Announcement

**Udog** · 04-22-2017, 07:28 AM

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

— Thunder 115, Rockets 113— Four of five Thunder starters scored in double figures.

— Clippers 111, Jazz 106— Chris Paul had 34 points, 10 assists. LA leads series, 2-1.

— Bruins 3, Ottawa 2, 2OT— Boston staves off elimination with a goal 30:19 into overtime.

— Capitals 2, Maple Leafs 1, OT— Four of five series games have gone to OT.

— Arizona 13, Dodgers 5— Diamondbacks scored nine runs in bottom of the 8th.

— Blue Jays 8, Angels 7 (13)— Game ended at 3:46am here in New York.

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Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Random thoughts with weekend here……..

13) Madison Bumgarner is on the DL with rib/shoulder injuries he got in a dirt-bike accident on an off-day in Denver. Rough news for the Giants.

12) Giants were already 0-4 in Bumgarner’s starts (0-3, 3.00) this season- they scored a total of five runs in the four games.

11) Eric Thames hit 21 homers in 684 plate appearances for Toronto/Seattle in 2011-12, then his career tailed off- he wound up playing three years in Korea. Now he is back in the majors with the Brewers, and he is batting .415 with 8 homers in 62 PA’s, making him an early candidate for Comeback Player of the Century.

10) Cincinnati Reds have to be thrilled with rookie pitcher Amir Garrett, who at one time was a basketball player at St John’s. In his first three big league starts, Garrett is 2-1, 1.83, with 21 strikeouts and only 14 hits allowed in 19.2 IP.

9) Thursday nite, the Pacers led Cleveland 74-49 at halftime; a daring gambler at Ellis Island Casino in Las Vegas wagered $55 at 25-1 odds on the Cavaliers to win this game. He cashed in for $1,375. Not a bad hour’s work.

8) Russell Westbrook was 4-18 in the 4th quarter of Game 2 in Houston; he was 13-25 in first three quarters. Thunder are hard to watch- they have no real second scoring option.

7) Bulls PG Rajon Rondo has a broken thumb, is out indefinitely for the Bulls, who lead Boston 2-0 in their first round series.

6) When you see a baseball game where there are no walks and 26 strikeouts, you assume that:

Randy Johnson and Dwight Golden were pitching
There was a pitchers’ umpire behind the plate.Since the starting pitchers were Patrick Corbin/Clayton Richard, we can safely assume that umpire Gerry Davis is a pitchers’ umpire.

5) NBA referee Danny Crawford has worked 293 playoff games in his career, 33 Finals games.

4) NFL centralized instant replay this season, under assumption that Dean Blandino would lead the effort in New York City to make the replay process more streamlined.

Then Blandino bolted the NFL for a TV job with a yet-to be-named network, leaving the NFL without a logical replacement for him. Mike Pereira would be ideal, but he already has a good job.

3) I wanted to watch a TV show on the IFC channel this week, then I realized I had never seen a show on this channel and had no idea what channel it was on DirecTV (it is 333). You learn something new every day.

2a) Mike D’Antoni was 279-161 as coach of the Phoenix Suns; since he left, the Suns are 332-390 in regular season games.

2b) Oakland A’s were 256-176 while they had Yoenis Cespedes on their roster; since they traded him on July 31, 2014, they are 165-229.

Sometimes you’re better off keeping things the way they are. Not all change is positive.

1— Hope it doesn’t rain in LA in early September; Rams play Colts/Redskins at home on Sept 10th/17th, day after USC plays Stanford/Texas on the 9th/16th. Field will take a beating.

If it were to rain during that time, you’ll get a quagmire like the 1977 playoff game in the Coliseum when the Rams lost 14-7 to a very inferior Minnesota team. It was so muddy it was hard to tell which players were on which team.

Why did I remind myself of that?

