Announcement

**Udog** · 04-18-2016, 08:29 AM

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Week 1 NFL pointspreads

Carolina @ Denver (-1)...........................Chicago @ Houston (-4.5)

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta (-3.5)..................Green Bay @ Jacksonville (+3.5)

Minnesota @ Tennessee (+3).................Miami @ Seattle (-7.5)

Cleveland @ Philadelphia (-7.5)..............NJ Giants @ Dallas (-5.5)

NJ Jets @ Cincinnati (even)....................Detroit @ Indianapolis (-5.5)

Oakland @ New Orleans (-1.5)...............New England @ Arizona (even)

San Diego @ Kansas City (-7.5).............Pittsburgh @ Washington (+3)

Buffalo @ Baltimore (-3).........................Los Angeles @ San Francisco (+2.5)

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

13) So which QB do the Rams take with the first pick in the draft? Spent an hour this morning watching Jon Gruden's TV shows with Goff/Wentz, trying to learn about both guys, while seeing if Gruden preferred either guy. Hard to tell.

One thing: Goff is a huge SF Giants baseball fan; you wonder if he's a 49er fan too; if he is, kind of awkward to make him the cornerstone of the Rams' franchise.

12) 18 years ago, Colts/Chargers had #1, #2 picks in the draft; there was a standoff in the media which QB rpsopect was the better one, no one seemed to know. Turns out that Peyton Manning was the right choice and Ryan Leaf wasn't. But make no mistake about it, at the time a lot of smart people thought Leaf was the better choice.

11) Apparently, Tennessee is using the extra picks it got from the Rams to try and get back in the top 10 of the first round.

10) Since 1999 in the NBA playoffs, #7 seeds are 1-33 in first round series against the #2 seeds. I've long believed that best-of-7 series are too long in these first round series. It just gets boring watching the #1, #2 seeds pummel inferior teams.

9) In 1981, Mike Schmidt was baseball's highest paid player; he made $2,130,000.

8) Disney has six Star Wars movies planned, all the way thru 2020; its like having this out-of-control printing press in your cellar that just constantly churns out money.

7) On July 2, 2013, the Orioles traded Jake Arrieta, Pedro Strop and cash to the Cubs, for Scott Feldman, Steve Clevenger. Oy. Arrieta hasn't allowed a run at Wrigley Field since last July, thats six scoreless home starts in a row.

6) Couple years ago, Steve Kerr turned down the Knicks' coaching job and went to the Warriors; now his assistant Luke Walton is doing the same thing.

5) Brooklyn Nets hired Hawks' assistant Kenny Atkinson as their new coach; he is said to be a very strong player development coach.

4) On Opening Day, there were 82 Dominican-born major leaguers, an average of three per team. You wonder how the language barrier affects players who weren't born in this country. If I owned a big league team, all my coaches would have to know how to speak Spanish. Communication is very important.

3) Former Iona star AJ English was VP of the Portsmouth tournament this weekend; we'll see if that helps him get drafted in June.

2) Dodgers started Howie Kendrick at 3B this week, first time he's started there since 2006; they also started him in LF, first time he's started there since 2011.

1) Florida State has played in 34 consecutive bowls, the longest current streak in college football; Virginia Tech is next at 23, then Georgia at 19. Funny that all three schools have changed coaches in the last six years, Va Tech and Georgia this year.

**Udog** · 04-18-2016, 08:44 AM

NBA

Monday, April 18

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Monday's NBA playoffs betting preview and odds
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Stephen Curry poured in 24 points in only 19:49 of playing time in the Warriors easy, 104-78, win over the Rockets in Game 1.

The Golden State Warriors aren't sure if they'll be with or without reining MVP Stephen Curry against the Houston Rockets. There is certainly plenty of intrigue heading into Monday's trio of Game 2 matchups.

Indiana Pacers at Toronto Raptors (-7, 193.5)

Pacers lead series 1-0

All-Star forward Paul George and the Indiana Pacers delivered the opening salvo and look to make it two consecutive road victories when they face the Toronto Raptors on Monday. George poured in 33 points in Saturday's 100-90 victory and Indiana attempts to continue the playoff woes of the Raptors.

