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**Udog** · 05-18-2019, 08:41 AM

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

Six slowest-working pitchers in major leagues:

6) Matt Andriese, Arizona, 29.5 seconds between pitches

5) Sam Dyson, Giants 29.7

4) Blake Treinen, A’s, 30.1

3) David Price Red Sox, 30.2

2) Josh Hader Brewers, 30.9

1) Kenley Jansen Dodgers, 31.3

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Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind…….

13) You watch Angel Hernandez call balls/strikes, and the electronic strike zone that will come to baseball someday doesn’t seem like a such a bad idea.

I’m against the electronic strike zone, but Hernandez is a terrible umpire, and has been for a long time. Friday night, Colorado’s Jon Gray walked the opposing pitcher on 10 pitches; three of the four pitches Hernandez called balls were strikes on the electronic strike zone on TV.

I had no dog in the fight, no fantasy players involved, was just watching the game. No one pays to watch the umpire; call strikes, especially on the opposing pitcher. It isn’t that difficult.

12) Not sure if I’ve told this story here before, so here goes. It is a little random, but it was a funny moment. Was listening this week to some people talk about their kids going to high school now, and it reminded me of this:

I’m in 10th grade, long time ago (1974-75) and it is Biology class, which was a struggle for me. I sat in the back of the class, where I had a great view of a classmate named Joann who was very pretty but didn’t know I existed (go figure).

Anyway, our teacher was a little……different. If a kid was talking in class, the teacher would take an eraser (yes, we had chalkboards back then) and drill the kid with it. I mean, he would fire the eraser at the kid, drill him, and no one ever complained. These days, he would get sued.

One day, the kid sitting three seats in front of me was yukking it up about something, a big kid named Nick, and the teacher takes aim with his eraser, but he misses and drills the young lady sitting next to Nick. Stunned silence, then muffled laughter; the girl started crying.

Was very difficult to sit there the rest of the period and not laugh; never saw another eraser thrown though. Could you imagine if they let that nitwit carry a gun in class?

11) Last three seasons, Golden State Warriors are:
— When Curry plays and Durant doesn’t: 32-4
— When Durant plays and Curry doesn’t: 28-18
— When neither one plays: 1-6
— When they both play: 163-46

10) 50 years ago Friday, Colts, Browns, Steelers agreed to move from the NFL to the AFC, so that when the NFL/AFL merger happened, there would be an equal number of teams in both conferences.

According to Hall of Famer Gil Brandt, Raiders’ owner Al Davis came up with the idea, but no one would agree to switch until $3M was put on the table; then the teams became willing. Funny how that happens.

9) Indiana Pacers’ G Tyreke Evans was dismissed/disqualified from the NBA for two years, for violating the terms of the NBA’s anti-drug program. Under the program, he is eligible to apply for reinstatement in two years.

Evans averaged 10.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 2.4 apg in 20.3 mpg this year- he’s scored 15.7 ppg in his 11-year NBA career, and was due to become a free agent this offseason.

8) I’ve said this here before, but if you like the NBA, then the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in early July is an excellent thing to see.

They play in two gyms at UNLV, there are usually eight games a day, and it costs around $30 for the whole day, which is worth it, just to be out of the 110-degree desert heat.

I’ve gone a few times, and it is good stuff. You see all the rookies, some 2nd-year guys; most of the coaches/GM’s are there. I was walking in the hallway one day, and Jerry West was there, talking to some people. If you like the NBA, it is an excellent thing to do.

I would discourage you from wagering on the games, however; teams need to take a look at certain guys, so they don’t always use their best possible lineups every game.

7) If you’re heading to Las Vegas this summer, right now Treasure Island, the Wynn, Venetian, Palazzo, SLS, Tropicana, Circus Circus, and Stratosphere are the casinos on the Strip that offer free parking. Lot of casinos charge to park now because of the T-Mobile Arena not having its own parking lot.

6) Las Vegas casinos pretty much now all have betting lines up for every NFL game this season, except for Week 17. Lot can change between now and the season, but if you think you’re better than the oddsmakers, you can take your shot at the windows now.

Golden Nugget is posting spreads for its college games of the year on May 30.

5) From Ralph Michaels:

Since 2015, Week 2 NFL road teams that also played on the road in Week 1 are 1-14 vs spread; there are four such teams this season. Only cover in that sample was Kansas City winning 42-37 at Pittsburgh LY, after they led 21-0 in first quarter.

4) Baseball stuff:
— Giants activated C Buster Posey from the 7-day concussion DL.
— Colorado brought up 2B prospect Brandon Rodgers.
— Toronto P Aaron Sanchez (blister) left Friday’ game early.
— Justin Turner (bruised shin) left Friday’s game early

3) QB Tommy Stevens transferred from Penn State to Mississippi State, where he’ll play for Joe Moorhead, who used to be OC at Penn State.

2) Most teams pitched for, MLB history:
Edwin Jackson: 14, Octavio Dotel: 13, Mike Morgan, Ron Villone: 12 each.

1) Jim Nantz turned 60 years old Friday, which makes me feel old.

