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**StarDust Bum** · 03-04-2018, 11:45 AM

NBA

Sunday, March 4

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Trend Report
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PHOENIX @ ATLANTA
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Phoenix's last 8 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Atlanta's last 8 games when playing Phoenix
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix

INDIANA @ WASHINGTON
Indiana is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Washington's last 12 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games

CHARLOTTE @ TORONTO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Charlotte's last 5 games when playing Toronto
Charlotte is 13-5 ATS in its last 18 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games
Toronto is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home

NEW ORLEANS @ DALLAS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Orleans's last 5 games when playing on the road against Dallas
New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing at home against New Orleans
Dallas is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games when playing at home against New Orleans

PHILADELPHIA @ MILWAUKEE
Philadelphia is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games
Milwaukee is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games when playing Philadelphia
Milwaukee is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

NEW YORK @ SACRAMENTO
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York's last 5 games
New York is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Sacramento
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Sacramento's last 5 games when playing New York
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Sacramento's last 7 games when playing at home against New York

BROOKLYN @ LA CLIPPERS
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Brooklyn's last 11 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
Brooklyn is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games when playing LA Clippers
LA Clippers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Brooklyn
LA Clippers is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games

**StarDust Bum** · 03-04-2018, 11:47 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, March 4

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PHOENIX (19 - 45) at ATLANTA (19 - 44) - 3/4/2018, 3:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 41-58 ATS (-22.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) in non-conference games this season.
PHOENIX is 37-25 ATS (+9.5 Units) after allowing 115 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 4-0 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 3-2 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

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INDIANA (35 - 27) at WASHINGTON (36 - 27) - 3/4/2018, 6:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) on Sunday games over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 64-46 ATS (+13.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 14-24 ATS (-12.4 Units) as a favorite this season.
WASHINGTON is 402-471 ATS (-116.1 Units) in home games since 1996.

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

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CHARLOTTE (28 - 35) at TORONTO (44 - 17) - 3/4/2018, 6:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHARLOTTE is 25-34 ATS (-12.4 Units) in all games this season.
CHARLOTTE is 7-20 ATS (-15.0 Units) as an underdog this season.
CHARLOTTE is 9-18 ATS (-10.8 Units) in road games this season.
CHARLOTTE is 6-21 ATS (-17.1 Units) against Atlantic division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CHARLOTTE is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent this season.
CHARLOTTE is 13-24 ATS (-13.4 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
TORONTO is 35-26 ATS (+6.4 Units) in all games this season.
TORONTO is 20-9 ATS (+10.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
TORONTO is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 6-4 against the spread versus CHARLOTTE over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 7-3 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

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NEW ORLEANS (35 - 26) at DALLAS (19 - 44) - 3/4/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 405-329 ATS (+43.1 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
DALLAS is 13-3 ATS (+9.7 Units) on Sunday games over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 251-201 ATS (+29.9 Units) vs. division opponents since 1996.
DALLAS is 25-13 ATS (+10.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 6-4 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 5-5 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PHILADELPHIA (34 - 27) at MILWAUKEE (33 - 29) - 3/4/2018, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 149-112 ATS (+25.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1996.
PHILADELPHIA is 35-26 ATS (+6.4 Units) in all games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 30-18 ATS (+10.2 Units) in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 57-38 ATS (+15.2 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 43-29 ATS (+11.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 65-80 ATS (-23.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 10-19 ATS (-10.9 Units) in home games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 367-445 ATS (-122.5 Units) in the second half of the season since 1996.

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

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NEW YORK (24 - 39) at SACRAMENTO (19 - 44) - 3/4/2018, 9:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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BROOKLYN (20 - 43) at LA CLIPPERS (33 - 28) - 3/4/2018, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 35-25 ATS (+7.5 Units) in all games this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 20-11 ATS (+7.9 Units) as a favorite this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 20-6 ATS (+13.4 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
BROOKLYN is 29-20 ATS (+7.0 Units) as an underdog this season.
BROOKLYN is 22-13 ATS (+7.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 165-206 ATS (-61.6 Units) in home games in the second half of the season since 1996.

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

**StarDust Bum** · 03-04-2018, 11:49 AM

Inside the Paint - Sunday
March 4, 2018

(Straight Up – SU, Against the Spread – ATS)

Philadelphia (34-27 SU, 34-26-1 ATS) at Milwaukee (33-29 SU, 25-32-2 ATS)
Opening Odds: 76ers -1, Total 210

ESPN will offer up a quality primetime matchup on Sunday at 8:05 p.m. ET as the Bucks and 76ers square off from the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Philadelphia currently holds a 1 ½-game lead over Milwaukee for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race and if recent form holds for both teams, that gap could widen.

The 76ers are 9-2 in their last 11 and have gone 4-2 since the All-Star break as they enter this matchup off a pair of impressive back-to-back wins. On Thursday, the club earned an eye-opening 108-97 road victory over Cleveland on Thursday before rallying past Charlotte 110-99 on Friday. I thought the Hornets (+3 ½) were the right side in that game based on the short number and they were ahead for the majority of the game but Philadelphia outscored them 36-19 in the fourth quarter.

The recent additions of Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli didn’t make big headlines but those veterans can knock down jumpers. Ilyasova chipped in 18 points in his first home game since he rejoined the team on Friday and while Belinelli isn’t a great defensive player, he’s a dangerous sharpshooter. On a side note, is it safe to say that Philadelphia is the only team in the league that can win with a lineup of five international players?

Whoever is on the court, it's apparent that the confidence is growing for Philadelphia and head coach Brett Brown appears to be in playoff mode already. He said, “We're closer than we've ever been to achieving a pretty significant goal. We don't feel like we're there at all, and I don't see complacency creeping in there.”

