The Bum's 2018 NBA Trends/Stats/Best Bets Thru The Playoffs !

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday's Tip Sheet
Kevin Rogers

Game of the Night: Celtics at 76ers (-3, 225) – 7:05 PM EST

Boston eliminated Philadelphia in five games in last season’s second round of the playoffs before getting bounced by Cleveland in the conference finals. The Celtics (43-28 SU, 34-36-1 ATS) have continued that dominance this season by winning each of the first three meetings with their division rivals, including a 112-109 victory at Wells Fargo Center as 6 ½-point underdogs prior to the All-Star break.

The 76ers (46-25 SU, 34-37 ATS) finished off the four-game season sweep of the Hornets on Tuesday in a 118-114 triumph. Philadelphia stuck to its script of close games with Charlotte as the 76ers won the four matchups by a combined 10 points, while capturing its fifth consecutive victory overall. Four Philadelphia starters scored at least 22 points last night, led by 28 points from Ben Simmons on 11-of-12 shooting from the floor.

Philadelphia managed the victory without Joel Embiid, who sat out for the ninth time since the All-Star break. Embiid hopes to play tonight after dominating the Bucks for 40 points in Sunday’s win at Milwaukee, as the 76ers try to improve on a 2-5 ATS record in their last seven games in the role of a home favorite.

The Celtics lost for the second time in the last seven trips to the court in Monday’s 114-105 home setback to the Nuggets. Boston slipped to 0-4 ATS the past four games, but the Celtics have cashed in three of the previous four opportunities in the underdog role.

Bucks (-9 ½, 227) at Cavaliers – 7:05 PM EST

Milwaukee (53-18 SU, 42-26-3 ATS) travels to Cleveland with no rest tonight following Tuesday’s 115-101 home triumph over the slumping Lakers. The Bucks played without star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who rested a sprained ankle and really isn’t needed here against a lottery team. Milwaukee has topped Cleveland twice by double-digits this season, while dominating Miami and New Orleans in its last two opportunities as a road favorite.

The Cavaliers (18-53 SU, 33-36-2 ATS) are creeping closer towards the elusive 20-win mark as Cleveland surprised Detroit on Monday, 126-119 as 6 ½-point home underdogs. The victory snapped a three-game skid as the Cavaliers shot 58% from the floor, paced by rookie Collin Sexton’s 27 points. The Cavaliers have profited nicely since the All-Star break by posting a 8-4-1 ATS record, including three straight covers as a home underdog.

Wizards (-3 ½, 221) at Bulls – 8:05 PM EST

The road team has grabbed each of the first two matchups between these two Eastern Conference squads who are both outside the playoff race. Washington (30-41 SU, 34-37 ATS) has won only eight games away from D.C. this season, but one of the victories came at the United Center on February 9 in a 134-125 triumph as two-point favorites, highlighted by a 42-point second quarter.

The Wizards finished off their five-game homestand at 3-2, while hitting the road off a 116-95 setback to the Jazz on Monday. The Bulls (20-52 SU, 32-39-1 ATS) are back in the Windy City after capturing a win in the final contest of a three-game away swing at Phoenix on Monday, 116-101. Chicago has lost 11 of its past 13 home games to Eastern Conference foes, while dropping six of the previous eight meetings with Washington.

Heat at Spurs (-6 ½, 210 ½) – 8:35 PM EST

The hottest team in the league resides in San Antonio as the Spurs (42-29 SU, 40-30-1 ATS) have caught fire at the right time. San Antonio has run off nine consecutive victories since a dreadful Rodeo Road Trip, capped off by Monday’s 111-105 home triumph over Golden State as three-point underdogs. DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge combined to score 49 points for the Spurs, who has won 11 straight games at AT&T Center since January 27.

The Heat (34-36 SU, 38-32 ATS) are somehow leading the Southeast division in spite of a losing record, but are climbing towards the .500 mark following victories on a back-to-back set against the Hornets and Thunder. Miami fell into a 13-0 hole to start Monday’s game at Oklahoma City, but the Heat rallied back quickly by taking a 27-25 lead at the end of the first quarter before beating the Thunder, 116-107. The Heat actually owns a winning record on the road (17-16), while covering eight of their past 10 games away from American Airlines Arena.

Raptors at Thunder (-4 ½, 226) – 9:35 PM EST

Oklahoma City (42-29 SU, 36-35 ATS) has dropped three straight games to fall into third place of the Northwest division. Russell Westbrook sat out Monday’s nine-point home defeat to Miami due to a league-mandated one-game suspension for reaching a certain amount of technical fouls. The Thunder slipped to 3-12 ATS the last 15 games, including a 1-6 ATS mark at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The Raptors (50-21 SU, 31-40 ATS) have been up and down of late by splitting their last eight games, coming off Monday’s 128-92 blowout of the hapless Knicks. Toronto has slipped up in its past two road contests at Detroit and Cleveland, while guard Kyle Lowry is questionable with an ankle injury for tonight’s contest.

The Thunder and Raptors start a home-and-home set with the second game coming Friday at Toronto. OKC swept Toronto last season, including a 17-point victory at Chesapeake Energy Arena last December as Westbrook and Paul George combined for 63 points. The Raptors own an 8-6 ATS record in the road underdog role, while Toronto has seen the OVER hit in four of the past five games overall.

Mavericks at Blazers (-10, 227 ½) – 10:05 PM EST

These two Western Conference foes meet for the final time in the regular season as the home team has won each of the first three matchups. After Dallas (28-42 SU, 38-30-2 ATS) topped Portland (43-27 SU, 40-30 ATS) by nine points in early December, the Blazers and Mavericks played two close contests decided by a total of four points. Dallas rallied past Portland at American Airlines Center in February, 102-101 by outscoring the Blazers, 24-9 in the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks have dropped 13 of their past 15 games since that late rally against the Blazers, capped off by a 129-125 overtime setback to the Pelicans on Monday. Dallas will look to snap a seven-game road losing streak tonight, while Portland has four of its past five contests after topping Indiana on Monday, 106-98.

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NO at ORL 07:00 PM
ORL -8.5
O 224.0

MIL at CLE 07:00 PM
MIL -6.5
O 227.0

BOS at PHI 07:00 PM
PHI -3.0
U 224.0

UTA at NY 07:30 PM
UTA -12.0
O 209.0

WAS at CHI 08:00 PM
CHI +2.5
O 231.0

HOU at MEM 08:00 PM
MEM +5.0
U 214.5

MIA at SA 08:30 PM
SA -6.0
U 211.0

TOR at OKC 09:30 PM
TOR +4.5
O 227.0

DAL at POR 10:00 PM
DAL +10.0
O 217.5

[StarDust Bum]

Embiid, 76ers top Celtics for 6th straight victory
March 20, 2019
By The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Joel Embiid had 37 points, 22 rebounds and a key block on Kyrie Irving with 35 seconds remaining, and Jimmy Butler scored 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to lead the 76ers over the Boston Celtics for their sixth straight victory.

