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  • Thursday’s six-pack

    Odds to win the Valero Texas Open this week:

    16-1— Matt Kuchar

    18-1— Charley Hoffman

    22-1— Adam Hadwin, Branden Grace, Brooks Koepka, Brendan Steele

    25-1— Jimmy Walker
    26-1— Ryan Moore

    28-1- Billy Horschel

    *******************************

    Thursday’s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but…….

    13) Random odd fact: in the next FIVE NBA drafts, the 76ers have the Knicks’ 2nd-round pick. The Knicks are bad, so their 2nd round pick is fairly close to the first round.

    12) Shareef O’Neal, Shaq’s son, will be playing ball at Arizona starting in the fall of 2018; he is a 6-9 forward is ranked 31st in the Class of 2018 by one analyst.

    11) Bryce Harper homered twice in first two innings last nite, is 15-for-33 with seven HR’s and 17 RBIs off Julio Teheran, who is no chump.

    10) Umpire CB Bucknor had a rough night behind the plate Tuesday working the Nats-Braves game; plus the Fox Trax thing that shows whether a pitch is a ball or a strike wasn’t working well on TV, so it made Bucknor look even worse. Washington players were upset afterwards and they won the game.

    9) Cardinals 2, Pirates 1— Third day in a row St Louis beat the Bucs by a 2-1 score.

    8) Maple Leafs are in the playoffs, Blue Jays are off to a 2-11 start; there were tickets for the Red Sox-Jays game in Toronto last night selling online for as little as $2.

    7) Memphis Grizzlies coach David Fizdale was fined $30,000 by the NBA for his comments about the refs in Game 2— the Memphis players are paying the tab for him.

    6) Ichiro Suzuki, in what was probably his last at-bat in Seattle, homered in the 9th inning of the Marlins’ 10-5 loss. Suzuki was a great player for the Mariners and is a sure-fire Hall of Famer.

    5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks this summer.

    4) LIU hired former UMass coach Derek Kellogg to lead its basketball program; took them over a month to hire a new coach.

    3) Mets’ 1B Lucas Duda hyperextended his elbow taking a throw last nite and left the game- was reminiscent of the play long time ago where Cliff Floyd’s elbow got totally messed up reaching into the baseline to field a throw.

    2) Quote of the Day, part 2, from Florida Atlantic’s new football coach Lane Kiffin, on how he will deal with his assistant coaches:

    “No, that’s not really how I do it. Greg (McElroy) knows about those. Those things come up, and everybody has different ways of dealing with them. It’s just not really how I do it. I’m not really big on humiliating assistant coaches in front of everybody. I write down notes. In the staff meeting, I explain what we want to get done.”

    1— NFL releases the 2017 schedule tonight, so we’ll be talking about that Friday. Remember, it isn’t as much about who you play as much as when you play them.
    Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

    Comment


    • NBA knowledge

      Thursday’s games


      Cleveland won first two games of series by 1-6 points; Indiana covered both of them. Cavaliers won their last five games with Indiana, with last three wins by total of 12 points.Teams split last four games played here. Indiana won five of its last seven games, covered last eight- over is 12-4 in their last 16 games. Cleveland was 24-59 on arc in first two games. Eight of Cavaliers’ last ten games went over the total- they shot 53.8/55.3% from floor in first two games. Indiana won/covered its last three home games.

      Bucks were 14-29 on arc in Game 2 win, after going 5-23 in Game 1 loss; Toronto shot 58 foul shots in first two games, Raptors 34. Toronto won three of last four visits to Milwaukee (favorites 4-0 vs spread)- they’re 8-2 overall in last ten games against the Bucks. Milwaukee is 0-6 in playoff series the last 15 years- their last first round series win was in 2001. Toronto is 4-2 vs Milwaukee this season. Under is 5-1-1 in Bucks’ last seven games, 6-5 in Toronto’s last 11. Raptors are 13-3 in their last 16 games. Milwaukee was -12 in the 6:00 Antetokounmpo was off the floor in Game 2, (+6 when he was on floor).

      Home side won last six series tilts; San Antonio lost last two visits here, by 15-8 points. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Memphis was 13-15 on foul line in Game 2; Leonard was 19-19, by himself. What effect will Tizdale’s post-game tirade have on Game 3 refs? Grizzlies lost 11 of last 14 games (under 9-5) overall, after losing first two in this series, by 29-14 points (0-2 vs spread). Four of Spurs’ last six games went over total. Memphis subs are -98 in first two series games; starters are -67. Memphis lost three of its last four home games.

      First round playoff series:


      Boston-Chicago
      Chi 106-102, +7, O207
      Chi 111-97, +7.5, O206.5

      Cleveland-Indiana
      Clev 109-108, -9, O208.5
      Clev 117-111, -9, O210

      Toronto-Milwaukee
      Mil 97-83, +7.5, U197.5
      Tor 106-100, -8, O195

      Washington-Atlanta
      Wash 114-107, -5.5, O209.5
      Wash 109-101, -6.5, U211.5

      Golden State-Portland
      GState 121-109, -15.5, O220
      GState 110-81, –12, U219

      San Antonio-Memphis
      SA 111-82, -9.5, O190.5
      SA 96-82, -10.5, U189

      Houston-Oklahoma City
      Hst 118-87 -7.5, U227.5
      Hst 115-111, -7.5, O225.5

      LA Clippers-Utah
      Utah 97-95, +6, U198.5
      LAC 99-91, -9, U200

      Favorites: 6-10 vs spread

      Over: 9-7
      Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

      Comment


      • Overall Picks of the Day:
        Date W-L-T % Units Record

        04/19/2017 3-3-0 50.00% -150
        04/18/2017 5-1-0 83.33% +1950
        04/17/2017 1-3-0 25.00% -1150
        04/16/2017 3-5-0 37.50% -1250
        04/15/2017 6-2-0 75.00% +1900

        Best Bets Daily:
        Sides / Totals

        04/19/2017..................1 - 2...............-1.20..................1 - 2 -1.20
        04/18/2017..................3 - 0..............+3.00..................2 - 1 +0.90
        04/17/2017..................1 - 1...............-1.10..................0 - 2 - 2.20
        04/16/2017 .................2 - 2..............- 0.20..................1 - 2 - 1.20
        04/15/2017..................3 - 0.............+ 3.00..................1 - 2 - 1.20
        Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

        Comment


        • NBA
          Long Sheet

          Thursday, April 20


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

          CLEVELAND (53 - 31) at INDIANA (42 - 42) - 4/20/2017, 7:00 PM
          Top Trends for this game.
          CLEVELAND is 36-45 ATS (-13.5 Units) in all games this season.
          CLEVELAND is 12-26 ATS (-16.6 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
          INDIANA is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) in April games this season.
          INDIANA is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
          INDIANA is 24-10 ATS (+13.0 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
          INDIANA is 29-17 ATS (+10.3 Units) in home games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
          INDIANA is 49-32 ATS (+13.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

          Head-to-Head Series History
          INDIANA is 11-3 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
          CLEVELAND is 10-4 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
          9 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

          TORONTO (52 - 32) at MILWAUKEE (43 - 41) - 4/20/2017, 8:00 PM
          Top Trends for this game.
          TORONTO is 7-19 ATS (-13.9 Units) in all playoff games over the last 3 seasons.
          TORONTO is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in the first round of the playoffs over the last 3 seasons.
          TORONTO is 185-229 ATS (-66.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
          MILWAUKEE is 56-35 ATS (+17.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game since 1996.
          TORONTO is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
          MILWAUKEE is 38-46 ATS (-12.6 Units) in all games this season.
          MILWAUKEE is 362-433 ATS (-114.3 Units) in the second half of the season since 1996.

          Head-to-Head Series History
          TORONTO is 8-5 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
          TORONTO is 10-3 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
          9 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

          SAN ANTONIO (63 - 21) at MEMPHIS (43 - 41) - 4/20/2017, 9:30 PM
          Top Trends for this game.
          SAN ANTONIO is 998-871 ATS (+39.9 Units) in all games since 1996.
          SAN ANTONIO is 87-73 ATS (+6.7 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
          MEMPHIS is 1-12 ATS (-12.2 Units) when playing with 2 days rest this season.
          MEMPHIS is 3-14 ATS (-12.4 Units) after a division game this season.

