The Bum's 2017 NBA Best Bets-Trends-News Thru Playoffs !

[StarDust Bum]

Bender's big second half helps Suns beat Thunder 114-100
January 7, 2018

PHOENIX (AP) Dragan Bender scored 17 of his career-high 20 points in the second half, rookie Josh Jackson had 17 points and 10 rebounds in his first career double-double, and the Phoenix reserves helped the Suns beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-100 on Sunday night.

Bender made a career-best six 3-pointers, going 5 of 6 in the second half. The Suns beat the Thunder for the third straight time dating to last season, with all three wins coming in Phoenix.

Russell Westbrook had his 14th triple-double of the season and second in a row with 26 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, but Oklahoma City never led after the first quarter. Paul George added 19 points and Steven Adams 18 for the Thunder.

Devin Booker scored 26 and T.J. Warren 23 for Phoenix.

TRAIL BLAZERS 111, SPURS 110

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - CJ McCollum hit a floater with 5.9 seconds left to give Portland a victory over San Antonio with both teams short-handed.

McCollum finished with 25 points and Maurice Harkless added 19 off the bench for the Blazers, who were without starter Damian Lillard. It was Portland's fifth win in seven games, and third straight victory at home.

Former Blazer LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points and 14 rebounds, while Manu Ginobili added 26 points, including six 3-pointers, for the Spurs.

HEAT 103, JAZZ 102

MIAMI (AP) - Josh Richardson's layup with 5.1 seconds left capped a Miami rally from eight points down in the fourth, Donovan Mitchell missed what would have been the winner at the buzzer and the Heat beat Utah.

Tyler Johnson and Goran Dragic each scored 16 points for Miami, which has won four straight - all by single digits, the Heat's longest stretch of such games since November 2012.

Richardson and Hassan Whiteside each had 14 points, and Kelly Olynyk had 12.

Mitchell scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half, but couldn't save Utah from dropping its seventh straight on the road. He went into the backcourt to take the final inbounds pass and wound up taking a jumper from the right side that missed as time expired.

KNICKS 100, MAVERICKS 96

DALLAS (AP) - Kristaps Porzingis scored 29 points and Jarrett Jack made the tiebreaking basket with 31.2 seconds left as New York beat Dallas.

Kyle O'Quinn had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Enes Kanter added 13 points and 18 boards for the Knicks, who ended a three-game losing streak and sent the Mavericks to their third straight loss - all at home.

Harrison Barnes scored 25 points and Devin Harris had nine of his 11 in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks made yet another rally on the night they honored their long-time point guard Derek Harper by retiring his jersey.

LAKERS 132, HAWKS 113

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Brandon Ingram had 20 points and seven assists, and Los Angeles snapped a nine-game losing streak with a victory over Atlanta.

Julius Randle had 15 points and nine rebounds in this sixth straight start, while Lonzo Ball finished with 13 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.

Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 27 points on 10-of-23 shooting. Kent Bazemore and John Collins added 15 points apiece.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY JANUARY 8, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Milwaukee Bucks Indiana Pacers Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7:30 PM Toronto Raptors Brooklyn Nets Barclays Center
8:00 PM Cleveland Cavaliers Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center
8:00 PM Detroit Pistons New Orleans Pelicans Smoothie King Center
8:00 PM Houston Rockets Chicago Bulls United Center
10:00 PM San Antonio Spurs Sacramento Kings Golden 1 Center
10:30 PM Atlanta Hawks Los Angeles Clippers Staples Center
10:30 PM Denver Nuggets Golden State Warriors ORACLE Arena

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January's NBA Record ( Best Bets & Opinions )

DATE W-L-T % UNITS

01/07/2018 6-4-0 60.00% +8.00
01/06/2018 5-11-0 31.25% -35.50
01/05/2018 9-11-0 45.00% -15.50
01/04/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
01/03/2018 11-12-0 47.83% -11.00
01/02/2018 5-5-0 50.00% -2.50
01/01/2018 ......1-7-0....... 12.50% ....-33.50


Totals..............38-53.........41.75%......-101.50


January's NBA Record ( Best Bets )

01/07/2018......................0 - 3................-16.50.......................4- 1..................+14.50
01/06/2018......................2 - 4.................-12.00......................0- 1..................-5.50
01/05/2018......................2- 3..................-6.50........................2 - 5.................-17.50
01/04/3028......................1 - 1.................-0.50........................0 - 2.................-11.00
01/03/2018......................2 - 3.................-6.50........................4- 6..................-13.00
01/02/2018......................2 - 1................+4.50........................2 - 3..................-6.50
01/01/2018......................1 - 3.................-11.50......................0 - 4..................-22.00


Totals:.............................10- 18.................-49.00...................12 - 22................-61.00

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

More odds to win the 2018 Masters:

35-1— Casey-Mickelson-Garcia

40-1— Bubba Watson

45-1— Scott-Stenson-Kuchar-Cantlay

50-1— Reed-Fleetwood-Schauffele

55-1— Oosthuizen-Leishman-Pieters

60-1— Charley Hoffman


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Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend……..

13) Lamont Simpson is a college basketball ref who is a very busy man. Here is a sampling of the 35 games he has worked over the first 59 days of the season:

Nov 10-14: Works five consecutive nights, doing Duke-Illinois-Indiana-VCU games.
Nov 20-22: Tough duty; three days at the Maui Classic.
Nov 23-26: More tough duty: Wooden Legacy tourney in Fullerton; this is three games in four days, at least.
Nov 28-Dec 1: Four straight nights, including games at Purdue-Pitt-Nebraska
Dec 20-23: Four straight nights; three Big 14 games and a Oklahoma game
Jan 2-7: Mr Simpson worked the last six nights: four Big 14 games, two MAC games

These basketball refs have to be in really good shape, working six nights in a row (Kevin Durant would need some time off in there), but they’re banking $1,000+ per game, minus expenses.

