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

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  • NBA
    Armadillo's Write-Up

    Wednesday, March 28


    Home side won last seven Brooklyn-Orlando games; Nets are 2-2-1 vs spread in last five visits to the Magic Kingdom. Over is 5-1-1 in last seven series games. Nets lost six of their last eight games; they’re 0-1 as road favorites this year. Five of their last six games went over the total. Orlando lost eight of its last ten games; they’re 10-5 in last 15 games as home underdogs. Under is 7-3 in their last ten games.

    Knicks lost their last three games with Philly; they’re 2-3 vs spread in last five games in this building. Under is 5-2 in last seven series games. New York lost seven of its last ten games; they’re 6-1 vs spread in last seven games overall. Under is 3-1-1 in their last five games. 76ers won their last seven games, covered last five; they’re 14-3 vs spread in last 17 games as home favorites. Over is 5-1-1 in their last seven games.

    Cavaliers won their last eight games with the Hornets (6-1-1 vs spread); Cleveland covered four of last five visits to Charlotte. Seven of last nine series games went over. Cavaliers won five of their last six games; they’re 3-5 vs spread in last eight road games. Six of their last nine games went over total. Charlotte won its last three games; they’re 0-9 vs spread in last nine games as home underdogs. Over is 7-3 in their last ten games.

    Minnesota won four of its last five games with Atlanta; last four series games stayed under the total. Hawks are 1-3 vs spread in last four visits to the Twin Cities. Atlanta lost nine of its last ten games; they’re 2-6 in last eight games as road underdogs. Three of their last four games stayed under. Timberwolves lost four of their last six games; they’re 10-3 in last 13 games as home favorites. Over is 7-3 in their last ten games.

    Blazers won four of lat six games with Memphis; they’re 4-1-1 vs spread in last six visits here. four of last five series games stayed under the total. Portland won 15 of its last 17 games; they’re 7-5 as road favorites this season. Three of their last four games went over the total. Grizzlies lost 23 of their last 25 games; they’re 3-8 in last 11 games as home underdogs. Over is 5-3 in their last eight games.

    Celtics won seven of last ten games with the Jazz; they’re 3-2 vs spread in last five visits to SLC. Four of last five series games went over total. Boston won its last four games, covered five of its last seven; they’re 12-2 as road underdogs. Five of their last six games stayed under. Jazz won 11 of their last 13 games; they’re 5-4 in last nine games as home favorites. Four of their last five games went over the total.

    Clippers won their last seven games with Phoenix (6-1 vs spread); over is 5-3 in last eight series games. LA is 2-3 vs spread in last five visits to the desert. Clippers won three of their last four games; they’re 6-1 vs spread as road favorites. Clippers’ last three games stayed under the total.Suns lost their last 12 games; they’re 2-7 in last nine games as home underdogs. Last four Phoenix games stayed under.

    Lakers lost eight of last ten games with Dallas; three of last four series games went over. Mavs are 3-2 vs spread in last five series games played here. Dallas lost five of its last six games; they’re 3-2 in last five games as road underdogs, 6-6 if they played night before. Four of their last five games went over. Lakers lost five of their last six games; they’re 6-5 as home favorites. Five of their last seven games stayed under.
    Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

    Comment


    • NBA

      Wednesday, March 28


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

      BROOKLYN @ ORLANDO
      Brooklyn is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
      The total has gone OVER in 6 of Brooklyn's last 7 games on the road
      Orlando is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Brooklyn
      The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Orlando's last 11 games

      CLEVELAND @ CHARLOTTE
      Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Charlotte
      Cleveland is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Charlotte
      The total has gone OVER in 5 of Charlotte's last 5 games at home
      The total has gone OVER in 4 of Charlotte's last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland

      NEW YORK @ PHILADELPHIA
      New York is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
      The total has gone UNDER in 13 of New York's last 16 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
      Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
      Philadelphia is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games

      PORTLAND @ MEMPHIS
      Portland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
      Portland is 15-2 SU in its last 17 games
      The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games when playing Portland
      The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Memphis's last 8 games at home

      ATLANTA @ MINNESOTA
      The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing Minnesota
      The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Atlanta's last 12 games on the road
      Minnesota is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games at home
      Minnesota is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta

      BOSTON @ UTAH
      Boston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
      The total has gone OVER in 6 of Boston's last 7 games when playing on the road against Utah
      The total has gone OVER in 6 of Utah's last 7 games when playing at home against Boston
      Utah is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games

      LA CLIPPERS @ PHOENIX
      LA Clippers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix
      The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Clippers's last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
      The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
      The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 6 games

      DALLAS @ LA LAKERS
      Dallas is 15-2 SU in its last 17 games when playing LA Lakers
      Dallas is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
      LA Lakers is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games at home
      The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Lakers's last 5 games at home
      Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

      Comment


      • NBA
        Long Sheet

        Wednesday, March 28


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

        BROOKLYN (23 - 51) at ORLANDO (22 - 51) - 3/28/2018, 7:05 PM
        Top Trends for this game.
        BROOKLYN is 41-32 ATS (+5.8 Units) in all games this season.
        BROOKLYN is 23-12 ATS (+9.8 Units) in road games this season.
        BROOKLYN is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) in road games in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
        BROOKLYN is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) against Southeast division opponents this season.
        ORLANDO is 66-86 ATS (-28.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
        ORLANDO is 28-47 ATS (-23.7 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
        ORLANDO is 11-22 ATS (-13.2 Units) against Atlantic division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
        ORLANDO is 19-31 ATS (-15.1 Units) in home games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
        ORLANDO is 27-42 ATS (-19.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
        ORLANDO is 23-38 ATS (-18.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

        Head-to-Head Series History
        ORLANDO is 5-5 against the spread versus BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
        ORLANDO is 7-3 straight up against BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
        6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

        NEW YORK (27 - 48) at PHILADELPHIA (43 - 30) - 3/28/2018, 7:05 PM
        Top Trends for this game.
        NEW YORK is 14-23 ATS (-11.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
        PHILADELPHIA is 42-31 ATS (+7.9 Units) in all games this season.
        PHILADELPHIA is 19-6 ATS (+12.4 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 220 over the last 2 seasons.
        PHILADELPHIA is 24-11 ATS (+11.9 Units) in home games this season.
        PHILADELPHIA is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in home games in the second half of the season this season.
        PHILADELPHIA is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
        PHILADELPHIA is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in home games after a win by 10 points or more this season.
        PHILADELPHIA is 42-27 ATS (+12.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
        PHILADELPHIA is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
        PHILADELPHIA is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
        NEW YORK is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.

