Announcement

**Udog** · 03-02-2017, 07:11 AM

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

— Northwestern 67, Michigan 65— Wildcats win on length-of-court OB pass for a layup with 0:01.3 left. Is that the win that gets Northwestern in the NCAA’s for the first time?

— SE Missouri 78, Tennessee St 75 OT— Overtime drama in the OVC tourney.

— Murray State 85, Tennessee Tech 84, 2OT— Racers’ PG took 40 shots (15-40), scored 41 points, but hit a 28-footer to win the game in double overtime. Fun game to watch.

— Florida 78, Arkansas 65— Underrated Gators are 24-6.

— Kansas State 75, TCU 74— Battle for 6th place and a bye in Big X tournament.

— Looks like Kevin Durant will miss the rest of the regular season; playoffs are roughly seven weeks away.

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

13) Why would anyone buy tickets to watch the Philadelphia 76ers play? They stink every year (103-284 the last five years) and then they draft young players who rarely play.

— Ben Simmons, zero NBA games (of a possible 59)
— Joel Embiid (31 games, of a possible 223)
— Jahlil Okafor (94 games, of a possible 141)

Karl-Anthony Towns has played in all 142 of Minnesota’s games since he’s been there. Is it that difficult to identify healthy players?

Sacramento’s TV guys actually referred to Towns playing in every game the other night, as if it were an unusual gift.

12) White Sox 1B Jose Abreu had to leave Sox camp this week to go to Miami and testify in a smuggling/conspiracy trial against his old agent. Abreu testified that he disposed of a phony passport by eating it on an airplane while en route to America. Oy.

Abreu is also the first baseman on my fantasy team, so hopefully this distraction is behind him.

11) Speaking of my fantasy baseball team, I added Phillies catching prospect Jorge Alfaro last week, so now I’ll have to watch Colombia’s games in the World Baseball Classic, since he is on their squad. Alfaro will start this year in AAA, is supposed to be a quality hitter.

10) As for the 4:30am game Monday between Israel and Korea, um…..no thanks. Even I have to sleep sometime.

9) Love having spring training games on in the house during the day; Padres were on Tuesday with Don Orsillo/Mark Grant on the call. Always good to hear laughter on your TV.

8) Redskins’ QB Kirk Cousins will be paid $1,408,447 PER GAME next season.

7) This is my annual reminder that it must suck to have a birthday on February 29; you get a birthday once every four years. When do people celebrate their birthday the other three years?

The most famous people I can find with this birthday are motivational speaker Tony Robbins, hockey player Cam Ward and rapper Ja Rule. Deceased stars Dennis Farina and Dinah Shore were also born on February 29.

6) Best of luck today to Angels’ SS Yunel Escobar, who is taking his US Citizenship Test today in Miami. It is GOOD that people from other countries WANT TO LIVE HERE.

5) Speaking of the Angels, their radio guys (simulcast on TV) were killing the Padres’ roster the other day; San Diego was 68-94 LY. Angels’ guys came out and said it is doubtful the Padres would win that many this year. Unusual to hear teams get ripped on TV.

4) Saturday, Colorado State visits Nevada in what is a showdown for the regular season title in the Mountain West. Teams haven’t met yet this season.

There isn’t any tangible advantage to winning the regular season title; conference tourney is at UNLV no matter what, but neither CSU or Nevada has won that many hoop titles so it is a big deal to them, which makes the game Saturday a good one to watch.

3) What are the three best free-throw shooting leagues in America?

1- Summit League, 74.2%
2— Southern Conference, 73.4%
3— Ohio Valley Conference, 73.3%

Worst free-throw shooting league? Sun Belt, at 68.1%

2) What are the three best 3-point shooting leagues in America?

1— Summit League, 39.6%
2— ACC, 37.2%
3— Pac-12, 37.0%

Worst 3-point shooting league? WAC, at 32.3%

Pretty clear that the Summit League is the league with the best shooters.

1— This is from former Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, talking about when Nick Saban came to his house to recruit him:

“Coach Saban isn’t going to sit there, and put on a big smile, and promise you this and that. He isn’t going to tell you that you’re a surefire starter, or an All-SEC shoo-in, or a first-round NFL pick. He isn’t going tell your mom, “Wow … this has to be the best pot roast I’ve ever had.”

Actually — you know how I know that? Because Nick Saban turned down my mom’s food. Straight up: Coach came over to our house for a recruiting visit. And my mom, knowing we were having company over, had done some home cooking. So, of course, when Coach walked in the door, my mom offered him some dinner. And wanna know what coach said to Mom?

