The Bum's 2016 NBA Best Bets-Trends-News-Stats !

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NY at PHI 07:00 PM

PHI +1.5

O 209.5

WAS at BOS 08:00 PM

BOS -6.5

U 218.0

MEM at OKC 08:00 PM

MEM +5.0

U 203.0

HOU at MIN 08:00 PM

MIN +3.5

O 219.0

ORL at LAC 10:30 PM

LAC -10.5

O 208.5

CLE at POR 10:30 PM

POR +4.5

O 221.0

[StarDust Bum]

NBA SEASON RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS:

ATS Picks 257-269-8 48.86% -19450

O/U Picks 272-258-5 51.32% -5900

DAILY OPINIONS AND BEST BETS:

01/01/2017 3-7-0 30.00% -2350
01/02/2017 8-8-0 50.00% -400
01/03/2017 6-9-0 40.00% -1950
01/04/2017 6-8-0 42.86% -1400
01/05/2017 NO PLAYS
01/06/2017 NO PLAYS
01/07/2017 10-4-0 71.43% +2800
01/08/2017 12-6-0 66.67% +2700
01/09/2017 4-2-0 66.67% +900
01/10/2017 10-8-0 55.56% +600

DAILY BEST BETS

JANUARY

ATS:.......18 - 12 - 0

O/U........19 - 14 - 0

[StarDust Bum]

NBA Capsules
January 12, 2017

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Russell Westbrook posted his 18th triple-double of the season, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 103-95 on Wednesday night.

Westbrook finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for the 55th triple-double of his career. He already has matched his triple-double total from last season less than halfway through this one, and last season's total was the most for an NBA player since Magic Johnson had 18 during the 1981-82 season.

Enes Kanter scored 19 points and Victor Oladipo added 16 for the Thunder, who won their third straight and avenged their worst loss of the season. Oklahoma City lost 114-80 in Memphis on Dec. 29, a game Westbrook was ejected from.

Mike Conley scored 22 points for the Grizzlies.

TIMBERWOLVES 119, ROCKETS 105

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Andrew Wiggins scored 28 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 18 rebounds, and Shabazz Muhammad scored 20 to help Minnesota beat Houston.

James Harden had 33 points and 12 assists for the Rockets, who had their nine-game winning streak snapped.

Ricky Rubio tied his own franchise record with 17 assists to go with 10 points for the Timberwolves, who used a 17-4 run to build an 89-77 lead after three quarters.

CELTICS 117, WIZARDS 108

BOSTON (AP) - Isaiah Thomas scored 20 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter and Boston pulled away late to beat Washington.

Al Horford added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who won for the fifth time in six games and ended Washington's three-game winning streak. Jae Crowder scored 20 and Terry Rozier had 11.

Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 35 points. Otto Porter Jr. scored 20 and Markieff Morris finished with 14.

Boston held John Wall to a season-low nine points. The star guard did have 10 assists for the Wizards, who fell to 19-19 a day after moving above .500 for the first time since November 2015.

76ERS 98, KNICKS 97

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - T.J. McConnell hit a baseline jumper at the buzzer to give Philadelphia a victory over New York.

Joel Embiid had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Ersan Ilyasova added 16 points to help the 76ers rally from a 17-point deficit.

Derrick Rose returned from a one-game hiatus and scored 25 points for the Knicks. Carmelo Anthony had 28.

Rose showed why New York needs him on the court, two days after an unexcused absence. He missed Monday night's loss to New Orleans when he traveled home to Chicago without informing the team first.

TRAIL BLAZERS 102, CAVALIERS 86

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - CJ McCollum had 27 points and Portland shook off fatigue caused by weather-related travel delays to beat defending NBA champion Cleveland.

Allen Crabbe added 24 points off the bench for the Trail Blazers, who have won four straight home games against the Cavaliers. Portland led by as many as 24.

LeBron James had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland (28-10).

McCollum scored 21 points in the second half. He has had seven straight games with 25 or more.

A snowstorm that dumped as much as 14 inches on parts of Portland caused travel problems for both teams late Tuesday.

CLIPPERS 105, MAGIC 96

LOS ANGELES (AP) - J.J. Redick had 22 points and Los Angeles hit five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to hold off Orlando, improving to 5-0 in the new year.

Marreese Speights scored 10 of his 13 in the fourth, including three 3-pointers, on a night when the Clippers committed 21 turnovers. DeAndre Jordan grabbed 20 rebounds (to go with 10 points) for his NBA-leading sixth game with 20 or more.

