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

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CHI at BOS 08:30 PM

BOS -7.5

U 203.0

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CHI at BOS 08:30 PM

BOS -7.5

U 203.0

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

04/26/2017 1-1-0 50.00% -50
04/25/2017 2 - 1 66.66% +450
04/24/2017 NO PLAYS
04/23/2017 4-4-0 50.00% -200
04/22/2017 5-2-1 71.43% +1400
04/21/2017 2-3-1 40.00% -650
04/20/2017 3-3-0 50.00% -150
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

04/26/2017..................1 - 0..............+1.00.................0 - 1 -1.10
04/25/2017..................2 - 1..............+0.90.................0 - 3 -3.30
04/24/2017 NO PLAYS
04/23/2017..................2 - 2...............-0.20..................2 - 2 -0.20
04/22/2017..................2 - 1 - 1.........+0.90..................3 - 1+1.90
04/21/2017..................1 - 1 - 1..........-0.10..................1 - 1 -1.20
04/20/2017..................0 - 3...............-3.30..................3 - 0+3.00
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

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

ACC basketball has been re-configured for four years; here are cumulative standings:

Virginia 56-16 conference games, 7-4 NCAA games
North Carolina 52-20, 14-3
Duke 50-22, 9-3
Louisville 48-18, 4-2 (only 3 years)
Notre Dame 43-29, 7-3
Syracuse 42-30, 5-2
Miami 40-32, 2-2
Florida State 37-35, 1-1
Clemson 34-38, 0-0
Pittsburgh 32-40, 1-2
NC State 28-44, 3-2
Georgia Tech 25-47, 0-0
Virginia Tech 24-48, 0-1
Wake Forest 22-50, 0-1
Boston College 10-62, 0-0

**********

Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but………

13) Sometimes there are no good options, something I’m sure OKC Thunder coach Billy Donovan is thinking about now that his team was eliminated from the NBA Playoffs by the Houston Rockets in five very interesting games.

Fact #1: In the five games, Oklahoma City was +15 with Russell Westbrook on the floor, -58 when he was off the floor. Donovan tried very hard to find spots to rest Westbrook, but when he did, the team suffered.

Know-it-alls like myself suggested that Westbrook never come out of the game, but in the series, (Fact #2) Westbrook shot 14-49 in the 4th quarter- thats 28.6%, which is dismal.

He needed rest, he needed better teammates, and in the end, without those, they just were not gonna beat Houston, no matter what strategy Donovan used.

12) I’m not always crazy about TNT’s Reggie Miller as an analyst, but thought he did an excellent job on the Game 5 Houston-OKC telecast— he stated a definitive opinion about playing/sitting Westbrook, said why he thought that way and then let the game unfold. Well done.

11) Trea Turner hit for the cycle in Denver Tuesday nite, had seven RBI; he is the first player since Troy Tulowitzki in 2009 to hit for the cycle and also knock in 7+ runs in that game.

10) I’m sure the organizers at the Zurich Classic are thrilled that Jordan Spieth is playing in their event in New Orleans this week; I’m not sure they’re thrilled that word got out that the reason that Spieth is playing is because he lost a bet with partner Ryan Palmer’s caddy.

9) Miami Marlins are playing the Phillies this week, but the NFL bought up all the hotel rooms to Philly this week for their Draft, so the Marlins are staying in Wilmington, Delaware, which according to MapQuest, is 32.6 miles away.

8) Michigan Wolverines are having spring football practice in Italy; I’m not sure why, but that has to be pretty expensive.

7) Odd college basketball stat: over the last three years, Hofstra is 5-22 vs spread in CAA home games, which is awful; during same time, they’re 17-9-1 vs spread on CAA road, 9-1-1 as road underdogs the last two seasons.

6) Kansas City Chiefs haven’t drafted a QB in the first round since Todd Blackledge in 1983.

5) Big week for UNLV’s basketball program; they’ve bagged three excellent recruits, including a 5-star center, Brandon McCoy. Rebels will be back near the top of the Mountain West next winter, helped by Steve Fisher retiring as coach at San Diego State.

4) A’s get good news; Kendall Graveman will be activated and pitch for Oakland Thursday in Anaheim against the Angels.

3) Sounds like a group of 5+ investors, which includes Jeb Bush/Derek Jeter, are going to buy the Miami Marlins for $1.3B from hideous Jeffrey Loria, who won’t be missed.

Sounds like Jeb Bush won by losing; I’d rather own the Marlins than be President.

2) NBA fined Houston Rockets’ owner Les Alexander $100,000 after he left his court side seat during live game action to yell at referee Bill Kennedy during Game 5 Tuesday nite.

When you look at how close fans are to the action in NBA games, it really is surprising that stuff like this doesn’t happen more often.

1— ESPN fired around 100 people this week, many of them people we’ve seen on TV for several years- tough day in the TV industry.

My question is this: How did they decide who they kept, and who they told to take a hike?

For the foreseeable future, every time I watch ESPN, I’ll be wondering why they kept the person on my TV screen instead of someone they fired. Human nature, I guess.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, April 27

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

TORONTO (54 - 33) at MILWAUKEE (44 - 43) - 4/27/2017, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 187-230 ATS (-66.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 57-36 ATS (+17.4 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game since 1996.
TORONTO is 47-39 ATS (+4.1 Units) in all games this season.
TORONTO is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) in road games after a win by 10 points or more this season.
TORONTO is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MILWAUKEE is 39-48 ATS (-13.8 Units) in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 363-435 ATS (-115.5 Units) in the second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 10-6 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 12-4 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
11 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

SAN ANTONIO (64 - 23) at MEMPHIS (45 - 42) - 4/27/2017, 3:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 11-10 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 15-6 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
11 of 21 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




NBA
Short Sheet

Thursday, April 27

Eastern Conference – Round 1 – Best of 7 – Game 6 – TOR Leads 3-2

Toronto at Milwaukee, 7:00 PM ET
Toronto: 9-1 ATS in road games after a win by 10 points or more
Milwaukee: 34-16 OVER after a loss by 10 points or more

Western Conference – Round 1 – Best of 7 – Game 6 – Series Tied At 2-2

San Antonio at Memphis, 3:00 PM ET
San Antonio: SAN ANTONIO is 33-19 UNDER as a road favorite of 6 points or less
Memphis: 17-8 ATS in home games revenging a loss vs opponent




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, April 27

Toronto shot 57.7% from floor in Monday’s 118-93 Game 5 win; Raptors won last two series games, by 11-25 points- only one of the five games has been decided by less than 11 points. Toronto was 12-27 on arc last game, after going 11-48 in Games 3-4 in Milwaukee. Raptors won three of last five games in Milwaukee; all five games stayed under total. Under is 7-2-1 in Bucks’ last ten games overall, 8-6 in Toronto’s last 14. Toronto won seven of its last nine games overall; they covered four of last five on road. Bucks split their last six home games overall.

Home side won all five Memphis-San Antonio games in this series, last nine meetings overall; Spurs lost last four games here, with three of four losses by 8+ points. Memphis shot 50.6%/46.3%/51.4% in last three games, after making less than half their shots in Games 1-2- they’ve also taken only one less FT than the Spurs in three games since Fizdale’s tirade after Game 2, when SA had 32-15 edge on line. Six of Spurs’ last seven games went over total; they lost last four road games. San Antonio’s last road win was April 7 in Dallas.

