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

[StarDust Bum]

4/24 - Results: 3 - 4

Overall: 28 - 34

MONDAY, APRIL 25

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MIA at CHA 07:00 PM

CHA -2.5

U 194.5


DAL at OKC 08:00 PM

OKC -14.5

O 205.5


LAC at POR 10:30 PM

POR +3.5

U 205.5

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

-- Mets have scored first in their last 12 games, a franchise record.

-- Brandon Phillips has hit safely in 33 straight games at Shea Stadium/Citi Field.

-- Golden State outscored the Rockets 41-20 in third quarter Sunday, after Stephen Curry left the game for good. What does that say about Houston?

-- Freddie Freeman was hitting .190, Braves dropped him to 6th in order last nite; they lost 1-0 at home to Boston. Going to be a long summer in Atlanta. .

-- Blues 3, Blackhawks 2-- St Louis avoids huge collapse by winning Game 7.

-- Blazers 98, Clippers 84-- Chris Paul broke bone in his hand, is done for series.

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Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but........

Pretty eventful day, for a Monday in April.........
13) Tom Brady will be suspended for the first four games of the season, after a federal appeals court overturned a lower court's ruling. Patriots have already jumped from 6-1 to 8-1 to win Super Bowl-- the average point spread for New England's first four games moved 3.5 to 4 points with Brady out of the lineup.

Those first four games? @Arizona, then Miami-Houston-Buffalo, all at home.

12) Stephen Curry has a Grade 1 sprained MCL, the lowest sprain possible; they are saying they'll re-evaluate in two weeks. If Golden State doesn't win the title, media will turn on Steve Kerr for playing Curry too much trying to get to the 73-9 regular season record and wearing him out.

11) ESPN's Mike Tirico, who is really good at calling every sport, is leaving ESPN for NBC, where he will call Thursday Night Football and PGA Tour. There are also rumors of Brad Nessler jumping to CBS to replace Verne Lundquist on SEC football when that day comes, as well as calling college basketball.

Sean McDonough was mentioned as a possible replacement for Tirico on Monday Night Football.

10) Former UNLV basketball coach Dave Rice signed on as an assistant coach with Eric Musselman at rival Nevada-Reno. Musselman makes less than a half million, so if he were to lead the Wolf Pack to the NCAAs next year, after a big season this year, he figures to move on to a higher profile job, leaving Rice as the logical successor in Reno.

9) Speaking of the Mountain West, they have 11 teams right now, which is a bad number; they're supposedly looking for a 12th school-- UTEP is being mentioned.

8) The April open recruiting period for college basketball ended this weekend; noticed that some teams offered kids in Class of '19 scholarships-- those are 9th graders. I'm not sure why teams do this-- difficult to project three years down the road.

7) Couple of graduate transfers: Avery Woodson jumps from Memphis to Butler; Ronnie Johnson bolts from Houston to Auburn.

6) Sam Bradford has requested a trade from the Eagles; this is the guy with a career won-lost record of 25-37-1, with 33 games missed due to injury-- he's already banked roughly $87M in six years, despite playing in zero playoff games, but he requested a trade, because Philly is going to draft a QB Thursday. That takes onions.

5) Bill Polian/Herm Edwards are very good in ESPN's studio during the day; they tell you stuff you don't know.

4) John Daly turns 50 this week; the Senior Golf Tour is about to get a little more interesting.

3) There were no radar gun readings at Citi Field last night with Noah Syndergaard pitching; doubt it is a coincidence, since there so few coincidences in this world. Mark Mulder never liked radar gun readings on the scoreboard when he pitched for the A's, so maybe it was a request from the pitcher himself.

2) As if the Presidential race couldn't get stranger, Bob Knight is going to endorse Donald Trump in Indianapolis Wednesday. Should make for good TV.

1) If you know me, you know when I call someone "a weasel" that is the worst possible insult coming from me. Well, this Cruz/Kasich alliance has weasel written all over it. No wonder people despise politicians- they're total sellouts and people are so disgusted with politicians that an egotistical billionaire that very few people like could wind up being the President of the United States. Awesome.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Tuesday, April 26

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Tuesday's NBA playoffs betting preview and odds
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Isaiah Thomas had a tough time scoring in the first two games but came alive at home with 42 points in Game 3 and 28 in Game 4, including the last five of overtime.

Two games on the board Tuesday night, both feature a pair of pivotal Game 5 matchups in Conference Quarterfinal series' tied 2-2. The Raptors host the Pacers and the Hawks welcome the Celtics back to town.

Indiana Pacers at Toronto Raptors (-6.5, 192)

Series ties 2-2

The Toronto Raptors continue to perform below the standard of a 56-win team and look to get their act together when they host the Indiana Pacers in Tuesday's Game 5 of the first-round series. The Pacers posted an impressive 100-83 victory in Game 4 to tie the series at 2-2 and a second win in Toronto would put seventh-seeded Indiana in the driver's seat.

The main issue for the second-seeded Raptors continues to be the subpar play of the All-Star backcourt of point guard Kyle Lowry and shooting guard DeMar DeRozan. Lowry is averaging just 15.5 points on 32.2 percent shooting and DeRozan is performing even worse with a 13.3 average and 29.6 percent shooting. "Give Indiana credit, they've done a good job on DeMar and Kyle," Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters. "But we haven't seen their best, they know that and it may not be by scoring points, it may be by moving the basketball, it may be by helping defensively." Pacers All-Star forward Paul George has been superb in the series with a 26.3 average and finally received some help from his teammates as point guard George Hill (9-of-11 shooting) and center Ian Mahinmi (10 rebounds) each tallied 22 points in the Game 4 victory.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, TNT, Sportsnet (Toronto)

