Announcement

**Udog** · 01-09-2020, 08:52 AM

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

— Pitt 73, North Carolina 65— Panthers end 22-game ACC road losing skid.

— Northridge 95, Long Beach St 77— Matadors shot 73% inside the arc.

— A&M Corpus Christi 73, SF Austin 72— Big upset in Southland Conference.

— Marist 70, Fairfield 58— Red Foxes were a 13-point underdog.

— Bradley 72, Evansville 52— Purple Aces are 6-7 since beating Kentucky.

— Auburn 83, Vanderbilt 79— Game was tied in last minute.

**********

Armadillo: Thursday's Den: Thoughts on college basketball

13) Big X— Four teams in top 25; is Baylor the best team in the country? If the top 68 teams in the country made the NCAA tournament, Kansas State would be the only Big X team left out.

12) ACC— 15 teams in a league is too many; North Carolina is down this year, looks like Duke, Florida State, Louisville are by far the three best teams. Curious to see if NC State can play their way into an at-large bid.

11) Big East— Butler, Seton Hall, Villanova are three best teams; Providence sleep-walked thru a 7-6 pre-conference slate, but started conference play 3-0. Friars are experience team #19, can they keep winning and get an at-large bid?

10) Big 14— Michigan State is gaining momentum; Ohio State lost four of last six games after a 9-0 start. Nebraska/Northwestern are by far the two worst teams; large cluster of teams in the middle of the pack here- Juwan Howard’s Michigan team is 10-4, but 0-3 in true road games.

9) SEC— Auburn made the Final Four LY, is 14-0 TY. Florida won its first NCAA tourney game the last three years; they’re 10-4 now and headed towards playing in March again. Kentucky is getting better with each game; Eric Musselman has Arkansas at 12-2 in his first year there.

8) Pac-12— Much-improved league this year, with five top 50 teams; Colorado/Washington should both make NCAA’s. Arizona is young, talented, Oregon always gets better as the season goes on. Stanford is a surprise team, UCLA is disappointing.

7) Right now, the NCAA Tournament figures to be missing some familiar faces; North Carolina, Cincinnati, Syracuse, UCLA and Iowa State are likely NIT teams, at best.

6) American— Memphis is a rising power nationally; Cincy/Temple/UCF are a little down, but SMU, Wichita, Houston are all good. Ron Hunter will make Tulane relevant; UConn is still a year away. Just like last year, AAC has three teams in top 50.

5) Atlantic 14— Dayton is going to be a fashionable Final Four sleeper on Selection Sunday; VCU will be an interesting team in March. Richmond has rebounded this year; Duquesne is getting better, but Davidson/St Joe’s are down, only half of the league is in the top 100.

4) WCC is still Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s-BYU, but Santa Clara/Pacific are on the rise, and the bottom half of the league doesn’t have any doormats. Gonzaga’s program now is what UNLV had in the Tark the Shark era 30 years ago; big fish in a small pond that attracts prominent transfers.

3) Mountain West— San Diego State is 16-0; Aztecs missed NCAAs three of last four years. Utah State lost last three games after a 13-2 start; unclear who the 2nd-best team is. Steve Alford has Nevada at 10-6 with a totally-revamped roster. New Mexico is playing well; UNLV is a year away. Wyoming and San Jose State are terrible.

2) Missouri Valley— Too bad Wichita State/Creighton jumped to bigger ponds- that really hurt this league. Northern Iowa is the only top 100 team right now, Evansville upset Kentucky, then lost its coach to off-court issues. Missouri State has been little disappointing. Loyola/Drake are in line behind UNI at the top of the standings.

1) Conference USA— Six teams are 2-0 in the conference; six more are 0-2, with North Texas, Marshall 1-1. Louisiana Tech appears to be the best team; Western Kentucky won its first two conference games, but they lost big man Bassey with a leg injury.

**Udog** · 01-09-2020, 08:57 AM

501CLEVELAND -502 DETROIT
CLEVELAND is 9-23 ATS (-16.3 Units) in January games in the last 3 seasons.

503BOSTON -504 PHILADELPHIA
BOSTON is 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) revenging a loss where opponent scored 110 or more points in the current season.