First round playoff series:
Boston vs Chicago
Chi 106-102, +7, O207
Chi 111-97, +7.5, O206.5
Bos 104-87, -2.5, U206
Bos 104-95, -1.5, U204
Bos 108-97, –7.5, U205.5

Cleveland-Indiana
Clev 109-108, -9, O208.5
Clev 117-111, -9, O210
Clev 119-114, –1.5, O210
Clev 106-102, -4, U214
Cavaliers win series, 4-0

Toronto-Milwaukee
Mil 97-83, +7.5, U197.5
Tor 106-100, -8, O195
Mil 104-77, –2, U197
Tor 87-76, +2.5, U194
Tor 118-93, -6, O193

Washington-Atlanta
Wash 114-107, -5.5, O209.5
Wash 109-101, -6.5, U211.5
All 110-108, -2.5, O211
Atl 111-101, -2.5 U212.5
Wash 103-99, -6.5, U212

Golden State-Portland
GState 121-109, -15.5, O220
GState 110-81, –12, U219
GState 119-113, -5, O217.5
GState 128-103, -9, O222.5
Warriors win series, 4-0

San Antonio-Memphis
SA 111-82, -9.5, O190.5
SA 96-82, -10.5, U189
Mem 105-94, +3.5, O188
Mem 110-108, +5.5, O187
SA 116-103, -10.5, O188.5

Houston-Oklahoma City
Hst 118-87 -7.5, U227.5
Hst 115-111, -7.5, O225.5
OC 115-113, -2.5, O224
Hst 113-109, +1, U223.5
Hst 105-99, -7.5, U223.5
Rockets win series, 4-1

LA Clippers-Utah
Utah 97-95, +6, U198.5
LAC 99-91, -9, U200
LAC 111-106, -1.5, O197.5
Utah 105-98, -5, O196
Utah 96-92, +3, U195.5

Favorites: 17-20–1 vs spread
Over: 20-18




NBA

Thursday, April 27

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

7:00 PM
TORONTO vs. MILWAUKEE
Toronto is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 4-16 SU in its last 20 games when playing Toronto
Milwaukee is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games

9:30 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. MEMPHIS
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Antonio's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio's last 5 games when playing on the road against Memphis
Memphis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Antonio
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games when playing San Antonio

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Thursday, April 27

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

Homecourt advantage held for each of the first five games of the series, and the Memphis Grizzlies are hoping to keep it that way for just one more game.

Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks (-1.5, 195)

Raptors lead series 3-2

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (54-33 SU, 47-39-1 ATS, 46-41 O/U): The Toronto Raptors have discovered another solid scoring option to go along with stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, and with it they are on the verge of advancing in the playoffs. The Raptors will try to continue to ride the hot hand of Norman Powell when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks for a potential series-clinching Game 6 on Thursday. Powell saw just 21 minutes of action through the first three games (two appearances) of the series as Toronto dug itself a 2-1 hole, but he was inserted into the starting lineup and made all three of his 3-pointers in a Game 4 win and then erupted Monday night at home to help the Raptors seize a 3-2 series advantage. DeRozan has been up and down in the series, especially at Milwaukee, where he went 0-for-8 from the floor in Game 3 before shooting 12-for-22 in Game 4. After a rough outing in the opener of the series, Lowry has been a bit more consistent, making exactly two 3-pointers in each of the last four contests while averaging 17.3 points and 5.3 assists. Forward Serge Ibaka was 13-for-39 from the field over a three-game span before scoring 19 points on 8-of-10 in Game 5.

ABOUT THE BUCKS (44-43 SU, 39-48 ATS, 43-42-2 O/U): Milwaukee is looking to overcome a recent history of embarrassing Game 6 failures at home, which includes a 120-66 loss to Chicago in 2014 and an 83-69 setback against Atlanta in 2010. "They bounced back after Game 3, and that's what we're going to try to do," forward Giannis Antetokounmpo told reporters. "It's a learning process for us. We've got to do a better job." Antetokounmpo had 30 points and nine rebounds Monday night, while his teammates combined to grab only 14 boards, contributing to being out-rebounded by 17 on the glass.

LINE HISTORY: The Bucks opened at -1.5 favorites at home for Game 6 with their back against the wall. The total hit the board at 194 and quickly jumped slightly up to 195.

INJURY REPORT:

Raptors - PG K. Lowry (Probable, back).

Bucks - SG K. Middleton (Probable, illness), PF J. Parker (Out For Season, knee).

TRENDS:

* Raptors are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games.
* Bucks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Under is 8-1 in Raptors last 9 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Under is 8-2-1 in Bucks last 11 vs. NBA Atlantic.
* Under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings in Milwaukee.



San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies (+4, 190)

Spurs lead series 3-2

ABOUT THE SPURS (64-23 SU, 44-41-2 ATS, 47-38-2 O/U): The Spurs breezed to double-digit victories in each of their three home games but are 0-4 in as many games in Memphis including the regular season and dropped a 110-108 overtime heartbreaker the last time they visited in Game 4. San Antonio should feel more confident in Game 6 after getting star small forward Kawhi Leonard some scoring support off the bench in Game 5 from Patty Mills and Manu Ginobili, who combined for 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting. Ginobili is a four-time NBA champion and averaged 14.7 points in 198 career playoff games prior to this postseason but went scoreless on a combined 0-of-15 shooting in the first four games of the series before breaking out for 10 points on 4-of-6 in Game 5. The 39-year-old added three assists, three steals and a blocked shot in 18 minutes. "It really is inspiring when you see him dive on the ball, putting his body on the line, hard drives, hard cuts," Mills told reporters of Ginobili. "It gets us all going. We shouldn't need that to get going, but he's a hell of a player, hell of a competitor. It trickles down, and we feed on it for sure."

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (45-42 SU, 43-44 ATS, 42-42-3 O/U): Homecourt advantage held for each of the first five games of the series, and the Memphis Grizzlies are hoping to keep it that way for just one more game. Memphis allowed the Spurs to shoot 52.5 percent from the floor, including 14-of-28 from 3-point range, in Game 5 after holding them to 42.3 percent in the Game 4 win at home. "We were definitely sharper with our defensive execution at home, no doubt about it," Fizdale told reporters after Game 5. "It was night and day actually. I think all of our guys can own that, and that is the good part about them. They know their baskets came off of breakdowns. Obviously, it is hard enough to guard the talent when you don’t mess up. Like I said, we have got a group of guys who are very hungry to get back home, try to get a win, and find our way back here for Game 7." The Grizzlies are leaning heavily on point guard Mike Conley on the offensive end, and he is delivering an average of 27.3 points on 53.5 percent shooting over the last four games.

LINE HISTORY: The Spurs opened the betting for this Game 6 showdown as 4.5-point road favorites and that number has come down slightly to 4. The total opened at 190 and has yet to move.

INJURY REPORT:

Spurs - No injuries to report.

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

TRENDS:

* Spurs are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 road games.
* Grizzlies are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 Thursday games.
* Over is 6-1 in Spurs last 7 overall.
* Over is 6-1 in Grizzlies last 7 vs. Western Conference.
* Home team is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Thursday, April 27


San Antonio @ Memphis

Game 505-506
April 27, 2017 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
123.615
Memphis
114.175
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 9 1/2
202
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 4
189 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(-4); Over

Toronto @ Milwaukee

Game 501-502
April 27, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
121.327
Milwaukee
118.122
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 3
201
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Milwaukee
by 1 1/2
194
[B]Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+1 1/2); Over[/B

[StarDust Bum]

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

04/26/2017 1-1-0 50.00% -50
04/25/2017 2 - 1 66.66% +450
04/24/2017 NO PLAYS
04/23/2017 4-4-0 50.00% -200
04/22/2017 5-2-1 71.43% +1400
04/21/2017 2-3-1 40.00% -650
04/20/2017 3-3-0 50.00% -150
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

04/26/2017..................1 - 0..............+1.00.................0 - 1 -1.10
04/25/2017..................2 - 1..............+0.90.................0 - 3 -3.30
04/24/2017 NO PLAYS
04/23/2017..................2 - 2...............-0.20..................2 - 2 -0.20
04/22/2017..................2 - 1 - 1.........+0.90..................3 - 1+1.90
04/21/2017..................1 - 1 - 1..........-0.10..................1 - 1 -1.20
04/20/2017..................0 - 3...............-3.30..................3 - 0+3.00
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


THURSDAY, APRIL 27

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TOR at MIL 07:00 PM

MIL -1.5

U 194.5

SA at MEM 09:30 PM

MEM +4.5

O 189.5

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

— Spurs ousted Memphis, Raptors eliminate the Bucks, both in six games.