**Udog** · 04-22-2017, 07:52 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, April 22

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TORONTO (52 - 33) at MILWAUKEE (44 - 41) - 4/22/2017, 3:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 8-6 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 10-4 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
10 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WASHINGTON (51 - 33) at ATLANTA (43 - 41) - 4/22/2017, 5:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 78-58 ATS (+14.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 19-7 ATS (+11.3 Units) in April games over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 20-32 ATS (-15.2 Units) as a favorite this season.
ATLANTA is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
ATLANTA is 44-66 ATS (-28.6 Units) in all playoff games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 10-9 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 10-10 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
12 of 20 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SAN ANTONIO (63 - 22) at MEMPHIS (44 - 41) - 4/22/2017, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 10-9 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 14-5 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
11 of 19 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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GOLDEN STATE (69 - 15) at PORTLAND (41 - 43) - 4/22/2017, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) in road games on Saturday games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 15-25 ATS (-12.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 20-34 ATS (-17.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
PORTLAND is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) on Saturday games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 99-85 ATS (+5.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 144-117 ATS (+15.3 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 125-91 ATS (+24.9 Units) in April games since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 22-8 ATS (+13.2 Units) in the first round of the playoffs since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 17-6 ATS (+10.4 Units) after allowing 85 points or less over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 31-16 ATS (+13.4 Units) after allowing 90 points or less over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 88-64 ATS (+17.6 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 31-19 ATS (+10.1 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 52-27 ATS (+22.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 12-6 against the spread versus PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 16-2 straight up against PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
13 of 18 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Short Sheet

Saturday, April 22

Eastern Conference – Round 1 – Best of 7 – Game 4 – MIL Leads 2-1

Toronto at Milwaukee, 3:00 PM ET
Toronto: 25-12 ATS after failing to cover 3 of their last 4 against the spread
Milwaukee: 44-30 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive wins

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

Washington at Atlanta, 5:30 PM ET
Washington: 20-11 ATS off a home win
Atlanta: 14-4 UNDER vs. division opponents

Western Conference – Round 1 – Best of 7 – Game 4 – SAS Leads 2-1

San Antonio at Memphis, 8:00 PM ET
San Antonio: 67-41 ATS off an upset loss by 10 points or more as a favorite
Memphis: 11-3 UNDER in home games after one or more consecutive overs

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

Golden State at Portland, 10:30 PM ET
Golden State: 22-8 ATS in the first round of the playoffs
Portland: 66-44 UNDER in home games after 3 or more consecutive losses

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, April 22

Bucks were 23-46 on arc in last two games; they led Game 3 57-30 at the half. DeRozan was 0-8 from floor in Game 3, after going 16-39 in first two series tilts. Raptors scored 106 points in their one series win, 83-77 in losses, shooting 36%/33.8% from floor. Toronto is 3-2 in last five visits here; favorites covered all five of those games. Under is 6-1-1 in Bucks’ last eight games, 7-5 in Toronto’s last 12. Milwaukee is 0-6 in playoff series the last 15 years- their last first round series win was in 2001; they had lost seven of previous eight games with Toronto before this series.

Atlanta lost first two series games by 7-8 points, despite taking 77 foul shots in those games (Wizards took 50). Hawks were -7 in turnovers both games- they’ve lost five games in a row vs Washington- teams split last four meetings played here. Under is 4-1 in last five series games. Wizards lost four of their last six road tilts; four of their last six games overall stayed under total. Atlanta won last four home games, covered last three; under is 5-2 in their last seven home tilts. Three of their last four games overall stayed under total.

Memphis had three players score 21+ points in Game 3 win; they shot 50.6% from floor, after shooting under 40% in Games 1-2. Home side won last seven series games; San Antonio lost last three visits here, by 15-8-11 points. Under is 7-4 in last 11 series games. Spurs had 28-20 edge in FT’s tried in Game 3, way down from 32-15 in Game 2. Over is 4-1 in Spurs’ last five games; they lost last three road games, by 1-4-11 points. Memphis bench was +9 in Game 3, after being -98 in first two series games. Memphis has still lost 11 of its last 15 games.

Warriors swept Portland this season, winning six games by 23-45-8–2-12-29 points; they won last three visits here, by 7-23-2 points. Golden State won Game 2 by 29 and Durant didn’t even play. Golden State won 17 of its last 18 games overall, are 11-4-2 vs spread in last 17 games- over is 6-4 in their last ten. Portland won nine of its last 14 games, eight of last nine at home; three of their last four games went over. Golden State won NBA title in 2015, lost Finals LY, added Durant last summer. Since 2001, Portland is 2-7 in first round series, with wins coming in last three years (2-1).

