Announcement

**Udog** · 11-02-2018, 01:35 PM

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

— Louisiana Tech covered eight of last 10 games vs SEC teams.

— Cal Bears covered four of their last five road games.

— Air Force covered eight of its last nine visits to West Point.

— Home side covered last five Iowa State-Kansas games.

— Over is 7-1 in South Alabama’s last eight games.

— Navy is 7-3-1 in last 11 games as a double digit underdog.

**********

Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here…….

13) 49ers 34, Raiders 3— Last Battle of the Bay with Raiders moving to Las Vegas in two years; in his first NFL start, 49ers QB Nick Mullens looked like Daryle Lamonica, completing 16-22 passes for 262 yards and three TD’s- not a bad debut.

So if the 49ers put Mullens on the market today after that impressive display Thursday, what kind of draft pick could they get for him? He appears to be better than anyone Buffalo has, and he did break some of Brett Favre’s records at Southern Miss.

As for the Raiders, not a great effort- you could make a strong argument that they’ve quit.

12) We read about coaches making huge money in the NFL and in college ball, but lot of guys at lower levels struggle like hell to get to the top, or just to make a living where they are.

Back when he started out as a coach, from 1989-91, Mike Leach was an assistant coach at Iowa Wesleyan, making $12,000 a year. Leach was the team’s SID, video coordinator and the equipment coordinator- he also taught history and criminal law classes.

From there it was on to Valdosta State and Kentucky with Hal Mumme, then Oklahoma for a while before he landed the head coaching job at Texas Tech.

Now Leach makes a couple million a year, but he’s earned his way to this spot.

11) Four players who were teammates of both Michael Jordan and Lebron James:

Brendan Haywood, Larry Hughes, Jerry Stackhouse and Scott Williams.

Would be fun to see an hour TV show where those four guys tell some stories.

10) Someday in 5-6 years, Eli Manning is going to come up for a vote for the Pro Football Hall of Fame; he has won two Super Bowls, but his career record is 120-114, counting playoff games. His regular season record: 112-110.

If he starts every game the rest of the year, chances are his regular season record will wind up under .500, which isn’t very Hall of Fame-ish.

Jim Plunkett won two Super Bowls, had a 72-72 regular season record with an 8-2 playoff record but is nowhere near the Hall of Fame. Manning’s career is better than that, but not all that much better, just that he played in New Jersey and his brother/father are also famous.

9) Gonzaga’s big man Killian Tillie will be out around eight weeks after undergoing surgery for a stress fracture in his ankle. He averaged 12.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg LY and made 47% of his 3’s.

8) CBSSports.com ran an article Thursday on how Jordan Spieth didn’t win a tournament last year and what was wrong with his game?

Spieth earned $2,793,536 last year, not counting endorements; we should all struggle like that.

7) Mariano Rivera is part-owner of a Japanese company that recycles broken baseball bats into chopsticks; I’m not nearly creative enough to make that up.

6) Thru seven games, Steelers’ RB James Conner is averaging 5.8 yards/touch on 22.6 touches per game; last year thru seven games, Le’Veon Bell averaged 4.4 yards/touch on 28.9 touches per game, which may be part of why Bell is still sitting on the sidelines this year, and isn’t getting his $855,000 weekly salary.

5) In 37 states, you can vote before Election Day; this seems like a better way to do things.

4) Evidence that we might have too many TV channels, or not enough quality programming to fill those channels: The first National College Cornhole Championship, for $25,000 in scholarship money, will take place in Myrtle Beach on Dec. 29-30- it will be broadcast live on ESPN & ESPN2.

3) Winnipeg Jets beat Florida Panthers 4-2 in an NHL regular season games played Thursday over in Finland. Long road trip.

2) Marv Albert compared Thursday’s Bucks-Celtics game to an old ABA game, and he wasn’t being critical, just stating his opinion. Fast-paced, lot of 3’s, not a lot go great defense.

1) Handicapping 101- You like to wager on college football; how do you handicap the Michigan State-Maryland game Saturday?