— Detroit scored 19 runs Tuesday; they scored 0-1 runs the next two days.

— Mets are 8-13; Cespedes/Syndergaard are both hurt now. No bueno.

— If I ever write a book, one of the chapters will be “Baseball players get hurt a lot.”

— Baltimore is 14-6, with a run differential of +9. Texas is +11; their record is 10-12.

— I’m still amazed that no one drafted Florida State RB Dalvin Cook; young man is a FOOTBALL PLAYER.

**********

Armadillo: Running Diary of the 2017 NFL Draft……..

7:41: Trying to decide which channel to watch the draft on; NFL Network or ESPN, assuming ESPN has enough employees left to do live programming.

Seeing how I boycotted Chris Berman for the last 20 years or so, since he and Steve Young took delight in mocking the Rams when they sucked in the 90’s, I’ll give post-Berman ESPN the first shot. Plus, Deion Sanders is on NFL Network; can’t stand him.

7:46: NFL is lucky as hell; when they foolishly put a Super Bowl in New Jersey a few years ag0, they missed a big snowstorm by a day. Tonight, on April 27, it is 74 degrees in Philly. Unusual; they just as easily could’ve gotten cruddy weather- Phillies got rained out at home two nites ago.

7:53: NFL started moving the draft a few years ago, when Radio City Music Hall was unavailable for draft weekend- they’ve struck gold. Now 14 cities want to host the draft- you know it’ll be in LA when the Rams’ new stadium is finished. I’m guessing Dallas will get it soon, too.

8:07: Roger Goodell makes $32M a year or so to be NFL’s Commish; he can take getting booed. Philly fans oblige by booing the hell out of him. Weird thing is, he isn’t a lawyer. Thought you had to be a lawyer to be a commish.

Goodell family trivia: When Robert Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, the man who replaced him as a US Senator from New York was Charles Goodell, Roger’s father.

8:10: Mel Kiper Jr, draft expert, touts Myles Garrett as a smart #1 pick for Cleveland, who is on the clock. Jon Gruden touts LSU safety Jamal Adams as the #1 pick. Gruden insists that Garrett isn’t the best player in this draft and he shows video evidence why, citing inconsistent effort.

Earlier this week, former Cowboys’ exec Gil Brandt tweeted that only 14.5 of Garrett’s 31 sacks in college came against SEC competition.

8:14: Browns take Garrett, the 5th SEC player taken #1 in the last 11 drafts. Cleveland also has the #12 pick in this round, so we’ll hear from them again in a few hours.

8:17: 49ers/Bears flip-flop the #2/#3 picks; looks like John Lynch will be trying to stockpile some draft picks in his first draft running the 49ers.

8:22: Bears take QB Mitchell Trubisky, meaning he gets to freeze his butt off for the next 10 Decembers in Chicago. Mike Glennon (3 years, $45M in Chicago) must be happier than hell; he signed with the Bears as a free agent, now it looks like he’ll be moving along again in a year or two.

The film of Trubisky that Gruden shows isn’t flattering; Trey Wingo points out that the only North Carolina QB to ever start an NFL game is TJ Yates. Trubisky started only 13 games at UNC, but then again, he isn’t going to start for a while.

8:29: 49ers take DE Solomon Thomas from Stanford; Lynch was a great DB, so it makes sense that his first draft pick is a defensive end. The young man once lived in Australia for five years; his first favorite sport was swimming.

49ers gave up 2,600 yards rushing last year; unlike Trubisky, Moore will play right away.

8:35: Jacksonville picks in the top 5 for the 6th year n a row; they take Leonard Fournette from LSU, who missed five games last year, including one by choice. He didn’t seem to be great with catching balls out of the backfield.

College coaches use the draft to be seen on TV: Stanford’s David Shaw is working on NFL Network, Ed Orgeron, Nick Saban, Dabo Swinney, Brian Kelly are all in Philly with their players. Recruiting season in college football is 365/12/7/24- tonite is no exception.

Fournette’s agent, by the way, is Jay Z.

8:43: Tennessee, with one of the picks acquired in the Jared Goff trade, selects WR Corey Davis of Western Michigan, the only D-I team to offer him a scholarship out of high school.

49ers, by the way, got two extra draft picks from the Bears for dropping from #2 to #3.

8:51: Jets draft LSU safety Jamal Adams; Todd Bowles was a DB when he played, so this makes perfect sense. Gruden loves Adams- this is a good pick. Jets allowed 30 TDs LY, had only eight INT’s. Louis Riddick praises Adams’ constant effort.

I would love to know how many kids get drafted by the Jets/Giants but aren’t aware that the teams play in New Jersey, not New York. There have to be at least one or two.

Adams’ father is George Adams, who played RB for the Giants 30 years ago, so we know he knows the Jets play in the Garden State.

Since 1987, Adams family is 8th father/son combo who were both drafted in the first round. Two of those eight are Mannings.

9:00: Chargers are on the clock; it still saddens me that they left San Diego, screwing their loyal fans for no decent reason, other than abject greed. They’re not the only ones who have done it, but they seem to be the team who left a pretty good situation to be a tenant in Los Angeles.

Chargers took WR Mike Williams instead of his college teammate, Deshaun Watson. Philip Rivers had to like this pick. Williams comes from a hometown of 170 people.

9:04: Carolina takes Christian McCaffrey from Stanford; his dad played for the Broncos, his granddad was once the fastest man in the world.

Fallout of this: Fournette/McCaffrey both skipped their bowl game to avoid injury, and they both benefitted with a solid draft position— will that makes this an increasing trend this fall?

Four of the first eight players taken went to LSU or Stanford.

9:12: Bengals take WR John Ross from Washington, whose pee-wee coach as a kid was Snoop Dawg (seriously). Ross is really, really fast, but he is going to play a decent amount of games in cold weather and he has had injury issues (shoulder. knee). Has he ever played in cold weather?

9:15: Chiefs trade up to the #10 spot in the draft; Buffalo trades down, but they get an extra #1 pick next year, to drop down 17 spots— KC has to be taking a QB, right?

9:18: ESPN fires Andy Katz, Ed Werder, Jayson Stark, but we’re supposed to watch the 6:00 SportsCenter because Ice Cube plays dominos with Jemele Hill? Oy.

9:20: Chiefs take Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes, whose dad pitched in the big leagues; he is the first QB taken in the first round by the Chiefs since Todd Blackledge, in 1983.

Gruden is tight with Andy Reid (Packer assistants together in early 90’s); he compares Mahomes to Brett Favre— seriously, he did.

As ESPN goes to commercial, Deshaun Watson doesn’t look very happy. Hey, Thurman Thomas once sat in a diner for half a day waiting to be drafted- his career turned out pretty well.

9:28: Saints take a DB from Ohio State that Jon Gruden doesn’t like that much. I like it when there is criticism; not every player is the greatest player ever.

Random rant: I bought a MacBook Pro last August; the keyboard sucks, with G and T keys often sticking. For $1,300, thought I’d get a decent keyboard. Otherwise, the laptop is fine.

9:35: Houston Texans traded up to draft Deshaun Watson, who won a lot of football games in college, but did throw 30 INT’s over the last two years, most in the whole country in I-A.

Texans have started 8 QB’s in three years under Bill O’Brien (QB guru). What makes this guy such a guru if he couldn’t make any of those eight QB’s serviceable players?

9:43: Arizona is on the clock; Carson Palmer turns 38 in December, so of course, they take a linebacker from Temple, where Bruce Arians was once the head coach. Local Philly fans eat up the local kid makes good angle.

Good news for Drew Stanton, Arizona’s current backup QB.

9:52: Hometown Eagles are on the clock: Gruden says they have to draft a CB. The crowd of roughly 70,000 is VERY EXCITED.

Eagles select Derek Barnett, a DE from Tennessee. He had more sacks in college than Reggie White— this is the pick Philly got from the Vikings for Sam Bradford. Eagle fans do not seem real happy, but unlike Myles Garrett, 29 of his 33 career sacks were in SEC games.

