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**Udog** · 02-26-2019, 09:54 AM

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

From Jason on Twitter: NFL leaders in dead money, from 2016-2019:

1. Bills- $125M
2. Browns- $111M
3. Saints- $102M
4. 49ers- $82M
5. Giants- $80M
6. Jets- $71M

Dead money is cap money that is left over after a contract is terminated/voided.

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Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……

13) John S. Middleton owns 48% of the Philadelphia Phillies; he went to college at Amherst and then Harvard Business School, so he is a very smart human.

His family owned a retail tobacco shop in Philadelphia that evolved into a manufacturer and marketer of pipe tobacco and cigars; Middleton wound up selling the company for $2.9B, thats billion, with a B.

12) Middleton flew to Las Vegas this past weekend to try and help recruit Bryce Harper to play for the Phillies. Harper still hasn’t decided; spring training has been going on for a week.

If I’m Mr Middleton, I tell Harper and his scumweasel agent; enough already. You have one more hour to decide, either sign with us or we move on. Begging someone to take $300M isn’t cool. Sign on the dotted line or we’ll go in a different direction.

Regular season starts in 30 days; time to make a decision.

11) A 71-year old man in California was convicted of a double murder 40 years ago, but it turns out the guy didn’t do it, so he was released from prison in 2017, and was recently awarded $21M in a settlement with the city of Simi Valley.

What do you if you’ve been in jail for the last 40 years and all of a sudden you’re not only free, but rich as hell? Would make an interesting movie.

10) For 11 months out of 12, weekday television completely sucks; ESPN has hired so many nitwit talking heads it is difficult to keep them all straight. There is a lot of political talk on TV but that pretty much makes me want to puke. So during the day, it is either movies or music.

Except for the next month, when preseason baseball games are on TV every day, and that is a great thing. Who cares that the games don’t matter? It is live baseball; nothing wrong with that.

9) Saw Tim Tebow play baseball for first time over the weekend; he looked decent as a hitter. a lefty, he lined out to left one time, and then he hit a pretty good drive to left-center, but the CF for Houston made a great diving catch, saving a double or a triple. Sounds like he will start this season at AAA Syracuse; will be interesting to follow.

8) Giants-Cubs spring training game this weekend drew 9,277 fans in Scottsdale; spring training has become very popular. One of these years I may have to venture out to the desert to see some baseball. I’m guessing A’s spring training games don’t draw 9,000+.

7) This season is the Cincinnati Reds’ 150th anniversary; to celebrate, the Reds will wear fifteen different throwback uniforms. Thats right, 15 different sets of uniforms. Hopefully they’re giving their equipment guys a bonus for keeping all of that straight.

6) Looking ahead to conference tournament play in a couple weeks; Iona is 16-2 in its last 18 MAAC tournament games. Gonzaga has won its last 17 WCC tournament games; last time the Zags didn’t win the WCC tournament was in 2012, when they lost to Saint Mary’s.

5) Nets 101, Spurs 85— San Antonio has now lost seven of its last eight games; last time they missed the playoffs was 1996-97, the season Gregg Popovich replaced Bob Hill as head coach. Right now, San Antonio is 33-29, but seem headed in the wrong direction- if the season ended today, they’d be the #8 seed in the West.

4) It was so windy in beautiful upstate New York Monday, I fully expected to see the Wicked Witch of the West riding past my house on her bicycle, with a bunch of monkeys flying above (obscure movie reference— the Wizard of Oz). Very cold, but mercifully, no damage around my house and even better, no snow.

3) In the AAF, there are no kickoffs; if you want to “onside kick”, you have a 4th-and-12 on your own 28-yard line, and the game progresses from there. Happened for the first time this past week, and the team converted the first down, so they kept the ball.

2) Stumbled across one of my favorite movies this weekend; Searching for Bobby Fischer, a movie about a little kid who is a chess prodigy, starring Joe Mantegna as the kid’s father and Ben Kingsley/Lawrence Fishburne as the kid’s chess mentors.