Aaron Gordon had 28 points, 18 in the first half, to lead Orlando, which has lost four in a row and six of seven. Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s six-pack

Some thoughts on the Chargers moving to Los Angeles

— If they move to the Coliseum, they need to put FieldTurf down; no way will that grass field hold up with USC, the Rams and Chargers all playing home games there.

— There is a chance the Chargers could play in a 28,000-seat stadium in Carson for a couple years, until the new stadium in Inglewood is ready.

— Chargers have to pay the city of San Diego $12M to get out of their lease at Qualcomm.

— What coach is going to be willing to coach a nomadic team for two years?

— What if the Jaguars wanted to move to San Diego? If I owned the Jaguars, I would.

— I’m very curious to know how much money the Spanos family will rake in by moving to LA, as opposed to just staying in San Diego and playing in the old stadium.

Thursday’s List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud……..

13) News came down little while ago that the Chargers will indeed move to LA and may even change their nickname a year from now. Sad day for people in San Diego, who supported this team for 50 years but in today’s society, greed trumps loyalty and that goes for the Rams’ owner, as well. It goes for the whole NFL, but they’re rich people and I’m not, so I’ll shut up.

I’ll just say this; at some point, teams will stop moving and governments will stop shelling out ridiculous sums of money for stadiums that aren’t needed.

Elsewhere in the world…….
12) All four NFL playoff games this weekend are rematches from regular season games, though I doubt Jacoby Brissett will play for the Patriots this week, like he did in Week 3 against Houston.

11) I’m wondering what Clemson’s windfall will be from apparel sales after they won the national title Monday night? Someone in the stadium’s gift shop said Tuesday’s business was similar to an actual game day as far as how much gear they sold. People love a winner.

10) Denver Broncos hired Vance Joseph, Buffalo Bills hired Sean McDermott as their new head coaches, so Panthers, Bills are looking for new defensive coordinators.

9) I didn’t know that Wyoming is the least populated state in the country. Now I do.

8) Speaking of Wyoming, their former star basketball player Josh Adams was in a severe car accident last spring and almost died, but he’s recovered enough that he flew to Russia yesterday to begin his pro basketball career, so that is very good news.

Adams is good enough that he’ll be on an NBA roster someday.

7) Chicago Cubs are visiting the White House Monday, unusually early for a World Series champ, but the outgoing President is from Chicago and the Cubs owner despises the President-elect, so guess it makes some sense.

Can’t wait until next spring’s NBA champ declines to visit the White House. It’ll happen.

6) Upset of the Night: 15-point underdog Fordham won 60-54 at Davidson; with players from seven different countries, you think Davidson has chemistry issues? Seriously, has to be tough to get people from so many different cultures to pull together.

5) 23-year old OF Mallex Smith hit .238 in 72 games in his rookie year for the Braves LY; he was traded twice on Tuesday, first to Seattle, then quickly to Tampa Bay. Had to be a weird day for him.

4) Denver Nuggets-Indiana Pacers are playing a game in London Thursday. Remember that the Nuggets are owned by Stan Kroenke, who also owns the Rams, who get stuck playing a game in London every year. He also owns a soccer team in England. He is really rich.

3) Last night, Chris Paul became the 10th player with 15,000 points and 8,000 assists.

2) This is probably a stupid idea, but wouldn’t it be cool if a former President became a radio talk show host? He could have a studio built in his house and a couple days a week, take calls from ordinary Americans and explain to them why our government is so messed up, and how it could be better.

What better way to learn about government than to hear from a man who ran the country?

“Hello, it is 2:23 and it is 70 degrees in Washington. We’ve got Jane from Spokane on Line 3…..”

1— Hunter Renfrow was a walk-on football player at Clemson; Monday night, he caught 10 passes for 92 yards and scored two TDs for the Tigers. This kid was a 2-star recruit in HS; it is pretty rare for 2-star recruits to become such good players, but good for him.

Several times in the second half Monday night, when Clemson had big plays coming up, Boston College coach Steve Addazio said in the coaches’ studio on ESPNews, “…find number 13” and then Watson would throw him a pass.

