warriors opened as 5.5-point favorites on the road for Game 3 of this series. The public pounded Golden State and the books were forced to move the Dubs' line up to -6. The total opened at 217 and was bumped up to 218. View complete line history here.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (75-9, 47-35-2 ATS, 46-37-1 O/U): Curry is listed as questionable for Game 3 and Golden State knows how to play without its star if necessary. “All the guys knew they had to be aggressive with Steph out,” Kerr told reporters after the Game 2 victory. “The best number on the stat sheet is 16 free throws for Klay. I thought he was fantastic. He came up big.” Shaun Livingston started in Curry’s place and scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting while Andre Iguodala stepped up off the bench with 18 points and Draymond Green flirted with a triple-double with 12 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists.

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (41-43, 37-47 ATS, 48-36 O/U): James Harden scored 28 points in Game 2 and went 13-of-15 from the free-throw line after not attempting one in Game 1, but Houston appeared disjointed on both ends in both games. Center Dwight Howard has taken some criticism and needed his coach to come to his defense after Game 2. “No, I don’t think he was disinterested,” interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters. “I thought he was good on the glass. I thought he was running. Give (Warriors center Andrew) Bogut some credit, he does a good job with his size. He’s physical, uses his length, he pushes, he grabs, he holds, so I wouldn’t say he was disinterested. I thought he gave his effort.”

TRENDS:

* Warriors are 9-0 ATS in their last 9 Thursday games.
* Rockets are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Under is 5-0 in Warriors last 5 road games.
* Over is 4-1 in Rockets last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Warriors are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Houston.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, April 21

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OKLAHOMA CITY (56 - 28) at DALLAS (43 - 41) - 4/21/2016, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 36-45 ATS (-13.5 Units) in all games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 15-24 ATS (-11.4 Units) in road games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 24-37 ATS (-16.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 23-32 ATS (-12.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
DALLAS is 347-279 ATS (+40.1 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
DALLAS is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) against Northwest division opponents this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 153-113 ATS (+28.7 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent since 1996.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 73-48 ATS (+20.2 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite since 1996.
DALLAS is 11-22 ATS (-13.2 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 38-51 ATS (-18.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 19-34 ATS (-18.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 7-6 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 7-6 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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TORONTO (57 - 27) at INDIANA (46 - 38) - 4/21/2016, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders this season.
TORONTO is 22-35 ATS (-16.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) when playing with 2 days rest this season.
INDIANA is 25-15 ATS (+8.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
TORONTO is 72-47 ATS (+20.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is between 190 and 194.5 points since 1996.
TORONTO is 25-16 ATS (+7.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 11-2 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 9-4 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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GOLDEN STATE (75 - 9) at HOUSTON (41 - 43) - 4/21/2016, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 10-22 ATS (-14.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 18-6 ATS (+11.4 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 44-28 ATS (+13.2 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 38-24 ATS (+11.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 46-35 ATS (+7.5 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 60-46 ATS (+9.4 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 210 over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 43-34 ATS (+5.6 Units) as a favorite this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 118-87 ATS (+22.3 Units) in April games since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 25-11 ATS (+12.9 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) against Southwest division opponents this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 19-6 ATS (+12.4 Units) in the first round of the playoffs since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 60-45 ATS (+10.5 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 35-23 ATS (+9.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 61-42 ATS (+14.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 37-47 ATS (-14.7 Units) in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 98-131 ATS (-46.1 Units) in home games against Pacific division opponents since 1996.
HOUSTON is 19-28 ATS (-11.8 Units) after allowing 105 points or more this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 11-6 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 14-3 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
10 of 17 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, April 21

Indiana-Toronto (1-1)
Sometimes life is simple: Pacers made 4-20 on arc in Game 2 loss, after draining 11-21 in Game 1 upset- rest of stats were similar in first two games. Raptors won seven of last nine games with Indiana, winning three of last four here; Toronto covered 10 of last 12 series games- six of last nine went over total. Pacers won seven of last ten overall, Raptors won eight of last 11 overall, covering six of last nine.