**Udog** · 05-18-2019, 08:44 AM

G3 - Warriors at Trail Blazers
Chris David

Western Conference Finals – Game 3 (Warriors lead 2-0)

Golden State at Portland (ESPN, 9:05 p.m. ET)

The Warriors proved to everybody again on Thursday why they’re the defending champions as they defeated the Trail Blazers 114-11 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. Golden State rallied from a 15-point deficit (65-50) at halftime and they also overcame an eight-point gap with less than five minutes left in the game to defeat Portland.

Credit should be given to the visitors as the Trail Blazers came to play after losing 116-94 in the series opener on Tuesday. The Trail Blazers shot 18-of-39 (46%) from 3-point land and 17-of-18 from the free throw line but the club couldn’t connect down the stretch. Portland’s two-headed monster of Damian Lillard (23) and CJ McCollum (22) only combined for 45 points in the loss and both had opportunities for game-winners late. Unfortunately for the Blazers, McCollum missed his jumper and Lillard had his final attempt blocked by Golden State’s Andre Iguodala.

While the talented backcourt of Portland struggled in Game 2, head coach Terry Stotts got a big lift from his bench. The reserves scored 41 points and Seth Curry led the charge with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting and that included four triples. Curry also had four steals and he finished plus-13 in 39 minutes, after having a minus-10 effort in Game 1 when he only had three points.

Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Seth’s older brother, continued his hot playoff run with 37 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in the win. Klay Thompson added 24 points, 13 of them coming in the third quarter as Golden State outscored Portland 39-24 to even the score headed into the final 12 minutes.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged that they stole the game from Portland and his counterpart Stotts agreed that it was a ‘lost opportunity’ on the road. Despite bogging down and settling for bad shots to aid Golden State’s Game 2 comeback with a brutal third quarter on the offensive end, the Blazers proved they won’t shrink down the stretch.

NBA expert Tony Mejia believes Portland’s ability to trade baskets with the champs on the road in the closing minutes will help boost their confidence on Saturday night in a game that surprised him by not being a pick’em.

“The Trail Blazers have had much more success at home over the years against the Warriors than they’ve enjoyed at Oracle, which should make it easier for them to rebound from squandering a 17-point lead and failing to steal away homecourt advantage. With Seth Curry and Rodney Hood taking turns aggressively seeking out their shots to try and punish Golden State for all the extra attention it has bestowed upon Damian Lillard, it’s starting to look like the Blazers are making a concerted effort to play with pace and aggressively let the 3-pointers fly,” Mejia said.

“After coming through on surpassing its team total for Game 2 despite being held under 100 points in Game 1, getting back home should help Portland continue to produce confident offense in a must-win. Although the number is up there at 112, if the Blazers plan on making this a competitive series by taking advantage of Kevin Durant’s absence for at least a few more games, they’ll need to produce points.”

The Trail Blazers did cover as seven-point underdogs in Game 2 and that decision was never in doubt. As Mejia mentioned, they go from hunter to hunted with Portland opening as a short two-point favorite for Game 3 on Saturday from the Moda Center.

The nine-point swing (GSW -7 to +2) certainly could have you scratching your head but Golden State faced the same scenario in Game 3 of the conference semifinals. After laying between five and six points to the Rockets in Game 1 and 2 at home, the Warriors were listed as 3 ½-point underdogs in the first game at the Toyota Center. The Rockets won and covered that must-win spot, earning a 126-121 decision.

Can Portland follow suit and avoid the 3-0 hole?

Kevin Rogers dived deeper into the head-to-head matchups between the pair. He said, “In the last 10 matchups between the Blazers and Warriors at the Moda Center dating back to May 2016, Portland was favored only one time. The Blazers topped the Warriors, 125-108 as 1 ½-point favorites on March 9, 2018 as Stephen Curry didn’t suit up for Golden State. Kevin Durant led all scorers that night with 40 points, while the combo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum posted a total of 58 points.”

He added, “The last time the Blazers trailed the Warriors, 2-0 in a playoff series returning to Portland was the 2017 first round as Portland blew a 13-point halftime lead in a 119-113 setback as 4 ½-point underdogs. Durant did not suit up in that game either, as Golden State went on to sweep Portland and capture its second title in three seasons.”

In this year’s playoffs, Portland has taken care of its business at home with a 5-1 record, while laying points in all six games and compiling a 3-3 ATS mark.

Golden State has gone 4-2 SU and 3-3 ATS on the road in this year’s playoffs, the two losses coming in its last round to Houston. They’ve been underdogs twice in this span, losing Game 3 to Houston before avenging that setback with a series-winning 118-113 victory in Game 6 over the Rockets. The Warriors were + 7 ½ in that win over Houston and that was just the ninth time this season that Kerr and company were receiving points. Overall, Golden State has gone 4-5 SU and 5-4 ATS as an underdog but it has won four of its last five in this role.