If you ever get a chance to see this movie, it is worth your time.

1) Thanks to WeTV for running a Law and Order marathon every Sunday night; it came in especially handy after the Super Bowl, when I didn’t exactly feel like watching SportsCenter that night. One of the best TV shows ever made, Law and Order was on for 20 years; 456 episodes.

**Udog** · 02-26-2019, 10:15 AM

Inside the Paint - Tuesday
Chris David

The second-half of the season is in full swing and we’ve had 41 games played since last Thursday. After watching underdogs dominate the betting counter with a 19-11 (63%) record against the spread, the favorites struck back on Monday with a 7-4 mark versus the number.

Favorites went 9-2 straight up last night and they’re 27-14 over the last five days. While a couple ‘chalk’ winners on the hardwood got squeezed with the spread, notable heavy-bet favorites in the Warriors and Bucks cashed tickets on the road.

Milwaukee (46-14) owns the best record in the league and has started the second-half 3-0 but a four straight games against Western Conference teams are on deck. Portland and Detroit have also jumped out of the chute with a 3-0 mark since the break.

Looking to fade teams? Miami was one of the lone favorites to fall last night, collapsing to the Suns 124-121 at home. The Heat have gone 0-3 (1-2 ATS) since the break and they have the Warriors at home and Rockets on the road on deck. Good Luck!

San Antonio (0-3 SU, 1-2 ATS) and Dallas (0-3 SU, 0-3 ATS) are also winless in the second-half and while the Spurs were embarrassed in New York, they played a tough game in Toronto. As for Dallas, the ‘silent tank’ is on and the team is now 1-6 both SU and ATS in its last seven games and the one win came at home in a game where Portland fell apart.

Tuesday’s slate only has three games on tap and based on the current form, trends and situations, the favorites appear to be the leans – at least on paper. Let’s break them down.

Orlando (27-32 SU, 32-26-1 ATS) at New York (11-47 SU, 25-31-2 ATS)

It’s rare to see Orlando listed as a road favorite, just four times this season and the club has lived up to the expectations of the oddsmakers by going 3-1 both SU and ATS. The ‘under’ has gone 3-1 in those games. The Magic have gone 1-1 since the All-Star break, and the loss was surprising as they fell to Chicago 110-109 last Friday as an eight-point home favorite. The club rebounded with a nice win over Toronto (113-98) on Sunday and that win pushed them to 8-2 both SU and ATS in its last 10 games. The defense has stepped up of late and bettors should note that Orlando is 13-3 this season when holding opponents under the century mark.

The Knicks are coming off a 130-118 win over San Antonio as a nine-point home underdog on Sunday but that result and offensive production was clearly an aberration. The team hasn’t won back-to-back games since November and they haven’t had much success against this opponent. The Magic have won and covered three straight and five of their last six encounters against the Knicks, which includes two victories this season. Both of those results came in November and the Magic won by 14 points (131-117) at home and 26 points (115-89) from Madison Square Garden. The pair will meet for the fourth and final time on Apr. 3 from Orlando.

Boston (37-21 SU, 29-28-1 ATS) at Toronto (43-16 SU, 25-33-1 ATS)

Eastern Conference contenders collide on Tuesday and the oddsmakers sent Toronto out as a four-point home favorite over Boston. As underdogs this season, the Celtics have gone 3-7 SU and 3-6 ATS. They did earn a cover against the Bucks last week but the point-spread hasn’t mattered much, which could have you leaning Celtics on the money-line (+155).

Laying the points with Toronto hasn’t been a good investment lately, losers at the betting counter in their last five games. And even though their 24-4 record at home is one of the best records in the league, a 13-16 ATS mark has you in the red. This isn’t that large of a number and it should be noted that the Raptors are 4-2 SU and 3-3 ATS when laying less than five points at home this season.

As mentioned above, the Celtics opened the second-half with a tough 98-97 loss at Milwaukee last Thursday and they followed up that decision with an embarrassing 126-116 setback at Chicago as heavy 10-point road underdogs. Losing to Toronto on Tuesday would be the fourth time this season that Boston has lost three consecutive games. To put things in perspective, Boston only had two losing streaks of three-plus games in the 2017-18 campaign.