Dallas-Oklahoma City (1-1)
Durant went 7-33 in 85-84 home loss in Game 2; Westbrook was 8-22. Thunder won five of last six games with Dallas, but Mavericks are 7-5 vs spread in last 12 series games. Thunder won by 13-3 in last two visits here. Seven of last ten series games went over. Dallas won eight of last 11 games, covered five of last seven as a dog- Nine of last 11 Dallas games stayed under total. Thunder lost five of its last six road games SU, with one win at Denver.

Houston-Golden State (G 2-0)
Curry's ankle ould keep him out again here, as Warriors won by 9 without him in Game 2, going 27-38 on line. Golden State won 11 of last 12 games (8-4 vs the spread) against Houston, covering three of last four played here. Houston turned ball over 43 times in first two games, looked disinterested on defense- they did hit 10-25 on arc in Game 2, compared to 6-22 in Game 1 but Golden State got to line 14 more times than Game 1, and without Curry. .

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 12-4, Over: 4-12




NBA

Thursday, April 21

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. DALLAS
Oklahoma City is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Oklahoma City is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City
Dallas is 6-14-1 ATS in its last 21 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City

7:30 PM
TORONTO vs. INDIANA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing Indiana
Toronto is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 6 games when playing at home against Toronto
Indiana is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Toronto

9:30 PM
GOLDEN STATE vs. HOUSTON
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Houston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Houston's last 15 games when playing at home against Golden State

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Thursday, April 21


Oklahoma City @ Dallas

Game 533-534
April 21, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oklahoma City
127.756
Dallas
116.831
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Oklahoma City
by 11
191
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Oklahoma City
by 8 1/2
196 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Oklahoma City
(-8 1/2); Under

Toronto @ Indiana

Game 535-536
April 21, 2016 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
124.046
Indiana
119.847
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 4
188
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 1
193
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(-1); Under

Golden State @ Houston

Game 537-538
April 21, 2016 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Golden State
128.326
Houston
125.915
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 2 1/2
223
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 5 1/2
215
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(+5 1/2); Over

[StarDust Bum]

NBA ATS

NBA > (537) GOLDEN STATE@ (538) HOUSTON | 2016-04-21 21:35:00 - 2016-04-21 21:35:00
Play ON HOUSTON against the spread in Home games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 12 Wins and 1 Losses for the last two seasons (+10.9 units)

NBA > (533) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (534) DALLAS | 2016-04-21 19:05:00 - 2016-04-21 19:05:00
Play AGAINST OKLAHOMA CITY against the spread in Road games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 2 Wins and 14 Losses for the last three seasons (-13.4 units)

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NBA MONEYLINE

NBA > (533) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (534) DALLAS | 2016-04-21 19:05:00 - 2016-04-21 19:05:00
Play AGAINST OKLAHOMA CITY using money line in Road games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 5 Wins and 12 Losses for the last three seasons (-21.05 units)

NBA > (537) GOLDEN STATE@ (538) HOUSTON | 2016-04-21 21:35:00 - 2016-04-21 21:35:00
Play ON GOLDEN STATE using money line in All games against Southwest division opponents
The record is 13 Wins and 2 Losses for the this season (+11.25 units)

NBA > (533) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (534) DALLAS | 2016-04-21 19:05:00 - 2016-04-21 19:05:00
Play AGAINST DALLAS using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season
The record is 15 Wins and 35 Losses for the last two seasons (-26.9 units)

NBA > (549) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (550) DALLAS | 2016-04-23 20:05:00 - 2016-04-23 20:05:00
Play AGAINST DALLAS using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season
The record is 15 Wins and 35 Losses for the last two seasons (-26.9 units)

NBA > (537) GOLDEN STATE@ (538) HOUSTON | 2016-04-21 21:35:00 - 2016-04-21 21:35:00
Play ON HOUSTON using money line in Home games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 11 Wins and 1 Losses for the last two seasons (+10.55 units)

NBA > (549) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (550) DALLAS | 2016-04-23 20:05:00 - 2016-04-23 20:05:00
Play AGAINST OKLAHOMA CITY using money line in Road games second half of the season
The record is 21 Wins and 28 Losses for the last three seasons (-32.2 units)