          Head-to-Head Series History
          SAN ANTONIO is 10-8 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
          SAN ANTONIO is 14-4 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
          11 of 18 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




          NBA
          Short Sheet

          Thursday, April 20


          Eastern Conference – Round 1 – Best of 7 – Game 3 – CLE Leads 2-0

          Cleveland at Indiana, 7:00 PM ET
          Cleveland: 20-8 OVER (+11.2 Units) as a road favorite
          Indiana: 14-4 ATS in home games after a combined score of 225 points or more

          Eastern Conference – Round 1 – Best of 7 – Game 3 – Series Tied At 1-1

          Toronto at Milwaukee, 8:00 PM ET
          Toronto: 15-6 ATS after playing 2 consecutive home games
          Milwaukee: 25-16 OVER in home games

          Western Conference – Round 1 – Best of 7 – Game 3 – SAS Leads 2-0

          San Antonio at Memphis, 9:30 PM ET
          San Antonio: 44-29 ATS after having won 2 of their last 3 games
          Memphis: 27-13 UNDER revenging a road loss vs opponent of 10 points or more




          NBA
          Armadillo's Write-Up

          Thursday, April 20


          Cleveland won first two games of series by 1-6 points; Indiana covered both of them. Cavaliers won their last five games with Indiana, with last three wins by total of 12 points.Teams split last four games played here. Indiana won five of its last seven games, covered last eight- over is 12-4 in their last 16 games. Cleveland was 24-59 on arc in first two games. Eight of Cavaliers’ last ten games went over the total- they shot 53.8/55.3% from floor in first two games. Indiana won/covered its last three home games.

          Bucks were 14-29 on arc in Game 2 win, after going 5-23 in Game 1 loss; Toronto shot 58 foul shots in first two games, Raptors 34. Toronto won three of last four visits to Milwaukee (favorites 4-0 vs spread)- they’re 8-2 overall in last ten games against the Bucks. Milwaukee is 0-6 in playoff series the last 15 years- their last first round series win was in 2001. Toronto is 4-2 vs Milwaukee this season. Under is 5-1-1 in Bucks’ last seven games, 6-5 in Toronto’s last 11. Raptors are 13-3 in their last 16 games. Milwaukee was -12 in the 6:00 Antetokounmpo was off the floor in Game 2, (+6 when he was on floor).

          Home side won last six series tilts; San Antonio lost last two visits here, by 15-8 points. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Memphis was 13-15 on foul line in Game 2; Leonard was 19-19, by himself. What effect will Tizdale’s post-game tirade have on Game 3 refs? Grizzlies lost 11 of last 14 games (under 9-5) overall, after losing first two in this series, by 29-14 points (0-2 vs spread). Four of Spurs’ last six games went over total. Memphis subs are -98 in first two series games; starters are -67. Memphis lost three of its last four home games.

          First round playoff series:
          Boston-Chicago
          Chi 106-102, +7, O207
          Chi 111-97, +7.5, O206.5

          Cleveland-Indiana
          Clev 109-108, -9, O208.5
          Clev 117-111, -9, O210

          Toronto-Milwaukee
          Mil 97-83, +7.5, U197.5
          Tor 106-100, -8, O195

          Washington-Atlanta
          Wash 114-107, -5.5, O209.5
          Wash 109-101, -6.5, U211.5

          Golden State-Portland
          GState 121-109, -15.5, O220
          GState 110-81, –12, U219

          San Antonio-Memphis
          SA 111-82, -9.5, O190.5
          SA 96-82, -10.5, U189

          Houston-Oklahoma City
          Hst 118-87 -7.5, U227.5
          Hst 115-111, -7.5, O225.5

          LA Clippers-Utah
          Utah 97-95, +6, U198.5
          LAC 99-91, -9, U200

          Favorites: 6-10 vs spread

          Over: 9-7




          NBA

          Thursday, April 20


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

          7:00 PM
          CLEVELAND vs. INDIANA
          Cleveland is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
          Cleveland is 2-11 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Indiana
          The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games
          Indiana is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games

          8:00 PM
          TORONTO vs. MILWAUKEE
          Toronto is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games
          The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Toronto's last 12 games when playing Milwaukee
          The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Milwaukee's last 12 games when playing Toronto
          Milwaukee is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home

          9:30 PM
          SAN ANTONIO vs. MEMPHIS
          The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio's last 6 games
          San Antonio is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Memphis
          The total has gone OVER in 8 of Memphis's last 12 games at home
          Memphis is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games when playing San Antonio
          Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

          Comment


          • NBA

            Thursday, April 20


            ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Thursday's NBA Playoffs Betting Preview and Odds
            ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Cleveland Cavaliers at Indiana Pacers (+2.5, 211.5)

            Cavs lead series 2-0

            ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (53-31 SU, 36-45-3 ATS, 49-34-1 O/U): Cleveland averaged 113 points while winning the first two games and All-Star forward LeBron James is impressed with what he's seeing. Point guard Kyrie Irving (37 points), power forward Kevin Love (27) and James (25) combined for 89 points in the 117-111 victory in Game 2, becoming the first trio to each score 25 points or more in the franchise's playoff history. James (5,629) is 12 points away from passing Kobe Bryant for third place on the NBA's all-time playoff scoring list and he is pleased with the team-first showing the club is displaying. "Our mindset is what we can do to help each other to be successful out on the floor," James said. "We have a game plan from our coaching staff and we just try to execute that. We can't worry about what the opponent is feeling or if they feel like they lost composure."

            ABOUT THE PACERS (42-42 SU, 41-42-1 ATS, 43-41 O/U): Paul George is being vocal about his teammates but he clearly is the only player capable of keeping the Indiana Pacers in the best-of-seven first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. George is on edge and criticized Miles for taking the last shot in Game 1 - "I got to get the last shot," George asserted - and then he ripped swingman Lance Stephenson's antics and power forward Myles Turner's subpar play after Game 2. The 21-year-old Turner is averaging 8.5 points in the series - six below his regular-season average - while giving an effort George doesn't feel is up to par. "He needs to make himself available down low in the post," George told reporters of Turner. "He needs to know at this point he has to take it to the next level. We'll continue to work with him. I've been in his ear all the way up until this point - you know, that next step."

            LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened Pacers as 3.5-point home underdogs for Game 3, but some early action on the home team reduced that number to +2.5 by Wednesday night. The total hit the betting boards at 211.5.

            INJURY REPORT:

            Cavaliers - SG J.R. Smith (Questionable, hamstring), PG K. Felder (Questionable, leg).

            Pacers - PG J. Teague (Probable, wrist), C A. Jefferson (Questionable, ankle).

            TRENDS:

            * Cavaliers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
            * Pacers are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
            * Under is 6-0 in Cavaliers last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
            * Over is 5-1 in Pacers last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
            * Cavaliers are 2-10-1 ATS in the last 13 meetings.




            Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks (-1.5, 196)

            Series tied 1-1

            ABOUT THE RAPTORS (52-32 SU, 45-38-1 ATS, 45-39 O/U): Milwaukee wrestled homecourt advantage away by winning the opener in Toronto but the Raptors regained momentum with a solid 106-100 victory in Game 2. Lowry's solid Game 2 performance was much-needed after he tallied just four points on 2-of-11 shooting in the opener. He has traditionally struggled in the postseason and the Game 1 showing prompted reminders of last season's poor postseason play but coach Dwane Casey insists he was unconcerned about Lowry. "I've been in the trenches with him before and he's always bounced back," Casey told reporters. "That's just who he is. He's a fighter. I just knew he wasn't going to be satisfied the way he played in the first game. He's human. Everybody has a night like that. We just can't panic every time a guy has a night like that. It's a tough league."

            ABOUT THE BUCKS (43-41 SU, 38-46 ATS, 42-40-2 O/U): The Milwaukee Bucks haven't won a playoff series since the 2000-01 campaign and can take another step toward ending their drought when they host the Toronto Raptors in Thursday's Game 3 of the Eastern Conference series. Antetokounmpo is averaging 26 points and 11.5 rebounds in the series and realized after Game 2 he would need to make adjustments to deal with Toronto's change in defensive tactics. "They didn't allow me to go in the paint," Antetokounmpo told reporters. "Every time I drove the ball, everybody was sucking into the paint. They were more physical. I still have to make the right plays and try to find my teammates." Antetokounmpo could use sustained help from shooting guard Khris Middleton, who scored 20 points in Game 2 after struggling to 10 on 4-of-15 shooting in the opener.