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

Cleveland-Indiana
Clev 109-108, -9, O208.5
Clev 117-111, -9, O210
Clev 119-114, –1.5, O210

Toronto-Milwaukee
Mil 97-83, +7.5, U197.5
Tor 106-100, -8, O195
Mil 104-77, –2, U197

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
Mem 105-94, +3.5, O188

Houston-Oklahoma City
Hst 118-87 -7.5, U227.5
Hst 115-111, -7.5, O225.5
OC 115-113, -2.5, O224

LA Clippers-Utah
Utah 97-95, +6, U198.5
LAC 99-91, -9, U200
LAC 111-106, -1.5, O197.5

Favorites: 10-12 vs spread
Over: 13-9

NBA

Saturday, April 22

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Trend Report
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3:00 PM
TORONTO vs. MILWAUKEE
Toronto is 14-4 SU in its last 18 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Toronto's last 9 games on the road
Milwaukee is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Milwaukee's last 8 games

5:30 PM
WASHINGTON vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Atlanta's last 17 games
Atlanta is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games at home

8:00 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. MEMPHIS
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of San Antonio's last 12 games when playing Memphis
San Antonio is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Memphis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Memphis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games

10:30 PM
GOLDEN STATE vs. PORTLAND
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Golden State's last 7 games when playing on the road against Portland
Golden State is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Portland
Portland is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games when playing Golden State
Portland is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Golden State

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**Udog** · 04-22-2017, 07:55 AM

NBA

Saturday, April 22

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Saturday’s NBA Playoffs Betting Preview and Odds
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Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks (-2, 194.5)

Bucks lead series 2-1

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (52-33 SU, 45-39-1 ATS, 45-40 O/U): Toronto was ice cold from the outset while shooting 33.8 percent from the field in the embarrassing effort, but All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry insisted the club can recover. "I still think we can win the series," Lowry said after Game 3. "It's a terrible feeling, the way we got our (rear) beat. Our confidence is not changed. We'll be fine." Casey promised there would be changes for Game 4 after his club - which played 20 postseason games last season - looked like novices against the Bucks.

ABOUT THE BUCKS (44-41 AU, 39-46 ATS, 42-41-2 O/U): Shooting guard Khris Middleton scored 20 points in consecutive games as he provides complementary scoring help for All-Star small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. The "Greek Freak" was 7-of-10 shooting while contributing 19 points and eight rebounds and is averaging 23.7 points and 10.3 rebounds. Antetokounmpo's play energizes a Milwaukee club that somehow got better after losing standout power forward Jabari Parker to a season-ending knee injury and saw its confidence grow with a 14-point road victory in Game 1.

LINE HISTORY: The Bucks opened as 1.5-point home chalk and bettors have moved the line to Milwaukee -2. The total hit the betting board at 194.5 and has been bet up a full point to 195.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Raptors - No injuries to report.

Bucks - PF Jabari Parker (Out for season, knee)

TRENDS:

* Bucks are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 vs. NBA Atlantic.
* Under is 13-3 in Raptors last 16 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Under is 7-1-1 in Bucks last 9 vs. NBA Atlantic.
* Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Milwaukee.
* Raptors are 0-4 ATS in the last 4 meetings.

Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks (-3, 209.5)

Wizards lead series 2-0

ABOUT THE WIZARDS: (51-33 SU, 44-39-1 ATS, 52-32 O/U): John Wall finally got some help from backcourt mate Bradley Beal in the fourth quarter on Wednesday, when he scored 16 of his 31 points. The 23-year-old struggled to 2-of-11 from 3-point range in Game 1 and had trouble finding his outside shot early in Game 2 before exploding late. “Something I always tell myself, I don’t know what a miss is," Beal told reporters. "Like, it’s over. A miss is a lady. You just forget about it and you just move on to the next shot. That’s my way of helping me forget about my last shot, so I just stick with that and just keep it moving."

ABOUT THE HAWKS (43-41 SU, 39-45-0 ATS, 33-49-2 O/U): Atlanta is consoling itself with the fact that it kept each of the first two games close and believes the breaks will go its way at home. "We had a chance in both games," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters. "We gave ourselves a chance on the road in the playoffs. Nobody likes the result. Nobody feels any better but the fact that you are there and you have an opportunity, you have to keep building on it. ... Now we have to go home and do the same." Budenholzer made the decision in Game 2 to leave starting center Dwight Howard on the bench for the entire fourth quarter, choosing instead to use a big man with a better chance of stretching the floor in Mike Muscala.

LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened the Hawks as 2.5-point home favorites for Game 3 and set the total at 209.5, as of Friday afternoon neither has moved off the opening number.