Toronto entered the All-Star break with a six-game winning streak and it extended the run to seven last Friday as they defeated former teammate DeMar DeRozan and the Spurs 120-117 at home. The Raptors were fortunate to grab that win but they got caught napping in an afternoon matinee loss at home on Sunday to Orlando, 113-98. The Raptors rested All-Star Kawhi Leonard against the Magic and they now sit at 13-4 without him in the lineup this season.

Boston holds a 2-1 edge over Toronto this season and the home team has won and covered all three meetings. The Celtics won the most recent encounter on Jan. 16 as they earned a 117-108 win as 2 ½-point home favorites. The first game from Scotiabank Arena between the pair took place in the first week of the season (Oct. 10) and Toronto cruised to a 113-101 win as a three-point favorite.

Including that setback, Boston has dropped seven straight and 11 of its last 12 trips to Canada. The Celtics have gone 3-9 ATS during this span with their last win coming in April of 2015 when Isaiah Thomas and Kelly Olynyk rallied the club to the rare road victory.

TNT will provide national coverage of this game at 8:05 p.m. ET.

Oklahoma City (37-20 SU, 33-24 ATS) at Denver (39-18 SU, 30-27 ATS)

The late-night TNT (10:35 p.m. ET) is a solid matchup in the Western Conference as Oklahoma City and Denver tangle from the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets have won and covered the first two meetings against the Thunder this season and the oddsmakers have finally given them their due, making them favorites (-3) for the first time in this season series.

Including the two results this season, Denver has won four straight and six of the last seven games against OKC and it’s gone 7-0 ATS during this span. The Thunder have come up short on their last three trips to the Pepsi Center and it could easily be four if it wasn’t for Russell Westbook’s record-setting night back in April of 2017.

Fast forward to Tuesday and this is a nice test for both clubs. The Nuggets started the second-half with back-to-back wins and covers over the Mavericks and Clippers behind a defense that only allowed 100 PPG. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City is 1-1 since returning with a wild 148-17 overtime win at home over Utah before losing 119-116 the very next night at the same venue to Sacramento.

Many pundits expected Denver to drop off this season and I’m not sure how deep of a playoff run the club will make but you can’t dismiss their record versus winning teams (18-11) and their performance in games decided by three points or less, which is a league-best 10-2 overall.

It's fair to say that OKC has more big-game experience and after starting the season 0-3 in games when listed as an underdog, Billy Donovan's team has produced an eye-opening 8-2 record in its last 10 when catching points.

The total on this game opened 237, which seems a tad high based on the recent history between the pair. The ‘under’ is on a 6-2 run in this series and that includes a 2-0 record this season. Denver has watched the ‘over’ go 17-12 at home but OKC has been a solid ‘under’ lean (17-12) as a visitor.

The clubs will meet for the last time this season on Mar. 29 from Oklahoma City.

**Udog** · 02-26-2019, 10:21 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, February 26

Oklahoma City @ Denver

Game 505-506
February 26, 2019 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oklahoma City
122.685
Denver
121.469
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Oklahoma City
by 1
228
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Denver
by 3 1/2
237
Dunkel Pick:
Oklahoma City
(+3 1/2); Under

Boston @ Toronto

Game 503-504
February 26, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
127.956
Toronto
134.745
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 7
227
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 3 1/2
225
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(-3 1/2); Over

Orlando @ New York

Game 501-502
February 26, 2019 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Orlando
128.874
New York
111.885
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Orlando
by 17
220
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Orlando
by 6 1/2
214
Dunkel Pick:
Orlando
(-6 1/2); Over

NBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, February 26

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ORLANDO (28 - 33) at NEW YORK (12 - 48) - 2/26/2019, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 11-1 ATS (+9.9 Units) against Atlantic division opponents this season.
NEW YORK is 8-21 ATS (-15.1 Units) in February games over the last 3 seasons.
NEW YORK is 14-25 ATS (-13.5 Units) in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 7-18 ATS (-12.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
NEW YORK is 5-16 ATS (-12.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
NEW YORK is 18-27 ATS (-11.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.

