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

[StarDust Bum]

NBA roundup: Butler leads Timberwolves over Thunder
October 27, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Jimmy Butler scored a season-high 25 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 119-116 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

Karl-Anthony Towns had season highs with 33 points and 19 rebounds, and Jeff Teague added 17 points and 10 assists for Minnesota, which beat Oklahoma City last Sunday on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Andrew Wiggins.

Wiggins chipped in 14 points on Friday, and Taj Gibson had his best game with the Timberwolves with 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting and eight rebounds.

Russell Westbrook had 27 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder, who have lost three of their past four games. Carmelo Anthony and Paul George each scored 23 points for Oklahoma City.

Nuggets 105, Hawks 100

ATLANTA -- The Denver Nuggets snapped a five-season losing streak in Atlanta, spoiling the Hawks' home opener and making a winner of Paul Millsap in his return to Philips Arena.

Milllsap scored seven of his 16 points down the stretch for the Nuggets, who won in Atlanta for the first time since March 16, 2011.

Gary Harris and Will Barton each had 18 points for the Nuggets, while Nikola Jokic also contributed 18 points and added 15 rebounds.

Knicks 107, Nets 86

NEW YORK -- Kristaps Porzingis scored 30 points as the New York Knicks pulled away in the third quarter and beat the Brooklyn Nets.

Porzingis helped the Knicks avoid their first 0-4 start since dropping the first five games of the 59-loss 2005-06 season by making 13 of 24 shots.

The third-year forward thrived against most defenders the Nets put on him, but seemed to do his best work against Rondae-Hollis Jefferson. He turned in his third 30-point game of the season as the Knicks rebounded from Tuesday's 110-89 loss at Boston.

Rockets 109, Hornets 93

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- James Harden had a triple-double with 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as the Houston Rockets pulled away late over the Charlotte Hornets.

The Rockets finished 22 of 57 from 3-point range, for 38.6 percent. They made six more 3-pointers than they did 2-pointers in the game.

The 57 3-point attempts were the second-most in a game in NBA history, just four shy of the 61 the Rockets attempted to set the record last year. They have now attempted 50 or more 11 times in the past two seasons.

Magic 114, Spurs 87

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Evan Fournier scored 25 points and the upstart Orlando Magic demolished the previously unbeaten San Antonio Spurs.

The Magic (4-1) started fast and never slowed. They led by 14 points after the first quarter, 27 at halftime and by 31 points after three periods. They led by as many as 36 midway in the third.

Magic reserve Jonathon Simmons, who played in San Antonio the past two seasons, had 17 points. Aaron Gordon scored 16 points and Nikola Vucevic 15 for the Magic.

[StarDust Bum]

Green, Beal ejected after fight during Wizards-Warriors game
October 28, 2017

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Golden State's Draymond Green and Washington's Bradley Beal were ejected after fighting beneath the Wizards' basket late in the first half of a game Friday night.

Beal held the front of Green's jersey with his left hand while grabbing Green around the jaw with his right. That enraged Green, who threw his right arm in frustration as other players joined the scrum.

Green had to be pulled away from the skirmish by Andre Iguodala and Warriors security personnel. Green was tossed after getting his second technical foul. The back of his uniform was torn from near his right shoulder down to his waist.

Green was hit with his first technical at the 8:05 mark of the second quarter for arguing a foul call.

The Wizards led the defending NBA champions 67-53 at intermission.

[StarDust Bum]

October NBA Best Bets And Opinions ( Based on 5 Units )

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

10/27/2017 8-6-0 57.14% +7.00
10/26/2017 1-7-0 12.50% -33.50
10/25/2017 11-7-0 61.11% +16.50
10/24/2017 7-5-0 58.33% +7.50
10/23/2017 8-6-1 57.14% +7.00
10/22/2017 4-2-0 66.67% +9.00
10/21/2017 8-9-1 47.06% -9.50
10/20/2017 7-10-0 41.18% -20.00
10/19/2017 4-2-0 66.67% +9.00
10/18/2017 8-10-0 44.44% -15.00
10/17/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50

Totals:.......69-65-2...51.49%..-7.50

Best Bets:

Date.................................ATS.......... .....Units.............Over/Under............Units