INJURY REPORT:

Wizards - C Ian Mahinmi (Out indefinitely, calf)

Hawks - No injuries to report

TRENDS:

* Wizards are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Hawks are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
* Under is 4-1 in Wizards last 5 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Under is 4-1 in Hawks last 5 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Wizards are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies (+4, 189.5)

Spurs lead series 2-1

ABOUT THE SPURS (63-22 SU, 43-40-2 ATS, 45-38-2 O/U): San Antonio was only down four points at the half before a pair of turnovers and a bad defensive possession prompted Popovich to pull his starters, leading to a third quarter in which the Spurs were outscored 31-17. "Pop got upset with the guys starting the quarter, sat them, and the whole momentum changed," reserve guard Manu Ginobili told reporters. "In playoff games, especially on the road, a two-minute mental "something" can become a 10-point deficit. That's what happened. We were in good shape at the half. Not playing well, not shooting great, down four on the road, and it was a good situation. It was OK for us. We had that moment there in which the whole game changed." None of San Antonio's starters ended up playing more than 30 minutes in the loss.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (43-42 SU, 42-43-0 ATS, 40-42-3 O/U): Fizdale made one lineup change for Game 3, inserting veteran forward Zach Randolph into the starting lineup to add a stronger interior presence. Randolph responded by scoring 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds as each of Memphis' big three - Randolph, point guard Mike Conley and center Marc Gasol - scored at least 21 points. "It felt good out there to start and get a rhythm and get in a rhythm out there faster," Randolph told reporters. "It felt good out there."

LINE HISTORY: The Grizzlies opened as 4-point home dogs against their divisional rival Spurs and that number has held firm. The total hit the betting board at 190 and has been faded a full-point to 189.

INJURY REPORT:

Spurs - No injuries to report.

Grizzlies - SG Tony Allen (Out indefinitely, calf), SF Chandler Parsons (Out for season, knee)

TRENDS:

* Spurs are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up loss.
* Grizzlies are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
* Over is 4-0 in Spurs last 4 games following a straight up loss.
* Over is 4-1 in Grizzlies last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Spurs are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Memphis.

Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers (+6, 217)

Warriors lead series 2-0

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (69-15 SU, 41-40-3 ATS, 33-51-0 O/U): Kevin Durant said he would have been able to go in Game 2 but the team decided to take the cautious approach and could elect to do the same on Saturday, though Durant wants to be in the lineup. "I can tell you, I've seen these injuries before," Kerr told reporters prior to Game 2 "You don't want the next step. You pull a calf, that's a pretty serious deal. He's bummed out -- he wants to play, for sure -- but he knows that we've got to do the wise thing, we've got to do the smart thing long term. It just doesn't make sense. He understands that." Durant would get a full seven days off if Golden State elects to hold him out of Game 3.

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (41-43 SU, 41-43 ATS, 45-38-1 O/U): Portland's star backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 75 points in Game 1 but was held to 23 on 9-of-34 shooting in Game 2. "It's a series and points don't carry over, so you can't get too emotional or too low about the kind of game we had tonight," Lillard told reporters after Wednesday's setback. The Trail Blazers could also use some defensive presence on the interior after allowing Golden State's center duo of Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee to go 12-of-15 from the field.

 LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened Blazers as 6-point home underdogs against the Warriors, but some early action on the home team brought that number down to 5.5. The total hit the betting board as 217 and has yet to move off the opening number.

INJURY REPORT:

Warriors - SF Matt Barnes (Questionable, ankle), SF Kevon Looney (Questionable, hip), SF Kevin Durant (Questionable, calf), PG Shaun Livingston (Questionable, finger)

Trail Blazers - C Jusuf Nurkic (Questionable, leg), C Festus Ezeli (Out for season, knee), PF Ed Davis (Out for season, shoulder)

TRENDS:

* Warriors are 13-3-1 ATS in their last 17 games overall.
* Trail Blazers are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 home games.
* Under is 4-1 in Warriors last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Under is 8-2 in Trail Blazers last 10 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

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**Udog** · 04-22-2017, 09:55 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Saturday, April 22

Golden State @ Portland

Game 507-508
April 22, 2017 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Golden State
131.057
Portland
122.530
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 8 1/2
224
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 5 1/2
216 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(-5 1/2); Over

San Antonio @ Memphis

Game 505-506
April 22, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
122.502
Memphis
115.107
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 7 1/2
183
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 3 1/2
188 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(-3 1/2); Under

Washington @ Atlanta

Game 503-504
April 22, 2017 @ 5:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
120.407
Atlanta
119.659
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 1
214
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Atlanta
by 3
209 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(+3); Over

Toronto @ Milwaukee

Game 501-502
April 22, 2017 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
120.166
Milwaukee
119.203
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 1
190
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Milwaukee
by 2 1/2
195 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+2 1/2); Under

Announcement

Saturday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 4/22

Saturday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 4/22

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