Tobias Harris added 21 points for the 76ers, who avoided a season sweep by the Celtics. Philadelphia (47-25) holds the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race, three games ahead of idle Indiana and four in front of fifth-place Boston.

Irving scored 36 points for the Celtics.

The game was tied at 113 with a minute left before Ben Simmons converted a three-point play. He banked in a shot with his right hand and got fouled by Marcus Morris, hitting the free throw to make it 116-113 with 40.8 seconds to go. Embiid then rejected a driving Irving on the Celtics' ensuing possession and Butler sealed it with a long jumper from the wing with 4.7 ticks remaining.

GRIZZLIES 126, ROCKETS 125, OT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - James Harden scored 57 points but the Memphis Grizzlies outlasted Houston, handing the Rockets only their second loss in the last 14 games.

Mike Conley scored 35 points for Memphis and Jonas Valanciunas had a career-best 33, including the game-winning free throw with less than a second left.

Valanciunas made the first of two free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining after he was fouled by Clint Capela under the Grizzlies basket. The clock ran out after Valanciunas, who also had 15 rebounds, missed the second foul shot.

Harden scored 15 during a 17-2 fourth-quarter burst that helped the Rockets tie the game at 115 at the end of regulation. Harden's three free throws with 4 seconds left tied it.

HEAT 110, SPURS 105

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Goran Dragic had 22 points and the Miami Heat snapped the Spurs' nine-game winning streak, sending Dwyane Wade home a winner in his final game in San Antonio.

Dion Waiters added 18 points and Josh Richardson had 15 for Miami, which has won three straight.

San Antonio's previous loss was Feb. 25 in Brooklyn as part of their 1-7 Rodeo Road Trip. The Spurs had won 11 straight at home.

The Spurs had six players in double figures, but only two starters. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 17 points and DeRozan added 16. Patty Mills and Marco Belinelli added 17 apiece.

CAVALIERS 107, BUCKS 102

CLEVELAND (AP) - Rookie Collin Sexton scored 25 points, Jordan Clarkson added 23 and the Cavaliers delayed Milwaukee from clinching the Central Division with a win over the bruised Bucks, who were without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Sexton made a 3-pointer with 1:42 left and dropped a driving layup one minute later as the Cavs held on. Down 105-102, Milwaukee had a chance to tie it but had an ugly turnover without getting a shot off.

Sexton became the only rookie in team history to score at least 23 points in seven straight games. Austin Carr (1972) did it six times. Sexton also became the first NBA rookie to score 23 points in seven straight games since Tim Duncan.

Khris Middleton scored 26 points and Eric Bledsoe 24 for the Bucks, who couldn't wrap up their first division title since 2001. They were at a disadvantage as Antetokounmpo sat his second straight game with a sprained right ankle.

Cleveland's Kevin Love, who missed Monday's game in Detroit with a sore lower back, left in the third quarter with an apparent head injury.

MAGIC 119, PELICANS 96

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Evan Fournier scored 22 points and Aaron Gordon added 20 and the Magic routed the New Orleans Pelicans.

Terrence Ross had 19 points and Nikola Vucevic added 15 points and 17 rebounds for Orlando, which won its third straight.

New Orleans played without All-Star center Anthony Davis, who flew home Wednesday morning. The team said Davis was excused to attend a family matter.

Stanley Johnson led the Pelicans with 18 points. New Orleans' Elfrid Payton had his streak of triple-doubles end at five straight games. He finished with seven points, two assists and three rebounds. The only other NBA players with a triple-double in five straight games are Russell Westbrook (four times), Oscar Robertson (three), Wilt Chamberlain (two) and Michael Jordan (one).

JAZZ 137, KNICKS 116

NEW YORK (AP) - Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, Rudy Gobert made all seven shots and added 18 points, and the Utah Jazz romped to their fifth straight lopsided victory by beating the Knicks.

Joe Ingles made six 3-pointers and also scored 18, while Mitchell made five 3-pointers as the Jazz finished 20 of 42 (48 percent) from behind the arc.

The Jazz led by as much as 37 in a game that was even easier than their recent easy victories. They started their winning streak with a 17-point win over Phoenix, then beat Minnesota by 20, Brooklyn by 16 and Washington by 21.

Kevin Knox scored 27 points and Mario Hezonja had 23 for the Knicks, who lost for the 10th time in 11 games in the opener of a six-game homestand that keeps them home into early next month.

BULLS 126, WIZARDS 120, OT

CHICAGO (AP) - Lauri Markkanen had 32 points and 13 rebounds, Kris Dunn scored a season-high 26 - including eight in overtime - to go with 13 assists, and the short-handed Bulls beat the fading Washington Wizards.

Shaquille Harrison scored 18, and Cristiano Felicio 15 for the Bulls, who won their second straight after dropping five in a row, despite leading scorer Zach LaVine (bruised right thigh, right knee tendinitis) and Otto Porter Jr. (strained right rotator cuff) not playing because of injuries.

Jabari Parker led Washington with 28 points against his former team. Bradley Beal scored 27 and hit the tying jumper in the closing seconds of regulation. But the Wizards lost for the third time in four games.

TRAIL BLAZERS 126, MAVERICKS 118

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Damian Lillard had 33 points and 12 assists to lead the Trail Blazers past the Dallas Mavericks.

Seth Curry scored 20 off the bench for the Blazers, who have won five of six as they try to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Portland (44-27) led by as many as 25, and Lillard hit six of the team's 16 3-pointers.

Luka Doncic had 24 points for the Mavericks, who have lost nine of 10 and sit in second-to-last place in the West, ahead of the Phoenix Suns.

Portland rested Lillard in the fourth quarter. Enes Kanter had 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for his first double-double since joining the Blazers just before the All-Star break.

RAPTORS 123, THUNDER 114

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Pascal Siakam had 33 points and 13 rebounds, Fred VanVleet added 23 points and six assists and the Toronto Raptors won the first of two games in three days against Oklahoma City, blowing a 20-point lead in the second half before beating the Thunder.

Atlantic Division-leading Toronto snapped a four-game losing streak against Oklahoma City despite the absence of starting guard Kyle Lowry, who sat out with a sprained right ankle sustained Monday in a win over the New York Knicks. The Raptors did so with balanced scoring, good ball movement - four players had six assists - and strong shooting, making 51.7 percent overall and 38.9 percent from 3-point range (14 of 36). Kawhi Leonard added 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Danny Green scored 17.