10/27/2017....................1 - 2.............-6.00.............. 3 - 1..................+9.50
10/26/2017....................0 - 2.............-11.00..............1 - 2..................-6.00
10/25/2017....................2 - 1.............+4.50...............4 - 3.................+3.50
10/24/2017....................1 - 3.............-11.50..............1 - 1..................-0.50
10/23/2017....................1 - 1.............-0.50................3 - 3..................-1.50
10/22/2017....................1 - 1.............-0.50................1 - 1..................-0.50
10/21/2017....................5 - 2............+15.00..............1 - 4..................-17.00
10/20/2017....................2 - 4.............-12.00..............1 - 1..................-1.00
10/19/2017....................2 - 1..............+4.50..............2 - 1..................+4.50
10/18/2017....................2 - 2..............-1.00...............1 - 4..................-17.00
10/17/2017....................1 - 0..............+5.00..............1 - 0..................+5.00

Totals.......................18 - 19...........-13.50...............19 - 21.................-21.00

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s six-pack
— Astros 5, Dodgers 3— Since 1903, Game 3 winner is 72-40 in winning that World Series.
— Air Force covered 6 of its last 7 games as a road underdog.
— Michigan beat Rutgers 78-0 last year; tomorrow is the rematch.
— Las Vegas 7, Colorado 0— NHL’s expansion Golden Knights are 8-1.
— Padres signed up former Phillies hitting coach Matt Stairs, a big addition.
— If Joe Maddon thinks his wingman Dave Martinez will be such a great manager, wouldn’t he prefer him getting a managing job in the American League?

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

Saturday’s List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here…..

13) I realize the NFL is a business, a very big business, but there have to be concerns for the owners other than simply squeezing every last dollar out of consumers.

At some point, the quality of play needs to be addressed, before it has a negative impact on the financial bottom line. My main point is this: most of these Thursday NFL games are terrible.

12) Football wasn’t meant to be played on three days’ rest, it just wasn’t. NFL should sacrifice its Thursday night TV package (except for Week 1 and Thanksgiving) for the sake of the players’ health, for the quality of TV programming they put on television. For their own bottom lines.

Let college teams have the spotlight on Thursday; lot of those kids are the NFL’s future stars anyway. Let the adults play on Sunday/Monday— play Monday night doubleheaders, if that makes your bottom line healthier. But these Thursday games are bad for the NFL.

11) One more thing on quality of the NFL’s product: each team should suit up three QB’s for every game, so coaches aren’t terrified to put their starting QB in harm’s way, with only one backup on the roster.

10) Joe Girardi went 910-710 in ten years as a manager in New York but was told to take a hike this week- he won one World Series, but that was in 2009. What have you done for us lately?

Just for the record, New York’s win over/under this spring was 83.5 wins and they wound up 91-71, which means Girardi’s team won 7.5 more games than expected, came within one game of the World Series, and they still fired him.

I’m very curious who they replace Girardi with.

9) Chicago Cubs fired three of their coaches; they won the World Series LY. Jim Hickey will be their new pitching coach— he was Joe Maddon’s pitching coach in Tampa. Chili Davis is the new batting coach; he is really good at that job- he comes from Boston.

There was behind-the-scenes stuff going on with Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio; no one is talking much about it, but Maddon made it fairly obvious that there were internal issues.

Cardinals hired Mike Maddux as their new pitching coach, as pitching/batting coaches are becoming gypsies, much like assistant football coaches are.

8) Good job by TNT, putting Pelicans-Kings on TV Thursday, DeMarcus Cousins’ first game back in Sacramento since the Kings traded him. Spirited game between similar teams, which makes for good television.

7) They’re having these college basketball exhibition games, to financially benefit charities and also help teams get ready for the season. I’m not sure how much the scores mean…….

Liberty beat Virginia Commonwealth, which has another new coach this year. It has to be a red flag of some sort that the Rams lost, just not sure how much of one.

6) Underrated college football analyst: ESPN’s Brock Huard, who is smart, has an excellent voice and he was a quarterback, so he has thought the game through. He is much better than most analysts, but hasn’t gotten a lot of prime telecasts, mostly west coast games.