            LINE HISTORY: The spread for this Game 3 matchup in Milwaukee opened as a Pick 'Em at some shops and was all over the place early on. By Wednesday evening the spread seems to have settle in at Bucks -1.5. The total opened at 197 and came down slightly to 196.

            INJURY REPORT:

            Raptors - No injuries to report.

            Bucks - PF J. Parker (Out For Season, knee).

            TRENDS:

            * Raptors are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games.
            * Bucks are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 vs. NBA Atlantic.
            * Under is 12-3 in Raptors last 15 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
            * Under is 5-1-1 in Bucks last 7 overall.
            * Raptors are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Milwaukee.




            San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies (+3.5, 185)

            Spurs lead series 2-0

            ABOUT THE SPURS (63-21 SU, 43-39-2 ATS, 44-38-2 O/U): The San Antonio Spurs opened the Western Conference first-round series with impressive victories and aim to take a commanding 3-0 lead when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday. Memphis has been unable to control Spurs All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard, who is averaging 34.5 points on 20-of-28 shooting from the field while knocking down all 28 free-throw attempts. Leonard is a force and continues to improve offensively and now appears ready to explode and obliterate the previous best scoring postseason of his six-year career of 22.5 set last season. Second-seeded San Antonio revolves around Leonard, who has raised his exploits despite opponents routinely double-teaming him in hopes of slowing his down. "It's a gift and a curse," Leonard told reporters of the double teams. "You want to get to this level, and then you start getting double-teamed but it's all fun. It's a game. You just have to approach it that way."

            ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (43-41 SU, 41-43 ATS, 39-42-3 O/U): This might be Memphis' one chance to make it a series after the Grizzlies scored just 82 points in each of the defeats in San Antonio. Seventh-seeded Memphis will be seeking a rebound from All-Star center Marc Gasol, who scored 32 points in Game 1 before dropping to 12 on 4-of-15 shooting in Game 2. Memphis coach David Fizdale was fined $30,000 on Wednesday for unleashing a memorable rant about the officiating after Game 2 and one of his points was that Leonard attempted more free throws (19) than his entire team (15). Point guard Mike Conley understood his coach's frustration and said the Spurs' long history of winning is a factor. "The Spurs are champions. They've won many times. They've done a lot of great things," Conley told reporters. "We haven't earned that yet. We have to get to that mountaintop, and we understand that. I understand that. That's why I'm not going to complain about it. I'm just going to keep my head down, keep focused, try to play through it the best I can and keep my teammates from letting it affect them mentally."

            LINE HISTORY: The Grizzlies opened as four-point home underdogs and by Wednesday evening that number was down to +3.5. The total opened at 185, made a brief stop at 185.5, before returning to the opening number.

            INJURY REPORT:

            Spurs - No injuries to report.

            Grizzlies - SF C. Parsons (Out For Season, knee), SG T. Allen (Out Indefinitely, calf).

            TRENDS:

            * Spurs are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games.
            * Grizzlies are 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 Conference Quarterfinals games.
            * Over is 7-1 in Spurs last 8 games playing on 2 days rest.
            * Under is 4-1 in Grizzlies last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
            * Under is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings.
            Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

            Comment


            • NBA
              Dunkel

              Thursday, April 20



              San Antonio @ Memphis

              Game 713-714
              April 20, 2017 @ 9:30 pm

              Dunkel Rating:
              San Antonio
              122.580
              Memphis
              115.229
              Dunkel Team:
              Dunkel Line:
              Dunkel Total:
              San Antonio
              by 7 1/2
              195
              Vegas Team:
              Vegas Line:
              Vegas Total:
              San Antonio
              by 3 1/2
              185
              Dunkel Pick:
              San Antonio
              (-3 1/2); Over

              Toronto @ Milwaukee


              Game 711-712
              April 20, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

              Dunkel Rating:
              Toronto
              122.955
              Milwaukee
              116.494
              Dunkel Team:
              Dunkel Line:
              Dunkel Total:
              Toronto
              by 6 1/2
              193
              Vegas Team:
              Vegas Line:
              Vegas Total:
              Milwaukee
              by 1 1/2
              196 1/2
              Dunkel Pick:
              Toronto
              (+1 1/2); Under

              Cleveland @ Indiana


              Game 709-710
              April 20, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

              Dunkel Rating:
              Cleveland
              118.926
              Indiana
              124.356
              Dunkel Team:
              Dunkel Line:
              Dunkel Total:
              Indiana
              by 5 1/2
              216
              Vegas Team:
              Vegas Line:
              Vegas Total:
              Cleveland
              by 2 1/2
              211 1/2
              Dunkel Pick:
              Indiana
              (+2 1/2); Over


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


              NBA

              Thursday, April 20



              Updated NBA Playoffs 2017 Betting Stats: Favorites 12-4 straight up
              Favorites 6-10 ATS O/U 9-7


              Updated 2016-17 Durant-less Warriors betting stats:
              17-4 SU
              12-8-1 ATS (11-1-1 ATS in last 12)
              5-16 O/U
              Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

              Comment


              • Thursday's NBA Essentials
                April 20, 2017


                Western Conference First Round
                No. 2 San Antonio at No. 7 Memphis (TNT, 9:30 p.m. ET)


                2016-17 Regular Season (Tied 2-2)
                Feb. 6 Spurs at Grizzlies (-1) 89-74 (Under 200.5)
                Mar. 18 Spurs at Grizzlies (+4) 104-96 (Over 196)
                Mar. 23 Grizzlies at Spurs (-8) 97-90 (Under 197.5)
                Apr. 4 Grizzlies at Spurs (-9) 95-89 (OT) (Over 195.5)

                2016-17 Postseason (Spurs 2-0)
                Apr. 15 Grizzlies at Spurs (-9.5) 111-82 (Over 190)
                Apr. 17 Grizzlies at Spurs (-10.5) 96-82 (Under 189)
                **Game 4 will take place from Memphis' FedEx Forum on Saturday.

                After a pair of games where they failed to really challenge the Spurs, head coach David Fizdale struck the stiffest blow his team managed to land in San Antonio, questioning the officiating in an effort to try and get a few more calls for his team as they return home to Memphis to try and make a series out of this. Pointing out that Zach Randolph shot no free throws and Kawhi Leonard's 19 attempts eclipsed his entire team's despite the Spurs not taking the ball inside the paint as often as Memphis did.

                "I'm not a numbers guy, but that doesn't seem to add up. Overall, 35 times we shot the ball in the paint. We had 15 free throws for the game. They shot 18 times in the paint and had 32 free throws. Explain it to me," Fizdale demanded post-game. "It was a very poorly officiated basketball game."

                Officials don't typically take kindly to being called out, especially since Fizdale's warning to not "rook us," is coming from a first-year head coach of a team filled mostly by veterans. Depending on who is on the whistle, Fizdale may have a technical coming his way and could see his strategy backfire if the Spurs are aggressive. He was fined $30,000 by the NBA for disparaging the officials, although Memphis players and area businesses have volunteered to ensure the head coach won't have to pay a dime out of pocket.

                Thus far, Marc Gasol's 32-point Game 1 has been the lone brightspot for a Grizzlies team that has lacked the consistency to even hang within double-digits thus far in the series. Point guard Mike Conley, coming off his best regular season, has struggled with being the focus of San Antonio's defensive game plan, shooting 40.6 percent despite averaging 18.5 points and 7.5 assists. Although solid enough, those numbers aren't going to help make a dent against a team as efficient as San Antonio, especially when you add a free-throw discrepancy into the mix.

                Conley, Gasol and Randolph must all be better and need to get contributions from the team's younger players who may be able to settle down more and produce at home. JaMychal Green has shot 2-for-8, while undrafted rookie free agent Wayne Selden has gone 2-for-10. Those two have started both contests. James Ennis and Andrew Harrison, key contributors off the bench, shot a combined 6-for-17 in San Antonio.

                Unless somebody gets it going, the Spurs are simply going to continue sending extra help Conley's way and daring others to beat them. Vince Carter has averaged over 30 minutes per game in the series and has managed just 8.0 points, so the Griz are going to need more from him too.

                In case you've lost count, in order to have a chance to win, they'll need better efforts from all their standouts, their fringe starters, older role players, younger bench guys, the fan base, referees and Fizdale himself.

                There's very little margin for error because the likelihood of containing Kawhi Leonard without Tony Allen available is so remote. Allen has been ruled out for Game 3 with a calf strain suffered when he was kicked there in the regular-season finale. During the regular season, he helped hold Leonard to 23-for-54 shooting.