        Head-to-Head Series History
        PHILADELPHIA is 7-4 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
        NEW YORK is 6-5 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
        6 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

        CLEVELAND (44 - 30) at CHARLOTTE (34 - 41) - 3/28/2018, 7:05 PM
        Top Trends for this game.
        CLEVELAND is 26-47 ATS (-25.7 Units) in all games this season.
        CLEVELAND is 14-25 ATS (-13.5 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 220 this season.
        CLEVELAND is 15-41 ATS (-30.1 Units) as a favorite this season.
        CLEVELAND is 10-23 ATS (-15.3 Units) in a road game where the total is greater than or equal to 220 over the last 2 seasons.
        CLEVELAND is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more this season.
        CLEVELAND is 1-11 ATS (-11.1 Units) after scoring 85 points or less over the last 3 seasons.
        CLEVELAND is 10-23 ATS (-15.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
        CLEVELAND is 10-22 ATS (-14.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
        CLEVELAND is 10-20 ATS (-12.0 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
        CHARLOTTE is 31-40 ATS (-13.0 Units) in all games this season.
        CHARLOTTE is 9-22 ATS (-15.2 Units) as an underdog this season.
        CHARLOTTE is 17-27 ATS (-12.7 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
        CHARLOTTE is 11-22 ATS (-13.2 Units) after allowing 115 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

        Head-to-Head Series History
        CLEVELAND is 7-2 against the spread versus CHARLOTTE over the last 3 seasons
        CLEVELAND is 9-1 straight up against CHARLOTTE over the last 3 seasons
        7 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

        ATLANTA (21 - 53) at MINNESOTA (42 - 33) - 3/28/2018, 8:05 PM
        There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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

        PORTLAND (46 - 28) at MEMPHIS (20 - 54) - 3/28/2018, 8:05 PM
        There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

        Head-to-Head Series History
        PORTLAND is 6-3 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
        PORTLAND is 5-4 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
        5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

        BOSTON (51 - 23) at UTAH (42 - 32) - 3/28/2018, 9:35 PM
        Top Trends for this game.
        UTAH is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
        BOSTON is 44-27 ATS (+14.3 Units) in all games this season.
        BOSTON is 14-3 ATS (+10.7 Units) as an underdog this season.
        BOSTON is 25-11 ATS (+12.9 Units) in road games this season.
        BOSTON is 143-107 ATS (+25.3 Units) in road games revenging a home loss vs opponent since 1996.
        BOSTON is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
        BOSTON is 21-12 ATS (+7.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

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

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

        LA CLIPPERS (40 - 34) at PHOENIX (19 - 56) - 3/28/2018, 10:05 PM
        There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

        Head-to-Head Series History
        LA CLIPPERS is 7-4 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
        LA CLIPPERS is 9-2 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
        6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

        DALLAS (23 - 51) at LA LAKERS (32 - 41) - 3/28/2018, 10:35 PM
        There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

        Head-to-Head Series History
        DALLAS is 7-3 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
        DALLAS is 8-2 straight up against LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
        6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
        Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

        Comment


        • B]Wednesday's Tip Sheet
          March 28, 2018
          [/B]

          Game of the Night: Celtics at Jazz (-7, 194) – 9:30 PM EST

          Boston (51-23 SU, 45-27-2 ATS) looks to finish off its four-game Western Conference road swing undefeated following victories at Portland, Sacramento, and Phoenix. The Celtics rallied to beat the Blazers and Kings after trailing at halftime, while holding off the Suns on Sunday night, 102-94. Boston failed to cash as 10-point favorites, while rookie forward Jayson Tatum paced the Celtics with 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting.

          The Jazz (42-32 SU, 39-35 ATS) have posted an incredible run since late January by winning 23 of their last 27 games. Three losses have come to upper-tier Western Conference competition (Portland, Houston, and San Antonio), while slipping up last week against Atlanta as 14-point home favorites. Utah crushed a short-handed Golden State squad on Sunday, 110-91 as 8 ½-point road favorites, led by Donovan Mitchell’s 21 points as all five Jazz starters put up double-figures.

          In their first matchup this season at TD Garden, the Jazz ripped the Celtics, 107-95 as 4 ½-point underdogs in mid-December. Utah knocked down 13 three-pointers, while guard Ricky Rubio scored 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting to give the Jazz their first victory at Boston since March 2008.

          These teams are going in different directions from a totals standpoint, as the Celtics have cashed the UNDER in five of the past six games, while the Jazz are currently on a 4-1 OVER run. Since late December, Brad Stevens’ club owns a 9-2 ATS record as an underdog, while Utah is 4-7 ATS in the last 11 home contests.

          Cleveland Clunker

          For some reason, the Cavaliers (44-30 SU, 26-47-1 ATS) can’t win in Miami. Cleveland’s losing streak at American Airlines Arena reached 14 straight in Tuesday’s 98-79 setback to Miami, while the Cavaliers are 0-7 SU and 1-6 ATS in south Florida since LeBron James returned to Cleveland in 2014. Kevin Love suffered a concussion after getting elbowed in the first quarter on Tuesday, as the Cavs had their four-game winning streak snapped.

          Cleveland travels to Charlotte with no rest to take on a streaking Hornets’ (34-41 SU, 32-39-4 ATS) squad. Even though the effort seems too little, too late for Charlotte, Steve Clifford’s team has won four straight games, coming off Monday’s overtime triumph over New York. Granted, the Hornets have beaten four lottery teams in this stretch, but Charlotte has compiled a 6-2 record in its last eight home contests.

          The Cavaliers have owned the Hornets through the years by capturing eight consecutive meetings, including a pair of wins earlier this season in November. The number to keep an eye on is the 10-1 mark to the UNDER the Cavaliers possess when playing with no rest, as tonight’s total opened at 227 ½.

          Minnesota Mess

          Things aren’t going right at the worst possible time for the Timberwolves (42-33 SU, 33-40-2 ATS), who have dropped four of their last six games. Minnesota has slipped to the eighth seed in the Western Conference, which would pit them against Houston in the opening round of the playoffs (Wolves are 0-4 vs. the Rockets this season).