LINE HISTORY: The Raptors opened as seven-point favorites and the line was dropped slightly to -6.5. The total hit the board at 192 and hasn't moved up to this point. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE PACERS (47-39, 43-42-1 ATS, 37-49 O/U): George's 19 points on Saturday was his lowest output of the series but he was excited about receiving some offensive help along with the defensive effort that included twice holding Toronto to 16 points in a quarter. "This was how I wanted this team to respond, how I wanted us to respond to the Game 3 loss," George told reporters. "I thought we were very pissed off and very attentive and very focused to even the series out. We knew we let one go in Game 3 and had a great opportunity to go up in the series." Hill is averaging 17.5 points in the past two games while Mahinmi's contributions were stunning after he averaged 4.3 points and four rebounds over the first three games.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (58-28, 47-39 ATS, 42-43-1 O/U): Lowry (12 points) and DeRozan (eight) were a combined 8-of-27 from the field in the Game 4 defeat and Toronto can't find an offensive flow with both cornerstones shooting so poorly. "I would be lying to you if I said I'm not upset with how I'm playing," Lowry told reporters. "But I have to stay positive and lead these guys - and that's what I'm going to do no matter how I'm shooting the ball." DeRozan's aggressiveness is practically nonexistent as he has failed to attempt a free throw in two different games after averaging 8.4 attempts during the regular season.

TRENDS:

* Pacers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Raptors are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up loss.
* Under is 6-0 in Pacers last 6 overall.
* Underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.



Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks (-7, 199.5)

Series ties 2-2

The Boston Celtics managed to even the series on their home floor and are hoping for the same effort when the series shifts to Atlanta for Game 5 on Tuesday. The Hawks let a 16-point, second-half lead slip away before falling in overtime in Game 4 but have won five straight and 12 of their last 14 games at home going back to the regular season.

Celtics All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas had a tough time scoring in the first two games but came alive at home with 42 points in Game 3 and 28 in Game 4, including the last five of overtime. “The most important thing for us: we’ve got to start the games better, especially on the road,” Thomas told reporters. “Start the games better, start the halves better, and I think that will put us in a position to be able to win those games. If we just start halfway decent on the road, we’ll be alright.” Atlanta is a veteran group and doesn’t plan on rolling over now that the momentum has shifted. “It’s our turn to respond, that’s how the playoffs are,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters. “They are hard and it’s never easy in the playoffs. … I think being at home is always helpful and I think our group knows that they are very capable.”

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TNT, CSN New England (Boston), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)

LINE HISTORY: The Hawks opened as 6.5-point favorites at home for this pivotal Game 5 and the line was quickly bet up to -7. The total opened at 201 and was dropped down to 199.5 by Monday evening. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE CELTICS (50-36, 45-40-1 ATS, 40-46 O/U): Guard Marcus Smart broke out with his best game of the series on both ends of the floor Sunday, scoring 20 points and playing strong defense on All-Star forward Paul Millsap down the stretch and in overtime. Smart, who went 1-for-11 in Game 2 while starting in place of Avery Bradley (hamstring), was back to coming off the bench in the last two games but logged 42 minutes in Game 4 and scored 11 straight Boston points during a key stretch in the fourth quarter. “I thought Marcus just played a great game, period,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters. “We’ve talked about it before, Marcus has had his ups and downs but Marcus on this stage – and with his consistent work ethic and with his competitive spirit – you just really trust that good things will happen.”

ABOUT THE HAWKS (50-36, 43-42-1 ATS, 39-47 O/U): Millsap scored a career playoff-high 45 points in the 104-95 overtime loss but didn’t get a chance to take the final shot with a chance to win in regulation. Point guard Jeff Teague, who finished 4-of-18 from the field in the loss, had the ball in his hands with the clock winding down and fumbled it away at the last second with Thomas guarding. “You want to exhaust the clock in that situation, you want to take the last shot and I think Jeff just ended up mishandling it a little bit,” Budenholzer said. “But that was Jeff against (5-9) Isaiah Thomas and, you know, you obviously try to get a good look, get a good opportunity and not leave any time on the clock.”

TRENDS:

* Celtics are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Hawks are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up loss.
* Under is 11-1 in Celtics last 12 games following a ATS win.
* Under is 6-0 in Hawks last 6 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, April 26

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BOSTON (50 - 36) at ATLANTA (50 - 36) - 4/26/2016, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 98-82 ATS (+7.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 55-37 ATS (+14.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 35-25 ATS (+7.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.
BOSTON is 93-76 ATS (+9.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 15-7 ATS (+7.3 Units) against Southeast division opponents this season.
BOSTON is 26-15 ATS (+9.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 59-45 ATS (+9.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 57-41 ATS (+11.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 8-7 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 9-6 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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INDIANA (47 - 39) at TORONTO (58 - 28) - 4/26/2016, 6:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 26-17 ATS (+7.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
INDIANA is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest this season.
INDIANA is 26-16 ATS (+8.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
TORONTO is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 12-3 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 10-5 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, April 26

Indiana-Toronto (2-2)
Pacers made 10-42 on arc in losing Games 2-3, they made 17-37 in two series wins. Raptors won 8 of last 11 games against Indiana, taking three of last four here. Toronto covered 11 of last 14 series games- five of last six stayed under total.Toronto shot 38.0/36.5% in two losses, 43.8/41.5% in two wins. Pacers won eight of last 12 games overall, Raptors won nine of last 13 games overall, they are 7-4 vs spread in their last 11 games.

Boston-Atlanta (2-2)
Hawks were 12-43 on arc in Game 4, only 9-13 on foul line; they need to attack basket more. Millsaps had huge game in last game but other four Atlanta starters were 11-47. Home side won all four series games; Boston shot 46% in Game 3 win, 42.6% in Game 4, after shooting 36.3%/31.8% in two losses at Atlanta. Celtics lost five of last seven games with Atlanta, with four of seven going over the total. Seven of last ten Atlanta games stayed under the total, as did four of last five Celtic games.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 20-13, Over: 10-23




NBA

Tuesday, April 26

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Trend Report
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6:00 PM
INDIANA vs. TORONTO
Indiana is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games when playing Indiana

8:30 PM
BOSTON vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Boston's last 16 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Boston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Boston
Atlanta is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, April 26


Boston @ Atlanta

Game 567-568
April 26, 2016 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
116.960
Atlanta
126.396
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Atlanta
by 9 1/2
195
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Atlanta
by 7
200
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(-7); Under

Indiana @ Toronto

Game 569-570
April 26, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
116.327
Toronto
125.568
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 9
187
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 7
192
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(-7); Under

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Celtics (48-34) at Hawks (48-34)
Date: April 26, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

The Boston Celtics have a different look since their last visit to Atlanta, and so does their playoff series with the Hawks.