                Through two postseason games, Leonard has shot 20-for-34 (58.8 pct), averaging 35.5 points. He's made all 28 of his free-throw attempts, wasting no chance to pile on. We'll see what Fizdale has in store to try and slow him down, but any extra attention would likely help LaMarcus Aldridge get going since he shot just 3-for-8 in Game 2.

                Only the Warriors had a better road record than the Spurs, besting a 30-11 mark by a single game. Although San Antonio lost both of its games at FedEx Forum this season, they won and covered in sweeping the Griz out of last year's playoffs and won a pair there in the regular season too. In their last 16 encounters, the under has come in a dozen times.

                San Antonio is favored on the road and has gone just 10-7 SU/7-10 ATS in this situation since Jan. 1. The Grizzlies are 8-8 SU/ATS when not favored at home this season, with the last win coming on March 18 against the Spurs. OKC beat Memphis on April 5 as a road favorite the last time the Griz were getting points at the Grindhouse.

                Eastern Conference First Round
                No. 2 Cleveland at No. 7 Indiana (TNT, 7:00 p.m. ET)


                2016-17 Regular Season (Cavaliers 3-1)
                Nov. 16 Cavaliers at Pacers (-2.5) 103-93 (Under 208.5)
                Feb. 8 Cavaliers (+3.5) at Pacers 132-117 (Over 216)
                Feb. 15 Pacers at Cavaliers (-6) 113-104 (Under 219)
                Apr. 2 Pacers at Cavaliers (-8) 135-130 (2OT) (Over 214)

                2016-17 Postseason (Spurs 2-0)
                Apr. 15 Pacers at Cavaliers (-9) 109-108 (Over 208.5)
                Apr. 17 Pacers at Cavaliers (-9) 117-111 (Over 210)
                **Game 4 will take place from Indiana's Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Sunday.

                Despite all the doubt cast on the defending champs due to an ugly final few months of the regular-season, the Cavs find themselves on the brink of taking control of this first-round series if they can take care of business as a road favorite.

                Indiana missed a shot that would've won Game 1 and hung around to also cover on Tuesday, but its opportunity to advance may have already disappeared. At this rate, Thursday night's game is a must-win to have a realistic chance at pulling off an upset since the Pacers would have to beat the Cavs four straight times otherwise.

                Paul George has been honest in his assessment of what went wrong in Cleveland, but drew some criticism since it came off as finger-pointing. Although CJ Miles could've gotten the ball back to him for the final look in the series opener, he got off a clean shot that he should've made. Lance Stephenson, victimized by Kevin Love at both ends during the Cavs' game-breaking third-quarter run where they took control, does need to better control his emotions. George isn't beyond reproach, but he's averaging 30.5 points, 6.5 boards and 7.0 assists and shooting just under 50 percent while often going toe-to-toe with LeBron James. He's made 10 of 18 3-point looks and has stepped up enough to give Indiana a chance. That should continue tonight.

                George shoots it better at home than on the road and averaged 24.4 points per game during the regular season, so it would be surprising to see him struggle. He'll also be prepared to see Iman Shumpert, who caught the first DNP-CD of his career in Game 1 before coming in Thursday after J.R. Smith was diagnosed a no-go in the second half due to a hamstring injury. Not only did Shumpert come in with terrific energy on the defensive end, he hit two of his 3-shots and provided a lift over 20 minutes. That effort will be harder to replicate on the road with George ready to see him, but he'll probably be in the rotation if Smith is ruled out. He's currently listed as questionable.

                Myles Turner had a disappointing first two games, shrinking away from contact and being victimized on the boards. James easily blocked one of his drives to the basket late in Game 2, putting a sour cherry on a night when the 21-year-old standout managed just six points and five boards in 37 minutes. For the series, he's shooting 36 percent and averaging 8.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, well below his regular-season averages (14.5, 7.3) despite more minutes. Turner has also been more productive at home, so perhaps familiar surroundings will do him some good.

                For their part, the Cavs will be looking to improve to 13-0 after going up 2-0 in a series, extending James' personal run of 18 consecutive first-round wins that includes his time in Miami. LeBron is averaging 42.5 minutes in the series and shooting 57.5 percent, averaging 28.5 points, eight boards and 10 assists through his team's first two wins. Kyrie Irving comes off a 37-point game and is averaging a team high 30.0 in the series, while Love comes off a 27-point, 11-rebound game that featured a dominant game-altering stretch. He's shooting a shade under 69 percent from the field thus far.

                Although the Pacers have taken advantage of Cleveland's continued defensive issues in averaging 109.5 ponints thus far, they're surrendering 114. The Cavs won the last three games of the regular-series by averaging 126.7 points per game. Although there's a double-OT game inflating that clip, Indiana hasn't proven capable of containing their Central Division rival. The over is 7-3 in the last 10 games between these teams, prevailing in four of five.

                Eastern Conference First Round
                No. 3 Toronto at No. 6 Milwaukee (NBATV, 8:00 p.m. ET)


                2016-17 Regular Season (Raptors 3-1)
                Nov. 25 Raptors (-3.5) at Bucks 105-99 (Under 207.5)
                Dec. 12 Bucks at Raptors (-8) 122-100 (Over 213)
                Jan. 27 Bucks at Raptors (-5.5) 102-86 (Under 213.5)
                Mar. 4 Raptors at Bucks (PK) 101-94 (Under 203)

                2016-17 Postseason (Tied 1-1)
                Apr. 15 Bucks (+7.5) at Raptors 97-83 (Under 197.5)
                Apr. 18 Bucks at Raptors (-8) 106-100 (Over 194.5)
                **Game 4 will take place from Milwaukee's Bradley Center on Saturday.

                This one might end up closing as a pick'em since the Bucks did enough up north to prove they can hang with the third-seeded Raps. Despite their collective youth, the Bucks won Game 1 convincingly and nearly stole Tuesday night's contest in Toronto too.

                Now that they're back home in Milwaukee, Jason Kidd's young team could take another unexpected step forward. The Bucks have lost five of their last six playoff games at Bradley Center dating back to their first-round series against Atlanta back in 2010, which includes a 120-66 loss that ended their last postseason run against the Bulls back in '15. That won't exactly bring back any fuzzy memories for Kidd, then in his first season at Milwaukee, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was then a 20-year-old in his second season. Only Khris Middleton and the injured Jabari Parker are left from that roster, so we'll see what this group can do.

                The Raptors had lost six of seven first round series before finally breaking through last season, beating Indiana and Miami in Game 7s to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. Now, after losing yet another series opener, something they also managed three times in last year's playoffs, they'll be looking to win a fourth consecutive Game 3.

                Kyle Lowry rebounded from a 4-point game in a series opener where he shot 2-for-11 by scoring 22 points in Toronto's 106-100 win. DeMar DeRozan has averaged 25.0 points, but is shooting just 41 percent thus far in the series, so he'll need to continue getting to the free-throw line to be prductive on the road since he's completely cut shooting 3-pointers out of his repertoire. Between Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon and Tony Snell, Kidd has a lot of options to throw at the All-Star shooting guard.

                Antetokounmpo shot 13-for-18 in Game 1 but was held to just 9-for-24 shooting in Tuesday's loss. Still, he added 15 boards and seven assists, so it's going to be difficult to keep him from significantly impacting this oen now that he's back home. P.J. Tucker and DeMarre Carroll will do their best to slow him down.

                The Bucks and Raptors combined to shoot 25-for-52 from 3-point range in Game 2 as both put together flurries where they scored on one possession after another. The under had prevailed in seven of nine games prior to Tuesday, which marked the first time both teams had scored 100 or more points in the same game against one another since April 2014, only the second time that had happened in a 17-game stretch.
                Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                Comment


                • THURSDAY, APRIL 20

                  GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


                  CLE at IND 07:00 PM

                  IND +2.0

                  O 210.0


                  TOR at MIL 08:00 PM

                  TOR +1.0

                  U 197.0


                  SA at MEM 09:30 PM

                  SA -3.5

                  O 188.0
                  Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                  Comment


                  • NBA Playoff Capsules
                    April 20, 2017


                    INDIANAPOLIS (AP) LeBron James finished with 41 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, and the Cleveland Cavaliers set an NBA postseason record by erasing a 25-point halftime deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 119-114 on Thursday night and take a 3-0 lead.