NBA > (535) TORONTO@ (536) INDIANA | 2016-04-21 19:35:00 - 2016-04-21 19:35:00
Play ON TORONTO using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 27 Wins and 13 Losses for the this season (+14.15 units)

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NBA FIRST HALF

NBA > (537) GOLDEN STATE@ (538) HOUSTON | 2016-04-21 21:35:00 - 2016-04-21 21:35:00
Play AGAINST HOUSTON ?>in the first halfin All games versus the first half line in all games
The record is 31 Wins and 52 Losses for the this season (-26.2 units)

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NBA TOTALS

NBA > (535) TORONTO@ (536) INDIANA | 2016-04-21 19:35:00 - 2016-04-21 19:35:00
Play UNDER INDIANA on the totalin Home games after a loss by 10 points or more
The record is 4 Overs and 20 Unders for the last three seasons (+15.6 units)

NBA > (535) TORONTO@ (536) INDIANA | 2016-04-21 19:35:00 - 2016-04-21 19:35:00
Play UNDER INDIANA on the totalin All games after a loss by 10 points or more
The record is 15 Overs and 39 Unders for the last three seasons (+22.5 units)

NBA > (533) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (534) DALLAS | 2016-04-21 19:05:00 - 2016-04-21 19:05:00
Play UNDER DALLAS on the totalin All games off an upset win as an underdog
The record is 2 Overs and 12 Unders for the this season (+9.8 units)

NBA > (533) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (534) DALLAS | 2016-04-21 19:05:00 - 2016-04-21 19:05:00
Play OVER OKLAHOMA CITY on the totalin Road games revenging a loss vs opponent
The record is 20 Overs and 6 Unders for the last two seasons (+13.4 units)

NBA > (533) OKLAHOMA CITY@ (534) DALLAS | 2016-04-21 19:05:00 - 2016-04-21 19:05:00
Play UNDER DALLAS on the totalin All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game
The record is 22 Overs and 40 Unders for the this season (+15.8 units)

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

TOP POWER LINES
Users of our matchup reports are familiar with our Power Line ratings, calculated using both teams' ratings and home field advantage. The Top Power Lines tool offers a way to view and compare current Power Lines in one simple report, as well as the Power Line Edge, where the Power Line differs significantly from the current line.


NBA > (533) OKLAHOMA CITY @ (534) DALLAS | 2016-04-21 19:05:00 - 2016-04-21 19:05:00
Line: DALLAS8.5 BTB PowerLine: DALLAS7
Edge On: DALLAS (1.5)

NBA > (535) TORONTO @ (536) INDIANA | 2016-04-21 19:35:00 - 2016-04-21 19:35:00
Line: INDIANA1 BTB PowerLine: INDIANA-1
Edge On: INDIANA (2)

NBA > (537) GOLDEN STATE @ (538) HOUSTON | 2016-04-21 21:35:00 - 2016-04-21 21:35:00
Line: HOUSTON5 BTB PowerLine: HOUSTON4
Edge On: HOUSTON (1)

NBA > (539) CLEVELAND @ (540) DETROIT | 2016-04-22 19:05:00 - 2016-04-22 19:05:00
Line: DETROIT4.5 BTB PowerLine: DETROIT3
Edge On: DETROIT (1.5)

NBA > (541) ATLANTA @ (542) BOSTON | 2016-04-22 20:05:00 - 2016-04-22 20:05:00
Line: ATLANTA BTB PowerLine: ATLANTA3
Edge On: ATLANTA (6)

NBA > (543) SAN ANTONIO @ (544) MEMPHIS | 2016-04-22 21:35:00 - 2016-04-22 21:35:00
Line: SAN ANTONIO BTB PowerLine: SAN ANTONIO12
Edge On: SAN ANTONIO (0.5)

NBA > (547) MIAMI @ (548) CHARLOTTE | 2016-04-23 17:35:00 - 2016-04-23 17:35:00
Line: MIAMI BTB PowerLine: MIAMI1
Edge On: MIAMI (3)

