Announcement

**Udog** · 03-05-2020, 08:13 AM

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Odds to win the XFL championship:

+$160— Houston Roughnecks

+$225— St Louis BattleHawks

+$500— Dallas Renegades

+$800— DC Defenders, New York Guardians

+$1200— Los Angeles Wildcats

+$2200— Tampa Bay Vipers

+$4000— Seattle Vipers

**********

Armadillo: Thursday's Den: Doing some thinking out loud…….

13) Doug Shows is a college basketball referee; he worked the Arkansas-LSU game last nite, the 74th game he’s worked this season. Thats 74 games, in 121 days.

Here is Mr Shows’ last few days:
— Saturday: North Carolina @ Syracuse
— Sunday: Xavier @ Georgetown
— Monday: NC State @ Duke
— Tuesday: Mississippi State @ South Carolina
— Wednesday: LSU @ Arkansas

Lot of travel. Lot of money he’s making, too.

12) Observation; No load management for college hoop refs; they run the whole game, and guys in their 40’s/50’s go five nights in a row. No private jets, am assuming they handle their own luggage. They don’t work, they don’t get paid.

11) Armadillo World HQ got a new furnace installed Wednesday; three guys worked for 4.5 hours, replacing my 22-year old furnace with a new one. Guys worked their butts off, while I sat on the couch and did basketball research while watching the Brewers-Padres game.

You live in upstate New York, furnaces are important. Pretty expensive, too ��

10) Mountain West tournament kicked off in Las Vegas, with two upsets in three games; Air Force (+5.5) ended Fresno State’s season 77-70, then Wyoming (+10.5) upset Colorado State 80-74, sending the Rams to the NIT, CBI or CIT.

9) Villanova 79, Seton Hall 77— High-level game, with Villanova surviving 9-16 shooting on foul line to ruin Senior Night for the Pirates, who still lead the Big East by a game.

8) Texas A&M 78, Auburn 75— Tigers lost four of last six games, after starting season 22-2; they’re in a 3-way tie for 2nd in SEC, with Florida and slumping LSU, which lost six of its last nine games, after a 17-4 start.

7) Upsets:
— Texas A&M (+12.5) 78, Auburn 75
— Wyoming (+10.5) 80, Colorado State 74
— Fordham (+6.5) 63, George Washington 52
— Quinnipiac (+5.5) 69, Iona 68
— Charlotte (+4) 56, North Texas 43

6) Virginia 46, Miami 44— Hurricanes won their 7th game in row, with six of those wins by 3 or fewer points. Tony Bennett is a great freakin’ coach; Cavaliers are tied for 3rd with Duke in the ACC. On January 20, they were 4-4 in ACC play; they’re 10-1 since then.

5) Steph Curry is going to play tonight for first time since he broke his left hand October 30, so thats good news for the Warriors, or at least for the fans who play lot of $$$ to watch games.

4) Keith Dambrot is 56-37 in three years coaching Duquesne, which was 60-97 the five years before he got there; Dambrot made the NCAA’s three times in 13 years coaching Akron, so he is well established as a good mid-major college coach.

Here’s the thing: Dambrot is way more famous for the job he had before he became a college coach; he was Lebron James’ high school coach, at St. Vincent-St. Mary HS in Akron.

3) Siena 77, Niagara 55— Saints finish 14-0 at home, but the MAAC tournament is in Atlantic City this year, just 11th time since 1990 the MAAC tourney isn’t in Albany.

Siena last won the MAAC tournament ten years ago.

2) NEC tournament started Wednesday, with home team winning all four games, which were played on campus sites. Three of the four games were decided by 1 or 2 points; only favorite to cover was St Francis PA, which whacked Bryant 87-61.

1) You would think that owning the New York Knicks would be a pretty good gig; you sit back, watch a lot of basketball, host a lot of celebrities, and count all your money. A smart person would hire the best basketball minds they could find, and root like hell for them to win.

But the Knicks are owned by James Dolan, a 64-year old guy whose father got really rich when he founded Cablevision. Dolan is a terrible owner; the Knicks haven’t made the playoffs since 2013, haven’t made the finals since 1999, last won a title since ‘73.

Now Dolan has sparked a feud with movie mogul Spike Lee, who has had Knicks season tickets for 30 years; couple years ago it was ex-Knick Charles Oakley, who might be the last person on this planet I would want to be mad at me (he is very, very large).

Frustrating for fans when your team has a terrible owner; I know, I root for the Rams, who once had Georgia Frontiere as their owner. Just because you’re rich doesn’t mean you’re smart.