                    James passed Kobe Bryant for No. 3 on the NBA's career playoff scoring list and tied another NBA record by winning his 20th consecutive first-round game.

                    The Cavaliers will try to sweep the series Sunday.

                    The incredible rally ruined Paul George's big night. He had 36 points, a playoff career-high 15 rebounds and nine assists.

                    Cleveland trailed by 26 in the first half and was still down 74-49 at halftime. The largest halftime deficit overcome to win a playoff game had been 21 points by Baltimore against Philadelphia in 1948.

                    GRIZZLIES 105, SPURS 94

                    MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Mike Conley scored 24 points and handed out eight assists as Memphis snapped a 10-game postseason skid against San Antonio.

                    The Grizzlies pulled within 2-1 in this first-round Western Conference series, giving first-year coach David Fizdale his first postseason victory. This also marked the Grizzlies' first win over the Spurs in the playoffs since April 2011, when Memphis beat San Antonio in six games.

                    Game 4 is Saturday night.

                    Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph each scored 21 points for Memphis, which outscored San Antonio 31-17 in the third quarter and led by as much as 22 in the second half.

                    Kawhi Leonard, who scored 32 and 37 in the first two games, was held to 18. LaMarcus Aldridge added 16, and Kyle Anderson had 15 as Spurs coach Gregg Popovich benched his starters for most of the fourth quarter.

                    BUCKS 104, RAPTORS 77

                    MILWAUKEE (AP) - Khris Middleton scored 20 points and Milwaukee overwhelmed cold-shooting Toronto to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

                    Greg Monroe added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Bucks, who held DeMar DeRozan without a basket and never looked back after leading by 20 points after the first quarter.

                    Making this blowout even more impressive was that they barely needed All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo. He finished with 19 points and eight boards.

                    Game 4 is Saturday back at the Bradley Center.

                    With raucous fans wearing black Bucks giveaway T-shirts to match the players' uniforms, Milwaukee put on a dominating display of basketball worthy of the team's ''Fear the Deer'' slogan.

                    The Raptors looked frazzled after shooting 4 of 18 in the first quarter. Kyle Lowry had 13 points.
                    Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                    Comment


                    • Friday’s six-pack

                      Week 1 NFL spreads (odds from SouthPoint casino):
                      Chiefs @ Patriots (-8)
                      Jets @ Bills (-6)
                      Falcons (-6) @ Bears
                      Jaguars @ Texans (-5.5)
                      Eagles @ Redskins (-2.5)
                      Cardinals @ Lions (-2.5)
                      Raiders @ Titans (even)
                      Buccaneers @ Dolphins (-1)
                      Ravens @ Bengals (-1.5)
                      Steelers (-10) @ Browns
                      Colts (-3.5) @ Rams
                      Seahawks @ Packers (-2.5)
                      Panthers (-5) @ 49ers
                      Giants @ Cowboys (-5.5)
                      Saints @ Vikings (-3)
                      Chargers @ Broncos (-4.5)

                      ***************************

                      Friday’s List of 13: Quick thoughts on the ’17 NFL schedule


                      13) 2017 NFL season opens on September 7, when the Chiefs visit New England. Giants are in Dallas for the Week 1 Sunday night game.

                      Monday night doubleheader in Week 1 is Saints @ Vikings, followed by the Chargers playing in Denver.

                      12) Falcons christen their new stadium with a Week 2 Sunday night game vs Green Bay; they visit Foxboro on October 22, the first of three consecutive road tilts (NE-NYJ-Carolina).

                      How did the Braves/Falcons get new stadiums in the same year? Economy in Georgia must be doing really well.

                      11) Three of Giants’ first six games are primetime games; three of their four primetime games are on the road. Big Blue has three west coast trips in the last eight games; SF in Week 10, Oakland in Week 13, Arizona in Week 16.

                      Three of their last four games are at home. Giants also play against four of the six rookie head coaches this season.

                      10) Eagles have three straight road games in December; Seattle-LA Rams-Giants; then they play the Raiders at home on Christmas nite and finish with the Cowboys on New Years’ Eve.

                      9) Same deal for New England, which has five road games in six weeks in Weeks 10-15, with three straight road dates, at Buffalo-Miami-Pittsburgh- they close with two home games.

                      8) Russell Wilson played his last year of college ball at Wisconsin; Seahawks play their opener in Green Bay, the FOX 4:25 game in Week 1. Solid QB matchup.

                      7) There are six divisional games in Week 1 this season, including Eagles-Redskins and Ravens-Bengals.

                      6) Vikings are in Green Bay for a Week 16 (Dec 23) Saturday night game that is also Minnesota’s 4th road game in a five-week stretch. Why does the NFL schedule nite games for late December in Green Bay? Do they care if fans freeze to death?

                      5) Rams’ coach Sean McVay faces his old team in Week 2, when the Redskins visit the LA Coliseum.

                      Rams go to Dallas in Week 4, with the Cowboys coming off a Week 3 Monday nighter in Arizona.

                      4) Rams/Chargers have three home games at the same time; where will the LA media go? Chargers are playing in a soccer stadium in Carson for the next two years- place seats 30,000.

                      3) Thanksgiving Day slate: Vikings @ Lions, Chargers @ Dallas, Giants @ Redskins.

                      2) NFL must think the Steelers are going to be really good (they almost always are); Pittsburgh is on in primetime four weeks in a row, in Weeks 11-14: Tennessee-Green Bay-@ Cincinnati-Baltimore. NFL’s TV mavens will be rooting for Big Ben to stay healthy all season.

                      1— Buffalo doesn’t play the Patriots until December, when they meet twice; Pats-Colts-Miami visit Buffalo in December. Bills finish with road games in Foxboro/Miami.

                      Indy opens in LA; I’m guessing they would’ve been happier opening in Buffalo and playing in LA in December.
                      Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                      Comment


                      • Durant optimistic he'll play in Game 3
                        April 20, 2017


                        OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Kevin Durant said he felt ready to play in Golden State's Game 2 playoff win a day earlier yet the Warriors opted to be cautious with their superstar as he nurses a strained left calf.

                        Durant posted an update about his injury during a livestream on his personal YouTube channel Thursday evening. He is hopeful of playing in Saturday's Game 3 at Portland as the Warriors try to take a 3-0 lead in the series, though coach Steve Kerr said being up two games could affect any decision.

                        ''I miss being out there with them and hopefully I'm out there the next game. Speaking of that, I have a little calf injury,'' Durant said, showing his left calf wrapped with blue tape . ''Unfortunate that I pulled my calf in Game 1 in the third quarter. It felt good to finish the game but afterward it tightened up on me a little bit and I was sore for the next few days.''

                        After he missed 19 games with a left knee injury sustained Feb. 28 at Washington then returning for the final three regular-season contests, the Warriors certainly aren't going to take any risks with KD . He had 32 points and 10 rebounds in a Game 1 victory Sunday - his playoff debut with the Warriors.

                        ''It felt like I could go yesterday but Coach Kerr and the training staff and the whole organization told me it would be best to give it a few more days of rest, so hopefully I'll see how I feel these next couple days,'' Durant said. ''We have one more extra day before the game starts, we'll see how I feel. But I'm getting better every day. Hopefully I can be out there with my teammates grinding it out, trying to move forward and get a W in Game 3. We'll see what happens.''

                        Golden State took the day off from practice Thursday following the 110-81 victory, then was scheduled to practice Friday morning before flying to Portland.

                        ''We've been in that situation and hopefully it's a very short absence for him and he'll be back soon,'' center Zaza Pachulia said. ''But health is very important, obviously. Yeah, every game matters but at the same time we're looking far into the future where we're playing for another two months. Hopefully it's just a little problem, not a big deal.''

                        While Durant is impatient to get on the court, he said he will get all the treatment and ice needed for his injury.

                        ''It's a bummer, man, I hate being out. I hate being hurt,'' Durant said. ''It's something that's kind of out of my control right now, just try to get better. ... I'm positive about it. Up 2-0, going to Portland, the series starts Game 3. Can't wait.''
                        Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                        Comment


                        • Jazz center Gobert to miss Game 3
                          April 20, 2017

                          SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert will not play in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Clippers after hyperextending his left knee and suffering a bone contusion in the series opener.

                          The 7-foot-1 Frenchman went down 17 seconds into Game 1 when he knocked knees with Luc Mbah a Moute on the first possession of the game, which the Jazz won 97-95. The series is tied 1-1.