12) Ohio State 80, Michigan State 64— I’m watching the Saints playoff game, and I flip over during a commercial and see: Ohio State 63, Michigan State 40 and I wonder why I spend so much time trying to analyze college basketball? Wildly erratic teams, all over the map.

Chris Holtmann upset #1 Villanova last year, when he was coaching at Butler; he upsets the #1 Spartans here, for Ohio State. So you ask: Who was the last coach to upset the #1 team in consecutive years, while coaching at different schools?

11) Odd Fact of the Day: The last coach to upset #1 teams in consecutive seasons while coaching different schools was Thad Matta, who upset St Joe’s in 2004 when he was at Xavier, then upset Illinois the next year, his first year at Ohio State. CBS came up with that nugget.

10) Eight of the top 17 college basketball teams lost this weekend.

9) Philadelphia 76ers are 17-12 when Joel Embiid plays, 2-7 when he does not.

8) Lakers lost nine of their last ten games, they’re eight games out of a playoff spot in the West and then comes news that the Celtics have their #1 pick in next June’s draft. Oy.

7) Oregon State basketball coach Wayne Tinkle is the youngest of 11 children; got to be tough with that many older siblings.

6) Back in 2003, people voted for the Georgia high school football player of the year; they chose a QB from a private school over a WR who went to a public school and then to Georgia Tech.

The QB wound up being a WR at Miami OH; he is Sean McVay, coach of the Rams. The WR wound up being a damn good NFL receiver, Calvin Johnson. Poor decision by those voters.

5) Why are ESPN/CBS running ads for the Masters on January 7th? Anyone who cares knows when the Masters is and who televises it. It is three months from now. Enough already.

4) Eagles are +3 at home against Atlanta next week- they’re first #1 seed (since 2001) to be a home underdog to a #6 seed in this round of the playoffs.

3) Who the hell fills out an NBA All-Star ballot and doesn’t vote for Lebron James?

2) Jaguars 10, Bills 3— Social media was harsh when discussing Blake Bortles Sunday, but fact of the matter is this: He led the Jaguars to a divisional title and they won a playoff game. Lot of guys making way more money than Bortles who haven’t won a playoff game yet.

1) Saints 31, Panthers 26— New Orleans won its 8th straight home game and heads to Minnesota for the next round of the playoffs. Saints beat Carolina three times this year- they’re first team in NFL history to go 3-0 against a team in one season, scoring 30+ points in all three games.

Early playoff lines for next weekend:
AFC: Steelers -13.5 vs Jacksonville…..Patriots -6.5 vs Tennessee
NFC: Falcons -3 @ Philadelphia……..Saints +5 @ Minnesota

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Monday, January 8

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MILWAUKEE (21 - 17) at INDIANA (20 - 19) - 1/8/2018, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 35-21 ATS (+11.9 Units) in home games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 64-42 ATS (+17.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
MILWAUKEE is 5-4 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
MILWAUKEE is 5-4 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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TORONTO (27 - 10) at BROOKLYN (15 - 24) - 1/8/2018, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BROOKLYN is 24-15 ATS (+7.5 Units) in all games this season.
BROOKLYN is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
BROOKLYN is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BROOKLYN is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
TORONTO is 17-6 ATS (+10.4 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) in road games after scoring 115 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
BROOKLYN is 11-24 ATS (-15.4 Units) in January games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 7-2 against the spread versus BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 9-0 straight up against BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CLEVELAND (26 - 13) at MINNESOTA (25 - 16) - 1/8/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 12-26 ATS (-16.6 Units) in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in January games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 16-30 ATS (-17.0 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) after scoring 115 points or more this season.
MINNESOTA is 26-39 ATS (-16.9 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 41-59 ATS (-23.9 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in non-conference games this season.
MINNESOTA is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) after scoring 115 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 3-1 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 4-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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HOUSTON (27 - 11) at CHICAGO (14 - 26) - 1/8/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 30-46 ATS (-20.6 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 38-25 ATS (+10.5 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 46-30 ATS (+13.0 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 100-64 ATS (+29.6 Units) in road games off a upset loss as a favorite since 1996.
CHICAGO is 125-173 ATS (-65.3 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 3-1 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 2-2 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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DETROIT (21 - 17) at NEW ORLEANS (19 - 19) - 1/8/2018, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW ORLEANS is 3-1 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
NEW ORLEANS is 3-1 straight up against DETROIT 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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SAN ANTONIO (27 - 14) at SACRAMENTO (13 - 25) - 1/8/2018, 10:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 5-2 against the spread versus SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 8-0 straight up against SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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ATLANTA (10 - 29) at LA CLIPPERS (17 - 21) - 1/8/2018, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 94-65 ATS (+22.5 Units) in home games in January games since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 222-272 ATS (-77.2 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA CLIPPERS is 4-1 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 4-1 straight up against ATLANTA 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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DENVER (21 - 18) at GOLDEN STATE (32 - 8) - 1/8/2018, 10:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 6-3 against the spread versus GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 6-3 straight up against DENVER over the last 3 seasons
8 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, January 8

Bucks won four of last five games with Indiana; they’re 2-2 vs spread in last four visits here. Over is 6-4 in last ten series games. Milwaukee won four of its last six games; they’re 5-1 vs spread in last six tries as road dogs. Over is 3-0-1 in their last four games. Indiana lost five of its last six games; they’re 2-5 in last seven tries as home favorites. Under is 8-4 in their last 12 games.