5) Extra-inning home runs hit by guys on the losing team in World Series games:

Dave Henderson, Red Sox, Game 6, 1986
Josh Hamilton, Rangers, Game 6, 2011
Yasiel Puig, Dodgers, Game 2, 2017
Charlie Culbertson, Dodgers, Game 2, 2017

4) Patriots/Browns have both been called for six offensive pass interference penalties this season, most in the NFL.

3) Seton Hall is ranked in the college basketball preseason top 25 for the first time since 2001.

2) Cullen Neal was supposed to go to St Mary’s after high school to play basketball, but his dad Craig Neal got the New Mexico head coaching job after Steve Alford went to UCLA, so Cullen Neal played for his dad in Albuquerque for a couple years- it didn’t go well.

Cullen Neal then transferred to Ole Miss, where he played a year for Andy Kennedy, but now he is a graduate transfer at St Mary’s, where he will finish his playing career, at the place where he was supposed to start his career.

1) Rough year for major league managers in the Northeast; both NYC teams, Boston, Philly, Washington all fired their skippers. Three of those five guys made the playoffs and still got told to take a hike. Wonder if any of those five managers will get hired elsewhere this winter?

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Saturday, October 28

Cleveland @ New Orleans

Game 701-702
October 28, 2017 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland
122.163
New Orleans
121.265
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 1
222
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
N/A

Houston @ Memphis

Game 703-704
October 28, 2017 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
119.273
Memphis
123.350
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Memphis
by 4
195
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Memphis
by 1 1/2
206
Dunkel Pick:
Memphis
(-1 1/2); Under

Boston @ Miami

Game 705-706
October 28, 2017 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
124.881
Miami
116.482
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 8 1/2
213
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
by 1 1/2
206
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-1 1/2); Over

Oklahoma City @ Chicago

Game 707-708
October 28, 2017 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oklahoma City
124.281
Chicago
112.880
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Oklahoma City
by 11 1/2
214
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Oklahoma City
8 1/2
204
Dunkel Pick:
Oklahoma City
(-8 1/2); Over

Philadelphia @ Dallas

Game 709-710
October 28, 2017 @ 8:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
116.795
Dallas
111.365
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Philadelphia
by 5 1/2
199
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Philadelphia
by 1
208
Dunkel Pick:
Philadelphia
(-1); Under

LA Lakers @ Utah

Game 711-712
October 28, 2017 @ 9:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Lakers
110.203
Utah
127.508
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Utah
by 17 1/2
193
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Utah
by 9 1/2
203 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Utah
(-9 1/2); Under

Phoenix @ Portland

Game 713-714
October 28, 2017 @ 10:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
114.726
Portland
122.850
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Portland
by 8
209
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Portland
by 10 1/2
217 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Phoenix
(+10 1/2); Under

Detroit @ LA Clippers

Game 715-716
October 28, 2017 @ 10:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
121.540
LA Clippers
126.084
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Clippers
by 4 1/2
201
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Clippers
by 7 1/2
208 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
(+7 1/2); Under

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, October 28

Home side won nine of last ten Cleveland-New Orleans games; Pelicans covered four of the last five. Cavaliers lost their last five visits to Bourbon Street. Over is 7-3 in last ten series games. Cleveland are 3-2 to start season (1-4 vs spread); they split their two road games. Under is 3-2 in their five games. Pelicans are 2-3 to start season, losing only home game by 8 to the Warriors. Three of their last four games went over.

Memphis is 6-4 in its last ten games with Houston; road teams won five of last eight series games. Under is 3-1 in last four series games. Teams split last four meetings played here. Rockets are 5-1 to start the season; their last five games stayed under the total- they’re 2-2 vs spread on road. Grizzlies are 4-1 to start the season (under 4-0-1), 3-0 at home, with a win over Golden State.

Celtics won their last seven games with Miami (5-2 vs spread); they won/covered their last four visits to South Beach. Over is 3-1 in last four series games. Boston won its last three games, with wins at Milwaukee/Philly- four of their five games stayed under. Heat split their first four games (0-3-1 vs spread, over 3-1). Miami won two of its three home games.

Bulls won three of last four games with Oklahoma City (under 3-1). Thunder won three of last five visits to the Windy City. OKC lost three of last four games; they’re 0-2 on road, losing by 9 in Utah, 3 in Minnesota last night. Under is 3-2 in their games this month. Chicago is 1-3 to start the season, splitting pair of home games (over 2-2).

