Announcement

**Udog** · 04-21-2016, 07:19 AM

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

**Udog** · 04-21-2016, 07:27 AM

NBA

Thursday, April 21

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

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

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

Series tied 1-1

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

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

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

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

MATCHUP CHART:

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

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

TRENDS:

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

Toronto Raptors at Indiana Pacers (+1.5, 193)

Series tied 1-1

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

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

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

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

MATCHUP CHART:

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

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

TRENDS:

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

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

Warriors lead series 2-0

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

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

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

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

MATCHUP CHART:

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

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

TRENDS:

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

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**Udog** · 04-21-2016, 07:32 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, April 21

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, April 21

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

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

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

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

NBA

Thursday, April 21

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

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

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

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**Udog** · 04-21-2016, 08:36 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Thursday, April 21

Oklahoma City @ Dallas

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

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

Toronto @ Indiana

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

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

Golden State @ Houston

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

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

**Udog** · 04-21-2016, 11:57 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Thursday, April 21

Oklahoma City at Dallas, 7:05 ET
Oklahoma City: 39-20 ATS after a close loss by 3 points or less
Dallas: 11-22 ATS when playing with 2 days rest

Toronto at Indiana, 7:35 ET
Toronto: 1-8 ATS after 3 or more consecutive unders
Indiana: 11-3 ATS when playing with 2 days rest

Golden State at Houston, 9:35 ET
Golden State: 20-7 ATS after 2 straight games where they had 10 or more steals
Houston: 19-28 ATS after allowing 105 points or more

Announcement

Thursday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 4/21

Thursday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 4/21

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