Toronto won its last nine games with Brooklyn (7-2 vs spread); Raptors are won/covered their last four games in Barclays Center. Five of their last seven games stayed under total. Toronto won 10 of its last 12 games; they’re 7-5 as road favorites. Four of their last five games went over total. Nets covered their last five games (3-2 SU); they’re 9-4 as home underdogs this season. Under is 16-5 in their last 21 games.

Cavaliers won their last six games with Minnesota; they covered last three visits to the Twin Cities. Six of last seven series games went over. Cleveland lost four of its last six games; they’re 1-5 in last six games as road favorites. Four of their last six games stayed under total. Minnesota won seven of its last ten games; they’re 7-12 vs spread at home, 1-0 as an underdog. Wolves’ last six games stayed under the total.

Houston lost seven of its last nine games; they’re 1-5 in last six games as road favorites, and Harden is hurt. Under is 4-2-1 in their last seven games. Bulls lost four of their last five games; they’re 7-2 in last nine games as home underdogs. 11 of their last 14 games went over. Rockets are 6-4 in last ten games with the Bulls, 2-3 vs spread in last five visits to Chicago. Four of last five series games stayed under.

Pelicans won nine of last ten games with Detroit (8-2 vs spread); Detroit is 1-4 vs spread in last five visits to Bourbon Street. Over is 6-3 in last nine series games. Pistons are 7-4 in their last 11 games; they’re 1-5 in last six games as road underdogs. Five of their last six games stayed under total. New Orleans lost three of its last four games; they’re 6-8 as home favorites. Five of their last seven games stayed under total.

San Antonio is 0-5 vs spread on road if they played night before. Spurs lost by point in Portland last nite; they’re 2-3 in last five games, 5-8 vs spread as road favorites. Under is 6-4 in their last ten games. Sacramento lost five of last seven games; they’re 8-5 as home underdogs. Five of their last seven games went over. Spurs won last ten games with Sacramento, are 2-3-1 vs spread in last six, 4-1-1 vs spread in last six visits here. Last four series games went over total.

Clippers won/covered their last three games with Atlanta; Hawks covered three of last four series games played here. Over is 3-1 in last four series games. Hawks lost by 19 to Lakers last nite; they lost four of last five games, are 10-8-1 as road dogs- they’re 6-3 vs spread if they played night before. Five of their last six games stayed under total. Clippers won six of their last nine games; they covered last six tries as home faves. Seven of their last eight games went over total.

Nuggets beat Golden State by 15 here in last meeting 16 days ago; they covered their last five visits to Oakland. Teams split their last six meetings. Over is 9-1 in last ten series games. Denver is 5-3 in its last eight games; they’re 5-1-1 in last seven tries as road underdogs. Under is 6-2 in their last eight games. Warriors won 17 of last 19 games; they’re 9-6-1 vs spread in last 16 home games. Five of their last six games went over total.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Monday, January 8

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Trend Report
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MILWAUKEE @ INDIANA
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Milwaukee's last 18 games
Milwaukee is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
Indiana is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Milwaukee

TORONTO @ BROOKLYN
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Brooklyn
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games on the road
Brooklyn is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Brooklyn's last 5 games at home

HOUSTON @ CHICAGO
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing Houston

CLEVELAND @ MINNESOTA
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cleveland's last 7 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota's last 7 games when playing Cleveland

DETROIT @ NEW ORLEANS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Detroit's last 16 games on the road
New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
New Orleans is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing Detroit

SAN ANTONIO @ SACRAMENTO
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Sacramento
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Sacramento's last 5 games when playing San Antonio
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Sacramento's last 7 games

DENVER @ GOLDEN STATE
Denver is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Denver's last 11 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Golden State's last 11 games when playing Denver
Golden State is 17-2 SU in its last 19 games

ATLANTA @ LA CLIPPERS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of LA Clippers's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Clippers's last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Monday, January 8

Milwaukee @ Indiana

Game 701-702
January 8, 2018 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee
115.397
Indiana
119.470
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Indiana
by 4
218
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 1 1/2
214
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(-1 1/2); Over

Toronto @ Brooklyn

Game 703-704
January 8, 2018 @ 7:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
125.767
Brooklyn
115.609
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 10
224
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 7
217
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(-7); Over

Cleveland @ Minnesota

Game 705-706
January 8, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland
122.419
Minnesota
120.338
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 2
217
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 1 1/2
221 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(+1 1/2); Under

Houston @ Chicago

Game 707-708
January 8, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
117.861
Chicago
115.409
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 2 1/2
216
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
by 5 1/2
222
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(+5 1/2); Under

Detroit @ New Orleans

Game 709-710
January 8, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
116.446
New Orleans
120.398
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New Orleans
by 4
210
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New Orleans
by 7
214
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
(+7); Under

San Antonio @ Sacramento

Game 711-712
January 8, 2018 @ 10:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
119.723
Sacramento
116.609
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 3
194
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 6
199 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Sacramento
(+6); Under

Atlanta @ LA Clippers

Game 713-714
January 8, 2018 @ 10:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
113.419
LA Clippers
119.897
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Clippers
by 6 1/2
218
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Clippers
by 4
212 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
LA Clippers
(-4); Over

Denver @ Golden State

Game 715-716
January 8, 2018 @ 10:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Denver
117.412
Golden State
131.509
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 14
231
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 10
225
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(-10); Over

[StarDust Bum]

Monday's Tip Sheet
January 7, 2018

Game of the Night: Nuggets at Warriors – 10:30 PM EST

Golden State (32-8 SU, 19-21 ATS) is catching fire once again, or Stephen Curry is just heating up at the right time. The two-time league Most Valuable Player has bounced back from an ankle injury to average 36.0 ppg in the past four contests, including an incredible 45-point effort in Saturday’s 121-105 victory over the Clippers as eight-point favorites. Curry knocked down eight three-pointers as the Warriors continue to play without Kevin Durant, who has missed the last two games with a calf injury.