          The Wolves suffered probably their most humiliating loss of the season on Monday by dropping a 101-93 decision to the Grizzlies as 13 ½-point favorites. Memphis entered that contest on a dreadful 1-23 run in its previous 24 games, while limiting Minnesota to below 100 points at home for the first time since December 10.

          The Hawks (21-53 SU, 35-37-2 ATS) finish up their six-game road swing following three straight double-digit defeats at Sacramento, Golden State, and Houston. Leading scorer Dennis Schroder sat out two of those losses with an ankle injury and is unlikely to play tonight. Atlanta upset Minnesota at Philips Arena in late January, 105-100 as six-point home underdogs, while seeking its second road win in the last 12 tries.

          Continue to Blaze


          Portland (46-28 SU, 42-27-5 ATS) remained red-hot by rallying past New Orleans on Tuesday, 107-103 to cash as 1 ½-point road favorites. Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 41 points, while Portland limited New Orleans to 4-of-24 shooting from three-point range. The Blazers improved to 15-2 SU/ATS the last 17 games, to go along with a 7-0 SU and 6-1 ATS mark in the past seven games away from the Moda Center.

          Lillard is unavailable tonight at Memphis as he returns home for the birth of his child. The Grizzlies (20-54 SU, 30-42-2 ATS) seek consecutive wins for the first time since mid-January following Monday’s upset of Minnesota. The road team has won each of the first two meetings this season, as the Blazers knocked off the Grizzlies, 100-92 at FedEx Forum in late November.
          Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

          Comment


          • Playoffs are Wide Open
            March 26, 2018


            For basically the entire season, the NBA has tried to pretend that there were real threats to the Golden State Warriors while simultaneously admitting that the champions were going to repeat. But now things have dramatically changed with the Curry injury. Stephen Curry is about to miss the next 3-4 weeks, and is out of the first round.

            The issue is that this speaks to a longer, unavoidable problem for the Warriors.

            Kevin Durant is probably going to be back next week just in time for a playoff tune-up, Draymond should be on the floor this week and Klay Thompson’s broken thumb should be ok by next week as well. Curry is slated for a comeback in Round 2 of the playoffs.

            There’s no sense in rushing Steph Curry back from an sprained MCL. That’s not the type of injury that is career threatening, but it can absolutely put the other, more important parts of the body at risk. I’m not just talking about the ACL – the groin, everything in the lower body, the ankles and hips would all be in jeopardy if Curry came back too soon simply by virtue of how he moves on the court.

            Golden State’s problem isn’t Curry’s MCL, which will be fine. It’s the Houston Rockets. They’re the only real threat in the playoffs, but the absence of Curry is obviously huge. The Warriors with Curry was championship worthy, but once they added Kevin Durant it was game over. Durant is clearly good enough to win a series with this supporting cast (and probably talented enough to win it without them) but returning to the Western Conference Finals at full strength is priority one.

            The remaining slate for the Warriors is a smattering of teams of different strengths. In other words, it’s a great opportunity for the Warriors to groom some bench players in order to gain some confidence heading in to a first round game against God-knows-who. They could honestly play anyone from Portland to Denver. Grading the probably Western Conference playoff seeds is a whole other matter entirely.

            But looking at Golden State from an optimistic point belies the reality of what’s happening to them. They are run down and the breadth of their success over the years is starting to catch up to them. We’ve seen this happen to countless teams from the Miami Heat to the New England Patriots to the Chicago Blackhawks. No matter how legendary a team is, you can’t avoid the pitfall of accumulated fatigue. Extended seasons just have a way of adding up.

            This is especially alarming given that everyone in the starting lineup for Golden State is not only hurt, but in their physical prime. Aside from Draymond ironically getting busted in the pelvis by Joe Karma, it’s becoming obvious that the Warriors are simply wearing out physically. That doesn’t mean that they won’t recover from their assortment of ailments, but it does mean that they’re prone to getting re-injured.

            We’ve also seen the Warriors fight through mental fatigue, with Steve Kerr famously “not coaching” a game because his voice wasn’t being heard. It was a strategy that worked and I’m not one to criticize Kerr because I’m a huge supporter of his coaching style, but it was the necessary ************ for the first real symptom of stress accumulation.

            Mental fatigue, injuries, some in-fighting…all of this stuff is basically the product of teams being too successful for too long. You’re constantly playing an extra 15 to 30 games in the post season at the highest level possible, spending a lot more time together under intense circumstances while also being scrutinized by the public in general, which includes the media. Championship windows start closing the second that they’re open. How long that takes depends on infrastructure and luck.

            You can’t just write off Golden State due to this whole fatigue thing, but it’s emerging in symptomatic ways that suddenly make the playoffs a lot more interesting. The Warriors can definitely win with duct tape, but suddenly the gap between them and the rest of the contenders is shrinking. So who’s worth the gamble?

            Houston Rockets +175 to win the NBA Championship

            I spend an unusual amount of time bagging the Rockets for continually ignoring the fact that they are always “that team” in the playoffs – the one that’s incredible and then flames out in the playoffs because they can’t paly defence or Harden runs out of gas. All this being said, Houston is a terrific pick to win the title if Golden State can’t keep up. But they’re just as vulnerable to getting picked off by the Trail Blazers or some hot team in a series. I love the probability here from a cold hearted statistical point of view, but I don’t love the overall value.

            Cleveland Cavaliers +600 to win the NBA Championship

            Two weeks ago, I’d have said “forget it”, but that was before LeBron James morphed in to the devourer of worlds again. James is playing at an MVP level and is once again that end-to-end superhero that players don’t want to step in front of. He murdered the Toronto Raptors in their last meeting in a stark reminder of what he’s capable of. The team around him is pretty lame, but we all know that. That’s how important LeBron James is. These odds haven’t really moved that much since the trade deadline, but their appeal has improved tremendously with LeBron somehow peaking like a super Saiyan.

            Toronto Raptors +1200 to win the NBA Championship

            Yes they’re good enough to win, but the memory of them getting capsized by LeBron single handedly is still fresh in the memory banks. The advantage they’ll have in the playoffs is homecourt through the Eastern Conference part. The Raptors are also very healthy, very deep and have discovered a new identity.