While the self-esteem is high in Philadelphia, the same can’t be said for Milwaukee. The Bucks have dropped four in a row both SU and ATS, and that losing skid was preceded with a quality overtime win at Toronto. The first two setbacks during this skid came by a combined five points while the recent losses to the Pistons (110-87) and Pacers (103-96) showed their flaws on offense.

Milwaukee is clearly having issues scoring as the team deals with the 'war of attrition.' Jason Terry, a 40-year-old veteran, started in Friday’s loss to Indiana and that shows you how banged up the Bucks are in the backcourt. Guards Malcolm Brogdon (quad) and Matthew Dellavedova (ankle) aren't expected to come back until later this month but the team should get Tony Snell (thigh) in the lineup on Sunday.

Even though the odds are short for this contest, Milwaukee will likely close as a home underdog and it’s gone 1-2 both SU and ATS in that role this season. Prior to last Thursday’s win at the Cavaliers, the 76ers were just 1-6 in their previous seven road games and winning away from home (14-17 SU, 14-16-1 ATS) is something they haven’t been good at this season. The Bucks have gone 19-13 SU at the Bradley Center this season but they’ve burned bettors with a 9-19-4 ATS mark.

A couple weeks ago, I brought up a total angle on the 76ers as road favorites. Philadelphia is 5-5 SU and 4-6 ATS this season when laying points as a visitor but the ‘over’ has now gone 9-1 in those games. They’ve only held one team under 100 points during this span and only one of them had a winning record. Milwaukee does have offensive issues but the 76ers have had major lapses defensively on the road.

This will be the third encounter between the pair this season and each team has won on its home court already this season, both outcomes decided by double digits. The 76ers have gone 2-1 in their last three trips to Milwaukee, the loss taking place this season but they didn’t have Joel Embiid (rest) in the lineup.

These teams will meet on the final day of the regular season at Philadelphia and similar to this matchup, that contest could have playoff implications as well.

Sunday Night Traps?

Toronto (44-17 SU, 35-26 ATS) host Charlotte (28-35 SU, 26-33-4 ATS) on Sunday and it opened as a nine-point favorite but the early money pushed the number down to 8 ½ as of this morning. I thought this was spread was going to open Toronto -10 or -11 yet the books are still giving Charlotte a lot of respect despite its losing record.

The Hornets came out of the All-Star break with four straight wins albeit three of them were against teams below .500. Then the wheels fell off the wagon for the club with back-to-back losses to the Celtics (134-106) at home and the aforementioned collapse at the 76ers (110-99) this past Friday.

They now face the best team in the Eastern Conference in Toronto, who has won nine of its last 10 games and they’ve gone 8-2 ATS during this span. Expecting to win at the Air Canada Centre won’t be easy with the Raptors going 25-5 SU and 17-13 ATS there this season. What’s really separated Toronto from the field is its ability to dominate these weaker teams and they own a league-best 25-2 record against clubs with losing records.

Three of those victories came against Charlotte and the Raptors covered every outcome (126-113, 129-111, 123-103) by double digits plus the ‘over’ connected in each contests as well. Looking at all those numbers, you might be scratching your head as well with the money leaning to Charlotte and that’s where you have to pivot sometimes.

Another home favorite getting faded on Sunday is the L.A. Clippers (33-28 SU, 35-26 ATS) in their matchup against Brooklyn (20-43 SU, 35-27-1 ATS). Oddsmakers opened Los Angeles -9 ½ and the number is now -8 this morning and down to 7 ½ at a couple betting shops.

This move is another head-scratcher considering the Clippers have gone 8-3 since trading Blake Griffin and they find themselves in the thick of the playoff race. They’ll be facing a Nets team that pardon the over-used hoop expression - Lives and Dies by the Three. The pair just played in Brooklyn on Feb. 12 and the Clippers earned a 114-101 road win as 4 ½-point favorites. Including that loss, the Nets are 1-10 in their last 11 games and they’ve only managed to go 4-7 ATS during this span.

The Clippers bailed out bettors chasing on Friday with a 128-105 win, cover and 'over' ticket versus the Knicks. Los Angeles outscored New York 71-45 in the second-half as 'chalk' bettors lit up cigars. I'd be careful trying to catch that favorite-over combination again.

Fearless Predictions

We got caught by San Antonio's fourth quarter collapse last night but still managed to turn a profit. It’s not an easy card tonight and I would tread lightly, especially for those playing catch-up on the last day of the week. As always, Press, Pass or Fade but in the end – Good Luck!

Mavericks +3 ½ over Pelicans

New Orleans has been on fire lately (7-0 SU, 6-1 ATS) but it’s been playing with danger in its last four games and I believe it will finally get caught. Dallas comes to play at home and it’s gone 1-1 SU and 2-0 ATS since the All-Star break at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks are 2-2 SU and 3-1 ATS in their last four matchups against the Pelicans and the losses came by five and three points. New Orleans hasn’t played since last Wednesday and they’re just 3-4 with three days or more of rest this season. With a key matchup pending at the Clippers on Tuesday, the look-ahead angle for the Pelicans is in play too.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-04-2018, 11:51 AM

Hoop Trends - Sunday
March 4, 2018

ATS TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Hornets are 0-10-1 ATS (-6.27 ppg) as a dog off a game as a dog in which their opponent shot over 50% from the field.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Pelicans are 12-0 OU (18.12 ppg) off a win as a road dog in which they scored 15 or more points in the second than the first half.

PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Hornets are 0-11-1 OU (-14.29 ppg) as a road dog off a road game in which Kemba Walker took more than 20 shots.

CHOICE TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Clippers are 11-0 OU (13.41 ppg) off a home game in which they had fewer than 15 fouls.