There is not, hasn’t been and never will be a metric to measure someone’s heart, or desire, which is a big part of what makes sports great, even if the pro teams are mostly owned by greedy bastards.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA SEASON RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS:

ATS Picks 261-271-8 49.06% -18550

O/U Picks 274-262-5 51.12% -7100

DAILY OPINIONS AND BEST BETS:

01/01/2017 3-7-0 30.00% -2350
01/02/2017 8-8-0 50.00% -400
01/03/2017 6-9-0 40.00% -1950
01/04/2017 6-8-0 42.86% -1400
01/05/2017 NO PLAYS
01/06/2017 NO PLAYS
01/07/2017 10-4-0 71.43% +2800
01/08/2017 12-6-0 66.67% +2700
01/09/2017 4-2-0 66.67% +900
01/10/2017 10-8-0 55.56% +600
01/11/2017 6-6-0 50.00% -300

DAILY BEST BETS

JANUARY

ATS:.......21 - 12 - 0

O/U........21 - 17 - 0

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, January 12

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INDIANA (20 - 18) vs. DENVER (14 - 23) - 1/12/2017, 3:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 3-0 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 3-1 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NEW ORLEANS (15 - 24) at BROOKLYN (8 - 29) - 1/12/2017, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW ORLEANS is 3-1 against the spread versus BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
NEW ORLEANS is 4-0 straight up against BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CHICAGO (19 - 20) at NEW YORK (17 - 22) - 1/12/2017, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 41-60 ATS (-25.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 34-48 ATS (-18.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 9-0 ATS (+9.0 Units) in home games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 83-49 ATS (+29.1 Units) in road games in January games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 5-3 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 4-4 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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LA LAKERS (15 - 27) at SAN ANTONIO (30 - 8) - 1/12/2017, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 19-34 ATS (-18.4 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 210 over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) in a road game where the total is greater than or equal to 210 over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 23-14 ATS (+7.6 Units) in all games this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 48-27 ATS (+18.3 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 210 since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 69-50 ATS (+14.0 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 497-412 ATS (+43.8 Units) in home games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 29-16 ATS (+11.4 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 201-139 ATS (+48.1 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 299-238 ATS (+37.2 Units) after scoring 105 points or more since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 33-20 ATS (+11.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 89-67 ATS (+15.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 4-3 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 7-1 straight up against LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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DALLAS (11 - 27) vs. PHOENIX (12 - 26) - 1/12/2017, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 12-25 ATS (-15.5 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS is 190-148 ATS (+27.2 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent since 1996.
PHOENIX is 1-10 ATS (-10.0 Units) in road games in January games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 17-31 ATS (-17.1 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 19-31 ATS (-15.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 5-3 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 4-4 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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DETROIT (18 - 22) at GOLDEN STATE (33 - 6) - 1/12/2017, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 8-20 ATS (-14.0 Units) in road games after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 17-29 ATS (-14.9 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 18-30 ATS (-15.0 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 29-16 ATS (+11.4 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 72-52 ATS (+14.8 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 62-47 ATS (+10.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 30-13 ATS (+15.7 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 210 since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 6-14 ATS (-9.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 3-2 against the spread versus GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 4-1 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, January 12

Indiana-Denver are playing over in London today. Nuggets are 8-2 in last ten games with Indiana; underdogs are 7-1-1 vs spread in last nine series games— over is 7-3 in last ten. Pacers won/covered their last five games, four of which were at home. Last six Indiana games went over total. Nuggets lost their last five games (1-4 vs spread); they’re 2-6 in last eight games away from home. Last five Denver games went over.

Pelicans won their last five games with Brooklyn, winning by 20-19 points in last two games here; over is 8-2 in last ten series games. New Orleans lost three of last four games; they’re 3-8SU in last 11 road games. 1-1 as road favorites. Five of their last six games stayed under the total. Nets lost their last seven games, are 9-8 as home underdogs. Under is 6-3-1 in their last ten games. Pelicans had two nights off in NYC after playing Knicks, not always a good thing.

Knicks won/covered four of last five games with Chicago; Bulls lost by 16-12 points in last two visits to Manhattan. Over is 7-2-1 in last ten series games. Chicago lost last two games but covered four of last five; they’re 8-8 as road underdogs, covering last three tries. Three of their last four games stayed under. New York lost nine of last ten games, including last four in row at home. Over is 7-4 in their last eleven home games.

Spurs won their last six games with the Lakers but LA covered three of last four; Lakers lost last three visits to Alamo, by 14-22-4 points. Last five series games went over total. LA lost their last five road games; they’re 4-9 in last 13 games as a road underdog. Four of Lakers’ last five road games went over. San Antonio won seven of last nine games, is 8-1 vs spread in last nine home tilts. Over is 7-2 in their last nine games.

Mavericks won four of last five games with Phoenix; teams split last four games played here. Last three series games stayed under total. Dallas lost its last three games but is 4-2 vs spread in last six road games- they’re 7-4 in last 11 games as a road underdog. Suns won three of last four home games (4-0 vs spread); they’re 2-4 as home favorites. Five of their last six games stayed under the total.