10:00: Colts take S Malik Hooker, who wanted to play basketball at Pitt, but Jamie Dixon never offered him, so he went to play football at Ohio State.

Louis Riddick says he needs to tackle better, Gruden says he has been hurt too much and hasn’t played enough football to be taken this high- he only played two years of HS football.

10:07: I don’t care if people boo Goodell, he seems like a good man. When the Ravens take a CB from Alabama, a 14-year old Make-a-Wish kid announces the pick, and Goodell introduces the young man. Then again, having the kid there means Goodell doesn’t get booed.

Mel Kiper’s five best available players are all SEC players, three from Alabama.

Random fact: Joe Flacco’s cap hit this year is $24.55M, highest in the NFL.

10:16: Redskins take Jonathan Allen, DE from Alabama, a pick applauded by the ESPN panel. Gruden is shocked he was available at #17, but apparently he has injury issues (shoulder).

10:20: “Who knows what they’re going to do?” Gruden on the Titans, who are up next.

Tennessee takes Adoree Jackson, a CB from USC who also played some WR for the Trojans and is a return threat. Jackson apparently also runs track; curious to see if that continues.

This will all be a lot more fun tomorrow, when the Rams have picks. Should’ve hung a #16 Rams jersey in the room tonight as a reminder of why we don’t have a pick in the first round.

10:27: Last year was Tampa Bay’s first winning season since 2010, but they didn’t make the playoffs. They took OJ Howard, a TE from Alabama, who should help open up their offense. He is Alabama’s 20th #1 draft pick since 2010, nine more than any other school.

Bucs are on Hard Knocks this summer; their CB Brett Grimes is married to a woman who is a real character— she is very outspoken on social media and doesn’t hold back. If HBO gets a mike on her, Hard Knocks will be highly entertaining TV.

10:31: First offensive lineman comes off the board at #20, Garrett Bolles to Denver; this kid was kicked out of five schools. Five. He brought his little baby up on stage with him.

Apparently the kid’s lacrosse coach wound up getting thru to him and straightening him out. Hopefully Mr Bolles will send that man a nice gift- he is also a 25-year old rookie, by the way. Denver really needed a good offensive lineman.

This is the latest the draft has ever gone before an offensive lineman was selected.

10:40: Detroit Lions take Jarrad Davis, a LB from Florida, who gets high marks for having good character. Was fun to hear that. Gruden thinks he will start as a rookie.

10:42: Dolphins take a kid from Missouri who has someone dressed as a Star Wars character sitting behind him in his house.

Wonder if Missouri alums are happy with their move to the SEC? I’m guessing the school’s accountants are happy; the SEC is a freakin’ gold mine, but on the field/court, Mizzou has mostly sucked in the SEC.

10:46: How in God’s name is Dalvin Cook still available? The Florida State RB is a FOOTBALL PLAYER.

Giants take a tight end from Ole Miss, further proof that Eli Manning runs the franchise.

10:54: Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders take a CB from Ohio State who, according to Raiders’ tradition, was accused of sexual assault recently. Wouldn’t be the Raiders if they took a solid citizen, though the young man hasn’t been charged with any crime and he strongly denies the accusation. Hopefully the kid was a victim of a potential scammer.

11:03: Cleveland is back on the clock: they take Jabril Peppers, a safety from Michigan who had a diluted drug sample at the Combine. This is the 5th time in 11 years, the Browns have had two first round picks.

One of the guys who runs the Cleveland Browns’ front office now was the Jonah Hill character in Moneyball, an Ivy League nitwit who played WR at Harvard in college, but made his reputation in baseball front offices.

Appears as if the Browns upgraded their defense tonight; Gregg Williams is the Browns’ new defensive coordinator- as a Rams’ fan, I think highly of Williams after he was our DC the last few years.

11:10: Atlanta Falcons trade with Seattle to move up to the #26 slot; Falcons have two new coordinators this year, unusual for a team that did so well last year- they take Takkarist McKinley, a LB from UCLA who was a sprinter in high school and who was raised by his grandmother after his mother deserted him at age 6.

11:18: Buffalo takes another LSU CB: Ed Orgeron might be there to support his guys, but in reality these are guys recruited and coached mostly by Les Miles, who put so many guys into the NFL it wound up costing him his job.

11:20: Dallas Cowboys get a worse greeting than Goodell when their turn is announced; no one is less popular in Philly than the Cowboys, who take Taco Charlton, a pass rusher that played at Michigan.

Long time ago, I knew a guy from Philly who wore a green windbreaker; on the back was a drawing of an animated Eagle urinating on the Cowboy logo. Oy.

11:32: Browns have traded up for a third pick in the first round; during the commercial break I put the A’s game on and saw something I never saw before— Kendall Graveman recorded an unassisted double play and he’s a pitcher— great play by him on a comebacker.

Cleveland drafts a TE from Miami; he will be a 20-year old rookie who looks more like a WR than a tight end. He has a lot of people celebrating with him when he gets drafted.

11:35: After a tribute to the late Dan Rooney, the Steelers pick JJ Watt’s brother, a LB from Wisconsin. Steelers play in Houston Christmas night.

11:40: 49ers/Saints have the last two picks tonite— San Francisco takes Reuben Foster, their third defensive player taken tonite.

New Orleans ends the first round by taking a tackle from Wisconsin, someone to protect Drew Brees as his career winds down. Ryan Ramczyk once quit football to become a welder; lucky for him he got talked out of that blunder.

There is a kid named Forrest Lamp in the draft, an offensive lineman from Western Kentucky. When he gets drafted, I will call him a bright kid, because his freakin’ name is Lamp!!!!

If Gruden or Mel Kiper criticize the team that selects Lamp, will they be throwing shade?

Thanks for reading; hope you enjoyed it.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Friday, April 28


Washington @ Atlanta

Game 511-512
April 28, 2017 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
120.919
Atlanta
119.147
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 2
206
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Atlanta
by 3
210
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(+3); Under

Boston @ Chicago

Game 509-510
April 28, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
127.458
Chicago
118.388
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 9
195
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
by 2
204 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-2); Under

LA Clippers @ Utah

Game 507-508
April 28, 2017 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Clippers
125.818
Utah
128.939
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Utah
by 3
201
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Utah
by 6
192 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
LA Clippers
(+6); Over




NBA
Long Sheet

Friday, April 28

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

LA CLIPPERS (53 - 34) at UTAH (54 - 33) - 4/28/2017, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 208-263 ATS (-81.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 190-235 ATS (-68.5 Units) versus good defensive teams - allowing <=98 points/game - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
UTAH is 9-7 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 11-5 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
8 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

BOSTON (56 - 31) at CHICAGO (43 - 44) - 4/28/2017, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 2-15 ATS (-14.5 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
CHICAGO is 22-10 ATS (+11.0 Units) in home games after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 25-16 ATS (+7.4 Units) in road games this season.
CHICAGO is 8-20 ATS (-14.0 Units) on Friday nights over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 9-7 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 8-8 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

WASHINGTON (52 - 35) at ATLANTA (45 - 42) - 4/28/2017, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 146-189 ATS (-61.9 Units) on Friday nights since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 178-220 ATS (-64.0 Units) vs. division opponents since 1996.
ATLANTA is 14-6 ATS (+7.4 Units) after a division game this season.
ATLANTA is 81-58 ATS (+17.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 22-32 ATS (-13.2 Units) as a favorite this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 13-9 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 12-11 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
13 of 23 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




NBA
Short Sheet

Friday, April 28

Western Conference – Round 1 – Best of 7 – Game 6 – UTH Leads 3-2

LA Clippers at Utah, 10:35 PM ET
Los Angeles: LA CLIPPERS are 11-3 UNDER when playing with 2 days rest
Utah: 2-12 ATS in home games after covering 4 of their last 5 against the spread

Eastern Conference – Round 1 – Best of 7 – Game 6 – BOS Leads 3-2

Boston at Chicago, 8:05 PM ET
Boston: 17-8 ATS when the line is +3 to -3
Chicago: 23-12 UNDER (+9.8 Units) as a favorite

Western Conference – Round 1 – Best of 7 – Game 6 – WAS Leads 3-2

Washington at Atlanta, 7:35 PM ET
Washington: 43-24 UNDER in road games off a win against a division rival
Atlanta: 9-0 ATS after 2 consecutive division games




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, April 28

Celtics won last three series games, by 17-9-11 points, with Rondo out with broken thumb- he is not expected back here; their series wins stayed under total, their losses went over. Under is 6-3 in last nine series games overall. Bulls shot 50% from floor in Game 3 loss but were -10 (16-6) in turnovers. Chicago is 20-71 on arc in its last three games. Boston won Games 3-4 here, by 17-9 points; Bulls’ last four home games stayed under the total. Celtics were 9-40 on arc in last game, but 23-23 on foul line, most FT’s they’ve taken in game in this series.