NBA > (551) LA CLIPPERS @ (552) PORTLAND | 2016-04-23 22:35:00 - 2016-04-23 22:35:00
Line: LA CLIPPERS BTB PowerLine: LA CLIPPERS6
Edge On: LA CLIPPERS (3.5)

[StarDust Bum]

4/20 - Results: 5 - 1

Overall : 19 - 18

THURSDAY, APRIL 21

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

OKC at DAL 07:00 PM

DAL +9.0

U 197.5


TOR at IND 07:30 PM

IND +1.0

U 194.5


GS at HOU 09:30 PM

HOU +6.0

O 216.5

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

Some pointspreads on NFL games after Week 1- they were released Thursday:

Week 2-- Seahawks (-4) @ Rams-- Rams' first home game in Coliseum since 1979.

Week 2-- Packers @ Vikings (even)-- Minnesota's first game in its new dome.

Week 4-- Browns @ Redskins (-7.5)-- RGIII returns to Maryland.

Week 5-- Patriots (-7) @ Browns-- Belichick returns to Cleveland.

Week 7-- Texans @ Broncos (-6.5)-- Osweiler returns to Mile High City.

Week 10-- Seahawks @ Patriots (-2)-- Carroll returns to Foxboro.

**********

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

13) Washington Wizards gave Scott Brooks $35M for five years to be their new coach; with Maryland native Kevin Durant a free agent this summer, I'm sure it is not a coincidence that the Wizards hired Durant's old coach.

12) Jake Arrieta no-hit the Reds 16-0 last night in Cincinnati, the most dramatic 16-0 game in MLB history. There were only nine starts between this game and Arrieta's other no-hitter last year.

11) If you care about such things, it was just the second no-hitter at Great American Ballpark; Homer Bailey had the first one.

10) If you care about such things, over is 14-5 in interleague games so far this season.

9) Oakland A's are much-improved so far over last year; A's are 7-2 if their starting pitcher finishes the 6th inning, 2-5 if he does not.

8) Tony Romo turned 36 years old Thursday; why haven't the Cowboys drafted a young QB they can groom to play after Romo finishes his career?

7) Rockets 97, Warriors 96-- I'm guessing Steph Curry's foot got a lot better once Houston won this game, making series 2-1 Golden State.

6) Chicago 4, St Louis 3 double OT-- Patrick Kane scored his 5th career OT playoff goal as Chicago stayed alive- they trail series 3-2. Only guys with more OT playoff goals than Kane are Joe Sakic (8), Rocket Richard (6)- Edmonton's Glenn Anderson also had five OT playoff goals.

Blackhawks are now 12-4 in elimination games under Joel Quenneville.

5) Tennessee-Martin head coach Heath Schroyer quit this week, to become an assistant coach at NC State, a kick in the teeth to the OVC school that gave Schroyer a chance to resurrect his career after he had been fired at Wyoming- he was later an assistant at UNLV. He'll make more money as an assistant at NC State than he was making at Tenn-Martin.

4) Adam Scott/Louis Oosthuizen already came out and said they'll skip the Olympics in South America this summer- they're both in top 15 in the world, so thats a blow to golf becoming a regular Olympic sport.

3) A 6-10 kid who plays hoop at Washington State but graduated from the school this spring wanted to transfer to San Diego State, where he could play one more season next year, for a much better team, but Wazzu coach Ernie Kent blocked the transfer, claiming the Aztecs tampered/poached the kid.

This happens more and more these days, bigtime schools filling holes in their roster by cherry-picking good players from lower-level schools. I applaud Kent for standing up to teams poaching his roster.

2) If you ever wondered how much a casino costs, Boyd Gaming bought Aliante Casino in North Las Vegas this week, for a reported $380M, a mere bag of shells. LOL That is one casino in Las Vegas I haven't been to yet.

1) I had no idea how wildly popular Prince was, until he passed away way too early Thursday at age 57. Apparently he had been ill for a while, but official word hasn't come out yet. I read yesterday that he was a prolific songwriter who has a ton of unreleased music that I'm sure we'll be hearing in the future.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Friday, April 22

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday's NBA playoffs betting preview and odds
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Spurs roll into Memphis as huge double-digit favorites on the road after winning the first two games of the series easily on home court.