505PORTLAND -506 MINNESOTA
MINNESOTA is 43-65 ATS (-28.5 Units) after one or more consecutive overs in the last 3 seasons.

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, January 9

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CLEVELAND (10 - 27) at DETROIT (14 - 24) - 1/9/2020, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 93-124 ATS (-43.4 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 9-23 ATS (-16.3 Units) in January games over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 55-75 ATS (-27.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 38-52 ATS (-19.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 14-25 ATS (-13.5 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 220 over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 63-90 ATS (-36.0 Units) in home games in January games since 1996.
DETROIT is 123-172 ATS (-66.2 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 5-4 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 5-4 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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BOSTON (25 - 10) at PHILADELPHIA (24 - 14) - 1/9/2020, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 11-4 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 10-5 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PORTLAND (16 - 22) at MINNESOTA (14 - 22) - 1/9/2020, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PORTLAND is 6-2 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
PORTLAND is 6-3 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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HOUSTON (25 - 11) at OKLAHOMA CITY (21 - 16) - 1/9/2020, 9:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 6-2 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 5-3 straight up against HOUSTON 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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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, January 9

Cavaliers-Pistons
Cleveland lost its last five games (1-4 ATS); they’re 3-7 ATS in last ten road games. Last four Cleveland games went over. Detroit lost nine of last 12 games; they’re 4-5 ATS as a home favorite. Over is 7-2 in their last nine games.

Cavaliers lost five of last six games with Detroit, losing by 3 points at home Tuesday; they’re 2-2 ATS in last four visits to Detroit. Last five series games went over.

Celtics-76ers
Boston lost its last two games after an 8-1 run; they covered four of last five road games, are 3-2 ATS if they played night before. Four of their last six games stayed under total. Philly lost four of its last five games; they’re 10-4 ATS in last 14 home games. Over is 8-1 in their last nine games.

Celtics lost their last three games with the 76ers; they’re 3-2 ATS in last five visits to Philly (under 4-1).

Trailblazers-Timberwolves
Portland lost six of its last eight games; they’re 2-6 ATS in last eight road games. Under is 8-2 in their last two road games. Minnesota won four of its last seven games; they’re 2-9 ATS in last 11 home games. Under is 7-3 in their last ten home games.

Trailblazers won six of last seven games with Minnesota; they’re 2-2 ATS in last four visits to the Twin Cities. Under is 5-1 in last six series games.

Rockets-Thunder
Houston eight of last ten games; they’re 0-3 ATS in last three road games. Under is 5-2 in their last seven games. OKC won 10 of its last 12 games; they’re 6-1 SU in last seven home games. Under is 6-2 in their last eight games.

Rockets lost five of last eight games with the Thunder; they’re 2-3 ATS in last five visits to Oklahoma. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games.

NBA

Thursday, January 9

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Trend Report
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Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Philadelphia's last 10 games
Philadelphia is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Boston
Philadelphia is 6-19 SU in its last 25 games when playing Boston
Philadelphia is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Boston
Philadelphia is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
Boston Celtics
Boston is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Boston is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Philadelphia
Boston is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games when playing Philadelphia
Boston is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Boston is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia

Detroit Pistons
Detroit is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games
Detroit is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Detroit's last 9 games
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing Cleveland
Detroit is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Cleveland is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games
Cleveland is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
Cleveland is 4-21 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Cleveland's last 11 games on the road
Cleveland is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing Detroit
Cleveland is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Cleveland is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games when playing on the road against Detroit

Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Minnesota is 6-11-1 ATS in its last 18 games
Minnesota is 4-14 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Minnesota's last 11 games
Minnesota is 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games at home
Minnesota is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Minnesota's last 10 games at home
Minnesota is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Portland
Minnesota is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Portland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing Portland
Minnesota is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Portland
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Portland
Minnesota is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games when playing at home against Portland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing at home against Portland
Portland Trail Blazers
Portland is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 games
Portland is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
Portland is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Portland is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Portland's last 10 games on the road
Portland is 10-2-1 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Minnesota
Portland is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Portland's last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Portland is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Portland is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Portland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Portland's last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota

Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Oklahoma City is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oklahoma City's last 8 games
Oklahoma City is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games at home
Oklahoma City is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 7 games at home
Oklahoma City is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Houston
Oklahoma City is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Oklahoma City's last 10 games when playing Houston
Oklahoma City is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games when playing at home against Houston
Oklahoma City is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
Houston Rockets
Houston is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Houston is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Houston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Oklahoma City
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Oklahoma City
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Houston's last 10 games when playing Oklahoma City
Houston is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
Houston is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City

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**Udog** · 01-09-2020, 09:49 AM

Thursday's Essentials
Tony Mejia

Game of the Night – Rockets (-2.5) at Thunder, 9:40 p.m.

