Announcement

**Udog** · 06-23-2017, 07:17 AM

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

— Mets put P Zach Wheeler (biceps tendinitis) on the DL.

— Red Sox put 3B Pablo Sandoval on DL (inner ear infection)

— Angels put closer Bud Norris (knee) on the DL

— A’s DFA’d Stephen Vogt, put Matt Chapman (knee infection) on the DL

— Cubs sent Kyle Schwarber to AAA Iowa, put Jason Heyward (hand) on the DL

— Pirates put Francisco Cervelli (concussion) on the DL.

**********

Armadillo:Friday's Den: Random stuff, mostly about basketball……

With the NBA Draft going on, here are some basketball-related thoughts……..

— My friend Joe Gill pointed this out to me yesterday— how much the NBA has changed.

The 3-point shot came into the NBA in the 1979-80 season, Magic/Bird’s rookie season. Here are the Lakers’ TEAM TOTALS FOR THE SEASON on 3-point shooting in their first six years the 3-point shot was in the NBA:

1979-80: 20-100, 20%
1980-81: 17-94, 18.1%
1981-82: 13-94, 13.8%
1982-83: 10-96, 10.4%
1983-84: 58-226, 25.7%
1984-85: 90-295, 30.5%

This past season, 2016-17, Lakers were 730-2110 (34.0%) on 3-pointers for the season; Golden State was 982-2563 (38.3%).

The game has changed in 37 years. A lot.

— Magic Johnson’s first six years in the NBA, he was 29-164 (17.7%) behind the arc; in his last seven NBA seasons, he improved to 32.5% on 3-pointers.

— Wednesday, CBS SportsNet ran an hour special on the draft; their four experts all picked who they thought the best player in the draft was- they gave four different answers, which sums this draft up well. There is no one player who is head and shoulders above the rest.

— 76ers have sold out over 14,000 season tickets for next year, a franchise record; their corps of talented young players have to prove they have the durability to play an 82-game season.

— Chicago Bulls traded Jimmy Butler to Minnesota for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the 7th pick, who wound up being Lauri Markkanen from Arizona.

— Little odd that the last two #1 picks in the draft (Fultz, Ben Simmons) had a combined record of 29-36 in their one season of college basketball and both coaches got fired within a year of coaching that player.

— Four quick non-basketball notes:
a) Weird Al Yankovic is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
b) Jose Abreu is the first major leaguer since 1966 whose first 13 home runs have all been on the road.
c) I graduated high school 40 years ago tonight.
d) I just realized a Saskatchewan-Montreal CFL game is on ESPNews.

— First seven picks in the draft were all college freshmen; Knicks broke the trend by taking Frank Ntilikina, an 18-year old point guard from Europe— he is 6-5.

— Jay Bilas’ comment on NC State’s Dennis Smith, #9 pick by the Mavericks: “He is not always a focused defender.” A nice way of saying, “He sucks on defense.”

— Sacramento traded the #10 pick to Portland for picks #15 and #20; Gonzaga’s Zach Collins was the #10 pick.

— December of 2013, just 3.5 years ago, I sat in the gym at Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas with my friend Mike and we watched some high school basketball. Bishop Gorman’s 3rd-string center was a 10th grader who played pretty well when he got into the game- that was Zach Collins.

Last night, Collins was the 10th pick in the NBA Draft, by Portland. Not bad for a kid who was a 3rd-string center on his high school team three years ago, behind Stephen Zimmerman and Chase Jeter. Zimmerman is in the D-League with Orlando, Jeter just transferred from Duke to Arizona. Collins has a shot to be the best of the three.

— NBA commissioner Adam Silver is a tall, bald man who wears glasses, which obviously makes him very handsome— ha!!! Oh, Charlotte just took Malik Monk, best shooter in the draft who apparently is also adept at hunting squirrels.

— Detroit took Duke’s Luke Kennard with the #12 pick; he plays basketball lefty, but when he was a high school QB, he threw the ball righty. Go figure.

— Utah traded Trey Lyles and the #24 pick to Denver for the #13 pick- Jazz took Donovan Mitchell from Louisville.

— Halftime: Saskatchewan 10, Montreal 7. Season opener for both clubs. We’ll have write-ups on all the CFL games, starting next week.

— ESPN’s guy with the touchscreen who is a salary cap guru predicts the Bulls will buy out Dwyane Wade’s contract as they totally rebuild. Thats an expensive deal right there.

— John Calipari was in Colorado Springs Thursday morning coaching the U19 team, then was in Brooklyn for the draft; I’m assuming he is headed back to Colorado as soon as all of his guys get drafted. I’m assuming Calipari has a really nice house, but is he ever home?

Calipari is now holding court on ESPN; in eight years at Kentucky, he’s coached 64 players. Half of those 64 players have been drafted by the NBA.

— I’ll say this: Oklahoma State guard Jawun Evans is really good. He’ll be a very good NBA player, but he hasn’t been taken yet.

— In his next contract, Paul George will either get $177M for five years or $132M for four years, depending on if he switches teams or not.

— Sacramento took Harry Giles, who has already torn the ACL in both knees and wasn’t good at Duke last year— there is very little chance this ends well. Giles scored 3.9 pts/game while playing in 20% of Duke’s possessions last year. Can he recover enough to withstand an 82-game schedule? Wish the young man well, but this figures to be another Sacramento disaster.

— My point here: Taking Giles over Jawun Evans is basketball malpractice.