            Speaking on that, what Toronto has done well through the season is learn how to play “their” game. They have been routinely ousted in the playoffs by reducing their standard to the level of their competition. More often than not, Toronto walks in as a team on the rise, and they play as if they’re in a 50-50 fight. It’s why so many of us don’t believe that they can close out a series against a great team. But this year has been different. The feeling around the franchise is much more aggressive, as if expectations are high.

            Toronto is no longer satisfied to be the “happy to be here” team. Great value, you just have to get past the idea of them being able to beat the one guy they’ve never, ever been able to handle.

            Oklahoma City Thunder +3300


            The Thunder live and die on the ability to out work their opponents, which is probably a byproduct of Russell Westbrook. They don’t grade out as a specifically great offensive or defensive team. What they do grade out as is a fantastic hustle team – tops in loose ball recovery and deflections. If you’re looking for a really long shot to turn a little in to a lot, then they’re probably not it. I’d honeslty rather bet on…

            Portland Trail Blazers or San Antonio Spurs +4000

            Both of these teams have really sharp value and are absolutely worth an investment depending on who you prefer. The Blazers are peaking right now, having just trounced the Thunder and paced with the Rockets in a thriller. And we’re they’re fantastic is in opponent field goal percentage, a kitchen sink stat that routinely identifies teams that no how to force bad shots. That’s a huge factor for a team that also has Damian Lillard playing at “second half MVP” level. It’s never been inconceivable for the Blazers to compete at the top level, we just often forget about them because of the lack of star power. But they can bang with anyone and are closing out the season as if they’re convinced that they can take the whole conference.

            San Antonio is basically the tricked out minivan of the whole NBA futures board. You know they’re going to get the job done, that they’re reliable and that there’s a guy at the helm in Pop who just knows what buttons to press. LaMarcus Aldridge has been nothing short of brilliant this entire season, and if the players are urging Kawhi to try and come back it’s because they all believe that he can. Manu and Parker would’ve kyboshed that team meeting if there was even an inkling that he wasn’t ready to compete.

            One of the reasons to bet away from San Antonio is the fact that it’s impossible to predict if Kawhi is going to be mentally ready to unleash his incredible, octopus powers on the NBA. And even if he regains his confidence thanks to a few great games, there’s no telling if his body is really in playoff shape or if it will hold up.

            Injuries get in your head as an athlete, and this applies to every level. That’s why the NBA playoffs have suddenly become interesting. Just ask Golden State.
            Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

            Comment


            • Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

              Odds to win next week’s Masters:

              10-1: Woods, Johnson, Thomas, McIlroy

              12-1: Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose

              14-1: Bubba Watson

              16-1: Jason Day, Phil Mickelson

              18-1: Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm

              25-1: Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey


              **********

              Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: 13 of my favorite sports movies…….

              I do this list once a year or so; feel free to make your own list.

              13) Major League— Still maintain that Bob Uecker should’ve won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Harry Doyle, the Indians’ radio announcer. To this day, when a pitcher throws a really terrible pitch to the backstop, chances are the TV guy will say “….juuuust a biiiit outside…” like Harry Doyle did when Wild Thing Vaughn was on the mound.

              12) He Got Game— The only Spike Lee movie I’ve ever seen; its a good one, with Denzel Washington getting released from prison by warden Ned Beatty, on one condition— that he can get his son (Ray Allen) to play basketball at the warden’s alma mater, Big State.

              Anyone who was surprised by Louisville’s problems last year didn’t see this movie.

              11) Rocky— If only they hadn’t made all those awful sequels. Rocky is a classic; a fighter down on his luck gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to fight for the heavyweight title back when boxing was a big thing. If you’re at a game in Philly now and they cue up the Rocky music, people still get fired up— its pretty cool.

              10) Hoosiers— I’ve had this argument with a friend of mine for years, that Norman Dale was a horrible coach saved only by Jimmy Chitwood not missing a shot in the whole damn movie. Hickory High finished the first game he coached with four guys on the court; even his assistant coach, who wound up in alcohol rehab, knew enough to always give Jimmy the ball when it mattered. They did nail the scene at the end when Hickory wins the state title.

              9) Any Given Sunday— Lawrence Taylor and Jim Brown as actors? Yes!!! Al Pacino coaches his Miami Sharks against four teams, all coached by NFL Hall of Famers.

              8) Moneyball— The good guys lose in the end, but not before they win 20 games in a row and surprisingly make the playoffs. I won’t embarrass myself by telling you how many times I’ve seen this movie, but if you guess, chances are your guess is too low.

              7) Bull Durham— Pitching coach Robert Wuhl delivered this inspirational piece of advice on a visit to the mound:

              “……candlesticks always make a nice gift, and uh, maybe you could find out where she’s registered and maybe a place-setting or maybe a silverware pattern. Okay, let’s get two!”

              6) Friday Night Lights— Of all the sports movies, Billy Bob Thornton does the best job of portraying a coach, in this case a west Texas high school football coach who gets his best player KO’d for the season by leaving him in a blowout too long. The townspeople aren’t pleased.

              5) Blue Chips— Nick Nolte did his research for this by hanging out with Bob Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers for a year, so the thrown chairs and punted balls make more sense. Jerry Tarkanian’s cameo and Bob Cousy’s portrayal of the school’s AD are the underrated parts of this movie.

              4) Invincible— True story about Vince Papale, who was a 30-year old bartender that tried out for and wound up playing special teams for the Eagles for three years in the 70’s. Mark Wahlberg plays Papale; Greg Kinnear plays Dick Vermeil.

              3) Fast Break— Gabe Kaplan’s character quits his job in a New York City deli to become the basketball coach at a small Nevada college. The team he puts together is interesting- Bernard King and Michael Warren are two of the players.

              2) One on One— Robby Benson plays a flashy small school point guard who gets recruited by a big time college program, but once he gets on campus, the coach thinks he made a mistake and tries to run him off the team.

              1— For Love of the Game— Kevin Costner pitches for the Tigers, but is at the end of his career. JK Simmons is his manager; John C O’Reilly his catcher, Kelly Preston his girlfriend. Vin Scully is in effect the narrator of the movie.
              Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

              Comment


              • NBA
                Long Sheet

                Thursday, March 29


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

                WASHINGTON (41 - 33) at DETROIT (34 - 40) - 3/29/2018, 7:05 PM
                There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

                Head-to-Head Series History
                WASHINGTON is 8-2 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
                WASHINGTON is 8-2 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
                5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

                CHICAGO (24 - 50) at MIAMI (40 - 35) - 3/29/2018, 7:35 PM
                Top Trends for this game.
                CHICAGO is 11-23 ATS (-14.3 Units) in road games after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
                MIAMI is 88-65 ATS (+16.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
                MIAMI is 36-19 ATS (+15.1 Units) in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
                MIAMI is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
                MIAMI is 46-29 ATS (+14.1 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
                MIAMI is 31-17 ATS (+12.3 Units) off an upset win as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
                MIAMI is 42-27 ATS (+12.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
                MIAMI is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
                CHICAGO is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) against Southeast division opponents this season.
                MIAMI is 93-124 ATS (-43.4 Units) in home games after allowing 85 points or less since 1996.