ACTIVE TRENDS:

The Pacers are 0-14 ATS (-6.79 ppg) as a road dog off a win after a game that was tied 5+ times.

- The 76ers are 0-10 OU (-16.65 ppg) off a win in a home game in which Joel Embiid had a double double.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-04-2018, 11:55 AM

Dinero Tracker - March 4
March 4, 2018

Read the Dinero Tracker's mission statement here
Last night's ATS Records
NBA: 3-1 | NCAA BB: 25-23

The last Saturday featuring regular-season college basketball was a wild one around these parts. Chronologically, only one of my first nine picks came in and it looked like it would be a dreadful day. Then 18 of the next 21 connected. I closed out the night losing six straight since action out West was unkind. It ended up being a break-even day, which is strange given the volume of plays and the wild swings. Of my six NBA selections, two pushed. Strange. Duke's rally over UNC produced the night's best moment and both guarantees connected, but obviously it would've been nice to finish strong after starting so poorly. Here is Saturday's recap, complete with some of the highlights (and lowlights):

SUNDAY'S FREE SELECTION

The pick: Fairfield -3.5

The MAAC Tournament delivered three upsets in the quarterfinal round, leaving No. 4 seed Iona as the favorite. The Stags, seeded No. 6, wind up favored in this spot since they get to face a Quinnipiac team that has to play for a third time in four days. The Bobcats aren't particularly deep, while strength in numbers is part of why Fairfield has had success this season. Expect the Stags to advance to the MAAC final and lay the points.

SATURDAY'S FREE SELECTION

The pick: USC -5

Controversy and depth issues have made for a difficult season for both L.A. schools, who both enter this one on the bubble and badly in need of a win. The Bruins need a big night from Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate Aaron Holiday to win at Galen Center, but Jordan McLaughlin is going to put on a show on Senior Night after going 2-for-8 in the first meeting at Pauley, which should make the difference here. Ride USC.

Result: The Trojans led throughout the first half, but UCLA made a late push to close within 43-40 at the break. The Bruins then dominated the second half behind Holiday's 31 points. Three-point shooting made the difference here. USC shot just 5-for-19, while UCLA made 13-of-27.

SATURDAY'S LOCK

The pick: Rockets/Celtics OVER 212

The Celtics will be playing their third road game since the All-Star break, but games against the slumping Pistons and Knicks are a far cry from what they'll be up against tonight. Rolling to a 14-game winning streak by taking care of business on the road, the Rockets know that they have to take advantage of their homecourt edge since they'll be living out of suitcases again for over a week after this one, visiting OKC, Milwaukee, Toronto and Dallas. Boston has trended to the high side over the past month, so count on this being high-scoring. Ride the over, guaranteed.

Result: This total opened at 215 and came all the way down to provide the illusion that oddsmakers had gotten carried away, but my projected result had the teams clearing 230 points. That estimate wound up conservative too, since Houston won 123-120 and this lock came in with over six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

SATURDAY'S OTHER LOCK

The pick: Villanova/Georgetown OVER 155

The Wildcats have had issues on the boards of late, and Patrick Ewing's Hoyas might be shorthanded, but should be able to find enough offense to hang around here. There's no way they'll be able to have staying power, which turns this into a game where pace will dictate exactly where this score ends up. Considering the advantages 'Nova can put together on pick-and-rolls and switches, odds are good they'll push. Ride the over, guaranteed.

Result: This one came in rather easily too, utilizing a 95-point second-half to make up for coming in slightly behind the pace in the first half. Villanova won 97-73.

BAD BEAT BULLETIN

The pick: Providence -5.5

Shamorie Ponds has been ruled out of today's game, which means Kyron Cartwright gets to shine on his Senior Day. Rodney Bullock will also be honored at Dunkin' Donuts Center and gets an easier time of it against a St. John's squad that stunned Butler at home without Ponds the other night, making them awfully vulnerable here. Ride Providence and lay the points.

Result: The Friars dominated the start of the second half, building a 47-34 edge, but St. John's fought back and got bucket after bucket from Justin Simon and Marvin Clark II, creating a situation where we needed a pair of free throws from Rodney Bullock in the closing stages to cover the spread. He missed both, so Providence won 61-57, failing to cover.

TOTAL RECALL

The pick: Cornell +1, Cornell/Dartmouth OVER 146

The Big Red delivered on our total call for the second straight day, doing the heavy lifting in an 86-75 win by getting out to an early lead and maintaining strong execution at a brisk pace. Princeton lost to Yale in OT, which coupled with Columbia's loss at Harvard, means Cornell earned the fourth and final spot at Ivy Madness, playing top-seeded Penn.

Result: The Cougs led 62-13 at the break and won 109-58. So, yeah, 21 wasn't too many points to lay.

UPSET CITY

The pick: West Virginia -5

Not having Mo Bamba available means the Mountaineers will find it easier to score in the paint and will have opportunities to claim rebounds they wouldn't otherwise get to, which is worth valuable possessions. Even on the road, the pressure should register since the Longhorns are light on numbers and quality scorers. Back West Virginia to win going away. Lay the points and expect Canisius to win by double digits.

Result: Texas won without Bamba and survived surrendering a Jevon Carter layup just before OT that could've been demoralizing for a depleted team. Instead, Texas went out and dominated the extra session, pulling off an 87-79 upset. Shaka Smart has coached a lot of great games in his career, but this has to be among his top 10 surprises.

CARDIAC ATTACK

The pick: Oregon ML -150

The Ducks are in a dire situation after falling in Pullman against Washington State the other night, setting the stage for an immense Pac-12 showdown here against a team that owns a 20-10 overall mark and a 10-7 record in league play. Both of those numbers are one game ahead of Oregon's pace, so this would allow them to get even and deliver a head-to-head road win that could prove invaluable. Ride Oregon on the money line to avoid laying the possession on the road.