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

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BOSTON (37 - 23) at TORONTO (44 - 17) - 2/26/2019, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 12-2 ATS (+9.8 Units) in home games vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 90-66 ATS (+17.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 47-32 ATS (+11.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 58-44 ATS (+9.6 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 62-42 ATS (+15.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 19-28 ATS (-11.8 Units) as a favorite this season.
TORONTO is 15-29 ATS (-16.9 Units) in home games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
TORONTO is 204-257 ATS (-78.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 7-4 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 6-5 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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OKLAHOMA CITY (38 - 21) at DENVER (41 - 18) - 2/26/2019, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 10-22 ATS (-14.2 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
DENVER is 21-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) in home games this season.
DENVER is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 21-12 ATS (+7.8 Units) after scoring 115 points or more this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 29-19 ATS (+8.1 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 7-3 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 6-4 straight up against OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, February 26

Magic won/covered six of last seven games; they covered their last seven road games. Under is 4-1 in their last five road games. New York won two of last three games after an 0-18 skid; they are 2-6 vs spread in last eight home games. Under is 11-4 in their last fifteen games. Knicks lost five of their last six games with Orlando (under 4-2). Magic covered their last four visits to Manhattan.

Celtics lost four of their last six games, are 2-8-1 vs spread in last 1 road games. Four of their last six games went over. Raptors won seven of last eight games; they’re 1-5 vs spread in last six home games. Three of their last four games went over. Home side won last ten Boston-Toronto games; four of last five series games went over the total. Celtics are 0-5 vs spread in their last five visits to Toronto.

Thunder won 12 of their last 15 games; they’re 5-2 vs spread in last seven road games. Over is 6-3-1 in their last ten games. Denver won its last four games (3-1 vs spread); they’re 7-1 vs spread in last eight home games. Under is 4-0-1 in their last five games. Nuggets won six of last seven games with Oklahoma City; six of last eight series games stayed under the total. Thunder are 0-3 vs spread in last three visits to Denver.

NBA

Tuesday, February 26

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Trend Report
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Orlando Magic
Orlando is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Orlando is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Orlando is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Orlando is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando's last 6 games on the road
Orlando is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing New York
Orlando is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing New York
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando's last 6 games when playing New York
Orlando is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against New York
Orlando is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against New York
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Orlando's last 17 games when playing on the road against New York
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Orlando's last 6 games when playing on the road against New York
New York Knicks
New York is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games
New York is 2-19 SU in its last 21 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of New York's last 15 games
New York is 4-14-1 ATS in its last 19 games at home
New York is 1-18 SU in its last 19 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New York's last 10 games at home
New York is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Orlando
New York is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Orlando
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 6 games when playing Orlando
New York is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Orlando
New York is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Orlando
The total has gone OVER in 12 of New York's last 17 games when playing at home against Orlando
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 6 games when playing at home against Orlando

Boston Celtics
Boston is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games
Boston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games
Boston is 3-6-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston's last 8 games on the road
Boston is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing Toronto
Boston is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Boston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto Raptors
Toronto is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
Toronto is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 9 games
Toronto is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Toronto is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 9 games at home
Toronto is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing Boston
Toronto is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing at home against Boston

Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games
Oklahoma City is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Oklahoma City's last 20 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 6 games
Oklahoma City is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 6 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Denver
Oklahoma City is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oklahoma City's last 8 games when playing Denver
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Oklahoma City's last 9 games when playing on the road against Denver
Denver Nuggets
Denver is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Denver's last 5 games
Denver is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Denver's last 10 games at home
Denver is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City
Denver is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Oklahoma City
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Denver's last 8 games when playing Oklahoma City
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Denver's last 9 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City

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**Udog** · 02-26-2019, 01:55 PM

Hoop Trends - Tuesday
Vince Akins

ATS Play ON Trend of the Day:

-- The Nuggets are 10-0 ATS (+5.00 ppg) at home with rest off a double-digit win when they won four-plus straight vs current opponent.