Denver (21-18 SU, 19-19-1 ATS) had its modest two-game winning streak snapped in Saturday’s 106-98 setback at Sacramento as nine-point favorites. The high-flying Nuggets were held to below 100 points in consecutive games for the first time since the first two contests of the season. Denver had covered four straight games away from Pepsi Center prior to Saturday’s loss, while cashing the UNDER for the sixth time in the past nine games.

The road team has won each of the first two meetings between the Nuggets and Warriors this season. Golden State led Denver by five points at the half of their first matchup in November, but the Warriors outscored the Nuggets in the third quarter, 43-21 to pull away in a 127-108 triumph as nine-point away favorites. Denver picked up revenge at Oracle Arena prior to Christmas in a 96-81 upset as 8 ½-point underdogs, while holding the Warriors to 3-of-27 shooting from three-point range.

Stop the Bleeding?

The Rockets (27-11 SU, 17-20-1 ATS) have dropped seven of their past nine games, including Saturday’s 108-101 defeat at Detroit as 6 ½-point favorites. Houston has lost two of three games since James Harden was sidelined with a hamstring injury, while putting together a dreadful 1-8 ATS record in the last nine trips to the court. The Rockets have been a solid UNDER look on the highway recently by going 4-0-1 to the UNDER in the past five games away from Toyota Center.

Houston continues its road swing through the Midwest by facing Chicago (14-26 SU, 23-16-1 ATS), who is coming off an ugly 125-86 loss at Indiana on Saturday. An 11-point second quarter sank the Bulls, who rallied the night before to knock off the Mavericks as Chicago fell to 2-7 this season with no rest. Following a 13-1 ATS run, Fred Hoiberg’s team has compiled a 1-3 ATS record the last four games, while allowing at least 124 points during each of the past four contests.

Howl at the Moon

The Timberwolves (25-16 SU, 18-21-2 ATS) are looking to make a move in the Western Conference this season and are doing just that by winning eight of their last 11 games. Minnesota crushed New Orleans for the third time this season on Saturday, 116-98 as 1 ½-point home favorites, as Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jimmy Butler all posted at least 20 points. The Wolves have stepped up their defense of late by cashing their sixth consecutive UNDER, while limiting their fifth straight opponent to below 100 points.

Minnesota welcomes in Cleveland (26-13 SU, 12-26-1 ATS), as the Cavaliers held off the Magic on Saturday, 131-127 as nine-point road favorites. The Magic outscored the Cavs by 16 points for the backdoor cover, but LeBron James continued his fantastic season by coming within one assist of a triple-double (33 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists). Cleveland continues a five-game trip, as the Cavs have slid to a 1-7 ATS mark in their last eight contests away from Quicken Loans Arena.

Flying Low

The Pelicans (19-19 SU, 20-17-1 ATS) fell back to .500 after an 18-point setback at Minnesota on Saturday. New Orleans trailed by 21 at halftime and couldn’t recover as the Pelicans had their three-game road winning streak snapped. The Pelicans host the Pistons, as New Orleans owns a solid 5-2 record this season at home against Eastern Conference foes, while beating Detroit eight straight times in the Big Easy.

Detroit (21-17 SU, 21-15-2 ATS) rallied past Houston on Saturday to rebound from a 36-point defeat at Philadelphia the night before. The Pistons have stumbled to a 2-8 record in their last 10 games away from Little Caesars Arena, including four consecutive road setbacks. If Detroit can break the 100-point mark, it will be successful as the Pistons are 6-1 the last seven times they have broken the triple-digit ledger, while the Pelicans have allowed at least 105 points in nine straight home contests.

Central Clash

The Bucks and Pacers are hooking up for the second time in a six-day span, this time in Indianapolis. Milwaukee cruised past Indiana at BMO Harris Bradley Center last Wednesday, 122-101 as 7 ½-point favorites, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 31 points and 10 rebounds as the Bucks shot a scorching 58% from the floor. The Bucks (21-17 SU, 17-16-5 ATS) improved to 4-5 against division opponents, while coming off a 110-103 triumph at Washington on Saturday.

Indiana (20-19 SU, 21-18 ATS) received a much-needed boost from leading scorer Victor Oladipo on Saturday, as the guard returned to the lineup following a four-game absence with a sore right knee. Oladipo posted a 23-point effort in a 125-86 blowout of the Bulls, ending Indiana’s five-game losing streak, which included the 21-point setback at Milwaukee last week. The Pacers have struggled to cover numbers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse of late by going 2-5 ATS in the last seven home contests.

Fast Break

-- Toronto doesn’t normally lose to Brooklyn, as the Raptors seek their 10th straight win over the Nets dating back to 2016. The Raptors have won four straight games, while topping the 124-point mark in each of their past three victories. Toronto heads to Barclays Center as the Nets have covered five consecutive games following a two-point home loss to Boston on Saturday.

-- The Spurs have won 11 consecutive meetings with the Kings since 2014 as San Antonio travels to Sacramento. San Antonio owns a 5-4 record with no rest following Sunday’s loss at Portland, but has compiled a 2-7 ATS mark on the second of a back-to-back. Sacramento snapped a three-game skid in Saturday’s home underdog victory over Denver, but the Kings have won back-to-back games only twice this season.