In his return after a one-game suspension for accumulating too many technical fouls, Russell Westbrook had 42 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Oklahoma City, which has lost four straight games and 10 of 14.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY MARCH 21, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Denver Nuggets Washington Wizards Capital One Arena
7:05 PM Minnesota Timberwolves Charlotte Hornets Spectrum Center
7:35 PM Utah Jazz Atlanta Hawks State Farm Arena
10:05 PM Dallas Mavericks Sacramento Kings Golden 1 Center
10:05 PM Detroit Pistons Phoenix Suns Talking Stick Resort Arena
10:35 PM Indiana Pacers Golden State Warriors ORACLE Arena


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NBA MARCH RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

03/20/2019 10-7-1 58.82% +11.50
03/19/2019 4-8-0 33.33% -24.00
03/18/2019 7-11-0 38.89% -25.50
03/16/2019 7-9-0 43.75% -14.50
03/15/2019 5-7-1 41.66% -13.50
03/14/2019 5-6-0 45.45% -8.00
03/13/2019 4-8-0 33.33% -24.00
03/12/2019 6-8-0 42.85% -14.00
03/11/2019 6-6-0 50.00% -3.00


Totals.............54-70..........43.54%....-105.00


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BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS................... ..UNITS..................O/U..................UNITS.............TOTALS

03/20/2019..............3 - 0....................+15.00.................5 - 4................+3.00...............+18.00
03/19/2019..............0 - 4.....................-22.00.................1 - 3.................-11.50..............-33.50
03/18/2019..............4 - 2.....................+9.00.................3 - 6..................-18.00..............-9.00
03/16/2019..............1 - 3.....................-11.50.................5 - 2.................+14.00.............+2.50
03/15/2019..............2 - 0.....................+10.00................2 - 4.................-11.00..............-1.00
03/14/2019..............0 - 3.....................-16.50.................4 - 1.................+14.50.............-2.00
03/13/2019..............0 - 4.....................-22.00.................2 - 3..................-6.50...............-28.50
03/12/2019..............3 - 3.....................-1.50...................1 - 4..................-17.00.............-18.50
03/11/2019..............1 - 3.....................-11.50.................4 - 2..................+9.00..............-2.50

Totals.....................14 - 22...................-51.00...............27 - 29.................-23.50..............-74.50

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s 6-pack

Favorites to win each region:

— East: Duke 9-5, Michigan State +$275, Virginia Tech 11-1

— South: Virginia even, Tennessee +$325, Purdue 7-2

— Midwest: North Carolina 9-5, Kentucky 2-1, Houston 5-1

— West: Gonzaga 3-1, Michigan +$375, Texas Tech 9-2

— Over/under for wins by ACC teams in NCAA’s: 15

— Over/under for wins by Big 14 teams: 10.5

Tweet of the Day
“Most people come in groups of two to six. I always feel bad for that one guy who brings his girlfriend. There’s always that one guy who has to say, ‘Talk to you guys later, I’m going to the Forum shops.’”
Westgate SuperBook VP Jay Kornegay, talking about March Madness in Las Vegas

Thursday’s quiz
Remember the final basketball scenes in the movie Hoosiers? Which college still plays its home games in that arena?

Wednesday’s quiz
Philadelphia Eagles have played in three Super Bowls; Ron Jaworski, Donovan McNabb, Nick Foles started those games at QB for the Eagles.

Tuesday’s quiz
Penguins are the NHL team that has the longest active streak of consecutive years in the playoffs, making it the last dozen seasons.

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Thursday’s List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud……

13) I’m not fond of the baseball season starting at 5:30am on another continent.

If it wasn’t the A’s playing, I’d just sleep thru it and watch the replay later on. Only positive note about all this is that the last time Oakland played over in Japan, they wound up winning their division that year (2012).

12) Syracuse will be without starting PG Frank Howard when it plays Baylor Thursday; Howard was suspended for violating an athletic department policy. Howard scored 28 points against Duke in the ACC tournament last week.

11) Over/under betting line on largest margin of victory in first round of NCAA tournament Thursday/Friday: 37.5 points.

10) North Dakota State 78, North Carolina Central 74— Both teams shot over 40% on arc in this game. Bison bench outscored NC Central’s 17-0, now advances to get crushed by Duke Friday.

9) Arizona State 74, St John’s 65— This was an awful game; Red Storm starts three juniors and a senior, but they’re not good- they went 9-13 in last 22 games, after going 12-0 vs non-conference schedule #327. Chris Mullin seems like a good guy, but is a suspect coach.

Bobby Hurley continues to be an overbearing jerk on the sidelines; he got a technical near the end of the first half, when his team was up 15; you could tell the ref just got sick of listening to him carp constantly about everything.

8) Brooklyn Nets were down 25 in the 4th quarter Tuesday, rallied to win in Sacramento, just the 4th time in the shot clock era that has happened.

7) Been a rough 14 months for former U of San Diego basketball coach Lamont Smith; last year, he got into a fracas with a girlfriend during a Toreros’ road trip, which isn’t so bad, except that he was married at the time. He was shown the door before the season ended.

This week, Smith was named in that big college admissions scandal; now an assistant coach at UTEP, Smith resigned from that job Wednesday.

6) Norfolk State 80, Alabama 79 OT— Big win for MEAC over an SEC team; Jamerson scored 25 points off the bench for the Spartans, making 7-13 behind the arc.

5) Harvard 71, Georgetown 68— Hoyas played this game in McDonough Gym, an old gym on campus that looks like a pretty nice high school gym. Georgetown is 34-29 in two years under Patrick Ewing, 14-22 in Big East games.

4) Happy birthday to the greatest defenseman ever, Bobby Orr, who turned 71 Wednesday. A friend of my parents gave me a subscription to Sports Illustrated for my 9th birthday, and the first issue that arrived had Bobby Orr on the cover, which made me a big Bruins fan.

Bad knees shortened his career, but when he rushed the puck from behind the net, the crowd at Boston Garden would buzz. Bruins won the Stanley Cup in ’70 and ’72. Happy birthday!!!!

3) QB Tate Martell bolted from Ohio State to Miami, will be eligible this fall; kids who don’t start don’t stick around very much these days.

2) White Sox signed OF prospect Eloy Jimenez to a 6-year, $43M contract, despite fact that Jimenez hasn’t played in a major league game yet. If he is as good as everyone says, this will wind up being a tremendous bargain for the Pale Hose.

Tampa Bay signed utility guy Brandon Lowe to a 6-year deal with at least $24M; Lowe still qualifies as a rookie; he had 129 AB’s in 43 games last year, hitting .233 with six HR’s, six doubles, 25 RBIs. He made 24 starts at second base, 11 in center field and five in right field.

1) Alex Bregman signed a 6-year, $100M extension with the Astros, as every AL West team but the A’s spends a load of cash. A’s used their first round pick last June on a quarterback, which would be great, if they were a football team.