Maryland had a player die during off-season trailing; as a result, the coach was suspended, but he was re-instated this week and he held his first practice Tuesday. The coach was re-instated even though a player DIED under his watch- not everyone was happy about this.

Around 6:30pm Tuesday, Maryland bowed to public pressure (and maybe internal pressure) and fired that coach, something that probably should’ve happened a while ago.

It is a horribly sad story, but if you’re in the handicapping business, how do you deal with this game? Michigan State is -2.5 at Maryland Saturday.

**Udog** · 11-02-2018, 01:37 PM

NBA
Dunkel

Friday, November 2

LA Clippers @ Orlando

Game 701-702
November 2, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Clippers
113.804
Orlando
115.759
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Orlando
by 2
230
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Clippers
by 2
218
Dunkel Pick:
Orlando
(+2); Over

Houston @ Brooklyn

Game 703-704
November 2, 2018 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
113.161
Brooklyn
115.192
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Brooklyn
by 2
213
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
by 3
216 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Brooklyn
(+3); Under

Oklahoma City @ Washington

Game 705-706
November 2, 2018 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oklahoma City
114.906
Washington
118.869
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 4
226
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 2 1/2
228 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-2 1/2); Under

Indiana @ Chicago

Game 707-708
November 2, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
120.388
Chicago
110.174
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Indiana
by 10
208
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 7
214
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(-7); Under

New York @ Dallas

Game 709-710
November 2, 2018 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
108.981
Dallas
117.682
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 8 1/2
214
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
by 6
218
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(-6); Under

Memphis @ Utah

Game 711-712
November 2, 2018 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Memphis
111.679
Utah
127.965
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Utah
by 16 1/2
204
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Utah
by 7 1/2
208 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Utah
(-7 1/2); Under

Toronto @ Phoenix

Game 713-714
November 2, 2018 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
121.864
Phoenix
105.917
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 16
227
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 8 1/2
224 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(-8 1/2); Over

Minnesota @ Golden State

Game 715-716
November 2, 2018 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
116.720
Golden State
132.295
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 15 1/2
242
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 11
239 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(-11); Over

**Udog** · 11-02-2018, 01:39 PM

NBA
Long Sheet

Friday, November 2

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LA CLIPPERS (4 - 4) at ORLANDO (2 - 5) - 11/2/2018, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 72-96 ATS (-33.6 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 31-53 ATS (-27.3 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 12-26 ATS (-16.6 Units) in home games in the first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 119-154 ATS (-50.4 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
ORLANDO is 6-16 ATS (-11.6 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 3-1 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 4-0 straight up against ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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HOUSTON (1 - 5) at BROOKLYN (3 - 5) - 11/2/2018, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) against Atlantic division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 57-37 ATS (+16.3 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 20-8 ATS (+11.2 Units) in November games over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 105-65 ATS (+33.5 Units) in road games off a upset loss as a favorite since 1996.
HOUSTON is 89-62 ATS (+20.8 Units) in road games after a loss by 10 points or more since 1996.
HOUSTON is 53-30 ATS (+20.0 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
BROOKLYN is 3-1 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 4-0 straight up against BROOKLYN 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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OKLAHOMA CITY (3 - 4) at WASHINGTON (1 - 6) - 11/2/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 39-54 ATS (-20.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 9-21 ATS (-14.1 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 39-54 ATS (-20.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 19-36 ATS (-20.6 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 408-479 ATS (-118.9 Units) in home games since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 113-156 ATS (-58.6 Units) in November games since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 153-203 ATS (-70.3 Units) on Friday nights since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 13-26 ATS (-15.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

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

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INDIANA (5 - 3) at CHICAGO (2 - 6) - 11/2/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 56-39 ATS (+13.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 28-14 ATS (+12.6 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 80-55 ATS (+19.5 Units) in road games in November games since 1996.
INDIANA is 222-167 ATS (+38.3 Units) on Friday nights since 1996.
INDIANA is 30-15 ATS (+13.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

