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

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Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

-- Orioles' SS JJ Hardy broke his foot, is out 4-6 weeks.

-- Milwaukee's Wily Peralta allowed 13 hits with no strikeouts Sunday, the first MLB pitcher to do that since Doug Fister six years ago.

-- Cubs/White Sox have combined to outscore opponents 107-39 in innings 7-9 so far this season.

-- Since 2006, Justin Verlander has 159 wins, 13 more than any other pitcher. He also got engaged to Kate Upton, so its good to be him.

-- Dallas wouldn't give the Seahawks a 2nd and 3rd round draft pick, which is why they didn't trade up to draft QB Paxton Lynch.

-- If the Indiana Pacers fire coach Frank Vogel, it is further proof that the NBA is a traveling insane asylum. Vogel is 250-181 as an NBA coach, 31-30 in playoff games. Larry Bird should fire himself for not getting Vogel a good enough team to coach.

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Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Early season trends for AFC teams......

Ravens-- Baltimore is 13-6 vs spread as a favorite in home openers. Over is 5-2 in its last seven home openers. Home side won their last five games with Buffalo.

Bills-- Buffalo covered nine of its last 11 season openers; they're 9-5 vs spread in last 14 road openers. Bills covered seven of last nine home openers.

Bengals-- Cincinnati lost its last nine games against the Jets in Swamp Stadium; last win at the Jets was in 1981. Six of Bengals' last seven road openers went over total.

Browns-- Cleveland came back to the NFL in 1999; they've been 1-0 once since then, going 2-8-1 vs spread in last 11 openers. Over is 11-4 in their last 15 road openers.

Broncos-- Denver is 18-8-1 vs spread in last 27 home openers. Super Bowl champs are 7-3-3 vs spread in season openers the next year. Is Mark Sanchez the Denver QB?

Texans-- Houston won six of last seven season openers, five of last six at home, six of last seven on road. Under is 7-4 in their last eleven home openers.

Colts--Indy is 1-5 vs spread as a favorite in home openers; under is 4-1 in its last five season openers. Colts are 3-10-1 vs spread as an underdog in road openers.

Jaguars--Jax is 2-7 in its last nine home openers, losing last four by average score of 30-9. Under is 8-3-1 n their last 12 home openers. 8-4 in last 12 road openers.

Chiefs-- KC is 5-11 in its last 16 home openers, 2-9-1 vs spread when favored in its home opener. Under is 19-4-2 in their last 25 home openers, 7-4 in road openers.

Dolphins-- Miami is 3-9 in last 12 road openers, 1-6-1 vs spread when an underdog in road openers. Dolphins won five of their last six games with Seattle.

Patriots--NE won 11 of last 12 season openers; they're 3-4 in road openers if spead was 3 or less points. Patriots were favored in their last twelve road openers.

Jets-- Jets won last five home openers, three by 5 or less points; they've won seven of last eight season openers. Jets are 14-5 vs spread in last 19 road openers. .

Raiders-- Oakland lost 12 of last 13 season openers, but is 6-1-1 vs spread as a dog in road openers. Over is 11-5-1 in their last 17 road openers

Steelers-- Pitt lost its last five road openers (0-4-1 vs spread); seven of their last nine road openers stayed under. Steelers lost season opener four of last five years.

Chargers-- San Diego covered its last four season openers; they're 8-5 vs spread as an underdog in road openers. Bolts lost 33-3/10-3 against Kansas City LY.

Titans-- Tennessee covered seven of last nine road openers (6-3 SU); under is 15-4 in its last 19 road openers. Four of of their last five season openers stayed under.

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NBA

Tuesday, May 3

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Tuesday's NBA playoffs betting preview and odds
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The Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat both had more trouble in the first round than they intended and ended up battling through seven games to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Tuesday's NBA Playoffs action features the opening game of the Heat vs. Raptors series and the second game between the Blazers and Warriors. We break down all the action so you can cap the games like a pro.

Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors (-4.5, 191)

Series tied 0-0

The Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat both had more trouble in the first round than they intended and ended up battling through seven games to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals. Neither team will have had much time to prepare when the Raptors host the Heat in Game 1 on Tuesday.

Miami looked unstoppable in its first two games against the Charlotte Hornets in the first round before struggling through the next four only to find its form again in a 106-73 shellacking at home in Game 7 on Sunday. “Every team faces tough times; we know those times are going to come,” Heat point guard Goran Dragic told reporters. “We have so many veteran guys; they just help you find a way when you’re going through tough times. We just had to grow as a team.” The Raptors don’t need to grow as a team as much as they need to rediscover who they were during a regular season that saw them push the Cleveland Cavaliers into the final week before settling for the No. 2 seed. Toronto nearly squandered all of a 16-point, fourth-quarter lead in Game 7 against Indiana before pulling out an 89-84 triumph and is still waiting for the shots to fall for All-Star guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: The Raptors opened as five-point favorites but the line was adjusted to -4.5 by Monday morning. The total hit the board at 191.5 and was bumped down slightly to 191. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE HEAT (52-37, 47-41-1 ATS, 36-52-1 O/U): Miami star Dwyane Wade kept his team alive with a brilliant fourth quarter in Game 6 but everyone stepped up in Game 7 with the season on the line. Dragic scored 25 points in the clincher while Hassan Whiteside, who feels that the strength the team formed in the series will help them the rest of the way in the playoffs, capped a strong series with 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. “I really think it gave us better focus going into the second round,” Whiteside told reporters. “I remember how guys felt after we lost Game 5. Guys were down and I told them, ‘Hey, we’re going to go and steal one in Charlotte.’”

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (60-29, 47-42 ATS, 43-45-1 O/U): Toronto scrapped past the seventh-seeded Pacers despite terrible shooting slumps from Lowry (31.6 percent from the field in the series) and DeRozan (31.9), who both hit key shots down the stretch in Game 7. “My teammates count on me,” Lowry told reporters. “My teammates love me and they support me, no matter what I do. No matter what happens, they’re always going to be there, and they’re never going to doubt me.” DeRozan, who was 10-for-32 from the floor in Game 7 but knocked down the free throws at the end that sealed the win and finished 9-of-9 from the line, should be glad to see Miami, against which he averaged 29.3 points on 48.8 percent shooting in four regular season games.