Second-seeded Toronto hasn't won a playoff series since 2001 and has dropped its last seven postseason games, which includes last season's four losses to the Washington Wizards. "As a team, as a whole, I thought we were tight," Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters. "I know our team did not play to our identity, but I know we'll come back Monday night and play to our identity." The seventh-seeded Pacers plan to ride the coattails of George in this series and he is intent on making a mark in his first postseason appearances since badly breaking his right leg in the summer of 2014. "Paul's shot-making at the end of the game was spectacular," Indiana coach Frank Vogel told reporters in reference to George's 27 second-half points. "It's been a long road for him in terms of actually getting back to the court but before his injury, we were in the conference finals."

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

LINE HISTORY: The Raptors opened as seven-point favorites at home and the spread has yet to move off the opening number. The total opened at 193 and was adjusted slightly to 193.5. View complete line history here.

MATCHUP CHART:

ABOUT THE PACERS (46-37, 42-40-1 ATS, 37-46 O/U): George said after the Game 1 victory that he is still working on getting to be as strong physically as he was prior to the devastating injury that required an arduous recovery. "Some days I felt great, felt like I could have started that night," George told reporters. "Some days I wanted to throw it all in, let Mother Nature heal it without doing any work. It was a little bit of both." George (4-of-5) and shooting guard Monta Ellis (3-of-4) were strong from 3-point range in the opener and Indiana was 11-of-21 overall.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (56-27, 45-38 ATS, 42-40-1 O/U): Game 1 was filled with offensive inefficiency as Toronto shot 38 percent from the field and committed 20 turnovers that led to 25 Indiana points. "We just missed some shots and turned the ball over," All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry told reporters. "Now there's a series of adjustments we have to do in one day. It's one game. This is not last year. We're very positive, we're very confident." Lowry was just 3-of-13 shooting, All-Star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan was only 5-of-19 and center Jonas Valanciunas - who set a franchise playoff record with 19 rebounds - was just 4-of-14.

TRENDS:

* Pacers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. Eastern Conference.
* Raptors are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a straight up loss.
* Under is 6-1 in Pacers last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Over is 6-1 in Raptors last 7 games following a double-digit loss at home.
* Pacers are 2-10 ATS in the last 12 meetings.

Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder (-13.5, 200)

Thunder lead series 1-0

The Oklahoma City Thunder put together an immaculate performance in the series opener and look to outclass Dallas again when they host the visiting Mavericks on Monday. The Thunder rolled to a 108-70 annihilation of Dallas on Saturday in what was the franchise's largest margin of victory in a playoff game since relocating from Seattle to Oklahoma City prior to the 2008-09 campaign.

The third-seeded Thunder missed the playoffs last season and came out with a vengeance against the Mavericks as if they had a point to make. "We just wanted to come out and impose our will early," All-Star forward Kevin Durant told reporters. "We didn't want to ease into the game. We wanted to be the aggressor. We came out and did a good job." Sixth-seeded Dallas set dubious franchise playoff records for fewest points scored and worst field-goal percentage (29.8 percent) in a truly woeful showing. "I guess the only positive I take out if this - it's only one game," power forward Dirk Nowitzki told reporters. "If you lose by two or by 50, in the playoffs, it's only one game. We've got another crack to steal one on Monday night. We've got to play harder, we've got to play better. It's as simple as that."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, FSN Oklahoma

LINE HISTORY: Oklahoma City opened as 13-point favorites but that line was quickly bet up to -13.5. The total opened at 202 and the public jumped all over the under, forcing the books to drop the number a full two points to 200. View complete line history here.

MATCHUP CHART:

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (42-41, 45-37-1 ATS, 39-43-1 O/U): Point guard J.J. Barea has been one of the team's better players this month but his availability is in jeopardy after he aggravated a groin injury during the second half of Game 1. "I'm very, very concerned," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. "I think something happened. I don't think it's just tight." Nowitzki scored 18 points on Saturday and the rest of the starting lineup combined for just 12 points on 5-of-25 shooting as guards Deron Williams (1-of-9), Wesley Matthews (3-of-10) and Barea (1-of-6) were unable to get untracked.