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

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NEW YORK (2 - 6) at DALLAS (2 - 6) - 11/2/2018, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 16-28 ATS (-14.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

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

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MEMPHIS (4 - 2) at UTAH (4 - 3) - 11/2/2018, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MEMPHIS is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
UTAH is 88-62 ATS (+19.8 Units) in home games in November games since 1996.
MEMPHIS is 167-125 ATS (+29.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 6-2 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 4-4 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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TORONTO (7 - 1) at PHOENIX (1 - 6) - 11/2/2018, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 175-133 ATS (+28.7 Units) after allowing 115 points or more since 1996.
TORONTO is 41-26 ATS (+12.4 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
TORONTO is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 15-28 ATS (-15.8 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 220 over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 0-9 ATS (-9.9 Units) in home games on Friday nights over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 19-31 ATS (-15.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 3-17 ATS (-15.7 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 14-27 ATS (-15.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

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

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MINNESOTA (4 - 4) at GOLDEN STATE (8 - 1) - 11/2/2018, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 15-28 ATS (-15.8 Units) after scoring 115 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 114-82 ATS (+23.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game since 1996.

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

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**Udog** · 11-02-2018, 01:41 PM

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, November 2

Clippers lost three of their four road games (1-3 as AU). LA’s last four games all went over the total. Orlando lost last three and five of last six games; they’re 1-3 at home, 1-2 as home underdogs. Under is 5-2 in their games. Clippers won their last nine games with Orlando, but Magic covered three of last four. LA is 3-1 vs spread in their last four visits here. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games.

Houston lost its last four games, is off to a 1-5 start; they’re 1-1 on road (1-1 as AF). Over is 4-2 in their games. Brooklyn lost three of its last four games; they’re 2-1 at home- underdogs covered all three of those games. Nets lost their last four games with Houston, but Brooklyn covered six of last seven; Rockets are 2-3 vs spread in last five games in Barclays Center. Four of last five series games went over total.

OKC won its last three games after an 0-3 start; they’re 1-2 on road, 2-1 as road dogs. Over is 4-3 in their games this season. Washington lost its last four games and six of last seven; Wizards are 0-2 at home (0-1 as HF). Over is 5-2 in their games. Home side won eight of last ten Thunder-Wizard games; OKC won six of last eight series games, but is 2-3 vs spread in last five visits here. Over is 6-2 in last eight series games.

Indiana won three of its last four games; they won last three road games, are 2-0 as AF. Four of their last five games stayed under total. Bulls is off to a 2-6 start; they’re 3-1 vs spread as home underdogs. Under is 4-2 in their last six games. Home side won seven of last eight Indiana-Chicago games; Pacers won four of last five series games, but are 1-3 vs spread in last four trips to the Windy City. Under is 5-2 in last seven series games.

New York lost six of its last seven games; they’re 2-1 vs spread as AU. Under is 5-2 in their last seven games. Mavericks lost their last five games; Dallas is 2-1 at home, 1-0 as HF; over is 4-3 in their games this year. Knicks lost seven of last nine games with Dallas (5-4 vs spread); they covered four of their last five visits here. Last five series games stayed under the total.

Memphis won four of its last five games; they’re 1-2 on road, 1-1 as road underdogs. Under is 4-2 in their games this year. Jazz won three of its last four games; they’re 0-2 SU at hoe, 0-1 as HF. Over is 5-2 in their games this season. Road team won six of last eight Memphis-Utah games; Jazz won three of last four. Grizzlies covered their last four visits to Utah. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games.

Toronto is off to a 7-1 start; they split their two road games (1-1 as AF). Over is 6-1-1 in Raptor games this season. Phoenix lost its last six games (1-5 vs spread); they’re 1-2 vs spread as home underdogs.. Three of their last four games went over the total. Raptors won their last two games with Phoenix after losing six of previous eight; Suns covered last ten series games (over 7-3).