Let down by their usually dependable defense in the past two matchups, the Hawks may have to rely on home-court advantage to regain their lost momentum when the series shifts back to Philips Arena for Tuesday night's pivotal Game 5.

Done in by poor starts and inefficient shooting in losing the first two in Atlanta, Boston has been harder to defend since Brad Stevens inserted Jonas Jerebko and Evan Turner into starting roles prior to Friday's Game 3. The Celtics have shot 44.3 percent since the switch after being held to 34.2 percent in Games 1 and 2.

Jerebko, who averaged 4.4 points and 15.1 minutes during the regular season, has emerged as the unlikely X-factor to Boston's resurgence. The stretch forward totaled 27 points and 22 rebounds in the two home wins, and his ability to create space has allowed Isaiah Thomas to be more productive in attacking the basket.

Thomas' career-high 42 points helped Boston turn the tide with a 111-103 win in Game 3, and the All-Star guard scored 18 of his 28 during the second half and overtime as the Celtics rallied for a 104-95 victory in Sunday's Game 4.

Down 62-46 early in the third quarter, Boston shot 56.4 percent the rest of the way to even the series. Jerebko contributed 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting after halftime and Marcus Smart had 13 of his 20 points following the break.

"I think one of our most redeeming qualities as a team is the guys are really â?? they're fighters," Stevens said. "They never give up. They play to the end, even in games where we didn't really have it they've done that."

Smart also neutralized Paul Millsap down the stretch, limiting the versatile forward to four points over the final 14 minutes and none in overtime after Stevens changed the defensive assignments in the fourth quarter.

Millsap amassed 26 first-half points and finished with a playoff career-high 45 along with 13 rebounds.

"They got us out of whack," Hawks guard Kyle Korver said. "They put Marcus Smart on Paul and we just tried to force it to him and at times took us out of what we had been doing. Give them credit. They played really well and made some plays down the stretch."

Stevens' next task will be improving his team's play in Atlanta, where the Celtics are 0-4 this season and have lost in six straight visits. They were a woeful 3 of 23 from the field during a seven-point first quarter in Game 2 and shot 26.9 percent to trail by 11 through one period of a 102-101 loss in Game 1.

"The most important thing for us, we got to start the games better, especially on the road," Thomas said. "If we start just halfway decent on the road we'll be alright."

Boston was able to overcome a 14-0 Hawks' run to begin the second half of Game 4.

For Mike Budenholzer, the goal will be finding consistent scoring to complement Millsap. Al Horford has 13 points over the last two games after scoring 41 in the two wins, Jeff Teague finished 4 of 18 in Game 4 and top bench options Dennis Schroder and Thabo Sefolosha were a combined 3 for 17.

"I just think we needed a little bit more with him, collectively from all of us, a little more to help Paul," Budenholzer said. "They responded to being down 2-0 and now we've got to go home and respond."

Stevens said he doesn't expect Avery Bradley to return Tuesday from his Game 1 hamstring injury.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Pacers (45-37) at Raptors (56-26)
Date: April 26, 2016 6:00 PM EDT

A lineup change revitalized the Indiana Pacers and helped them tie up their first-round series with the Toronto Raptors.

The change the Raptors would like to see is for DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry to wake up from some series-long woes.

These teams were also involved in a scuffle toward the end of the last matchup, and the tension only figures to be raised Tuesday night in a pivotal Game 5 in Toronto.

Indiana moved forward Myles Turner into the lineup in place of Lavoy Allen in Saturday's 100-83 rout. The Pacers held a rebounding edge for the first time in this series at 43-40, limiting Jonas Valanciunas to six after he totaled 48 in the first three games.

"I think our just general team awareness of the ways Jonas is hurting us is why we did better in Game 4 and it's gonna be a battle the entire series," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said.

While Valanciunas was bottled up on the glass, the production by DeRozan and Lowry remained consistent for Toronto - and it's not nearly good enough. The two All-Star guards were a combined 8 of 27 from the field and 0 for 7 on 3s for a total of 20 points.

Lowry is averaging 15.5 points on 32.2 percent shooting while DeRozan is at 13.3 points and 29.6 percent in the series.

"Give Indiana credit, they've done a good job on DeMar and Kyle," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "But we haven't seen their best, they know that and it may not be by scoring points, it may be by moving the basketball, it may be by helping defensively."

The Pacers are using Paul George to defend DeRozan and George Hill to slow down Lowry. They are wary that the Raptors duo, which averaged a combined 44.7 points during the regular season, may be due to break out.

"The efficiency has not been great for those guys but we're not comfortable in any way as good as those guys are," Vogel said. "We're going to continue to fine tune what we're doing with those guys, with the plan, George and Paul are doing a good job on them, but it's more than that, it's gotta be a team effort."

Hill and Ian Mahinmi, who is listed as questionable but expected to play through a back injury, each scored 22 points Saturday in a series that is getting nastier as it is progresses.

A scuffle developed with 5:03 left after Valanciunas gave George a small shove underneath the basket. George responded with words and then DeMarre Carroll ran into the gathering crowd. All three players drew technical fouls, including George's second in two games.

Toronto's Patrick Patterson also was assessed a technical in Game 4. Game 3 featured three technicals on Indiana after the first two games in Toronto saw neither team get one.

"I'm looking at flagrant fouls, Jonas Valanciunas gets cracked across the head and again, I've got to get an understanding, and the officials didn't review it but they were hitting us going through the lane and DeMar DeRozan shoots zero free throws with the same drive," Casey said.