**Udog** · 03-05-2020, 08:15 AM

NBA Betting Essentials, Odds and Angles for Thursday, March 5
Tony Mejia

Top Game: L.A. Clippers at Houston Rockets (-1, 237)
Toyota Center – 8:05 p.m. ET, TNT
LAC: 42-19 SU, 32-28-1 ATS, 28-32-1 O/U
HOU: 39-21 SU, 29-30-1 ATS, 27-33 O/U

Last 10 games:
LAC: 6-4 SU, 5-5 ATS, 4-6 O/U
HOU: 7-3 SU, 5-4-1 ATS, 4-6 O/U

Head-to-Head:
This is the fourth and final meeting between these Western Conference powers, who haven’t seen one another since Houston’s 122-117 win at Staples Center back on Dec. 19. Russell Westbrook scored 40 points to help overcome a 34-point night from Paul George, who missed the first meeting between the teams in L.A. The Rockets and Clips each won November games on their home floor, but Houston led L.A. by five points in the final minute in its lone loss, squandering the advantage. The last two contests have each surpassed the posted total.

Essentials to Know:
-- Houston has ranked 10th in the NBA in defensive efficiency over the past 15 games since trading for Robert Covington and adopting a “microball” approach without a traditional center.

-- The Clippers own the NBA’s longest winning streak at five games, winning four by double-digits and scoring at least 124 points in three of the wins. They’ve posted an average margin of victory of 17.4 points and own a 16.4 net rating.

-- L.A. is looking for its third consecutive road win. It has won more than two road game in succession only once all season, putting together a four-game streak from Dec. 8-13. Houston has won seven of its last eight home games, including the last three they’ve hosted.

-- The Clippers are a perfect 8-0 when working with a completely healthy roster and dodged a bullet with reserve center Montrezl Harrell avoiding the injury report despite suffering an ankle sprain in Tuesday’s 109-94 win at Oklahoma City. The Rockets also enter this game with a clean bill of health.

Denver Nuggets at Charlotte Hornets
Spectrum Center – 7:05 p.m. ET
DEN: 41-20 SU, 29-29-3 ATS, 29-31-1 O/U
CHA: 21-40 SU, 30-29-2 ATS, 28-33 O/U

Last 10 games:
DEN: 6-4 SU, 5-5 ATS, 6-4 O/U
CHA: 5-5 SU, 7-3 ATS, 2-8 O/U

Head-to-Head:
The Nuggets handled business at home against the Hornets on Jan. 15, posting a 100-86 win despite being outrebounded. Charlotte, which ranks last in the league in scoring, got 20 points and nine assists from guard Terry Rozier but barely shot 40 percent. Rookie Michael Porter, Jr. led Denver with 19 points but hasn’t been playing as much of late. The Nuggets have won three of the last four meetings between these teams but haven’t won in the Queen City since 2016, losing in their last three visits.

Essentials to Know:
-- Charlotte has been held under 90 points in four of its last nine games, riding with a youth movement that has slowed down the pace and locked in defensively. The ‘under’ is on 8-1 run in games involving the Hornets.

-- This is the first in a stretch of nine roadies over 11 games that Denver must play between now and March 25. The Nuggets are 17-12 away from home but have lost their last two by a combined 41 points at the Thunder and Clippers. Their last five visits to Eastern Conference cities have resulted in a 5-0 run for the ‘over.’

-- Nikola Jokic was held to just 12 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists by Charlotte in the season’s only meeting. Charlotte guard Devonte’ Graham missed Tuesday’s 104-103 loss to the Spurs after twisting his ankle over the weekend. He’s not expected to play if not 100 percent, which would leave second-year guard Joe Chealey, just signed to a second 10-day contract, in line for backup minutes running the show behind Rozier.

Philadelphia 76ers at Sacramento Kings (-4.5, 222)
Golden 1 Center – 10:05 p.m. ET
PHI: 37-25 SU, 28-33-1 ATS, 31-30-1 O/U
SAC: 27-34 SU, 32-28-1 ATS, 31-30 O/U

Last 10 games:
PHI: 6-4 SU, 6-4 ATS, 7-3 O/U
SAC: 7-3 SU, 7-3 ATS, 5-4-1 O/U

Head-to-Head:
Philadelphia held off the Kings 97-91 when these teams played on Nov. 27 and can count Sacramento as one of its victims in compiling the NBA’s top home record (28-2). The Sixers are a putrid 9-23 on the road and have come up empty in their last three visits to California’s capital city, last winning on Dec. 30, 2015. Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox missed the only meeting this season and Buddy Hield shot 9-for-24 in the loss. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons combined for 43 points and 29 rebounds. Neither will suit up tonight.