Minnesota is 0-3 on road (1-1 as AU) losing by 4-4-7 points; over is 6-2 in their games this year. Golden State won its last won its last six games (5-1 vs spread); they’re 3-1 as home favorites. Last five Warrior games went over the total. Home side won last five Minnesota-Golden State games; Timberwolves are 0-2-1 vs spread in last three visits to Oakland, losing by 14-24-13 points. Under is 5-2 in last seven series games.

**Udog** · 11-02-2018, 01:43 PM

NBA

Friday, November 2

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Trend Report
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LA Clippers @ Orlando
LA Clippers
LA Clippers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Orlando
LA Clippers is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Orlando

Orlando
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Orlando's last 9 games

Houston @ Brooklyn
Houston
Houston is 20-3 SU in its last 23 games when playing Brooklyn
Houston is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Brooklyn

Brooklyn
Brooklyn is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Brooklyn's last 5 games when playing at home against Houston

Indiana @ Chicago
Indiana
Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana's last 7 games when playing Chicago

Chicago
Chicago is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games when playing Indiana

Oklahoma City @ Washington
Oklahoma City
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Oklahoma City's last 11 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Washington

Washington
Washington is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City
Washington is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City

New York @ Dallas
New York
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 5 games when playing Dallas
New York is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Dallas

Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing New York
Dallas is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games when playing at home against New York

Memphis @ Utah
Memphis
Memphis is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Utah
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games on the road

Utah
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Utah's last 8 games

Toronto @ Phoenix
Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Toronto's last 9 games
Toronto is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games

Phoenix
Phoenix is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
Phoenix is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Toronto

Minnesota @ Golden State
Minnesota
Minnesota is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Minnesota's last 11 games

Golden State
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

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**Udog** · 11-02-2018, 01:56 PM

Friday's Essentials
Tony Mejia

Game of the Night - Minnesota at Golden State (-11, 239), ESPN, 10:35 ET

Derrick Rose playing at an MVP level for even one night, especially right before this nationally televised matchup, serves to spice it up even more.

After scoring 50 points to fuel an upset of Utah despite the absence of starting guards Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague, Rose will return to his role off the bench as we get to see an experiment unfold. More accurately, said experiment is more fantasy than anything else.

How good can the Timberwolves be if they weren’t torn apart?

Butler, looking forward to a showcase game against the Warriors to build on his own personal momentum after shooting 6-for-7 from 3-point range in Monday’s 124-120 upset of the Lakers, still wants out. An upset of Golden State won’t change that.

Sooner than later, Minnesota will realize it has no other recourse but to strike a deal with the Rockets, Heat or some other team looking to bring Butler into the fold. At that point, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins will again return to being the franchise’s focal points, while Rose will look to continue his career resurgence as he takes aim at the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.

The Timberwolves’ ceiling for this season will depend on what other pieces they can acquire in exchange for Butler, with making the playoffs as a No. 8 seed again on the high end of expectations. More likely, they’ll take a step backwards.

Butler’s work on the defensive end and the attention he commands should make life easier for teammates, which is why matchups like tonight become statement games for him. He wants to be viewed as the missing piece and aims to be paid that way too. This is probably his last shot at a lucrative long-term deal, which is why it cut him so deeply that Minnesota prioritized taking care of Wiggins and Towns over him despite his on-court importance.

Already this season, Butler has heard boos from fans at Target Center and ultimately turned those into MVP chants by helping take down Cleveland with a season-best 33 points in the home opener. He’s matched up with LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan and Victor Oladipo. Add the Warriors’ big guns to the list tonight.

There’s no concern that Butler won’t bring the requisite intensity level for the Timberwolves to be successful despite the fact he’s not all in. It simply remains to be seen how Rose hits in since he’ll be asked to play a different role with Butler back in the mix but could also be forced to start since fellow point guards Jeff Teague (knee) and Tyus Jones (foot) are questionable.

