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

[StarDust Bum]

Heat's Dragic out with orbital contusion
March 12, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Miami Heat's leading scorer, Goran Dragic, missed Sunday night's game at the Indiana Pacers because of an orbital contusion in his right eye.

Dragic, a 6-foot-3 guard who was averaging 20.1 points per game, took an elbow to his right eye during the victory over Toronto on Saturday night.

Dragic originally expected to play against the Pacers, but his eye swelled to the point it was completely shut Sunday.

[StarDust Bum]

MONDAY, MARCH 13

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CHI at CHA 07:00 PM

CHA -7.5

U 200.0

DAL at TOR 07:30 PM

DAL +5.0

U 196.5

WAS at MIN 08:00 PM

WAS +2.0

U 215.0

ATL at SA 08:00 PM

ATL +6.5

O 202.0

MIL at MEM 08:00 PM

MIL +3.5

O 199.0

LAC at UTA 09:00 PM

UTA +1.0

U 201.0

LAL at DEN 10:30 PM

DEN -13.5

O 229.5

ORL at SAC 10:30 PM

ORL +1.0

O 207.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

— Nick Foles signed a 2-year, $11M deal to go back to the Eagles as a backup QB.

— Since December 1st, Washington Wizards have the best record in the NBA.

— There were 15,307 pitching changes in 2,430 games in the major leagues LY. Reduce that number by two per game, and games would already be ten minutes shorter.

— Once again this year, I have to look up what channel TruTV is on my DirecTV; LOL Turns out it is channel 246 and as I type this, Impractical Jokers is on. I watch truTV four days a year.

— Reading articles about baseball metrics, the amount of data involved now is simply mind-numbing. I love numbers, but some of this stuff goes beyond numbers.

— World Baseball tournament had sone chaos late Sunday night; the tie-breaker rules were not clearly stated and things got confused- Venezuela advanced instead of Mexico. Not everyone was happy about this.

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Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: NCAA tournament trends (mostly)…….

13) Call me an old guy yelling at kids to get off his lawn, but NBA players making 8-figure salaries taking nights off to “rest” is complete BS. They fly around on private jets, never, ever carry their own luggage, but can’t play on consecutive nights? They’re soft.

Karl-Anthony Towns hasn’t missed a game in his two years in the NBA; nothing soft about him, but he is becoming the exception instead of the rule. Karl Malone played in 80+ games in 17 consecutive non-strike seasons— you don’t think he ever got tired?!?!?!

12) When Tampa Bay Bucs’ WR Mike Evans was playing at Galveston Ball HS in Texas, the WR on the other side of the field was Phillies OF prospect Nick Williams, who is in AAA with the Phils now, and is their #4 overall prospect, according to Baseball America.

Now, on to some NCAA tournament trends……..

11) Over last four years, 16-seeds are 9-7 vs spread in first round games; over last 24 years, the #1 seed in East Region is just 7-16-1 vs spread in the first round.

10) As I type this, Rhode Island (97%), St Mary’s (96%), UCLA (94%) are getting highest percentage of money wagered on them in their first round games. Most evenly divided action is Princeton (52%)-Notre Dame game. These numbers are at William Hill sports books in Nevada.

9) Last three years, 14-seeds are 8-4 vs spread in first round, with four SU upsets. All four 3-seeds are favored by 12+ points this week, first time since 2009 that all four 3-seeds were a double digit favorite in the first round.

8) Over last five years, Atlantic 14 teams are 13-8 vs spread in first round games.

7) This is mostly random but still interesting; you look at 4-13 first round games- the favorite is 16-7 vs spread in the East region, 9-2 in Southeast, 3-6 in Midwest and 3-14 in the West.

6) Last two years, Big X teams are 3-11 against the spread in the first round;

5) Last 23 years, the 12-seed in the Midwest is 18-5 vs spread in first round, 15-8 SU; last 10 years, the 12-seed in the West is 8-2 vs spread, winning three of last four SU. Favorites are 10-5 vs spread in 5-12 games in Southeast, 8-4 in East the last 12 years.

4) Since 2008, Mountain West teams other than San Diego State are 5-22 vs spread in the NCAA tournament, 4-16 in the first round.

3) 10-seed Wichita State is favored by 6 points over 10-seed Dayton; since 1987, 10-seeds that are favored over a 7-seed are 10-16-1 vs spread. In the last 30 years, this is the most points a 10-seed has been favored by in the first round.

2) If you look at the eventual national champ the last 11 years, they went 10-1 vs spread in their first round game, exception being Kentucky in 2012, which beat Western Kentucky by 15 in first round, laying 26.5. WKU’s coach then was Ray Harper, who now has Jacksonville State of OVC in the tournament, this year against Louisville in first round.

OVC teams are 6-1-1 vs spread in first round the last eight years.

1— Illinois State coach Dan Muller put out a message on Twitter Monday, asking any “Big 5” conference coach to play a home/home series with the Redbirds next season. Muller won’t get any calls, since the Big 5 conference teams don’t have the onions to play true road games. You think Jim Boeheim is getting on a plane and flying to Normal, IL for a game in December?