Golden State won nine of last ten games with Detroit but Pistons covered three of last four; Detroit lost last four visits to Oakland (2-2 vs spread). Five of last six series games stayed under the total. Pistons lost four of last six road games, are 5-10 as road underdogs. Four of their last five games went over total. Golden State won six of last seven games but covered just one of last six games. Over is 4-2 in their last six home games.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Thursday, January 12

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Trend Report
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3:00 PM
INDIANA vs. DENVER
Indiana is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Denver
Indiana is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Denver
Denver is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Denver's last 12 games when playing Indiana

7:30 PM
NEW ORLEANS vs. BROOKLYN
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Orleans's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Brooklyn's last 6 games when playing at home against New Orleans
Brooklyn is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home

8:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. NEW YORK
Chicago is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games when playing New York
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Chicago's last 16 games
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
New York is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home

8:30 PM
LA LAKERS vs. SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the LA Lakers last 6 games
LA Lakers are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games on the road
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
San Antonio is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home

10:00 PM
DALLAS vs. PHOENIX
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing Phoenix
Dallas is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Phoenix
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas

10:30 PM
DETROIT vs. GOLDEN STATE
Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing Golden State
Golden State is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Golden State's last 6 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

Inside the Paint - Thursday
January 12, 2017

New York Struggles

Two of the coldest clubs in the NBA currently reside in New York and they’re both in action on Thursday.

After a promising start to the season and hopes of making the playoffs, the Knicks (17-22 straight up, 22-17 against the spread) have fallen apart on and off the court. New York has dropped nine of its last 10 games (4-6 ATS) and four of the losses have been decided by five points or less.

Last night, New York collapsed at Philadelphia and lost a 98-97 decision. Point guard Derrick Rose returned to the club after an unexcused absence and actually played well (25 points) against the 76ers.

On Thursday, New York welcomes Rose’s former team to Madison Square Garden when Chicago (19-20 SU, 19-20 ATS) visits. As bad as the Knicks are playing, they’ve been installed as short favorites (-3) over the Bulls.

Chicago is coming off back-to-back losses and it already dropped the first meeting this season against the Knicks on Nov. 4 as New York captured a 117-104 road win.

Make a note that New York hasn’t won when playing on no rest this season, going 0-7 SU and 2-5 ATS. Total bettors should be aware that the ‘over’ has gone 6-1 in the back-to-back spots for New York.

While the Knicks have been horrible lately, the Nets (8-29 SU, 18-17-2 ATS) have outdone their neighbors. Brooklyn has dropped seven straight and is 4-25 in its last 29 games with their last win coming on Dec. 26 against Charlotte (120-118) at home.

Brooklyn lives and dies on the 3-point shot and if they’re not falling, it doesn’t have a chance to win because the defense has been an afterthought this season. The unit is ranked last in scoring, allowing 114.1 points per game. To put things in perspective, the Nets have only kept three teams under the century mark this season.

New Orleans (15-24 SU, 18-20-1 ATS) visits the Barclays Center and the Pelicans could be without All-Star Anthony Davis (hip) on Thursday. The Pelicans have won five straight over the Nets and will likely be rare road favorites in this spot.

For what it’s worth, Brooklyn has notched five of its eight wins against the Western Conference this season and four of them came at home.

International Action

The NBA Global Games returns Thursday with not one but two games on tap.

Indiana (20-18 SU, 17-21 ATS) vs. Denver (14-23 SU, 18-19 ATS)
London (NBATV, 3:00 p.m. ET)

This will be the seventh game played at the The O2 Arena from London and favorites have gone 5-1 SU and 3-3 ATS in the first six in this event while the ‘over’ has produced a 4-2 mark. No opening line was posted on this game due to the ‘questionable’ status of Denver forward Danilo Gallinari (ankle).

The Pacers enter this game on a roll, winning and covering five straight games. The offense is averaging 118.6 points per game during this run and that’s led to a 5-0 ‘over’ record. Make a note that four of the five wins came at home and all of the opponents were below .500.

Denver falls into the aforementioned group of losing teams and coincidentally it enters this game with five consecutive losses, three of them coming at the Pepsi Center. Denver’s issues is defense or lack thereof. The Nuggets are ranked 28th in scoring defense (111.2 PPG) and they’ve surrendered 123.8 PPG during their current losing streak. To no surprise, the ‘over’ has cashed in all five losses.

Fans in the United Kingdom might have a good chance of watching a tight game on Thursday based on the recent history between these teams. Denver has won two of the last three encounters but all three games were decided by four points or less.