                          Gobert is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate after he led the league in blocks and defensive win shares. He also ranked third in defensive rating.

                          Gobert became the first player in Jazz history to record 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 blocks in a single season.

                          Derrick Favors slides over from power forward to center with Gobert out. The Jazz were outscored 60-38 in the paint in Game 2.

                          ***************************

                          OKC needs Oladipo to snap out of slump
                          April 20, 2017


                          OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Victor Oladipo knows the Oklahoma City Thunder need more offense from him, and Russell Westbrook's wingman is feeling the heat.

                          The shooting guard averaged nearly 16 points a game during Westbrook's record-setting season, but his scoring has dropped to about half that in the postseason. His disappearing act is a major reason the Thunder trail the Houston Rockets 2-0 heading into Friday's game in Oklahoma City.

                          Westbrook has averaged a triple-double the first two games of the series and dropped a 51-point triple-double on Wednesday night. But the Thunder have no wins to show for his heroics. Oladipo, Oklahoma City's No. 2 scorer in the regular season, is averaging 8.5 points and shooting a woeful 19 percent from the field in the series.

                          The 24-year-old Oladipo, who played collegiately at Indiana, is trying to keep it simple in the first playoff appearances of his career.

                          ''That's the thing,'' Oladipo said, ''when you have games like this, you go back to the basics. You go back to what got you here, continue to keep working and never lose confidence.''

                          The focus on Oladipo's production is magnified with no Kevin Durant in OKC.

                          The Thunder acquired Oladipo in a draft-night deal with Orlando last year, and it looked like he would be the team's third option. But Durant left for Golden State, leaving Oladipo to fill a massive void created by the departure of the four-time scoring champion.

                          At times, the explosive Oladipo has looked capable. He got off to a hot start with the Thunder, and his scoring average was over 17 points at the end of November. He missed nine games in December after spraining his right wrist, then missed six games in February with back spasms, slowing his momentum.

                          He was solid upon his return from the back issues before falling into a bit of a slump in April that has carried over into the playoffs

                          Westbrook and Thunder coach Billy Donovan have talked to Oladipo about his struggles and tried to reassure him.

                          ''He wants to do great like every player,'' Westbrook said. ''Everybody always wants to come out and play great. It doesn't always work out that way. Your mindset - you've just got to keep going, regardless of if you miss or make shots. He does so many other things for our team when he's on the floor - defending at a high level, rebounding, can make plays. Regardless of if he misses or makes shots, his job is to play, and he'll be all right.''

                          Westbrook said he doesn't need Oladipo to do any more than he normally does - or did during the regular season.

                          ''Just play,'' Westbrook said. ''Go out and compete at a level he's able to compete at, and that's it.''

                          Donovan said the 6-foot-4 Oladipo has been solid overall. He is averaging six rebounds in the two games and has been one of OKC's better defenders.

                          ''Victor's not a one-dimensional player - he can do a lot of different things,'' Donovan said. ''Taking his mindset off the ball going in the basket, and him realizing, `I'm not going to allow myself to be defined by that because there's too many other things I can do out there to help this team.'''

                          There are plenty of other problems for Oklahoma City - the Thunder fall apart when Westbrook rests, the team has struggled to keep James Harden off the foul line, Steven Adams' foul trouble crippled their interior defense in Game 2 and they are stretched thin chasing Houston's numerous perimeter threats. But getting Oladipo on track is perhaps the most critical.

                          In Game 2, Oladipo missed his only two shots in the fourth quarter against the Rockets while Wesbrook was just 4 of 18 from the field. But Oladipo isn't concerned.

                          ''I'm just out there playing,'' Oladipo said. ''I'm doing whatever it takes to help my team win. We've been in that situation all year, and Russ has made shots.''

                          Both will have to knock down shots when they count the most to get back in the series, especially Oladipo.

                          ***********************

                          Jazz need Favors vs. Clips' big man duo
                          April 20, 2017


                          SALT LAKE CITY (AP) With no Rudy Gobert, the Utah Jazz are hoping it's Derrick Favors time.

                          After being the forgotten man most of the season, the former No. 3 pick in the draft has been thrust back into the spotlight. Gobert went down with a knee injury 17 seconds into Game 1 against the Los Angeles Clippers and now the Jazz need Favors more than ever.

                          ''I'm just ready to get back to playing the way that I know how to play and am able to play,'' Favors said Thursday after practice. ''Just get back to being myself.''

                          He needs to get there quickly. The Clippers All-Star duo of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin outscored the Jazz 60-38 in the paint in a Game 2 loss.

                          Favors became the forgotten man this season as Gordon Hayward and Gobert flourished. He was considered part of a young and growing Big Three before knee injuries sapped his athleticism and limited Favors to 50 regular-season games.

                          But playing center is nothing new for Favors. That was his original position before being moved to power forward, somewhat permanently, as Gobert grew into the starter in recent seasons. This season was frustrating for Favors as the injuries took away what made him unique - a high-level of athleticism for a 6-foot-10, 265-pounder.

                          Now Favors is back to his low-post roots after developing his high-post, midrange game the last few years. He has played 32-plus minutes at center in the first two playoff games after playing fewer than 21 minutes in a single game since March 6. He only played three of the final 18 regular-season games.

                          ''It's been a big adjustment for me,'' Favors said. ''I've just got to be ready from the get-go. I know DeAndre Jordan, he's a good player, good rebounder. So my job is to just try to limit that for him. Just be ready.''

                          Favors averaged 14 points and 6.5 rebounds in the first two playoff games, but there was a drastic difference on the defensive end. Jordan and Griffin repeatedly attacked the paint with little resistance against the Jazz in Game 2. The absence of the 7-1 Gobert, a defensive player of the year candidate, was more noticeable than in the Game 1 win.

                          ''That's how we beat them in the regular season, is in the paint,'' Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. ''The paint doesn't necessarily mean DJ or Blake. It means our guards getting into the paint, and if they can get to the basket and score. If they get (defensive) help, they get it to Blake and DJ.

                          ''That's how we scored a lot ... through dribble penetration and ball movement. ... Yeah we want to do that again. ... Whatever they take away, we have to hope there's another avenue to go to.''

                          Favors credited the Clippers for making the adjustment to attack the interior and said now it's up to the Jazz to adjust. Jordan had 18 points and 15 rebounds in Game 2.

                          Both Jazz coach Quin Snyder and Gobert have talked to Favors about his new role on both ends. He's gotten tips on where to align himself on certain plays and screens, in addition to working on other offensive moves with his athleticism still not where it once was.

                          ''The biggest thing is he's just thrown into it,'' Snyder said. ''He's fighting through some fatigue. He knows this is the time and he's got to raise his level. He's doing that, he's trying to do that.

                          ''We want him to play the same way. He has his strengths. He's different than Rudy. But he's rolling and he's had some good opportunities playing off penetration. Half-rolls, floaters, jumpers, just the stuff that he's done all year.''

                          The Jazz have been able to adapt to playing short-handed all season with Hayward, Favors, George Hill and Rodney Hood all missing significant stretches. But Gobert missed just one game and his size, length and pick-and-roll game isn't as easy to replace.

                          ''Rudy's not going to walk through the door right now,'' Snyder said. ''Whatever quote-unquote adjustments we make, it's not going to replicate Rudy.

                          ''As far as shoring up the paint, I'm not sure that's going to happen on the level that Rudy did it. That's a personnel issue.''

                          ******************************

                          Boston needs another comeback story
                          April 20, 2017


                          Boston, a city with a flair for playoff comebacks, now needs another.

                          The Celtics are on the brink.

                          Down 2-0 to the Chicago Bulls, and on the road for the next two games starting with Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Friday night, Boston is in massive trouble. Consider: Bulls guard Dwyane Wade has never been on a team that blew a 2-0 series lead (Wade and the Miami Heat were 12-0 in such spots), and the Celtics are 1-16 all-time in series where they lost the first two games.

                          Win or lose, Friday won't be the end of Boston's season.

                          But it may be the last chance the Celtics have to save themselves from a stunning freefall that a No. 1 seed has never experienced in NBA history.

                          ''Coming in, I didn't say, `Hey, we're gonna be up 2-0 on Boston.' No, no one thought that,'' Wade said. ''But we are in this position. We've earned it.''

