Announcement

**Udog** · 04-26-2017, 07:31 AM

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Big East basketball has been re-configured for four years now; here are cumulative standings:

Villanova 63-9 conference play: 9-3 in NCAA’s
Xavier 42-30, 6-4
Providence 41-31, 1-4
Butler 38-34, 4-3
Creighton 37-35, 1-2
Seton Hall 34-38, 0-2
Georgetown 32-40, 1-1
Marquette 31-41, 0-1
St John’s 28-44, 0-2
DePaul 14-58, 0-0

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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings……..

13) “There are no coincidences.” Friend of mine used to say that a lot.

So when Saints @ Vikings shows up as a Week 1 Monday Night Football game, and then five days later, former Viking Adrian Peterson signs a two-year, $7M contract with the Saints, you have to think the league knew about it in advance and had them delay the announcement until after the schedule was released.

12) Tuesday was a rainy night in the northeast; games in Boston, NYC, Philly were all rained out, which screws up fantasy league owners who had two-start (Tues/Sun) pitchers this week, but now will only make one start.

11) Detroit 19, Seattle 9— I wish it rained in Detroit, seeing as how Felix Hernandez is on my fantasy team; he got shelled in two lousy innings of work. Mariners are now 2-10 on the road. Detroit had 19 hits, just in the first five innings.

10) St Bonaventure is 35-19 in conference play the last three basketball seasons; look at a map and find Olean, NY- it is in the middle of freakin’ nowhere, on the Southern Tier of New York. There aren’t any big-time basketball high schools anywhere near Olean.

How has no big money college not hired Bonnies’ coach Mark Schmidt to run their program? This guy is a very good coach who should be working on a bigger stage.

9) Dodgers 2, Giants 1: Dodgers are 5-17 in their last 22 games in San Francisco, losing last six of last seven games there.

Dodgers called up top outfield prospect Cody Bellinger, who is expected to play almost every day while Joc Pederson (groin strain) is on the DL.

8) PGA Tour event in New Orleans this week is a team event; two-man teams, first time there has been one on the PGA Tour since 1981.

7) Los Angeles Angels traded for Atlanta minor league pitcher David Hernandez, who was immediately added to the Halos’ big league roster. Hernandez was at a Faith Hill/Tim McGraw concert when he was notified of the trade.

6) Astros star Jose Altuve left Tuesday’s game in Cleveland in the 8th inning with what looked like a sore jaw after he collided with RF Teoscar Hernandez, who looked like he had a much more severe injury to his left leg.

5) Kansas has three hoop transfers who will be sitting out next year, then will be eligible to play in 2018-19; the Lawson brothers from Memphis and PG Charlie Moore from Cal. That reduces their eligible scholarship players for next year to 10 at the most- their bench could be thin.

4) When TNT replays NBA playoff games in the middle of the night, they replay the whole game, even the halftime shows. ESPN cuts a decent amount of their NBA game replays: “Due to time constraints we move ahead to further action”. Not sure why they do that.

3) ESPN was supposed to show Tigers-Indians this coming Monday night, but after the Red Sox threw at Manny Machado Sunday, they dropped that game and added Orioles-Red Sox to their Monday night programming.

2) 182 underclassmen (137 college, 45 foreign) have declared for the NBA Draft, in which only 60 players are drafted. Lot of the kids do not have agents and can go back to school, but there will also be several players heading to the D-League or Europe, having gotten poor advice.

You can make good money playing in Europe, but it ain’t the NBA.

1— I’ve whined a decent amount this year about NBA players needing “maintenance days” to rest up, either mentally/physically, from the grind of a long season.

Then there is the NHL; it came out after they lost to Edmonton in the playoffs that San Jose Sharks’ Joe Thornton played four games, with a torn ACL and MCL.

Let me repeat that: he played four hockey games WITH AN ALMOST TOTALLY SHREDDED KNEE!!! No maintenance days in pro hockey. Just really tough guys.

**Udog** · 04-26-2017, 08:40 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, April 26

Chicago @ Boston

Game 711-712
April 26, 2017 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
116.388
Boston
128.458
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 12
208
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
by 7 1/2
202
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-7 1/2); Over

Atlanta @ Washington

Game 709-710
April 26, 2017 @ 6:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
120.147
Washington
118.919
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Atlanta
by 1
207
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 6
213
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(+6); Under

NBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, April 26

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ATLANTA (45 - 41) at WASHINGTON (51 - 35) - 4/26/2017, 6:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 17-39 ATS (-25.9 Units) in road games in all playoff games since 1996.
ATLANTA is 11-26 ATS (-17.6 Units) in road games in the first round of the playoffs since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
ATLANTA is 80-58 ATS (+16.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 12-9 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 12-10 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
13 of 22 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CHICAGO (43 - 43) at BOSTON (55 - 31) - 4/26/2017, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 28-19 ATS (+7.1 Units) as an underdog this season.
BOSTON is 17-26 ATS (-11.6 Units) in home games this season.
BOSTON is 9-20 ATS (-13.0 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 8-7 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 8-7 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

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NBA
Short Sheet

Wednesday, April 26

Eastern Conference – Round 1 – Best of 7 – Game 5 – Series Tied At 2-2

Atlanta at Washington, 6:00 PM ET
Atlanta: 22-10 UNDER when the total is 210 to 219.5
Washington: 32-16 ATS revenging a same season loss vs opponent

Eastern Conference – Round 1 – Best of 7 – Game 5 – Series Tied At 2-2

Chicago at Boston, 8:30 PM ET
Chicago: 11-3 ATS as a road underdog of 6.5 to 12
Boston: 27-15 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive unders

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, April 26

Home side won eight of last nine Wizard-Hawk games, including all four in this series (favorites 4-0 vs spread); Wizards won Games 1-2 here, by 7-8 points; they were +7 in turnovers in both of those games, then were -4/-2 in turnovers in pair of losses in Atlanta. Hawks have 134-93 edge in FT’s tried in this series. Atlanta lost its last five games in this building (1-4 vs spread), losing by 11-3-4-7-8 points (under 4-1). Hawks lost four of last five games overall (1-4 vs spread). Wizards won/covered three of their last four home games.