-- The Hawks remain at Staples Center after Sunday’s setback against the Lakers as Atlanta hooks up with the Clippers. L.A. ripped Atlanta earlier this season at Philips Arena, 116-103, but the Clippers are currently riding a two-game skid following home defeats to the Thunder and Warriors.

[StarDust Bum]

MONDAY, JANUARY 8
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MIL at IND 07:00 PM
IND -1.5
O 215.5

TOR at BK 07:30 PM
TOR -7.5
O 217.5

CLE at MIN 08:00 PM
MIN +1.0
O 222.5

HOU at CHI 08:00 PM
CHI +6.0
U 221.0

DET at NO 08:00 PM
NO -6.0
O 212.0

SA at SAC 10:00 PM
SA -5.5
O 199.5

ATL at LAC 10:30 PM
LAC -4.5
O 214.5

DEN at GS 10:30 PM
DEN +10.0
U 226.0

[StarDust Bum]

Wiggins, Butler lead Wolves to rare romp over James, Cavs
January 8, 2018

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Andrew Wiggins had 25 points in three quarters, Jimmy Butler pitched in 21 points and tight defense on LeBron James, and the Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a 127-99 victory over Cleveland on Monday night that stopped a 12-game home losing streak to the Cavaliers.

Karl-Anthony Towns (19 points, 12 rebounds) and Taj Gibson (16 points, 13 rebounds) were tenacious around the basket for the Timberwolves, who outrebounded the Cavs 56-37 and had a 60-42 advantage in points in the paint.

James had just 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting, taking his first loss at Minnesota since Feb. 17, 2005. Cleveland fell behind by as much as 41 points in the third quarter after a dunk by Wiggins.

Butler had plenty to do with that, contributing nine assists and eight rebounds before resting during the fourth quarter, too. The Wolves led 69-42 at halftime.

Jeff Green scored 22 points off the bench to lead the Cavs, who've lost six of their last nine.

RAPTORS 114, NETS 113, OT

NEW YORK (AP) - DeMar DeRozan scored 35 points, including a go-ahead three-point play with 26.1 seconds left in overtime, and Toronto shook off a late injury to Kyle Lowry to beat Brooklyn.

The Raptors lost a 10-point lead in the final 4 1/2 minutes of regulation and then lost Lowry after a hard fall in OT, but at least won the game, just as they always do against the Nets.

Toronto beat Brooklyn for the 10th straight time and won its fifth in a row overall.

Jonas Valanciunas had 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors. Lowry finished with 18 points and 11 assists, but had to be carried off the court after landing on his lower back while going for a rebound.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored a career-high 31 points for the Nets, but his wild shot on a last drive went over the backboard.

PACERS 109, BUCKS 96

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Domantas Sabonis had 17 points and 10 rebounds and three of his teammates each scored 15 to lead Indiana past Milwaukee.

Indiana has won two straight since a five-game losing streak. Victor Oladipo, Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner all scored 15 points.

The Bucks were led by Khris Middleton with 19 points and Giannis Antetokoumpo with 17.

It was a complete reversal from the Bucks' 21-point victory over Indiana last week.

This time, the Pacers dominated most of the final 42 minutes by creating turnovers and forcing Milwaukee into bad shots after hitting 18 of their first 25 attempts.

Indiana broke it open by scoring 20 straight points in the first quarter to turn a 15-14 game into a blowout. The Pacers finished the period on a 22-2 spurt to make it 37-16.

ROCKETS 116, BULLS 107

CHICAGO (AP) - Eric Gordon and Chris Paul each had 24 points and nine assists, Gerald Green scored 22 and Houston beat Chicago.

Trevor Ariza hit six 3-pointers and scored 18 to go with nine rebounds. Clint Capela added 15 points and 16 rebounds, and the Rockets won for the third time in 10 games despite blowing a 21-point lead.

Bobby Portis led the Bulls with 22 points. Denzel Valentine and Kris Dunn each scored 19, but Chicago lost for the fifth time in six games.

With NBA scoring leader James Harden missing his fourth consecutive game because of a strained hamstring, the Rockets regained control after falling behind early in the third.

They scored eight straight to stretch a two-point edge to 10 late in the quarter and took an 87-76 lead into the fourth after Green and Paul nailed back-to-back 3s. Houston was in charge the rest of the game.

PELICANS 112, PISTONS 109

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - DeMarcus Cousins scored 16 of his 20 points after Anthony Davis left with an ankle injury in the third quarter, and New Orleans held off Detroit.

Rajon Rondo capped a 12-point, 15-assist performance with two transition layups in the last 1:21 to help secure a victory the Pelicans needed to restore morale after a listless blowout loss in Minnesota over the weekend.

Davis dominated before he left with 4:41 remaining in the third, scoring 30 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in 27 minutes. He walked to the locker room, favoring his right ankle, and never returned.

Cousins, who also had 10 rebounds, picked up the slack, and E'Twaun Moore finished with 23 points.