Dallas (11-27 SU, 17-21 ATS) vs. Phoenix (12-26 SU, 19-18 ATS)
Mexico City (10:05 p.m. ET)

This is the third game played in Mexico City in the last three seasons and fourth overall. Favorites have gone 2-0 both SU and ATS the last two years, while the total went 1-1.

The Suns have won and covered the only meeting against the Mavericks this season, a 102-95 win at Dallas last Thursday as 5 ½-point road underdogs.

Including that setback, Dallas has now dropped three in a row and four of its last five. The Mavericks have been hobbled all season with injuries but they’ve been better in the second quarter (7-11) of the season after starting 4-16.

The Suns haven’t played since Sunday when they came up short to Cleveland, losing a 120-116 decision at home. Phoenix covered in the loss (+8.5) and has now cashed ticked in five of its last six games.

The total on this game (202) seems a little low based on Phoenix’s weak defensive tendencies (111.9 PPG) but Dallas has been a solid ‘under’ wager (17-13) this season and the Suns enter this matchup on a 5-1 run to the low side.

Two Straight?

San Antonio (30-8 SU, 23-15 ATS) will look to bounce back on Thursday after dropping a 109-107 decision to Milwaukee on Tuesday as a 10-point home favorite. The setback was just their eighth of the season and bettors should note that the club has gone 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS after a loss.

The Spurs will face the Los Angeles Lakers (15-27 SU, 19-22-1 ATS) in the rebound matchup and the oddsmakers expect them to cruise as favorites (-14 ½). San Antonio has won six straight meetings against Los Angeles, which includes a 116-107 won on Nov. 18 as a 7 ½-point road favorite.

The Lakers have gone 3-3 both SU and ATS in January and the key to Luke Walton’s club has been defense. In the last six games, the club allowed 99 PPG in the three wins and 116.3 PPG in the losses.

The Spurs have gone 13-4 since Dec. 6 and the point-spread hasn’t matter in any of those 17 games. When they win, they cover and vice versa with losses. So if you’re looking to back the Lakers, a look at the generous money-line (+1150) might be in play.

Golden Burn

The Warriors (33-6 SU, 16-22-1 ATS) host the Pistons (18-22 SU, 18-22 ATS) in Thursday’s late-night tip on TNT and bettors could be hesitant to back Golden State, who opened as 13 ½-point home favorites.

The two-time defending Western Conference champions will likely be in the hunt for another NBA Finals appearance but covering games on a nightly basis hasn’t been on their agenda this season.

Golden State has lost money for bettors and it enters this matchup with six straight losses against the spread. The club has gone 5-1 SU during this span and every win came by eight-plus points but when you’re consistently laying double digits, covering becomes a lot tougher. Especially when you’re defense hasn’t been great and that’s been the case during this recent stretch (110.6 PPG).

The Warriors dropped the Pistons 119-113 on Dec. 23 as eight-point road favorites and the ‘over’ (214 ½) connected. Including that win, Golden State has won 10 of the past 11 meetings against Detroit and the Pistons haven’t won in the Bay Area since 2008.

Detroit has been playing a tad faster lately and the ‘over’ has produced a 7-2 mark in its last nine games. The Pistons have been an ‘under’ lean (22-18) all season but the ‘over’ (12-8) has been better on the road.

Golden State faces Cleveland at home on Monday after this game and while the look-ahead could be in play, the time between the two contests certainly lessens that angle.

[StarDust Bum]

Hoop Trends - Thursday
January 12, 2017

ATS TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Pelicans are 0-13 ATS (-10.38 ppg) on the road with rest off a 10+ point win as a dog since Dec 15, 2002.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Suns are 11-0-1 OU (12.79 ppg) with rest off a loss in a home game in which they scored a least 18 fast break points since Nov 20, 2015.

PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Suns are 7-0 OU (13.07 ppg) since Apr 13, 2016 after Devin Booker was not the Suns’ high scorer in a home loss.

CHOICE TREND:

-- The Suns are 11-0-1 ATS (11.29 ppg) with more than two days of rest after their opponent shot over 50% from the field since May 22, 2006.

ACTIVE TRENDS:

-- The Lakers are 0-10 ATS (-10.30 ppg) with rest when the line is at least 10 points higher than their last game since Apr 12, 2015.

[StarDust Bum]

Pelicans visit Nets
January 12, 2017

NBA Thursday Betting Preview

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Brooklyn Nets

Sportsbook.ag Odds: New Orleans (-4); Total set at 218

Tonight's Pelicans/Nets game isn't the most attractive NBA game on the card by a longshot, but it could turn out to be one of the best games on the board from a betting perspective. Both teams enter with bad losing records, and although the Pelicans have been playing better of late, a 5-13 SU record on the road makes them very tough to trust laying points away from home.