Friday night in the NBA features three matchups where teams are coming home with 2-0 series deficits. The Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, and Memphis Grizzlies will all be trying to avoid going down 3-0.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons (+4.5, 200.5)

Cavaliers lead series 2-0

The Cleveland Cavaliers put on a spectacular shooting exhibition in Game 2 and attempt to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round series when they visit the Detroit Pistons on Friday. Cleveland drained 20 3-pointers in Wednesday's 107-90 victory over the Pistons to tie the NBA playoff record shared by the Seattle SuperSonics (1996), Dallas Mavericks (2011) and Golden State Warriors (2015).

The top-seeded Cavaliers received seven 3-pointers by shooting guard J.R. Smith and four from point guard Kyrie Irving in the 20-of-38 shooting effort. "I don't care if you're left by yourself, 20 of 38 is pretty good shooting," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters of the Cleveland shooting. Eighth-seeded Detroit has its back against the wall after the two road losses and faces a must-win situation in Game 3. The Pistons let a fourth-quarter lead get away in Game 1 and saw its hopes in Game 2 fade away with a 15-point third quarter.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cleveland), FSN Detroit

LINE HISTORY: Cleveland opened as 4-point road favorites and after only a few hours of betting action the books moved the line up to 4.5. The total opened at 200.5 and hasn't moved since its release. View complete line history here.

MATCHUP CHART:



ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (59-25, 38-43-3 ATS, 42-42 O/U): Smith scored 21 points in Game 2 after struggling to nine points on 3-of-9 shooting in the opener. Consistent shooting from Smith would complement the trio of small forward LeBron James, power forward Kevin Love and point guard Kyrie Irving. "We have shooters and they are designated snipers and I'm not one of them," James told reporters. "I'm more like a tank or something like that."

ABOUT THE PISTONS (44-40, 43-39-2 ATS, 43-41 O/U): Detroit is playing a physical series with no interest in backing down and rookie forward Stanley Johnson mixed it up with James during Game 2. "Their whole team talks," Johnson told reporters. "All those guys on the bench, they're like cheerleaders. Only seven, eight guys are playing, but they're all talking. They might as well be in the stands." Starting forward Tobias Harris is struggling and averaging 11 points on 7-of-22 shooting in the series while forward Marcus Morris had just 11 points on 2-of-10 shooting in Game 2 after scoring 20 points in the series opener.

TRENDS:

* Cavaliers are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 vs. NBA Central.
* Pistons are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Over is 4-0 in Cavaliers last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Over is 8-2 in Pistons last 10 Friday games.
* Road team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.



Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics (-3, 200.5)

Hawks lead series 2-0

If the Boston Celtics hope to stay in their first-round series for more than two more games, they are going to need to solve the Atlanta Hawks’ stifling defense. The Hawks will try to build a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series behind that defense when they visit Boston on Friday.

The Celtics shot 23 percent from the field in the first half of Game 1 before overcoming a 19-point deficit and falling just short 102-101. Atlanta put together the same early effort defensively in Game 2 and this time did not let up, jumping out to a 24-3 lead and stifling Boston the rest of the way in an 89-72 triumph. “I think that (Game 2) had a different feel than even the other night,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters. “The other night it was one of those nights where we didn’t shoot it (well at first), like we had done some really good things and then once we started making shots we felt really good about our chances. Here, it never felt like we were at their level.” Boston is also dealing with a series of injuries and does not expect Avery Bradley (hamstring) back for Game 3 while Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) is questionable.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2, FSN Southeast (Atlanta), CSN New England (Boston)

LINE HISTORY: The Celtics opened as three-point favorites at home and the total opened at 200.5 - neither line has moved since hitting the betting board. View complete line history here.