ATS Play AGAINST Trend of the Day:

-- The Raptors are 0-16 ATS (-7.56 ppg) as a favorite with rest when they are off two games in which they allowed 110+ points.

OU Play OVER Trend of the Day:

-- The Magic are 12-0 OU (+14.29 ppg) when they are off a win as a dog.

OU Play UNDER Trend of the Day:

-- The Knicks are 0-11 OU (-8.50 ppg) at home with rest off a home win in which they shot over 50% from the field.

**Udog** · 02-26-2019, 01:57 PM

NBA remind teams to keep cool with refs
February 25, 2019
By The Associated Press

The NBA is not happy that tensions between teams and referees seem to be rising.

Then again, `tis the season.

Playoff-race pressure is real, and the NBA thinks - or hopes - that some tantrums in recent weeks can be attributed to that and not an eroding of the always-tenuous relationship between those who commit infractions and those who call them. Golden State coach Steve Kerr smashing clipboards and Houston star James Harden calling out longtime official Scott Foster are sights and sounds that the league doesn't want, so the NBA is once again reaching out to teams to offer reminders about not going too far when ripping the refs.

''This is the dark ages of the season,'' said Michelle Johnson, the NBA's senior vice president and head of referee operations. ''Teams are shaping up where they stand and it matters more to some teams than others, and some coaches do tactical outbursts for the good of their teams. So even if we go to teams and they don't have a lot of issues ... we want to keep the dialogue open.''

Kerr got fined $25,000 earlier this month for verbally abusing referee Ken Mauer, and the tirade was at the level where the Warriors' coach obviously knew it would be costing him cash so he decided to get his money's worth. He got ejected, the Warriors lost that night in Portland, but writing that check probably earned him some more points with players who always need to know that their coach has their back.

Kerr actually likes Mauer, and believes he's one of the best refs in the league.

That being said, Kerr also said the coach-ref dynamic is almost always weird.

''I don't know why anybody would want to be a ref,'' Kerr said. ''What a brutal job.''

Harden also got fined $25,000 for saying that Foster should no longer work Houston's games, after the Rockets were upset with a number of calls in their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Foster is traditionally one of the league's highest-rated refs, and it's a really good bet that at some point in this postseason the Rockets will be playing a big game and Foster will be out there.

Johnson and referee-turned-league-executive Monty McCutchen have made improving relations a top priority. They're talking to every team again about finding common ground - just as they did around this time last year.

''I think there's progress,'' Johnson said. ''It's still the same passionate game, a tough game and the stakes are up now.''

Players and coaches have been fined more than $2.2 million already this season for technicals, ejections and other reasons for sanctioning by the league office - not counting salaries lost to suspensions.

And if there's any good to be derived from behaving badly, it's this: That $2.2 million (and more to come) goes to charities chosen by the NBA and the players' union.

CRUNCH TIME

Forget his streak of eight straight appearances in the NBA Finals. LeBron James' streak of 13 straight trips to the playoffs is in major peril.

James and the Los Angeles Lakers (29-30) are currently 10th in the Western Conference. And the Lakers do not have the easiest stretch run in the NBA, either.

When he signed with L.A., James knew getting the Lakers to the playoffs in Year 1 would be a test. But it's proving to be a bigger mountain to climb than he imagined, partly because of injuries that the Lakers have been dealing with and partly because not all of his teammates have a real understanding yet of what it takes to get into the postseason.

''I knew it was going to be very challenging, just because of the experience that the roster had at that point in time,'' James said. ''I knew it was going to be challenging from that sense, but I felt like we could still play better basketball.''

They still have to face Milwaukee and Utah twice, plus have a five-game Eastern Conference road trip in mid-March and four back-to-backs left to navigate. Among the other top teams left on the Lakers' schedule: Boston, Denver, Golden State, Oklahoma City, Portland and Toronto.