76ers lost eight of last nine games with Dallas, but they’re 5-3 vs spread in last eight series games. Sixers are 1-4 vs spread in last five visits here. Over is 6-4 in last ten series games. Philly lost four of first five games; they’re 2-1 vs spread as a road underdog. Three of their last four games stayed under. Mavericks lost five of first six games but covered last two; they’re 1-3 at home. Under is 3-1-1 in their last five games.

Jazz won eight of last nine games with the Lakers, but LA covered four of last five; Lakers are 3-2 vs spread in their last five visits here. Under is 3-1 in last four series games. Lakers lost at home to Toronto last nite; they’re 2-3 to start season, winning by 2 in Phoenix in their only road game. Utah lost three of last four games (under 4-0-1); they won/covered their two home games.

Portland beat the Suns by 48 Opening Night, their 4th win in row over the Suns- they’re 3-0 vs spread in last three series games. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Phoenix is 2-0 since they changed coaches and Bledsoe went away; they lost their only road game to the Clippers by 42. Under is 3-2 in their games. Portland is 3-2 to start the season (under 4-1); they split their two home games.

Clippers won nine of their last ten games with Detroit, 3-1-1 vs spread in last five; Pistons lost their last five series games here (1-4 vs spread). Over is 4-1-1 in last six series games. Detroit is 3-2 to start season, splitting pair of 4-point decisions on road (2-0 vs spread). Over is 3-1 in their last four games. Clippers are 4-0 to start the season (under 4-0), winning home games by 18-42 points.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Saturday, October 28

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Trend Report
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CLEVELAND @ NEW ORLEANS
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Cleveland's last 10 games when playing New Orleans
New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New Orleans's last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland

OKLAHOMA CITY @ CHICAGO
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oklahoma City's last 7 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oklahoma City's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 7 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City

HOUSTON @ MEMPHIS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 5 games
Houston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Memphis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Memphis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

BOSTON @ MIAMI
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Miami
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games at home

PHILADELPHIA @ DALLAS
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games on the road
Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
Dallas is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Philadelphia

LA LAKERS @ UTAH
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of LA Lakers's last 10 games
LA Lakers is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Utah
Utah is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing LA Lakers
Utah is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against LA Lakers

PHOENIX @ PORTLAND
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Phoenix's last 15 games when playing on the road against Portland
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Phoenix's last 11 games when playing Portland
Portland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Phoenix
Portland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix

DETROIT @ LA CLIPPERS
Detroit is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Detroit is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
LA Clippers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
LA Clippers is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games when playing Detroit

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, October 28

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CLEVELAND (3 - 2) at NEW ORLEANS (2 - 3) - 10/28/2017, 7:05 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 CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
NEW ORLEANS is 2-2 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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HOUSTON (5 - 1) at MEMPHIS (4 - 1) - 10/28/2017, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 26-15 ATS (+9.5 Units) in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 112-81 ATS (+22.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1996.
HOUSTON is 15-2 ATS (+12.8 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 6-18 ATS (-13.8 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons.

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

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BOSTON (3 - 2) at MIAMI (2 - 2) - 10/28/2017, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 5-16 ATS (-12.6 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 49-36 ATS (+9.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 32-18 ATS (+12.2 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) in road games in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 126-170 ATS (-61.0 Units) in home games in the first half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 5-2 against the spread versus MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 7-0 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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OKLAHOMA CITY (2 - 3) at CHICAGO (1 - 3) - 10/28/2017, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 27-48 ATS (-25.8 Units) in road games after scoring 115 points or more since 1996.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 83-57 ATS (+20.3 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite since 1996.
CHICAGO is 259-314 ATS (-86.4 Units) in the first half of the season since 1996.
CHICAGO is 124-169 ATS (-61.9 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1996.
CHICAGO is 1-11 ATS (-11.1 Units) in home games after allowing 90 points or less over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 3-1 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 3-1 straight up against OKLAHOMA CITY 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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PHILADELPHIA (1 - 4) at DALLAS (1 - 5) - 10/28/2017, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 381-313 ATS (+36.7 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
PHILADELPHIA is 52-34 ATS (+14.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 20-9 ATS (+10.1 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 21-10 ATS (+10.0 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.