TRENDS:

* Heat are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games.
* Raptors are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
* Under is 6-0 in Heat last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Under is 7-1 in Raptors last 8 overall.
* Heat are 1-5 ATS in the last 6 meetings.



Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors (-10, 213.5)

Warriors lead series 1-0

The Golden State Warriors had no problem scoring without MVP Stephen Curry in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals and put the focus on defense for most of the afternoon. The Portland Trail Blazers had no answers for the Warriors’ big bodies in the lane and on the perimeter and will try to make some changes before visiting Golden State for Game 2 on Tuesday.

The Warriors frustrated Portland guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum with a series of bigger defenders and funneled the action into the paint, where Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green were waiting. "I just told the guys that we got to come out with a defensive mindset and that's pretty much it," Green said in a postgame interview. "I think we can pretty much just stay solid and get good stuff on the offensive end, but against this team, we just got to come out with a defensive mindset when Steph's not out there." The Trail Blazers fell behind by 20 points in the first quarter and never managed to work their way back into the game before falling 118-106. “Certainly wasn’t the start we wanted,” Portland head coach Terry Stotts told reporters. “It was disappointing to get off to such a poor start. Our offense, we had trouble scoring. Their defense got into us. It was just — we struggled at both ends, and probably more so on the offensive end, which fed into their defense.”

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: The spread for this one opened up at -9.5 in favor of the Warriors and was bet up to -10 by late Sunday night. The total began at 213.5 and, up until this point, hasn't moved. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (48-41, 47-42 ATS, 47-42 O/U): Portland got a break in the first round when Los Angeles Clippers stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin went down in Game 4 and was hoping to get a jump on the Warriors before a possible return from Curry (knee) later in the series. “We got beat pretty soundly in Game 1 against the Clippers and we made some adjustments, we played a little bit better and got better as the series went along, and we need to do the same thing,” Stotts said. “So we’ll watch the video, see what we can come up with for Game 2. But there’s no question that we have to play better and learn from Game 1 like we did with the Clippers.” Lillard finished with 30 points but struggled to 8-of-26 from the field while McCollum managed 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (78-10, 50-36-2, 47-40-1 O/U): Klay Thompson buried seven 3-pointers en route to a game-high 37 points and Green took care of almost everything else while piling up 23 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, three blocks and a steal in 37 minutes. “I just want to play as myself and to my strengths,” Thompson told reporters. “I don’t have the handle and creativity that (Curry) does, so I’ve got to get it differently. I’ve got to use my teammates. These guys set great screens and I got in a great rhythm.” Thompson is 21-of-36 from 3-point range in the last three games – becoming the first player in NBA history with at least seven 3-pointers in three straight playoff games - and spent plenty of time chasing Lillard around on Sunday in a solid defensive performance.

TRENDS:

* Trail Blazers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Conference Semifinals games.
* Warriors are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
* Over is 7-0 in Trail Blazers last 7 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Over is 7-0 in Warriors last 7 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Over is 13-3 in the last 16 meetings.

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NBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, May 3

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MIAMI (52 - 37) at TORONTO (60 - 29) - 5/3/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 38-29 ATS (+6.1 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
TORONTO is 173-215 ATS (-63.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 6-5 against the spread versus MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI is 6-5 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PORTLAND (48 - 41) at GOLDEN STATE (78 - 10) - 5/3/2016, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 49-36 ATS (+9.4 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 38-29 ATS (+6.1 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 210 this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 46-35 ATS (+7.5 Units) as a favorite this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 56-38 ATS (+14.2 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 59-40 ATS (+15.0 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 73-59 ATS (+8.1 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 60-46 ATS (+9.4 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 56-38 ATS (+14.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 31-16 ATS (+13.4 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 38-24 ATS (+11.6 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 64-43 ATS (+16.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 9-3 against the spread versus PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 9-3 straight up against PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
10 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, May 3

Miami lost four of last five games with Toronto, losing last three games in Canada by 8ot-20-10 points- under is 3-1 in last four games played in Toronto. Home side won seven of last nine series games. Heat lost three of last four road games; their last five games stayed under total, as have seven of last eight Raptor games. Toronto won last three home games by 5-3-11 points. Both teams won Game 7's Sunday- this game could ba a little sluggish, so soon after those win-or-go home games. .

Portland-Golden State (GS 1-0)
In 10 quarters since Curry hurt his knee, Warriors are +72; they've won seven of last eight against Portland, covered nine of last 11. Trailblazers are 0-5 vs spread last five times they came to Oakland. Blazers are 7-4 in last 11 games, with six of last nine staying under the total. Golden State won eight of last ten games, covered seven of last eight- under is 6-3 in their last nine games. Warriors raced out to 37-17 first quarter lead, then coasted from there to win Game 1 by 12.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31
Second round: Favorites: 3-1, over: 2-2




NBA

Tuesday, May 3

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
MIAMI vs. TORONTO
Miami is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Miami is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
Toronto is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Miami
Toronto is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Miami

10:30 PM
PORTLAND vs. GOLDEN STATE
Portland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Portland is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Golden State's last 5 games when playing Portland
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Golden State's last 8 games when playing at home against Portland

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NBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, May 3


Miami @ Toronto

Game 507-508
May 3, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Miami
116.917
Toronto
124.899
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 8
188
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 4 1/2
191 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(-4 1/2); Under

Portland @ Golden State

Game 511-512
May 3, 2016 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Portland
123.154
Golden State
136.580
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 13 1/2
218
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 10
213 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(-10); Over

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NBA
Short Sheet

Tuesday, May 3

Miami at Toronto, 8:05 ET
Miami: 9-21 ATS after covering the spread in 2 or more consecutive games
Toronto: 7-0 ATS after failing to cover 4 of their last 5 against the spread

Portland at Golden State, 10:35 ET
Portland: 5-13 ATS after scoring 105 points or more 3 straight games
Golden State: 12-3 ATS off 2 consecutive home wins by 10 points or more

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday's Top Action
May 3, 2016

MIAMI HEAT (52-37) at TORONTO RAPTORS (60-29)

Eastern Conference – Round 2

Sportsbook.ag Line: Toronto -4.5, Total: 191.5

The Raptors will be looking to take a 1-0 series lead when they host the Heat in Game 1 on Tuesday.