Assuming it'll take 44 wins - basically the average needed over the last five years - to secure the No. 8 seed in the West, that means the Lakers would have to finish 15-8 to get into the playoffs.

MAGIC HAPPENING

The Orlando Magic are on their hottest run in more than seven years.

Orlando's win in Toronto on Sunday was the eighth for Steve Clifford's club in its last 10 games. That's the first 8-2 stretch for the Magic since going 8-2 from Feb. 1-17, 2012.

The coach of that Orlando team? Stan Van Gundy, who just happened to be assisted by ... Steve Clifford.

THE WEEK AHEAD

A game to watch each day this week:

- Monday, Golden State at Charlotte: Stephen Curry goes back to his hometown, after All-Star weekend there was a Curry family celebration.

- Tuesday, Oklahoma City at Denver: Paul George has played himself into the MVP race, and the Nuggets' late-season schedule is brutally hard.

- Wednesday, Milwaukee at Sacramento: A win over the team with the NBA's best record would be a big help to the Kings' postseason hopes.

- Thursday, Miami at Houston: A brutal back-to-back for the Heat, who have Golden State at home on Wednesday and then go to the Rockets.

- Friday, Charlotte at Brooklyn: Few might have guessed last summer that these clubs meeting on March 1 would have postseason implications.

- Saturday, Orlando at Indiana: The Pacers, even without Victor Oladipo, keep plugging along, while the Magic have a real shot at a playoff spot.

- Sunday, Toronto at Detroit: Dwane Casey's new team plays host to Dwane Casey's old team, and right now every result matters to both clubs.

**Udog** · 02-26-2019, 05:30 PM

By: Monique Vág

Building off success

The Knicks finally snapped their losing streak with a dominating win last time out versus the Spurs, but things don’t get easier. Today, they take on a Magic team who’ve won eight of their last 10 overall, and three straight versus New York.

Although Orlando’s Aaron Gordon has been relatively quiet scoring wise, the last time these two teams met, Gordon shot 13-of-17 from the floor, and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc for 31 points. This was his highest scoring game of the season. Look for success from the floor here and back Over his points, rebounds, assists total of 26.5.

Securing an early lead

The Celtics travel to Toronto to take on a Raptors team who have won 25-of-31 home games this season. Boston has struggled on the road versus Toronto losing five straight games at Scotiabank Arena.

The Celtics have scored noticeably less points away from home early in the first half of games. They are averaging 58.6 at home, but 51.6 away from home. The Raptors have been one of the top scoring first half teams at home averaging 58 points. Look for Toronto to get out to a quick start today and back them on the first half money line.

Taking the point out of point guard

The Celtics have been one of the top teams at defending opposing point guards, allowing only 20.9 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting.

Last time these two teams met, they held the Raptors’ Kyle Lowry to 3-of-12 shooting and 1-of-6 from beyond the arc. Back Lowry’s point total Under 14.5 as the volume of attempts should not be there, and the Celtics will force him into some tough shots.

Home court dominance

The Thunder travel to Denver taking on a Nuggets team who have won four straight games and have been dominant at home posting a 26-4 record at the Pepsi Center.

To make matters worse, the Nuggets have owned the Thunder sweeping the most recent three games and winning by an average score of 113-107. Throughout that three-game stretch, the Nuggets have held OKC to 39 percent shooting. Look for Denver to take care of business at home today and back them to cover the small spread as 3-point home favorites.

Scoring efficiently

The Thunder are surrendering the most points per game in the Association over their most recent three games with 132.3, with opponents shooting 49.8 percent from the floor. With the Nuggets averaging 116.4 points per game at home this season and shooting the ball at 49.2 percent in those games, look for the Nuggets to find success today and potentially light up the scoreboard versus a Thunder team struggling to defend. Back Over Denver’s team total of 112.5 points.

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Tuesday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 2/26

Tuesday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 2/26

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