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

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LA LAKERS (2 - 3) at UTAH (2 - 3) - 10/28/2017, 9:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
UTAH is 4-4 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 7-1 straight up against LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PHOENIX (2 - 3) at PORTLAND (3 - 2) - 10/28/2017, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 3-15 ATS (-13.5 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.

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

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DETROIT (3 - 2) at LA CLIPPERS (4 - 0) - 10/28/2017, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 12-26 ATS (-16.6 Units) in road games after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) in road games after a win by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 89-119 ATS (-41.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA CLIPPERS is 2-1 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS 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

[StarDust Bum]

Weekend Best Bets
October 27, 2017

It’s still far too early to start throwing money around in NBA betting like you own the joint, but making some speculation investments isn’t out of the question. The only absolute bet-on teams are the Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers. We’re still trying to figure out everyone else.

That being said, let’s look ahead at some of the best matchups to get your NBA betting appetite prepped for the weekend. The Sunday slate is surprisingly sparse, but the travelling Bucks (vs. Atlanta) and Spurs (vs. Indiana) will have obvious value.

Odds per BetOnline.ag

Friday, Oct. 29

Oklahoma City Thunder -2 over Minnesota Timberwolves (8:05 p.m. ET)

These division rivals played each other earlier this week with Minnesota winning 115-113, and since then things haven’t gone well for the Timberwolves. They’ve lost to both Indiana and Detroit in blowouts. Making matters worse is that Jimmy Butler is questionable Friday night with an illness.

The Wolves are a cautionary tale about not getting too worked up in preseason about very, very young teams. Wiggins got paid like a superstar, but the market doesn’t make any sense if Joel Embiid is getting promised the same amount after playing in just over thirty games. The Wolves will be good, but they’re going to be a more known commodity in the second half.

Oklahoma City hasn’t been grazing their potential, but have had less of a workload this week with only one win against Indiana in the books. Karl Anthony-Towns wrecked OKC on Sunday, but this time they’ll be better prepared.

Saturday, Oct. 28

Memphis Grizzlies +2 over Houston Rockets (8:00 p.m. ET)

The Grizzlies have been tearing through the competition with a 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS run to open the year, and all of that is thanks to Marc Gasol. Everyone wanted to count Memphis out this season but the big man isn’t having it. Gasol is averaging 25-10 through the first few weeks of the year.

On top of that, the Grizzlies have continued their ways as one of the best defensive teams in the league with just 95.2 points allowed (3rd). The Rockets have been comparatively average on both ends of the floor but sacrificed a world of depth to acquire Chris Paul, who is now injured for a couple more weeks.

Where Houston is lacking is depth, and the Grizzlies have somehow cobbled together a backup unit that revolves around Mario Chalmers and Tyreke Evans going nuts. Memphis might not sustain their early run, but for now they’re a generally automatic play.

Philadelphia 76ers +1 over Dallas Mavericks (8:35 p.m. ET)

The Process is beginning to come together, but these young guns are going to take their lumps. A five-point loss to the Wizards opened their season, followed by blowout defeats to Boston and Toronto before earning their first win against Detroit and then barely losing to Houston. For the trained NBA betting eye, that wreaks of a streak brewing. The Sixers are young, but they’re just starting to play together for the first time in meaningful action. Markell Fultz, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are all pretty much rookies still in relative terms of NBA experience.

Dallas has meanwhile been one of the ugliest offences to watch, and they’re not doing enough defensively to warrant a safe play even though they’re at home. Sure, you can probably talk yourself in to a Nerlens Noel revenge play here, but Dallas has much more potential as a second half team than they do as a mishmash of talent that just doesn’t quite fit yet.

Embiid and Simmons are about to go ballistic, and if they start clicking then the Sixers become a must-watch team and a must-bet commodity in NBA betting.