MATCHUP CHART:



ABOUT THE HAWKS (50-34, 43-40-1 ATS, 38-46 O/U): Atlanta recorded a franchise playoff-record 15 blocked shots in Game 2 and set an NBA playoff record by limiting the Celtics to seven first-quarter points. The Hawks weren’t as strong offensively – shooting 39 percent from the floor – but guard Kyle Korver bounced back from a 1-of-10 performance (0-of-7 from 3-point range) with 17 points in Game 2 on 6-of-9 shooting (5-of-7 from beyond the arc). Al Horford matched Korver with 17 points to go along with five blocks in Game 2 and is averaging 20.5 points in the series while helping Korver out beyond the arc, knocking down 4-of-6.

ABOUT THE CELTICS (48-36, 43-40-1 ATS, 39-45 O/U): Boston went 3-of-23 in that disastrous first quarter and was not much better the rest of the way. The absence of Bradley forced Marcus Smart into the starting lineup, and he went 1-of-11 from the floor while All-Star Isaiah Thomas regularly faced a swarm of defenders and seemed to have his shot swatted away every time he went into the paint. "There’s always two guys on me, at least, when I don’t have the ball,” Thomas told reporters. “They’re looking in my eyes, they’re face-guarding me. The best players figure it out. That’s just a sign of respect from (the Hawks), and I just gotta figure it out.”

TRENDS:

* Hawks are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Celtics are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Under is 8-2 in Hawks last 10 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Under is 4-1 in Celtics last 5 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Hawks are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.



San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies (+6, 217.5)

Spurs lead series 2-0

The San Antonio Spurs mauled Memphis in each of the first two games and look to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round series when they visit the Grizzlies on Friday. Second-seeded San Antonio won the first two games by an average of 29 points and limited injury ravaged Memphis to an average of 71 points.

The Spurs were expected to roll over the seventh-seeded Grizzlies but All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard made it clear the series momentum can still change hands. "Yeah, but that's the thing you've got to fight," Leonard told reporters. "We've still got to execute. We turned over the ball a lot (17 in Game 2). They're physical, and they have great hands. But this is still an opportunity for us to improve. They're still an NBA team." Memphis hasn't always resembled an NBA team since season-ending injuries to center Marc Gasol (foot) and point guard Mike Conley (Achilles) and small forward Matt Barnes isn't putting a lot of stock into getting the next two games at home. "It doesn't matter where we play, we've just got to play better," Barnes told reporters. "We can play (in San Antonio), we can play at the YMCA, we can play in Memphis; it doesn't matter where we play at if we play the way we've been playing. The court doesn't matter. It's on the players - we've got to do a better job executing."

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, FSN Southwest (San Antonio), FSN Southeast (Memphis)

LINE HISTORY: The Spurs opened as 10.5-point road favorites and the public dictated that wasn't enough - the books adjusted their line to San Antonio -11.5 fairly quickly. The total opened at 181 and was bumped up slightly to 181.5. View complete line history here.

MATCHUP CHART:



ABOUT THE SPURS (69-15, 46-38 ATS, 35-47-2 O/U): Fast starts on the defensive end have fueled the two blowout victories as San Antonio held Memphis to 13 points in the first quarter of the opener and just 11 in Game 2. All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge is playing with a dislocated right pinky finger and has been a big factor in why Memphis power forward Zach Randolph has been unable to get on track. "I just think LaMarcus played excellent defense tonight," Popovich told reporters. "We didn't double-team him or anything like that. If he got in the lane, we tried to make a play I guess, but mostly L.A. gets the credit for doing a fine job on a great player."

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (42-42, 42-41-1 ATS, 45-37-2 O/U): Randolph is just 8-of-30 shooting while averaging 8.5 points in the series and Barnes is averaging only 5.5 points on 4-of-18 shooting. Barnes wasn't pleased to play only 30 minutes in the Game 2 loss and publicly expressed his frustration. "I don't want to play 20 minutes getting beat so bad," Barnes told reporters. "I want to play 40-45 minutes and swing every second we can. I don't want to save nothing, nothing should be in the tank. I'm not even tired right now, it's frustrating."