Durant’s absence hasn’t been a factor yet for the Warriors and you wonder when or if it will be. Many pundits believe KD is the best player in the NBA right now but the Warriors continue to silence the critics with victories. When Curry is in and Durant is out of the lineup, Golden State has gone 29-1 since he left OKC for California. The All-Star missed the first two games of this series and has been ruled ‘out’ for Game 3 and 4 in Portland. Including the 3-0 record from this year’s playoffs, the Warriors are now 6-1 this season without KD in the lineup.

Golden State opened as a -450 series favorite over Portland and that number has jumped to -1300 after the two wins in Oakland. Bettors believing in the Trail Blazers can grab odds as high as 8/1 to win four of the next five games against the Warriors.

Game 4 will take place on Monday from the Moda Center.

Betcha Didn’t Know

-- The ‘over’ is on an 11-2 run in the last 13 meetings between the pair from Portland.

-- The Trail Blazers have scored 123-plus points in three of their last four encounters against the Warriors.

-- Portland has watched the ‘over’ go 4-2 at home in the playoffs and it’s averaging 117.8 points per game. Golden State’s offense is averaging 120.1 PPG in six away games this postseason, helping the ‘over’ go 5-1.

-- The Blazers have a team total of 112 for Game 3 while the number on Golden State is 109 ½.

-- Road teams went 6-2 in Game 3 of the first round of this year’s playoffs. In the second round, home squads rallied for a 3-1 record. The ‘over’ has gone 8-4 in the dozen Game 3’s played this season.

-- The Blazers are 1-10 all-time against Golden State in the playoffs. The Warriors are 7-4 versus the number in those games while the ‘over’ is 8-3.

-- The Warriors are 31-4 in the postseason when Curry scores 30 or more points.

-- Golden State has gone 10-5 on Saturday this season, which includes a 1-1 mark in the playoffs.

-- Portland was 7-5 in Saturday games during the regular season and this will be the first game for the club on the sixth day of the week in this year’s postseason.

-- Golden State has watched the ‘under’ go 5-2 in seven games without Durant in the lineup.

-- A popular NBA playoff system that’s been reported through various sports betting mediums is in play again on Saturday. Put simply, wager on any home team in the first-half in Game 3 when trailing 2-0 in a series. This angle was once a gold mine, connecting in the 80% range but like any great system, all things eventually temper off. The oddsmakers have adjusted, probably too much, knowing that bettors are into the angle and that’s why Portland is laying more in the 1st half (-3) on Saturday than on the game line (-2). The concept makes sense as you expect the home team to fire out of the chute and leave it all on the line for the first 24 minutes. It doesn’t always work out and it’s gone 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS in this postseason. The Pacers got squeezed for the non-cover in the first round due to the inflated number.

**Udog** · 05-18-2019, 08:47 AM

**Udog** · 05-18-2019, 08:50 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Saturday, May 18

Golden State @ Portland

Game 547-548
May 18, 2019 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Golden State
119.120
Portland
129.191
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Portland
by 10
217
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Portland
by 2 1/2
221 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Portland
(-2 1/2); Under

NBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, May 18

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GOLDEN STATE (67 - 29) at PORTLAND (61 - 35) - 5/18/2019, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 41-54 ATS (-18.4 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 22-36 ATS (-17.6 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 51-67 ATS (-22.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 33-49 ATS (-20.9 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 18-28 ATS (-12.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 34-43 ATS (-13.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
PORTLAND is 52-44 ATS (+3.6 Units) in all games this season.
PORTLAND is 37-25 ATS (+9.5 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 220 over the last 2 seasons.
PORTLAND is 33-23 ATS (+7.7 Units) as a favorite this season.
PORTLAND is 50-36 ATS (+10.4 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
PORTLAND is 51-33 ATS (+14.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PORTLAND is 9-8 against the spread versus GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 13-4 straight up against PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
10 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, May 18

Golden State’s subs shot 11-18 from floor in 114-111 Game 2 win, a game Portland led by 15 at the half. Lillard/McCollum combined to go 26-70 from floor in first two games- no bueno. Warriors lost three of last four visits to Portland; over is 7-4 in last 11 series games. Over is 7-3 in last ten Portland games, 6-3-1 in Warriors’ last ten. Portland’s bench (14-29 from floor, 41 points) was more productive Thursday, but not good enough. Steph Curry had 37 in Game 2; Green had 7 assists, 10 rebounds. Trailblazers won three of last four home games; they’re 3-3 vs spread in last six games as an underdog.

NBA

Saturday, May 18

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Trend Report
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Golden State Warriors
Golden State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Golden State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Golden State's last 7 games
Golden State is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Golden State's last 7 games on the road
Golden State is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Portland
Golden State is 19-5 SU in its last 24 games when playing Portland
The total has gone OVER in 17 of Golden State's last 25 games when playing Portland
Golden State is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Portland
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Golden State's last 13 games when playing on the road against Portland
Portland Trail Blazers
Portland is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
Portland is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Portland's last 7 games
Portland is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 18 of Portland's last 22 games at home
Portland is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Golden State
Portland is 5-19 SU in its last 24 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 17 of Portland's last 25 games when playing Golden State
Portland is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Portland's last 13 games when playing at home against Golden State

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Announcement

Saturday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 5/18

Saturday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 5/18

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