Tobias Harris scored 25 points and Avery Bradley had 24 for the Pistons, who've lost three of four. Andre Drummond, who missed two of Detroit's previous three games, had 16 points and 14 rebounds.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY JANUARY 9, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:30 PM Miami Heat Toronto Raptors Air Canada Centre
8:00 PM Portland Trail Blazers Oklahoma City Thunder Chesapeake Energy Arena
8:30 PM Orlando Magic Dallas Mavericks American Airlines Center
10:30 PM Sacramento Kings Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center

******************


January's NBA Record ( Best Bets & Opinions )

DATE W-L-T % UNITS

01/08/2018 8-7-1 53.33% +1.50
01/07/2018 6-4-0 60.00% +8.00
01/06/2018 5-11-0 31.25% -35.50
01/05/2018 9-11-0 45.00% -15.50
01/04/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
01/03/2018 11-12-0 47.83% -11.00
01/02/2018 5-5-0 50.00% -2.50
01/01/2018 ......1-7-0....... 12.50% ....-33.50


Totals..............46-60.........43.39%......-100.00


January's NBA Record ( Best Bets )

01/08/2018......................0 - 3................-16.50........................4 -1.................+14.50
01/07/2018......................0 - 3................-16.50.......................4- 1..................+14.50
01/06/2018......................2 - 4.................-12.00......................0- 1..................-5.50
01/05/2018......................2- 3..................-6.50........................2 - 5.................-17.50
01/04/3028......................1 - 1.................-0.50........................0 - 2.................-11.00
01/03/2018......................2 - 3.................-6.50........................4- 6..................-13.00
01/02/2018......................2 - 1................+4.50........................2 - 3..................-6.50
01/01/2018......................1 - 3.................-11.50......................0 - 4..................-22.00


Totals:.............................10- 21.................-65.50...................16 - 23................-46.50

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

— Stanford 77, USC 76— This game Sunday night ended when a kid on Stanford drained a half-court shot at the buzzer. It is a clip worth finding on the Interweb- quite an ending.

— Raptors 114, Nets 113 OT— Toronto is a very quiet 28-10.

— Vegas Golden Knights, an NHL expansion team, are 18-2-1 at home.

— Dustin Johnson almost got a hole-in-one on a 433-yard, par-4 hole Sunday- he won the tournament by eight shots.

— Duquesne is a surprising 3-0 in Atlantic 14, with new coach Keith Dambrot, who was Lebron James’ high school coach.

— Minnesota 127, Cleveland 99— Lebron was a career-worst minus-39.


**********

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

13) Alabama 26, Georgia 23 OT— Freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa was 35-53 passing this whole season, before this game. Alabama put him in to start second half, trailing 13-0- they looked dead, but Tagovailoa was 14-24/166 with three TD’s, including the game-winner in OT, as Alabama wins another national title, in highly dramatic fashion.

Jalen Hurts is 25-2 as Alabama’s QB, but he’ll never start another game— will he transfer?

12) Watching the ESPN Film Room on ESPN News, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said: “In bowl games, officials are going to let ‘em play a little more. So if you have to hold, hold.” Kevin Sumlin agreed and said same thing also goes for defensive backs in pass coverage.

11) Gundy made another point just before halftime, saying how important it is for teams to have something positive happen right before the half. “It really helps the mood in the locker room at halftime.” Halftimes are lot longer in college ball than the NFL.

10) Kevin Sumlin got fired by Texas A&M after this season; if he wants to go on TV next year, he will be very good. Good natured guy, gets points across quickly.

9) Gundy and Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald agreed that their teams are better off with their coordinators calling plays, rather than the head coach, who has to manage the administrative aspects of the program. They were saying playcallers study film “for eight hours a day”.

8) 6.5 years ago, Georgia QB Jake Fromm played in the Little League World Series; now he was a QB in the national championship game as a freshman in college.

7) A gambler at South Point Casino in Las Vegas risked $557,500 to win $300,000, taking Alabama on the money line. No pointspread. Yikes.

I can’t even imagine what it must be like watching a game with half a million bucks riding on it. Especially this game!!!

6) Portent of the future? National anthem was played with Donald Trump on the field, but the players were in the locker room. Thats smart, avoiding any potential political displays or any other controversies that would take away from the game.

5) If Alabama played 14-0 Central Florida on a neutral field, they’d be a 13-point favorite.

4) In divisional round of NFL playoffs, #1-seeds are 16-5 against #6 seeds- the #6-seed won a road game the previous week, while the #1-seed had a bye.

3) When a 2-seed plays a 3-seed in this round, the 2-seed is 26-8- the bye really does help.

2) Since 2001, when the Patriots play at home in this round of playoffs, they’re 5-4-2 vs spread.

1) Chicago Bears hired Chiefs’ OC Matt Nagy as their new head coach. Nagy played six years in the Arena League— he joins Jay Gruden as former AFL QB’s who are now NFL head coaches.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, January 9

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

MIAMI (22 - 17) at TORONTO (28 - 10) - 1/9/2018, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 36-23 ATS (+10.7 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 32-52 ATS (-25.2 Units) in home games on Tuesday nights since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 8-7 against the spread versus MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 10-5 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

PORTLAND (21 - 18) at OKLAHOMA CITY (22 - 18) - 1/9/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 184-144 ATS (+25.6 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent since 1996.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 15-24 ATS (-11.4 Units) in all games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 11-24 ATS (-15.4 Units) as a favorite this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PORTLAND is 5-4 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
PORTLAND is 6-3 straight up against OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

ORLANDO (12 - 28) at DALLAS (13 - 28) - 1/9/2018, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 14-25 ATS (-13.5 Units) in all games this season.
ORLANDO is 36-55 ATS (-24.5 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 128-168 ATS (-56.8 Units) in January games since 1996.
ORLANDO is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
DALLAS is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

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

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

SACRAMENTO (13 - 26) at LA LAKERS (12 - 27) - 1/9/2018, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games over the last 3 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 158-204 ATS (-66.4 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
LA LAKERS are 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) versus poor offensive teams - scoring <=98 points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SACRAMENTO is 6-3 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
SACRAMENTO is 7-2 straight up against LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, January 9

Raptors won four of last five games with Miami; last four series games stayed under. Miami is 1-3 vs spread in last four visits to Canada. Heat won four of their last five games; they’re 7-5 vs spread as road underdogs- four of their last five games went over total. Toronto won five in row, 11 of last 12 games; they’re 9-6 vs spread as home favorites. Raptors’ last four games went over total.