Rose shot 19-for-31 and hit four 3-pointers in a game for the first time since 2015, helping him get wherever he wanted. He dribbled around more looking for his own shot a lot more than he’ll be able to tonight with Butler back, but there’s no question he can remain effective and continue taking steps forward despite the uncertainty under Tom Thibodeau prevailing for at least another night. He’s not going to be sneaking up on anybody, which serves to make this matchup all the more intriguing since there’s no chance the defending champs won’t be engaged as they take their home floor for Friday’s most attractive offering.

Through nine games, the Warriors have shown remarkable discipline so far since they admittedly get bored during the NBA’s regular season. The last team to chase a three-peat, the ’13-’14 Heat, started 4-3 despite LeBron Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the mix.

The 2010-11 Lakers won their first eight before going 5-6 over their next 11. The ’01-’02 Lakers were the last team to succeed in their quest for three straight titles and opened 16-1, which was an improvement on how the two Michael Jordan-led Bulls three-peat closers opened their seasons, opening 9-4 and 8-7.

It’s tough to focus this early in the season, especially with a target on your back. The Warriors are devising ways to keep things fresh, taking turns getting one another going and celebrating how much fun it is to dominate peers.

Golden State put up a 92-point first half against Chicago on Monday to open the week in style despite playing the second of a back-to-back. Klay Thompson may have flirted with surpassing Kobe Bryant’s 81-point night as the largest scoring output since Wilt Chamberlain dropped 100 if Steve Kerr hadn’t pulled him after knocking down 14 3-pointers in just 26 minutes of action.

Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry lit up New York City’s gyms and have 10 games scoring 30 or more points between them. Draymond Green needed to play his way into shape after recovering from knee surgery by staying away from basketball-related activities over the summer but has made no secret of the fact he’s shooting for another Defensive Players of the Year award after being relegated to the All-Defensive second team by voters last season. Earning this season’s top honors would help him become eligible for the Super Max, so you know he’s dead serious about regaining the title of NBA’s top defender.

With new starting center Damian Jones and young pieces like Alfonzo McKinnie and Jacob Evans to help bring along, the Warriors are hoping that keeping things fresh will keep them interesting. So far, so good. Matchups like tonight’s and next week’s showdown with upstart Milwaukee should ensure they don’t get too complacent – at least until the marathon truly sets in.

The card
L.A. Clippers (-3/217.5) at Orlando, 7:05 p.m. ET: Longtime Orlando resident Doc Rivers and his team got in late after a tough loss in Philadelphia, so this is a short turnaround for his Clippers, who got carved up by Joel Embiid regardless of who tried to defend him last night. Nikola Vucevic should be a better matchup for L.A., especially since Marcin Gortat should have fresh legs after barely playing last night, picking up four fouls in nine minutes. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is nursing a sore knee, so he’s questionable and would be missed since he’d be an ideal option to help guard Aaron Gordon.

Houston (-4/217.5) at Brooklyn, 7:35 p.m. ET: The Rockets have been dreadful thus far and will have to go without James Harden for at least one more game since he’s unlikely to play here due to a hamstring injury. The reigning MVP practiced on Thursday and is optimistic he’ll be able to return for Saturday’s game at the Bulls, but it’s going to be on Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony to help prevent a defeat here. The return of James Ennis III from his own hamstring issue should bump ‘Melo back to the bench and improve a defense that has looked brutal over the past week. Brooklyn will look to take advantage of Houston surrendering an NBA-worst 59 points per game in the paint, so this could be a good spot for Brooklyn’s Jarrett Allen to break out after a slow start.

Oklahoma City at Washington (-2.5/231), 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN: Dwight Howard will finally debut with the Wizards but is still bothered by the buttocks injury that has kept him out and won’t be able to sit on the bench during periods where he’s not playing. Instead, he’ll lay on the floor like Larry Bird and Steve Nash often used to. There’s no word on a minutes restriction yet, but Washington should be at full strength with Markieff Morris expected back from a concussion and Kelly Oubre, Jr. working after dealing with the flu. The Thunder won in Charlotte despite Paul George shooting 4-for-20 and will have him in the lineup despite a nerve issue in his left foot he’s been dealing with for weeks. Alex Abrines and Dennis Schroder helped bail out George by pouring in 46 points off the bench and should play large roles here as well. Scott Brooks is 2-2 with the Wizards against OKC, which he coached from ’07-’15, serving all but one of those years in the head seat.