Home side won nine of last ten Wizard-Hawk games, including all five in this series (favorites 4-1 vs spread); Wizards lost Games 3-4 here by 2-10 points. Three of last four series games stayed under total- under is 5-2-1 in last eight series games overall. Hawks’ bench was 8-24 from floor in Game 5 loss; Atlanta won its last five home games, scoring 115.8 pts/game. In its three series losses, Hawks were -7/-7/-5 in turnovers; they were +4/+2 in two wins. Dwight Howard played 28:00 in Game 5, took three shots from floor (1-4 FT’s); how is that possible?

Gobert played 36:00 in Game 5, scoring 11 points, grabbing 11 boards; his +6 was second-best for Jazz in huge road win. Utah bench outscored Clippers’ subs 36-16 in Game 5 upset at Staples. Jazz bench has 102-53 scoring edge in last two tilts. Clippers scored 99-111 points in two series wins- they scored less than 99 in all three losses, Road team is 3-2 SU in this series; under is 3-2 in series. Clippers won three of last five games in SLC (over 4-1). LA bench was just 5-22 from floor in Game 5; they’ll need more from Crawford here.

First round playoff series:
Boston-Chicago
Chi 106-102, +7, O207
Chi 111-97, +7.5, O206.5
Bos 104-87, -2.5, U206
Bos 104-95, -1.5, U204
Bos 108-97, –7.5, U205.5

Cleveland-Indiana
Clev 109-108, -9, O208.5
Clev 117-111, -9, O210
Clev 119-114, –1.5, O210
Clev 106-102, -4, U214
Cavaliers win series, 4-0

Toronto-Milwaukee
Mil 97-83, +7.5, U197.5
Tor 106-100, -8, O195
Mil 104-77, –2, U197
Tor 87-76, +2.5, U194
Tor 118-93, -6, O193
Tor 92-89, +1.5, U196.5
Raptors win series, 4-2

Washington-Atlanta
Wash 114-107, -5.5, O209.5
Wash 109-101, -6.5, U211.5
All 110-108, -2.5, O211
Atl 111-101, -2.5 U212.5
Wash 103-99, -6.5, U212

Golden State-Portland
GState 121-109, -15.5, O220
GState 110-81, –12, U219
GState 119-113, -5, O217.5
GState 128-103, -9, O222.5
Warriors win series, 4-0

San Antonio-Memphis
SA 111-82, -9.5, O190.5
SA 96-82, -10.5, U189
Mem 105-94, +3.5, O188
Mem 110-108, +5.5, O187
SA 116-103, -10.5, O188.5
SA 103-96, -5.5, O190.5
Spurs win series, 4-2

Houston-Oklahoma City
Hst 118-87 -7.5, U227.5
Hst 115-111, -7.5, O225.5
OC 115-113, -2.5, O224
Hst 113-109, +1, U223.5
Hst 105-99, -7.5, U223.5
Rockets win series, 4-1

LA Clippers-Utah
Utah 97-95, +6, U198.5
LAC 99-91, -9, U200
LAC 111-106, -1.5, O197.5
Utah 105-98, -5, O196
Utah 96-92, +3, U195.5

Favorites: 18-21-1 vs spread
Over: 21-19




NBA

Friday, April 28

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

7:30 PM
WASHINGTON vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Washington's last 15 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Washington is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Atlanta is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Atlanta's last 15 games when playing at home against Washington

8:00 PM
BOSTON vs. CHICAGO
Boston is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston's last 9 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home

10:30 PM
LA CLIPPERS vs. UTAH
LA Clippers are 10-2 SU in their last 12 games when playing on the road against Utah
LA Clippers are 6-15-2 ATS in their last 23 games when playing on the road against Utah
Utah is 15-6-2 ATS in their last 23 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
Utah is 5-20 SU in their last 25 games when playing LA Clippers

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Friday, April 28

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

The Boston Celtics have climbed out of an early hole and look to finally put away the Chicago Bulls in their first-round series when the teams meet in the Windy City for Game 6 on Friday.

Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks (-3, 210)

Wizards lead series 3-2

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (52-35 SU, 44-42-1 ATS, 53-33-1 O/U): Washington, which would host a potential Game 7, used solid defense and questionable decision-making by the other team to keep the Hawks from scoring over the final 68 seconds to earn a 103-99 win on Wednesday in Game 5. Washington guard Bradley Beal struggled with consistency in his shooting stroke over the first five games of the series but found ways to score despite a 1-of-9 effort from 3-point range in Game 5 and scored a team-high 27 points in the win. "It's playoff time," Beal told reporters. "It's winning time, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to get a win. We know that we can’t do it unless we get a stop. Whatever it takes, whether it’s rebounding, getting steals, blocking shots. Everybody plays a role. Everybody plays a part." Beal dug in on the defensive end in Game 5 and recorded three steals and three blocks.

ABOUT THE HAWKS (45-42 SU, 42-45 ATS, 34-50-3 O/U): Atlanta had its sense of urgency questioned after not fouling and letting time run off the clock in the final minute on Wednesday, and the team intends to fix those issues at home. Atlanta had a chance to win Game 5 in the end because of the play of point guard Dennis Schroder, who scored a game-high 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting to go along with 11 assists. "I think we were right there," Schroder told reporters of the closing minute of Game 5. "We had a chance to win. We missed a couple of rebounds. We missed a couple layups, shots. It’s tough. In crunch time we have to make those plays." Schroder is averaging 24.4 points in the series - up from a season mark of 17.9 - and went 5-of-6 from 3-point range in Game 5.

LINE HISTORY: The Hawks opened as three-point home favorites at home with their backs against the wall. The total hit the board at 210.

INJURY REPORT:

Wizards - PF J. Smith (Questionable, calf), C I. Mahinmi (Out Indefinitely, calf).

Hawks - No injuries to report.

TRENDS:

* Wizards are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 Friday games.
* Hawks are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games.
* Under is 4-1-1 in Wizards last 6 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Under is 8-1-1 in Hawks last 10 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.




Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls (+2, 203.5)

Celtics lead series 3-2

ABOUT THE CELTICS (56-31 SU, 43-42-2 ATS, 42-41-4 O/U): The Boston Celtics have climbed out of an early hole and look to finally put away the Chicago Bulls in their first-round series when the teams meet in the Windy City for Game 6 on Friday. Bradley matched fellow guard Isaiah Thomas with 24 points in Game 5 but he was much more efficient, shooting 11-of-19 from the floor, compared to 6-of-17 for Thomas. "Even the stat sheet doesn't explain how good of a player he is sometimes," Thomas told the media of Bradley. "When he's not scoring or rebounding, he's doing a lot of things to help out everybody else on this team, whether that be help-side defense, whether that be making the right play on offense. He’s a complete basketball player." Center Al Horford has been making a bigger impact as the series drags on, averaging 18 points, nine rebounds, 6.3 assists and two steals in Boston's three victories.

