Announcement

**Udog** · 01-15-2018, 10:02 AM

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Longshots to win The Masters in April:

75-1— Tony Finau

80-1— Tyrell Hatton

85-1— Kevin Kisner, Lee Westwood

100-1— Zach Johnson

110-1— Noren-Haas-Grace-Holmes-Kaymer-Moore

125-1— Molinari-Walker-Perez-Henley

**********

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Sunday

13) Jaguars 45, Steelers 42— Had zero idea this would happen, Blake Bortles putting up 45 on the Steelers in Pittsburgh. This was first time since 2010 the Steelers had a first round bye and they didn’t take advantage of it.

12) Vikings 29, Saints 24— New Orleans was shut out in the first half for the first time in their last 62 games, thats how their day was going. Then they played the second half, and what a second half it was. One of the most dramatic endings in NFL history- if you had the under or the Vikings, -5.5, tough beat- they took a knee on the PAT after the last TD.

Case Keenum threw a 61-yard TD pass on the last play, is now 21-18 as an NFL starter; if his walk-off game-winning TD doesn’t cement him as the Vikings’ starting QB going forward, nothing will. He is now a Minnesota legend.

11) If the Vikings win in Philly next week, they’ll be the first team to play a Super Bowl in their home ballpark. Rams played the Super Bowl in the Rose Bowl in 1980, their home city, but not their home stadium. 49ers played a Super Bowl in Stanford Stadium; similar situation.

10) In 2016, Brian Daboll was the Patriots’ tight ends coach.
This past season, Daboll was Alabama’s offensive coordinator.
Next season, Daboll will be the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator.

If I was a Bills’ fan, not sure how excited I’d be about that.

9) Nick Saban’s six national titles have been won with five different offensive coordinators.

8) Klay Thompson’s streak of 95 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer came to an end Friday night in Milwaukee.

7) Pelicans 123, Knicks 118 OT— Anthony Davis had 48 points, 17 rebounds for New Orleans.

6) Heat 87, Bucks 79— Miami has won seven games in a row, is a quiet 25-17.

5) Someone on Twitter showed clips of 76ers’ rookie Markelle Fultz practicing his jumpshot Sunday; lets just say…….it didn’t look good. If I owned an NBA team and my #1 pick shot the ball like that, I’d be asking my basketball people some very pointed questions.

4) U of Arizona is going to hire Kevin Sumlin as its new football coach, which is a better hire than Arizona State hiring Herm Edwards.

3) Scouting/drafting are inexact sciences; Antonio Brown and Tom Brady were both 6th round draft choices, in a seven-round draft. It is a big part of what makes sports so interesting.

2) Tip on living in the frozen north; on really cold days, bring your car’s ice scraper in the house with you at night, so when you go to scrape your windshield the next day, it is warm enough so that it’ll actually scrape ice off the windshield.

1) It really is a small world: Nick Foles was traded from Philly to the Rams for Sam Bradford, who was later traded to Minnesota, where he started in front of Case Keenum before he got hurt. Now Foles is back in Philly and will lead the Eagles in the NFC Championship game, where he will face the Vikings, whose two QB’s are Keenum and Bradford.

**Udog** · 01-15-2018, 10:20 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Monday, January 15

Charlotte @ Detroit

Game 701-702
January 15, 2018 @ 12:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Charlotte
114.572
Detroit
121.998
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Detroit
by 7 1/2
200
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Detroit
by 3
205
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
(-3); Under

Toronto @ Philadelphia

Game 703-704
January 15, 2018 @ 1:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
117.443
Philadelphia
122.791
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Philadelphia
by 5 1/2
207
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Philadelphia
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Philadelphia
N/A

Milwaukee @ Washington

Game 705-706
January 15, 2018 @ 2:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee
119.311
Washington
120.784
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 1 1/2
219
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 5 1/2
214
Dunkel Pick:
Milwaukee
(+5 1/2); Over

San Antonio @ Atlanta

Game 707-708
January 15, 2018 @ 3:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
119.879
Atlanta
116.452
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 3 1/2
213
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 8 1/2
205 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(+8 1/2); Over