Indiana (-7/212.5) at Chicago, 8:05 p.m. ET: The Pacers were blown out by double-digits in their first two road games but have won their last three. They’ve lost six of seven at the United Center but are favored here and hope forward Domantas Sabonis can build on a 12-for-12 effort from the field at the Knicks on Wednesday. The Bulls played arguably their best game of the season in coming a Paul Millsap tip-in away from pulling an upset of Denver and will be looking for consistency from rookie Wendell Carter, Jr., who finished with 25 points, eight boards and five assists while taking 21 shots in a breakout performance.

New York at Dallas (-6.5/216.5), 8:35 p.m. ET: The Knicks have seen the ‘under’ prevail in five of their last seven games and are playing hard for David Fizdale despite a depleted group. New York will have its work cut out for it attempting to slow down a Mavs squad that has scored 100 or more points in all their games but has surrendered 116.6 points per game and dropped five straight. New York is 0-3 on the road and may not have top defender Frank Ntilikina, which means this could wind up becoming a shootout between Tim Hardaway, Jr. and rookie Luka Doncic.

Memphis at Utah (-7.5/205), 9:05 p.m. ET: The Grizzlies have won five of six since being hammered in their season opener, which includes a 92-84 win over these Jazz in Salt Lake City. Utah is the only team with a winning record that the Griz have defeated this season since their other three victims are a combined 4-18, so it’s hard to get too excited over Memphis’ resurgence just yet, though it is great to see Mike Conley back. With Donovan Mitchell (hamstring) and Alec Burks (hand) sidelined, look for Jae Crowder and Dante Exum to play major roles next to veteran starters Ricky Rubio and Joe Ingles.

Toronto (-11/226) at Phoenix, 10:05 p.m. ET: The Suns have seen rookies Deandre Ayton and Elie Okobo featured over the past week, but life should get easier for everyone with Devin Booker returning from a hamstring injury. Isaiah Canaan (ankle) is expected back too, so Phoenix will at least have a puncher’s chance of pulling an upset of the team tied with Milwaukee and Denver for the NBA’s second-best record. Backup Raps’ point guard Fred VanVleet, leader of the second unit, could miss his third straight game with a toe issue, but versatile forward OG Anunoby will be back for Toronto.

**Udog** · 11-02-2018, 07:35 PM

FAVORITES REIGN SUPREME

The Clippers travel to Orlando to take on the 2-5 Magic Friday night. The Clippers hope to improve their .500 record and enter this matchup averaging 115.6 points and allow opponents to score 110.3. They haven’t been nearly as good defensively on the road surrendering an average of 119.8 points while losing three of their first four road games.

The Magic enter today as the lowest scoring team in the Association – three points on average less than the 29th ranked Suns – at 100.6 points per game and shooting only 41 percent. Defensively, they’re surrendering 110.7 points per contest.

Head-to-head, the Clippers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games in Orlando. The road team has found success going 4-1-1 ATS over their last six meetings but backing the favorite has been the most successful angle posting a 20-5-2 ATS record. With the Clippers’ losses to all likely playoff teams – the Nuggets, Pelicans, Thunder and 76ers, they could very easily be better than their 4-4 record shows. With the Orlando Magic struggling to put points on the board, and posting a very low shooting percentage, take the Clippers by 2.5

OVERTIME HEARTBREAK

The Pacers have won three of their last four games as they travel to take on the 2-6 Bulls at the United Center. The Pacers are coming off a 54 percent shooting night versus the Knicks in a 107-101 road win. Most of their points came inside as they surprisingly struggled shooting beyond the arc only hitting six of 20 attempts.