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CLE at NO 07:00 PM
O 218.5 *****

OKC at CHI 08:00 PM
CHI +8.5
U 204.0 *****

BOS at MIA 08:00 PM
BOS -1.0
O 205.5 *****

HOU at MEM 08:00 PM
MEM -1.5 *****
U 205.0

PHI at DAL 08:30 PM
DAL +1.5 *****
O 206.5 *****

LAL at UTA 09:00 PM
U 202.5

PHO at POR 10:00 PM
PHO +12.0
U 219.0 *****

DET at LAC 10:30 PM
LAC -8.5
O 205.5

[StarDust Bum]

NBA roundup: Davis, Cousins help Pelicans top Cavs
October 29, 2017

NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis scored 10 of his game-high 30 points in a two-minute stretch of the fourth quarter and DeMarcus Cousins had his seventh career triple-double with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to power the New Orleans Pelicans to a 123-101 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night at the Smoothie King Center.

The win improved the Pelicans' record to 3-3, the first time they've been at .500 in the last 981 days. They were last at .500 with a 27-27 mark on Feb. 20, 2015.

The Pelicans got just three points from their bench in the first 47 minutes but won going away. Besides Davis and Cousins, Jrue Holiday added 29 points and seven assists and E'Twaun Moore tied a career-high with 24 points.

The Cavaliers (3-3), who lost their second straight and seventh straight road game to the Pelicans, were paced by Kevin Love with 26 points and LeBron James with 18. They did not play in the final six minutes.

Jazz 96, Lakers 81

SALT LAKE CITY -- Donovan Mitchell scored a career-high 22 points and Ricky Rubio added 21 to lead Utah over Los Angeles.

Derrick Favors added 14 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season for Utah, which never trailed from start to finish and won their fifth straight regular-season game over the Lakers. Utah made 13 3-pointers to stay a step ahead for four quarters.

Brandon Ingram scored 16 points and Jordan Clarkson added 15 off the bench to lead Los Angeles. The Lakers suffered their first road loss this season after making just 31 of 81 shots from the field (38.3 percent).

76ers 112, Mavericks 110

DALLAS -- Rising stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons each scored 23 points to lead Philadelphia over Dallas at American Airlines Center.

Embiid hurt Dallas with three 3-pointers, including a big one with under five minutes to go in the fourth quarter that gave the Sixers just enough breathing room to hold off a late Dallas rally. Yogi Ferrell, with a chance to tie with two free throws with 0.2 of a second to go, missed the front end. Dallas couldn't convert his intentionally missed second free throw.

Harrison Barnes led Dallas with 25 points.

Celtics 96, Heat 90

MIAMI -- Kyrie Irving scored 24 points to lead Boston over Miami.

Irving scored five straight points in the final two minutes as the Celtics held off a late Miami rally for their fourth win in a row and eighth straight over the Heat.

The Heat rallied from an 11-point deficit midway through the third quarter and got within 88-86 on Goran Dragic's layup with 1:53 remaining in the fourth quarter. Irving responded with a short jumper and a 3-pointer that gave the Celtics 93-86 lead with 57 seconds left. Dragic finished with 22 points.

Thunder 101, Bulls 69

CHICAGO -- Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points, Paul George added 20 and Russell Westbrook posted a triple-double as Oklahoma City routed Chicago.

The Thunder never trailed and relied on a balanced scoring attack while limiting the Bulls to 28.2 percent shooting from the field. Westbrook posted his third triple-double of the season and finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists.

Rookie Lauri Markkanen led the Bulls with 15 points and Justin Holiday finished with 11 points. Robin Lopez added 10 for Chicago.

The blowout came a night after the Thunder experienced a tumultuous charter flight to Chicago following a three-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday in Minneapolis.

Grizzlies 103, Rockets 89

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Chandler Parsons scored 24 points as Memphis defeated Houston at FedExForum.

Parsons went 9 of 11 from the floor against Houston and was 6 of 8 from 3-point range.