DeRozan has failed to reach the line twice in this series after ranking third in the league in free-throw attempts.

Casey refused to acknowledge that the Pacers lineup change with Turner was a factor. Instead, the coach claimed that Monta Ellis had a huge impact despite a second straight seven-point effort; Ellis scored 15 in each of the first two games.

"I thought the guy who had the most effect on the game and didn't score a lot of points was Monta Ellis," Casey said. "His speed of pushing the ball down the floor, getting down the floor impacted the game as much as anything else. We have to look at that."

George has been the star of the series with 26.3 points per game and 36 free-throw attempts compared to 15 for DeRozan. He totaled 61 points on 54.1 percent shooting in the first two games in Toronto before averaging 22.0 points on 34.3 percent shooting in two at home.

"Toronto's a very hostile environment, hostile crowd," George said. "Game 5 is going to be about taking their crowd out of the equation."

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday's Tip Sheet
April 26, 2016

**Indiana at Toronto**

-- As of early this morning, most betting shops had Toronto (58-28 straight up, 47-39 against the spread) listed as a seven-point ‘chalk’ with a total of 192. Gamblers can take the Pacers to win outright for a +250 payout (risk $100 to win $250). For first-half bets, the Raptors were favored by four points with a total of 96.

-- Indiana (47-39 SU, 43-42-1 ATS) squared up the series at 2-2 by winning a 100-83 decision over Toronto in Saturday’s Game 4 as a one-point home underdog. Ian Mahinmi led the way with 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and one blocked shot. George Hill also finished with 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Paul George scored 19 points and is averaging 26.3 points per game during the series.

-- In the Game 4 loss, Jonas Valanciunas scored a team-best 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field for the Raptors. Kyle Lowry and DeMarre Carroll had 12 points apiece. DeMar DeRozan, who averaged 23.5 PPG during 81 regular-season games, saw his 24-game streak of scoring in double figures snapped. DeRozan had eight points on 4-of-15 shooting and had more turnovers (six) than assists (four). Norman Powell scored 10 points off the bench in only 13-plus minutes of playing time.

-- George’s 33-point effort in the series opener helped Indiana score a 100-92 win as a seven-point underdog. Toronto countered with a 98-87 victory an eight-point home favorite in Game 2. Then in Game 3, the Raptors cruised to a 101-85 win as one-point road favorites. They raced out to a 17-point halftime lead and cruised to the finish line. Lowry and DeRozan scored 21 apiece for the winners, while Carroll finished with 17 points, his best scoring effort since returning from a 41-game injury absence on April 7. George tallied 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the Game 3 loss. Myles Turner contributed 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.

-- Indiana veteran guard Monta Ellis scored 15 points in both Games 1 and 2 at Toronto, but he was limited to seven points in both Games 3 and 4. Ellis was 3-of-9 from the field in Game 3, 3-of-7 in Game 4.

-- When the Pacers have been listed as underdogs of six points or more this year, they have compiled a 7-2 spread record.

-- Toronto owns a 16-5 spread record in its last 21 games against Indiana, going 23-8 in its 31 at home versus the Pacers.

-- Chris David has noticed Toronto playing well when coming off losses recently, but the Raptors have been money burners at home in the playoffs. David explained, “Toronto captured a 98-87 victory in Game 2 after dropping the first game in this series to Indiana and that result shouldn’t come as a surprise. Since the All-Star break, the Raptors have gone 9-1 off a loss and that includes the win in this series. More importantly, Toronto’s offense has averaged 104.7 points per game in these situations and it’s hard not to expect a better effort here, especially after posting 83 points in Game 4 last Saturday.

“However, bettors watching the Raptors the last three seasons at home in the playoffs could be reluctant to back them here. Since Toronto made a return to the postseason, it’s gone 3-5 SU and 1-6-1 ATS at home.”

-- The ‘under’ is 4-0 in this series and 6-1 in the last seven head-to-head encounters between these squads this season. The combined point totals in Game 1-4 are as follows (in order): 190, 185, 186 and 183.

-- The ‘under’ has cashed in six consecutive games for the Pacers to improve to 49-37 overall. They have seen the ‘under’ go 23-20 in their road outings.

-- Toronto has seen five straight ‘unders’ for it go above .500 for the season (43-42-1). The ‘over’ is 23-20 for the Raptors in their home contests.

-- David had this take on the total: “The total for Game 5 is hovering around 192 points and even though the ‘under’ has cashed in all four games, I believe this game has a chance to see the high side. Along with the Raptors’ ability to rebound offensively off losses, the two-day break should help and the early start is something that the club is very familiar with. The team played eight home games at 6 or 6:30 p.m. ET during the regular season and the offense averaged 103.3 PPG. The winner in the first four games has scored 100, 98, 101 and 100. With the Raptors team total listed at 99 for Game 5, I’m buying the ‘over’ and I’d also lean to Indiana’s team total ‘over’ (93) as well.”

-- TNT will have the broadcast at 6:05 p.m. Eastern.

**Boston at Atlanta**

-- Boston (50-36 SU, 43-42-1 ATS) pulled even at 2-2 in this best-of-seven Easter Conference first-round series by holding serve at home in Game 3 and 4 this past weekend. Isaiah Thomas exploded for 42 points to spark the Celtics to a 111-103 win over Atlanta as a three-point home favorite Friday night. The Hawks overcame a 20-point deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to score a field goal in the final 3:51 of the game. Brad Stevens, who had lost his first six playoff games since leaving Butler for the coveted Boston gig, shook up his starting lineup in Game 3 by inserting Evan Turner and Jonas Jerebko into the starting lineup. It worked. Turner responded with 17 points, seven assists and five steals, while Jerebko finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Amir Johnson added 15 points, seven boards and a pair of blocked shots, while Marcus Smart contributed 11 points five assists, three rebounds and two rejections.