Result: Despite failing to do much down the stretch, executing terribly as possessions culminated with missed shots or turnovers, Oregon was able to keep the Huskies from making it all the way back from a large deficit. The Ducks hung on for an important 72-64 lead despite seeing a 15-point lead trimmed to just four with less than two minutes to go.

SWING AND A MISS

The pick: Saint Mary's -15.5

The Gaels just took down Pepperdine with a commanding first half less than 10 days ago, leading by 20 points after 20 minutes before cruising to a win. There's no way to stop Jock Landale if you're the Waves, and playing for a second consecutive night won't be conducive to much success. Even if they avoid the terrible starts that have given them no chance in the two regular-season meetings, they'll run out of gas come second half. Lay the points and ride Saint Mary's to cruise in the second WCC semifinal.

Result: LMU led 33-28 at the break and managed to hold on to the lead until Calvin Hermanson drilled a pair of late 3-pointers to give the Gaels a lead they would never relinquish. Saint Mary's won 69-66.

PROOF OF CLAIRVOYANCE

The pick: Trail Blazers -5.5, Blazers/Thunder UNDER 215

Although Carmelo Anthony is past his prime, his presence does command the attention of a defense, so expect his absence to hinder a Thunder squad that has largely been in a slump of late. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum should be able to help put away a weary OKC squad here, extending their Northwest Division lead. Ride Portland and the under for the in-game parlay.

Result: Neither Russell Westbrook nor Paul George hit a 3-pointer until deep into this one, which the Blazers got a hold of after a sloppy first quarter. OKC threw up a shot from beyond halfcourt to try and steal the cover but misfired.

FURTHER PROOF OF CLAIRVOYANCE

The pick: Duke -6.5

Barring a huge shooting night from Joel Berry, the Blue Devils are going to be able to pull this win off comfortably. They have better athletes than the Tar Heels, not to mention a revenge factor going after falling in Chapel Hill, so don't expect Grayson Allen to struggle here. He's the x-factor in getting his younger teammates going, which includes sparking the hostile atmosphere that plays such a key role in this rivalry.

Result: The Blue Devils turned around a 10-point halftime deficit, winning 74-64 after catching fire from beyond the arc. Berry was held to just six points, while Allen went for 15-5-5 before Mike Krzyzewski pulled him for a curtain call with seconds left. Marvin Bagley III looked like the best player in America with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-04-2018, 12:21 PM

SUNDAY, MARCH 4
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PHO at ATL 03:30 PM
PHO +2.5
O 226.5

IND at WAS 06:00 PM
IND +4.0
O 209.5

CHA at TOR 06:00 PM
TOR -8.5
O 218.5

NO at DAL 07:00 PM
DAL +3.5
U 223.0

PHI at MIL 08:00 PM
PHI -1.5
O 207.5

BK at LAC 09:00 PM
BK +7.5
U 225.0

NY at SAC 09:00 PM
NY -2.5
U 213.5

**StarDust Bum** · 03-05-2018, 02:20 AM

Raptors beat Hornets 103-98 for 11th victory in 12 games.
March 4, 2018

TORONTO (AP) DeMar DeRozan scored 19 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 18 points and 13 rebounds and Toronto beat the Charlotte Hornets 103-98 on Sunday night, the Raptors' 11th victory in 12 games.

Serge Ibaka scored 17 points, and Kyle Lowry had 14 to help the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors complete their first season sweep of Charlotte since 2006-07. Toronto improved to 26-5 at Air Canada Centre, the best home record in the NBA.

Kemba Walker scored 27 points for Charlotte.

PACERS 98, WIZARDS 95

WASHINGTON (AP) - Victor Oladipo scored 33 points, Bojan Bogdoanovic added 20 and Indiana beat Washington to overtake the Wizards by a half-game for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Myles Turner added 12 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, which almost gave away a 17-point lead but never trailed. Bradley Beal scored 22 points and had a career-high 11 assists for Washington.

PELICANS 126, MAVERICKS 109

DALLAS (AP) - Jrue Holiday scored 30 points, Nikola Mirotic added 24 in a rare start and New Orleans won its eighth in a row, beating Dallas.

Anthony Davis had 23 points and 13 rebounds, scoring most of his points from inside 5 feet.

Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-high 23 points for the Mavericks, passing Elvin Hayes for eighth on tyhe career field goals list with 10,980.

BUCKS 118, 76ERS 110

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points and Milwaukee snapped a four-game losing streak, scoring 36 points off Philadelphia's season-high 26 turnovers.

Eric Bledsoe added 22 points, and Jabari Parker had 13 to keep Milwaukee in seventh place in the Eastern Conference - a half-game game behind the sixth-place 76ers.

Dario Saric scored 25 points, Joel Embiid had 19, and JJ Redick 17 for the 76ers.

HAWKS 113, SUNS 112

ATLANTA (AP) - Taurean Prince hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 7.6 seconds remaining and finished with 22 points in Atlanta's victory over Phoenix.

Devin Booker's potential winner for Phoenix, a 15-foot shot from the right baseline, bounced off the rim with Tyler Dorsey defending as time expired.

T.J. Warren had 35 points, and Elfrid Payton had 11 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high 14 assists for the Suns. Booker had 20 points, ending a streak of four straight games in which he had at least 30.

KINGS 102, KNICKS 99

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Skal Labissiere made a 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left and Sacramento beat New York after blowing a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter.

New York trailed 92-73 early in the fourth quarter and appeared headed for a lopsided defeat before rallying to tie it at 97 on Michael Beasley's short turnaround jumper with 1:08 left.

Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Kings with 22 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 24 points for New York.

CLIPPERS 123, NETS 120

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Austin Rivers scored 27 points, Tobias Harris added 26 as Los Angeles handed Brooklyn its ninth consecutive road loss.

Lou Williams added 21 points for tyhe Clippers. Caris LeVert led the Nets with 27 points. The Nets have lost 10 of their last 11 overall.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-05-2018, 02:23 AM

Former Lakers star Kobe Bryant wins Oscar for animated short
March 4, 2018

LOS ANGELES (AP) Kobe Bryant is a winner in retirement, too.

The former Los Angeles Lakers star won an Oscar in the animated short category for ''Dear Basketball,'' a poem he wrote after ending his 20-year career on the court in 2016.

He'll add it to an already jammed trophy collection that includes five NBA championships with the Lakers, two Olympic gold medals, NBA Finals most valuable player awards, a league MVP award and four All-Star game MVP awards.

Backstage, Bryant looked lovingly at the statue cradled in his hands and mouthed, ''My God.''

''I feel better than winning championships,'' he said, a smile never leaving his face. ''This is crazy, man, it's crazy.''

As executive producer of the six-minute film, Bryant accepted his golden Oscar statue from ''Star Wars'' star Mark Hamill on Sunday night. He shared the award with Disney animator Glen Keane.

''You don't have to sit in a tub of ice,'' Keane told Bryant backstage.

Among those offering their congratulations via Twitter were Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Bill Russell and Shaquille O'Neal, Bryant's former Lakers teammate who admitted, ''I'm jealous lol.''

Since hanging up his basketball shoes, Bryant has delved into business (a new Nike shoe) and various forms of storytelling.

The 39-year-old sports superstar believed the nomination validated that he could succeed off the court.

''I mean, as basketball players we're really supposed to shut up and dribble but I'm glad we do a little bit more than that,'' Bryant said on stage.

Bryant said he heard dismissive comments like ''That's cute'' when he told people he wanted to become a storyteller in retirement.

''The hardest thing when you start over, you have to quiet the ego and begin again. You have to learn the basics of things,'' he said.

From the stage, Bryant thanked his wife, Vanessa, and three daughters, naming each of them. He spoke a few words of Italian - a language he learned as a child growing up in Italy - and closed by telling them, ''You are my inspiration.''

Backstage, Bryant credited Oprah Winfrey and writer-producer Shonda Rhimes for sharing their knowledge of the entertainment business.

''When you have mentors like that in your life, everything tends to work itself out,'' he said.

Bryant's honor comes in the midst of the (hash)MeToo and Time's Up movements to expose abuse and harassment.

In 2003, Bryant was accused of raping a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado. He admitted to a sexual encounter with the woman, but denied the assault allegation.

The criminal case was dropped after Bryant's accuser refused to testify. She later filed a civil suit against him, which was settled out of court and included Bryant's public apology to her, although he admitted no guilt.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-05-2018, 02:26 AM

March NBA Record:

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

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............,30 - 25.......54.54%......+12.50

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

SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY MARCH 5, 2018

Time (ET) Away Home Site

7:00 PM Detroit Pistons Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena

7:00 PM Milwaukee Bucks Indiana Pacers Bankers Life Fieldhouse

7:30 PM Phoenix Suns Miami Heat AmericanAirlines Arena

8:00 PM Boston Celtics Chicago Bulls United Center

8:30 PM Memphis Grizzlies San Antonio Spurs AT&T Center

9:00 PM Orlando Magic Utah Jazz Vivint Smart Home Arena

10:30 PM Portland Trail Blazers Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center

**StarDust Bum** · 03-05-2018, 02:27 AM

Monday’s List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend

13) Cincinnati 62, Wichita State 61— Intense, high level game; Bearcats win the AAC regular season title. Cincy PG Evans was hobbling around most of the game; they need him to be healthy 11 days from now.

12) Loyola Chi 65, Illinois State 49— Ramblers are in NCAA’s for first time since 1985; this was their 5th year in the MVC- it is first time they’ve had a winning conference record since 2007.

As for Illinois State, they lost in finals of Arch Madness for 4th time in six years, losing to four different schools, two of whom (Creighton, Wichita) aren’t even in the MVC anymore.

11) Think about it, conference realignment has made coaches millionaires who work at schools that didn’t even move. Andy Enfield broke the bank at USC because of his success at Florida Gulf Coast, where his team made the Sweet 16 in 2013.

But Florida Gulf Coast became the best team in the Atlantic Sun only because Belmont moved up to the OVC; Bruins won the A-Sun title five of the last seven years they were in the league. Enfield should send the Belmont AD a gift every year.

FGCU is 70-22 in A-Sun play since Belmont moved on.

Wichita State became a MVC power after Creighton went to the Big East.

10) Lipscomb 108, Florida Gulf Coast 96— Speaking of which, you play the conference title game on your home floor, its not good if you’re down 60-31 at halftime. Lipscomb was 32-47 on the foul line, and this was a true road game for them. 47 free throws is an awful lot.

FGCU made a wild comeback in the second half, got within five points, but ran out of gas at the end and Lipscomb is in the NCAA’s for the first time ever.

Lipscomb won its last eight games and 12 of last 13- they play 7th-fastest tempo in country. Some of their high-profile non-conference games:
— Lost 86-64 at Alabama
— Lost 80-57 at Texas
— Lost 81-71 at Tennessee
— Lost 98-66 at Purdue

Lipscomb turns ball over 20+% of time out of conference, which is a red flag; at times they looked awful when Florida Gulf Coast was pressing them.