The Bulls are fresh off a disappointing loss to the Nuggets where they led by six with minutes left in the fourth quarter over the Denver Nuggets. They ended up losing 108-107 in overtime. Zach LaVine led the team with 28 points and rookie sensation Wendell Carter Jr. added 25 points and eight rebounds.

The Pacers have been extremely good at defending the center position allowing opposing centers to score only 16.3 points and shoot 35.9 percent from the floor. This should make things difficult on Carter Jr. who has found success being aggressive. Take Under his point total as it looks like he’ll struggle here.

DEFENSIVE INEFFICIENCY

The New York Knicks travel to American Airlines Center still in search of their first road win of the season. They’ll take on the 2-6 Dallas Mavericks hoping to snap a five-game losing streak.

Although the Mavericks average 111.4 points per game, they are allowing opponents to score 116.6 and shoot 49.4 percent from the floor. Despite only allowing 42 points per game in the paint, ranking them in the top five, they are allowing far too many easy baskets. That is resulting in them getting torched from beyond the arc allowing an average of 12.6 made 3-pointers per game, and shoot an astounding 47.9 percent from deep.

The Knicks have found success from beyond the arc shooting 36.2 percent and making over 11 a game. New York should be able to keep it close and might be aided in points scored from the 3-point shot. Take their team total Over 105.

MITCHELL OUT

The Memphis Grizzlies travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz. The Grizzlies have been shockingly efficient winning four of their first six games of the season and are on a two-game winning streak.

The Jazz enter this contest scoring an average of 114.3 points per game and are shooting 47 percent from the floor, and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc. Unfortunately for the Jazz they will be without their leading scorer in Donovan Mitchell who is averaging 23.3 points per game.

Memphis is 2-23 SU in its last 25 games on the road, but surprisingly have been good covering games especially in Utah where they are 5-1 ATS, and 6-3 SU in their last nine games versus the Jazz. The Jazz are certainly talented enough to get the job done at home, but they might really struggle offensively without their leading scorer orchestrating plays at the point. The Grizzlies have been flying under the radar. Take them to keep things close and grab the 8.5 points with Memphis.

RAPTORS ROLLING EARLY

The Phoenix Suns host the Toronto Raptors at Talking Stick Resort Arena in what appears to be a complete mismatch. The 7-1 Raptors enter the contest shooting 117.4 points on 48.1 percent shooting form the field, and 38.6 from beyond the arc.

The Suns have gone on a six-game losing streak, and have only managed to score 103.4 points overall and 98.7 over their last three. They have lost 16 of their last 18 home games and that almost surely looks like it will be stretched to 17 straight losses at home as the Suns have been without their best player in Devin Booker who is questionable for the contest.

Instead of eating the huge chalk backing the Raptors on the road by double digits, look to back them on the first half spread. The Suns have only managed to score 48 overall and over their last three games, 43.3. The Raptors have gotten off to quick starts scoring an average of 59.2 first half points. With this game likely coming down to bench versus bench late where anything can happen in terms of points, take the Raptors to take care of business early and back them on the first half spread of 6.5.

**Udog** · 11-02-2018, 07:44 PM

Hoop Trends - Friday
Vince Akins

ATS Play ON Trend of the Day:

-- The Raptors are 16-0 ATS (+9.34 ppg) on the road off a win in which they scored a least 18 fast break points and attempted more than 20 free throws.

ATS Play AGAINST Trend of the Day:

-- The Magic are 0-14 ATS (-9.36 ppg) as a home dog off a game as a favorite when they lost 3 straight vs current opponent.

OU Play OVER Trend of the Day:

-- The Timberwolves are 13-0 OU (15.15 ppg) as a dog off a game as a dog in which they had assists on less than 45 percent of their field goals.

OU Play UNDER Trend of the Day:

-- The Magic are 0-13 OU (-13.19 ppg) at home off a loss when they lost 3 straight vs current opponent and it is before the All-Star break.

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Friday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 11/2

Friday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 11/2

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