Both the Heat and the Raptors are coming into this series after winning at home in their respective Game 7s. Miami dismantled Charlotte, winning 106-73 as a 6.5-point favorite. The Heat shot 48.3% from the field in that game and they also held the Hornets to a miserable 32.1% shooting. They’ll be hoping some of that momentum carries over into this Game 1 on Tuesday.

The Raptors, meanwhile, are coming off of an 89-84 victory as six-point favorites against the Pacers. Toronto shot just 38.2% from the field in that game and nearly choked it away as well. That does not matter for the team, though. They had not won a playoff series since 2001, so any victory was going to be extremely satisfying. One thing worth noting is that these teams met four times during the regular season and the Raptors went 3-1 both SU and ATS in those contests. Toronto is also going to be confident coming into this one, as the team is 7-0 ATS after failing to cover in four of its past five games this season.

PF Chris Bosh (Blood Clot) remains out indefinitely for the Heat, but nobody else is expected to miss this game for either team.

The Heat are coming off of a blowout victory over the Hornets and they’ll now be hoping to steal Game 1 in Toronto on Tuesday. SG Dwyane Wade (19.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.0 BPG in playoffs) is going to need to be on his game in this series. He’ll have a tough matchup with DeMar DeRozan and he can’t afford to be outplayed drastically. It’s important that Wade maintains confidence in his jumper, as he’ll need to knock down a few in this series.

PG Goran Dragic (14.1 PPG, 4.1 APG in playoffs) will also need to be on top of his game on Tuesday. Dragic was outstanding in Game 7, finishing with 25 points, six boards, four assists and a block in 32 minutes of action. It was his best game of the postseason and he’ll now need to stay aggressive in a matchup with his former teammate, Kyle Lowry.

One last guy that will be counted on heavily is C Hassan Whiteside (13.1 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 3.4 BPG in playoffs). Whiteside had five blocks in Game 7 and Miami will need him to continue to own the paint defensively moving forward. His matchup with Jonas Valanciunas will be an exciting one and Whiteside will need to use his athleticism to his advantage.

The x-factor in this game just might be PF Luol Deng (19.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG in playoffs), though. Deng is shooting 51.3% from the outside in the playoffs and has been incredible defensively. If he can continue to play solid two-way basketball then the Heat are going to be tough to beat moving forward.

The Raptors barely escaped the first round, but that was something that the team needed to do. Toronto had failed to win a playoff series since 2001 and now has a giant weight lifted off of its shoulders. One guy that will need to step it up in the second round is PG Kyle Lowry (13.9 PPG, 7.6 APG, 1.3 SPG in playoffs). Lowry has really struggled in the playoffs, shooting just 31.6% from the floor and 16.3% from the outside. That poor shooting from the outside wouldn’t be a major issue, but he is taking 6.1 threes per game. Lowry needs to either start making them or stop taking them as often.

SG DeMar DeRozan (17.9 PPG, 1.6 SPG in playoffs) should be feeling very confident for Toronto coming into this Game 1. DeRozan came up big in Game 7 last round, finishing with 30 points, five boards, three steals and two blocks in 40 minutes of action. He’ll need to use his quickness to really give Dwyane Wade issues on both ends of the floor. It’s also important that his jumper starts to fall, though. Like Lowry, DeRozan has struggled from the floor and is shooting just 31.9% from the field in the playoffs. That number must go up and it must do so soon.

C Jonas Valanciunas (13.6 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 1.4 BPG in playoffs) is going to also be extremely important for the Raptors in Game 1 and this entire series. Valanciunas is a monster around the rim, but he’s going to need to find a way to stay effective on both ends of the floor against the insanely athletic Hassan Whiteside.

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (48-41) at GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (78-10)

Western Conference – Round 2

Sportsbook.ag Line: Golden State -10.0, Total: 213

The Warriors will be looking to take a 2-0 series lead when they host the Blazers in Game 2 on Tuesday.

Golden State has looked dominant throughout the postseason and the team hasn’t even been playing at full strength. The Warriors hosted the Blazers in Game 1 of this series and won 118-106 as 9.5-point favorites. Golden State has now won-and-covered in seven of its past eight games and five of those contests were in the postseason. The Warriors have also shot 45.0% or better from the field in nine of their past 13 games. They are going to be unbeatable if they continue to shoot the ball this well moving forward.

One thing that does favor the Blazers is the fact that they are 17-8 ATS after allowing 110 points or more this season. The Warriors, however, are 35-16 ATS after two straight wins by 10 or more over the past two seasons. They are also 14-4 ATS in home games after covering in six or seven of their past eight games over the past three seasons.

The Blazers are a far inferior team in comparison to the Warriors, so they’ll need some outstanding performances from PG Damian Lillard (23.1 PPG, 5.1 APG, 1.4 SPG in playoffs) and SG C.J. McCollum (18.6 PPG in playoffs) in order to steal a win in Game 2 of this series.

Lillard had 30 points in Game 1 on Sunday, but he was just 8-for-26 from the field and he’ll need to be a lot more efficient moving forward. The Warriors are currently playing without Stephen Curry, so Lillard should have more energy in this series. He doesn’t have to deal with chasing Curry around the floor and that should be big for Portland. Lillard must take some better shots in Tuesday’s game.

McCollum is also going to need to be a lot better and that’s the case on both ends of the floor. He did not play well defensively against Klay Thompson on Sunday and also went just 5-for-17 from the floor and 0-for-4 from the outside offensively. McCollum can’t shoot that poorly in this series, as he’s going to be relied on to step up and support Lillard. He’d be wise to get some good looks from inside the paint on Tuesday.

The Warriors are playing without Curry and the team still looks like it is an unstoppable force. The main reason for that has been the play of both SG Klay Thompson (25.7 PPG, 1.5 SPG in playoffs) and PF Draymond Green (14.8 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.7 BPG, 1.3 SPG in playoffs).

Thompson has had no problem taking over as this team’s top scorer in Curry’s absence. He had 37 points on 14-for-28 shooting in Game 1 and he’ll need to continue to let it fly until Curry is back. Thompson has a major height advantage over McCollum and that’s going to allow him to keep getting good looks at the rim in this series. Green, meanwhile, has been doing it all for the Warriors. He had 23 points, 13 boards and 11 assists in Game 1 and Golden State just needs him to continue to play his heart out in this series.