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

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

                OKLAHOMA CITY (44 - 31) at SAN ANTONIO (43 - 32) - 3/29/2018, 8:05 PM
                There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

                Head-to-Head Series History
                OKLAHOMA CITY is 10-6 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
                OKLAHOMA CITY is 9-7 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
                11 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

                INDIANA (44 - 31) at SACRAMENTO (24 - 51) - 3/29/2018, 10:05 PM
                Top Trends for this game.
                INDIANA is 43-32 ATS (+7.8 Units) in all games this season.
                INDIANA is 24-11 ATS (+11.9 Units) as a favorite this season.
                INDIANA is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.

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

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

                MILWAUKEE (39 - 35) at GOLDEN STATE (54 - 20) - 3/29/2018, 10:35 PM
                There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

                Head-to-Head Series History
                MILWAUKEE is 3-2 against the spread versus GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
                GOLDEN STATE is 4-1 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
                3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




                NBA
                Armadillo's Write-Up

                Thursday, March 29


                Wizards won eight of last ten games with Detroit; over is 5-2 in last seven series games. Washington is 4-1 vs spread in its last five visits to the Motor City. Wizards lost three of their last four games; they’re 2-6 vs spread in last eight games, 1-3 in last four on road. Three of their last four games stayed under. Pistons won four of last five games; they covered last four games as a home favorite. Under is 6-3 in their last nine games.

                Miami won three of last four games with Chicago; under is 5-2 in last seven series games. Bulls are 2-2 vs spread in last four visits to South Beach. Chicago lost its last six games (1-5 vs spread); they’re 2-11 in last 13 games as road underdogs. Over is 5-2 in their last seven games. Miami won four of its last six games; they’re 7-1 in last eight games as home favorites. Over is 5-3-1 in their last nine games.

                Thunder won six of last nine games with the Spurs; OKC is 1-2 vs spread in last three visits to the Alamo. Five of last six series games stayed under. Oklahoma City won seven of its last nine games; they’re 0-2-1 vs spread in their last three games, all of which stayed under total. Spurs won their last six home games, covering last six games as home favorites. San Antonio’s last three games all went over.

                Pacers won their last three games with the Kings; they’re 3-2 vs spread in last five visits here. Five of last six series games stayed under. Indiana won four of its last five games; they’re 7-4 as road favorites this season. Under is 8-2 in their last ten games. Sacramento lost four of its last five games; they’re 4-11 vs spread in last 15 games as home underdogs. Kings’ last four games stayed under the total.

                Golden State won eight of last nine games with Milwaukee; Bucks are 5-3 vs spread in last eight. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Milwaukee is 3-4 in its last seven games; they’re 7-2 as a road favorite this season. Eight of their last nine games went over total. Warriors lost six of their last nine games- they have big injury issues, are 0-2 as home underdogs. Six of their last eight games stayed under total.
                Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                Comment


                • NBA

                  Thursday, March 29


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

                  WASHINGTON @ DETROIT
                  Washington is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Detroit
                  Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Detroit
                  Detroit is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
                  Detroit is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games

                  CHICAGO @ MIAMI
                  The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 7 games when playing on the road against Miami
                  The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Chicago's last 15 games when playing Miami
                  Miami is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
                  Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

                  OKLAHOMA CITY @ SAN ANTONIO
                  The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 6 games when playing San Antonio
                  Oklahoma City is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
                  San Antonio is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
                  San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

                  INDIANA @ SACRAMENTO
                  The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Indiana's last 8 games on the road
                  The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Indiana's last 15 games
                  The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Sacramento's last 9 games at home
                  The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Sacramento's last 6 games when playing Indiana

                  MILWAUKEE @ GOLDEN STATE
                  The total has gone OVER in 8 of Milwaukee's last 9 games
                  Milwaukee is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Golden State
                  Golden State is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Milwaukee
                  The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Golden State's last 8 games at home
                  Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                  Comment


                  • NBA
                    Dunkel

                    Thursday, March 29



                    Washington @ Detroit

                    Game 701-702
                    March 29, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

                    Dunkel Rating:
                    Washington
                    119.083
                    Detroit
                    122.545
                    Dunkel Team:
                    Dunkel Line:
                    Dunkel Total:
                    Detroit
                    by 3 1/2
                    205
                    Vegas Team:
                    Vegas Line:
                    Vegas Total:
                    Detroit
                    by 1
                    210
                    Dunkel Pick:
                    Detroit
                    (-1); Under

                    Chicago @ Miami


                    Game 703-704
                    March 29, 2018 @ 7:30 pm

                    Dunkel Rating:
                    Chicago
                    103.988
                    Miami
                    122.635
                    Dunkel Team:
                    Dunkel Line:
                    Dunkel Total:
                    Miami
                    by 18 1/2
                    215
                    Vegas Team:
                    Vegas Line:
                    Vegas Total:
                    Miami
                    by 13
                    209 1/2
                    Dunkel Pick:
                    Miami
                    (-13); Over

                    Oklahoma City @ San Antonio


                    Game 705-706
                    March 29, 2018 @ 8:00 pm

                    Dunkel Rating:
                    Oklahoma City
                    120.894
                    San Antonio
                    121.774
                    Dunkel Team:
                    Dunkel Line:
                    Dunkel Total:
                    San Antonio
                    by 1
                    202
                    Vegas Team:
                    Vegas Line:
                    Vegas Total:
                    Oklahoma City
                    by 2
                    207 1/2
                    Dunkel Pick:
                    San Antonio
                    (+2); Under