We’re going to get another rare occurrence of fans welcoming back an opposing player with open arms.

While Toronto fans were treated to Kawhi Leonard for just a season and he went 1-for-1 in winning them a championship, Oklahoma City raised Russell Westbrook. They stood by him and his mistakes and he stood by them, emerging as the last man standing after James Harden and Serge Ibaka were traded and Kevin Durant left for Golden State.

Westbrook should get a rousing ovation in his return to Chesapeake Energy Arena. He was the one who stayed and then recruited Paul George to join him and hang around. He wanted to build in a small market and averaged a triple-double there for three consecutive seasons before being dealt over the summer.

GM Sam Presti issued a statement that ended with the line that “it’s going to be a unique moment… a chance for people to recognize someone that will always figure prominently in the history of our city.”

Although Westbrook has had a contentious relationship with fans in opposing arenas, Thursday’s matchup should be all love. Oklahoma City jerseys with the number “0” will be present as far as the eye can see and his imprint on the game should surpass even Harden’s, who had a 41-point triple-double in Wednesday’s 122-115 win in Atlanta.

Westbrook, who has sat on the second-half of every back-to-back this season, opted to sit out the Hawks game instead, leaving him free to play in what will be the Rockets’ lone scheduled stop in OKC this season.

The Thunder, on paper, are also a far tougher opponent than Atlanta, coming in with wins in six of their last seven. Oklahoma City is on a 15-5 run since Nov. 29 and would open as the No. 7 seed if the Western Conference playoffs opened today. Thanks to the Nuggets’ win in Dallas last night, the Rockets enter Thursday in third, but this could certainly be a playoff matchup down the road. While it would be fascinating to see what a drama-filled postseason series would do to the love affair between Westbrook and the Thunder fans, for one evening, we should see fans cheering both.

Harden shot just 9-for-34, slowing down considerably after a 22-point first quarter in which the Rockets scored 45 on the Hawks and kept Atlanta playing from behind. He was the reason the Hawks nearly came back, missing 16 of his 18 second-half shots. Mike D’Antoni said a few guys ran out of gas, which makes sense since Eric Gordon made his largest contributions since returning from arthroscopic knee surgery, scoring 17 points.

P.J. Tucker came up with 17 rebounds and Clint Capela finished with 22 points and 22 rebounds but they joined Harden, Danuel House, Ben McLemore and Gordon in playing 30 or more minutes against the Hawks. The Rockets are 2-2 SU/ATS on the second night of a back-to-back, dropping the last two against Detroit at home on Dec. 14 and most recently at New Orleans on Dec. 29. Harden has only played in three of the games but is averaging 44 points on 41 percent shooting, so he’ll likely rely on the 3-ball more with Steven Adams clogging up the paint.

Westbrook faced his former teammates in the season’s third game and finished with 21 points, 12 boards and nine assists in a 116-112 win, but returning to Chesapeake Energy makes this a completely different game for him. He’s shot poorly in Houston, connecting on 21 percent from 3-point range in November, 22.8 percent in December and entering this game on a 1-for-14 run from beyond the arc.

There’s no way Westbrook won’t be more aggressive here and Harden is likely to defer more, so a lower-scoring game may be in the cards. Harden scored 40 points and dished out seven assists in the first meeting with the Thunder and has averaged 40 points per game on the road.

Houston has won eight of its last 10 games but only covered in six of them after falling just short against the Hawks on Wednesday. Most of their totals have covered in the 225-235 range, but last night’s game closed at 237 and ended up pushing. Oklahoma City’s largest total of the season closed 229 against the Pelicans on Nov. 29 and went ‘under.’ The low side has prevailed in six of eight involving the Thunder.

Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and sixth man Dennis Schröder are averaging nearly combined 60 points over the Thunder’s last 18 games. They combined for 59 in the first meeting with the Rockets, shooting a combined 22-for-48.

OKC small forward Danilo Gallinari is dealing with a calf contusion and backup center Nerlens Noel is bothered by a nasty ankle sprain. Both are listed as questionable.

Best of the Rest

Celtics at 76ers (-2.5/216.5), 7:10 p.m. ET: Only one of the top two teams in the Atlantic Division will be at full strength for this game.Joel Embiid's gruiesome finger injury suffered the other night will keep him out, thrusting Al Horford into a larger role against his former team. For Boston, Kemba Walker is over his illness, Marcus Smart has returned from his eye infection and Jaylen Brown is playing through a shoulder issue, so the Celtics have everyone on board, a rarity they've only been able to enjoy barely a quarter of the season. Gordon Hayward has even looked more like his usual self since coming back. Sixers rookie elite wing defender Matisse Thybulle (knee) is hoping to be back after missing multiple games. Smart and Horford were missing for Philadelphia’s 115-109 win on Dec. 12 that ended Boston’s unbeaten run at TD Garden this season. The 76ers blew out the Celtics 107-93 on Oct. 23 and have no won three straight against a team it had lost 21 of 24 against since the beginning of the ’14-’15 season. Boston hasn’t lost four straight in this series vs. Philly since ’01-’02

Cavaliers at Pistons (-7/220), 7:10 p.m. ET: Detroit will look for another win over the Cavs after posting a 115-113 comeback win on Tuesday. Derrick Rose scored the winning basket and finished with 24 points and seven assists. Andre Drummond finished with 23 points and 20 rebounds as Detroit closed out a six-game road trip. The Pistons are home for the first time since Dec. 26. The Cavs are opening a six-game road trip and won't have rookie guard Kevin Porter, Jr. available.

Blazers (-3) at Timberwolves, 8:10 p.m. ET: Karl-Anthony Towns is expected to miss his 12th straight contest, but the Wolves have been better at navigating his absence of late, winning four of seven since Dec. 26. Portland comes off an upset in Toronto, getting a season-high 28 points from Carmelo Anthony. The Blazers are hoping to finish up a road trip by at 3-2 with a victory here, which would be their seventh in eight tries over the Wolves. Andrew Wiggins scored 15 points in Minnesota's 119-112 loss to the Grizzlies on Tuesday. C.J. McCollum has been dealing with an upper respiratory infection but is expected to play.

**Udog** · 01-09-2020, 10:54 AM

Hoop Trends - Thursday
Vince Akins

ATS Play ON Trend of the Day:

-- The Thunder are 9-0 ATS (7.89 ppg) as a dog with less than two days rest.

ATS Play AGAINST Trend of the Day:

-- The Timberwolves are 0-12 ATS (-9.79 ppg) as a home dog with less than two days rest after a loss in which they led after each of the first three quarters.

OU Play OVER Trend of the Day:

-- The Pistons are 11-0-1 OU (14.88 ppg) at home off a road game in which they had fewer than 10 turnovers.

OU Play UNDER Trend of the Day:

-- The Cavaliers are 0-12 OU (-16.54 ppg) as a road dog off a loss as a dog in which they scored 15 or more points in the first than the second half.

**Udog** · 01-09-2020, 02:44 PM

NBA
Dunkel

Thursday, January 9

Cleveland @ Detroit

Game 501-502
January 9, 2020 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland
108.963
Detroit
112.961
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Detroit
by 4
221
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Detroit
by 7
220
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(+7); Over

Boston @ Philadelphia

Game 503-504
January 9, 2020 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
121.432
Philadelphia
119.857
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 1 1/2
221
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Philadelphia
by 2 1/2
212 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(+2 1/2); Over

Portland @ Minnesota

Game 505-506
January 9, 2020 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Portland
118.139
Minnesota
112.640
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Portland
by 5 1/2
215
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Portland
by 2
224
Dunkel Pick:
Portland
(-2); Under

Houston @ Oklahoma City

Game 507-508
January 9, 2020 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
124.843
Oklahoma City
117.416
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 7 1/2
217
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
by 3
227
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(-3); Under

Announcement

Thursday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 1/9

Thursday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 1/9

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