TRENDS:

* Spurs are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points.
* Grizzlies are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days.
* Under is 12-1 in Spurs last 13 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Under is 6-1 in Grizzlies last 7 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Favorite is 7-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
* Warriors are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Houston.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Friday, April 22

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CLEVELAND (59 - 25) at DETROIT (44 - 40) - 4/22/2016, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 32-42 ATS (-14.2 Units) as a favorite this season.
CLEVELAND is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
DETROIT is 24-15 ATS (+7.5 Units) in home games this season.
DETROIT is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) after a division game this season.
DETROIT is 21-40 ATS (-23.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is between 200 and 204.5 points since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 7-7 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 9-5 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
7 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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ATLANTA (50 - 34) at BOSTON (48 - 36) - 4/22/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 16-33 ATS (-20.3 Units) in road games in all playoff games since 1996.
BOSTON is 91-76 ATS (+7.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 55-37 ATS (+14.3 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 55-41 ATS (+9.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 98-80 ATS (+10.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 24-12 ATS (+10.8 Units) on Friday nights over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 38-23 ATS (+12.7 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 55-35 ATS (+16.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 35-23 ATS (+9.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 7-6 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 9-4 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SAN ANTONIO (69 - 15) at MEMPHIS (42 - 42) - 4/22/2016, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 46-38 ATS (+4.2 Units) in all games this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 45-33 ATS (+8.7 Units) as a favorite this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 89-62 ATS (+20.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is between 180 and 184.5 points since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 69-53 ATS (+10.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 10-4 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 12-2 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Short Sheet

Friday, April 22

Cleveland at Detroit, 7:05 ET
Cleveland: 5-13 ATS vs. division opponents
Detroit: 12-3 ATS in home games after having lost 3 of their last 4 games

Atlanta at Boston, 8:05 ET
Atlanta: 29-17 ATS in a road game where the total is 200 to 209.5
Boston: 4-15 ATS at home after playing 2 consecutive games as an underdog

San Antonio at Memphis, 9:35 ET
San Antonio: 31-17 ATS after 1 or more consecutive unders
Memphis: 4-17 ATS after 2 games where opp was called for 18 or less fouls




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, April 22

Detroit-Cleveland (C 2-0)
Pistons lost Game 1 despite shooting 15-29 from arc; they were 4-17 in Game 2 and lost by 17 (Drummond's 4-16 on foul line didn't help any). Five of last seven series games went over total. Cavaliers won three of last four visits here, but lost last two road games overall; Detroit lost two of its last three at home. Six of last nine Cleveland games went over the total. Cleveland had only 16 turnovers total in Games 1-2.

Boston-Atlanta (A 2-0)
Hawks led 23-7, 43-28 at first two quarter breaks in Game 2, taking charge of game early after blowing 17-point halftime lead in close Game 1 win. Celtics lost last five games with Atlanta, with three of five going over total- Hawks split last four visits here, lost their last three road games overall. Six of last eight Atlanta games stayed under the total, as did last three Celtic games.

Memphis-San Antonio (S 2-0)
Grizzlies lost 11 of last 12 games, losing by 32-26 in first two games of series. Memphis lost its last seven games with Spurs (1-6 vs spread), six by 10+ points. Grizzlies lost three of last four series games played here. Six of last eight series games stayed under the total. Every Memphis guy was at least -7 in Game 2; seven of them were -11 or worse. Spurs split their last four road games with wins by 5 at Dallas, 2 at Utah.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 13-6, Over: 5-14




NBA

Friday, April 22

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
CLEVELAND vs. DETROIT
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games
Cleveland is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games when playing Cleveland
Detroit is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing Cleveland

8:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. BOSTON
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games
Atlanta is 5-19 SU in its last 24 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 19-5 SU in its last 24 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta

9:30 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. MEMPHIS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio's last 6 games when playing on the road against Memphis
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Memphis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games
Memphis is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Friday, April 22


Atlanta @ Boston

Game 541-542
April 22, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
115.947
Boston
121.409
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 5 1/2
206
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
by 2 1/2
200 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-2 1/2); Over

San Antonio @ Memphis

Game 543-544
April 22, 2016 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
121.839
Memphis
113.413
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 8 1/2
177
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 12
181 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Memphis
(+12); Under

Cleveland @ Detroit

Game 539-540
April 22, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland
124.310
Detroit
117.258
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 7
204
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
by 4 1/2
200 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(-4 1/2); Over