-- In the Game 3 defeat, Jeff Teague paced the Hawks with 23 points and five assists. Teague’s back-up Dennis Schroder produced 20 points in just 22-plus minutes off the bench. Kent Bazemore had 20 points and eight rebounds, while Kyle Korver drained 5-of-9 from 3-point land en route to a 17-point effort. Atlanta leading scorer Paul Millsap was held under his scoring average for a third straight game and he didn’t get into double figures for a second consecutive time. Millsap went 3-of-9 from the field and had eight points and 10 rebounds. Al Horford finished with eight points, 13 rebounds, four blocked shots and six assists compared to only one turnover.

-- In Sunday’s Game 4, Atlanta (50-36 SU, 45-40-1 against the spread) allowed a 16-point third-quarter lead to get away in a 104-95 loss in overtime at TD Garden. The Celtics took the cash as one-point home favorites thanks to the efforts of Smart, who scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebound, dished out five assists and successfully defended a red-hot Millsap in the latter stages of the game. Millsap scored 45 points to fall just one point short of his career-high, but he was held to only two points in the final 5:33 of regulation and the extra session. Thomas was outstanding again, tallying 28 points, six assists, four rebounds and two blocked shots. Turner finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocked shots, while Jerebko had 16 points and 10 boards. Jae Crowder added 12 points and five boards for the winners.

-- Boston center Kelly Olynyk, who missed Games 2 and 3 with a shoulder injury, returned to the court to log 3:35 of playing time. He had two rebounds. Olynyk averaged 10.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game during the regular season.

-- Trailing by four in the final minute of regulation, Teague hit a trey to slice the deficit to one. Following an Atlanta stop on the defensive end, the Wake Forest product buried another triple to put the Hawks ahead by two. However, Thomas would answer with a bucket in the paint with 15 ticks remaining. Teague attempt to make a play at the end of regulation but lost control of his dribble just before attempting a potential game winner. He finished just 4-of-18 from the field with 13 points and five assists. Millsap also had 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and four blocked shots. He made 19-of-31 shots from the floor. Korver had 10 points and eight rebounds, but Bazemore and Horford were limited to five points apiece. Horford had nine rebounds, one steal, one blocked shot and five assists without committing a turnover. Bazemore hauled in eight boards, but he was an abysmal 2-of-10 from the field.

-- As of early this morning, most betting shops had the Hawks favored by seven points for Tuesday’s Game 5 at Philips Arena. The total was 199.5 or 200 points, while the Celtics were +260 on the money line (risk $100 to win $260). For first-half wagers, Atlanta was a 3.5-point ‘chalk’ with a total of 95.5 points.

-- VI’s David has taken note of Atlanta’s success when coming off of OT defeats this year. David said, “If you bet Atlanta on Sunday, you obviously weren’t happy with the final sequences during regulation and it’s never fun seeing your team get dominated in the extra session. Including Sunday’s loss, the Hawks are now 0-5 in overtime games this season and one handicapping rule I try to stick by is never backing a club off a rough loss but this team has shown some tenacity. In the first four overtime losses, the Hawks have gone 3-1 in the following matchup with the one setback coming to Golden State. In the victories, Atlanta posted 114, 113 and 106 points.”

-- Atlanta has won five in a row at home and 12 of its last 14. For the year, the Hawks are 29-14 SU and 23-20 at ‘The Highlight Factory.’ Meanwhile, Boston is mired in a 3-10 ATS slump in its last 13 road assignments. The Celtics have gone 19-24 SU and 19-23-1 ATS on the road this season.

-- The ‘under’ has cashed at a 3-1 clip in this series. The combined points totals have been (in order): 203, 161, 214 and 199. Despite overtime, Game 4 still saw the ‘under’ emerge when the 199 combined points fell short of the 203-point tally. The ‘over’ had gone 3-1 in the four head-to-head meetings between these clubs during the regular season.

-- The ‘under’ is 7-2 in Atlanta’s last nine games, 16-9 in its last 25 home outings. The ‘under’ is 47-39 overall for the Hawks, 24-19 in their home contests.

- -David leans to the ‘under’ on the total. He said, “The total for Game 5 opened 201 and that number was quickly steamed down to 199 ½ at a few major offshore shops. The numbers for the first two games in this series at Philips Arena were 205 and 206, which tells you that most have figured out how good the Hawks defense is at home, especially under head coach Mike Budenholzer. In their last 13 home playoff games, only two opponents have managed to bust the century mark on the Hawks and that effort has helped the ‘under’ go 11-2 and that includes a run of seven straight games.”

-- Tip-off is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. Eastern on TNT.

[StarDust Bum]

Warriors prepare for life without Curry
April 26, 2016

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) When Stephen Curry is on the court, the Golden State Warriors offense is nearly unstoppable.

Play Curry tight to take away his 3-point shot and he's apt to drive past and get to the basket. Take away the drive and he can shoot from almost anywhere inside the halfcourt line. Trap him on a pick and roll and he's perfectly content getting the ball to another playmaker like Draymond Green and allowing his teammates to exploit a four-on-three advantage.

Curry's unique skill set as a shooter with unlimited range, a ball handler who can create his own space and a passer who gets teammates open looks has been a driving force that led Golden State to an NBA title last year and a record 73 regular-season wins this season.

If the Warriors are going to cap this record-setting season with a repeat championship, they are going to have to do it without Curry for at least two weeks of the playoffs after an MRI on Monday determined he had a Grade 1 sprain of the MCL in his right knee.

While Curry will miss the rest of the first round and likely at least four games in the second round if Golden State advances, the Warriors have the ingredients to survive without the reigning MVP.

''It's a blow but I don't think it's anything that will significantly throw them off course,'' ESPN analyst Tim Legler said.

Legler said he still views the Warriors as the favorite to win the title despite Curry's injury, predicting they will finish off the first-round series against Houston that they lead 3-1 heading into Wednesday night's Game 5 and that they could beat either the Los Angeles Clippers or Portland in the second round even if Curry missed the entire series.

Then if Curry is healthy for the conference final, Golden State would be poised to repeat.