Seven of Brooklyn's eight wins on the year have come at home and they've shown to be a feisty underdog in situations just like these. The players on Brooklyn know the team isn't going anywhere this year and when that reality takes a hold of a club, individual stat lines and performances become more of a priority.

Come contract negotiation time, individual stat lines become a barometer for salary figures throughout the league and with many of the Nets likely not being with the organization long term, boosting their point/rebound/assist production in games where they legitimately have a good chance at succeeding (winning) is something these guys are after.

Well, tonight's game with New Orleans fits that scenario for Brooklyn as the Nets know they play no defense at all and should be involved in an uptempo game tonight. New Orleans gives up 105.4/game on the year and with Brooklyn's numbers being much worse (114.1), we should see points come in flurries.

Oddly enough, VegasInsider.com's betting percentage numbers show more than 85% of the action on tonight's total on the low side of things, but the number has actually risen 1.5 points after opening at 216.5. These are prime situations to side with the line move, and given the situation tonight involving two higher scoring teams that play minimal defense at best, going against the majority and taking the 'over' is the way to go.

New Orleans has plenty of experience playing those types of games against other bad teams as they are 14-3 O/U in their last 17 against a losing team, and they are also 20-6 O/U when coming off a double digit win. Meanwhile, the Nets are 9-1 O/U in their last 10 against a losing team, and when a team has a losing record on the road and are visiting the Barclays Center, the Nets are 20-6 O/U in their last 26 tries.

Pelicans All-Star Anthony Davis status is up in the air which does hurt this wager a bit, but if he goes, he's got a great opportunity to put up monster numbers. The Nets won't back down from a shootout type game, and given the strong trends for the 'over' on both sides and the majority of the public betting the other way, there are more then enough reasons to add this unattractive game to your betting card tonight.

[StarDust Bum]

Knicks' PG Rose fined $200,000
January 12, 2017

The New York Knicks didn't take too kindly to guard Derrick Rose's disappearing act from when he missed Monday's 110-96 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Knicks fined Rose approximately $200,000 for missing the contest without notification, the New York Post reported on Thursday.

The actual amount of the fine is $193,848, which is 1/110th of his $21.3 million wage, matching the code used by the NBA when it suspends a player for one game.

"The team fined him a pretty hefty amount -- the amount of the fine for missing a game," first-year coach Jeff Hornacek told the newspaper.

Rose told reporters on Tuesday that he needed to tend to a family issue back home in Chicago upon his return to the team's practice facility.

Not only did Rose not contact the team to say he would miss the game, but he also ignored calls to locate him. He later said he needed space.

Rose returned to the lineup on Wednesday night, scoring 25 points in a 98-97 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Rose, a three-time All-Star and the 2011 NBA MVP while playing for the Chicago Bulls, was acquired in an offseason trade. He is averaging 17.5 points and 4.4 assists per game, but Yahoo Sports reported that Rose has grown increasingly frustrated with his role.

Hornacek had benched him in the fourth quarter of the two games prior to his absence and has even used undrafted Ron Baker in place of Rose in close games.

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NO at BK 07:30 PM

NO -4.0

O 218.0

CHI at NY 08:00 PM

CHI +3.5

U 207.5

LAL at SA 08:30 PM

LAL +14.0

O 212.5

DAL at PHO 10:00 PM

PHO +2.5

O 207.0

DET at GS 10:30 PM

DET +13.0

U 218.0

[StarDust Bum]

Texans at Patriots
January 11, 2017

The top-seeded Patriots are back from their playoff bye as New England is laying more two touchdowns in the AFC Divisional Round against Houston. The Texans seem like the sacrificial lamb on Saturday as New England is expected to cruise to the AFC Championship, but Houston has won four of its past five games, including last Saturday’s Wild Card rout of Oakland.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Houston (10-7 SU, 7-9-1 ATS) captured its second consecutive AFC South title this season, in spite of a 9-7 regular season record. The Texans began the season with plenty of hope at the quarterback position with Super Bowl champion Brock Osweiler signing a four-year, $72 million deal. However, Osweiler underachieved in his first full season as a starting NFL quarterback by not throwing for more than 270 yards in a game, while throwing 15 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions.

Osweiler led the Texans past the Raiders in the Wild Card round, 27-14 in spite of 168 yards passing. The Houston quarterback connected with wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on a two-yard touchdown, while Osweiler ran for a score in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Houston finished with an 8-1 home record this season, but stumbled to a 2-6 mark away from NRG Stadium. In four of those losses, the Texans were limited to 13 points or fewer.