                    Indiana @ Sacramento


                    Game 707-708
                    March 29, 2018 @ 10:00 pm

                    Dunkel Rating:
                    Indiana
                    119.540
                    Sacramento
                    115.573
                    Dunkel Team:
                    Dunkel Line:
                    Dunkel Total:
                    Indiana
                    by 4
                    209
                    Vegas Team:
                    Vegas Line:
                    Vegas Total:
                    Indiana
                    by 8
                    203
                    Dunkel Pick:
                    Sacramento
                    (+8); Over

                    Milwaukee @ Golden State


                    Game 709-710
                    March 29, 2018 @ 10:30 pm

                    Dunkel Rating:
                    Milwaukee
                    115.304
                    Golden State
                    122.785
                    Dunkel Team:
                    Dunkel Line:
                    Dunkel Total:
                    Golden State
                    by 7 1/2
                    219
                    Vegas Team:
                    Vegas Line:
                    Vegas Total:
                    Golden State
                    by 4 1/2
                    215 1/2
                    Dunkel Pick:
                    Golden State
                    (-4 1/2); Over
                    Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                    Comment


                    • Thursday's Tip Sheet
                      March 29, 2018

                      Game of the Night: Thunder at Spurs – 8:05 PM EST

                      San Antonio (43-32 SU, 39-34-2 ATS) is red-hot at home by winning seven consecutive games at AT&T Center. However, the Spurs look to bounce back from a two-game skid following road defeats at Milwaukee and Washington this week. In Tuesday’s contest in D.C., the Spurs led by three points after one quarter, but trailed by 14 points at halftime and lost to the Wizards, 116-106 as two-point favorites. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge suffered a left knee contusion in the loss and is questionable for Thursday.

                      The Thunder (44-31 SU, 31-43-1 ATS) rolled off six consecutive victories prior to dropping two of the last three games. Oklahoma City squandered a late six-point lead in a 100-99 setback at Boston last Tuesday, while falling at home to Portland on Sunday, 108-105 as four-point favorites. Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 23 points, but Paul George and Carmelo Anthony misfired on all 12 of their attempts from three-point range.

                      History would tell us that the Spurs and Thunder are on a collision course to meet in the postseason. These two squads hooked up in 2012, 2014, and 2016 in the playoffs, so if this even year trend continues, OKC will look to knock out San Antonio for the third time in the last seven seasons. It’s possible these teams can meet in the opening round as OKC enters Thursday’s action one game ahead of New Orleans and San Antonio for the fourth playoff position.

                      The Thunder will be seeking the key series victory with a win tonight as Billy Donovan’s team has captured two of the first three matchups. San Antonio defeated Oklahoma City in mid-November as 1 ½-point home underdogs, 104-101, but the Thunder bounced back with a pair of home victories, including a 104-94 triumph as four-point favorites in March.

                      Welcome Back, KD

                      The beat-up Warriors (54-20 SU, 31-42-1 ATS) will be getting back a pair of their stars tonight as Kevin Durant and Draymond Green are expected to return to the lineup. Durant has missed the previous six games with a rib injury, while Green has sat out the last three contests. Golden State is fresh off back-to-back home losses to Utah and Indiana, while posting only 11 fourth quarter points in Tuesday’s 92-81 setback to the Pacers.

                      The Bucks (39-35 SU, 29-40-5 ATS) travel to the Bay Area off a 105-98 defeat to the Clippers on Monday to tip off their four-game western swing. Milwaukee’s modest two-game winning streak came to an end in spite of Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring a game-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Milwaukee is looking to avoid consecutive road losses for the first time since November, while trying to avenge a 108-94 home loss to Golden State in January.

                      Motor City Sweep?

                      The Wizards (41-33 SU, 34-39-1 ATS) have had their way with the Pistons this season by winning all three matchups. Following a pair of home victories in November and December, Washington rallied past Detroit at Little Caesars Arena, 122-112 in mid-January to improve to 5-1 in the series since the start of last season.

                      Washington ended a three-game slide on Tuesday in a 116-106 home underdog victory over San Antonio. The Wizards shot 54% from the floor as seven players finished in double-figures, although guard Bradley Beal was limited to seven points in the win. Although the Wizards covered on Tuesday, Scott Brooks’ club owns a 3-8-1 ATS mark the last 11 games, including an 0-3 ATS ledger in the past three away from Capital One Arena.

                      The Pistons (34-40 SU, 35-37-2 ATS) are running out of time to catch the Bucks for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Detroit sits five games out of the final playoff position with eight games remaining, although the Pistons are coming off consecutive home victories over the Bulls and Lakers. Stan Van Gundy’s squad has performed well against the number recently by posting an 8-2 ATS mark the last 10 games, while covering five straight at Little Caesars Arena.

                      Packing it In

                      The race for the worst record in the NBA is heating up down the stretch as plenty of teams aren’t putting their best foot forward. Chicago (24-50 SU, 37-36-1 ATS) won’t finish with the worst mark in the league, but the Bulls are in full-tank mode by losing 14 of their last 18 games, while dropping five straight by double-digits.

                      The Bulls are heavy ‘dogs against the Heat (40-35 SU, 38-31-6 ATS), who are coming off a 98-79 blowout of the Cavaliers on Tuesday. Miami moved to 10-1 in the last 11 home games, including eight covers in the favorite role. Center Hassan Whiteside is expected back in the Heat lineup after missing the last eight games with a hip injury (5-3 SU, 4-3-1 ATS). Miami has failed to cover in three meetings with Chicago this season, as the Bulls won the last matchup, 119-111 in January.

                      Setting the Pace

                      Philadelphia and Indiana are battling it out for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference as the 76ers have won eight straight games. However, the Pacers (44-31 SU, 43-32 ATS) are right behind with three consecutive victories, coming off Tuesday’s 11-point triumph over the Warriors. Victor Oladipo paced Indiana with 24 points, as the Pacers cashed the UNDER for the fourth time in the last five games.

                      Indiana continues its four-game road swing in Sacramento as the Kings (24-51 SU, 35-37-3 ATS) look to snap a two-game skid. Sacramento fell apart in the second half of Sunday’s loss to Boston, while the Kings dropped a 103-97 decision to the Mavericks on Tuesday to finish UNDER the total for the fourth straight game. The Kings have won three consecutive games off back-to-back losses, while owning a 7-2 record in their last nine in the underdog role.
                      Last edited by StarDust Bum; 03-29-2018, 02:25 PM.
                      Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                      Comment


                      • Hoop Trends - Thursday
                        March 29, 2018

                        ATS TREND OF THE DAY:

                        -- The Bulls are 0-11 ATS (-6.59 ppg) on the road with rest after they had at least 5 turnovers more than their season-to-date average last game.