Ryan Anderson led Houston with 22 points, seven rebounds and two blocks and James Harden had 20 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals for the Rockets

[StarDust Bum]

October NBA Best Bets And Opinions ( Based on 5 Units )

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

10/28/2017 8-6-0 57.14% +7.00
10/27/2017 8-6-0 57.14% +7.00
10/26/2017 1-7-0 12.50% -33.50
10/25/2017 11-7-0 61.11% +16.50
10/24/2017 7-5-0 58.33% +7.50
10/23/2017 8-6-1 57.14% +7.00
10/22/2017 4-2-0 66.67% +9.00
10/21/2017 8-9-1 47.06% -9.50
10/20/2017 7-10-0 41.18% -20.00
10/19/2017 4-2-0 66.67% +9.00
10/18/2017 8-10-0 44.44% -15.00
10/17/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50

Totals:.......77-71-2...52.02%..-0.50

Best Bets:

Date.................................ATS.......... .....Units.............Over/Under............Units

10/28/2017....................1 - 1.............-1.00................2 - 3..................-6.50
10/27/2017....................1 - 2.............-6.00............... 3 - 1..................+9.50
10/26/2017....................0 - 2.............-11.00..............1 - 2..................-6.00
10/25/2017....................2 - 1.............+4.50...............4 - 3.................+3.50
10/24/2017....................1 - 3.............-11.50..............1 - 1..................-0.50
10/23/2017....................1 - 1.............-0.50................3 - 3..................-1.50
10/22/2017....................1 - 1.............-0.50................1 - 1..................-0.50
10/21/2017....................5 - 2............+15.00..............1 - 4..................-17.00
10/20/2017....................2 - 4.............-12.00..............1 - 1..................-1.00
10/19/2017....................2 - 1..............+4.50..............2 - 1..................+4.50
10/18/2017....................2 - 2..............-1.00...............1 - 4..................-17.00
10/17/2017....................1 - 0..............+5.00..............1 - 0..................+5.00

Totals.......................19 - 20...........-14.50...............21 - 24.................-27.50

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday…….

13) Ohio State 39, Penn State 38— Nittany Lions led 35-20 with 12:00 left, 38-27 with 5:00 left, but Buckeyes drove 76-58 yards on their last two drives to win the game. Barrett was 33-39/328 with four TD passes for Ohio State— he was 13-13 with three TD’s in the 4th quarter.

12) Georgia 42, Florida 7— Further proof the world is going crazy: Gators went 19-8 the last two years; they’re 3-4 this year and now they want to fire the coach? Why? One bad year and they show you the door?

Our society is getting so incredibly soft now; people can’t deal with their teams losing, which may be part of why the NFL’s popularity slips in areas during a bad year. Fewer people stick with their teams thru thick and thin. We’re becoming a nation of front-runners.

“We’re with you win or tie, and we’re not that crazy about tie.”

11) Iowa State 14, TCU 7— Cyclones have had one winning season since 2006; the last seven years, Iowa State was 28-58— they’re 6-2 now, after their starting QB left the team for unstated “medical” reasons. Their starting QB the last two years is now their starting middle linebacker. Your 2017 National Coach of the Year? Iowa State’s Matt Campbell.

10) Boston College 35, Florida State 3— Seminoles are 2-5 and appear to have packed it in for the season. Must be fun to be a Miami Hurricanes fan right now, with Gators/Seminoles having such dreadful seasons.

9) Wake Forest 42, Louisville 32— Demon Deacons scored 40+ in an ACC game for first time since 2010. QB John Wolford was 28-34/461 passing against a struggling Louisville defense.

8) Arkansas 38, Ole Miss 37— Razorbacks trailed 31-7 with 3:00 left in first half. Two bad teams playing an exciting game. Arkansas scored a defensive TD with 6:01 left when they were down 35-27, not the best Ole Miss moment of the day.

7) Harvard 25, Dartmouth 22— When Harvard recovered a fumbled punt, a Dartmouth assistant coach punched the window of the press box so hard that he shattered it— security removed him from the stadium.

Dartmouth led 14-0 when they fumbled the punt, which turned out to be a costly play.

6) MLB suspended Yuli Gurriel for the first five games of 2018 for his actions during Game 2 of the World Series, instead of for the rest of the World Series. Some people complained that some immediate action should’ve been taken, because in today’s world, somebody is always complaining about something. Oy

Gurriel loses $382,716 with the 5-game suspension, which isn’t nothing; if he gets fined for his 2017 salary instead (doubtful) it would’ve been $444,444.44. His base salary for next year is $2M less than this year.