Road team won all four Chicago-Boston games; Rondo is expected to try and play in this game with a broken thumb. Bulls shot 39.3%/42.1% in losing couple home games without Rondo; they were 11-45 on arc in those games, after being 18-50 in Games 1-2. Six of last eight series games stayed under total. Chicago won/covered four of its last six road tilts; under is 7-2 in their last nine games. Celtics have taken 30+ 3’s in all four series games; they’re 51-140 on arc in series. Boston is now 4-10 in playoffs under Stevens.

First round playoff series:
Boson 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

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

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: 16-19–1 vs spread
Over: 20-16

NBA

Wednesday, April 26

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Trend Report
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6:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. WASHINGTON
Atlanta is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Atlanta is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home

8:30 PM
CHICAGO vs. BOSTON
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chicago's last 9 games
Chicago is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 8 games when playing Chicago
Boston is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games at home

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**Udog** · 04-26-2017, 08:44 AM

NBA

Wednesday, April 26

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Wednesday’s NBA Playoffs Betting Preview and Odds
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Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards (-5.5, 212.5)

Series tied 2-2

ABOUT THE HAWKS (45-41 SU, 41-45 ATS, 34-49-3 O/U): Washington controlled the first two games at home but it was a different story in Atlanta, with the Hawks emerging as the more aggressive team and rolling to a pair of wins by an average of 14 points. Atlanta's strength on the interior in Game 4 came from center Dwight Howard, who failed to score more than seven points in any of the first three games before exploding for 16 points and 15 rebounds in Game 4. "Obviously, it was his best game," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters of Howard. "We needed that extra boost. He certainly brought it. I thought is defense, his activity on the boards, his second- and third-efforts getting rebounds. We need more of that every night, every possession. When he’s like that, I think it can help carry his teammates and move us forward." Howard was one of seven Atlanta players to score in double figures in Game 4.

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (51-35 SU, 44-41-1 ATS, 53-32-1 O/U): The Wizards will try to hang onto homecourt advantage and take the series lead when they host the Hawks in Game 5 on Wednesday. The Wizards are searching for answers after getting beaten on the interior and relying too heavily on guards John Wall and Bradley Beal for offense. Washington was outscored in the paint by a combined 104-64 in Games 3 and 4, and interior defense will be a focus moving forward. "They got too many layups, too many easy points around the paint," Brooks told reporters after Game 4. "Howard did, definitely ... hopefully we can counter that with some good positioning so he doesn’t get the lobs and the easy points around the paint. And if so we can wrap him up, put him on the free-throw line. But other than that, we have to keep them out of the paint as much as we can." Wizards center Marcin Gortat grabbed 18 rebounds in Game 4 but managed just two points.

LINE HISTORY: The Wizards opened as 5.5-point home favorites and as of Tuesday night that point spread hasn't budged. The total opened at 212 and jumped slightly to 212.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Hawks - No injuries to report.

Wizards - C I. Mahinmi (Out Indefinitely, calf).

TRENDS:

* Hawks are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up win.
* Wizards are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Under is 7-1-1 in Hawks last 9 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Over is 8-2 in Wizards last 10 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
* Home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.

Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics (-8, 202)

Series tied 2-2

ABOUT THE BULLS (43-43 SU, 44-42-0 ATS, 34-51-1 O/U): After shooting 46.7 percent and averaging 25 assists in two wins at Boston, Chicago dipped to 40.1 percent with 16.5 assists in the two games without Rondo at home. While the team waits on a possible Rondo return, Isaiah Canaan will be thrust into the starting lineup for Game 5 after emerging to score 13 points in 34 minutes of Sunday's loss. "It really tests your mental part of basketball," Canaan told reporters when asked about being inactive for the first three games and watching many regular-season games from the sideline. "Our job is to play, whenever it may be. It may be the first 10 games of the season. It may be the last 10 games. Everybody on this team wants to play, and you can only have five out there. So whenever your name is called, you've got to be ready to go, no matter when it is." Jimmy Butler scored a team-high 33 points with nine assists and one turnover in Game 4, attempting 23 free throws one game after failing to get to the line.

ABOUT THE CELTICS (55-31 SU, 42-42-2 ATS, 41-41-4 O/U): All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas, whose playoff experience has been dominated by the grief of losing his sister in a car accident prior to the series, had his best game of the set with 33 points in a 104-95 win in a Game 4 equalizer on Sunday. Coach Brad Stevens' decision to go small - including the insertion of Gerald Green into the starting lineup - has transformed the series. Green scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting to go along with seven rebounds in Game 4 while regular starter Amir Johnson did not see a single minute of action. Aside from Green, the Celtics were 6-for-28 from long range and Thomas has made just 4-of-21 over his last three games, although he carved up the Bulls with dribble penetration and a string of tough layups in Game 4.

LINE HISTORY: The Celtics hit the betting board as 7.5-point home favorites for this crucial Game 5 and by Tuesday evening that number was bet up to -8. The total opened at 202 and has yet to move.

INJURY REPORT:

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

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

TRENDS:

* Bulls are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games.
* Celtics are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 home games.
* Over is 7-0 in Bulls last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Under is 4-1 in Celtics last 5 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Road team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.

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Announcement

Wednesday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 4/26

Wednesday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 4/26

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