New York @ Brooklyn

Game 709-710
January 15, 2018 @ 3:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
117.556
Brooklyn
116.419
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York
by 1
216
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Brooklyn
by 2 1/2
209 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
New York
(+2 1/2); Over

Miami @ Chicago

Game 711-712
January 15, 2018 @ 3:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Miami
119.762
Chicago
118.331
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami
by 1 1/2
212
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
by 1 1/2
206 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Miami
(+1 1/2); Over

LA Lakers @ Memphis

Game 713-714
January 15, 2018 @ 5:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Lakers
113.412
Memphis
117.769
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Memphis
by 4 1/2
198
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Memphis
by 2
204 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Memphis
(-2); Under

Golden State @ Cleveland

Game 715-716
January 15, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Golden State
128.229
Cleveland
120.335
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 8
226
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 5
231
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(-5); Under

Sacramento @ Oklahoma City

Game 717-718
January 15, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Sacramento
114.312
Oklahoma City
121.445
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Oklahoma City
by 7
215
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Oklahoma City
by 12
209 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Sacramento
(+12); Over

Indiana @ Utah

Game 719-720
January 15, 2018 @ 9:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
117.606
Utah
118.723
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Utah
by 1
210
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Utah
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Utah
N/A

Houston @ LA Clippers

Game 721-722
January 15, 2018 @ 10:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
127.814
LA Clippers
119.203
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 8 1/2
208
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
N/A

**Udog** · 01-15-2018, 10:25 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Monday, January 15

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CHARLOTTE (16 - 25) at DETROIT (22 - 19) - 1/15/2018, 12:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHARLOTTE is 51-65 ATS (-20.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CHARLOTTE is 15-27 ATS (-14.7 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
CHARLOTTE is 25-39 ATS (-17.9 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 58-41 ATS (+12.9 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 15-3 ATS (+11.7 Units) in home games off a upset loss as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 112-160 ATS (-64.0 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.

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

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TORONTO (29 - 12) at PHILADELPHIA (19 - 20) - 1/15/2018, 1:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 9-2 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 10-1 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MILWAUKEE (22 - 20) at WASHINGTON (25 - 18) - 1/15/2018, 2:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 39-18 ATS (+19.2 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 8-21 ATS (-15.1 Units) as a favorite this season.
WASHINGTON is 399-467 ATS (-114.7 Units) in home games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 6-4 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 7-3 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

SAN ANTONIO (29 - 15) at ATLANTA (11 - 31) - 1/15/2018, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 1027-897 ATS (+40.3 Units) in all games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 823-698 ATS (+55.2 Units) as a favorite since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 91-52 ATS (+33.8 Units) against Southeast division opponents since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 343-281 ATS (+33.9 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 418-335 ATS (+49.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
ATLANTA is 5-16 ATS (-12.6 Units) versus good defensive teams - allowing <=98 points/game over the last 3 seasons.

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

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

NEW YORK (19 - 24) at BROOKLYN (16 - 27) - 1/15/2018, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BROOKLYN is 27-16 ATS (+9.4 Units) in all games this season.
BROOKLYN is 26-15 ATS (+9.5 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
BROOKLYN is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.

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

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

MIAMI (25 - 17) at CHICAGO (16 - 27) - 1/15/2018, 3:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) against Southeast division opponents this season.
MIAMI is 68-54 ATS (+8.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 43-29 ATS (+11.1 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 38-23 ATS (+12.7 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 15-4 ATS (+10.6 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 33-21 ATS (+9.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 27-14 ATS (+11.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 67-97 ATS (-39.7 Units) in home games off an upset win as an underdog since 1996.

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

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LA LAKERS (15 - 27) at MEMPHIS (13 - 28) - 1/15/2018, 5:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MEMPHIS is 15-24 ATS (-11.4 Units) in all games this season.
MEMPHIS is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) as a favorite this season.
MEMPHIS is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders this season.
MEMPHIS is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

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

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

GOLDEN STATE (35 - 9) at CLEVELAND (26 - 16) - 1/15/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 23-11 ATS (+10.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 14-3 ATS (+10.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 97-68 ATS (+22.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 57-29 ATS (+25.1 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
CLEVELAND is 12-29 ATS (-19.9 Units) in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 220 this season.
CLEVELAND is 3-15 ATS (-13.5 Units) in home games this season.
CLEVELAND is 4-17 ATS (-14.7 Units) in January games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) against Pacific division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 16-31 ATS (-18.1 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
CLEVELAND is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
CLEVELAND is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 9-8 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 11-6 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
9 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SACRAMENTO (13 - 29) at OKLAHOMA CITY (23 - 20) - 1/15/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 185-145 ATS (+25.5 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent since 1996.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 78-53 ATS (+19.7 Units) in home games versus poor offensive teams - scoring <=98 points/game since 1996.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 16-26 ATS (-12.6 Units) in all games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 12-25 ATS (-15.5 Units) as a favorite this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) after a non-conference game this season.

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

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

INDIANA (23 - 20) at UTAH (17 - 25) - 1/15/2018, 9:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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HOUSTON (30 - 11) at LA CLIPPERS (21 - 21) - 1/15/2018, 10:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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

**Udog** · 01-15-2018, 10:26 AM

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, January 15

Pistons won five of last six games with Charlotte; home side won nine of last ten series games. Hornets are 1-4 vs spread in last five visits here. Five of last seven series games went over total. Hornets split their last 10 games; they’re 5-8-2 as road underdogs. Six of their last eight games stayed under total. Detroit lost four of its last six games; they’re 2-5 in last seven games as home favorites. Six of their last nine games stayed under total.

Raptors won nine of their last ten games with Philly; they covered three of their last four visits here. Over is 7-2 in last nine series games. Toronto won six of its last eight games; they’re 7-6 vs spread as road favorites- six of their last seven games went over total. 76ers won four of their last five games; they’re 2-1 vs spread as home underdogs. Three of their last four games went over total.

Wizards won three of last four games with Milwaukee; under is 6-2 in last eight series games. Bucks are 2-3 vs spread in last five visits here. Washington won six of its last eight games; they’re 7-11 as home favorites. Over is 5-1-1 in their last seven games. Milwaukee is 3-5 in its last eight games; they’re 8-10 as road underdogs, 5-2-1 vs spread if they played nite before. Bucks’ last four games stayed under the total.

Spurs won nine of last ten games with Atlanta, covering five of last six; San Antonio covered three of last four visits here. Four of last six series games went over total. San Antonio split its last eight games; they’re 6-9 as road favorites. Over is 3-1 in their last four road games. Atlanta lost five of its last six games; they’re 7-8 as home underdogs. Three of their last four games went over.

Knicks won five of last seven games with Brooklyn; they’re 2-3 vs spread in last five games in Barclays Center. Three of last four series games went over. New York lost 10 of last 12 games; they’re 6-11 as road underdogs, 2-6 vs spread if they played day before. Five of their last six games went over total. Brooklyn lost four of its last five games; they’re 3-4 as home favorites. Three of their last four games went over total.

Miami won seven of its last nine games with Chicago; they’re 4-1 vs spread in last five visits to the Windy City. Five of last six series games stayed under the total. Miami won its last seven games; they’re 9-4 vs spread as road underdogs. Three of their last four games went over total. Chicago is 13-7 in its last 20 games, 5-2 as home favorites; eight of their last nine games went over total.

Lakers won three of last four games with Memphis; home side won eight of last ten series games. LA is 1-3 vs spread in its last four visits to Memphis. Over is 7-1-1 in last nine series games. Lakers won their last four games; under is 5-2 in their last seven. LA is 10-7 as road underdogs. Memphis lost three of its last four games; they’re 2-9 as home favorites. Grizzlies’ last three games stayed under the total.

Warriors won six of last seven games with Cleveland; they’re 1-3 vs spread in last four series games. Four of last five series games went over. Golden State won seven of its last eight games; they’re 7-4 in last 11 tries as road favorites. Six of their last eight games went over total. Cleveland lost seven of last nine games; they’re 4-2 vs spread as underdogs this year (all on road). Three of their last four games went over.

Thunder/Kings split their last ten games; Sacramento covered three of last four visits here. Five of last seven series games went over the total. Sacramento lost four in row, seven of last eight games; they’re 8-11-1 as road underdogs. Over is 8-3 in their last 11 games. Oklahoma City is 3-5 in its last eight games; they’re 6-12-1 as home favorites. Three of their last four games stayed under.

Jazz won three of their last four games with Indiana; four of last five series games went over the total. Pacers are 2-3 vs spread in last five visits to SLC. Indiana won four of its last five games; they’re 7-7 vs spread as road underdogs. Four of their last five games stayed under total. Utah lost seven of its last nine games; they’re 7-9 as home favorites. Under is 8-3 in their last 11 games.

Clippers won four of their last six games with Houston; over is 4-2 in last six series games. Rockets covered three of last five series games played here. Houston won its last three games, by 9-9-17 points; they’re 12-8 vs spread on road. Over is 9-5-1 in their last 15 games. Clippers won their last four games; they’re 13-10 vs spread at home. Last seven Clipper games went over the total.

**Udog** · 01-15-2018, 10:30 AM

NBA

Monday, January 15

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

CHARLOTTE @ DETROIT
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Charlotte's last 12 games when playing on the road against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Charlotte's last 8 games
Detroit is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Charlotte
Detroit is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

TORONTO @ PHILADELPHIA
Toronto is 18-1 SU in its last 19 games when playing Philadelphia
Toronto is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing at home against Toronto
Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games

MILWAUKEE @ WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Milwaukee's last 22 games
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games at home

SAN ANTONIO @ ATLANTA
San Antonio is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games when playing Atlanta
San Antonio is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing at home against San Antonio
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing San Antonio

NEW YORK @ BROOKLYN
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 5 games when playing on the road against Brooklyn
Brooklyn is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Brooklyn's last 8 games at home

MIAMI @ CHICAGO
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Miami is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chicago's last 9 games

LA LAKERS @ MEMPHIS
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Lakers's last 5 games when playing Memphis
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Lakers's last 6 games when playing on the road against Memphis
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Memphis's last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
Memphis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against LA Lakers

SACRAMENTO @ OKLAHOMA CITY
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Sacramento's last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Sacramento's last 7 games when playing Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is 15-1 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Sacramento
Oklahoma City is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games when playing Sacramento

GOLDEN STATE @ CLEVELAND
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Golden State is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing Golden State

INDIANA @ UTAH
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing on the road against Utah
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing Utah
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Utah's last 6 games at home
Utah is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Indiana

HOUSTON @ LA CLIPPERS
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston's last 7 games on the road
Houston is 15-5 SU in its last 20 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Clippers's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Clippers's last 5 games

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

**Udog** · 01-15-2018, 11:13 AM

NBA Betting roadmap: How to handle teams returning from London
Al McMordie

The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers traveled "across the pond" to play a game in London, England this past Thursday.

The NBA Trade Deadline is less than four weeks away, so the rumors have started to swirl. In the middle of such rumors is LeBron James' Cavaliers, who have lost seven of their last nine games, and now sit in third place in the Eastern Conference, behind Boston and Toronto.

Certainly, there is pressure on Cleveland's management to upgrade its roster, lest it risk losing James to Free Agency in the off-season. But they may be unwilling to part with either of their two 2018 first-round picks, which would hamper any effort to acquire talent.

Let's take a look at this week's upcoming action.