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday's Essentials
Tony Mejia

Game of the Night - Indiana at Golden State (-11.5, 220.5), 10:35 ET

Last time the Warriors took the floor at Oracle Arena, Steve Kerr was expressing his frustration with Draymond Green for lip-readers everywhere to see and Klay Thompson was calling out the fan base for a lack of spirit. Even for two-time defending champions, emotions can indeed bubble over during the regular season even if you’re just killing time until the real games begin.

The Warriors apparently draw the line at losing to inferior teams at home given how charged up they were over falling to the Phoenix Suns as a 17-point favorite, becoming the first team in over two decades to fail to pick up a victory when laying that large a number. The Kerr/Green issue was squashed quickly, but it will be interesting to see how fans react to Thompson’s thoughts on their lack of passion. The All-Star shooting guard doesn’t seem pleased that the paying customers are coasting until April.

“I expect our crowd to be a little more into it,” said Thompson following the 115-111 loss on March 10. “Like, I know it’s not the playoffs, but it is our last go-around in Oracle. The least you can do is stand up when we make a good play.”

Thompson apologized on Twitter, but the mood around the Warriors was testier than it is as they return from a 3-1 road trip that featured wins over the Rockets and Thunder without Kevin Durant. They followed up a loss in San Antonio with a comfortable win over the Timberwolves, giving them three covers out of four on the roadie, putting an end to a 3-13 ATS run since Jan. 31.

While there are still a lot of moving parts, Golden State remains atop the Western Conference, holding a half-game lead on Denver. Only the Bucks and Raptors have better records, so even though the Warriors have said they’re over chasing a No. 1 seed and don’t need homecourt advantage to hang another banner, they’re likely to get after it over the next few weeks considering they have the far easier schedule between them and the Nuggets, who they’ll welcome into town on April 2 as they look to win the season series 3-1.

“It’s definitely a different mind-set,” Kerr said of the upcoming final weeks. “Each game takes on more importance. Last year, I think the final 20 games, we kind of knew we were going the 2-seed, so it’s a little different this year, and I think it’s going to help us.”

This matchup against the Pacers will be the first of just four in its remaining 12 that Golden State will play against teams that will make the playoffs. It has dropped three of its last five in Oakland, so this is a bounce-back game of sorts given the bad taste in everyone’s mouths as the final stretch of seven regular-season games at Oracle opens.

DeMarcus Cousins underwent a scare but results from an MRI on a foot injury suffered in Saturday’s win in Oklahoma City came back clean. He’s been listed as day-to-day and has a chance to return against the Pacers. Fellow center Andrew Bogut is sure to get a nice reception as he debuts after re-signing with the Warriors after completing his season in Australia, claiming MVP honors. Although he’s looking a step slower, his size and IQ give him a shot to be an asset and carve out a role going forward.

Kevin Durant played in a back-to-back after returning from an ankle sprain that helped spark that Suns’ rally and caused him to miss the first two games on Golden State’s trip, so Kerr will have a loaded frontcourt in play to throw at the Pacers, who are led by center Myles Turner and forward Thaddeus Young and Domantas Sabonis. Indiana is currently fourth in the Eastern Conference, one game up on Boston, who they would meet in the first round of the playoffs if the standings hold. The team has fallen in the first three stops of their four-game Western road swing, losing to the Nuggets, Trail Blazers and Clippers. Indiana heads back home after this game before hosting Denver and venturing back on the road for tough games against Oklahoma City and Boston. Although it has played a grueling slate featuring many of the teams with the NBA’s best records, the Pacers are 2-5 over their last seven contests.

If they’re going to pull off an upset to avoid a winless road trip, they’ll have to do it without head coach Nate McMillan, who will miss the game due to a death in the family. Dan Burke will fill in for the second time. The Pacers are 0-1 on his watch. Point guard Darren Collison missed Tuesday’s loss to the Clippers with a quad injury that contributed to Indiana getting off to a slow start since replacement Cory Joseph couldn’t get going. Collison is unlikely to suit up against the Warriors.

Tyreke Evans took advantage of the need for a catalyst to step up and had one of his best games of the season, finishing with a team-high 19 points and seven assists in addition to eight rebounds. It was only the fourth time in 17 games that he’d scored in double-digits and the first time he’d done it since Feb. 22. Evans didn’t play against the Sabonis added 13 points and 16 rebounds as the bench got the Pacers back in the game in L.A. before ultimately falling short, so look for their contributions off the bench to play a major role in this one.

Golden State won the first meeting between these teams 132-100 on Jan. 28, dominating in all facets. Stephen Curry led the way with a game-high 26 points as his team shot 54 percent, so Indiana is going to want to be more aggressive at the onset to keep the Warriors from finding an early rhythm and getting their fans into the game early. The Dubs hung a 40-spot on the Pacers in Indianapolis, going up 69-48 at halftime. Evans didn’t play in that first meeting. Rookie Edmund Sumner started with Victor Oladipo having just been lost for the season less than a week earlier. He shot 1-for-10. Wes Matthews has since been signed and gives the Pacers a much better chance of defending the Splash Brothers.

Indiana saw its run of seven consecutive games going ‘under’ the posted total end on Tuesday night at Staples. The low-side has prevailed in 11 of 12 involving Golden State, including each of its last nine.

Best of the Rest

Denver at Washington, 7:05 p.m. ET: The Nuggets continue a four-game road trip that started with an upset in Boston with a back-to-back that starts in D.C. and continues Saturday night in New York against the Knicks. Considering how strenuous Denver's schedule will get when it returns from the trip, it better take care of business against the few sub-.500 teams remaining on its slate if it plans on supplanting Golden State as the No. 1 seed. The Wizards are definitely vulnerable, coming off an OT loss in Chicago on Wednesday that realistically ended their playoff hopes. Trevor Ariza suffered a groin strain that forced him out of the loss to the Bulls early. The 'under' is 11-1 over Denver's last dozen games.

Utah at Atlanta, 7:35 p.m. ET: The Jazz comfortably took care of business against the Knicks on Wednesday night with a 137-116 rout, getting 30 points from Donovan Mitchell. They'll likely have a much tougher time getting through the Hawks, but are 5-1 on the second night of their last six back-to-backs. The 'under' has prevailed in seven of the last eight games involving the Jazz, including each of the last five. They have held four of their last six foes under 100 points but will have their work cut out for them holding down Atlanta, which has topped the century mark in 13 of 14 contests. Utah center Rudy Gobert had 25 points and 13 boards against the Hawks in a 128-112 win on Feb. 1

Detroit at Phoenix, 10:05 p.m. ET: The Pistons are still sixth in the East, but we'll see whether they prefer to stay there given that the 76ers appear to be the likely team awaiting in the No. 3 spot. Would they prefer a series with a Raptors team they've swept this series and would mean less travel? We could see some strategic tanking come into play. It may just not come tonight. Detroit lost to Cleveland on Monday and will play at Portland, Golden State and Denver going forward between now and next Tuesday, so this is their best shot at a win. The Suns aren't at full strength since starting small foward Kelly Oubre (thumb) and point guard Tyler Johnson (knee) aren't expected to play and backup big man Richaun Holmes (quad) is listed as questionable. Devin Booker scored 37 points in Detroit's 118-107 win on Nov. 25

