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

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Individual betting matchups for the Masters this week:

— Paul Casey -$145 vs Bubba Watson +$125

— Daniel Berger -$140 vs Patrick Reed

— Justin Rose -$130 vs Jon Rahm +$110

— Lee Westwood -$125 vs Jimmy Walker +$105

— Charley Hoffman -$155 vs Danny Willett +$135

— Bill Haas -$125 vs JB Holmes +$105

**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Happy Hump Day, America…….

13) Tony Romo retired Tuesday and will now work on CBS with Jim Nantz on their #1 NFL broadcasting team. There are rumors he will also do some work on CBS golf telecasts, seeing as how he is a scratch golfer.

12) North Carolina Tar Heels got zero #1 votes in the preseason Top 25 poll- they won the national championship. Wonder if they’ll get any #1 votes next preseason.

11) Washington Wizards are 47-31, most games they’ve won since 1979. Good for Scott Brooks, who got a bum deal in Oklahoma City.

10) Minnesota Timberwolves’ star Karl Anthony Towns is younger than all ten players who started in the Gonzaga-UNC game Monday night.

9) I don’t give a rat’s ass about who wins MVP in any sport; it does not matter. You listen to some people talk about the NBA, and they talk more about individuals than teams. Winning and losing are all that truly matter; that and effort. Too much talk about individuals.

8) San Diego Padres have a payroll of roughly $71M this season, but over half of that is to players who are now on other teams.

7) Portland/Denver are tied in loss column for #8 playoff spot in the West. Celtics/Cavaliers are tied for first in the Eastern Conference. Miami trails Indiana by a half-game for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East.

6) College basketball coaching changes:
a) Joe Pasternack (Arizona ass’t) takes over at Cal-Santa Barbara.
b) Lamont Paris (Wisconsin ass’t) takes over at Chattanooga.
c) CB McGrath (North Carolina ass’t) takes over at NC-Wilmington.
d) Matt Figger (South Carolina ass’t) takes over at Austin Peay.

5) It is funny that Georgetown paid a search firm to find their new basketball coach; Patrick Ewing is the best player in Georgetown history- couldn’t have been that difficult to identify him.

4) NHL players are unhappy that the league won’t set time aside for players to compete in the Olympics next winter.

3) Quote of the Day, part 2, from Klay Thompson, a great “outside” shooter:
“I’d probably say the weather’s gotten better. The sunshine has been so good to me. … It just puts me in a great mood to come to the gym every day, get my work in, go home, enjoy it — the outdoors. The Bay Area is beautiful. That’s a big part of it — not even kidding.”

2) If the NBA playoffs started this morning (they do not), matchups would be:
East
Indiana/Cleveland, Chicago/Boston, Atlanta/Toronto, Milwaukee/Washington

West
Portland/Golden State, Memphis/San Antonio, Oklahoma City/Houston, Clippers/Utah.

1— Tony Romo earned $127,422,458 in salary during his NFL career; curious to see how he does behind a microphone. I know he’ll like announcing better on Monday mornings, when he wakes up and isn’t sore all over from getting hit all day Sunday.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, April 5

Miami lost four of its last six games; they’re 3-1-1 vs spread in last five road games. Under is 5-2 in their last seven games. Charlotte won three of last four games, is 6-4 vs spread in last ten home games. Over is 7-1 in their last eight games. Hornets are 5-3 in their last eight games with Miami; seven of last eight series games stayed under total. Heat won/covered once in last four visits to Charlotte.

Raptors won eight of last ten games; they’re 3-1 vs spread in last four road games. Four of their last five games went over total. Detroit lost nine of last 11 games; they’re 13-5 vs spread in last 18 home games. Four of their last five games stayed under the total. Toronto won four of last six games with the Pistons; they won three of last five games in Motor City. Over is 7-3 in last ten series games.

Cavaliers won their last three games; they’re 1-5 against the spread in last six road games. Over is 7-2 in their last nine games. Celtics won nine of last 11 games, are 0-4 vs spread in last four games at home. Four of their last six games went over the total. Cleveland won eight of last ten games with Boston; they won three of last four visits here. Three of last four series games went over.

Denver is 8-5 in its last 13 games; they won last two games, by three points each. Nuggets are 7-2 vs spread in last nine road games. Over is 7-1 in their last eight games. Houston lost three of last four games; three of their last four games stayed under total. Rockets won last three games with Denver, but Nuggets covered four of last six series games. Three of last four series games went over. Nuggets lost three of last four visits here (2-2 against spread).

Oklahoma City is 9-4 in its last 13 games; they’re 3-1-1 vs spread in last five road tilts. Four of their last five games stayed under total. Memphis won/covered last four home games; they’ve lost six of last eight games overall. Under is 8-3 in their last 11 games. Home side won eight of last nine Thunder-Grizzlies games; OKC lost four of last five games in Memphis. Four of last six series games went over.

Lakers lost four of last five games, are 2-6 vs spread in last eight road games. Over is 6-2 in their last eight games. San Antonio won eight of last nine games; they’re 3-5 vs spread in last eight home games. Under is 5-3 in their last eight games. Spurs won their last eight games with the Lakers (4-3-1 vs spread); LA lost its last four visits to the Alamo (1-2-1 vs spread). Last seven series games went over total.

Golden State won its last 12 games, covered last six; they’re 6-1 vs spread in last seven home games. Under is 18-3 in their last 21 games (0-2 in last two). Suns lost their last 12 games, are 2-4-1 vs spread in last seven home games. Six of their last seven games went over. Golden State won its last ten games with Phoenix, but Suns covered four of last five. Warriors won last four games in the desert (2-2 vs spread). Over is 6-2 in last eight series games.

Dallas lost five of last six games; they’re 5-7 vs spread in last 12 road games. Six of their last eight games stayed under. Clippers won seven of last nine games, are 6-7 vs spread in last 13 games at Staples. Four of their last six games stayed under. Clippers are 6-4 in last ten games with Dallas, but Mavericks won last two meetings by a basket each. Dallas won/covered once in last four visits here. Four of last five series games went under the total.




NBA

Wednesday, April 5

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:00 PM
MIAMI vs. CHARLOTTE
Miami is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 7 games
Charlotte is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Charlotte's last 5 games at home

7:30 PM
TORONTO vs. DETROIT
Toronto is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
Toronto is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Toronto
Detroit is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Toronto

8:00 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. MEMPHIS
Oklahoma City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Memphis
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Memphis's last 8 games at home
Memphis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

8:00 PM
DENVER vs. HOUSTON
Denver is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Houston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Denver's last 6 games when playing on the road against Houston
Houston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Houston is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games

8:00 PM
CLEVELAND vs. BOSTON
Cleveland is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Cleveland is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Boston
Boston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Boston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home

8:30 PM
LA LAKERS vs. SAN ANTONIO
LA Lakers are 6-14-1 ATS in their last 21 games
LA Lakers are 3-18 SU in their last 21 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio's last 5 games when playing at home against LA Lakers
San Antonio is 9-2 SU in their last 11 games when playing at home against LA Lakers

10:00 PM
GOLDEN STATE vs. PHOENIX
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Golden State's last 8 games when playing Phoenix
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix
Phoenix is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 6 games

10:30 PM
DALLAS vs. LA CLIPPERS
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Dallas's last 24 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Dallas's last 8 games
LA Clippers are 7-2 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 10 of the LA Clippers last 15 games when playing Dallas

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, April 5


Cleveland @ Boston

Game 505-506
April 5, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland
118.807
Boston
128.422
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 9 1/2
210
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
by 3 1/2
219
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-3 1/2); Under

Oklahoma City @ Memphis

Game 509-510
April 5, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oklahoma City
119.920
Memphis
124.829
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Memphis
by 5
208
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Memphis
by 1 1/2
202
Dunkel Pick:
Memphis
(-1 1/2); Over

Denver @ Houston

Game 507-508
April 5, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Denver
125.118
Houston
123.600
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Denver
by 1 1/2
247
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
by 8 1/2
241
Dunkel Pick:
Denver
(+8 1/2); Over

Dallas @ LA Clippers

Game 515-516
April 5, 2017 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
119.593
LA Clippers
124.656
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Clippers
by 5
198
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Clippers
by 12
203 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(+12); Under

Golden State @ Phoenix

Game 513-514
April 5, 2017 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Golden State
128.441
Phoenix
110.660
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 18
213
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 7 1/2
217 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(-7 1/2); Under

LA Lakers @ San Antonio

Game 511-512
April 5, 2017 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Lakers
108.176
San Antonio
131.620
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 23 1/2
197
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 11
204
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(-11); Under

Toronto @ Detroit

Game 503-504
April 5, 2017 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
119.307
Detroit
122.080
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Detroit
by 3
193
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 1 1/2
198
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
(+1 1/2); Under

Miami @ Charlotte

Game 501-502
April 5, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Miami
118.263
Charlotte
123.656
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Charlotte
by 5 1/2
198
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Charlotte
by 1 1/2
206 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Charlotte
(-1 1/2); Under

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, April 5

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

MIAMI (37 - 40) at CHARLOTTE (36 - 42) - 4/5/2017, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 46-31 ATS (+11.9 Units) in all games this season.
MIAMI is 28-19 ATS (+7.1 Units) as an underdog this season.
MIAMI is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) in the second half of the season this season.
MIAMI is 23-14 ATS (+7.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
MIAMI is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 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
CHARLOTTE is 9-9 against the spread versus MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
CHARLOTTE is 9-9 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
11 of 18 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

TORONTO (47 - 31) at DETROIT (35 - 42) - 4/5/2017, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 48-32 ATS (+12.8 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 111-157 ATS (-61.7 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.

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

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

CLEVELAND (50 - 27) at BOSTON (50 - 27) - 4/5/2017, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 7-6 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 10-4 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
9 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

DENVER (37 - 40) at HOUSTON (52 - 25) - 4/5/2017, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 6-4 against the spread versus DENVER over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 7-3 straight up against DENVER over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

OKLAHOMA CITY (44 - 33) at MEMPHIS (42 - 36) - 4/5/2017, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 6-4 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS is 5-5 straight up against OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

LA LAKERS (22 - 55) at SAN ANTONIO (60 - 17) - 4/5/2017, 8:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 5-4 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 9-1 straight up against LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

GOLDEN STATE (64 - 14) at PHOENIX (22 - 56) - 4/5/2017, 10:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 6-5 against the spread versus GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 10-1 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

DALLAS (32 - 45) at LA CLIPPERS (47 - 31) - 4/5/2017, 10:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA CLIPPERS is 6-4 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 6-4 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday's Tip Sheet
April 5, 2017

Game of the Night – Cavaliers at Celtics – 8:05 PM EST – ESPN

The race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference will likely come down to the final game of the season as defending champion Cleveland fights it out with upstart Boston. The Cavaliers (50-27 SU, 34-40-3 ATS) pulled even with the Celtics following Tuesday’s 122-102 victory over Orlando with five games remaining in the regular season. Do the Cavs need home-court advantage? Not necessarily since LeBron James-led teams have finished as the second seed four times in the last six seasons even though his squads have won six consecutive Eastern Conference titles.

Boston (50-27 SU, 38-37-2 ATS) has a tough finish to the regular season by facing Atlanta (Thursday) and Charlotte (Saturday) on the road and Milwaukee next Wednesday at home. The Celtics have won nine of their last 11 games, including seven of those victories at TD Garden. Boston is coming off a 110-94 blowout of short-handed New York on Sunday to cash for the first time in the last five games. When the Celtics post high-scoring numbers, they have been successful as Brad Stevens’ club has topped the 109-point mark in seven of the past eight victories.

This series has been owned by the Cavaliers the last few seasons as Cleveland owns an 8-2 record against Boston since the 2015 playoffs. The Cavs captured the first two matchups at home by six points apiece earlier this season, but the Celtics pulled out a 103-99 home triumph on March 1. Isaiah Thomas scored a game-high 31 points for Boston, as the diminutive guard posted 30-point efforts in all three matchups against Cleveland this season.

Odd Men Out

The Heat and Hornets are currently on the outside looking in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Miami began March with an impressive 8-3 record, but stumbled to a 2-4 mark in the final six games of the month, including home losses to New York and Denver. Erik Spoelstra’s squad begins Wednesday’s action one half-game behind Chicago and Indiana for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Miami heads to Charlotte looking to even the season series at 2-2 after winning the previous matchup at home, 108-104 in early March. The Hornets saw their three-game winning streak end in Tuesday’s 118-111 setback at Washington. Charlotte extended its OVER streak to eight consecutive contests, while scoring at least 110 points for the fourth straight game. Since the All-Star break, the Hornets own a perfect 5-0 record off a road loss, while winning four of their last six games at Spectrum Arena.

Rocky Mountain High

The Nuggets finish off their five-game road swing in Houston as Denver is hanging around the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race. Denver picked up a huge victory on Tuesday at New Orleans, 134-131 to improve to 37-40 and sit one half-game behind Portland for the final playoff position in the West. The task won’t be easy on Wednesday as the Nuggets have lost three times to the Rockets this season, although Denver covered as eight-point underdogs in a one-point loss last month in Houston.

The Rockets return home after snapping a three-game skid on their final game of their road swing at Phoenix on Sunday, 123-116. James Harden missed his first game of the season with the flu on Sunday, but the Rockets’ MVP candidate is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday. Since the All-Star break, Houston has compiled a 4-7 ATS record at the Toyota Center, while failing to cover in its last four games overall.

Sixth Sense

Oklahoma City owns a 2 ½-game edge over Memphis for the sixth seed in the Western Conference after the Thunder destroyed the Bucks, 110-79 as six-point home favorites. Memphis couldn’t hold onto a late lead in regulation at San Antonio as the Spurs held off the Grizzlies, 95-89 in overtime. The Grizzlies have lost six straight games on the road, but return home to FedEx Forum where they have won four consecutive games.

The home team has won all three matchups this season between the Thunder and Grizzlies as OKC has captured victories in the past two meetings in January and February. Memphis has won and covered in five of the previous six home matchups with Oklahoma City since January 2014. Both teams are playing with no rest and own dramatically different records on the second of a back-to-back as OKC has compiled a 4-9 SU and 5-8 ATS mark, while Memphis is a solid 11-5 SU and 10-6 ATS in this situation.

Tripped-Up Toronto

The Raptors entered Tuesday’s action winning eight of nine games and built a 19-point advantage at Indiana. However, the Pacers outscored the Raptors, 82-47 over the final 30 minutes to hand Toronto a 108-90 defeat. The Raptors try to get back on track with no rest at Detroit as Toronto owns a 7-9 record on the second of back-to-backs this season.

The Pistons are running out of time to grab a playoff berth in the East after losing nine of their past 11 games to fall 2 ½ games behind eighth-place Indiana. Detroit has been off since Friday’s overtime setback at Milwaukee, the seventh straight loss away from the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons have won two of their last three home games, but those victories came against two of the worst teams in the NBA, the Nets and Suns. In the last matchup between the Raptors and Pistons on March 17, Toronto outscored Detroit, 27-9 in the final quarter to pull out an 87-75 victory.

Head-to-Head Trends

-- The Spurs have won eight consecutive matchups with the Lakers since January 2015, including capturing the first three meetings this season. Los Angeles heads to San Antonio seeking consecutive victories for the first time since early January, while the Spurs are 11-2 SU and 8-5 ATS with no rest off Tuesday’s overtime triumph over the Grizzlies.

-- The Warriors shoot for the season sweep of the Suns in Phoenix as the two division rivals are meeting for the first time since December. Golden State has won 10 straight against Phoenix since January 2015, including four consecutive victories at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Phoenix has covered seven of its past eight games in the home underdog role dating back to mid-February.

-- The Mavericks remain in California following last night’s loss at Sacramento as Dallas heads to Los Angeles to face the Clippers. After L.A. grabbed the first matchup in Dallas by 20 points in November, the Mavericks have rebounded with a pair of low-scoring wins in the last two meetings by two points each.

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MIA at CHA 07:00 PM

MIA +2.0

U 203.0

TOR at DET 07:30 PM

DET +1.0

OKC at MEM 08:00 PM

MEM -1.0

DEN at HOU 08:00 PM

DEN +8.5

CLE at BOS 08:00 PM

CLE +4.0

LAL at SA 08:30 PM

LAL +10.5

O 205.5

GS at PHO 10:00 PM

GS -9.5

U 224.0

DAL at LAC 10:30 PM

DAL +11.5

U 203.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Odds to win the 2018 college basketball championship:

10-1— Kentucky, Louisville, Duke

12-1— Kansas, North Carolina, Villanova, Gonzaga

15-1— Arizona

20-1— Michigan, Indiana, Wichita St, Florida, Michigan St

25-1— West Virginia, Butler, UCLA

30-1— Virginia

**********

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

13) Dustin Johnson fell down a flight of stairs Wednesday, is a ???? for The Masters today, which wreaked havoc with odds here in Las Vegas, and also in my golf pool. Hope he is OK; Wednesday was a rainy day in Augusta; otherwise Johnson would’ve been at the Par 3 tournament they usually have the day before the tournament starts.

12) People who paid to see the Par 3 tournament (some as much as $1,800) were out of luck Wednesday. I’m assuming they gave out refunds, but I couldn’t find anything that said one way or the other if that happened.

11) Del Mar Deli by the SouthPoint sports book has superior pizza; they also have Dr Brown’s soda, which isn’t easy to find. If you’re looking for an excellent place to stay in Las Vegas that is a little more casual than some places, SouthPoint would be a great choice.

This weekend: bowling tournaments and a cheerleading competition are here. Oy.

10) Akron hired former Ohio U/Illinois coach John Grace to replace Keith Dambrot, who is now the coach at Duquesne.

9) Memphis Tigers lost two of their top three scorers when the Lawson brothers bolted with their father to a school to be named- the dad was a program assistant. Lawsons were two of Memphis’ top three scorers, so their talent pool takes a big hit, but you get the idea reading between the lines that chemistry-wise, this could be addition by subtraction.

8) Cubs are batting their pitcher 8th again this spring, which is Joe Maddon playing mind games with his competitors. If he really thought this was a good idea, they would’ve done it during the playoffs- thats when you show your hand as to what your best strategy is.

Seriously, other teams batted their pitcher 8th last year and their managers basically didn’t have any good reason to do it, other than, “…well (Tony) LaRussa and Maddon did it.”

7) Rumors on the Interweb say Jeb Bush may buy the Miami Marlins; hey, it worked for his brother, who once owned the Texas Rangers before becoming President.

6) Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson didn’t play last night, missing his first NBA game since February 10, 2012, when he was a rookie- he had played in 447 consecutive games.

5) Last guy to win The Masters in his first try? Fuzzy Zoeller, in 1979.

4) Bartolo Colon made his MLB 20 years ago for Cleveland, against an Angels’ team managed by Terry Collins. Colon pitched against the Mets last nite, managed by Terry Collins.

3) Astros 5, Mariners 3 (13)— Seattle went to Houston, scored total of five runs in losing their first three games of the season. Mariners led 3-2 in 13th inning before George Springer hit a 3-run walk-off tater. If you had Seattle and the under (7.5), not your finest hour.

2) Masters prop bets: Which par-5 hole will yield the most birdies this weekend?
13th hole: 7-5, 15th hole: 2-1, 2nd hole: 2-1, 8th hole: 4-1.

1— Which par-3 hole will yield the most birdies?
16th hole: 2-7, 12th hole: 13-5, 6th hole: 14-5, 4th hole: 20-1.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, April 6

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

BROOKLYN (19 - 59) at ORLANDO (27 - 51) - 4/6/2017, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BROOKLYN is 25-10 ATS (+14.0 Units) in road games after a division game since 1996.
ORLANDO is 31-46 ATS (-19.6 Units) in all games this season.
ORLANDO is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) as a favorite this season.
ORLANDO is 12-25 ATS (-15.5 Units) in home games this season.
ORLANDO is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) in the second half of the season this season.
ORLANDO is 6-16 ATS (-11.6 Units) after allowing 115 points or more this season.
ORLANDO is 7-20 ATS (-15.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
ORLANDO is 1-12 ATS (-12.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.

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

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

CHICAGO (38 - 40) at PHILADELPHIA (28 - 50) - 4/6/2017, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 29-44 ATS (-19.4 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 14-23 ATS (-11.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 48-29 ATS (+16.1 Units) in all games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 48-27 ATS (+18.3 Units) as an underdog this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 25-12 ATS (+11.8 Units) in home games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 20-11 ATS (+7.9 Units) in the second half of the season this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 19-7 ATS (+11.3 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 6-4 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 9-1 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
9 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

MILWAUKEE (40 - 38) at INDIANA (38 - 40) - 4/6/2017, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 34-44 ATS (-14.4 Units) in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 358-431 ATS (-116.1 Units) in the second half of the season since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 16-26 ATS (-12.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
INDIANA is 21-10 ATS (+10.0 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 45-32 ATS (+9.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MILWAUKEE is 6-4 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
MILWAUKEE is 6-5 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

WASHINGTON (47 - 31) at NEW YORK (30 - 48) - 4/6/2017, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 7-3 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 9-1 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

BOSTON (50 - 28) at ATLANTA (39 - 38) - 4/6/2017, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 75-55 ATS (+14.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 34-18 ATS (+14.2 Units) when playing on back-to-back days over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 40-25 ATS (+12.5 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 14-24 ATS (-12.4 Units) in home games this season.
ATLANTA is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) in home games in the second half of the season this season.
ATLANTA is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in home games after playing 3 consecutive road games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 8-7 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 10-5 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
10 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

MINNESOTA (31 - 46) at PORTLAND (38 - 40) - 4/6/2017, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 12-21 ATS (-11.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
MINNESOTA is 18-32 ATS (-17.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
PORTLAND is 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 28-16 ATS (+10.4 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

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

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

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, April 6

Brooklyn won its last three games, covered its last four; they’re 7-1 vs spread in last nine away games. Four of their last six games stayed under. Magic lost their last five games (1-4 vs spread)- they’re 4-8 vs spread in last 12 home games. Over is 7-1 in last eight Orlando games. Orlando won five of last six games with Brooklyn; last three series games went over the total. Nets lost last three visits to Magic Kingdom (1-1-1 vs spread).

Chicago won four of its last five games; they’re 5-2 vs spread in last seven road games. Over is 5-3 in their last eight gams. 76ers lost their last four games, are 2-4 vs spread in last six games at home. Over is 6-3 in their last nine games. Bulls won nine of last ten games with Philly (5-2 vs spread in last seven). Over is 9-1 in last ten series games. Chicago won its last five visits here (3-1 vs spread in last four).

Milwaukee lost its last two games by 4-31 points; they’re 4-1 vs spread in last five road games. Over is 5-3 in their last eight games. Pacers lost four of last five games; they’re 6-2-1 vs spread in last nine home games. Eight of last ten Indiana games went over the total. Bucks won/covered their last three games with Indiana; six of last nine series games went over the total. Milwaukee won last two visits here, by 4-16 points.

Wizards lost three of last four games overall, losing last three on road (0-3 vs spread); six of their last seven games went over total. New York is 3-2 in its last five games, 5-3 vs spread in last eight home games. Knicks’ last five games stayed under. Washington won nine of last ten games with the Knicks, covering last five. Wizards won/covered their last four games in Manhattan. Five of last six series games went over.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Thursday, April 6

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:00 PM
BROOKLYN vs. ORLANDO
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Brooklyn's last 18 games when playing Orlando
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Brooklyn's last 6 games
Orlando is 7-14 SU in its last 21 games at home
Orlando is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Brooklyn

7:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. PHILADELPHIA
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Chicago's last 10 games when playing Philadelphia
Chicago is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games when playing Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Philadelphia's last 8 games when playing at home against Chicago

7:00 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. INDIANA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 6 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Indiana is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
Indiana is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Milwaukee

7:30 PM
WASHINGTON vs. NEW YORK
Washington is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against New York
Washington is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
New York is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of New York's last 10 games at home

8:00 PM
BOSTON vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Boston is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
Atlanta is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Boston

10:30 PM
MINNESOTA vs. PORTLAND
Minnesota is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Portland
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Portland's last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Portland is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Minnesota

[StarDust Bum]

Inside the Paint - Thursday
April 6, 2017

The NBA playoff race became a little clearer last night as Golden State clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and the best record for the third straight season. San Antonio helped the Warriors’ cause by dropping a 102-95 decision at home to the lowly Lakers on Wednesday as a 12-point favorite. Los Angeles was listed as high as a 19/2 betting choice (Bet $100 to win $950) on the money-line to capture the outright road win.

In the Eastern Conference, Charlotte and Detroit both came up flat at home in losses to Miami and Toronto respectively. Even though the pair haven’t been eliminated mathematically, they would both need miracles down the stretch to earn a playoff spot. Also, Cleveland’s win at Boston on Wednesday inched them closer to obtaining the No. 1 seed in the East since they now own the head-to-head tiebreaker (3-1) over the Celtics.

For those keeping track, favorites went 5-3 straight up last night but underdogs were 4-2-2 against the spread while the ‘over’ produced a 5-3 record.

Central Clash

Indiana (38-40 SU, 35-43 ATS) faces another must-win game on Thursday as Milwaukee (40-38 SU, 34-44 ATS) pays a visit to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers are tied with the Heat and Bulls for the seventh seed in the East but both those clubs own tiebreakers over them. The Bucks are currently in the fifth slot in the East and two games ahead of the aforementioned trio.

Milwaukee was on a roll in March, winning 14 of 17 games but it comes into this game off back-to-back losses and that includes a humbling 110-79 blowout loss at Oklahoma City on Tuesday. On that same night, Indiana rallied past Toronto for a 108-90 decision at home to snap a four-game losing skid.

Oddsmakers opened the Pacers as 4 ½-point home favorites and you could be reluctant to lay the points knowing the Bucks have won and covered all three meetings versus the Indiana this season plus all of the outcomes were decided by double digits.

The Bucks haven’t dropped three straight since early February but the defense has been shaky the last six games, allowing 106.8 points per game. Indiana’s strength this season has been at home, evidenced by its 27-12 record.

Road Favorites

There are three teams expected to be laying points on the road Thursday and all of the matchups take place in the East.

Chicago (38-40 SU, 39-39 ATS) at Philadelphia (28-50 SU, 48-30 ATS)

After having their four-game losing streak snapped in a 100-91 loss to the Knicks on Tuesday, the Bulls will look to rebound against a 76ers squad that embarrassed them 117-107 on Mar. 24 at home. Fortunately for Chicago, Philadelphia has been giving more minutes to its youngsters and that has resulted in four consecutive losses for the club and the defense (118.8 PPG) has been getting diced up.

Despite losing to Philadelphia a couple weeks ago, Chicago did win the first two regular season meetings versus the 76ers and both decisions (121-108, 105-89) came by double digits. Bettors could still be hesitant to lay points on the road with the Bulls knowing they are 3-4 both SU and ATS in that role this season and that includes Tuesday’s setback versus New York.

Washington (47-31 SU, 40-37-1 ATS) at New York (30-48 SU, 41-37 ATS)

No opening line was sent out on this game due to the status of New York forward Kristaps Porzingis, who is nursing a back injury. Regardless of his availability, Washington will close as the favorite and it has won nine of their last 10 matchups against the Knicks and that includes a 3-0 record both SU and ATS this season. The ‘over’ has cashed in all three games with Washington lighting up the scoreboard with 117, 113 and 119 points.

As mentioned above, New York did beat Chicago on Tuesday and it’s a respectable 3-3 both SU and ATS in its last six despite playing with a limited roster. However, the Knicks haven’t won back-to-back games since Dec. 22 and their last four losses off a win were all decided by double-digit margins.

Boston (50-28 SU, 38-38-2 ATS) at Atlanta (39-38 SU, 35-42 ATS)

On Feb. 27, the Hawks earned an impressive 114-98 win over the Celtics as 4 ½-point underdogs. Since that win, Atlanta has fallen into a 6-12 slump and its playoff position isn’t as secure anymore, especially when you look at the schedule. After this game with Boston, they play a home-and-home with Cleveland and close the season with games against other teams in the playoff hunt – Charlotte and Indiana.

The Hawks haven’t played since Sunday when they dropped a 91-82 decision at Brooklyn and will be fortunate to catch Boston on no rest, as the Celtics were humbled 114-91 at home to Cleveland on Wednesday. Boston started the season strong on no rest but it limps into this matchup with a 1-3 record both SU and ATS in its last four back-to-back spots.

Boston opened as a short favorite (-1 ½) for this matchup and it captured a 103-101 decision in Georgia back on Jan. 13 but the Hawks earned the cover (+4).

Roll the Ball Out

Brooklyn (19-59 SU, 39-37 ATS) and Orlando (27-51 SU, 30-46 ATS) will meet in a meaningless matchup on Thursday and bettors could be a little surprised to see the Magic listed as a short favorite, especially when you look at the form for both clubs.

The Nets have won three straight, six of their last 10 and they’ve gone 7-3 ATS over this span. Meanwhile, Orlando has lost five straight games and that includes a 121-111 loss at Brooklyn last Saturday as a four-point underdog.

This game has the highest total listed on Thursday’s board and it’s hard to argue against the high side. The first two meetings between the pair this season easily went ‘over’ the total and both clubs aren’t exactly defensive-minded. Including the 121 they posted on Orlando last Saturday, Brooklyn dropped 141 on Philadelphia this past Tuesday. Orlando’s offense hasn’t been held under 100 points in nine straight games but the defense has allowed 121 PPG in its last five games.

We Meet Again

The late-night game on Thursday takes place at the Moda Center as Portland (38-40 SU, 37-41 ATS) faces a key matchup against Minnesota (31-46 SU, 35-42 ATS).

These teams just met in a make-up game on Monday from the Target Center and the Timberwolves captured a 110-109 decision but the Trail Blazers earned the cover as two-point road underdogs.

Unfortunately for the pair, they were both forced to play back-to-back spots on the road this past Tuesday due to the postponement and they both lost. Portland ran out of gas in a 106-87 loss at Utah while Minnesota never had a chance in a 121-107 setback against the league’s hottest team in Golden State.

Prior to Monday’s loss, Portland was 2-0 versus Minnesota this season and that includes a 112-100 win on Mart. 25 as a six-point favorite. Four of the last five encounters in this series have gone ‘under’ the total.

With Denver (37-41) losing last night in Houston, Portland holds a one-game lead for the eighth and final spot in the playoffs and it has the tiebreaker over the Nuggets. Even though Trail Blazers are super weak in the frontcourt, especially with the injury to Jusuf Nurkic (leg), the team will play its final four games at home while Denver has two on the road and two at home.

The Blazers are listed as high as six-point favorites on Thursday and that number appears to be inflated due to their playoff urgency. The T-Wolves have gone 3-2 their last five and the offense has been rolling (113.6 PPG) during this run, which has helped the ‘over’ go 5-0.

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, APRIL 6

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MIL at IND

MIL +4.5

U 203.5

BK at ORL

BK +1.5

O 222.0

CHI at PHI

CHI -5.5

O 209.5

WAS at NY 07:30 PM

NY +5.0

O 218.0

BOS at ATL 08:00 PM

ATL +1.0

U 209.5

MIN at POR 10:30 PM

POR -5.5

O 217.0

[StarDust Bum]

NBA Capsules
April 6, 2017

ATLANTA (AP) Paul Millsap scored 26 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 and the Atlanta Hawks snapped a two-game skid with a 123-116 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.

Isaiah Thomas scored 35 points, Jae Crowder had 24 and Marcus Smart 18 for the Celtics. They have dropped two in a row after winning five of seven.

Rookie Taurean Prince finished with a career-high 20 points, and Dennis Schroder added 18 for Atlanta. The Hawks had lost nine of 11.

Schroder hit a straightaway 3 to make it 116-107 with 2:07 remaining before Thomas' corner 3 with 55.3 seconds to go cut the lead to five. The Celtics didn't get any closer the rest of the way.

Boston fell 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland for the East lead, but is still two games ahead of third-place Toronto. Fifth-place Atlanta, which led by 20 in the third, moved one game ahead of Milwaukee. The regular season ends next week.

BULLS 102, 76ERS 90

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Jimmy Butler had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and helped give Chicago's playoff hopes a needed boost.

The Bulls, Miami and Indiana entered the night with 38-40 records and in a three-way tie for seventh in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Butler had his fourth career triple-double.

Rajon Rondo sat out with a sprained right wrist and Dwyane Wade missed another game with a fractured right elbow. Wade, who scrimmaged Wednesday for the first time since he was injured on March 15, could return as early as Saturday at Brooklyn. Wade, who averaged 18.6 points in his first season with his hometown team, had been ruled out for the season. Rondo was hurt Tuesday night in a loss to New York.

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot led the 76ers with 18 points.

WIZARDS 106, KNICKS 103

NEW YORK (AP) - Bradley Beal scored 25 points and made the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 49 seconds left in Washington's victory over New York.

John Wall added 24 points and eight assists for the Wizards, who blew a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter but recovered to improve to 48-31, tying Toronto for third place in the Eastern Conference. Washington is trying for its first 50-win season since 1978-79.

Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points for the Knicks.

PACERS 104, BUCKS 89

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Paul George had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Indiana beat Milwaukee to keep its playoff hopes alive.

Jeff Teague added 15 points and seven assists for the Pacers. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

MAGIC 115, NETS 107

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Elfrid Payton had 22 points, 11 assists and five rebounds to lead Orlando.

Aaron Gordon added 21 points, Jodie Meeks had 20, and Nikola Vucevic finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Jeremy Lin led Brooklyn with 32 points.

TRAIL BLAZERS 105, TIMBERWOLVES 98

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Allen Crabbe had 25 points, including a career-high eight 3-pointers, and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a two-game losing streak.

Damian Lillard added 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Portland, which held onto the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference ahead of the Denver Nuggets with three games to go.

Andrew Wiggins had 36 points for the Timberwolves, who have already been eliminated.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack


— Baylor’s Jonathan Motley tore his MCL in the South Carolina loss; will that cause him to come back to school next year, or will he still enter the NBA Draft?


— Houston Astros shifted their defense 2,236 times LY, 347 more times than anyone else.


— Duke’s Luke Kennard is off to the NBA Draft; Blue Devils will once again have a lot of new faces.


— Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts is on the bereavement list, is out until Monday.


— Ryan Howard signed a minor league deal with Atlanta; surprised it wasn’t with an AL team, where he could DH.


— Irony: The Kentucky Coal Museum is installing solar panels to save on energy costs.


**********

Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here…….

13) RIP Don Rickles, 90, the comedian who became famous by insulting EVERYONE. The guy busted Frank Sinatra’s chops and got away with it- not many people did that. Rickles wasn’t the least bit politically correct, back in an era where people could laugh at themselves instead of being so damn sensitive, the way we are these days.


Reading social media Thursday; Rickles was beloved by modern entertainers, from Chris Rock to Jimmy Kimmel. RIP, sir.


12) Saw a great story of how Rickles was in Tommy Lasorda’s office in Dodger Stadium late in the 1977 baseball season; Lasorda told him to put a uniform on and sit next to him on the bench, so he did.


In the sixth inning, Lasorda tells Rickles to go out and change pitchers; seriously, he did, and Rickles went out and changed pitchers, though the pitcher (Elias Sosa) apparently wasn’t real happy about it. Harry Wendelstedt was the ump; when he went to the mound and saw it was Rickles, he asked him if he could get him tickets to see Dean Martin in Las Vegas.


11) I’m watching the Padres this week and I’m wondering, if Trayce Thompson was a Padre, would he hit 4th or 5th? With the Dodgers, he is in AAA.


10) San Diego’s TV analyst Mark Grant owns a Toyota with 274,000 miles on it; that must be one hell of a car.


9) Dustin Johnson withdrew from The Masters; here at SouthPoint, they refunded bets made on Johnson, but at William Hill sportsbooks, there were no refunds. Would be a cold day in hell before they got any more of my business- thats just common sense.


8) When the Giants lost in Arizona Sunday, after Madison Bumgarner homered twice, it was just the third time since 1960 that a pitcher homered twice in a game that his team lost.


7) Mets faced a lefty last night and Wilmer Flores batted cleanup; I’m thinking, jeez thats not good, but Terry Collins is a sharp guy— Flores homered to break the game open as the Mets won 6-2.


6) Reds 7, Phillies 4— Not often the game-winning hit is a pinch-hit HR by a pitcher, but Michael Lorenzen got one here- it is the first pinch-hit HR by a pitcher since 2009, when Micah Owings hit one, also for Cincinnati.


5) Stanford-Notre Dame played a regional final in the womens’ tournament in Rupp Arena in Lexington, a building that seats 23,000- they drew 2,527 fans. Only one of the four regional finals in the womens’ tournament drew more than 3,200 fans.


4) December 5, hoop doubleheader in Phoenix: St John’s-Grand Canyon, Arizona-Texas A&M.


Chris Mullin must think his team will be pretty good next year; they’re involved in another twinbill, this one in Staples Center; St John’s-Arizona State and Oklahoma-USC.


3) Atlanta Hawks’ Thabo Sefolosha banked a $4M settlement from an incident outside a New York City nightclub couple years ago where the NYPD beat him up pretty good and broke his leg. The incident was captured on film, which usually helps the plaintiff.


2) A woman on Jeopardy lost $17,200 on Final Jeopardy because she couldn’t come up with the Raptors as the answer— she guessed Timberwolves as “the animal that is this NBA team’s primary mascot peaked 75 million years ago.”


1— Quote of the Day, Part 2: “Isaiah Briscoe leaving UK. Don’t want to be mean-spirited but not sure he has single NBA skill. And shooting is critical for NBA guard.”
ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla, who isn’t normally very critical.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, April 7

Miami is 4-5 in its last nine games; they’re 4-1-1 vs spread in last six road games. Under is 5-3 in their last eight games. Toronto won nine of last 11 games; they’re 6-4 vs spread in last ten home games. Five of their last six games went over total. Home side won six of last seven Miami-Toronto games; Raptors won six of last nine meetings, with last three staying under total. Heat lost last four visits to Canada (1-3 vs spread).

Hawks won three of last five games, covered three of last four road games; under is 9-2 in their last 11 games. Cleveland won its last four games (3-1 vs spread); they’re 3-5-1 vs spread in last nine home games. Over is 7-3 in their last ten games. Cavaliers won nine of last ten games with Atlanta, which lost five of last six visits here (1-5 vs spread). Four of last five series games went over total.

Pistons lost its last nine road games (1-8 vs spread); they’re 1-7 in last eight games overall. Under is 10-4 in their last 14 games. Houston won six of last seven home games; they’re 1-4 vs spread in last five games overall. Four of their last five games stayed under. Rockets won seven of last ten games with Detroit; over is 5-2 in last seven series games. Pistons lost four of last five visits to Houston (2-3 vs spread).

New York split its last six games; they’re 4-1 vs spread in last five away games. Knicks’ last six games stayed under the total. Grizzlies lost their last three games, are 4-1 vs spread in last five home tilts. Under is 8-4 in their last dozen games. Knicks lost eight of last ten games with Memphis; they lost last five visits here (1-4 vs spread). Three of last four series games went over total.

San Antonio won eight of last ten games; they’re 6-3 vs spread in last nine road games. Seven of their last nine games stayed under. Dallas lost six of its last seven games; they’re 1-4-1 vs spread in last six home games. Under is 6-3 in their last nine games. Spurs won eight of last nine games with Dallas, but Mavericks covered last three; San Antonio won last three games in this building (2-1 vs spread). Under is 7-3 in last ten series games.

Timberwolves lost three of last four games; they’re 1-8 vs spread in last nine road games. Five of their last six games went over total. Jazz won four of its last five games; they’re 5-2 vs spread in last seven home tilts. Three of their last four home games stayed under. Utah won five of last six games with Minnesota; four of last five series games stayed under the total. Teams split last four series games played here.

New Orleans is 3-4 in its last seven games, 1-3 vs spread in last four road games. Four of their last five games went over total. Denver lost four of last six games, is 5-3 vs spread in last eight home games. Over is 7-2 in their last nine games. Road team won eight of last nine Pelican-Nugget games; Denver just won 134-131 on Bourbon Street Tuesday nite. Over is 5-2 in last seven series games. Pelicans won last three games in Denver.

Oklahoma City won four of last six games; they’re 4-1-1 vs spread in last six road games. Three of their last four games stayed under. Suns lost their last 13 games, are 4-2-1 against the spread in last seven. Seven of their last eight games went over the total. Thunder won eight of last ten games with Phoenix; teams split last four series games played in desert. Over is 7-2 in last nine series games.

Kings won four of last six games, are 3-1 vs spread in last four road games. Six of their last seven games stayed under. Lakers won their last two games, covered their last three- they are 5-3 vs spread in last eight games at Staples Center. Lakers lost nine of last ten games with Sacramento; last five series games stayed under total. Kings won/covered last four series games in Staples.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Friday, April 7

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:30 PM
ATLANTA vs. CLEVELAND
Atlanta is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Cleveland
Atlanta is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Cleveland's last 10 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Cleveland is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Atlanta

7:30 PM
MIAMI vs. TORONTO
Miami is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Miami is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games at home
Toronto is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

8:00 PM
NEW YORK vs. MEMPHIS
New York is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Memphis's last 9 games
Memphis is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games

8:00 PM
DETROIT vs. HOUSTON
Detroit is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games when playing Houston
Houston is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games

8:30 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. DALLAS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Antonio's last 5 games on the road
San Antonio is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games at home
Dallas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home

9:00 PM
NEW ORLEANS vs. DENVER
New Orleans is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games when playing on the road against Denver
New Orleans is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Denver
Denver is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games when playing at home against New Orleans
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Denver's last 5 games

9:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. UTAH
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota's last 8 games on the road
Minnesota is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Utah
Utah is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah's last 5 games when playing Minnesota

10:00 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. PHOENIX
Oklahoma City is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 6 games
Phoenix is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games
Phoenix is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City

10:30 PM
SACRAMENTO vs. LA LAKERS
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Sacramento's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Sacramento's last 12 games on the road
LA Lakers are 1-9 SU in their last 10 games when playing Sacramento
LA Lakers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games when playing at home against Sacramento