“I already ate.”

He said thank you, but no thank you, he already ate. He hit her with the already ate. And all joking aside — Coach was incredibly polite, and I share that story purely out of love — it was a pretty telling moment for me. In this weird way, it told me everything that I needed to know about about Coach Saban’s intentions.

And what I mean by that is: Coach Saban hadn’t come over to put on a show, or to flatter us, or to tell us what he thought we wanted to hear. He didn’t make some big sales pitch, or promise the moon. He didn’t promise a starting spot, or SEC dominance, or national titles, or NFL riches — none of that. Truthfully, Coach didn’t promise me a thing. But what he did do was sit across from me … and answer every single one of my questions … and treat me like an adult.”

**Udog** · 03-02-2017, 07:31 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, March 2

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GOLDEN STATE (50 - 10) at CHICAGO (30 - 30) - 3/2/2017, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 78-107 ATS (-39.7 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1996.
CHICAGO is 21-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) in home games after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 143-117 ATS (+14.3 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 133-108 ATS (+14.2 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 36-19 ATS (+15.1 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 122-166 ATS (-60.6 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1996.

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

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CHARLOTTE (26 - 34) at PHOENIX (18 - 42) - 3/2/2017, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHARLOTTE is 161-201 ATS (-60.1 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
CHARLOTTE is 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
PHOENIX is 14-6 ATS (+7.4 Units) in non-conference games this season.
PHOENIX is 147-107 ATS (+29.3 Units) after allowing 115 points or more since 1996.
PHOENIX is 21-6 ATS (+14.4 Units) after allowing 130 points or more since 1996.
PHOENIX is 34-20 ATS (+12.0 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

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

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OKLAHOMA CITY (35 - 25) at PORTLAND (24 - 35) - 3/2/2017, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 49-68 ATS (-25.8 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 5-18 ATS (-14.8 Units) in a road game where the total is greater than or equal to 220 since 1996.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 34-25 ATS (+6.5 Units) in all games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) after a division game this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 33-17 ATS (+14.3 Units) in road games after playing 3 consecutive home games since 1996.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 20-8 ATS (+11.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
PORTLAND is 23-36 ATS (-16.6 Units) in all games this season.
PORTLAND is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in the second half of the season this season.
PORTLAND is 7-15 ATS (-9.5 Units) after a non-conference game this season.

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

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, March 2

Warriors won their last three games with Chicago; they won by 10-31 points in last two visits to the Windy City. Six of last nine series games went over total. Golden State won seven of its last nine games, is 4-6 vs spread in last ten road games. Four of their last five games stayed under the total. Bulls won four of last five games, both overall and at home (4-1 vs spread). Over is 6-4 in their last ten home games.

Suns won seven of last nine games with Charlotte; Hornets lost four of last five visits to desert, with losses by 9-10-17-6 points (2-3 vs spread). Last three series games went over. Charlotte lost 13 of last 16 games; they covered five of last six road games. Six of their last eight games stayed under total. Phoenix lost five of its last six games; they’re 2-6 vs spread in their last eight home games. Three of their last four games went over.

Home side won last eight Oklahoma City-Portland games; Thunder lost last four visits here, by 3-5-5-19 points (2-2 vs spread, over 3-1). Oklahoma City won/covered its last four games, all at home; they’re 3-7 in last ten road games, 1-3 vs spread in last three. Six of their last seven games went over. Blazers lost seven of last nine games; they’re 0-3 against the spread in last four home games.

NBA

Thursday, March 2

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
GOLDEN STATE vs. CHICAGO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Golden State's last 5 games
Golden State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chicago's last 9 games when playing Golden State

9:00 PM
CHARLOTTE vs. PHOENIX
Charlotte is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Charlotte's last 13 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Phoenix's last 13 games when playing Charlotte
Phoenix is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Charlotte

10:30 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. PORTLAND
Oklahoma City is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Portland
Oklahoma City is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Portland is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Oklahoma City
Portland is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games

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**Udog** · 03-02-2017, 12:48 PM

NBA
Dunkel

Thursday, March 2

Oklahoma City @ Portland

Game 705-706
March 2, 2017 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oklahoma City
120.751
Portland
115.714
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Oklahoma City
by 5
212
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Portland
by 1
220
Dunkel Pick:
Oklahoma City
(+1); Over