ABOUT THE BULLS (43-44 SU, 44-43 ATS, 35-51-1 O/U): The Bulls will enter a do-or-die contest looking for more from one of their remaining stars. Jimmy Butler was held to a series-low 14 points in Game 5 and is shooting 38.5 percent in Chicago's three straight losses.Butler took just two shots during Boston's decisive 20-4 run in the fourth quarter, prompting Hoiberg to insist that the team needs to get its All-Star the ball a bit more down the stretch. Some wondered if a nagging knee issue was the reason Butler lacked his usual aggressiveness but he downplayed questions about the knee and said he will be fine for Game 6. While Butler sagged in Game 5, Dwyane Wade had his best outing since returning from an elbow injury late in the regular season, finishing with 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

LINE HISTORY: The Bulls opened as one-point home favorites but that line jumped the fence Thursday afternoon and the Celtics are now listed as two-point road favorites. The total hit the board at 203.5 and has yet to move.

INJURY REPORT:

Celtics - SF J. Brown (Questionable, illness).

Bulls - PG R. Rondo (Out, thumb).

TRENDS:

* Celtics are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games.
* Bulls are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games following a straight up loss.
* Under is 11-3-2 in Celtics last 16 road games.
* Under is 10-1 in Bulls last 11 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings in Chicago.



Los Angeles Clippers at Utah Jazz (-6, 192.5)

Jazz lead series 3-2

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (53-34 SU, 41-45-1 ATS, 46-40-1 O/U): Los Angeles has its back against the wall and being sent home in the opening round would leave a bitter taste in the mouths of players who were predicting a spot in the conference finals. "This team is not going to quit, I can tell you that," Clippers coach Doc Rivers told reporters. "You could see it in the locker room." Los Angeles was mighty dismayed with the Game 5 showing in which it scored only 58 points through three quarters before succumbing 96-92 on its home floor. "It's no secret our back's against the wall, down 3-2," point guard Chris Paul told reporters after scoring 28 points. "Fortunately we've got a lot of guys in the locker room who had to do this a couple of years ago. We've got to do what we've got to do." The loss of power forward Blake Griffin (toe) was magnified further when Marreese Speights tallied one point while starting in Griffin's place.

ABOUT THE JAZZ (54-33 SU, 40-43-4 ATS, 44-43 O/U): The Utah Jazz haven't won a playoff series in seven years and they look to end the drought when they host the Los Angeles Clippers in Friday's Game 6 of the Western Conference first-round playoff series. The Jazz hold a 3-2 series lead and are aiming to close out their first postseason series since downing the Denver Nuggets in a first-round clash in 2010. Veteran swingman Joe Johnson averaged 9.2 points in the regular season but has increased that to 18.2 while leading a young squad toward a second-round clash with the top-seeded Golden State Warriors. Johnson has been a force in a series in which the Jazz didn't have standout center Rudy Gobert (knee) for nearly all of three consecutive games and All-Star small forward Gordon Hayward (food poisoning) was a non-entity in Game 4 before being sent home at halftime. Hayward was back on his game in Tuesday's victory as he contributed 27 points and eight rebounds while Gobert recorded 11 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and two blocked shots. "We have to treat this one as a must-win," Hayward told reporters. "We want to close it out in Salt Lake City. We definitely don't want to come back (to Los Angeles) for Game 7."

LINE HISTORY: The Jazz opened as six-point home favorites as they look to finish off the Clippers at home and that point spread came down slightly to -5.5 on Thursday afternoon. The total hit the board at 192 and was bet up slightly to 192.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Clippers - PF B. Griffin (Out For Season, toe), C D. Stone (Out Indefinitely, knee).

Jazz - SG A. Burks (Doubful, knee).

TRENDS:

* Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
* Jazz are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 vs. NBA Pacific.
* Under is 13-3 in Clippers last 16 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Over is 4-0 in Jazz last 4 home games.
* Over is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in Utah.

[StarDust Bum]

Friday's Tip Sheet
April 27, 2017

**Wizards at Hawks**

-- Washington (52-35 straight up, 44-42-1 against the spread) took a 3-2 series lead thanks to Wednesday’s 103-99 win over Atlanta as a six-point home favorite. The Hawks took the cash for the third straight time in this best-of-seven set, while the 202 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 211.5-point total. Bradley Beal led the winners with 27 points, five rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots in 41-plus turnover-free minutes. John Wall added 20 points, 14 assists and six rebounds. Otto Porter Jr. scored a series-best 17 points and needed only four shots from the field to do so. Bojan Bogdanovic contributed 14 points and six boards, while Marcin Gortat finished with five points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.

-- Dennis Schroder was sensational for Atlanta in the losing effort. The fourth-year point guard had 29 points, two steals and 11 assists compared to only one turnover. He became the first Hawk since ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich to have 25 points and 10 assists in a postseason game (hat tip, Ernie Johnson Jr.) For the series, Schroder is averaging 24.4 points per game and has a 36/8 assists-to-turnover ratio.

-- Paul Millsap produced 21 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in Game 5. Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 15 points, while Taurean Prince had 10 points, six rebounds, one block and four assists compared to merely one turnover. Prince, the rookie forward out of Baylor, has started throughout the series and has scored in double figures in each contest.

-- Dwight Howard had his best game of the series in a 111-101 triumph in Game 5, scoring 16 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. However, he had only five points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes of action in Game 5 at Verizon Center. Howard has scored in double figures just once in this series.

-- With Washington clinging to a 101-96 advantage, Schroder hit a 3-ball with 1:09 remaining to trim the deficit to two. On the ensuing possession, however, Wall drained a 20-footer with 45 ticks left to make it a four-point game. Atlanta couldn’t answer and after getting a stop, Hardaway missed a 3-pointer right before the final seconds dripped off the clock.

-- As of Thursday night, most betting shops had Atlanta (45-42 SU, 42-45 ATS) installed as a three-point ‘chalk’ with a total of 210. The Wizards were +135 on the money line (risk $100 to win $135).

-- Mike Budenholzer’s squad is 25-18 SU and 19-24 ATS at home this season.

-- Washington owns a 19-24 SU record and a 19-23-1 ATS mark in its road assignments this year.

-- Totals have been a wash overall (2-2-1) in this series. In four regular-season meetings between these clubs, the ‘under’ went 3-1.

-- The ‘under’ is 50-34-3 overall for the Hawks, 23-19-1 in their home games.

-- The ‘over’ is 53-33-1 overall for the Wizards, 27-15-1 in their road assignments.

-- Sportsbook.ag has Washington as the -480 favorite for the series, while Atlanta is +380 on the comeback (risk $100 to win $380).

-- VegasInsider.com handicapper Kevin Rogers pointed out to me that home favorites killed it in Game 6’s last season. Rogers said, “This is the second situation in this postseason with home favorites heading into Game 6 trailing 3-2. In 2016, home favorites in this situation compiled a perfect 3-0 SU/ATS record, including Cleveland beating Golden State by 14 points in the NBA Finals. In fact, all three squads in this scenario (Cleveland, Miami, Indiana) won by double digits to force a Game 7 on the road. Washington entered this postseason with an incredible 10-1 ATS record since 2014 in the role of an away underdog, but it is 0-2 ATS in this round as a road ‘dog. Also, the Wizards have lost four of their last five road playoff games at Philips Arena.”

-- NBA-TV will have the broadcast at 7:35 p.m. Eastern.

**Celtics at Bulls**

-- As of Thursday night, most books had Boston (56-31 SU, 43-42-2 ATS) listed as a 1.5-point road favorite with a total of 204. The Bulls were +105 on the money line.

-- Since falling into a 0-2 hole, Boston has ripped off three straight victories and covered the spread in each instance. The Celtics won a 108-97 decision over Chicago as eight-point home favorites in Wednesday’s Game 5 at TD Garden. The 205 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 205.5-point total. Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley scored 24 points apiece to lead the way. Al Horford stuffed the box score with 21 points, seven rebounds, one steal and nine assists compared to only one turnover. Kelly Olynyk added 14 points and five boards in 20-plus minutes off the bench. Jae Crowder contributed eight points, eight boards and a pair of blocked shots.

-- Chicago (43-44 SU, 44-43 ATS) led by two going into the final stanza of Game 5 at Boston, but the Celtics outscored it 29-16 in the fourth quarter. Dwyane Wade produced 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the losing effort. Jimmy Butler added 14 points, eight boards and six assists, while Robin Lopez finished with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, three blocks and one steal. Isaiah Canaan was also in double figures with 13 points.

-- Despite losing his sister in a tragic one-car accident the day before the series opener, Thomas has averaged 25.2 points, 5.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game in the series. He has struggled with his 3-point shot, though, making only 8-of-38 launches from downtown (21.1%).

-- Boston owns a 25-18 SU record and a 25-16-2 ATS ledger in road games this season.

-- After scoring 106 and 111 points in victories at Boston to open the series, Chicago has struggled offensively without Rajon Rondo. The Bulls have produced only 87, 95 and 97 in the last three outings.

-- Rondo scored 12 points to go with eight rebounds, two steals and six assists with just one turnover in Game 1. Then in Game 2, he finished with 11 points, 14 assists, nine rebounds and five steals. However, he sustained a fractured thumb in Game 2 that’s caused him to miss the last three games. When he had the thumb placed in a cast on April 19, the original diagnosis was for the thumb to remain in a cast for 7-10 days. Friday will be the ninth day since then as Rondo is listed as ‘'out' for Game 6.

-- Chicago has a 25-18 SU record and a 21-22 ATS mark in its home games this year.

-- The updated series price at Sportsbook.ag has Boston as the -1000 ‘chalk,’ leaving the Bulls as +650 underdogs (risk $100 to win $650).

-- The ‘under’ is 6-3 in the nine head-to-head meetings between these squads this year.

-- The ‘under’ is 51-35-1 overall for the Bulls, 27-16 in their home contests.

-- The ‘over’ is 42-41-4 overall for the Celtics, but the ‘under’ is 23-18-2 in their road outings.

-- Tip-off is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

**Clippers at Jazz**

-- Utah took a 3-2 lead in this best-of-seven series thanks to Tuesday’s 96-92 win over the Clippers at Staples Center. The Jazz won outright as a three-point underdog, while the 188 combined points fell ‘under’ the 196-point tally. After L.A.’s Chris Paul buried a 3-pointers with 5.1 seconds left to trim the deficit to two, George Hill went to the free-throw line and hit a pair to put the game on ice.

-- After missing most of the Game 4 win due to food poisoning, Gordon Hayward was back at 100 percent for Game 5. The Butler product scored a game-high 27 points to go with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Hayward knocked down 4-of-8 shots from 3-point land. Rodney Hood added 16 points and five boards, while Joe Johnson contributed 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Hill finished with 12 points, seven assists and five boards, while Rudy Gobert had 11 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and two blocked shots. Boris Diaw was also in double figures with 10 points.

-- In the Game 5 defeat, Paul produced 28 points, nine assists and four rebounds. He made 4-of-6 attempts from long distance. J.J. Redick snapped out of a slump (he failed to score in double figures in the three previous games) to score 26 points. DeAndre Jordan finished with 14 points and 12 boards. With Blake Griffin out, the Clippers need production from veteran big man Mo Speights. He didn’t provide that Tuesday, though, missing all three shots in 13-plus minutes of PT. Jamal Crawford also had a poor outing in Game 5. The veteran scoring guard had only four points, missing six of eight shots from the field and both of his 3-point launches.

-- Following the Game 5 victory, Hayward told the Associated Press, “We want to close it out in Salt Lake City. We definitely don’t want to come here for Game 7.”

-- L.A. head coach Doc Rivers offered up these thoughts following the Game 5 setback: “It’s a tough loss, but it’s not like I’m going to bury my head or anything like that. We lost the game. You know, defensively overall I thought we played pretty well. Offensively, I didn’t think we played well at all. There were a lot of things I did like about the game, and there were a lot of things I didn’t. I think they’re all fixable.”

-- As of Thursday night, most spots had Utah (54-33 SU, 40-43-4 ATS) favored by 5.5 points with a total of 192.5. Gamblers had the chance to take the Clippers to win outright for a +200 return (risk $100 to win $200).

-- Los Angeles (53-34 SU, 41-45-1 ATS) is 23-20 SU and 20-23 ATS on the road this season.

-- Utah owns a 30-13 SU record and a 20-20-3 ATS mark in its home games this year.

-- The Clippers are 4-8 ATS in 12 games this year when they’ve been listed as underdogs of five points or more.

-- The updated series price: Utah -425, L.A. +315 (risk $100 to win $315). I think the Clippers are worth a small wager at that price.

-- The ‘under’ has cashed at 3-2 clip in this series, but the ‘over’ hit in Games 3 and 4 at Utah.

-- The ‘over’ is 46-40-1 overall for the Clippers, 28-15 in their road contests.

-- The ‘over’ 44-43 overall for the Jazz this year, but the ‘under’ is 22-21 in its home games.

-- TNT will have the telecast at 10:35 p.m. Eastern.

[StarDust Bum]

Celtics headline trio of elimination games
April 27, 2017

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The top-seeded Boston Celtics are back from the brink of disaster.

They have dug themselves out of an 0-2 hole against the Chicago Bulls to take the lead in the series. A victory Friday would be the first time the franchise with 17 NBA titles has advanced past the first round since 2012.

''The key has been playing consistent,'' Celtics guard Avery Bradley explained how Boston has flipped the script. ''The first two games we obviously were a little emotional. We weren't playing team basketball. We were just kind of playing free and not executing our plays at both ends of the floor and our games plans.

''Once we were able to slow down and focus on what we needed to do as a team on every detail, we were able to play a lot better.''

The Celtics weren't expected to have to work this hard against a Bulls team that needed a tiebreaker to reach the playoffs. The team was dealt an emotional blow with the death of Isaiah Thomas' sister the day before the playoffs began and the Bulls took the first two games in Boston.

Forward Jae Crowder said the Celtics are a better team on the road.

''I had a good feeling in my heart when we came here 0-2 that we would come together and give ourselves a chance to win Game 3,'' Crowder said. ''That's what happened. I just felt like we needed to get away from the stuff that was going on back home and just be us.''

Now Chicago must do something it hasn't this series - win a home game. And the Bulls will likely have to do it without Rajon Rondo, who broke his thumb in Game 2.

''You know, we've got to find a way to do the things that gave us success,'' Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. ''We have to have pace. Even though Rajon's not out there, we still have to try to get down the floor and get into our actions with plenty of time on the shot clock.

''That's changed obviously with Rajon being out of the lineup, but it is what it is and we're going to continue to fight.''

Here's some things to know for Friday's three games:

---

Wizards at Hawks, Washington leads 3-2. Game 6, 7:30 p.m., NBA TV

NEED TO KNOW: Atlanta needs to maintain the home teams' perfect record in the series to force a decisive contest Sunday at Washington. The Hawks had plenty of chances to steal one on the road, but came up short all three times. Now, they'll be looking for another strong start like Game 3, when the Hawks raced to a 25-point lead in the first quarter. The Wizards will be counting on their dynamic duo, John Wall and Bradley Beal, to lead a series-clinching win in Atlanta.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Washington's defense against Atlanta All-Star Paul Millsap. The Wizards spent a lot of time double-teaming Millsap in Game 5, looking to keep Markieff Morris out of foul trouble. While that part of the strategy didn't work, the Wizards were able to make things especially tough on Millsap down the stretch. He finished with 21 points on 8-of-19 shooting.

INJURY UPDATE: Wizards front-court reserve Jason Smith left Game 5 with a bruised left calf and did not return. His status is day-to-day. Backup C Ian Mahinmi (strained left calf) has not played in the series.

PRESSURE IS ON: C Dwight Howard. The Hawks big man has basically been a no-show in the series except for Game 4, when he had 16 points and 15 rebounds. In the other four games combined, he's taken just 18 shots and scored 23 points. Coach Mike Budenholzer has preferred to go with a smaller lineup in the fourth quarter, feeling it creates more open shots but leaving Howard on the bench.

---

Celtics at Bulls, Boston leads 3-2. Game 6, 8 p.m., ESPN

NEED TO KNOW: Boston broke through with the first home-court win of the series in Game 5, led by Avery Bradley's best offensive game of the series. He and Isaiah Thomas each came through with 24 points, with support from Al Horford's 21 points and nine assists. They also had just six turnovers - a series-low - while scoring 23 points off the Bulls' giveaways.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Kelly Olynyk. After being relatively silent in the first four games of the series, the Celtics' reserve big man was all over the court Wednesday night. He had a series-best 14 points and five rebounds in his 21 minutes. The team was also plus-14 points with him on the court, the best plus/minus of any Celtics' player.

INJURY UPDATE: Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said point guard Rajon Rondo (broken right thumb) is ''a longshot'' to return.

PRESSURE IS ON: The Bulls. Chicago needs to win its first game of the series at home and force a Game 7 back in Boston. The point guard issue wasn't solved by inserting Isaiah Canaan into the lineup. That likely means Chicago will need big efforts from Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade to stay alive.

---

Clippers at Jazz, Utah leads 3-2, 10:30 p.m., ESPN

NEED TO KNOW: The Jazz have won two straight since defensive player of the year candidate Rudy Gobert returned from a knee injury for Game 4. Utah outscored the Clippers in the paint in both games by a combined 92-64. The team that has won points in the paint has won all five games.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Joe Johnson. The Jazz forward hit the game-winner in Game 1, scored 28 in Game 4 and took over down the stretch of Game 5. He's been one of the most clutch players on any team in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the competitive Chris Paul has consistently hurt the Jazz throughout the series. He has the ability to put the Clippers on his back and carry them to victory as he works the pick-and-roll game.

INJURY UPDATE: Clippers coach Doc Rivers said Austin Rivers (hamstring) didn't suffer any setbacks after returning in Game 5. His minutes should increase from the 18 he played.

PRESSURE IS ON: The Jazz. Utah has the opportunity to close out the series and advance to the second round for the first time since 2010. Veterans Johnson, George Hill and Boris Diaw were brought in for this type of situation as the rest of the young roster is in this scenario for the first time. The Clippers, on the other hand, are looking to survive and force a Game 7. Questions swirl about the team being broken up if this core fails to make a significant playoff run.

[StarDust Bum]

Spurs get much-needed time off before semifinal with Houston
April 28, 2017

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Gregg Popovich feels like his San Antonio Spurs survived the Memphis Grizzlies and is grateful their first-round series finally is over after six games.

His Spurs desperately need a couple days off before hosting Houston on Monday night in their Western Conference semifinal.

The Spurs finished the game on a 22-8 run Thursday night after trailing by seven in beating Memphis 103-96 to take the series 4-2. Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points, and Tony Parker added 27.

''I'm seriously thrilled that we were able to get through that first round,'' Popovich said. ''That's the good news. The bad news is that we now have to go play Houston.''

The Spurs advanced by winning on the road, something neither San Antonio nor Memphis had managed against each other all season long. LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 12 rebounds as San Antonio outrebounded Memphis 46-28. They got 16 of those on the offensive boards, leading to 17 second-chance points.

Parker said the Spurs treated this like a Game 7 to make sure they avoided heading home to play a deciding seventh game that had been scheduled for Saturday. That would've meant only one day to rest and prepare for the No. 3 seeded Houston Rockets with this semifinal starting Monday night in San Antonio.

''We wanted those days off before playing Houston because it's going to be a fast-paced game against them,'' Parker said. ''They have a great offense, and the key is going to be defense. So we're going to have to have our legs. I think this win is huge obviously, because we won the series, but even to prepare against Houston.''

For much of this series, Leonard carried the Spurs as he matched or topped his playoff career high in scoring in three of the five games. He also hit his first 42 free throws of this series, the most to start a postseason series in NBA history.

But some of the other Spurs started stepping up as San Antonio turned a 2-2 tie into a series victory. Patty Mills came through in San Antonio's Game 5 win with 20 points off the bench, and he added another 10 Thursday night. Manu Ginobili ended an 0-of-15 shooting skid with 10 points off the bench in Game 5.

Parker had his best game of the series Thursday night, hitting his first six shots and finishing with 27 points. He also had two rebounds and four assists. The veteran guard, who turns 35 on May 17, was seen icing both feet and his left knee after the game but walked just fine talking to reporters.

He said he talked with Popovich about how the Grizzlies were going under on pick-and-rolls and not giving shots for Aldridge.

''I had to be aggressive,'' Parker said. ''That's a choice that Memphis made. We talked about it last week. They just are going to leave me in the corner 3s and just go under the pick-and-rolls, so I had to be aggressive.''

The Spurs easily swept the Grizzlies a year ago when Memphis had a patchwork roster with Mike Conley and Marc Gasol injured on the bench. Then they lost to Oklahoma City in six games. They agreed this series against Memphis will be much better preparation for what lies ahead.

''It's an experience that helps you push through the tough times on the floor, and that's how you gain confidence,'' Leonard said.

Leonard said the break also will be good for the older Spurs, plus himself after a very physical series.

''We can just regroup, get our energy back and get our bodies prepared for the next round,'' Leonard said. ''It's going to be tougher.''

[StarDust Bum]

Celtics' Thomas to leave for sister's funeral after Game 6
April 28, 2017

Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas plans to travel home to Washington state after Friday night's Game 6 against the Chicago Bulls to attend his sister's funeral.

Thomas is scheduled to fly from Chicago to Tacoma to attend his sister's funeral at noon on Saturday, according to the Boston Globe.

His younger sister, 22-year-old Chyna Thomas, died following a single-vehicle accident in Federal Way, Wash., on April 15.

This will be Thomas' second trip home since his sister's death. He traveled to Tacoma for two days after Game 2 to be with his family and friends.

The top-seeded Celtics lead the eight-seeded Bulls 3-2 and can clinch the best-of-seven first-round series with a victory Friday night. If Chicago wins, Game 7 will be played in Boston at on Sunday afternoon. Sunday also could be the start of the Eastern Conference semifinals if both the Boston-Chicago and Washington-Atlanta series are completed Friday night.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens previously said he would like to give teammates the opportunity to attend the funeral for Thomas' sister if the schedule allowed, and the organization will be represented at the funeral, a source told ESPN.

Thomas, wearing "RIP Lil Sis" written in tribute on his shoes, has played well under the circumstances. He is averaging 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the five games against the Bulls

[StarDust Bum]

Bulls PG Rondo a 'long shot' to return
April 27, 2017

CHICAGO (AP) If the Chicago Bulls are to extend their postseason, they almost certainly will have to do it without Rajon Rondo.

Rondo has a fractured right thumb, and coach Fred Hoiberg says the backcourt catalyst is a ''long shot'' to play Game 6 against the Boston Celtics on Friday night. Nor does the coach expect Rondo to be available if a Game 7 is necessary. The veteran guard is scheduled to work out Thursday night.

''Nothing has changed as of now,'' Hoiberg said during a conference call Thursday.

Hoiberg says guard Isaiah Canaan will start in Rondo's place for a second straight game. The Celtics lead the first-round series 3-2.

Since Rondo injured his hand in Game 2, Boston won three straight. The Bulls averaged only 93.0 points in those games compared with 108.5 in the first two.

Hoiberg says his team played most of the Game 5 loss in Boston without a point guard on the floor.

''But just that's the reality of the situation that we're in right now,'' he said. ''It's probably going to be that way the rest of the series.''

Rondo was a standout at both ends in the first two games, both Chicago victories on the road. He averaged 11.5 points, 10.0 assists, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals.

''We had a real good thing going with Rajon,'' Hoiberg said. ''Our flow was excellent. Our pace was really good, just getting the ball down the floor early and striking before the defense was set. That's something we had a lot of success with. Obviously, that part of our game has changed with Rondo out.''

Hoiberg says forward Jimmy Butler had ''some soreness'' in his right knee but would play Friday.