                          The Celtics-Bulls game is the first of three Game 3s on Friday night. Houston goes to Oklahoma City with the Rockets holding a 2-0 lead after rallying to win Wednesday night, and the Los Angeles Clippers play at Utah with that series knotted at a game apiece.

                          ''You can't exhale thinking `Oh, we're going home, we're going to be OK,''' Jazz forward Joe Johnson said. ''That's not the case. It's a real, real thin line between winning and losing in the playoffs.''

                          Bostonians know playoff fortunes can turn fast.

                          The Red Sox were down 3-0 to the Yankees in the 2004 AL Championship Series and somehow prevailed. The Bruins trailed 4-1 in the third period of a Game 7 against Toronto in 2013 before winning in overtime. The Patriots trailed 28-3 late in the third quarter of this year's Super Bowl against Atlanta and defied all odds to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

                          The Celtics - down 2-0 for their fifth consecutive playoff series - now will try to add to that pile of lore.

                          ''We're fighting for our lives right here,'' Celtics forward Al Horford said.

                          Here's a look at Friday's games:

                          ---

                          Celtics at Bulls, Chicago leads 2-0. Game 3, 7 p.m., ESPN.

                          NEED TO KNOW: It is impossible to ignore or measure the effect that the death of Isaiah Thomas' sister on the eve of this series is having on the Celtics star and the rest of his team. He has battled, averaging 26.5 points in the first two games - and is expected to play Friday after missing practice Thursday for his sister's funeral. Jimmy Butler is averaging 26 points for the Bulls.

                          KEEP AN EYE ON: Rebounds. Chicago is outrebounding Boston 96-74 so far in the series. The Celtics might not win this battle, but they can do better.

                          INJURY UPDATE: None of note.

                          PRESSURE IS ON: Brad Stevens. So much has been made of his playoff record now being 2-10, but it's also very fair to wonder what might have been if Danny Ainge made some moves at the trade deadline to add some postseason savvy to this roster.

                          ---

                          Rockets at Thunder, Houston leads 2-0. Game 3, 9:30 p.m., ESPN.


                          NEED TO KNOW: Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook had 51 points - on 43 shots - in Game 2 and the Thunder lost anyway. Westbrook became the third player in the last 30 years to score that many points in a playoff loss, joining Michael Jordan (63, 1986) and Ray Allen (51, 2009).

                          KEEP AN EYE ON: Nene. For as great as James Harden, Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams and Eric Gordon were for Houston in the first two games, Nene deserves a big tip of the cap as well. He's 10 for 11 from the field; 0 for 1 on jumpers, 10 for 10 at the rim.

                          INJURY UPDATE: Rockets F Sam Dekker (left hand) is out.

                          PRESSURE IS ON: The Thunder. Game 2 was the second time this season Westbrook topped 50 points in a loss. How will OKC find a way now?

                          ---

                          Clippers at Jazz, series tied 1-1. Game 3, 10 p.m., ESPN2.

                          NEED TO KNOW: Clippers stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul averaged a combined 48 points in the first two games of the series. Utah has four players averaging double figures in the series, but Gordon Hayward is shooting 36 percent. Expect him to break out a bit now that the series has shifted to Utah.

                          KEEP AN EYE ON: J.J. Redick. The Clippers' sharpshooter got only 13 shots in 60 minutes of playing time in the first two games of the series.

                          INJURY UPDATE: Jazz C Rudy Gobert (left knee) is out.

                          PRESSURE IS ON: The Jazz. First, no Gobert again is huge. Plus, the Clippers are 9-1 in their last 10 games in Salt Lake City, the one loss coming last month in a game where Utah trailed most of the way.
                          Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                          Comment


                          • NBA
                            Long Sheet

                            Friday, April 21


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

                            BOSTON (53 - 31) at CHICAGO (43 - 41) - 4/21/2017, 7:00 PM
                            Top Trends for this game.
                            BOSTON is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) on Friday nights this season.
                            BOSTON is 8-20 ATS (-14.0 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
                            CHICAGO is 35-21 ATS (+11.9 Units) against Atlantic division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
                            CHICAGO is 23-14 ATS (+7.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
                            BOSTON is 41-27 ATS (+11.3 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
                            CHICAGO is 32-45 ATS (-17.5 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
                            CHICAGO is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) on Friday nights over the last 2 seasons.
                            CHICAGO is 60-95 ATS (-44.5 Units) in home games off an upset win as an underdog since 1996.

                            Head-to-Head Series History
                            CHICAGO is 7-6 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
                            CHICAGO is 8-5 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
                            8 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

                            HOUSTON (57 - 27) at OKLAHOMA CITY (47 - 37) - 4/21/2017, 9:30 PM
                            Top Trends for this game.
                            OKLAHOMA CITY is 46-37 ATS (+5.3 Units) in all games this season.
                            OKLAHOMA CITY is 31-18 ATS (+11.2 Units) as a favorite this season.
                            OKLAHOMA CITY is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) in home games this season.
                            OKLAHOMA CITY is 178-131 ATS (+33.9 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent since 1996.
                            OKLAHOMA CITY is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in home games after allowing 115 points or more this season.
                            OKLAHOMA CITY is 13-25 ATS (-14.5 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 220 over the last 2 seasons.
                            OKLAHOMA CITY is 17-29 ATS (-14.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
                            OKLAHOMA CITY is 11-22 ATS (-13.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

                            Head-to-Head Series History
                            HOUSTON is 10-3 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
                            HOUSTON is 10-3 straight up against OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
                            7 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

                            LA CLIPPERS (52 - 32) at UTAH (52 - 32) - 4/21/2017, 10:00 PM
                            Top Trends for this game.
                            LA CLIPPERS are 207-261 ATS (-80.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
                            LA CLIPPERS are 189-233 ATS (-67.3 Units) versus good defensive teams - allowing <=98 points/game - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
                            UTAH is 73-48 ATS (+20.2 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.

                            Head-to-Head Series History
                            UTAH is 7-6 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
                            LA CLIPPERS is 10-3 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
                            7 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




                            NBA
                            Armadillo's Write-Up

                            Friday, April 21


                            Cleveland won first two games of series by 1-6 points; Indiana covered both of them. Cavaliers won their last five games with Indiana, with last three wins by total of 12 points.Teams split last four games played here. Indiana won five of its last seven games, covered last eight- over is 12-4 in their last 16 games. Cleveland was 24-59 on arc in first two games. Eight of Cavaliers’ last ten games went over the total- they shot 53.8/55.3% from floor in first two games. Indiana won/covered its last three home games.

                            Bucks were 14-29 on arc in Game 2 win, after going 5-23 in Game 1 loss; Toronto shot 58 foul shots in first two games, Raptors 34. Toronto won three of last four visits to Milwaukee (favorites 4-0 vs spread)- they’re 8-2 overall in last ten games against the Bucks. Milwaukee is 0-6 in playoff series the last 15 years- their last first round series win was in 2001. Toronto is 4-2 vs Milwaukee this season. Under is 5-1-1 in Bucks’ last seven games, 6-5 in Toronto’s last 11. Raptors are 13-3 in their last 16 games. Milwaukee was -12 in the 6:00 Antetokounmpo was off the floor in Game 2, (+6 when he was on floor).

                            Home side won last six series tilts; San Antonio lost last two visits here, by 15-8 points. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Memphis was 13-15 on foul line in Game 2; Leonard was 19-19, by himself. What effect will Tizdale’s post-game tirade have on Game 3 refs? Grizzlies lost 11 of last 14 games (under 9-5) overall, after losing first two in this series, by 29-14 points (0-2 vs spread). Four of Spurs’ last six games went over total. Memphis subs are -98 in first two series games; starters are -67. Memphis lost three of its last four home games.