New England (14-2 SU, 13-3 ATS) is riding a seven-game winning streak, while allowing a total of 20 points in its final three victories. After sitting out the first four games due to the Deflategate suspension, quarterback Tom Brady put together another outstanding season by throwing 28 touchdown passes and only two interceptions, while racking up 3,554 yards. What’s even more impressive is the 13-3 ATS mark overall, including a 4-1 ATS home record with Brady under center.

The Patriots took care of business as a double-digit favorite this season by winning and covering in all four opportunities. Granted, the Pats totally outmatched the Browns, 49ers, Jets, and Rams, but the defense yielded a total of 43 points in those victories. New England showcases its first 1,000 yard rusher since 2012 as LeGarrette Blount compiled a career-high 1,161 yards along with 18 touchdowns. Blount reached the end zone in 13 of 16 games this season, including five consecutive games with a score.

SERIES HISTORY

The Texans have had much success with the Patriots since entering the league in 2002 by going 1-7 SU and 2-5-1 ATS. The latest setback in Week 3 at Gillette Stadium as New England blanked Houston, 27-0 in the pick-em role. Brady sat due to his suspension, but back-up Jacoby Brissett led the Patriots on three touchdown drives, while Blount found the end zone twice. The Patriots’ offense gained only 282 yards, but New England’s defense forced three Houston turnovers to hand the Texans their only shutout of the season.

Houston and New England are meeting for the second time in the postseason ever as the Patriots drilled the Texans in the AFC Divisional round in 2012 by a 41-28 count. Brady threw three touchdown passes in that victory as 9 ½-point favorites, while the Patriots grabbed a 38-13 lead in the fourth quarter. New England owns a perfect 4-0 record lifetime against Houston at Gillette Stadium with all four wins coming by double-digits.

PLAYOFF HISTORY

For the 13th time in 14 seasons, the Patriots are in the postseason as the only missed season in this stretch was 2008 when Brady tore his ACL in Week 1. Brady owns a 22-9 playoff record in his career, including a 15-3 SU and 9-8-1 ATS mark at Gillette Stadium. New England has won its playoff opener in each of the past five seasons, while scoring at least 35 points four times in this span.

The Texans are playing in their seventh playoff game in franchise history, going 3-3 in their first six postseason contests. Houston has never won a road playoff game, going 0-2 SU and 1-1 ATS in those matchups.

LINE MOVEMENT

The Las Vegas Westgate Superbook listed the Patriots at -16 on Monday afternoon, while the total opened at 44 ½. The line has slightly dipped to 15 ½ at the Westgate, but the total hasn’t moved much as William Hill has the total at 45. The first half line opened at New England -9 ½ (-120) at the Westgate, as that number has increased -10.

HANDICAPPER’S CORNER

VegasInsider.com handicapper Joe Nelson says it hard to make a great case for Houston, “The Texans are the ultimate outlier in this season’s final eight, ranking 26th in the league in scoring differential in the regular season while the other seven remaining teams in the playoffs were the top seven scoring differential teams. Houston’s win last week certainly deserves some scrutiny with the Raiders left with rookie Connor Cook starting at quarterback in his first ever NFL start and predictably he had a costly turnover that helped Houston generate and early lead they held throughout the game.”

From a pointspread perspective, Nelson notes where this line ranks in postseason history, “This spread is poised to be the largest playoff number since Super Bowl XXIX (1994-95 season) when the 49ers bested the Chargers, covering at -19. The last six NFL playoff favorites of 14 or more points have all covered, but prior to that, the heavy underdogs had a great run of success. New England has hosted a divisional round playoff game 10 times in the Belichick/Brady era, going 9-1 SU and covering in four of the last five.”

PROPS – According to Las Vegas Westgate Superbook

Houston

B. Osweiler – Total Completions
19 ½ - OVER (-110)
19 ½- UNDER (-110)

B. Osweiler – Total Touchdown Passes + Interceptions
2 – OVER (-110)
2 – UNDER (-110)

New England

T. Brady – Total Gross Passing Yards
285 ½ - OVER (-110)
285 ½ - UNDER (-110)

T. Brady – Total Touchdown Passes
2 ½ - OVER (+130)
2 ½ - UNDER (-150)

T. Brady – Will he throw an Inteception?
YES (+110)
NO (-130)

J. Edelman – Total Receiving Yards
72 ½ - OVER (-110)
72 ½ - UNDER (-110)

FUTURE ODDS

The Patriots opened the season as one of three favorites listed at 8/1 to capture the Super Bowl title in Houston at the Westgate Superbook. New England is the clear-cut favorite at 7/5 odds (Bet $100 to win $140) to win the Super Bowl, while Houston is the longest shot on the board at 60/1 odds to win it all.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

— Rams hired Redskins’ OC Sean McVay as their new head coach. Rumors have him hiring Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator.

— Saints had 73 passing plays of 20+ yards this year, most in NFL; McVay’s Redskins had 69.

— Nuggets 140, Pacers 112— Indiana’s players didn’t seem very interested in playing this game.

— Chargers are going to hire Anthony Lynn as their new coach.

— Justin Thomas eagled the 18th hole, shot a 59 in Hawai’i yesterday, the 8th Tour player to do it.

— Vice-President Joe Biden was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom Thursday, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

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Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Wrapping up a Thursday night of hoop

13) UCLA 104, Colorado 89— Buffs are now 0-4 in Pac-12. UCLA is an offensive juggernaut- they made 19-31 on the arc in this game. Bryce Alford might be a better shooter than his dad– he was 9-14.

You cannot play help defense against UCLA, because they can all shoot, even Ball (43% on arc). Giving up layups is better than giving up 3-pointers.

12) Utah 86, USC 64— Young Trojans lost three of last four games after a 14-0 start.

11) Belmont 84, Morehead State 78— Evan Bradds is Belmont’s best scorer; he had 31 points, 10 rebounds in this game, but at one point about 8:00 into the game, Bradds put his fist up, wanted a rest. His coach sent a sub to the table but Belmont had a pretty good run going, so the coach wouldn’t call timeout- the game went on for another 3:00 before there was a whistle.

At one point, Bradds had the ball with a pretty good chance to score, but he passed- he seemed not to want to shoot, so he didn’t have to run back down to the other end. It was kind of funny. When the game got up/down, it was too fast for Bradds, but when it slowed down, he was by far the best player on the court.

10) UTEP 88, Florida International 87, 2 OT’s— Miners snap a 12-game losing streak in dramatic fashion.

9) Upset of the Night: 11-point underdog LaSalle won 87-75 at Rhode Island.

8) Arizona 91, Arizona State 75, LaSalle 87, Rhode Island 75— Rough night for the Hurley brothers.

Herb Sendek couldn’t win a whole lot at ASU and Bobby Hurley isn’t nearly as good a coach as Sendek is. Hurley will have to be a monster recruiter to win in Tempe— there aren’t lot of great high school players in Arizona. I don’t think Sean Miller has an Arizona kid in his rotation.

7) This is part of why handicapping college basketball is becoming more difficult; Arizona State has seven eligible players right now, Arizona has eight. Some of it is injuries, some is transfers, but an awful lot of teams are playing with very short rotations these days and it makes injuries, suspensions and other attrition so much more important than in the past.

Men’s basketball teams are allowed to have 13 players on scholarship; only 15 of 26 scholarships were filled in the ASU game. Nevada has four D-I transfers on scholarship who are sitting out this season, so they’re shorthanded. There are 351 D-I teams, only so many really good players.

6) NC-Greensboro 83, East Tennessee State 79— This was a fierce, physical game, tough game to ref, lot of chirping and staredowns. Two good teams with lot of good athletes. Someone at ESPN needs to get some Southern League games on their airwaves. Good basketball.

Greensboro is 13-5; they haven’t had a winning season in nine years, but they’re having one now. Good team coached by Wes Miller, who was a scrub at North Carolina in his playing days.

5) Iowa 83, Purdue 78— They were saying on the Northwestern-Rutgers game that Joe Lunardi doesn’t have any Big 14 teams seeded higher than a #5 in his bracketology for the NCAA tournament. Lot of pretty good teams, no great teams in the league this season.

4) Middle Tennessee State 69, Marshall 57— You hold the Thundering Herd to 57 points, you can play good defense. Marshall had been 42-94 on the arc in their last four games; they were 5-19 in this game.

3) St Mary’s 74, Portland 33— It is possible this was the worst basketball game ESPN has ever televised- it was 37-9 at the half. 37 to 9 and it was in Portland; team like the Pilots doesn’t get on ESPN very often— this was embarrassing.

I can’t remember a winning basketball team taking two foul shots in a game. St Mary’s was 2-2 on the line here; thats how little resistance they got in this game.

2) Gonzaga 93, LMU 55— Gonzaga-St Mary’s play Saturday night at 10 in the first of what should be three meetings this season between two very good teams.

1— Cincinnati 66, SMU 64— Bearcats are better shooting this team this year than they’ve been recently; they made 12-26 on arc in this game.