PG Shaun Livingston (13.0 PPG, 5.0 APG, 1.0 SPG in playoffs) is another guy worth mentioning. He had 12 points and six assists in Game 1 and has been doing a great job of running this offense. His size is a major problem for the Blazers’ guards, as he is a very good scorer in the post. Livingston must continue to take his patented turnaround jumpers to keep the defense honest moving forward.

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday's Tip Sheet
May 3, 2016

Eastern Conference Semifinals – Game 1
(3) Heat at (2) Raptors – 8:05 PM EST – TNT

2015-16 Meetings
Nov. 8, 2015 – Toronto 76 at Miami 96 (Heat -2.5, Under 191.5)
Dec. 18, 2015 – Toronto 108 at Miami 94 (Raptors +4.5, Over 187)
Jan. 22, 2016 – Miami 81 at Toronto 101 (Raptors -10.5, Under 190)
Mar. 12, 2016 – Miami 104 at Toronto 112 – OT (Raptors -6.5, Over 203)

Both Miami and Toronto needed seven games each in the opening round to escape and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Heat (52-37 SU, 47-41-1 ATS) erased a 3-2 series deficit to eliminate the feisty Hornets by winning Game 6 at Charlotte, 97-90, followed by a 106-73 blowout in Game 7 as six-point favorites. The Raptors (60-29 SU, 47-42 ATS) made it past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001 as Toronto outlasted Indiana, 89-84 in Sunday’s Game 7, but the Pacers cashed as six-point underdogs.

Miami shot lights out in the first two games against Charlotte (123 and 115 points), but the Heat were cooled off when they headed to Charlotte by scoring 80 points in Game 3 and 85 points in Game 4. The final five games of their series finished ‘under’ the total, as the Heat limited the Hornets to 96 points or fewer in each of those contests. The Raptors failed to cover in five of the seven games against the Pacers, including an 0-4 ATS mark in the last four contests. For the exception of Toronto’s monster rally in Game 5 to eclipse the ‘over,’ the other six games in the series went ‘under’ the total.

The Raptors captured three of four meetings from the Heat this season, while winning five of the last seven matchups since the start of the 2014-15 campaign. The lone victory by the Heat over the Raptors this season came in the first matchup in early November, 96-76 as 2 ½-point home favorites. Toronto led Miami by two points at halftime, but the Heat outscored the Raptors, 30-16 in the third quarter to pull away. The Raptors shot 39% by the floor, as the backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined to shoot 9-of-30 from the field.

The two teams met one month later again in South Florida, but the Raptors picked up revenge by outscoring the Heat by 19 points in the second half of a 108-94 triumph as 4 ½-point underdogs. Lowry and DeRozan put up 51 points between them, while the Raptors scorched the Heat by knocking down 51% of its attempts from the floor. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 21 points, while Miami received an unexpected 20 points off the bench from Gerald Green, which included five three-pointers.

The Raptors grabbed both matchups at the Air Canada Center, as Toronto crushed Miami, 101-81 to easily cash as 10 ½-point favorites. Former Raptor All-Star Chris Bosh scored a team-high 26 points for the Heat, but Miami couldn’t overcome Toronto drilling 13 three-pointers. The Raptors picked up a front-door cover in the final meeting in March by covering as 6 ½-point favorites in a 112-104 victory over the Heat. DeRozan lit up the Heat by tallying a game-high 38 points, while Wade missed the game due to injury.

Toronto owned the second-best home record in the Eastern Conference at 32-9 in the regular season, closing with a 7-3 ATS record in the final 10 games. However, Dwane Casey’s club is 1-3 ATS at the Air Canada Center in the postseason, as the Raptors own a 1-5 ATS record in its past six home playoff games since 2015. The Heat struggled as a road underdog since the All-Star break by compiling a 2-8 ATS record in the last 10 opportunities, but did cover in Game 6 in the last round at Charlotte.

VegasInsider.com editorial director and NBA expert Chris David breaks down the Game 1 total, “The ‘under’ went 30-13 in the first round of the NBA playoffs and both the Raptors (6-1) and Heat (5-2) helped contribute to that mark with plenty of tickets going to the low side. The total for Game 1 opened at 191 ½ and that’s the second lowest number that we’ve seen during this year’s postseason. Both teams will be playing their third game in five nights and neither club has much fire power off the bench, which makes me believe that we could see an ugly game on Tuesday.”

Western Conference Semifinals – Game 2
(5) Blazers at (1) Warriors – 10:30 PM EST – TNT

Golden State continued to roll even with Stephen Curry sidelined, as the top-seeded Warriors cruised past the Blazers in Sunday’s second round opener, 118-106 to cash as 9 ½-point favorites. Steve Kerr’s team jumped out to a 37-17 advantage after one quarter, highlighted by a 37-point performance from shooting guard Klay Thompson. All five Golden State starters put up double-figures, while Draymond Green posted a triple-double with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Even though Damian Lillard scored a team-high 30 points for Portland, the All-Star guard shot 8-of-26 from the floor, while the Blazers hit 40% of their attempts from the floor. Lillard’s backcourt mate C.J. McCollum failed to hit a three-pointer in four tries, while shooting 5-of-17 from the field for 12 points.

Portland has dropped 10 consecutive road playoff games in the role of an underdog since 2014, while compiling an 0-9-1 ATS mark in this span. The Blazers have won once away from the Moda Center in this stretch, coming in Game 5 at Staples Center in the last round against the beat-up Clippers as a short favorite.

Golden State has performed well in the playoffs against the number so far by going 5-1 ATS with the only loss coming in Game 3 of the opening round at Houston. The Warriors have finished ‘under’ the total in four of six postseason contests, while allowing at least 100 points twice, as Golden State has cashed the ‘under’ each time they limit an opponent to below 100 points.

David believes the Warriors won’t have it as easy tonight, “It’s hard to make a case for Portland on the road but I’d be hesitant to back Golden State in Game 2, especially since it’s now a double-digit favorite. I don’t expect the Warriors to drop this game, knowing they’ve gone 30-2 at Oracle Arena this season when laying 10-plus points. However, the club is 16-16 ATS and that makes this game a toss-up to me plus Golden State had Curry playing in 31 of those games. In the first round, Houston put up a better effort in Game 2 versus the Warriors but still wound up losing. I expect Portland to rebound in this spot and grabbing the points is worth a look.”

All five matchups between the Blazers and Warriors flew ‘over’ the total, as Golden State has scored at least 118 points against Portland four times this season. The Blazers have dropped seven of the past eight visits to Oracle Arena since 2013, while six of those games have been decided by double-digits.