9) Phil Mickelson won a playoff over Justin Thomas in this week’s PGA event; Mickelson got his first Tour win in January 1991; Thomas was born in April, 1993

8) Over the last 30 years, this was just 23rd out of 1,355 PGA tournaments that was won by a golfer who was 47+ years old.

7) Virginia won the ACC by four games; 3rd-place teams were six games behind Virginia.

6) Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann is 49-23 in conference games wth Butler/Ohio State the last four years, but he is 0-4 in conference tournament games in those seasons.

When he was at Gardner-Webb, Holtmann’s teams were 23-29 in conference games, 1-3 in the conference tournaments, so he is 1-7 overall as a head coach in conference tourneys.

5) Radford 55, Liberty 52— Carlik Jones, a 31.1% 3-point shooter coming in, drained a walk-off, conference-winning 3-ball at the buzzer to send Radford dancing for first time since 2009, when they got waxed 101-58 by North Carolina as a 16-seed in first round.

This year’s Radford team had these high-profile pre-conference games:
— Lost 82-72 at Ohio State.
— Lost 74-62 at Vanderbilt
— Lost 95-68 at Virginia Tech
— Lost 77-62 at Nevada

They play the 5th-slowest tempo in America.

4) Interesting note: Some NFL teams at the Combine scheduled 15:00 interviews with UCLA players, only to grill that player about QB Josh Rosen. Teams will do anything they can to mine out information about players they might potentially select.

3) From MMQB.com: “…….there’s a favorite question employed by almost every team in the NFL when quizzing a prospect about his teammates: If you could take one teammate with you to your future NFL team, who would it be?”

It is straight out of the movie Draft Day, where the Browns don’t draft a QB prospect in part because his teammates didn’t go to his 21st birthday party. A quarterback has to be a leader, a person his teammates believe in. Doesn’t work any other way.

2) We had 8.5 inches of snow in Albany the other day; in Cobleskill, which Mapquest says is 45 miles away from here, they had 39 inches of snow, over three feet!!! No bueno.

1— Kawhi Leonard and Jordan Brand were working on a new four-year extension worth more than $20 million, but now talks have stalled.

According to ESPN.com: “…….discussions broke down abruptly because representatives for Leonard didn’t feel that the new deal reflected the forward’s accomplishments and standing within the league.” Oh boy.

Leonard has been cleared by the Spurs’ doctors to play, but has chosen not to; he’s played in nine games this season- he currently makes $500,000 a year on his Jordan endorsement deal, is being paid $18,868,625 by the Spurs this season.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-05-2018, 12:28 PM

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, March 5

Home side won six of last seven Detroit-Cleveland games; Pistons are 0-4 vs spread in last four visits to Ohio. Three of last four series games went over. Detroit lost eight of their last 10 games; they’re 1-8 in last nine games as road underdogs. Under is 4-1-3 in their last eight games. Cavs lost four of their last six games; they’re 2-8 vs spread in last 10 games as home favorites. Four of their last six games stayed under.

Pacers won three of last four games with Milwaukee; four of last five series games stayed under. Bucks are 2-2 vs spread in last four visits to Indiana. Milwaukee lost four of its last five games; they’re 11-12 as road underdogs, 6-4-1 vs spread if they played night before. Three of their last four games stayed under. Indiana won six of its last eight games; they’re 6-1 in last seven games as home favorites. Five of their last six games stayed under.

Miami won/covered nine of last ten games with Phoenix; Suns are 0-4 vs spread in last four trips to South Beach. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Phoenix lost nine of its last 10 games; they’re 2-4 vs spread in last six road games. Under is 4-1 in their last five road games. Miami won three of its last four games; they’re 4-6 in last 10 games as home favorites. Over is 7-3 in their last ten games.

Boston won five of last six games with the Bulls; they’re 3-2 vs spread in last five visits to the Windy City. Four of last six series games stayed under. Red Sox won four of their last five games; they’re 10-7 as road favorites. Over is 6-0-1 in last seven Boston games. Chicago lost five of its last six games; they’re 11-6 vs spread in last 17 home games. Four of their last six games went over the total.

Spurs won their last five games with Memphis (4-0-1 vs spread); Grizzlies are 1-3-1 vs spread in last five trips to the Alamo. Six of last seven series games went over. Memphis lost its last ten games; they’re 1-4 in last five games as road underdogs. Their last three games stayed under the total. San Antonio lost eight of its last ten games; they’re 1-5 in last six games as home favorites. Eight of their last nine games went over.

Utah won its last three games with Orlando; five of last six series games went over. Magic covered its last four visits to SLC. Orlando won its last two games after a 7-game skid; they’re 8-1 vs spread in last nine road games. Three of their last four games stayed under. Jazz won eight of its last ten games; they’re 2-5 vs spread in last seven games as home favorites. Five of their last six games stayed under.

Lakers lost their last 10 games with Portland (2-8 vs spread); four of last five series games went under the total. Portland covered last five series games played in Staples. Trailblazers won their last six games (5-1 vs spread); four of their last five games stayed under. Portland is 6-5 as road favorites. Lakers won last five games, covered last six; they’re they covered five of last six tries as home underdogs. Over is 7-0-1 in their last eight games.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-05-2018, 12:29 PM

NBA

Monday, March 5

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

MILWAUKEE @ INDIANA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Milwaukee's last 8 games on the road
Indiana is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing Milwaukee

DETROIT @ CLEVELAND
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Detroit's last 13 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Detroit is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Cleveland
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
Cleveland is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit

PHOENIX @ MIAMI
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Phoenix's last 10 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games on the road
Miami is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix

BOSTON @ CHICAGO
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Boston is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Boston

MEMPHIS @ SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Memphis's last 7 games when playing San Antonio
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Memphis's last 14 games on the road
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Memphis
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Memphis