Charlotte @ Phoenix

Game 703-704
March 2, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Charlotte
125.351
Phoenix
113.193
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Charlotte
by 12
225
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Charlotte
by 3
218
Dunkel Pick:
Charlotte
(-3); Over

Golden State @ Chicago

Game 701-702
March 2, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Golden State
128.848
Chicago
125.694
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 3
224
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 7 1/2
219 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(+7 1/2); Over

NBA
Short Sheet

Thursday, March 2

Golden State at Chicago, 8:00 PM ET
Golden St: 36-19 ATS after a non-conference game
Chicago: 16-33 ATS after having won 2 of their last 3

Charlotte at Phoenix, 9:05 PM ET
Charlotte: 4-13 ATS when the total is 210 to 219.5
Phoenix: 25-12 ATS after a blowout loss by 15 points or more

Oklahoma City at Portland, 10:30 PM ET
Oklahoma City: 8-1 ATS after a division game
Portland: 11-21 ATS after one or more consecutive overs

**Udog** · 03-02-2017, 01:18 PM

NBA

Thursday, March 2

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Thursday’s NBA Game of the Day: Warriors at Bulls
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The Warriors will be without Durant, who was diagnosed with a bone bruise and an MCL sprain in his right leg, for at least the next four weeks, beginning with a visit to the Chicago on Thursday.

Golden State Warriors at Chicago Bulls (+7.5, 219.5)

The Golden State Warriors escaped the worst of the possible outcomes from Kevin Durant's knee injury on Tuesday night, but they will still be without one of their superstars for an extended period. The Warriors will be without Durant, who was diagnosed with a bone bruise and an MCL sprain in his right leg, for at least the next four weeks, beginning with a visit to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.

Durant went down two minutes into Tuesday's 112-108 loss at Washington when center Zaza Pachulia was shoved to the ground and fell back into Durant's leg, bending the knee awkwardly and leading to great concern among the Golden State staff and players. The worst fears were pushed aside when the MRI results were released on Wednesday, and the All-Star forward will be evaluated in four weeks and could return before the end of the regular season. “Is it good news to miss one of your players with an injury like this? No, that’s not good news," Warriors general manager Bob Myers told reporters on a conference call. "But I guess it could be worse, I suppose." Chicago fans can sympathize with Warriors fans after watching a young Derrick Rose win an MVP award and spend the next few seasons dealing with a series of knee injuries that torpedoed the team's chances.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: The Warriors opened as seven-point road favorites but early Thursday morning that line was bumped up to 7.5. The total hit the board at 219 and has been bet up to 219.5. Check out the complete line history here.

INJURY REPORT:

Warriors - SF Kevin Durant (Mid-April, knee)

Bulls - SF Paul Zipser (Questionable, ankle), PG Michael Carter-Williams (Questionable, knee)

POWER RANKINGS: Warriors (-15.6) - Bulls (-2) + home court (-3) = Warriors -10.6

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (50-10 SU, 27-31-2 ATS, 26-34 O/U): Golden State is expected to bring in veteran forward Matt Barnes to fill Durant's roster spot as the team navigates a rough portion of the schedule that includes five of six on the road to begin March. "I'm definitely relieved," All-Star forward Draymond Green told ESPN of Durant's injury. "I thought it would be way worse. Being away weeks sucks, but we will take that over what was initially thought." An uptick in production from Stephen Curry could help ease the transition to life without Durant for the time being, as the reigning two-time MVP is just 2-of-20 from 3-point range over the last two games.

ABOUT THE BULLS (30-30 SU, 30-30 ATS, 24-35-1 O/U): Chicago had a four-game winning streak come to an end when it allowed a season high in points and watched star swingman Jimmy Butler go cold in a 125-107 home loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. Butler managed eight points on 3-of-13 shooting and is shooting 33.9 percent from the floor in three games since the All-Star break. "I don't know what it was," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters of Butler's shooting woes on Tuesday. "We just couldn't get him into the flow, into the rhythm. We ran a lot of actions for Jimmy that normally he converts on. Jimmy, he's going to be fine. He'll bounce back. We'll have a good practice (Wednesday) and hopefully play great on Thursday."

TRENDS:

* Warriors are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
* Bulls are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Under is 5-0 in Warriors last 5 games following a ATS loss.
* Under is 4-1 in Bulls last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

CONSENSUS: 61 percent of users are siding with the road favorite Warriors and Under is picking up 65 percent of the totals wagers.

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Announcement

Thursday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 3/2

Thursday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 3/2

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