[StarDust Bum]

Game 2 - Hawks at Cavaliers
May 3, 2016

Even with Kevin Love out with a shoulder injury and Kyrie Irving missing Games 2 and 3 of last year’s Eastern Conference finals, Cleveland made easy work of Atlanta in a four-game sweep. For the first 2.5 quarters of Monday’s East semifinals lid-lifter, everything looked the same between the Cavaliers and the Hawks.

When Dennis Schroder committed a turnover that turned into a Cleveland fast break and a LeBron James’ dunk, Tyronn Lue’s squad took a 72-54 lead with 3:56 remaining in the third quarter and Game 1 appeared to be a done deal. Ah, but folks, that’s why they play these games.

On a night at Quicken Loans Arena when franchise stalwart Al Horford played one of his worst games in recent memory and Kyle Korver was smothered and covered to the extent that he only was able to get one shot off despite playing 37 minutes, Schroder sparked a 26-7 run and Atlanta took its first lead of the game on an alley-oop pass from Schroder to Horford for an emphatic dunk in traffic with 8:00 remaining.

Kyrie Irving answered with a 3-pointer, but Schroder came right back and penetrated to the rim for an easy layup to knot the score at 82-82. Again, however, Irving responded with a bucket in the lane, but a Paul Millsap basket pulled Atlanta even once more. Irving put the Cavs back in front with a 15-footer, only for Schroder to answer with a layup of his own.

With the game tied, the Hawks had three straight empty possessions resulting in a pair of 3-point misses and a turnover by Kent Bazemore. Nevertheless, after a Tristan Thompson free throw gave Cleveland a one-point advantage, Horford put the Hawks back ahead by one with a short jump hook at the 4:28 mark.

From there, however, the Cavs went on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes. The spread cover was still in doubt when Millsap made a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 97-90 with 1:28 remaining. But Cleveland scored seven straight to capture a 104-93 win to hook up its betting backers as a 7.5-point home favorite.

The 197 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 200-point total.

Cleveland (62-25 straight up, 40-44-3 against the spread) led 30-19 at the end of the first quarter to easily cover first-quarter wagers as a three-point favorite. Lue’s squad enjoyed a 51-41 advantage at intermission to cover first-half bets (-4.5).

Trailing by 10, Atlanta was made a 1.5-point underdog for second-half bets (+11.5 adjusted). Therefore, when Lamar Patterson hit an otherwise meaningless trey with 18 seconds remaining, he gave gamblers taking the Hawks in the second half a winner.

James produced 25 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and five steals, while Irving finished with 21 points and eight assists. Love had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, but he was just 4-of-17 from the field. Also, he appeared to injure his shoulder and turn his ankle in the fourth quarter. In fact, as of Tuesday afternoon, Love was listed as ‘questionable’ for Game 2.

J.R. Smith had 12 points, five rebounds and three assists without a turnover. He drained a huge 3-pointer when the Hawks were up by one midway through the final stanza. Smith was also terrific with his defense on Korver.

Schroder had a career-playoff-high 27 points to go with six assists. However, he committed five turnovers, but the Hawks wouldn’t have been within spitting distance without his scoring efforts. Like Schroder, Bazemore played poorly at crunch time, but he played outstanding for the most part, tallying 16 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. Mike Scott continued to provide solid minutes off the bench, making all three of his shots while contributing seven points, four boards and two assists without a turnover in only 16 minutes of playing time.

Millsap had 17 points, 13 rebounds, four blocked shots, three assists and two steals, but he was only 6-of-19 from the field. Horford had 10 points, six boards, three blocks and two steals, but he went 4-of-13 from the floor. Teague played only 22 minutes, finishing with eight points on 2-of-9 shooting, but he did dish out four assists without committing a turnover.

Atlanta (52-37 SU, 45-43-1 ATS) can’t count on the type of performance it received from Schroder in Game 1 throughout this best-of-seven set, but it has to feel great about having a chance to win on the road with minimal production from Horford, Teague and Korver, who were All-Stars last season.

For Game 2, the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas opened Cleveland as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 199 late Monday night. By lunch on Tuesday, though, the number was down to seven while the tally remained at 199 points. The Hawks were +280 on the money line (risk $100 to win $180), while the Cavs were favored by four for first-half wagers.

Cleveland owns a 36-8 SU record and a 22-22 ATS mark at home this year. Meanwhile, Atlanta is 22-23 SU and 21-23-1 ATS on the road.

The Cavs have won eight in a row over the Hawks, going 7-1 ATS in the process. They have won all four meetings this season both SU and ATS.

The ‘under’ has cashed in four in a row for the Hawks and 10 of their last 12. They have seen the ‘under’ go 50-39 overall, 25-20 in their road assignments.

The ‘under’ is 44-43 overall for the Cavs, but the ‘over’ is 23-21 in their home outings.

5Dimes has the updated series price as Cleveland -1100, leaving Atlanta at +700 on the comeback (risk $100 to win $700).

Tip-off for Wednesday’s Game 2 is slated for 8:05 p.m. Eastern on TNT.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

-- Loyal readers know I’m a long-suffering Hawks fan, so you can imagine how I was pacing around my living room during the fourth quarter of Game 1. My reactions to each play had my dog scared to death (she bolted upstairs to my bedroom after Horford’s dunk to put us in the lead). I only mention this to note that I’m not second-guessing here; I first-guessed, though I can’t reference my twitter feed because I had no time or patience to get on my computer or phone to voice this thought. Though it would have been an against-the-grain move that would’ve drawn criticism galore had it not worked, but I knew Schroder was gassed and (as we used to call it on the playground) “shot out” (didn’t have any more made shots left in him) when he asked out of the game midway through the fourth quarter with the game tied. Budenholzer brought him back in for Teague 62 seconds later at the 5:22 mark, but Schroder missed both of his shots and committed a pair of costly turnovers the rest of the way.

-- Horford and Millsap combined to make only 2-of-16 shots in the first half of Game 1. Love was 1-of-10 in the first 24 minutes.

-- From 5Dimes again, the odds to win the East (as of Tuesday afternoon): Cavs -360, Raptors +600, Heat +1200 and Hawks +1800.

-- Doc Rivers stated Monday that the Clippers will not entertain trade offers for Chris Paul, Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan this offseason. Take that for what it’s worth. I’m not saying they will, but things can certainly change on that front.