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, March 14

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DETROIT (33 - 33) at CLEVELAND (43 - 22) - 3/14/2017, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 31-44 ATS (-17.4 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) in road games after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 13-28 ATS (-17.8 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game since 1996.
CLEVELAND is 11-22 ATS (-13.2 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.

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

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INDIANA (34 - 32) at NEW YORK (26 - 41) - 3/14/2017, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 13-2 ATS (+10.8 Units) in home games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 5-5 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 8-2 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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OKLAHOMA CITY (37 - 29) at BROOKLYN (12 - 53) - 3/14/2017, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 9-20 ATS (-13.0 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 220 over the last 2 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 33-47 ATS (-18.7 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 5-20 ATS (-17.0 Units) in a road game where the total is greater than or equal to 220 since 1996.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) as a favorite this season.
BROOKLYN is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) in home games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BROOKLYN is 4-1 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
BROOKLYN is 3-2 straight up against OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PORTLAND (29 - 36) at NEW ORLEANS (26 - 40) - 3/14/2017, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PORTLAND is 27-38 ATS (-14.8 Units) in all games this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 16-28 ATS (-14.8 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 17-32 ATS (-18.2 Units) off an upset win as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PORTLAND is 7-2 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
PORTLAND is 7-2 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PHILADELPHIA (24 - 42) at GOLDEN STATE (52 - 14) - 3/14/2017, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in road games after allowing 115 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 77-56 ATS (+15.4 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 68-45 ATS (+18.5 Units) in home games against Atlantic division opponents since 1996.
PHILADELPHIA is 41-24 ATS (+14.6 Units) in all games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 41-22 ATS (+16.8 Units) as an underdog this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 15-4 ATS (+10.6 Units) against Pacific division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) in non-conference games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 19-6 ATS (+12.4 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 33-16 ATS (+15.4 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 15-7 ATS (+7.3 Units) off an upset win as an underdog this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 19-7 ATS (+11.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 11-0 ATS (+11.0 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 79-109 ATS (-40.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 9-22 ATS (-15.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 14-31 ATS (-20.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 4-1 against the spread versus GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 5-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, March 14

Detroit won four of last five games overall; they’ve lost nine of last 11 road games (3-8 against spread). Three of their last four road games stayed under. Cavaliers lost four of last five games; they’re 0-3 vs spread in last three home games. Under is 9-2 in their last 11 games. Pistons won last two games with Cleveland, after losing previous five; Detroit lost last three games in Ohio, by 5-17-23 points. Five of last six series games stayed under.

Indiana is 5-4 since All-Star break; they’re 6-4-1 vs spread in last 11 road games. Under is 10-1 in their last 11 games. New York lost four of last five games; they’re 4-7 vs spread in last eleven home games. Six of their last seven games stayed under total. Knicks lost eight of last ten games with Indiana; Pacers won three of last four visits to Madison Square Garden. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games.

Oklahoma City lost its last seven road games (1-6 vs spread); they just beat Spurs/Jazz at home. Six of their last eight games went over total. Brooklyn lost 21 of last 24 games but covered six of last eight; they covered four of last five home games. Five of their last six games went over. Home side won four of last five Thunder-Net games; OKC lost its last two visits to Brooklyn, by 31-12 points. Six of last nine series games went over total.

Portland won five of last six games; they’re 5-7 vs spread in last 12 road games. Seven of their last eight games went over. Pelicans split their last six games; they’re 2-5 vs spread in last seven home games. Five of their last six games stayed under total. Trailblazers won eight of last ten games with New Orleans; teams split last four series games on Bourbon Street. Three of last four series games went over.

Philly lost seven of last nine games, but they covered seven of last eight road tilts. Over is 10-5 in their last 15 games overall. Warriors lost last three games, are 2-5 since Durant got hurt; they are 0-3 vs spread in last three home games. Under is 8-2 in their last ten games. Golden State won its last seven games with Philly but Sixers covered last four; 76ers lost last four visits to Oakland (1-3 vs spread). under is 8-2 in last ten series games.




NBA

Tuesday, March 14

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
DETROIT vs. CLEVELAND
Detroit is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games on the road
Cleveland is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games when playing at home against Detroit
Cleveland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

7:30 PM
INDIANA vs. NEW YORK
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing on the road against New York
Indiana is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New York
New York is 5-11 ATS in its last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New York's last 9 games

7:30 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. BROOKLYN
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 6 games when playing on the road against Brooklyn
Oklahoma City is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Brooklyn
Brooklyn is 3-12 ATS in its last 15 games at home
Brooklyn is 1-16 SU in its last 17 games at home

8:00 PM
PORTLAND vs. NEW ORLEANS
Portland is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing New Orleans
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Portland's last 5 games
New Orleans is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Portland
New Orleans is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games when playing Portland

10:30 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. GOLDEN STATE
Philadelphia is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Philadelphia's last 16 games on the road
Golden State is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Golden State's last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, March 14


Philadelphia @ Golden State

Game 539-540
March 14, 2017 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
109.740
Golden State
123.163
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 13 1/2
215
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 17
221 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Philadelphia
(+17); Under

Portland @ New Orleans

Game 537-538
March 14, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Portland
119.830
New Orleans
124.385
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New Orleans
by 4 1/2
222
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New Orleans
by 2 1/2
216 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
New Orleans
(-2 1/2); Over

Oklahoma City @ Brooklyn

Game 535-536
March 14, 2017 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oklahoma City
124.447
Brooklyn
113.311
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Oklahoma City
by 11
231
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Oklahoma City
by 6
224 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Oklahoma City
(-6); Over

Indiana @ New York

Game 533-534
March 14, 2017 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
126.323
New York
120.405
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Indiana
by 6
205
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 3
211
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(-3); Under

Detroit @ Cleveland

Game 531-532
March 14, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
115.119
Cleveland
125.530
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 10 1/2
208
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
by 8
215
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(-8); Under

[StarDust Bum]

NBA betting road map: Big rebound week for the Warriors?