Trailblazers won five of last six games with OKC; they’re 1-4 vs spread in last five games in this building. Over is 5-3 in last eight series games. Portland won five of its last seven games; they’re 7-1 vs spread in last eight tries as road dogs. Three of their last four games went over total. Oklahoma City lost three of last five games; they’re 2-9-1 vs spread in last dozen tries as home favorites. Three of their last four games went over total.

Home side won last five Orlando-Dallas games; Magic is 1-4 vs spread in last five visits here. Over is 7-3 in last ten series games. Orlando lost four in row, 13 of last 14 games; they’re 1-8 vs spread in last nine tries as a road underdog. Six of their last nine games stayed under the total. Dallas lost its last three games, by 3-3-4 points; they’re 4-6 as home favorites. Four of their last five games went over total.

Kings won eight of last ten games with the Lakers; they’re 4-1 vs spread in last five series games played here. Six of last seven series games stayed under the total. Sacramento lost six of last eight games; they’re 7-3 vs spread in last ten tries as road underdogs. Six of their last eight games went over total. Lakers lost nine of their last ten games; they’re 3-3 as home favorites. Over is 11-3 in their last 14 games.




NBA

Tuesday, January 9

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

MIAMI @ TORONTO
Miami is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Miami is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

PORTLAND @ OKLAHOMA CITY
Portland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Oklahoma City
Portland is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Portland
Oklahoma City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Portland

ORLANDO @ DALLAS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Orlando's last 5 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Orlando's last 12 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Orlando
Dallas is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing Orlando

SACRAMENTO @ LA LAKERS
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Sacramento's last 7 games when playing LA Lakers
Sacramento is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Lakers's last 7 games when playing Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Lakers's last 6 games at home


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

NBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, January 9

Miami @ Toronto

Game 501-502
January 9, 2018 @ 7:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Miami
115.211
Toronto
126.785
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 11 1/2
215
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 6 1/2
208
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(-6 1/2); Over

Portland @ Oklahoma City

Game 503-504
January 9, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Portland
116.701
Oklahoma City
126.822
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Oklahoma City
by 10
214
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Oklahoma City
by 8
204 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Oklahoma City
(-8); Over

Orlando @ Dallas

Game 505-506
January 9, 2018 @ 8:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Orlando
112.201
Dallas
117.672
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 5 1/2
210
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
by 7
214 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Orlando
(+7); Under

Sacramento @ LA Lakers

Game 507-508
January 9, 2018 @ 10:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Sacramento
113.305
LA Lakers
116.446
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Lakers
by 3
208
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Lakers
by 6 1/2
212 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Sacramento
(+6 1/2); Under

[StarDust Bum]

Inside the Paint - Tuesday
January 9, 2018

Tuesday’s NBA card has four games on tap and even though two of the games are matchups between four of the worst teams in the league, you can still get bet on them.

Favorites went 7-1 straight up on Monday but the underdogs produced a slight profit at the betting counter with a 4-3-1 record against the spread. Total players watched the ‘over’ go 7-1 and the high side is 10-3 since Sunday.

Let’s break down the games.

Miami (22-17 SU, 16-21-2 ATS) at Toronto (28-10 SU, 22-16 ATS)

The Raptors extended their winning streak to five games last night with a 114-113 overtime win at Brooklyn but failed to cover as 7 ½-point road favorites. Toronto started this season 11-7 but has dominated opponents with a 17-3 winning mark (12-8 ATS) over its last 20 games.

Toronto opened as a seven-point favorite over the Heat on Monday but it could be short-handed tonight with point guard Kyle Lowry (back) leaving last night’s game in the extra session. He’s listed as ‘doubtful’ and most books are now holding the Raptors as 4 ½-point favorites.

Beating Miami won’t be easy and the Heat are finally starting to come into their own with a 6-2 record over the last eight games. However, seven of those contests took place at home and Miami will now play 11 of its next 14 on the road. The Heat have gone 11-8 both SU and ATS away from home and they’ve won their last two games as visitors.

Winning at Toronto has been next to impossible for opponents this season. The Raptors are 14-1 SU and 9-6 ATS at the Air Canada Centre this season. That record has the potential to take a few losses this week with the Heat visiting tonight before Cleveland and Golden State come to town on Wednesday and Friday respectively.

Monday’s matchup will be the first showdown between the two teams and the Heat are hoping to improve on a 1-3 record against the Raptors last season. The Air Canada Centre hasn’t been kind to the Heat recently with the club going 1-8 in their last nine visits to Toronto and they only managed to cover two of the eight setbacks.

Toronto has only played on no rest five times this season it has gone 3-2 both SU and ATS with all of the games taking place on the road. The ‘over’ has also posted a 3-2 mark.

The ‘under’ went 4-0 in the regular season series last season and Tuesday’s total was sent out at 208 ½. Miami is only allowing 102.2 points per game this season, which is ranked seventh in the league and Toronto sits in 10th in scoring defense (104 PPG). The Heat enter this game on a 4-0 ‘over’ run but they’ve been an ‘under’ lean (22-15-2) this season and that includes a 12-6-1 (67%) mark on the road.

Portland (21-18 SU, 18-19-2 ATS) at Oklahoma City (22-18 SU, 15-24-1 ATS)

The Thunder have been installed as an 8 ½-point home favorite for this matchup and that number is high because Portland isn’t expected to have point guard Damian Lillard (calf) available. He’s been dealing with an injury for a couple weeks and has missed six games so far but Portland has managed to produce a 4-2 record in his absence.