''That's how good their team is,'' Legler said. ''That's how hard they are to defend. I don't think the Clippers are a team that's a real juggernaut that can shut them down. They have issues defensively. I don't think they're a very tough team physically defensively.''

Legler said Golden State's bevy of playmakers will make dealing with Curry's absence bearable. Shaun Livingston will move into the starting lineup and he is able to use his size and passing to create for teammates.

Green and sixth man Andre Iguodala also are capable of running the offense and shooting guard Klay Thompson and forward Harrison Barnes can shoulder a bigger load.

''That's really been the secret to their success the last few years,'' Legler said. ''They have more players who can make plays with the basketball whether it be a shot, a drive, a kick, whatever it may be, than any other team in the league. They have five or six different guys you trust to initiate the offense and to put pressure on you.''

The Warriors have gone 3-2 this season without Curry playing, including a win against the Rockets on New Year's Eve and splitting games 2 and 3 of this series when Curry had a sprained right ankle. Golden State also lost at Dallas on Dec. 30 and beat Atlanta at home on March 3 when Curry had to sit out.

Replacing everything Curry does is almost impossible because no one has ever has had his collection of skills. Curry led the NBA this season by averaging 30.1 points per game, while averaging 6.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds and a league-leading 2.1 steals as well. Curry made a record 402 3-pointers, eclipsing his own previous mark by 116.

''He's such a threat from so far out all over the floor,'' Legler said. ''Your defense is so fragile in trying to cover all the ground you have to. It's basically a much larger scoring area when you play the Warriors with Steph on the floor. That's really hard defensively to do that without making mistakes.''

In the five games Curry missed, the Warriors' score margin fell by 13.1 points per game and the offense suffered greatly. They scored 10.2 fewer points per game, had their 3-point percentage fall from 41.8 percent to 34.9 percent and shot 4.3 percentage points worse from the field.

But the Warriors already managed to win Game 4 after Curry injured his knee when he slipped on the final play of the first half. Golden State hit eight 3-pointers in the third quarter alone to turn a tie game into a 21-point lead on the way to the easy win.

''I believe in our team, I believe in our coaching staff. I won't count them out,'' general manager Bob Myers said. ''We're lucky to have the group we have. It's one of the best groups of players I've ever seen as far as people. They will come together and do whatever they can to reach that goal.''

[StarDust Bum]

CP3 leaves due to broken bone in hand
April 26, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Chris Paul broke a bone in his right hand midway through the third quarter and left the Clippers' Game 4 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.

It was not clear exactly how Paul was injured, but it appeared he may have bent the wrist awkwardly when defending Portland's Gerald Henderson on a layup.

''He'll get evaluated but it obviously doesn't look very good,'' Clippers coach Doc Rivers said after the Blazers' 98-84 victory evened the series at two games piece.

The Clippers were also hurt late in the game when Blake Griffin appeared to aggravate the left quad injury that he struggled with this season.

Paul retreated to the bench and was attended to by team trainers before leaving for the locker room. He angrily kicked at a seat cushion on the court as he left. The Clippers later reported Paul fractured the third metacarpal in his right hand.

Following the game, Paul left the Moda Center without speaking with reporters.

Paul was leading the Clippers with 16 points when he left the game. He averaged 26.3 points and 8.3 assists through the first three games of the series, after averaging 19.5 points and 10 assists in the regular season.

Griffin looked dejected when he went to the bench with a little more than 5 minutes left in the game.

Rivers said: ''It doesn't look great for him either.''

The coach gave Griffin a ''50-50'' chance of playing in Game 5 on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.

[StarDust Bum]

Spurs ready to wait for semis after sweep
April 25, 2016

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) The San Antonio Spurs know they didn't face a fair fight in the first-round of the playoffs, so they took what they could in sweeping an injury-depleted opponent.

A physical test they hope prepared them for the Western Conference semifinals.

The Spurs finished off their ninth postseason sweep in franchise history Sunday by routing the Memphis Grizzlies 116-95. Now they await either Oklahoma City or Dallas, which will offer a much tougher series than the Grizzlies, who reached the playoffs despite using an NBA-record 28 players this season.

''They fought very hard,'' Spurs guard Tony Parker said of the Grizzlies. ''Obviously, they had a lot of injuries, so it was not the same. I've had some great battles against the Grizzlies over the years in the playoffs. You just have to give a lot of credit because they tried, and it was just too hard and too many injuries.''

This was the third time the Spurs swept Memphis, including the 2004 first round and the 2013 Western Conference finals.

This series was a foregone conclusion before the first tipoff. But Spurs coach Gregg Popovich stopped on his way off the court to talk with Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph and give him a playful forearm to the chest. Popovich then complimented the Grizzlies' passion and drive for 48 minutes of each game.

''That physicality will help us I think in the next round,'' Popovich said.

Here are some things to know while the Spurs wait for their next opponent:

RESTED SPURS: With the Grizzlies so depleted by injuries, Popovich was able to take it easy on his starters. Even with Kawhi Leonard playing more than 42 minutes in Game 3, the Spurs starters still averaged fewer than 25 minutes played per game during this series. Tim Duncan, who turns 40 on Monday, played just 13:32 in Game 3 and 19 minutes in Game 4. In wrapping up the series, six reserves played at least 13 minutes, and Andre Miller was the only Spur who played who didn't score Sunday.

HITTING THE BOARDS: LaMarcus Aldridge finished the series by posting a double-double in each of the two victories in Memphis. He scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Game 3 and was only a point off matching those numbers Sunday. He helped the Spurs dominate Memphis in the paint, where they outrebounded the Grizzlies 41-36. Banging up against Randolph should only sharpen Aldridge for the semifinals.

The series win also provided a nice bit of redemption for Aldridge, who was with Portland last season when Memphis ousted the Trail Blazers 4-1 in the first round. Aldridge said he wasn't thinking of that right now. ''Anybody that knows me knows that I don't like to look back on things until the end of the season,'' Aldridge said. ''But I'm in the moment, and I'm enjoying the ride.''