Saturday's blowout loss at San Antonio was the culmination of a stretch of basketball which saw the Warriors lose five of seven outright.

There's now a virtual tie atop the NBA standings, as the Golden State Warriors (52-14) punted their game last week at San Antonio (51-14). That race will likely go down to the season's last week, as will the battles in each conference for the final playoff seeds.

Al McMordie takes a look at the upcoming week in the NBA:

Spread Watch

The Golden State Warriors are officially in a tailspin. It's true that they gave away their last game before it even started when coach Steve Kerr chose to rest his four best healthy players (Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala). But Saturday's blowout loss at San Antonio was the culmination of a stretch of basketball which saw the Warriors lose five of seven outright. Even worse, the Warriors are 1-9 ATS over their last 10 games.

There's no doubt that the injury to leading scorer Kevin Durant has played a large role. The Warriors have scored less than 90 points in three of their last six games (after doing that in just seven of their previous 285 games). But it's not just Durant's offense which is sorely missed - his length and versatility on defense are key to Golden State's switching schemes. Without Durant on the court Golden State is really small, and teams can now more easily drive to the hoop and punish the Warriors on the interior.

The good news for the Dubs is that this week's schedule has them back at home against three teams with losing records (Philadelphia, Orlando, Milwaukee). The Warriors have won seven in a row versus both the Sixers and Magic and six of seven versus the Bucks, so they should definitely win each game straight-up. But with respect to the pointspread, the game on Tuesday vs. Philly is the one to circle for Golden State. Since March 23, 2013, the Warriors have gone 36-18 ATS at home when playing with at least 2 days of rest. Also, they're an eye-popping 70-30-1 ATS off a loss when playing an opponent off a win. With Philly coming into Oakland off a win on Sunday vs. the Lakers, look for Golden State to blow out Brett Brown's crew on Tuesday.


Totals Watch

The Chicago Bulls are a mess right now. They've lost their last five game, both SU and ATS and the primary reason for their woes is their sputtering offense. Chicago has now scored 95 or less points in six straight games, and all six have gone Under the total. Sunday's game at Boston was the Bulls' worst offensive outing in their last 40 games as they converted just 33 of 87 shots (37 percent) and scored a mere 80 points.

This week, the Bulls will face the Hornets, Grizzlies, Wizards and Jazz. Of the four, Saturday's game versus Utah has all the makings of a low-scoring game. Utah's defense gives up the least amount of points in the league (96.4), and 14 of the last 19 meetings between the two clubs have gone Under the total. Take the Bulls and Jazz to go Under.


Injury Watch

The San Antonio Spurs had three starters on the shelf Saturday versus Golden State as Kawhi Leonard (concussion), Tony Parker (back) and LaMarcus Aldridge (heart) missed the game. Of course it mattered very little, as Golden State played without its four best players, so the Spurs romped. It's possible that Leonard will be back on the court Monday versus Atlanta, but Parker and Aldridge will not. Aldridge's condition - a heart arrhythmia caused by Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome - has the potential to be long-lasting, so that's the one which is causing anxiety among Spurs fans.

If there is a silver lining for San Antonio, it's that GM R.C. Buford has constructed a deep and talented roster. David Lee can step in and start for Aldridge while Patty Mills will man the point while Parker heals. However, if Aldridge is forced to miss a significant amount of time then the Spurs will likely not catch the Warriors for the top seed as Golden State has an easier schedule from here on out.

This week, the Spurs will forge on and play games against Atlanta, Portland, Memphis and Sacramento. The game versus Atlanta is a revenge match for San Antonio, as the Hawks won in overtime earlier this season. That doesn't bode well for the Hawks, as they're a poor 72-107 ATS in the regular season as road underdogs vs. revenge-minded foes, including 19-40 ATS if they're playing their third game in four days.


Schedule Watch

The World Champion Cleveland Cavaliers have been world-class chumps this season when playing on the road without rest. After dropping Sunday's game at Houston, the Cavs fell to 0-9 straight-up and 1-8 ATS on the road following a game the day before. They're also 6-20 SU and 6-19-1 ATS in this role since February 6, 2015.

This week, the Cavaliers will play back-to-back road games in Los Angeles against the Clippers and Lakers on Saturday and Sunday, so they'll once again have an opportunity to get a road win in the second of back-to-back games.

Of course, this situation Sunday seems as if it's the perfect time for the Cavs to snap their losing streak. First, they won't have to travel as both games this weekend are at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Second, the Lakers are the worst team in basketball other than Brooklyn. Notwithstanding their woes, the Cavaliers should get the cash Sunday.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Short Sheet

Tuesday, March 14

Detroit at Cleveland, 7:05 PM ET
Detroit: 7-16 ATS as a road underdog
Cleveland: 22-9 ATS in home games after 2 straight games where they made 50% of their shots or better

Indiana at New York, 7:35 PM ET
Indiana: 5-14 ATS in road games after 1 or more consecutive wins
New York: 13-2 ATS in home games after a division game

Oklahoma City at Brooklyn, 7:35 PM ET
Oklahoma City: 25-14 ATS as a favorite
Brooklyn: 29-42 ATS after playing a home game

Portland at New Orleans, 8:05 PM ET
Portland: 3-11 ATS as a road underdog of 6 points or less
New Orleans: 17-4 OVER in home games after covering 4 or 5 of their last 6 against the spread

Philadelphia at Golden State, 10:35 PM ET
Philadelphia: 19-6 ATS revenging a home loss vs opponent
Golden State: 12-2 UNDER when playing 6 or more games in 10 days

[StarDust Bum]

Spurs win, tie Warriors for best record
March 13, 2017

SAN ANTONIO -- Kawhi Leonard poured in 31 points to lead four teammates in double-figure scoring as the San Antonio Spurs played through a season-high 23 turnovers and defeated the Atlanta Hawks 107-99 on Monday at the AT&T Center.

San Antonio (52-14) moved into a tie with the Golden State Warriors for the best record in the NBA. The Spurs hold the tiebreaker between the two teams if they are knotted at the end of the regular season. San Antonio has won nine of its past 10 games overall and nine in a row at home.

Leonard, who had been going through the NBA's concussion protocol after getting hit in the head on March 9 against Oklahoma City, was cleared to play hours before the game.

Dennis Schroder with 22 points and 10 assists for the Hawks, who saw their three-game winning streak end.

Grizzlies 113, Bucks 93

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Vince Carter, making his first start of the season, scored 24 points and Mike Conley added 20 points and 10 assists to lead Memphis.

Carter, who started in place of injured forward Chandler Parsons, made each of his eight shots, including six 3-pointers, to help the Grizzlies snap a season-long five-game losing streak.

Milwaukee had its six-game winning streak, its longest in five seasons, snapped. The Bucks were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 18 points.

Timberwolves 119, Wizards 104

MINNEAPOLIS -- Ricky Rubio continued his impressive stretch with 22 points and 19 assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 39 points and 13 rebounds to lead Minnesota.

Minnesota reserve Nemanja Bjelica had his fourth double-double in his last seven games with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

The Timberwolves (27-38) have won eight of their past 12 games and have defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Washington in their past three home games.

John Wall had 27 points for the Wizards (41-24), who had won five games in a row.

Bulls 115, Hornets 109

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Rajon Rondo, back into the starting lineup for the first time since late December, helped the Bulls snap a five-game losing streak with a season-high 20 points while adding seven rebounds and six assists.

Nikola Mirotic, who wasn't even active for the Sunday loss at Boston, came off the bench to lead the Bulls with 24 points and 11 rebounds. The Bulls also got 23 points, 11 assists and six rebounds from Jimmy Butler.

Jeremy Lamb led the Hornets with 26 points.

Raptors 100, Mavericks 78

TORONTO - DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points and added six rebounds and two assists to lead Toronto.

The Raptors (39-28) had lost their two previous games to end a road trip at 2-3. It was the second loss in a row for the Mavericks (28-38), who just completed a 4-1 homestand.

Norman Powell added 19 points for the Raptors while Jonas Valanciunas contributed 14 points and nabbed 12 rebounds.

Harrison Barnes led Dallas with 18 points, Dirk Nowitzki added 17 points and seven rebounds and Dwight Powell scored 10 points.

Jazz 114, Clippers 108

SALT LAKE CITY - Gordon Hayward scored 27 points and hit four 3-pointers to lead Utah to its first win over the Clippers this season.

The Jazz shot 11 of 12 from 3-point range after halftime and made 10 straight 3-pointers to open the half before finally missing one late in the fourth quarter.

George Hill added 19 points while Joe Ingles chipped in 18 points for the Jazz.

Chris Paul scored a season-high 33 points for the Clippers, who fell two games behind Utah in the race for a top-four seed.

Kings 120, Magic 115

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Darren Collison scored 19 points and added 11 assists, one of them an alley-oop to Willie Cauley-Stein that broke a tie and enabled the Kings to end an eight-game losing streak.

The Kings made 16 3-pointers, the most important of them being Anthony Tolliver's team-high fifth of the night with under a minute left that gave Sacramento a four-point lead.

Nikola Vucevic led all scorers with 23 points and added nine rebounds, but Orlando lost for the third straight time and for the fifth time in six games.

Nuggets 129, Lakers 101

DENVER -- Will Barton and Jamal Murray scored 22 points each, and Nikola Jokic had 18 points and nine rebounds as the Nuggets won their third straight game.

Danilo Gallinari also scored 18 points and Mason Plumlee had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who were without Wilson Chandler (groin), Kenneth Faried (back) and Darrell Arthur (left knee soreness).