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Thursday, March 21

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Trend Report
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Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Minnesota's last 19 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games
Minnesota is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota's last 8 games on the road
Minnesota is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Charlotte
Minnesota is 7-17 SU in its last 24 games when playing Charlotte
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing Charlotte
Minnesota is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Charlotte
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Minnesota's last 12 games when playing on the road against Charlotte
Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games
Charlotte is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Charlotte is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Charlotte is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Charlotte's last 10 games at home
Charlotte is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Charlotte is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Charlotte's last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Charlotte is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Charlotte's last 12 games when playing at home against Minnesota

Denver Nuggets
Denver is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Denver's last 12 games
Denver is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Denver is 7-14 ATS in its last 21 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Denver's last 5 games on the road
Denver is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Washington
Denver is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Denver's last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington Wizards
Washington is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Washington's last 21 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games
Washington is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Washington is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games at home
Washington is 8-14-1 ATS in its last 23 games when playing at home against Denver
Washington is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing at home against Denver

Utah Jazz
Utah is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Utah is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Utah's last 6 games
Utah is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Utah is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah's last 6 games when playing Atlanta
Utah is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Utah's last 7 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games
Atlanta is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
Atlanta is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Atlanta is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games at home
Atlanta is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games when playing Utah
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing Utah
Atlanta is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Utah
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing at home against Utah

Detroit Pistons
Detroit is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
Detroit is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Detroit's last 17 games
Detroit is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Detroit's last 19 games on the road
Detroit is 12-1 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Phoenix
Detroit is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing Phoenix
Detroit is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Detroit is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Detroit's last 10 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Phoenix Suns
Phoenix is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
Phoenix is 6-19 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games
Phoenix is 5-14 SU in its last 19 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games at home
Phoenix is 1-12 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Detroit
Phoenix is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing Detroit
Phoenix is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit
Phoenix is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Phoenix's last 10 games when playing at home against Detroit

Dallas Mavericks
Dallas is 5-11 ATS in its last 16 games
Dallas is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games
Dallas is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 7 games on the road
Dallas is 4-14-1 ATS in its last 19 games when playing Sacramento
Dallas is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Sacramento
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Dallas's last 18 games when playing Sacramento
Dallas is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
Dallas is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Dallas's last 8 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
Sacramento Kings
Sacramento is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Sacramento is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Sacramento is 12-4-1 ATS in its last 17 games at home
Sacramento is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Sacramento is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games at home
Sacramento is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Sacramento's last 16 games at home
Sacramento is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Dallas
Sacramento is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Sacramento's last 18 games when playing Dallas
Sacramento is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Dallas
Sacramento is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Sacramento's last 8 games when playing at home against Dallas

Indiana Pacers
Indiana is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
Indiana is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Indiana's last 8 games
Indiana is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Indiana is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana's last 6 games on the road
Indiana is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 7 games when playing Golden State
Indiana is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Indiana's last 10 games when playing on the road against Golden State
Golden State Warriors
Golden State is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Golden State is 5-12 ATS in its last 17 games
Golden State is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Golden State's last 5 games
Golden State is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Golden State is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Golden State's last 6 games at home
Golden State is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Golden State's last 7 games when playing Indiana
Golden State is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Golden State's last 10 games when playing at home against Indiana

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, March 21

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

MINNESOTA (32 - 39) at CHARLOTTE (31 - 39) - 3/21/2019, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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DENVER (47 - 22) at WASHINGTON (30 - 42) - 3/21/2019, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in home games after allowing 115 points or more this season.
WASHINGTON is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
WASHINGTON is 70-86 ATS (-24.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.

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

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UTAH (42 - 29) at ATLANTA (24 - 48) - 3/21/2019, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UTAH is 20-9 ATS (+10.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
UTAH is 34-22 ATS (+9.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
UTAH is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
UTAH is 32-23 ATS (+6.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
UTAH is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
ATLANTA is 5-17 ATS (-13.7 Units) in home games in March games over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 13-28 ATS (-17.8 Units) in home games after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 16-28 ATS (-14.8 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

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

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DALLAS (28 - 43) at SACRAMENTO (34 - 36) - 3/21/2019, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SACRAMENTO is 41-28 ATS (+10.2 Units) in all games this season.
SACRAMENTO is 38-25 ATS (+10.5 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 220 this season.
SACRAMENTO is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) as a favorite this season.
SACRAMENTO is 23-12 ATS (+9.8 Units) in home games this season.
SACRAMENTO is 21-11 ATS (+8.9 Units) in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 220 this season.
SACRAMENTO is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
SACRAMENTO is 21-8 ATS (+12.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
SACRAMENTO is 32-20 ATS (+10.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
DALLAS is 40-30 ATS (+7.0 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 27-18 ATS (+7.2 Units) as an underdog this season.
DALLAS is 521-441 ATS (+35.9 Units) in road games since 1996.
DALLAS is 27-17 ATS (+8.3 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
DALLAS is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) after allowing 115 points or more this season.
DALLAS is 65-43 ATS (+17.7 Units) in road games after scoring 115 points or more since 1996.
DALLAS is 34-22 ATS (+9.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
DALLAS is 34-25 ATS (+6.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.

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

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DETROIT (36 - 34) at PHOENIX (17 - 55) - 3/21/2019, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 37-60 ATS (-29.0 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game since 1996.
PHOENIX is 30-45 ATS (-19.5 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 22-37 ATS (-18.7 Units) in home games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 16-28 ATS (-14.8 Units) after allowing 115 points or more this season.
PHOENIX is 40-53 ATS (-18.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 40-58 ATS (-23.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

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

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INDIANA (44 - 28) at GOLDEN STATE (48 - 22) - 3/21/2019, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 81-54 ATS (+21.6 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
INDIANA is 87-72 ATS (+7.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 35-22 ATS (+10.8 Units) in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 29-40 ATS (-15.0 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 26-35 ATS (-12.5 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 220 this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 25-37 ATS (-15.7 Units) as a favorite this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 12-21 ATS (-11.1 Units) in home games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 10-20 ATS (-12.0 Units) in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 220 this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 6-14 ATS (-9.4 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.

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

[StarDust Bum]

581Minnesota -582 Charlotte
MINNESOTA is 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) versus poor foul drawing teams - attempting <=24 free throws/game - 2nd half of the season in the current season.

585Utah -586 Atlanta
UTAH is 11-1 ATS (9.9 Units) in road games versus terrible defensive teams - allowing 110+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

587Dallas -588 Sacramento
SACRAMENTO is 7-0 ATS (7 Units) when playing against a bad team (Win Pct. 25% to 40%) in the current season.