KAWHI LEADING THE WAY: Kawhi Leonard, the two-time defensive player of the year, led the Spurs in scoring three of the four games. He also tied his postseason career-high with 32 points in Game 3. He did lead them in minutes played each game.

STAYING SHARP: The Spurs didn't play with the precision they did most of the season in going 67-15. Yet they still finished this series shooting 50 percent in Game 4. Parker wasn't sure how many practices Popovich will schedule before the next series starts. After a physical series with Memphis, Manu Ginobili is hoping for some rest first.

''I think we're due a couple days off, and then we'll have a couple good practices to get the rhythm back,'' Ginobili said. ''I think it's very important. We need it.''

SWEEPING BY PHIL: Popovich now has nine postseason sweeps in best-of-seven series, the most all-time. He broke a tie with Phil Jackson in that category.

[StarDust Bum]

Celtics-Hawks, Pacers-Raptors all even going to Game 5
April 26, 2016

ATLANTA (AP) At this stage of an NBA playoff series, there's not much need for extra film work, no point in making any big adjustments.

When two teams are tied heading into their fifth meeting in less than two weeks, familiarity is not an issue.

''We know what they're trying to do and they know what we're trying to do,'' said Atlanta's Kyle Korver, looking ahead to Tuesday night's crucial Game 5 against Boston. ''There's nothing the other team has not seen before.''

While Cleveland and San Antonio breezed through the opening round with four-game sweeps, the Hawks-Celtics series is right back where it started, essentially a best-of-three heading into a potentially pivotal contest at Philips Arena.

It's the same scenario for the night's other game, which has the Toronto Raptors looking to regain the upper hand when they host the pesky Indiana Pacers.

After getting blown out in Game 2 in Atlanta, the Celtics bounced back with two nail-biting victories in Beantown, including an overtime triumph Sunday night that evened things up.

The Hawks were kicking themselves for squandering Paul Millsap's 45-point effort and a 16-point lead in the second half, pointing to a shaky transition defense that allowed Boston to rip off a quick run near the end of the third quarter.

Now, it's all about the little things.

''It's going to come down to the 50-50 balls, come down to the hustle plays, come down to that one or two runs that really separates you from the other team,'' Korver said.

Here's a look at the games Tuesday:

---

Pacers at Raptors, series tied 2-2 (6 p.m. EDT, TNT).

The second-seeded Raptors really need their dynamic backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan to get going.

DeRozan is hitting just 29.6 percent (21 of 71) in the series, while Lowry isn't much better at 32 percent on 19-of-59 shooting. They combined to make just 8 of 27 in Game 4 as Indiana evened the series with a 100-83 romp.

''They're like your kids,'' Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. ''You get upset with your kids sometimes, you argue with your kids, you go back and forth. But at the end of the day, they're our guys. We're going to ride and die with DeMar and Kyle.''

Indiana already knocked off the Raptors in Game 1 in Toronto, and Pacers star Paul George hopes the Pacers can steal one more road victory to set up a potential series-clinching win in Indianapolis.

''We have to realize that if we lock this one up, we can close it out here without worrying about Game 7,'' he said. ''That's the motivation.''

Indiana center Ian Mahinmi is coming off the best game of his career in Game 4 - 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists - despite a lingering lower-back injury that forced him to sit out practice Monday.

Thought listed as questionable, he is expected to play in Game 5.

---

Celtics at Hawks, series tied 2-2 (8:30 p.m. EDT, TNT).

Boston must avoid the poor starts that plagued the team in each of its first two games in Atlanta, including a Game 2 debacle that left the Celtics trailing by 21 points midway through the first quarter.

''I wouldn't recommend 24-3 again. Just generally speaking, that would be a bad thing,'' coach Brad Stevens said sarcastically. ''I didn't think we lacked for effort in Game 2. We just didn't play well in the first 5 minutes. Then you're swimming uphill the rest of the game, and that's bad. They played at a different pace than we did in Game 2 at the start. That can't happen again.''

While the Celtics are focused on improving in the opening minutes, the Hawks must do a better job at finishing. They had a chance to win both games in Boston but couldn't pull out either one. More troubling, they are 0-6 in overtime games this season and have dropped nine straight going back to last season.

''We need to be better in those situations,'' coach Mike Budenholzer said.

With Avery Bradley still sidelined by a hamstring injury, the Celtics will again go with a bigger lineup that worked well in Boston. Jonas Jerebko, a 6-foot-10 Swede used sparingly during the regular season, is coming off a 16-point, 10-rebound performance in Game 4.

Stevens isn't concerned about Jerebko's defensive struggles when matched against Millsap.

''Millsap was scoring on everybody,'' Stevens said. ''Not just Jonas.''

[StarDust Bum]

NBA MONEYLINE

NBA > (569) INDIANA@ (570) TORONTO | 2016-04-26 18:05:00 - 2016-04-26 18:05:00
Play ON TORONTO using money line in Home games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 18 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+13.55 units)

NBA > (579) HOUSTON@ (580) GOLDEN STATE | 2016-04-27 22:35:00 - 2016-04-27 22:35:00
Play ON GOLDEN STATE using money line in All games after a win by 10 points or more
The record is 59 Wins and 11 Losses for the last two seasons (+35.1 units)

NBA > (577) PORTLAND@ (578) LA CLIPPERS | 2016-04-27 22:05:00 - 2016-04-27 22:05:00
Play ON PORTLAND using money line in All games off an upset win as an underdog
The record is 12 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+12.05 units)

NBA > (577) PORTLAND@ (578) LA CLIPPERS | 2016-04-27 22:05:00 - 2016-04-27 22:05:00
Play AGAINST PORTLAND using money line in All games in April games
The record is 94 Wins and 127 Losses for the since 1992 (-91.45 units)

NBA > (569) INDIANA@ (570) TORONTO | 2016-04-26 18:05:00 - 2016-04-26 18:05:00
Play ON TORONTO using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 28 Wins and 14 Losses for the this season (+14 units)