                        OU TREND OF THE DAY:

                        -- The Pistons are 16-0-1 OU (10.59 ppg) at home off a win as a home favorite in which they scored fewer than 10 fast break points.

                        PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:

                        -- The Pacers are 0-11 OU (-16.23 ppg) on the road after Victor Oladipo was their high scorer last game.

                        CHOICE TREND:

                        -- The Wizards are 11-0 OU (16.64 ppg) coming off a 10+ point win as a dog in which they shot over 50% from the field.

                        ACTIVE TRENDS:

                        -- The Bucks are 0-11 ATS (-7.09 ppg) with rest coming off a game as a dog.

                        -- The Bucks are 10-0 OU (19.35 ppg) after Eric Bledsoe had at least 5 turnovers last game.
                        Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                        Comment


                        • THURSDAY, MARCH 29
                          GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

                          WAS at DET 07:00 PM
                          DET +1.5
                          O 208.5

                          CHI at MIA 07:30 PM
                          CHI +13.0
                          U 208.5

                          OKC at SA 08:00 PM
                          SA +4.0
                          U 208.0

                          IND at SAC 10:00 PM
                          SAC +8.0
                          U 202.5

                          MIL at GS 10:30 PM
                          MIL +5.0
                          U 215.0
                          Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                          Comment


                          • Spurs beat OKC, now 4th in West
                            March 29, 2018

                            SAN ANTONIO (AP) LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs held off the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-99 on Thursday night to climb back into fourth place in the Western Conference.

                            San Antonio matched Oklahoma City at 44-32 in jumping two spots in the standings. The Thunder are fifth, a half-game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans.

                            Aldridge scored 19 points in the first half, then drove past Steven Adams for a dunk and a three-point lead with 52 seconds left as the Spurs snapped a two-game slide.

                            Paul George led Oklahoma City with 26 points and had six assists. Russell Westbrook added 19 points and 11 assists, but had a pair of 3-pointer miss the rim and land out of bounds in the final minutes.

                            BUCKS 116, WARRIORS 107

                            OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points, Kevin Durant's return from a rib injury ended early with a second-quarter ejection, and Milwaukee beat Golden State.

                            The Bucks beat the Warriors for just the second time in their past 10 meetings and stayed five games ahead of Detroit for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

                            Sidelined by a fractured rib the previous six games, Durant argued after no foul was called on a drive through three defenders. Official Tre Maddox whistled him for a technical foul, then gave him another and tossed him with 2.4 seconds left. Khris Middleton converted two free throws to cap an 11-0 run that gave Milwaukee a 58-49 halftime lead.

                            Still without Stephen Curry (ankle sprain) and Klay Thompson (broken thumb), the Warriors lost their third straight game and seventh in their past 10 outings. Houston clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and Golden State fell a game behind East-leading Toronto for the NBA's second-best record.

                            PISTONS 103, WIZARDS 92

                            DETROIT (AP) - Andre Drummond scored 24 points and pulled down 23 rebounds, and Detroit beat Washington for its fifth win in six games.

                            The Pistons remained five games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the last Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Bucks won at the Golden State Warriors later on Thursday.

                            Detroit was missing power forward Blake Griffin, who was a late scratch with an ankle contusion. Griffin is averaging 19.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 25 games since joining Detroit late January.

                            Anthony Tolliver, starting for Griffin, scored 14 points, while Reggie Jackson finished with 13 points and eight assists.

                            Bradley Beal had 15 points for Washington and Kelly Oubre added 14. The Wizards have lost four of five.

                            HEAT 103, BULLS 92

                            MIAMI (AP) - Josh Richardson scored 22 points, Goran Dragic added 17 and Miami trimmed its magic number for clinching a playoff berth to one by topping Chicago.

                            Justise Winslow scored 13 points and Kelly Olynyk finished with 11 for the Heat (41-35), who've won a season-best eight consecutive home games and moved within a half-game of Washington for the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

                            The Heat need one more win or one more Detroit loss to wrap up their 20th postseason trip in 30 seasons. The Pistons are in New York on Saturday, in a game that should be over before the start of Miami's home game against Brooklyn.

                            Bulls center Robin Lopez was ejected after picking up a pair of technicals with 8:43 remaining, ending his 13-point, six-rebound night. The Bulls dropped their seventh straight, making this the third losing streak that lasted at least that long for Chicago this season.

                            PACERS 106, KINGS 103

                            SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Victor Oladipo scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, including a pair of free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining, and Indiana held on to beat Sacramento.

                            Bojan Bogdanovic had 25 points, Thaddeus Young added 18 points and eight rebounds, and Darren Collison finished with eight points and nine assists against his former team to help the Pacers extend their winning streak to four.

                            Indiana remained percentage points behind fourth-place Philadelphia in the East.

                            Cyclone fences were erected around Golden1 Center and extra members of law enforcement in riot gear were lined up outside the arena in anticipation of a possible third day of protests over the fatal police shooting of Stephon Adams, an unarmed 22-year-old African-American who was shot in his grandparents' backyard on March 18 as police searched for a person suspected of attempting to break into several homes.
                            Last edited by StarDust Bum; 03-30-2018, 03:11 AM.
                            Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                            Comment


                            • SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY MARCH 30, 2018
                              Time (ET) Away Home Site
                              7:00 PM Chicago Bulls Orlando Magic Amway Center
                              7:30 PM Philadelphia 76ers Atlanta Hawks Philips Arena
                              8:00 PM Denver Nuggets Oklahoma City Thunder Chesapeake Energy Arena
                              8:00 PM New Orleans Pelicans Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena
                              8:00 PM Phoenix Suns Houston Rockets Toyota Center
                              8:30 PM Minnesota Timberwolves Dallas Mavericks American Airlines Center
                              9:00 PM Memphis Grizzlies Utah Jazz Vivint Smart Home Arena
                              10:30 PM Los Angeles Clippers Portland Trail Blazers Moda Center at the Rose Quarter
                              10:30 PM Milwaukee Bucks Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center