589Detroit -590 Phoenix
PHOENIX is 24-39 ATS (-18.9 Units) in home games after having lost 4 or 5 of their last 6 games in the last 3 seasons.

591Indiana -592 Golden State
Nate McMillan is 26-13 ATS (11.7 Units) after failing to cover 5 or 6 of their last 7 against the spread (Coach of INDIANA)

591Indiana -592 Golden State
INDIANA is 26-13 ATS (11.7 Units) after failing to cover 5 or 6 of their last 7 against the spread in the last 3 seasons.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Thursday, March 21


Indiana @ Golden State

Game 591-592
March 21, 2019 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
111.879
Golden State
126.318
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 14 1/2
219
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 11
220 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(-11); Under

Detroit @ Phoenix

Game 589-590
March 21, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
120.727
Phoenix
110.374
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Detroit
by 10 1/2
217
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Detroit
by 7
218 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
(-7); Under

Dallas @ Sacramento

Game 587-588
March 21, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
112.539
Sacramento
116.862
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Sacramento
by 4 1/2
227
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Sacramento
by 8 1/2
229 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(+8 1/2); Under

Utah @ Atlanta

Game 585-586
March 21, 2019 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Utah
118.562
Atlanta
114.969
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Utah
by 3 1/2
232
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Utah
by 8
227
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(+8); Over

Denver @ Washington

Game 583-584
March 21, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Denver
124.004
Washington
111.784
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Denver
by 12
217
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Denver
by 8
228 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Denver
(-8); Under

Minnesota @ Charlotte

Game 581-582
March 21, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
112.869
Charlotte
124.061
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Charlotte
by 11
216
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Charlotte
by 5
221 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Charlotte
(-5); Under

[StarDust Bum]

Dark Horses to Watch
March 21, 2019
By Bruce Marshall

ANOTHER LOYOLA-CHI IN THE HOUSE?

As usual, we think there are some intriguing low and mid-majors that might be able to make some noise in the Dance. Whether any become the “next George Mason” or the “next Loyola-Chicago” remains to be seen. But it’s always fun to speculate those entries that have the capacity to create upset alerts. And who knows? Maybe one of the following will make a George Mason or Loyola-Chicago-like run to the Final Four!

Wofford (SU record 29-4; seeded 7th in Midwest, facing Seton Hall in the first round)...We hesitate to even put the Terriers in this group; the secret is out on the SoCon champs, who earned a 7-seed in the Midwest, heady stuff for a mid or low-major entry. But it seems deserved. No shame in non-league losses to North Carolina, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Mississippi State (Big Dance entries all), and SEC South Carolina was hammered by 20 at Columbia, no less. Vet HC Mike Young has taken several Wofford editions to the Dance in the past, and the Terriers have never been humiliated; now this appears the best of many very good Wofford squads in the Young era. The Terriers enter the Dance on a nation’s-best 20-game win streak (and the SoCon was not an easy touch this season), with a squadron of bombers led by dagger-throwing sr. G Fletcher Magee (20.5 ppg). Wofford has four weapons who shoot better than 40% beyond the arc, and the Terriers’ 41.6% from tripleville ranks second nationally. For good reason, nobody is overlooking these guys.

Utah State (28-6; seeded 8th in Midwest, facing Washington in first round)...Nobody saw this coming at Logan under first-year HC Craig Smith, who was a winner at previous stop South Dakota. But few expected the Utags, picked ninth in the Mountain West preseason poll, storming thru the loop and likely having sewed up an at-large even before winning the MW Tourney last Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas against San Diego State. Strengths are ball movement and a variety of deadly spot shooters, including bombs-away G Sam Merrill (21.2 ppg), who is also quite a resource at the end of the game when USU is protecting a lead, as his 90.7% FT shooting ranks nationally in the top ten. But the real Utah buzz is being created by 6-11 Portuguese frosh C Neemias Queta, who physically reminds of Deandre Ayton and has been coming on like gangbusters as the season progressed. In fact, some observers believe Queta could even be a lottery pick should he declare for the NBA Draft, especially in a year that might be more than a bit diluted. What we do know is that Queta shuts off the defensive interior like no Utag we can remember, and his shot-altering presence unnerved Fresno State and San Diego State last weekend in Vegas, as USU earned the auto bid from the Mountain.

Belmont (26-5; seeded 11th in East, facing Maryland in first round)...We think the Committee definitely got it right by inviting the Bruins, who are a familiar March entity in the era of HC Rick Byrd, a possible future HOFer. They proved so in the at-large play-in win on Tuesday vs. Temple. The recipe is basically the same as it has been for a variety of Belmont teams that have danced over the past decade, with adept ball-spacing and plenty of shooters. One of the nation’s highest-scoring teams at 87.4 ppg, the Bruins shoot plenty of 3s, led by sr. G Dylan Windler (21.4 ppg), who has connected on an eye-opening 43% of his triples the past two seasons. Good news is the return to active duty of 6-11 frosh C Nick Muszynski (14.9 ppg), a legit post scoring threat (unique to Byrd’s Belmont teams) who missed the Ohio Valley finale vs. Murray State with an ankle injury but returned on Tuesday against Temple. With Muszynski, the offense is complete, and could be a load for the Terps (or any subsequent foe) to handle.

New Mexico State (30-4, seeded 12th in Midwest, facing Auburn in first round)...The Ags dominated the WAC, arguably the most forgiving loop in the nation, but still recorded a 30-4 mark this season. No matter the opponents, 30-4 is still 30-4. Regional observers believe this NMSU edition might be better than recent Dance qualifiers out of Las Cruces, now coached by former Wichita State aide Chris Jans, who like predecessors Marvin Menzies and Paul Wier, might not be sticking around the Pan Am Center much longer. The Ags are not big, but they have plenty of shooters and go 10-11 deep, with a variety of components capable of stepping into featured roles. An impressive stat worth noting in this era of the 3-point shot, however, is that the Ags lead the nation in FG% inside the arc (56.5%), though 3-balls account for almost half of their shots (NMSU 34% beyond the arc). Very efficient team; the leading scorer, G Terrell Brown, only tallies 11.3 ppg. But the Aggies’ strength is in their balance (indeed, thirteen players average double-digit minutes!).

Liberty (28-6; seeded 12th in East, facing Mississippi State in first round)...Emerging from the Atlantic Sun was a nice accomplishment this season, especially beating a dangerous Lipscomb side twice in Nashville, including the conference title game. Unlike his long-ago days at Portland State and Colorado State, Flames HC Ritchie McKay is preaching defense with his current bunch. Beyond those two road wins over Lipscomb, Liberty won at Kent State and UCLA (not the accomplishment it once was to beat the Bruins, we know, but ask Steve Alford, dismissed shortly thereafter by the Bruins, if that result wasn’t meaningful). Plus a highly-impressive 26-point blowout of eventual Sun Belt champ Georgia State. McKay’s team has decent balance, often running the offense thru bullish 6-8 post threat and Bradley transfer, Scottie James (13.1 ppg; 67% FGs!), and is among the nation’s shooting leaders, converting 49% of its FG attempts.