-- Things I’ve been diggin’ about these playoffs:

1 - Kobe’s Bryant’s absence.

2 - Charles Barkley!

3 - Every second of Inside the NBA, especially the late-night version.

4 - Klay Thompson’s nastiness at both ends.

5 - That insane pass by Tony Parker to LaMarcus Aldridge for the key 3-pointer at crunch time of Game 2.

6 - Atlanta finally beating Boston in the playoffs with that Game 6 pimpslap.

7 - Austin Rivers’ toughness, effort and performance in Game 6 at Portland. After taking an elbow that required 11 stitches and nearly closed his left eye shut with swelling, he produced 21 points, six rebounds and eight assists without a turnover.

8 - Great effort by the Spurs’ fan holding Steven Adams in the corner at the end of Game 2.

9 - Paul George’s overall play and that backdoor cover to hook me up in Game 7.

10A - The fact that I’ll be at Game 3 on Friday night at Philips Arena. It will be the first time I’ve seen LeBron play in-person.

10B - Manu Ginobili's postgame presser on Monday night. He was absolutely right about not blaming the no-call for losing the game. The Spurs got the steal and had a great chance to score and win the game regardless.

-- Things that are chafing me to no end about the playoffs to date:

1 - Chris Webber!!!!!! (to be clear, this assessment is 24/7/365 and has nothing to do with his rant about the no-call at the end of OKC-San Antonio Game 2)

2 - Marv Albert’s stellar (as usual) work being drowned out by Weber’s utter incompetence and propensity for being an insufferable pain in the ass with nearly everything that comes out of his mouth.

3 - James Harden’s effort (or lack thereof) on defense and his deplorable body language when his team is getting spanked.

4 - Injuries to key players like Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Steph Curry, in addition to Chris Bosh, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, who went down in the regular season.

5 - How one of my favorite players ever (Al Horford) is costing himself lots of cash with the way he’s struggled with his shot.

6 - That foul by Serge Ibaka on Aldridge shooting a 3-ball when OKC was up four with 13 seconds left in Game 2 (what on earth was he doing?!).

7 - Kyle Lowry’s immense struggles. Let’s see how he plays against the Heat when he’s not being defended by George Hill.

8 - Not saying the Pacers would’ve won, but that call has to be made underneath on the obvious push when Indiana was poised to get an offensive rebound down by three with 12-13 seconds remaining.

9 - The thought of being forced to hear C-Webb’s voice/analysis of EVERY game for the rest of the OKC-SA series. Really, TNT? What a nightmare.

10 - Budenholzer giving minutes to Mike Muscala ahead of Kris Humphries.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA: 5 missed calls in OKC-SA Game 2
May 3, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) The NBA said Tuesday there were five incorrect non-calls on the wild final sequence in San Antonio, including a foul on Oklahoma City's Dion Waiters that referees earlier had already acknowledged they missed.

The league agreed with the refs that Waiters should've been whistled for knocking Manu Ginobili back with his elbow to create space to throw an inbounds pass, but also ruled in its Last 2 Minute report that Ginobili first committed a delay-of-game violation by stepping on the sideline as he was defending.

The inbounds play began a frenzied final 13.5 seconds in the Thunder's 98-97 victory over San Antonio on Monday in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. The Spurs ended up stealing Waiters' pass to Kevin Durant to start a fast break but couldn't score, leaving the Western Conference semifinal tied at 1-1.

Referee Ken Mauer, the crew chief, said after the game that upon seeing a review of the play, there should have been an offensive foul on Waiters.

On Tuesday, the referees union wrote on Twitter that it had never seen the play before and would incorporate it into its training moving forward.

''Waiters foul on Ginobili was the worst missed call in playoff history,'' Hall of Famer Magic Johnson wrote on Twitter after the game.

But the problems didn't stop there.

The league determined that the Spurs' Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills grabbed and held Thunder players, affecting their movement and ability to get open to catch the inbound pass.

Once the Spurs came up with it, Mills ended up getting a jumper from the corner that missed. The Spurs couldn't get off a clean attempt on the offensive rebound, and the league determined that was because the Thunder's Serge Ibaka grabbed LaMarcus Aldridge's jersey and affected his attempt.

Had that been called, Aldridge - who scored 41 points and made all 10 free throws - would have attempted two shots from the line to win the game.

Game 3 is Friday in Oklahoma City.

[StarDust Bum]

Varejao says tripping not intentional
May 3, 2016

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Golden State backup big man Anderson Varejao insists he didn't deliberately trip Trail Blazers guard Gerald Henderson in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal playoff series.

Yet after watching the replay, he understands it sure looked like he did it on purpose.

Portland coach Terry Stotts called it a ''dirty play'' on Monday. Then Tuesday, the NBA ruled it a Flagrant 1 foul on Varejao.

The 33-year-old Varejao, a 12th-year NBA veteran from Brazil, says ''I would never try to hurt anybody, I would never do that.''

He and Henderson were ejected late in the third quarter of Sunday's game after receiving their second technical fouls. Both were hit with a technical at the 3:29 mark of the third when Varejao tripped Henderson after they collided. Henderson jumped up, pointing a finger at his opponent's face. They kept jawing a few minutes later and were tossed with 15.1 seconds left in the period.

[StarDust Bum]

Cavaliers not crying foul over LeBron
May 3, 2016

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue celebrated his 39th birthday on Tuesday and proudly showed off a few gray hairs - silvery-speckled souvenirs of job-related stress.

''I dyed mine gray,'' Lue joked. ''My Barack Obama look.''

Well, Lue may soon be grayer than the president if King James doesn't get to the free-throw line more often.

LeBron James attempted just one foul shot - completing a 3-point play with 2:09 left - in Cleveland's Game 1 win over the Atlanta Hawks, who overcame an 18-point deficit before fading in the final four minutes and losing by 11.

Over the course of his 13-year career, James has played in 183 playoff games, and this was just the first time he attempted only one free throw. Twice he took zero.

Lue wasn't about to risk a fine from the NBA for complaining about the officials heading into Game 2 on Wednesday, but he thought James deserved more whistles than were heard.

''When he attacks the basket, he's so strong and athletic and he goes with so much force that a lot of times, guys are bouncing off of him, but still, those are fouls,'' said Lue, who improved to 5-0 in his first postseason in charge. ''We just got to continue to play through it and got to continue to keep attacking and, hopefully, we'll get those calls.''