ORLANDO @ UTAH
Orlando is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Utah
Orlando is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Utah is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Utah's last 6 games when playing Orlando

PORTLAND @ LA LAKERS
Portland is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
Portland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
LA Lakers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
LA Lakers is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games

**StarDust Bum** · 03-05-2018, 12:30 PM

NBA
Long Sheet

Monday, March 5

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

DETROIT (29 - 34) at CLEVELAND (36 - 26) - 3/5/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 2-12 ATS (-11.2 Units) in the second half of the season this season.
DETROIT is 20-43 ATS (-27.3 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game since 1996.
DETROIT is 1-10 ATS (-10.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
CLEVELAND is 19-42 ATS (-27.2 Units) in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 10-37 ATS (-30.7 Units) as a favorite this season.
CLEVELAND is 6-25 ATS (-21.5 Units) in home games this season.
CLEVELAND is 18-33 ATS (-18.3 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 20-35 ATS (-18.5 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
CLEVELAND is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) after scoring 115 points or more this season.
CLEVELAND is 6-21 ATS (-17.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 8-7 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 9-6 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

MILWAUKEE (34 - 29) at INDIANA (36 - 27) - 3/5/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 66-80 ATS (-22.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 368-445 ATS (-121.5 Units) in the second half of the season since 1996.
INDIANA is 32-18 ATS (+12.2 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 65-46 ATS (+14.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 44-25 ATS (+16.5 Units) in road games after scoring 115 points or more since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 41-20 ATS (+19.0 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game since 1996.

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

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

PHOENIX (19 - 46) at MIAMI (33 - 30) - 3/5/2018, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 81-62 ATS (+12.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 29-16 ATS (+11.4 Units) in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 39-26 ATS (+10.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 33-19 ATS (+12.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

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

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

BOSTON (44 - 20) at CHICAGO (21 - 41) - 3/5/2018, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 37-24 ATS (+10.6 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 20-9 ATS (+10.1 Units) in road games this season.
BOSTON is 16-4 ATS (+11.6 Units) in road games against Central division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 68-98 ATS (-39.8 Units) in home games off an upset win as an underdog since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 9-6 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 9-6 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

MEMPHIS (18 - 44) at SAN ANTONIO (36 - 27) - 3/5/2018, 8:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 12-8 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 17-4 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
11 of 21 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

ORLANDO (20 - 43) at UTAH (33 - 30) - 3/5/2018, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 62-80 ATS (-26.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
UTAH is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 42-24 ATS (+15.6 Units) in road games against Northwest division opponents since 1996.

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

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

PORTLAND (37 - 26) at LA LAKERS (28 - 34) - 3/5/2018, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in the second half of the season this season.
LA LAKERS are 138-96 ATS (+32.4 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.
LA LAKERS are 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) after playing 3 consecutive road games this season.
LA LAKERS are 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PORTLAND is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
PORTLAND is 19-7 ATS (+11.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

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

**StarDust Bum** · 03-05-2018, 12:32 PM

NBA
Dunkel

Monday, March 5

Detroit @ Cleveland

Game 701-702
March 5, 2018 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
112.023
Cleveland
121.188
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 9
215
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
by 6
220
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(-6); Under

Milwaukee @ Indiana

Game 703-704
March 5, 2018 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee
118.225
Indiana
123.319
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Indiana
by 5
203
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 2 1/2
209 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(-2 1/2); Under

Phoenix @ Miami

Game 705-706
March 5, 2018 @ 7:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
114.131
Miami
119.742
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami
by 5 1/2
220
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Miami
by 9 1/2
216 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Phoenix
(+9 1/2); Over

Boston @ Chicago

Game 707-708
March 5, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
120.711
Chicago
114.589
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 6
221
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
by 9
216
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(+9); Over

Memphis @ San Antonio

Game 709-710
March 5, 2018 @ 8:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Memphis
110.225
San Antonio
118.769
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 8 1/2
196
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 11
202 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Memphis
(+11); Under

Orlando @ Utah

Game 711-712
March 5, 2018 @ 9:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Orlando
114.312
Utah
121.523
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Utah
by 7
202
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Utah
by 10
207
Dunkel Pick:
Orlando
(+10); Under

Portland @ LA Lakers

Game 713-714
March 5, 2018 @ 10:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Portland
124.916
LA Lakers
120.445
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Portland
by 4 1/2
229
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Portland
by 2
223 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Portland
(-2); Over

**StarDust Bum** · 03-05-2018, 12:35 PM

Monday's Essentials
March 5, 2018

Game of the Night - Portland at L.A. Lakers, NBA TV, 10:35 ET

They’re giddy in Portland as we get ready for March Madness, and it has nothing to do with college basketball. At least this season’s version. Last year, Gonzaga made a run to the national championship game, so many of the city’s fans who may have been rooting for the school from Spokane that’s roughly six hours away got a look at Zach Collins, a 7-foot freshman who exclusively came off the bench for the Bulldogs. He posted a double-double and blocked six shots in the loss to North Carolina and made the All-Tournament team in the NCAAs, turning pro and landing in the lottery.

Over the weekend, the Blazers started really cashing in.

Collins ran the floor and finished a plus-17 in making five of his six shots and playing great defense to emerge as the x-factor in Saturday’s 108-100 win over Oklahoma City. The No. 10 pick scored a career-high 12 points and ended up playing more minutes than starting center Jusuf Nurkic and Ed Davis, the primary big off the bench.

We’ll see if he can continue playing well as Portland visits the Lakers, which is one of just many themes to watch regarding Portland as we examine how seriously to take them after a fantastic start to March has them sitting third in the entire Western Conference.