Ivica Zubac scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who have lost 10 of their last 11 games.

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, MARCH 14

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

DET at CLE 07:00 PM

CLE -7.5

U 214.0

IND at NY 07:30 PM

IND -3.5

U 209.0

OKC at BK 07:30 PM

BK +6.5

O 224.5

POR at NO 08:00 PM

NO -4.5

O 214.5

PHI at GS 10:30 PM

PHI +16.5

O 221.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Over/under on wins by conference in NCAA’s:

ACC: 14.5, over -$120

Big X: 8.5, over -$150

Big East: 7.5, 0ver -$130

SEC: 5.5, 0ver -$130

Big 14: 6.5, under -$120

Pac-12: 7.5, under -$150

WCC: 3.5, over -$145

AAC: 1.5, over -$220

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

13) K-State 95, Wake Forest 88— Wildcats were 25-31 (80.6%) inside arc; Deacons didn’t play whole lot of defense. Big X teams are now 5-1 vs ACC teams this year, with one win North Carolina crowning Oklahoma State in Maui Classic.

12) Mt St Mary’s 67, New Orleans 66— Mount was 10-19 on arc, UNO 1-9; plus, with 6:41 left, the Privateers’ big guy tried to strangle his teammate (the point guard) as they went into a TV timeout- the big guy was yanked from game and never returned. Have feeling the better team lost. Mt St Mary’s advances to play Villanova next.

11) How play-in teams who advance make out in round of 64: “JV (16-seed)” play-in winners are 5-7 vs spread when facing a #1 seed…….”Varsity (11-12 seed)” play-in winners are 7-5 vs spread in round of 64- those 12 teams have gone 1-1 SU in round of 64 all six years they’ve had it.

10) Venezuela played its play-in game in the WBC Monday with Jose Altuve on the bench; interesting decision by manager Omaz Vizquel, who used Rougned Odor instead. Now that they’ve advanced to San Diego, will be curious to see who they start at 2B in the next round.

9) Is there anyone who thinks Magic Johnson will do a better job than Mitch Kupchak did as the Lakers GM? Magic was a great, great player; wasn’t a very good coach- these are all different skills.

8) Of the eight 15-seeds who won first round NCAA tourney games, only Florida Gulf Coast in 2013 won its second round game- those teams are 2-5-1 vs spread in their second round games.

7) Coaching carousel; George Washington named interim coach Maurice Joseph its full time coach; South Florida named former Dayton/Ga Tech coach Brian Gregory its new coach, after Akron’s Keith Dambrot (Lebron James’ HS coach) turned them down.

6) Thank the Lord for spring training baseball on TV; Tuesday afternoon, I could barely see the house across the street from mine, thats how hard it was snowing. Watched Phillies-Braves, then Giants-Indians and was warm vicariously thru those broadcasts.

5) Atlanta Braves are leaving Disney’s Wide World of Sports for the Sarasota area next spring, as they reduce travel time to/from spring training games. Used to go to WWOS in July to watch AAU games; Tampa Bay Bucs had training camp there then- remember seeing Tom Crean (then at Marquette) watching the Bucs practice with his young son sitting on his shoulders.

4) No team lost its first conference tournament game, then won a national title that year. This year; Kansas, Louisville, Baylor, Purdue fall into that group this year.

3) If you care about such things, Kansas State was the last at-large team to make the NCAA tournament.

2) What exactly does Joe Lunardi do for the next ten months?

1— Here is my Final Four; North Carolina-Arizona-Villanova-Oregon. I’ll pick the Wildcats to repeat as national champs. Enjoy the games!!!

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, March 15

Hornets lost three of last four games; they’re 6-3 vs spread in last nine road games. Three of their last four games went over total. Pacers lost in NY last night; they’re 5-5 since All-Star break, but won last three home games. Under is 11-1 in their last 12 games. Charlotte won five of last six games with Indiana; teams split last four series games played here- under is 4-1 in last five series games in Indiana. Hornets

Mavericks lost its last five road games (1-4 vs spread)- they’re 6-3 in last nine games overall, losing last two. Four of their last five games stayed under. Wizards won five of last six games; they’re 2-4-1 vs spread in last seven home games. Last seven Washington games went over. Dallas won nine of last ten games with Washington, covered seven of last eight; Mavericks won/covered last four games in this building. Four of last five series games went over total.

Minnesota won seven of last ten games; they’re 7-4 vs spread in last 11 road games. Six of their last seven games stayed under. Celtics lost three of last five games; they’re 2-6 vs spread in last eight home games. Under is 9-0-2 in their last 11 games. Home side won eight of last nine Minnesota-Boston games; Wolves lost last four visits here (0-4 vs spread). Three of last four series games went over.

New Orleans is 4-3 in its last seven games, covering three of last four home games. Under is 11-2 in their last 13 games. Heat won four of last five games, is 7-1 vs spread in last eight home games. Four of their last five games stayed under the total. Pelicans won four of their last six games with Miami; they lost four of last five visits to South Beach. Over is 7-3 in last ten series games.