On one late sequence, James got whacked in the face as he drove to the basket by Atlanta's Paul Millsap and crashed to the floor. Sprawled next to a few photographers on the baseline, James held his head as play continued without him. The Hawks then enjoyed a 5-on-4 advantage for several seconds before James lumbered up the floor still smarting from Millsap's blow.

James gets his share of favorable calls, no doubt. But to this point in these playoffs, the four-time MVP has only tried 16 free throws in five games.

That's hardly preferential treatment for a superstar.

Atlanta did all it could to slow him down, and James still posted 25 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and five steals in 40 minutes as the Cavs improved to 9-0 against the Hawks in the postseason. The Hawks may need a new strategy to prevent the Cavs from taking a 2-0 lead.

While they did a serviceable job on James, the Hawks were unable to stop Kyrie Irving (21 points) down the stretch, they scored one field goal in the final 4:29 and they couldn't handle Tristan Thompson, who snared 14 rebounds, including a vital one on the offensive end that led to James' game-sealing 3-point play.

Thompson's uncanny ability to come up with rebounds has been an issue since last year's Eastern Conference finals when he averaged 11 rebounds during Cleveland's four-game sweep, outplaying Millsap and Al Horford, a pair of All-Stars.

Atlanta's dilemma - and this is true for any Cleveland opponent - is that when a second player commits to guarding James, it makes it easier for Thompson to rebound.

''If you help, then he's active on the boards,'' Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. ''I know it's more important that we make them miss first. That's our priority and then we have to have all five guys in there getting after it. Credit to him. He's a good player. He plays off their penetration and shots well. If we continue to make the first shot difficult and then all five guys participate, that gives us our best chance.''

The Hawks won't have any chance if Kyle Korver doesn't get going.

Atlanta's sharpshooter attempted just one shot - and missed a 3-pointer - in nearly 37 minutes as he was unable to shake free from Cavs guards J.R. Smith, who hounded him all over the court. But while Cleveland's strategy on Korver worked, Hawks guard Dennis Schroder made the Cavs pay by dropping five 3-pointers and scoring 27 points.

Lue made a late adjustment, going over screens instead of under them, to make it tougher on Schroder.

Cleveland's only concern coming out of Game 1 was the health of Kevin Love, who banged his right shoulder when he got Hawks guard Kent Bazemore off his feet with a pump fake and drew a hard foul while trying a 3-pointer.

Love, who scored 17 points on just 4 of 17 shooting in Game 1, was not spotted at the team's facility when the media was allowed in following practice, but Lue said the forward was ''fine.''

''No problems,'' Lue said.

And maybe one less gray hair.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA ATS

NBA > (507) MIAMI@ (508) TORONTO | 2016-05-03 20:05:00 - 2016-05-03 20:05:00
Play ON TORONTO using money line in Home games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 20 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+15.55 units)

NBA > (511) PORTLAND@ (512) GOLDEN STATE | 2016-05-03 22:35:00 - 2016-05-03 22:35:00
Play ON GOLDEN STATE using money line in All games after a win by 10 points or more
The record is 61 Wins and 11 Losses for the last two seasons (+37.1 units)

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NBA MONEYLINE

NBA > (507) MIAMI@ (508) TORONTO | 2016-05-03 20:05:00 - 2016-05-03 20:05:00
Play ON TORONTO using money line in Home games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 20 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+15.55 units)

NBA > (511) PORTLAND@ (512) GOLDEN STATE | 2016-05-03 22:35:00 - 2016-05-03 22:35:00
Play ON GOLDEN STATE using money line in All games after a win by 10 points or more
The record is 61 Wins and 11 Losses for the last two seasons (+37.1 units)

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NBA TOTALS

NBA > (507) MIAMI@ (508) TORONTO | 2016-05-03 20:05:00 - 2016-05-03 20:05:00
Play UNDER MIAMI on the totalin Road games revenging a loss vs opponent
The record is 11 Overs and 29 Unders for the last two seasons (+16.9 units)

NBA > (507) MIAMI@ (508) TORONTO | 2016-05-03 20:05:00 - 2016-05-03 20:05:00
Play UNDER MIAMI on the totalin Road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game
The record is 16 Overs and 37 Unders for the last two seasons (+19.4 units)

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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 > (507) MIAMI @ (508) TORONTO | 2016-05-03 20:05:00 - 2016-05-03 20:05:00
Line: MIAMI BTB PowerLine: MIAMI1
Edge On: MIAMI (5.5)

NBA > (511) PORTLAND @ (512) GOLDEN STATE | 2016-05-03 22:35:00 - 2016-05-03 22:35:00
Line: GOLDEN STATE-9.5 BTB PowerLine: GOLDEN STATE-15
Edge On: GOLDEN STATE (5.5)

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- MLB may move may 30-31 Pirates-Marlins series out of Puerto Rico due to the concerns over the Zika virus.

-- PG Spike Albrecht transfers from Michigan to Purdue, second year in row one of the Wolverines transferred to a Big 14 rival.

-- Texas led 1-0 in 9th inning at Toronto, but Justin Smoak homered in 9th inning, then won game with walk-off homer in 10th-- that doesn't happen very much.

-- Blue Jays were fifth bullpen in last 100 years to start a season 0-9; they got their first win last night.

-- Brooks Robinson holds MLB record, with 10 RBIs in games that ended 1-0. Ted Williams had nine.

-- NFL players are being warned about consuming meat produced in China, Mexico that potentially contains clenbuterol, which is banned under NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy.

**********

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

13) Three officials missed five calls in the last 0:13 of Thunder-Spurs game Monday in San Antonio- those refs need to be suspended. I mean, you can watch a winter of 5th grade CYO games and not see officiating that bad- NBA fans like to brag how he pro game is better than the college game, but the college game is better officiated.

12) Tampa Bay Bucs traded up to draft Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo; one NFL exec called it, "the dumbest draft pick ever", but with touchbacks now being brought out to the 25-yard line, Aguayo's skill at pooching kickoffs could help Bucs trap opponents deep in their own territory. We'll see.

11) States with most players drafted last weekend: Texas 32, Florida 30, California 25, Georgia 16.