— Oklahoma City took Terrance Ferguson with the #21 pick; he skipped college (Arizona) and shot 30% in an Australian pro league LY. They say he needs to get stronger- if he such a great shooter, why did he shoot 30% in an Australian league? He is a developmental project.

— Host Brooklyn Nets took Jarrett Allen, a big kid from Texas. He scored 13.4 pts/game with 8.4 reb/game LY. This young man built his own computer, which is very impressive.

Nets are 41-123 the last two years; three short years ago, they were 44-38 and in Eastern Conference semis. It is easier to get worse than it is to get better. They need a lot of players.

— Denver grabs Tyler Lydon from Syracuse, who is a good shooter but apparently has 13% body fat, which means he needs to get himself in better shape, especially since he’ll have to play man defense for the first time since high school or AAU ball- Syracuse plays all 2-3 zone.

— Caleb Swanigan was drafted by Portland; hard not to root for this guy. By the time he was 13 years old, he had gone to 13 different schools. He was adopted by a guardian angel who gave him structure in his life and then he lost 100 pounds in high school and became a really good player. We wish him well.

— Spurs took Derrick White with the 29th pick; kid played D-2 ball because that was the only offer he got coming out of high school. Then he transferred to Colorado and now he is a first round draft pick- Spurs’ track record of picking guys lower than 20th and having them be really good players is pretty amazing.

— 16 college freshmen were taken in the first round; Derrick White was the first senior taken, at #29.

— New Orleans just traded for Duke’s Frank Jackson after Charlotte picked him so now I’m annoyed; he is NOT BETTER than Juwan Evans. You wonder if coach Brad Underwood had stayed at Oklahoma State if Evans would’ve stayed, too, but Underwood had a spat with the AD and bolted to Illinoi$.

— Finally…..the 76ers take Juwan Evans with the 39th pick. Now I can go write my baseball article. Take your measurables and stick ‘em— this kid can play.

P.S. Evans is getting traded to the Clippers. Jerry West works for the Clippers now— that makes me feel good. ��

**Udog** · 06-23-2017, 07:31 AM

WNBA
Long Sheet

Friday, June 23

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

CHICAGO (2 - 9) at ATLANTA (5 - 5) - 6/23/2017, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.

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

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

CONNECTICUT (5 - 5) at NEW YORK (7 - 4) - 6/23/2017, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) in June games over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in all games this season.
CONNECTICUT is 22-10 ATS (+11.0 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games this season.
CONNECTICUT is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 this season.
CONNECTICUT is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) in June games over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in May, June, or July games this season.
CONNECTICUT is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) after allowing 75 points or more this season.
CONNECTICUT is 23-9 ATS (+13.1 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 19-8 ATS (+10.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 21-8 ATS (+12.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 5-3 against the spread versus CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 7-1 straight up against CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

WASHINGTON (7 - 4) at MINNESOTA (9 - 1) - 6/23/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 299-356 ATS (-92.6 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 58-82 ATS (-32.2 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-1 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 3-3 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

DALLAS (5 - 8) at SAN ANTONIO (0 - 11) - 6/23/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 16-26 ATS (-12.6 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 12-23 ATS (-13.3 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 20-10 ATS (+9.0 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 40-65 ATS (-31.5 Units) in home games after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 4-3 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 7-1 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

PHOENIX (6 - 5) at SEATTLE (6 - 5) - 6/23/2017, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 35-51 ATS (-21.1 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 118-80 ATS (+30.0 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1997.
SEATTLE is 114-85 ATS (+20.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 4-3 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 5-2 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

WNBA

Friday, June 23

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

7:30 PM
CONNECTICUT vs. NEW YORK
Connecticut is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Connecticut's last 21 games when playing New York
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York's last 6 games at home

7:30 PM
CHICAGO vs. ATLANTA
Chicago is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Atlanta's last 21 games at home
Atlanta is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games

8:00 PM
DALLAS vs. SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Dallas's last 8 games when playing on the road against San Antonio
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Dallas's last 20 games
San Antonio is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
San Antonio is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Dallas

8:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games when playing Minnesota
Washington is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Minnesota is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing at home against Washington

10:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. SEATTLE
Phoenix is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Phoenix is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games on the road
Seattle is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix
Seattle is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix

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

**Udog** · 06-23-2017, 08:23 AM

WNBA
Dunkel

Friday, June 23

Phoenix @ Seattle

Game 611-612
June 23, 2017 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
106.284
Seattle
114.464
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Seattle
by 8
162
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
by 3 1/2
160 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Seattle
(-3 1/2); Over

Dallas @ San Antonio

Game 609-610
June 23, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
105.755
San Antonio
106.371
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 1
173
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
by 2 1/2
164
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(+2 1/2); Over

Washington @ Minnesota

Game 607-608
June 23, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
114.963
Minnesota
118.803
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 4
158
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 8 1/2
163 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(+8 1/2); Under

Connecticut @ New York

Game 605-606
June 23, 2017 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Connecticut
112.189
New York
119.537
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York
by 7 1/2
172
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New York
by 3
163 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
New York
(-3); Over

Chicago @ Atlanta

Game 603-604
June 23, 2017 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
104.224
Atlanta
108.202
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Atlanta
by 4
158
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Atlanta
by 6 1/2
164
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(+6 1/2); Under

Announcement

Friday's WNBA Trends and Indexes - 6/23

Friday's WNBA Trends and Indexes - 6/23

Comment

Comment

Comment