Murray State (27-4; seeded 12th in West, facing Marquette in first round)...The hype has preceded electric soph G Ja (pronounced like ya-ya) Morant, considered by some to be a potential top-five pick in the upcoming NBA Draft if he so chooses to declare, which most regional observers believe will happen right after the Racers finish their season, which might last a bit longer if Morant (24.6 ppg) is as good as he was in the OVC finale vs. Belmont, when exploding for 36. Though Morant (who also averages 10 apg) is the ultimate highlight reel, Murray State is not a one-man team. It hasn’t lost since Jan. 31, and connects on nearly 57% of its shots inside the arc. Marquette, fading down the stretch, is well-advised to be on alert for the first-round matchup at Hartford.

[StarDust Bum]

Nuggets beat Wizards 113-108 for fifth straight victory
March 21, 2019
By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) Nikola Jokic had 15 points and 11 assists, and the Denver Nuggets beat the fading Washington Wizards 113-108 on Thursday night for their fifth straight victory.

Paul Millsap, Gary Harris, Jamal Murray and Torrey Craig also added 15 points for the Nuggets, who were playing for the first time since clinching their first playoff berth in six years with Monday's win in Boston.

Eight players reached double figures for Denver, which began the night a half-game behind Western Conference leader Golden State. The Warriors played later Thursday.

Bradley Beal scored 25 points and Tomas Satoransky had 16 points and 10 assists for Washington, which lost its third straight.

HAWKS 117, JAZZ 114

ATLANTA (AP) -Trae Young scored 23 points, including a go-ahead three-point play, and Atlanta ended Utah's five-game winning streak.

Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 34 points.

It was a costly loss. The Jazz entered the game fifth in the Western Conference but only a half-game ahead of a pack of three teams tied for sixth.

TIMBERWOLVES 113, HORNETS 106

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Kemba Walker scored 31 points, rookie Miles Bridges had 11 points and 12 rebounds for his first career double-double on his 21st birthday, and Charlotte handed Minnesota its fifth straight loss.

Jeremy Lamb added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Hornets, who won for only the fifth time in their last 16 games.

Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 21 points and 16 rebounds.

KINGS 116, MAVS 100

PISTONS 118, SUNS 98

WARRIORS 112 PACERS 89

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY MARCH 22, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Memphis Grizzlies Orlando Magic Amway Center
7:35 PM Denver Nuggets New York Knicks Madison Square Garden
7:35 PM Los Angeles Clippers Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena
7:35 PM Oklahoma City Thunder Toronto Raptors Scotiabank Arena
8:05 PM San Antonio Spurs Houston Rockets Toyota Center
8:35 PM Miami Heat Milwaukee Bucks Fiserv Forum
10:35 PM Brooklyn Nets Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center


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


NBA MARCH RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

03/21/2019 5-7-0 41.67% -13.50
03/20/2019 10-7-1 58.82% +11.50
03/19/2019 4-8-0 33.33% -24.00
03/18/2019 7-11-0 38.89% -25.50
03/16/2019 7-9-0 43.75% -14.50
03/15/2019 5-7-1 41.66% -13.50
03/14/2019 5-6-0 45.45% -8.00
03/13/2019 4-8-0 33.33% -24.00
03/12/2019 6-8-0 42.85% -14.00
03/11/2019 6-6-0 50.00% -3.00


Totals.............59-77..........43.38%....-118.50


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


BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS................... ..UNITS..................O/U..................UNITS.............TOTALS

03/21/2019..............2 - 2.....................-1.00...................1 - 5..................-22.50.............-23.50
03/20/2019..............3 - 0....................+15.00.................5 - 4................+3.00...............+18.00
03/19/2019..............0 - 4.....................-22.00.................1 - 3.................-11.50..............-33.50
03/18/2019..............4 - 2.....................+9.00.................3 - 6..................-18.00..............-9.00
03/16/2019..............1 - 3.....................-11.50.................5 - 2.................+14.00.............+2.50
03/15/2019..............2 - 0.....................+10.00................2 - 4.................-11.00..............-1.00
03/14/2019..............0 - 3.....................-16.50.................4 - 1.................+14.50.............-2.00
03/13/2019..............0 - 4.....................-22.00.................2 - 3..................-6.50...............-28.50
03/12/2019..............3 - 3.....................-1.50...................1 - 4..................-17.00.............-18.50
03/11/2019..............1 - 3.....................-11.50.................4 - 2..................+9.00..............-2.50

Totals.....................16 - 24...................-52.00...............28 - 34.................-46.00..............-98.00

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s 6-pack

— Phoenix Suns signed Jimmer Fredette to a 2-year contract.

— A’s P prospect Jesus Luzardo (shoulder) will be shut down for 4-6 weeks.

— Toronto G Kyle Lowry (ankle) is out for tomorrow’s game with the Thunder.

— Tampa Bay Rays gave P Blake Snell a 5-year, $50M contract extension.

— There were 4,372 foul outs in majors in 2003, only 3,450 LY. New ballpark have less foul territory, which results in more balls hit out of play.

— There were 26,313 more pitches thrown in the major leagues LY (724,447) than in 1998 (698,134).

Tweet of the Day
“Before I go to bed, let me just say this: I’m coaching at the Univ. of Kentucky. In my opinion, there is no better job in the world to coach basketball. My plan and my desire is to retire at Kentucky. I think the university feels the same as I do and we’ve talked openly about it.”
John Calipari, shutting down rumors about him going to UCLA

Friday’s quiz
Which current major league manager was in Seattle’s starting lineup when Ichiro Suzuki played his first game for the Mariners in 2001?

Thursday’s quiz
Remember the final basketball scenes in the movie Hoosiers? Butler Bulldogs still play their home games in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Wednesday’s quiz
Philadelphia Eagles have played in three Super Bowls; Ron Jaworski, Donovan McNabb, Nick Foles started those games at QB for the Eagles.


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

Friday’s Den: Wrapping up the first day of March Madness…….

Minnesota 86, Louisville 76— Coming into this game, Gophers scored 22.2% of their points behind arc, 4th-least in country; they were 11-27 on arc in this game, scoring 38.4% of their points behind arc, and that is how upsets happen.

Bill Murray’s son Luke is an assistant coach for Louisville; his team lost to the Gophers, a bitter pill for Carl Spackler (Caddyshack reference) to swallow. Bill Murray was at this game, too.

LSU 79, Yale 74— LSU jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead, was up 16 at the half, then held for dear life as the gritty Bulldogs fought hard until the end. Yale was only 8-37 on the arc, but four of the makes came near the end, as Yale covered thru the backdoor- they got within 77-74 in last 0:30.