10) Dodgers are playing in St Pete against the Rays this week; LA has three players who were on the 2008 AL champ Rays-- Kazmir, Crawford, Howell. Tampa Bay has only one player left from that team, Evan Longoria.

9) Washington Nationals have scored in first inning in 15 of their 26 games, best %age of any big league team.

8) Last December 12, Astros traded Vincent Velasquez and four other players to the Phillies for reliever Ken Giles and a minor leaguer. Velasquez is 4-1, 1.44 for the Phils so far, while Giles is struggling (0-2, 8.18). Early returns favor the Phils by a lot.

7) I don't think felons should be allowed to vote; its a price you pay for getting caught committing a felony, which is a serious crime.

6) Prior to Tuesday's games, these players have come to the plate with the most men on base this season: Polanco (Pitt) 94, Rizzo (Cubs) 88, Heyward (Cubs) 86.

5) Players who knocked in the highest %age of baserunners this season:
Nick Markakis, 33.9%, Ben Paulsen/Bryce Harper 30%, Ryan Braun 27.8%.

4) Players who have had trouble knocking in baserunners this year:
Howie Kendrick 0-34, Logan Morrison, 0-26, Erick Aybar 1-61. Kendrick had four hits Tuesday, getting off the schneid with two RBI.

3) Former UNLV hoop coach Dave Rice is getting paid $300K a year over the next three years by his old team, which is why he signed on as an assistant coach at Nevada for only $75K. Coaches of Rice's stature generally make more than that.

2) Golfer Brian Stuard won his first PGA tournamnt in New Orleans Monday; for the week, he was 44-44 on putts of 10 feet or less. I couldn't make 44 of 44 putting into the clown's mouth at miniature golf, so good for him.

1) One of the growing debates in baseball is whether teams should shift and how much. I'm thinking it is generally helpful but it is being overdone because the numbers gurus have to justify their existence. With bases empty and a non-home run hitter up, you're giving up an easy base hit by shifting. Trey Calhoun did that against the Brewers in a game Monday, bunting for an easy hit because Milwaukee shifted. Shifting against home run hitters has very little downside.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Wednesday, May 4

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Wednesday's NBA playoffs betting preview and odds: Hawks at Cavaliers
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The Atlanta Hawks battled hard in Game 1 but came up a little bit short in a 104-93 victory for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The lone game on the NBA schedule for Wednesday features the Atlanta Hawks attempting to even their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. We break down all the action so you can cap the game like a pro.

Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers (-7, 198)

Cavaliers lead 1-0

The Cleveland Cavaliers keep knocking off Atlanta in the postseason and look to do it for the 10th consecutive time when they host the Hawks in Wednesday's Game 2. Cleveland continued its playoff mastery of Atlanta with a 104-93 series-opening victory on Monday as it held the Hawks to 37.9 percent shooting from the field.

The Cavaliers let an 18-point third-quarter lead get away in Game 1 but outclassed Atlanta down the stretch to deal the Hawks another loss. "They're a great team," Atlanta shooting guard Kyle Korver told reporters. "They beat a lot of people. It's not just us. Are we getting closer to getting over the hump? I don't know. ... We definitely got to get that win first." Cleveland drained 15 3-point baskets and received a stellar all-around effort from forward LeBron James, who had 25 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and five steals. "We played an OK game," James told reporters. "I don't think we played to our standards. The first game is always kind of a feel-out."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: The Cavaliers opened at 7.5-point favorites at home for Game 2. By Tuesday morning the public, somewhat surprisingly, bet the Hawks enough to force the books to drop the line to -7. The total opened at 199 and came down a half point to 198.5. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE HAWKS (52-37, 45-43-1 ATS, 39-50 O/U): Backup point guard Dennis Schroder was superb with a playoff career-best 27 points in Game 1, and he made five of Atlanta's 11 3-pointers. His play helped the Hawks make the second-half charge on a night in which starting guards Jeff Teague (eight points on 2-of-9 shooting) and Kyle Korver (three points, 0-of-1 shooting) were highly unproductive. "I think we can play better," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters. "Obviously, Dennis had a great game for us but overall, the whole group, we can play better. Defensively, we had some possessions where we gave ourselves a chance and we just couldn’t come up with a couple of rebounds late when it was tied (at 86)."

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (62-25, 40-44-3 ATS, 43-44 O/U): Power forward Kevin Love had 17 points and 11 rebounds while struggling through a 4-of-17 shooting performance in the opener. He also appeared to tweak his right shoulder late in the contest - it was his left shoulder that he dislocated in last season's playoffs - but insisted the injury was minor. "I’m fine. I was telling (general manager David Griffin) after the game I can't catch a break with that shoulder, but I'm fine," Love told reporters. "It was just one of those plays. You've always got to watch it when you pump-fake at that 3-point line on a jump shot. You can take a hit, but I feel good."

TRENDS:

* Hawks are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Cavaliers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. NBA Southeast.
* Under is 7-0 in Hawks last 7 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Over is 7-2 in Cavaliers last 9 Wednesday games.
* Hawks are 0-5 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, May 4

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ATLANTA (52 - 37) at CLEVELAND (62 - 25) - 5/4/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 17-36 ATS (-22.6 Units) in road games in all playoff games since 1996.
ATLANTA is 7-22 ATS (-17.2 Units) in the second round of the playoffs since 1996.
CLEVELAND is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) in home games against Southeast division opponents this season.
ATLANTA is 100-83 ATS (+8.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 57-38 ATS (+15.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 34-43 ATS (-13.3 Units) as a favorite this season.
CLEVELAND is 10-19 ATS (-10.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.

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

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NBA
Short Sheet

Wednesday, May 4

Atlanta at Cleveland, 8:05 ET
Atlanta: 7-22 ATS in the second round of the playoffs
Cleveland: 16-7 ATS when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, May 4

Atlanta-Cleveland (C 1-0)
Cavaliers won their last eight games (7-1 vs spread) vs Hawks, covered four of last five played here. Four of last six series games went over the total. Cleveland made 15-31 on arc in Game 1 win; all five starters were +15 or better. Atlanta lost five of last six road games; its starters shot 32% in Game 1. Schroder had 27 points in 29:00 off bench. Cleveland is 4-2 vs spread in last six home games.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31
Second round: Favorites: 4-2, over: 3-3




NBA

Wednesday, May 4

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. CLEVELAND
Atlanta is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
Atlanta is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta