Announcement

**Udog** · 05-04-2018, 09:06 AM

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

Highest-paid college football coaches:

1. Urban Meyer, Ohio State $8,485,559

2. Nick Saban, Alabama $8,275,000

3. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan $7,728,571

4. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M $7,500,000

T5. Gus Malzahn, Auburn $7,000,000

T5. Kirby Smart, Georgia $7,000,000

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Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Questions, questions, always questions……..

13) Why do baseball teams in New York City, Boston, Philly and Washington all have new managers this year, none of whom ever managed in the majors before?

Its like all of a sudden the over-educated geniuses in the front office decided that a manager is an overrated thing. There is a human element in sports that should never be discounted, even though it can’t really be quantified.

12) Why does an NFL prospect jump up the draft charts so far, from the time the college season ends to the draft? Games should count more than workouts.

If the NFL Draft had been held on February 1st, I don’t think Baker Mayfield is the #1 pick.

11) Why didn’t the Twins put a retractable dome on their ballpark? If you look at attendance in Milwaukee, Twins are losing out on 300-400,000 paid admissions a year by not having a roof.

10) Shouldn’t high school basketball players be able to go pro right from high school, the way baseball players can?

9) If baseball expands to 32 teams, would they dare expand to Montreal and Monterrey, MX in the same year. Seems like Portland, OR wants a team; wonder if the A’s would go there?

8) Why are the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights so good? They’re the most successful expansion team in the history of the four major sports.

7) Why do some teams bat their pitchers 8th? It makes no sense. No one has done it in a playoff game, which tells me it is a gimmick no one truly believes in.

6) Should a convicted felon be allowed to hold political office in this country?

5) Shouldn’t baseball writers be able to come up with more interesting stories on April 30 than their annual speculation on which big-money teams will poach good players from small market teams at the trade deadline, which is July 31?

4) Shouldn’t the NBA move its draft around the country, like the NHL and NFL do? Seems to generate lot of interest in the host city.

3) Why does only one league have the DH? Who thought that was a good idea?

2) Why doesn’t every college student take a money management course? Wouldn’t that be a good thing to be well-versed in when you get out in the real world? Managing your time and your money are very important.

1) Why did the Red Sox fire Terry Francona as their manager? Guy won them two World Series after a drought of almost 100 years, and they get rid of the guy after 89-73/90-72 seasons.

**Udog** · 05-04-2018, 09:16 AM

Friday's NBA Playoffs betting preview and odds

Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs continues Friday with the Golden State Warriors heading to New Orleans up 2-0 on the Pelicans and the series between the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz flips to Salt Lake City with the series all even at 1-1.

Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans (+4, 232)

Warriors lead series 2-0.

Golden State star guard Stephen Curry will be back in the starting lineup when the Warriors visit the New Orleans Pelicans in Friday's Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinal series. Curry injured his left knee on March 23 and returned to action on Tuesday when he scored 28 points off the bench in the Warriors' 121-116 victory.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters Curry will start in Game 3 and also indicated he will play more than the 27 minutes he received in Game 2. Curry didn't appear to be rusty as he drained five 3-pointers and collected seven rebounds in a strong effort that helped the Warriors take a 2-0 series lead. The Pelicans are well aware they have their backs against the wall but are encouraged by the fact their Game 2 showing was much better than the Game 1 loss. "We played well the whole game but I think we got our rhythm back," guard Jrue Holiday told reporters. "We got our groove back. Maybe just a couple things here and there that we need to change but definitely a positive turnout from this game."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, EPSN

SERIES PRICE (PER WESTGATE LV SUPERBOOK):

LINE MOVES AND BETTING ACTION: The Warriors opened as 4.5-point road favorites for Game 3 and that number has been dropped to 4 despite 62 percent of wagers coming in on the favored Dubs. The total hit betting boards at 230.5 and has been bumped up to 232.

INJURY REPORT:

Warriors - SG P. McCaw (Out Indefinitely, Back), SF C. Boucher (Out Indefinitely, Ankle).

Pelicans - C A. Ajinca (Out For Season, Knee), PG F. Jackson (Out For Season, Foot), C D. Cousins (Out For Season, Achilles).

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (64-25 SU, 38-50-1 ATS, 43-45-1 O/U): It was a frustrating time period for Curry as he kept rehabbing his knee while watching his teammates compete in the playoffs. "It was an eternity it felt like, for sure," Curry told reporters. "When the lights come back on after the starting lineups you're usually in the go kind of mind frame. I had to kind of pace myself and be patient with it. It seemed like it took forever but it was a good feeling to get back out on the floor and just let loose and have fun." Power forward Draymond Green fell one rebound short of his second straight triple-double and is averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds and 11.5 assists in the series.

ABOUT THE PELICANS (52-36 SU, 50-37-1 ATS, 51-37 O/U): Star power forward Anthony Davis is averaging 23 points and 12.5 rebounds through the first two games but New Orleans may need an explosion from him in Game 3 similar to the 47-point effort he posted in the final game of the first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers. Holiday was solid with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in Game 2 after struggling to 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting in the opener. Point guard Rajon Rondo continued his strong postseason showing with 22 points and 12 assists in Game 2 and he is averaging 12.7 points and 12.7 assists in six playoff games.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Warriors are 4-13 ATS in their last 17 games following a straight up win.
* Pelicans are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
* Under is 6-2 in Warriors' last 8 road games.
* Over is 25-9 in Pelicans' last 34 home games.
* Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.

Houston Rockets at Utah Jazz (+4, 208.5)

Series tied 1-1.

The Utah Jazz have seized homecourt advantage from the NBA's best team this season and they'll try to make it hold up when they host the Houston Rockets on Friday for Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals. After losing all four regular-season encounters and then falling by 14 points in Game 1, the Jazz shot 51.8 percent and used a 14-2 run in the fourth quarter en route to a stunning 116-108 triumph in Wednesday's Game 2.

"This year, I think we have a better team," center Rudy Gobert told reporters of his squad, which was swept four straight in this round last season. "Every game, we come out to win. That's the mindset." The Rockets had won 25 of their previous 26 home games - including the playoffs - before a lackluster start doomed them in Game 2. "Last game, we came out completely opposite. Tonight, they kind of caught us off-guard," star guard James Harden told reporters. "We adjusted to it in that second quarter, but we can't get down 19 no matter who we're playing." Harden scored 32 points and two other starters had at least 21, but Houston's bench was outscored 41-22 and shot 7-of-25 from the floor.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

SERIES PRICE (PER WESTGATE LV SUPERBOOK):

LINE MOVES AND BETTING ACTION: The Rockets opened as 3.5-point road favorites for Game 3 and that pointspread is up to 4 as of Thursday night. 53 percent of wagers are on the favored Rockets. The total hit betting boards at 207 and has been bumped up to 208.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Rockets - No injuries to report.

Jazz - PG R. Rubio (Mid May, Hamstring), SF T. Sefolosha (Out For Season, Knee).

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (70-19 SU, 45-43-1 ATS, 37-51-1 O/U): Coach Mike D'Antoni hopes that the Game 2 loss will serve as a wake-up call for his team, which he said lacked the necessary energy to compete with the motivated Jazz. "We can correct our energy and we can correct the necessary focus that we need to have," D'Antoni said Wednesday. "You get lulled into sleep. You think this stuff's easy. It's not easy. This is the NBA. This is the [conference] semifinals. We kind of got lulled into it, and we paid for it." Chris Paul had 23 points and Clint Capela finished with 21 and 11 rebounds for his fourth consecutive double-double.

ABOUT THE JAZZ (53-37 SU, 47-43 ATS, 43-46-1 O/U): Joe Ingles hit a career-high seven 3-pointers in nine attempts en route to a team-high 27 points in Game 2 and the 30-year-old is averaging 15.9 points in the playoffs - up from 11.5 during the regular season - while making 50.9 percent from beyond the arc. "Every time Joe has needed to step up his game, he has been able to," coach Quin Snyder told reporters. "He's committed to that. He knew tonight he would need to make some shots and he was able to do it." Reserve Jae Crowder is averaging 18 points in the series while making 8-of-13 3-pointers.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Rockets are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games.
* Jazz are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
* Over is 4-1 in Rockets' last 5 overall.
* Over is 9-2 in Jazz's last 11 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Rockets are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.

**Udog** · 05-04-2018, 10:59 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Friday, May 4

Golden State @ New Orleans

Game 513-514
May 4, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Golden State
128.213
New Orleans
121.676
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 6 1/2
227
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 4
232
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(-4); Under

Houston @ Utah

Game 515-516
May 4, 2018 @ 10:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
126.301
Utah
120.756
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 6 1/2
213
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
by 3 1/2
207
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(-3 1/2); Over

NBA
Long Sheet

Friday, May 4

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GOLDEN STATE (64 - 25) at NEW ORLEANS (52 - 36) - 5/4/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 37-49 ATS (-16.9 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 36-44 ATS (-12.4 Units) as a favorite this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 18-30 ATS (-15.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 50-37 ATS (+9.3 Units) in all games this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 60-38 ATS (+18.2 Units) in all playoff games since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 62-36 ATS (+22.4 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 7-6 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 12-1 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
10 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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HOUSTON (70 - 19) at UTAH (53 - 37) - 5/4/2018, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UTAH is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
HOUSTON is 53-34 ATS (+15.6 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) against Northwest division opponents this season.
HOUSTON is 20-9 ATS (+10.1 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 103-65 ATS (+31.5 Units) in road games off a upset loss as a favorite since 1996.
HOUSTON is 19-7 ATS (+11.3 Units) in road games after allowing 115 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 21-12 ATS (+7.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 8-5 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 8-5 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
9 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, May 4

Warriors (2-0) @ Pelicans
New Orleans bench played total of only 37:00 in tight 121-116 Game 2 loss; they were -20 in those 37:00. Warriors outscored Pelicans 22-7 in foul line in Game 2, as Curry returned and scored 28 points in 27:00 off bench. Golden State won 11 of last 12 games with New Orleans; Pelicans are 6-4 vs spread in last ten series games. Over is 10-2 in last dozen series games. Pelicans are 10-1 vs spread in their last 11 games; they had won nine in row before this series started. Warriors split their last eight road games; over is 7-4 in their last 11 games overall.