Utah won five of its last six games, is 5-11 vs spread in last 16 road games. Five of their last six games went over total. Pistons lost by 32 in Cleveland last night; they’re 11-2 vs spread in last 13 home games. Last three Detroit home games stayed under. Jazz won seven of last ten games with Detroit; under is 7-2 in last nine series games. Utah won three of last four visits to Motor City.

Memphis lost five of last six games; they’re 1-4 vs spread in last five road games. Six of their last seven games went over total. Bulls lost five of last six games, are 1-3 vs spread in last four home games. Six of their last seven games stayed under. Road side won six of last eight Memphis-Chicago games; Grizzlies won three of last four games here. Over is 3-1-1 in last five series games.

Portland won five of last seven games; they’re 5-8 vs spread in last 13 road games. Seven of their last nine games went over. San Antonio is 11-1 in its last 12 games, 2-4 vs spread in last six at home- they won last nine home games SU. Under is 9-5 in their last 14 games. Spurs won their last five games with Portland (4-1 vs spread); over is 7-2 in last nine series tilts. Trailblazers lost last four visits to Alamo (1-3 vs spread).

Lakers lost 10 of last 11 games, are 1-4 vs spread in last five road games. Three of their last four games went over total. Rockets won 10 of last 14 games; they’re 2-4 vs spread in last six home games. Over is 7-2 in their last nine home games. Lakers lost eight of last ten games with Houston, losing last three visits here (0-3 vs spread) by 29-20-39 points. Last four series games went over total.

Sacramento lost eight of its last nine games; they’re 2-4 vs spread in last six road games. Three of their last four games went over total. Suns lost three of last four games, are 0-2-1 vs spread in losing last three home games. Over is 7-4 in their last 11 games. Kings won six of last eight games with Phoenix, winning four of last five games in desert; six of last eight series games stayed under.

Bucks won six of last seven games; they’re 4-2 vs spread in last six road games. Under is 8-1-1 in their last ten games. Clippers won four of last six games, are 2-6 vs spread in last eight home games. Under is 4-2-2 in their last eight games. Clippers won eight of last ten games with Milwaukee but Bucks covered four of last six; they lost last five series games in Staples Center (3-2 vs spread, under 4-1).




NBA

Wednesday, March 15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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7:00 PM
DALLAS vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing Washington
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Washington is 21-3 SU in its last 24 games at home
Washington is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home

7:00 PM
CHARLOTTE vs. INDIANA
Charlotte is 3-15 SU in its last 18 games on the road
Charlotte is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing at home against Charlotte
Indiana is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Charlotte

7:30 PM
MINNESOTA vs. BOSTON
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Minnesota is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 7 games
Boston is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games

7:30 PM
NEW ORLEANS vs. MIAMI
New Orleans is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Miami
New Orleans is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Miami
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Miami's last 10 games when playing New Orleans
Miami is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing New Orleans

7:30 PM
UTAH vs. DETROIT
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Utah's last 9 games on the road
Utah is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing Utah
Detroit is 4-18 SU in its last 22 games when playing Utah

8:00 PM
MEMPHIS vs. CHICAGO
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Memphis's last 11 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Memphis's last 7 games
Chicago is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against Memphis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing at home against Memphis

8:00 PM
PORTLAND vs. SAN ANTONIO
Portland is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against San Antonio
Portland is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Portland
San Antonio is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Portland

8:00 PM
LA LAKERS vs. HOUSTON
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the LA Lakers last 5 games
LA Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games on the road
Houston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Houston is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home

10:00 PM
SACRAMENTO vs. PHOENIX
Sacramento is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
Sacramento is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing Sacramento
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Sacramento

10:30 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. LA CLIPPERS
Milwaukee is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games on the road
Milwaukee is 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
LA Clippers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Clippers last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, March 15

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CHARLOTTE (29 - 38) at INDIANA (34 - 33) - 3/15/2017, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) when playing on back-to-back days this season.
INDIANA is 13-22 ATS (-11.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHARLOTTE is 7-2 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
CHARLOTTE is 6-4 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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DALLAS (28 - 38) at WASHINGTON (41 - 25) - 3/15/2017, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 17-6 ATS (+10.4 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
WASHINGTON is 21-10 ATS (+10.0 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 21-10 ATS (+10.0 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
DALLAS is 373-307 ATS (+35.3 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
DALLAS is 477-401 ATS (+35.9 Units) in road games since 1996.
DALLAS is 316-264 ATS (+25.6 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.
DALLAS is 25-13 ATS (+10.7 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 262-215 ATS (+25.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 3-1 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 4-1 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MINNESOTA (28 - 38) at BOSTON (42 - 25) - 3/15/2017, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 45-69 ATS (-30.9 Units) after scoring 115 points or more since 1996.
MINNESOTA is 31-18 ATS (+11.2 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 30-13 ATS (+15.7 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 41-28 ATS (+10.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 22-8 ATS (+13.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
MINNESOTA is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 7-18 ATS (-12.8 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 125-162 ATS (-53.2 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 3-2 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 3-2 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NEW ORLEANS (27 - 40) at MIAMI (32 - 35) - 3/15/2017, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ORLEANS is 38-65 ATS (-33.5 Units) in road games after a win by 10 points or more since 1996.
MIAMI is 41-26 ATS (+12.4 Units) in all games this season.
MIAMI is 47-30 ATS (+14.0 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 48-31 ATS (+13.9 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) in the second half of the season this season.
MIAMI is 22-13 ATS (+7.7 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
MIAMI is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
MIAMI is 22-10 ATS (+11.0 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
MIAMI is 3-2 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
NEW ORLEANS is 3-2 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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UTAH (42 - 25) at DETROIT (33 - 34) - 3/15/2017, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 46-29 ATS (+14.1 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in home games in the second half of the season this season.
DETROIT is 67-95 ATS (-37.5 Units) in home games when playing on back-to-back days since 1996.
DETROIT is 111-156 ATS (-60.6 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 3-2 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 3-2 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

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MEMPHIS (37 - 30) at CHICAGO (32 - 35) - 3/15/2017, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MEMPHIS is 11-23 ATS (-14.3 Units) in road games after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 8-17 ATS (-10.7 Units) in non-conference games this season.
MEMPHIS is 156-121 ATS (+22.9 Units) after a win by 10 points or more since 1996.
MEMPHIS is 45-29 ATS (+13.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 67-81 ATS (-22.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 123-168 ATS (-61.8 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1996.
CHICAGO is 59-92 ATS (-42.2 Units) in home games off an upset win as an underdog since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 3-2 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 3-2 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

PORTLAND (29 - 37) at SAN ANTONIO (52 - 14) - 3/15/2017, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PORTLAND is 27-39 ATS (-15.9 Units) in all games this season.
PORTLAND is 13-22 ATS (-11.2 Units) in road games this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 990-862 ATS (+41.8 Units) in all games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 80-64 ATS (+9.6 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 503-419 ATS (+42.1 Units) in home games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 182-138 ATS (+30.2 Units) in March games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 36-20 ATS (+14.0 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 403-322 ATS (+48.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 18-5 ATS (+12.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 5-4 against the spread versus PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 6-3 straight up against PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
7 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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LA LAKERS (20 - 47) at HOUSTON (46 - 21) - 3/15/2017, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 28-37 ATS (-12.7 Units) in all games this season.
LA LAKERS are 136-173 ATS (-54.3 Units) in March games since 1996.
LA LAKERS are 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) against Southwest division opponents this season.
HOUSTON is 38-29 ATS (+6.1 Units) in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) against Pacific division opponents this season.
HOUSTON is 35-23 ATS (+9.7 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 22-9 ATS (+12.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
HOUSTON is 14-6 ATS (+7.4 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 7-2 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 7-2 straight up against LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SACRAMENTO (26 - 41) at PHOENIX (22 - 45) - 3/15/2017, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SACRAMENTO is 156-198 ATS (-61.8 Units) in road games after a non-conference game since 1996.
PHOENIX is 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SACRAMENTO is 7-3 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
SACRAMENTO is 7-3 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MILWAUKEE (32 - 34) at LA CLIPPERS (40 - 27) - 3/15/2017, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 353-424 ATS (-113.4 Units) in the second half of the season since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 249-306 ATS (-87.6 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 30-13 ATS (+15.7 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
MILWAUKEE is 3-2 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 3-2 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, March 15


Milwaukee @ LA Clippers

Game 619-620
March 15, 2017 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee
113.765
LA Clippers
125.856
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Clippers
by 12
203
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Clippers
by 8
209
Dunkel Pick:
LA Clippers
(-8); Under

Sacramento @ Phoenix

Game 617-618
March 15, 2017 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Sacramento
110.908
Phoenix
109.617
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Sacramento
by 1 1/2
217
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 6
221 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Sacramento
(+6); Under

LA Lakers @ Houston

Game 615-616
March 15, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Lakers
109.330
Houston
128.688
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 19 1/2
224
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
by 17
235
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(-17); Under

Portland @ San Antonio

Game 613-614
March 15, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Portland
114.667
San Antonio
128.518
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 14
202
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 10 1/2
209
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(-10 1/2); Under

Memphis @ Chicago

Game 611-612
March 15, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Memphis
121.911
Chicago
117.088
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Memphis
by 4
208
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Memphis
by 2
201 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Memphis
(-2); Over

Utah @ Detroit

Game 609-610
March 15, 2017 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Utah
122.536
Detroit
113.259
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Utah
by 9
206
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Utah
by 3 1/2
199 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Utah
(-3 1/2); Over

New Orleans @ Miami

Game 607-608
March 15, 2017 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New Orleans
118.791
Miami
128.294
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami
by 9 1/2
199
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Miami
by 6
205 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Miami
(-6); Under

Minnesota @ Boston

Game 605-606
March 15, 2017 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
119.348
Boston
127.289
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 8
206
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
by 6
209 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-6); Under

Dallas @ Washington

Game 603-604
March 15, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
116.939
Washington
130.144
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 13
212
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 7 1/2
207 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-7 1/2); Over

Charlotte @ Indiana

Game 601-602
March 15, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Charlotte
120.940
Indiana
119.751
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Charlotte
by 1
207
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 2 1/2
203
Dunkel Pick:
Charlotte
(+2 1/2); Over

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

DAL at WAS 07:00 PM

WAS -7.5

O 207.0

CHA at IND 07:00 PM

CHA +2.5

NO at MIA 07:30 PM

NO +5.5

UTA at DET 07:30 PM

DET +2.5

MIN at BOS 07:30 PM

BOS -5.5

POR at SA 08:00 PM

POR +11.0

LAL at HOU 08:00 PM

HOU -17.0

MEM at CHI 08:00 PM

CHI +2.0

SAC at PHO 10:00 PM

SAC +5.5

MIL at LAC 10:30 PM

MIL +7.5

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

— Cuonzo Martin gets $21M for seven years to be hoop coach at Missouri. What a country.

— Siena coach Jimmy Patsos will be in the Turner TV studios Saturday/Sunday.

— Rashaun Madison of NC Central went to four high schools, three colleges. Must be some interesting stories in between those stops.

— Tex-Arlington 105, BYU 89– Cougars were indifferent on defense.

— TCU 66, Fresno State 59– Horned Frogs get their 20th win.

— Washington fired hoop coach Lorenzo Romar, which means they lose #1 recruit Michael Porter Jr, whose dad is Romar’s best friend. Young Porter is the #1 recruit in Class of ’17. His dad was an assistant with Romar at Washington.

**********

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

13) I was thinking abut Baylor as a possible Final Four team; problem is, the last two years Bears lost first round games as a 3-seed and a 5-seed- that is not good and hasn’t happened very often.

Last year, Baylor was a 6-point favorite over Yale; they lost to the 12-seed Bulldogs, 79-75. Year before, they were favored by 7.5 points over Georgia State, but lost to the 14-seed Panthers 57-56. This year, Baylor is a 3-seed again and gets New Mexico State- Bears are favored by 12 points. Proceed at your own risk.

12) If Kentucky gets to the Sweet 16, and they should, John Calipari returns to Memphis, where he once led the Tigers to the national title game. Things haven’t gone so well for Memphis since Calipari left for Kentucky. Curious to see what kind of a reaction he’ll get.

11) Note to self: If I ever go to a baseball game in Japan, DO NOT sit in front of the guy who blows a whistle for the whole nine innings.

10) Back in 1986, I was a big fan of the Bradley Braves, coached by Dick Versace and with Hersey Hawkins as the star player; they won an NCAA tourney game before losing in second round to Louisville. Point guard on that team was Jim Les, who played in the NBA for a while and now got his Cal-Davis Aggies in the NCAA’s for the first time. Good coach.

9) According to Baseball America, two of Tampa Bay Rays’ top 12 minor league prospects are from the Albany, NY area, where I live. Garrett Whitley, an OF and Jaime Schultz a pitcher who pitched at High Point U in North Carolina (where the basketball coach is Scott Cherry, who is from Saratoga, 25 miles north of Albany).

Albany is not exactly a hotbed of high school baseball, maybe because as I type this on March 15, my front lawn has two feet of snow on it.

8) Surprising fact: In the six years since the NCAA tournament field was expanded to 68 teams, one of the play-in winners has also won a first round game.

7) So 5-seed Minnesota is a 1-point favorite over 12-seed Middle Tennessee? Last time a 5-seed got this little respect in the first round was 2006, when 12-seed Texas A&M was favored by 1.5 points over Syracuse- they beat the Orangemen, 66-58.

Middle Tennessee was an 18-point underdog when they upset Michigan State last year. Perception of the Blue Raiders has changed a lot.

6) When the Houston Texans signed Brock Osweiler last year, they had never met him? How is that possible? Guy is hopefully your franchise QB; you’d think you’d like to talk with him before he signs a contract with $37M guaranteed in it.

5) Thanks to Jim Boeheim’s comments about there being “no value” to the ACC hoop tournament been held in Greensboro, the Greensboro Grasshoppers, Class A affiliate of Miami Marlins, will give away $20 worth of food and drinks on April 11 to anyone who shows up with a driver’s license that lists Syracuse on it.

Even better, Syracuse played NC-Greensboro in the first round of the NIT- Orange won by 13. Whoever made that happen though, they had to have a good chuckle about it.

4) 10-seed Wichita State is a 6.5-point favorite over 7-seed Dayton; whose opinion do you respect more, Las Vegas oddsmakers or a bunch of college administrators sitting in a hotel conference room? This is the most points a 10-seed has been favored by over a 7-seed.

3) Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia once walked on to the baseball team at Arizona State; he had to ask three times before they even let him try out. “We already have our second baseman” was the response he got, but finally, they let him try out. Smart move.

Things have worked out pretty well for Pedroia, and also for the second baseman who was the starter at ASU at the time— Ian Kinsler.

2) Cal-Davis 67, North Carolina Central 63— Aggies were +10 on boards, held NC Central to 5-26 on arc and advance on to get whacked by 1-seed Kansas in the next round. Thats just the reality of it, but Davis has had a great year- first NCAA tournament and they won a game.

1— USC 75, Providence 71— Trojans were down 17 early in second win; their win is 7th-largest comeback in NCAA tournament history and also avenges 70-69 loss to Friars last year. USC will play Southern Methodist next, Friday in Tulsa.