Auburn 79, New Mexico State 78— Auburn got really lucky here; leading by 3 at the end, they fouled a 3-point shooter with 0:01.7 left, but the kid missed two of three FT’s, then the Aggies missed an open 3-pointer at the buzzer. Huge sigh of relief for the Tigers.

Tigers led this game 65-52 with 7:54 left; they made only six of their last 13 foul shots. Auburn didn’t handle time/score situations well at all- their point guard fouled on purpose when he didn’t know he had four fouls. No bueno.

Florida State 76, Vermont 69— Spunky effort by the Catamounts falls short; Florida State has won 15 of its last 17 games. If you laid 8.5 points with the Seminoles, it was a bad beat- kid on FSU had the ball by himself under the basket with 0:06 left but dribbled out the clock instead. Vermont made 16-32 on the arc; not many teams shoot that well from the arc and lose.

Last spring, Seminoles poached grad transfer David Nichols from Albany of America East; kid gets to the NCAA’s and plays against the Catamounts, America East’s best team. Now he and his teammates move on to play Murray State Saturday.

Michigan State 76, Bradley 65— Final score is misleading; three Spartans played 38:00+, thats how tough this was for Izzo’s team. Bradley led by a point with 6:47 left. Since 2012, MVC teams are 9-2-1 vs spread in first round games.

Maryland 79, Belmont 77— Its been seven years since an OVC team won a first round game, but since 2005, they’re 11-4 vs spread in this round. Belmont was up 40-34 at halftime, was up six with 6:36 left.

Kansas 87, Northeastern 53— Except for the championship game, each NCAA tournament win this year will be worth $1.81M to the conference of the school that wins it. The money gets divided up amongst the league’s schools, with team that wins the game getting more $$$ than the other schools.

Murray State 83, Marquette 64— Complete ass-kicking; Marquette didn’t even try to press in the second half, thats how thoroughly beaten they were. Golden Eagles wound up losing six of their last seven games, as Wojciechowski is proving to be a fraud of a coach who got this job because he sat next to Mike Krzyzewski for a few years.

Five years at Marquette, and two NCAA games; losses by 20, 19 points.

Ja Morant had the first triple double by a guard in the NCAA’s since Dwayne Wade.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Friday, March 22

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Trend Report
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Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
Memphis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Memphis's last 6 games
Memphis is 6-15-1 ATS in its last 22 games on the road
Memphis is 2-15 SU in its last 17 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Memphis's last 21 games on the road
Memphis is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Orlando
Memphis is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing Orlando
Memphis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Orlando
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games when playing Orlando
Memphis is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Orlando
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 6 games when playing on the road against Orlando
Orlando Magic
Orlando is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Orlando's last 5 games
Orlando is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Orlando is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando's last 5 games at home
Orlando is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Memphis
Orlando is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Memphis
Orlando is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games when playing Memphis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando's last 5 games when playing Memphis
Orlando is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Memphis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Orlando's last 6 games when playing at home against Memphis

Los Angeles Clippers
LA Clippers is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games
LA Clippers is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Clippers's last 5 games
LA Clippers is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Clippers's last 5 games on the road
LA Clippers is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland
LA Clippers is 8-15 ATS in its last 23 games when playing Cleveland
LA Clippers is 6-17 SU in its last 23 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Clippers's last 5 games when playing Cleveland
LA Clippers is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
LA Clippers is 2-14 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Clippers's last 7 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Cleveland is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland's last 7 games at home
Cleveland is 15-8 ATS in its last 23 games when playing LA Clippers
Cleveland is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing LA Clippers
Cleveland is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games when playing LA Clippers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing LA Clippers
Cleveland is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
Cleveland is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cleveland's last 7 games when playing at home against LA Clippers

Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City is 3-13 ATS in its last 16 games
Oklahoma City is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 7 games
Oklahoma City is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 7 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
Oklahoma City is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games when playing Toronto
Oklahoma City is 12-5 ATS in its last 17 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Oklahoma City is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto Raptors
Toronto is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Toronto is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games
Toronto is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Toronto is 18-3 SU in its last 21 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games at home
Toronto is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Oklahoma City
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Oklahoma City
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City
Toronto is 5-12 ATS in its last 17 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City
Toronto is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City

Denver Nuggets
Denver is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Denver's last 13 games
Denver is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Denver is 7-15 ATS in its last 22 games on the road
Denver is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Denver's last 5 games on the road
Denver is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing New York
Denver is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing New York
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Denver's last 5 games when playing New York
Denver is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New York
Denver is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New York
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Denver's last 12 games when playing on the road against New York
New York Knicks
New York is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
New York is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New York's last 9 games
New York is 6-17-1 ATS in its last 24 games at home
New York is 3-21 SU in its last 24 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of New York's last 15 games at home
New York is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Denver
New York is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Denver
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York's last 5 games when playing Denver
New York is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Denver
New York is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Denver
The total has gone OVER in 8 of New York's last 12 games when playing at home against Denver

San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
San Antonio is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of San Antonio's last 11 games
San Antonio is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
San Antonio is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 10 of San Antonio's last 13 games on the road
San Antonio is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Houston
San Antonio is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Antonio's last 6 games when playing Houston
San Antonio is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
San Antonio is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of San Antonio's last 10 games when playing on the road against Houston
Houston Rockets
Houston is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games
Houston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games at home
Houston is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing San Antonio
Houston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games when playing San Antonio
Houston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Antonio
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Houston's last 10 games when playing at home against San Antonio

Miami Heat
Miami is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Miami is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Miami is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Miami is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 6 games on the road
Miami is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Milwaukee
Miami is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Miami's last 7 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 6 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee is 16-8 ATS in its last 24 games
Milwaukee is 18-6 SU in its last 24 games
Milwaukee is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Milwaukee's last 12 games at home
Milwaukee is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Miami
Milwaukee is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Milwaukee's last 7 games when playing Miami
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 6 games when playing at home against Miami

Brooklyn Nets
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Brooklyn's last 9 games
Brooklyn is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Brooklyn is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Brooklyn's last 6 games on the road
Brooklyn is 2-4-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing LA Lakers
Brooklyn is 5-16 SU in its last 21 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Brooklyn's last 7 games when playing LA Lakers
Brooklyn is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Brooklyn's last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
LA Lakers is 1-12 ATS in its last 13 games
LA Lakers is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Lakers's last 9 games
LA Lakers is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
LA Lakers is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 18 of LA Lakers's last 25 games at home
LA Lakers is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games when playing Brooklyn
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Lakers's last 7 games when playing Brooklyn
LA Lakers is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Brooklyn
LA Lakers is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Brooklyn
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Lakers's last 5 games when playing at home against Brooklyn