ABOUT THE THUNDER (56-27, 38-44-1 ATS, 39-44 O/U): Point guard Russell Westbrook (24 points and 11 assists in 29 minutes) and Durant (23 points in 26 minutes) were productive as usual but Oklahoma City also received a strong performance from power forward Serge Ibaka, who had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go with nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Ibaka has struggled recently and went 1-of-12 from the field in his final regular-season appearance but was a much different player in the assault of the Mavericks. "When he's knocking (down shots), it opens it up for us on the offensive end," Durant told reporters. "Then guarding Dirk is tough. He made it tough on him all night. He was helping off, protecting the rim, spreading the floor. He was good, but we need him to be better next game."

TRENDS:

* Mavericks are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Thunder are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Under is 6-1 in Mavericks last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Under is 5-1 in Thunder last 6 vs. NBA Southwest.
* Under is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings in Oklahoma City.

Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors (-13, 218)

Warriors lead series 1-0

The Golden State Warriors looked every bit like the best team in the NBA in Game 1 of their first-round series but did not come out of the 26-point victory with all positives. The Warriors hope to have star guard Stephen Curry (ankle) available when they host the eighth-seeded Houston Rockets in Game 2 on Monday.

Curry scored 24 points in 19 minutes in Game 1 but rolled his right ankle and barely played in the second half as the Warriors cruised to a 104-78 win. Coach Steve Kerr called him “questionable” for Game 2, but Curry disagreed. "Right now, don't see a scenario where I'll be out," Curry told reporters. "Obviously, if it's not right and I'm at risk of further injury or whatnot, that's the only thing that we'll have to worry about. Pain tolerance and all that stuff, I kind of know what I can deal with on the court. But you don't want anything more serious to happen, favoring an ankle or whatnot. So that's what we'll kind of pay attention to the next two days.” The Rockets will spend their off day trying to figure out how to coax more offense out of a team that shot 35.7 percent from the field, including 6-of-22 from 3-point range, in the opener.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT, ROOT (Houston), CSN Bay Area (Golden State)

LINE HISTORY: The Warriors opened as 12.5-point favorites for Game 2 and that line was adjusted up slightly to -13. The total opened at 220 but the betting public decided that number was too high and the books adjusted the number to 218. View complete line history here.

MATCHUP CHART:

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (41-42, 37-46 ATS, 47-36 O/U): Houston went with a smaller lineup to try to counter Golden State, inserting Corey Brewer into the starting lineup in place of power forward Donatas Motiejunas to give the defense more athleticism. "Defensively, we thought it gave us more versatility to switch things," Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters. "Games we've watched, the way we've studied it, the teams that have had success versus them defensively weren't chasing them all over the floor. They just check in front of them. So we went that way." The defensive changes backfired and the offense stalled as star James Harden went 7-of-19 from the floor and did not attempt a free throw for the first time in 148 games.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (74-9, 46-35-2 ATS, 45-37-1 O/U): Golden State was plus-28 with Curry on the floor in Game 1 and doesn’t want to play without its star, but is prepared if necessary. “If you lose the MVP, it’s going to change your team,” Warriors forward Draymond Green told reporters. “I think he’ll be fine at some point. One man is not going to come out and be Steph Curry. We have to do it collectively. But we have the blueprint (for winning without Curry). We know we can do it, if we have to.” Fellow All-Star guard Klay Thompson struggled from the field (4-of-14) but Green collected 12 points and 10 rebounds and Golden State scored 33 points off Houston’s 24 turnovers in Game 1.

TRENDS:

* Rockets are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Warriors are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. NBA Southwest.
* Under is 6-0 in Rockets last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Golden State.

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**Udog** · 04-18-2016, 08:51 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Monday, April 18

Indiana @ Toronto

Game 517-518
April 18, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
121.718
Toronto
124.174
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 2 1/2
189
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 7
194
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(+7); Under

Dallas @ Oklahoma City

Game 519-520
April 18, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
118.349
Oklahoma City
126.737
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Oklahoma City
by 8 1/2
197
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Oklahoma City
by 13
201
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(+13); Under

Houston @ Golden State

Game 521-522
April 18, 2016 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
116.252
Golden State
131.890
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 15 1/2
222
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 13
218
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(-13); Over

NBA
Short Sheet

Monday, April 18

Indiana at Toronto, 3:00 ET
Indiana: 21-10 ATS after playing a game as an underdog
Toronto: 10-24 ATS revenging a straight up loss vs opponent as a favorite