5) Upsets of the Week:
UNLV (+21) 26, Fresno State 16
Florida International (+16) 41, Marshall 30
Houston (+10.5) 28, South Florida 24
Air Force (+10) 45, Colorado State 28
Texas State (+8) 27, Coastal Carolina 7
Iowa State (+6.5) 14, TCU 7

4) Northwestern 39, Michigan State 31 (OT)— Game was 17-all after regulation; Wildcats win in OT for second week in row, are now 5-3, and on their way to being pummeled by a better team in some obscure bowl game that I’ll watch because I’m an idiot.

Northwestern is 3-10 all-time in bowl games, but they have won two of their last three bowls.

3) Kentucky 29, Tennessee 26— Vols caught a Hail Mary on last play of the game, but the guy got tackled on the 3-yard line— this is Wildcats 2nd win in their last 33 games with Tennessee, the other win coming in 2011. It was also the 2nd time in last 21 meetings that Kentucky was the favorite— Vols covered the 5-point spread.

2) Nebraska 25, Purdue 24— Cornhuskers drove 70 yards in 8 plays in 1:08, scoring winning TD on a 13-yard pass with 0:14 left. Purdue led 25-12 with 12:00 left in the game.

1) USC 48, Arizona State 17– Trojans bounce back from last week’s loss at Notre Dame with a big conference win here. USC plays Arizona next week, and can pretty much clinch the Pac-12 South then.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Sunday, October 29

Milwaukee @ Atlanta

Game 501-502
October 29, 2017 @ 3:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee
122.802
Atlanta
110.352
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Milwaukee
by 12 1/2
197
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Milwaukee
by 5
204 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Milwaukee
(-5); Under

San Antonio @ Indiana

Game 503-504
October 29, 2017 @ 4:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
126.094
Indiana
115.901
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 10
197
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 7
207
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(-7); Under

Orlando @ Charlotte

Game 505-506
October 29, 2017 @ 6:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Orlando
118.303
Charlotte
123.995
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Charlotte
by 5 1/2
201
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Charlotte
by 3 1/2
212 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Charlotte
(-3 1/2); Under

Washington @ Sacramento

Game 507-508
October 29, 2017 @ 6:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
120.892
Sacramento
116.404
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 4 1/2
220
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
N/A

Denver @ Brooklyn

Game 509-510
October 29, 2017 @ 6:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Denver
122.844
Brooklyn
111.716
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Denver
by 11
207
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Denver
by 4
222
Dunkel Pick:
Denver
(-4); Under

New York @ Cleveland

Game 511-512
October 29, 2017 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
112.176
Cleveland
123.577
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 11 1/2
222
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
by 9 1/2
209 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(-9 1/2); Under

Detroit @ Golden State

Game 513-514
October 29, 2017 @ 8:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
118.964
Golden State
132.568
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 13 1/2
234
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
N/A

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, October 29

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MILWAUKEE (3 - 2) at ATLANTA (1 - 5) - 10/29/2017, 3:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 5-2 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 4-3 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SAN ANTONIO (4 - 1) at INDIANA (2 - 3) - 10/29/2017, 4:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 10-0 ATS (+10.0 Units) in home games versus good defensive teams - allowing <=98 points/game over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 1007-880 ATS (+39.0 Units) in all games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 807-687 ATS (+51.3 Units) as a favorite since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 46-24 ATS (+19.6 Units) in the first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 39-23 ATS (+13.7 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 334-275 ATS (+31.5 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 208-145 ATS (+48.5 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 406-325 ATS (+48.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.

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

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

ORLANDO (4 - 1) at CHARLOTTE (2 - 3) - 10/29/2017, 6:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 36-50 ATS (-19.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHARLOTTE is 6-2 against the spread versus ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
CHARLOTTE is 7-1 straight up against ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

WASHINGTON (3 - 2) at SACRAMENTO (1 - 4) - 10/29/2017, 6:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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

DENVER (2 - 3) at BROOKLYN (3 - 3) - 10/29/2017, 6:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DENVER is 38-23 ATS (+12.7 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
BROOKLYN is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) in home games after a division game over the last 3 seasons.

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

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

NEW YORK (1 - 3) at CLEVELAND (3 - 3) - 10/29/2017, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 22-10 ATS (+11.0 Units) after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 30-50 ATS (-25.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 5-3 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 8-0 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

DETROIT (4 - 2) at GOLDEN STATE (4 - 2) - 10/29/2017, 8:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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