This is the deepest into a season the Trail Blazers led the division since winning the Northwest in ’14-’15, but the lead is tenuous. Minnesota hovers just a half-game behind entering the week and OKC is just one game back and figures to improve down the stretch.

Denver, coming off a big win in Cleveland, is trying to make a big move itself after getting Paul Millsap’s services back, while Utah looms as the only last-place team in the NBA with a winning, entering the week with victories in eight of 10. Every other cellar-dweller is at least 20 games under .500.

While Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum still do the heavy lifting, quality depth has begun to develop. Shabazz Napier is making an impact as the backup point. Mo Harkless and Pat Connaughton have obviously improved. Then there’s Collins, who can really thrive as an x-factor if he’s able to duplicate last year’s big March in the pros.

He had eight points and six boards in 18 minutes against Sacramento, the franchise that drafted him for Portland, to close out February, so we’ll see if he’s truly ready to contribute after he slumped for most of the month, making just four of 24 shots prior to the All-Star break. The Blazers love his defense and believe his offensive struggles are entirely tied to confidence, so getting him going is essential to their success this season.

That makes this upcoming stretch essential for the Blazers, who have gotten to this point in the season relatively healthy. After facing the Lakers, Portland returns home for seven of the next eight between now and March 23, returning only to Staples Center for a date with the Clippers on March 18. The Warriors, Heat, Cavs, Rockets and Celtics will be among the teams that come through town, so we’re about to find out exactly what the Blazers are truly capable of.

It also makes picking up a win over the Lakers pretty important as they attempt to extend what is already a season-best six-game winning streak. The Blazers are playing so well that they won in Utah last week despite Lillard shooting 7-for-18 and beat the Thunder on Saturday night with him going 5-for-18.

L.A. is on a season-best five-game run, matching their longest stretch of success since 2010-11, which is the last time the team won at least six straight. The Lakers swept a four-game road trip by stealing a game in San Antonio that they trailed by 17 points. Lonzo Ball fueled the rally with a flurry of clutch 3-pointers and no longer has any minute restrictions upon his return from a knee issue.

Since January, only Houston has won more games than the Lakers, who have fared even better against the spread. L.A. has covered 10 of its past 12, part of an 18-6 run since Jan. 7. That’s a 75 percent clip for those of you averse to quick math.

Dealing Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance, Jr. not only allowed the Lakers financial flexibility to dangle a pair of max-contracts out there this summer or next, but it also brought back a hungry, disrespected Isaiah Thomas in return. Healing fast after hip surgery, Thomas has put together his strongest work over the past two games, averaging 25 points and 6.5 assists in wins over the Heat and Lakers. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has averaged the most minutes over the past six games, averaging 17 points and nine boards in that span.

Portland won the first two meetings between these teams and will be looking for a sweep of the season series, while the Lakers will be looking for a 10th consecutive win at Staples, having not lost at home since a Jan. 5 setback against the Hornets. The over is on a 7-0-1 run in Lakers games, while the under has prevailed in four of the last five involving the Trail Blazers.

As the Cavs turn

Cleveland suffered another loss over the weekend to the aforementioned Nuggets, falling at home 126-117 after again displaying an inability to get defensive stops. The Nuggets shot nearly 55 percent, overcoming another LeBron James triple-double.

J.R. Smith returned from his soup-throwing incident and led Cavs not named LeBron with 19 points, one of seven players who scored in double-figures. With James facilitating, offense isn't going to be the problem, but it doesn't appear that getting rid of Thomas was a cure-all for a poor defense.

Making matters worse, Tristan Thompson stepped on someone's heel and ended up with a significant ankle sprain that will now cost him time this week. Jeff Green is also sidelined with a back issue. Larry Nance Jr. should see his role increase, but it appears Cleveland will have to play small ball against a Pistons squad capable of punishing that via Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin running the floor.

The Pistons are in the midst of a stretch playing 11 of 14 outside Detroit and are 0-8 on the road since winning in Brooklyn on Jan. 10. They've covered in only one of those road losses and are on a 3-17 run against the spread.

After losing in Miami and Orlando, Stan Van Gundy's old stomping grounds, the Pistons are fading fast, falling three games behind Miami for the eighth and final available playoff spot in the East. The Cavs have seen their Central Division lead trimmed to a half-game and could fall out of first with a loss here and another Indiana home win over Milwaukee.

Injury Report

The Pacers are playing the Bucks for the second time in a four-day span, defeating them as a 3.5-point underdog in Milwaukee on Friday night. Khris Middleton, who scored 30 points in that loss, has been elevated to probable despite knee soreness, but backup center Tyler Zeller is questionable with a back issue. The Bucks pulled within 2.5 games of the Cavs in the Central with last night's big win over Philadelphia.

The Heat won't know the status of guards Wayne Ellington and Tyler Johnson due to quad injuries, which means Dwyane Wade should continue to log major minutes as the Heat hosts Devin Booker-led Phoenix. Wade hasn't played more than 26 minutes since returning to Miami, but has averaged over 21 points per game over his last three games. Tyson Chandler returned for the Suns yesterday and typically doesn't play back-to-backs, so the Heat may not see him. That would be fortunate, since rookie center Bam Adebayo may remain out due to a personal issue.

Memphis may not have center Marc Gasol available against his brother Pau's San Antonio Spurs, which could foil a duel between Spain's favorite sons since LaMarcus Aldridge may not play due to his own ankle injury. Monitor this throughout the day before making a play on this contest. The Grizzlies won't have G Tyreke Evans available again due to a rib injury and have also declared that point guards Mario Chalmers (hamstring) and Andrew Harrison (wrist) won't play. The Griz should have wing Wayne Selden and Chandler Parsons available again, but both are coming off injuries themselves.

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