Dallas at Oklahoma City, 3:00 ET
Dallas: 50-27 ATS off a road blowout loss of 20 points or more
Oklahoma City: 29-40 ATS after playing a game as favorite

Houston at Golden State, 3:00 ET
Houston: 48-72 ATS on road revenging a loss vs opponent of 10 points or more
Golden State: 14-5 ATS against Southwest division opponents

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, April 18

Indiana-Toronto (Ind 1-0)
Toronto lost its last five first round series; last time they won a first round series was 2001- they got upset 100-90 here Saturday, turning ball over 19 times, going 4-19 on arc, so pressure on them to even series before it heads to Indy. Raptors won seven of last nine games with Indiana; Toronto has covered nine of last 11 series games- six of last nine went over total. Pacers won seven of last nine t overall, four of last five on the road. Raptors won seven of last ten games overall, covering five of last eight.

Dallas-Oklahoma City (OC 1-0)
OC was up 59-33 at half in Saturday's rout; Thunder won last five games with Dallas, but Mavericks are 6-5 vs spread in last 11 vs OKC. Seven of last ten series games went over. Dallas won seven of last ten games, covered four of last six as a dog- Eight of last ten Dallas games stayed under total. Mavericks shot 29.8% in big loss Saturday, 4-18 on arc. Thunder was 12-35 on arc. Every west Game 1 saw favorite win by 20+; dogs were 3-1 vs spread in east.

Houston-Golden State (G 1-0)
Curry's ankle is only question here; he played very little in 2nd half of huge rout Saturday; was it a precaution? Golden State won 10 of last 11 games (7-4 vs the spread) against Houston, covering last six played here. Rockets won three of last four games, are 3-2 vs spread in five tries as an underdog. Warriors won by 26 in first game Saturday, leading 60-33 at half, have to question whether the Rockets want to compete- they shot 36% from floor, 12-24 on line, 6-22 on arc.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 6-2, Over: 2-6

NBA

Monday, April 18

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
INDIANA vs. TORONTO
Indiana is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Indiana
Toronto is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games at home

8:00 PM
DALLAS vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Dallas's last 8 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
Dallas is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 7 games when playing Dallas

10:30 PM
HOUSTON vs. GOLDEN STATE
Houston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston's last 9 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Golden State's last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

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**Udog** · 04-18-2016, 09:36 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Monday, April 18

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INDIANA (46 - 37) at TORONTO (56 - 27) - 4/18/2016, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
INDIANA is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
TORONTO is 170-211 ATS (-62.1 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.

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

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DALLAS (42 - 41) at OKLAHOMA CITY (56 - 27) - 4/18/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 28-41 ATS (-17.1 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 37-51 ATS (-19.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 18-34 ATS (-19.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 10-21 ATS (-13.1 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 346-279 ATS (+39.1 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
DALLAS is 462-384 ATS (+39.6 Units) in road games since 1996.
DALLAS is 84-57 ATS (+21.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is between 200 and 204.5 points since 1996.
DALLAS is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) against Northwest division opponents this season.
DALLAS is 182-144 ATS (+23.6 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent since 1996.
DALLAS is 136-103 ATS (+22.7 Units) in road games after allowing 105 points or more since 1996.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 36-44 ATS (-12.4 Units) in all games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 24-36 ATS (-15.6 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 6-6 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 7-5 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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HOUSTON (41 - 42) at GOLDEN STATE (74 - 9) - 4/18/2016, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 37-46 ATS (-13.6 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 45-35 ATS (+6.5 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 42-34 ATS (+4.6 Units) as a favorite this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 53-38 ATS (+11.2 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 117-87 ATS (+21.3 Units) in April games since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) against Southwest division opponents this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 18-6 ATS (+11.4 Units) in the first round of the playoffs since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 56-40 ATS (+12.0 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 59-45 ATS (+9.5 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 34-23 ATS (+8.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 60-42 ATS (+13.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 24-13 ATS (+9.7 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 38-23 ATS (+12.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 9-22 ATS (-15.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 10-6 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 13-3 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
10 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Announcement

Monday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 4/18

Monday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 4/18

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