Portland stopped Oklahoma City 103-99 on Nov. 5 as a three-point home underdog. Including that win, the Blazers have won three straight and six of the last eight meetings against the Thunder but they are just 1-2 in their last three trips to OKC.

The Thunder just wrapped up a three-game road trip where they went 2-1 but it ended Sunday with a 114-100 loss at the Suns. Oklahoma City remains one of the worst teams for bettors and the numbers haven’t been great at home (8-11-1 ATS) at home either.

This will be the first of four straight road games for Portland, who has gone 11-8 SU and 12-6-1 ATS as a visitor this season. The Trail Blazers will likely close as road ‘dogs in their next four and they’ve gone 8-3 ATS when catching points away from home.

The total on this game opened 204 ½ and jumped up quickly to 206 ½ and that’s a little surprising knowing the Blazers have been the best ‘under’ team (26-13) in the NBA. Oklahoma City (23-17) has also leaned to the ‘under’ but the Thunder have seen an uptick lately, averaging 115.3 PPG in their last six and that’s helped the ‘over’ go 4-2.

NBATV will provide national coverage of this game at 8:05 p.m. ET.

Orlando (12-28 SU, 15-25 ATS) at Dallas (13-28 SU, 20-20-1 ATS)

Even though both clubs have similar losing records, Dallas has been installed as a 6 ½-point home favorite for this game and it’s tough to make a case for either club. For starters, the Mavericks have dropped three straight games at home and that includes a 100-96 setback to the Knicks on Sunday as five-point home favorites and that’s been a glaring trend this season. When laying points, Dallas has gone 3-8 both SU and ATS.

While it could be tough to argue a wager on Dallas, Orlando enters this game in terrible form. The Magic have dropped four straight and are 1-13 in their last 14 games. More importantly, Orlando hasn’t been competitive in the losses. As an underdog, the Magic have gone 7-24 SU and 11-19-1 ATS which tells you that they’ve stayed within the number just five times. While I wouldn’t advise backing the Magic, they have gone 6-9 against teams with losing records and for whatever reason, Dallas is just 3-10 against teams below .500.

This will be the first meeting between the pair this season and the Mavericks should have confidence for this game knowing they’ve won 15 of the last 20 and eight of the past 10 encounters against the Magic. The pair have split the last two seasons with the home team going 4-0 both SU and ATS but Orlando hasn’t won in Dallas since the 2010-11 regular season when Dwight Howard was still with the club.

The total on this game opened at 212 ½ at BookMaker.eu and it’s been steamed up to 214 as of Tuesday morning. I thought the number was a tad high knowing neither team has been a dominant ‘over’ bet. However, Orlando’s defense on the road (112.3 PPG) is near the bottom of the league and Dallas has watched the ‘over’ go 7-3 at home versus Eastern Conference foes.

Sacramento (13-26 SU, 16-20-3 ATS) at L.A. Lakers (12-27 SU, 18-21 ATS)

In another battle of losing clubs, Los Angeles opened as a 6 ½-point favorite over Sacramento. These teams met on Nov. 22 from Sacramento and the Kings captured a 113-102 decision over the Lakers as one-point home favorites. The ‘over’ (205.5) connected and that snapped a streak of six straight ‘under’ winners in this series.

The Kings will be facing the fatigue factor after dropping a 107-100 decision to San Antonio last night as 5 ½-point home underdogs. Sacramento collapsed the down stretch and fell to 2-11 on the season in games after a win. Sacramento lost its first five games on the season on zero days rest but have won their last two and covered three in a row heading into this matchup. The ‘under’ has gone 4-3 in the back-to-back spots.

When you look at Los Angeles, you could be wondering why it’s laying so many points. The Lakers just snapped a nine-game losing streak on Sunday with a 132-113 win over Atlanta as 3 ½-point favorites. Including that result, Los Angeles has gone 5-2 when scoring 120-plus points. The team might not have to put up that many on Tuesday knowing Sacramento enters with the worst offense (97.6 PPG) in the league.

The Lakers have gone 7-14 SU and 9-12 ATS at the Staples Center this season and that includes a record of 3-3 when laying points, which haven’t matter in these spots. So if you’re leaning Sacramento, the money-line (+215) could be a better look.

Los Angeles (22-17) is one of the few teams in the league that has produced more ‘over’ winners this season and that record has been helped with a 13-8 lean to the high side at home. The Lakers play at the fastest pace in the league with 89.8 shots attempted per game and their scoring defense is ranked 29th with 111.8 PPG allowed.

This game is expected to tip at 10:35 p.m. ET with NBATV providing ‘Players Only’ national coverage.

[StarDust Bum]

Hoop Trends - Tuesday
January 9, 2018

ATS TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Lakers are 0-15-1 ATS (-8.72 ppg) as a home favorite off a win as a favorite in which they scored a least 18 fast break points.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Mavericks are 11-0 OU (14.00 ppg) with rest after their points decreased by at least 25 last game from the game before.

PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Thunder are 11-0-1 OU (9.88 ppg) as a home favorite off a road game in which Russell Westbrook took more than 20 shots.

CHOICE TREND:

-- The Heat are 0-12 OU (-14.21 ppg) on the road off a win in which Goran Dragic was the high scorer.

ACTIVE TRENDS:

-- The Heat are 10-0 ATS (11.95 ppg) as a dog after a game as a home favorite in which a game in which they had six-plus double digit scorers.

-- The Raptors are 0-10 OU (-16.80 ppg) as a favorite after a game as a road favorite in which Demar Derozan took more than 20 shots.