Rockets (1-1) @ Jazz
Utah was 15-32 on arc (Engles 7-9) as they won Game 2 on road, their first win or cover in last six meetings with Houston. Rockets won their last two visits to SLC, by 11 points each- they were 10-37 on arc in Game 2, after going 17-32 in Game 1. Over is 9-3 in last 12 series games, 4-1 in Houston’s last five games overall. Utah won its last seven home games; their last home loss was March 28 to Boston. Jazz won Game 2 despite being -10 (17-7) in turnovers; four Utah subs who played in Game 2 were a combined +26 in 82:00.

Second Round
Pelicans-Warriors
GState 123-101, -7.5, O223.5
GState 121-116, -11, O229

Jazz-Rockets
Hst 110-96, -11.5, U206.5
Utah 116-108, +10.5, O205

76ers-Celtics
Bos 117-101, +5, O205
Bos 108-103, +3.5, O206.5

Cavaliers-Raptors
Clev 113-112 OT +7, O213.5
Clev 128-110, +7, O213.5

First Round
Wizards-Raptors
Tor 114-106, -7.5, O211
Tor 130-119, -7, O214
Wsh 122-103, -1, O217.5
Wsh 106-98, +1.5, U217
Tor 108-97, -7, U216
Tor 102-92, -2, U214.5
Raptors win series, 4-2

Heat-76ers
Phil 130-103, -6.5, O212
Mia 113-103, +6.5, U217
Phil 128-108, -2.5, O213.5
Phil 106-102, -4, U212.5
Phil 104-91, -10, U215.5
76ers win series, 4-1

Bucks-Celtics
Bos 113-107 OT, -4.5, O199.5
Bos 120-106, -1, O200
Mil 116-92, -5, O205.5
Mil 104-102, -5.5, O203.5
Bos 92-87, -4.5, U202.5
Mil 97-86, -4.5, U201.5
Bos 112-96, -4.5, O196
Celtics win series, 4-3

Pacers-Cavaliers
Ind 98-80, +7.5, U212.5
Clev 100-97, -8, U209
Ind 92-90, -1.5, U209.5
Clev 104-100, -1.5, U206.5
Clev 98-95, -6.5, U206
Ind 121-87, -1.5, O202
Clev 105-101, -5.5, O200.5
Cavaliers win series, 4-3

Spurs-Warriors
GState 113-92, -8, U209.5
GState 116-101, -9 O205.5
GState 110-97, -3.5, O205.5
SA 103-90, +5.5, U206.5
GState 99-91, -11, U204.5
Warriors win series, 4-1

Pelicans-Blazers
NO 97-95, +5.5, U216.5
NO 111-102, +6, U216
NO 119-102, -3.5, O215.5
NO 131-123, -6.5, O217
Pelicans win series, 4-0

Jazz-Thunder
OKC 116-108, -4.5, O205
Utah 102-95, +4, U206.5
Utah 115-102, -5, O209
Utah 113-96, -5, O208
OKC 107-99, -2.5, U207.5
Utah 96-91, –7, U207.5
Jazz win series, 4-2

Wolves-Rockets
Hst 104-101, -11.5, U215.5
Hst 102-82, -10.5, U212.5
Minn 121-105, +6, O217
Hst 119-100, -6, O217
Hst 122-104, -12, O217
Rockets win series, 4-1

NBA

Friday, May 4

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Trend Report
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Golden State Warriors
Golden State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Golden State's last 6 games
Golden State is 16-1 SU in its last 17 games when playing New Orleans
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Golden State's last 7 games when playing New Orleans
Golden State is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Golden State's last 5 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 games
New Orleans is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Orleans's last 5 games
New Orleans is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games at home
New Orleans is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Orleans's last 5 games at home
New Orleans is 1-16 SU in its last 17 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Orleans's last 7 games when playing Golden State
New Orleans is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Golden State
New Orleans is 8-14-2 ATS in its last 24 games when playing at home against Golden State
New Orleans is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Orleans's last 5 games when playing at home against Golden State

Houston Rockets
Houston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Houston is 19-5 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Houston's last 25 games
Houston is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Houston is 16-4 SU in its last 20 games on the road
Houston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Utah
Houston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Utah
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Houston's last 9 games when playing Utah
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 6 games when playing on the road against Utah
Utah Jazz
Utah is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games
Utah is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Utah is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Utah's last 7 games at home
Utah is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Houston
Utah is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Utah's last 9 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Utah's last 6 games when playing at home against Houston

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Announcement

Friday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 5/4

Friday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 5/4

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