Spread Watch

This has been the strangest of seasons for the San Antonio Spurs. On the surface, of course, everything looks normal. The Spurs are 28-15 straight-up, and they are 22-18-3 ATS. They own the 5th best record in the league, and are likely on their way to their 21st consecutive season of winning at least 60 percent of their games. But what's missing this season is any long-term consistency and that's obviously related to the fact that six of their best nine players have missed significant playing time. Kawhi Leonard (35 games missed), Tony Parker (26), Danny Green (11), Rudy Gay (9), Manu Ginobili (8) and Kyle Anderson (8) have all been sidelined for significant portions of this season, which has greatly harmed the Spurs' ability to find any sort of rhythm.

Indeed, San Antonio's longest win streak this season is just four games and its longest point spread win streak this season is just three games! To put these streaks into perspective, consider that the Spurs have had 88 separate win streaks of at least five games since the 1997-98 season, but this year they have had none. And they've had 72 separate point spread win streaks of at least four games since 1997-98. But, once again, they've had zero this season.

The good news is that sometimes INCONSISTENCY can be a gambler's friend. For example, the Spurs are 10-6-1 ATS this season off a point spread loss, while they're 9-11-2 ATS off a point spread win. Thus, by simply betting on the Spurs to do the opposite against the spread from the result of their previous game, one would be 21-15-3 ATS this season. In this way, the Spurs' inconsistency can certainly be used to our advantage - at least until the point in the season when they're finally healthy, and have found some cohesion. But that's likely weeks away, at this point.

This upcoming week, the Spurs will host Denver, on Saturday, before embarking on a 3-game road trip to face Atlanta, Brooklyn and Toronto. With the Spurs off a blowout loss this past Thursday at the Lakers, I would lay the points with San Antone on Saturday vs. the Nuggets.

Total Watch

The Chicago Bulls' best player (by far) this season has been Nikola Mirotic. He's averaging 17.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and his PER is 23.03. Unfortunately for the Bulls, he missed the season's first 23 games while he recovered from facial fractures sustained in an altercation with his teammate, Bobby Portis, in the preseason. Chicago started the season 3-20 straight-up and 10-12-1 ATS without Mirotic. But since he returned, it has gone 12-7 SU and 14-5 ATS.

A big reason is that Chicago's offense has greatly improved - it averaged 95.6 ppg in its first 23 games, but 110.2 ppg since. And one area which has been greatly affected is Over/Unders. Prior to Mirotic's return, Chicago went 'Over' the total in just nine of its 23 games (39.1 percent). However, it's sailed 'Over' the total 15-3-1 since.

This week, the Bulls will host Detroit, Miami and Golden State. Of these, the game on Wednesday vs. the Warriors looks like the best candidate to be high-scoring. Golden State has played six of its last seven games 'Over' the total. Moreover, these two teams combined for 237 points earlier this season.

Schedule Watch

The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers traveled "across the pond" to play a game in London, England this past Thursday. The Celtics won that game, 114-103, as a 1.5-point favorite. The NBA's "International Series" games dates back to 1984, when the Nets and Suns met in Milan for a preseason game. The first regular season games outside of the USA/Canada was in 1990, when the Suns and Jazz opened the season with two games in Tokyo, Japan.

Overall, since 1990, the NBA has played 12 games in Japan, eight in England, and seven in Mexico. The games in Mexico, of course, are played in a regular time zone, while those in England and Japan are not.

The knee-jerk reaction might be to play AGAINST the two teams immediately upon their return from Japan or England, under the theory that they might be a bit out-of-whack from the travel. Not surprisingly, such a knee-jerk reaction has proven to be wrong. Indeed, NBA teams have actually over-performed in their first game back (as well as their second game back), as they've gone 18-6 SU and 16-8 ATS in their initial game (and 17-7 SU and 15-7-2 ATS in their 2nd game). And we've seen somewhat similar results in the NFL, as those teams have gone 23-18-1 ATS in their game following a trip to London (although all but six of those teams had a bye week in between).

One of the best situations in an NBA team's initial game back is when it was playing with at least four days' of rest, as that situation has gone 8-2 ATS. Boston will be playing with four days' of rest when it hosts New Orleans on Tuesday, and I would lay the points with the Celtics.

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Monday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 1/16

Monday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 1/16

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