                            First round playoff series:
                            Boston-Chicago
                            Chi 106-102, +7, O207
                            Chi 111-97, +7.5, O206.5

                            Cleveland-Indiana
                            Clev 109-108, -9, O208.5
                            Clev 117-111, -9, O210

                            Toronto-Milwaukee
                            Mil 97-83, +7.5, U197.5
                            Tor 106-100, -8, O195

                            Washington-Atlanta
                            Wash 114-107, -5.5, O209.5
                            Wash 109-101, -6.5, U211.5

                            Golden State-Portland
                            GState 121-109, -15.5, O220
                            GState 110-81, –12, U219

                            San Antonio-Memphis
                            SA 111-82, -9.5, O190.5
                            SA 96-82, -10.5, U189

                            Houston-Oklahoma City
                            Hst 118-87 -7.5, U227.5
                            Hst 115-111, -7.5, O225.5

                            LA Clippers-Utah
                            Utah 97-95, +6, U198.5
                            LAC 99-91, -9, U200

                            Favorites: 6-10 vs spread

                            Over: 9-7




                            NBA

                            Friday, April 21


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

                            7:00 PM
                            BOSTON vs. CHICAGO
                            The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 7 games when playing on the road against Chicago
                            The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Boston's last 14 games on the road
                            Chicago is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
                            The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Boston

                            9:30 PM
                            HOUSTON vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
                            The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Houston's last 13 games on the road
                            Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City
                            Oklahoma City is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
                            Oklahoma City is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games at home

                            10:00 PM
                            LA CLIPPERS vs. UTAH
                            The total has gone OVER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 7 games on the road
                            LA Clippers are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games on the road
                            Utah is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
                            The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah's last 5 games
                            Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                            Comment


                            • NBA

                              Friday, April 21


                              ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Friday’s NBA Playoffs Betting Preview and Odds
                              ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                              Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls (-2, 207.5)

                              Bulls lead series 2-0

                              ABOUT THE CELTICS (53-31 SU, 40-42-2 ATS, 41-39-4 O/U): Boston fixed some of its rebounding issues from Game 1 but it allowed the Bulls to shoot 51.1 percent and turned the ball over 16 times in a lackluster effort that had some on the Chicago side questioning the Celtics' commitment. "It's got to [motivate us]," Stevens said when asked about his team suddenly playing the part of the underdog. "It has to. That has to happen, and that's the charge for our team." There could be some rotation and lineup changes in Game 3, and starting forward Amir Johnson (nine points in 27 minutes in the series) may continue to see a reduced role, while starting guard Avery Bradley needs to find the range after shooting 10-of-28 from the floor in Boston.

                              ABOUT THE BULLS (43-41 SU, 44-40 ATS, 34-49-1 O/U): Point guard Rajon Rondo was the one who first hinted that Boston looked defeated in Game 2, and he has a pretty good grasp of what it takes to be successful this time of year. The former Celtics star fell a rebound shy of a triple-double in Game 2 (11 points, 14 assists) and chipped in five steals in an electric 40-minute performance, giving him averages of 14.4 points and 9.1 assists in his 96-game playoff career. Dwyane Wade had his best performance since coming back from an elbow injury in Tuesday's win with 22 points, while rookie forward Paul Zipser broke out with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

                              LINE HISTORY: The Bulls opened as 1.5-point home chalk over the struggling Celtics and that line has since been bet up to an even 2. The total hit the betting board at 207 went up slightly to 207.5.

                              INJURY REPORT:

                              Celtics - No injuries to report.

                              Bulls - No injuries to report.

                              TRENDS:

                              * Celtics are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Conference Quarterfinals games.

                              * Bulls are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.

                              * Over is 4-0 in Celtics last 4 games following a straight up loss.

                              * Over is 4-0 in Bulls last 4 games playing on 2 days rest.

                              * Favorite is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings.




                              Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder (-3, 224.5)

                              Rockets lead series 2-0

                              ABOUT THE ROCKETS (57-27 SU, 43-41-0 ATS, 42-41-1 O/U): Houston averaged just 102.5 points - nearly 13 points below its average - in two regular-season visits to Oklahoma City and struggled in the fourth quarters with outputs of 13 in the loss and 16 in the win. The Rockets received 93 of their 115 points in Game 2 from the backcourt quartet of James Harden, Eric Gordon (22 points), Lou Williams (21) and Patrick Beverley (15). Primarily known for his defensive prowess, Beverley is averaging 18 points on 14-of-22 in the first two games.

                              ABOUT THE THUNDER (47-37 SU, 46-37-1 ATS, 38-45-1 O/U): Coach Billy Donovan questioned his decision not to have Russell Westbrook take his customary break on the bench to start the fourth quarter of Game 2 but Westbrook insisted afterward that he wasn't tired. But the final 12 minutes was full of errant shots from Westbrook as he finished 17-of-43 from the field and is just 19-of-66 in the series. Part of the problem in Game 2 was that nobody from the supporting class stepped up and shooting guard Victor Oladipo has been horrid in the series by averaging 8.5 points on 5-of-26 shooting.

                              LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened OKC as 2.5-point home favorites for Game 3, and by Thursday afternoon that number was up to 3. The total opened at 224.5 and has held at that number

                              INJURY REPORT:

                              Rockets - SF Sam Dekker (Early May, hand).

                              Thunder - No injuries to report.

                              TRENDS:

                              * Rockets are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games overall.

                              * Under is 5-1 in Rockets last 6 games following a straight up win.

                              * Under is 5-1 in Thunder last 6 overall.

                              * Rockets are 10-2 ATS in the last 12 meetings.

                              * Under is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings in Oklahoma City.




                              L.A. Clippers at Utah Jazz (+1.5, 197)

                              Series tied at 1-1

                              ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (53-32 SU, 40-43-1 ATS, 44-39-1 O/U): Center DeAndre Jordan had his share of issues with Gobert and the Jazz during the regular season but took control of the shorthanded Jazz in Game 2, recording 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting and 15 rebounds. "We can't worry about one person, and I don't think my job changes if he's playing or if he's out," Jordan told the media. Point guard Chris Paul figures to be successful regardless of who is on the court and he is averaging 23 points, 10.5 assists and three steals while shooting 55.9 percent from the floor in the series.

                              ABOUT THE JAZZ (52-32 SU, 38-42-4 ATS, 42-42-0 O/U): Utah fell behind early in Game 1 and was outscored 29-18 in the first quarter in Tuesday's loss, a trend it wants to reverse at home. "The first quarter is what really got us, and they hit us a little bit, set us back in Game 1, as well," forward Gordon Hayward told reporters following a 20-point effort. "We definitely have to be better in the first quarter, but besides the first quarter we played them pretty even." Veteran swingman Joe Johnson, who hit the game-winner in Game 1, added 13 points off the bench and forward Derrick Favors also finished with 13 while starting in place of Gobert.


                              LINE HISTORY: The Jazz opened as 1-point home favorites and with news of Golbert's absence the line jumped the fence to LAC -1.5. Oddsmakers set the total at 197 and that has yet to move

                              INJURY REPORT:

                              Clippers - PG Austin Rivers (Out Friday, hamstring), C Diamond Stone (Out Indefinitely, knee).

                              Jazz - C Rudy Gobert (Out, knee).

                              TRENDS:

                              * Clippers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.

                              * Jazz are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 games overall.

                              * Under is 4-1 in Clippers last 5 overall.

                              * Under is 4-1 in Jazz last 5 overall.

                              * Under is 6-0 in Jazz last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
                              Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                              Comment


                              • NBA
                                Dunkel

                                Friday, April 21



                                LA Clippers @ Utah

                                Game 719-720
                                April 21, 2017 @ 10:00 pm

                                Dunkel Rating:
                                LA Clippers
                                130.852
                                Utah
                                123.906
                                Dunkel Team:
                                Dunkel Line:
                                Dunkel Total:
                                LA Clippers
                                by 7
                                205
                                Vegas Team:
                                Vegas Line:
                                Vegas Total:
                                LA Clippers
                                by 1
                                196 1/2
                                Dunkel Pick:
                                LA Clippers
                                (-1); Over

                                Houston @ Oklahoma City


                                Game 717-718
                                April 21, 2017 @ 9:30 pm

                                Dunkel Rating:
                                Houston
                                121.358
                                Oklahoma City
                                118.816
                                Dunkel Team:
                                Dunkel Line:
                                Dunkel Total:
                                Houston
                                by 2 1/2
                                217
                                Vegas Team:
                                Vegas Line:
                                Vegas Total:
                                Oklahoma City
                                by 2 1/2
                                224 1/2
                                Dunkel Pick:
                                Houston
                                (+2 1/2); Under

                                Boston @ Chicago


                                Game 715-716
                                April 21, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

                                Dunkel Rating:
                                Boston
                                123.740
                                Chicago
                                122.206
                                Dunkel Team:
                                Dunkel Line:
                                Dunkel Total:
                                Boston
                                by 1 1/2
                                209
                                Vegas Team:
                                Vegas Line:
                                Vegas Total:
                                Chicago
                                by 2
                                206 1/2
                                Dunkel Pick:
                                Boston
                                (+2); Over
                                Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                                Comment

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