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

                              DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

                              03/29/2018 7-3-0 70.00% +18.50
                              03/27/2018 7-9-0 43.75% -145.0
                              03/26/2018 5-5-0 50.00% -250
                              03/25/2018 5-12-1 29.41% -4100
                              03/24/2018 5-7-0 41.67% -1350
                              03/23/2018 4-15-1 21.05% -6250
                              03/22/2018 10-2-0 83.33% +3900
                              03/21/2018 8-7-1 53.33% +150
                              03/20/2018 9-5-0 64.29% +1750
                              03/19/2018 10-6-0 62.50% +1700
                              03/18/2018 3-5-0 37.50% -12.50
                              03/17/2018 9-13-0 40.91% -26.50
                              03/16/2018 4-8-0 33.33% -24.00
                              03/15/2018 5-13-0 27.78% -46.50
                              03/14/2018 3-5-0 37.50% -12.50
                              03/13/2018 13-8-0 61.90% +21.00
                              03/12/2018 3-3-0 50.00% -1.50
                              03/11/2018 10-8-0 55.56% +6.00
                              03/10/2018 7-3-0 70.00% +18.50
                              03/09/2018 13-7-0 65.00% +26.50
                              03/08/2018 4-6-0 40.00% -13.00
                              03/07/2018 4-10-0 28.57% -35.00
                              03/06/2018 7-7-1 50.00% -3.50
                              03/05/2018 7-7-0 50.00% -3.50
                              03/04/2018 5-9-0 35.71% -24.50
                              03/03/2018 10-4-0 71.43% +28.00
                              03/02/2018 9-10-0 47.37% -10.00
                              03/01/2018 6-2-0 83.00% +19.00


                              Totals...........182 - 199......48.57%....- 94.50
                              Last edited by StarDust Bum; 03-30-2018, 03:22 AM.
                              Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                              Comment


                              • Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

                                Opening Day attendance figures:

                                — Cubs @ Marlins: 32,151 (mostly Cub fans)

                                — Cardinals @ Mets: 44,189, including Phil/Evan Pivnick

                                — Twins @ Orioles: 45,469

                                — Astros @ Rangers: 47,253

                                — Red Sox @ Rays: 31,042

                                — Angels @ A’s: 27,764. Hey the A’s are tied for first place. This was their first daytime home opener since 1994.

                                **********

                                Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Wrapping up Opening Day and other stuff

                                13) I used to be a minor league official scorer, long time ago (back when I had hair); if I kept score of games today, I’d code the field 3-9 instead of players, to account for shifting in the field.

                                For instance, Houston used four OF’s vs Joey Gallo Thursday; he flied out to 3B Alex Bregman, who was playing in left field. Traditional scoring would say F5, since Bregman plays 3B, but I’d say F7, since Gallo hit the ball to left field.

                                I’d supplement my scorebook with written notes on who actually caught the ball, but thats how I’d score a game now. Just think it would be more accurate.

                                12) Rays 6, Red Sox 4— Chris Sale allowed no runs, one hit in six IP (92 PT), then the Boston bullpen blew the lead in the 8th inning, allowing four walks, two hits, with Denard Span’s 3-run triple the big hit.

                                11) Dodger TV guy Joe Davis said there were 90 mound visits (90!!!) in Game 7 of the World Series last year. the limit this year will be six per team; ummm, thats a little different.

                                10) Cubs 8, Marlins 4- Roof was open at Marlins’ Park Thursday; it was open for six home games out of 78 LY and Miami was 0-6 in those games. Marlins are not a MLB-quality team right now- they’re going to lose a lot of games.

                                For the record, Ian Happ was the first batter this season and he hit a home run.

                                9) If you care about such things, Josh Donaldson led MLB last year, 15 1st-inning homers. Giancarlo Stanton was next, with 14. Stanton hit one in the first inning in Toronto Thursday, and then he hit another one in the 9th inning.

                                8) Astros 4, Rangers 1— When Joey Gallo batted with bases empty, Houston played four guys in OF with no fielders on left side of the infield. Actually, Altuve was in the OF too, in short RF, so they had five guys in the outfield.

                                7) McDonald’s All-American Darius Bazley decommitted from Syracuse, becoming the first top high school prospect to choose turning pro in the G League, where he’ll make $26,000, instead of spending a few months in college. Maybe he’ll get a small shoe contract.

                                Bazley is a 6-9 kid from the Cincinnati area; he’ll sign a pro contract when he turns 18 in June. Big gamble on his part— if he were to get hurt, then what? If he gets hurt in college, he’s still in college and has the school’s resources at his disposal. He won’t be property of an NBA team next year, just the G-League team. He’ll be eligible for the 2019 NBA Draft.

                                6) White Sox 11, Royals 4— Matt Davidson hit three homers for Chicago; maybe I should’ve picked him up in my fantasy league, back when he was available. Whoops.

                                5) RIP Rusty Staub 73, who played 23 years in the big leagues, breaking in with the Houston Colt .45’s in 1963. Le Grand Orange, as he was known in Montreal, made six All-Star teams and had a career OB% of .362 with 292 career homers. He owned a popular restaurant in Manhattan for years after he retired from playing.

                                Think about how times have changed; in 1963, there was a baseball team named after a gun and an NBA team called the Baltimore Bullets.

                                4) Braves 8, Phillies 5— Phils led this game 5-2 in 8th, but Atlanta rallied, and Nick Markakis hit a walk-off homer to send Braves fans home happy.

                                Atlanta catcher Tyler Flowers is the first player this season to leave a game with an injury— he suffered an oblique injury in the second inning.

                                3) Orioles 3, Twins 2 (11)— Not 100% sure, but Zach Duke may very well be the first pitcher ever to strike out four batters in an inning on Opening Day- he struck out four Orioles in the 7th inning.

                                Adam Jones hit a walk-off homer in the 11th inning to send everyone home happy, after Orioles blew a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning.

                                2) Brewers 2, Padres 1 (12)— Bill Schroeder is a former big league catcher who is a really good analyst; Padres had two on, one out in the 7th inning Thursday with Milwaukee leading 1-0, and Schroeder says more than once (three times??) that reliever Josh Hader can get Austin Hedges out with a slider, almost like he is trying to use telepathy to get him to throw it.

                                Eventually, Hader throws the slider and strikes Hedges out.

                                1— Louisville QB Lamar Jackson threw 59 passes, took snaps under center in front of reps from all 32 NFL teams Thursday, but he wouldn’t run a 40-yard dash, because everyone knows he is fast enough to play QB and he ain’t interested in being a wide receiver. Good for him.
                                Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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