NBA > (567) BOSTON@ (568) ATLANTA | 2016-04-26 20:35:00 - 2016-04-26 20:35:00
Play AGAINST ATLANTA using money line in All games revenging a loss vs opponent
The record is 16 Wins and 20 Losses for the this season (-20.15 units)

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

NBA TOTALS

NBA > (567) BOSTON@ (568) ATLANTA | 2016-04-26 20:35:00 - 2016-04-26 20:35:00
Play UNDER ATLANTA on the totalin All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game
The record is 15 Overs and 46 Unders for the this season (+29.5 units)

NBA > (567) BOSTON@ (568) ATLANTA | 2016-04-26 20:35:00 - 2016-04-26 20:35:00
Play UNDER ATLANTA on the totalin All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season
The record is 8 Overs and 29 Unders for the this season (+20.2 units)

NBA > (577) PORTLAND@ (578) LA CLIPPERS | 2016-04-27 22:05:00 - 2016-04-27 22:05:00
Play UNDER LA CLIPPERS on the totalin Home games second half of the season
The record is 8 Overs and 27 Unders for the last two seasons (+18.2 units)

NBA > (567) BOSTON@ (568) ATLANTA | 2016-04-26 20:35:00 - 2016-04-26 20:35:00
Play UNDER ATLANTA on the totalin Home games in all playoff games
The record is 12 Overs and 40 Unders for the since 1992 (+26.8 units)

NBA > (575) CHARLOTTE@ (576) MIAMI | 2016-04-27 20:05:00 - 2016-04-27 20:05:00
Play UNDER MIAMI on the totalin Home games when tied in a playoff series
The record is 4 Overs and 20 Unders for the since 1992 (+15.6 units)

NBA > (567) BOSTON@ (568) ATLANTA | 2016-04-26 20:35:00 - 2016-04-26 20:35:00
Play UNDER ATLANTA on the totalin Home games in the first round of the playoffs
The record is 8 Overs and 28 Unders for the since 1992 (+19.2 units)

NBA > (577) PORTLAND@ (578) LA CLIPPERS | 2016-04-27 22:05:00 - 2016-04-27 22:05:00
Play UNDER LA CLIPPERS on the totalin All games against Northwest division opponents
The record is 5 Overs and 17 Unders for the this season (+11.5 units)

NBA > (569) INDIANA@ (570) TORONTO | 2016-04-26 18:05:00 - 2016-04-26 18:05:00
Play UNDER INDIANA on the totalin All games versus the 1rst half line in road games
The record is 47 Overs and 87 Unders for the last three seasons (+35.3 units)

NBA > (577) PORTLAND@ (578) LA CLIPPERS | 2016-04-27 22:05:00 - 2016-04-27 22:05:00
Play UNDER LA CLIPPERS on the totalin Home games against Northwest division opponents
The record is 1 Overs and 10 Unders for the this season (+8.9 units)

[StarDust Bum]

4/25 - Results: 5 - 1

Overall: 33 - 35

TUESDAY, APRIL 26

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

IND at TOR 06:00 PM

IND +7.0

O 193.0


BOS at ATL 08:30 PM

BOS +7.0

U 198.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Toronto 102, Indiana 99-- Pacers led by 15 in the fourth quarter.

-- Atlanta 110, Boston 83-- Home side won all five series games.

-- New Mexico State promoted from within, tabbed Paul Weir as its head coach to replace Marvin Menzies. Weir has a recruiting connection in Canada.

-- That leaves Delaware, Northern Colorado as the only D-I head coaching jobs that have yet to be filled for next season.

-- Delaware's Kory Holden transferred to South Carolina- good player.

-- Pirates 9, Rockies 4-- Andrew McCutchen hit three homers for the Bucs.

**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings.......

13) MSNBC's Hallie Jackson was in the gym where Hoosiers was filmed last night for a political rally, but admitted on air that she has never seen the iconic basketball movie. Ms Jackson will be 32 on Friday, two years before Hoosiers was made; she went to college at Johns Hopkins, an elite college, but so did Andy Enfield, the basketball coach at USC.

I've never seen Star Wars or The Godfather; I can't say anything.

12) Uh-oh. Prince didn't have a will or a trust, so his sister, six half-siblings are in line to divide his estate, estimated at $300M, which doesn't include the stash of hundreds of unpublished songs, which figure to be worth another small fortune. Hopefully they can divide everything up peacefully.

11) Over/under given by a doctor Tuesday on recovery time for Chris Paul's hand injury: four weeks. If Paul misses four weeks, his next game for the Clippers will be in October- they're not going far without him.

10) I like Steve Kerr, I'm a big fan of his, but how in God's name does a coach who missed 43 of 82 regular season games win Coach of the Year? No player who missed 43 games would ever win MVP-- it makes very little sense.

9) Dick Vermeil is only coach in NFL history who worked for three different teams, but was never fired by any of them.

8) Obscure trivia: Christian Yelich is an OF for the Miami Marlins; his great-grandfather is the guy who designed the LA Rams' football helmets back in the 40's, the first helmets with the team's logo on them.

7) Chicago White Sox are 6-0 in games where the winning run scored in the 7th inning or later; Toronto is 1-7 in such games.

6) Padres are only major league team that doesn't have a bobblehead giveaway night this year; they didn't have one LY, either.

5) Was surprised to hear that New Hampshire has produced 51 major league baseball players and four major league managers.

4) Kelly Ripa makes $26M a year? Seriously? And she blows off three days of work because no one told her a co-worker got another job? As a friend of mine likes to say and I'll clean it up here, "Grow the (bleep) up!!!"

3) What would happen if Bernie Sanders ran as a third party candidate in the Presidential election? Who would that help? Could he win?

2) These politicians must be tired; Bernie Sanders is 74, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are both pushing 70, but they've all been bouncing around the country like rock stars. Has to be exhausting.

1) Tonight Nashville-Anaheim play a Game 7 in NHL playoffs. Nashville has never had a Game 7 in its franchise history; Ducks lost their last four Game 7's, are 2-5 in Game 7's in their franchise history.