Essentials to Know:
-- The Kings have matched a season-best three-game winning streak but are 0-3 in attempts to pick up a fourth straight win. Their 6-1 record over the last seven games is by far their most prosperous run of the season and has pulled them within 3.5 games of Memphis for the West’s final playoff spot. Sacramento has won nine of 12 since Feb. 3 and carries a six-game home winning streak into this one, last losing on its home floor against the Lakers on Feb. 1. They’ve covered in five of those six wins.

-- Philly is attempting to avoid dropping a 10th straight road game, last winning in Brooklyn on Jan. 18. The Sixers have only one ATS win during that stretch, playing the Clippers tough to open this four-game swing through California that ends with Friday’s visit to San Francisco. They were in position to cover a 12-point spread against the Lakers on Tuesday before a rough final minute.

-- While Simmons (back) and Embiid (shoulder) remain sidelined, there’s a chance that starting shooting guard Josh Richardson could clear concussion protocol in order to return here. Fox has been playing through a number of ailments and scored 31 points in Tuesday’s win over Washington. Power forwards Marvin Bagley III (foot) and Richaun Holmes (shoulder) remain out, leaving Nemanja Bjelica, Harry Giles and the newly acquired Alex Len as Sacramento’s primary bigs.

Toronto Raptors (-7.5) at Golden State Warriors
Chase Center – 10:35 p.m. ET, TNT
TOR: 43-18 SU, 33-26-2 ATS, 32-28-1 O/U
GSW: 14-48 SU, 29-32-1 ATS, 27-35 O/U

Last 10 games:
TOR: 6-4 SU, 5-5 ATS, 5-5 O/U
GSW: 2-8 SU, 4-6 ATS, 3-7 O/U

Head-to-Head:
These teams haven’t played since June 13, when Toronto made history by winning its first championship, wrapping up the 2019 NBA Finals with a 114-110 win that clinched the series 4-2. Kawhi Leonard was named MVP, the injured Kevin Durant signed with Brooklyn and Klay Thompson began his own rehabilitation after suffering a torn ACL against the Raptors, so this “rematch” won’t be much of a reunion. Golden State will visit Toronto on March 16 to wrap up the season series.

Essentials to Know:
-- Stephen Curry will play in his first game since Oct. 30, returning from a broken hand that is now fully healed. He scrimmaged with Golden State’s G League affiliate earlier in the week. Expect him to be brought along slowly with no sense of urgency considering the Warriors’ record this season.

-- The Warriors come off an enormous upset in Denver as a 16-point underdog, riding a scrappy defensive effort led by Andrew Wiggins in 116-100 win. They’ve dropped nine straight home games but should have additional juice in the building given Curry’s return. Golden State is 1-8 ATS at Chase Center in that span and hasn’t returned to its home locker room to celebrate a win since beating Orlando on Jan. 18. Draymond Green (knee) and Kevon Looney (hip) are hoping to return alongside Curry after missing the past few games, but are listed as questionable. Marquese Chriss and rookie Eric Paschall would see increased minutes if they’re unable to return.

-- This is the third stop on Toronto’s five-game Western swing that continues in Sacramento and Utah over the weekend. The Raptors lost in Denver but rallied from a halftime deficit to win and cover in Phoenix on Tuesday. Centers Serge Ibaka (knee) and Marc Gasol (hamstring) are likely to miss another game, while starting guard Fred Van Vleet (shoulder) will probably also sit out. The ‘under’ is on a 5-1 run in games involving Golden State and is 5-2 over the last seven featuring the Raptors.

**Udog** · 03-05-2020, 08:23 AM

535DENVER -536 CHARLOTTE
DENVER is 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) versus teams who average 7 or less steals/game on the season in the current season.

537LA CLIPPERS -538 HOUSTON
LA CLIPPERS are 33-18 ATS (13.2 Units) in road games versus explosive offensive teams - scoring 110+ points/game in the last 3 seasons.

539PHILADELPHIA -540 SACRAMENTO
PHILADELPHIA is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in road games versus teams who attempt 18 or more 3 point shots/game - 2nd half of the season in the current season.

541TORONTO -542 GOLDEN STATE
TORONTO is 52-32 ATS (16.8 Units) versus good passing teams, averaging >=23 assists/game - 2nd half of the season in the last 3 seasons.

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, March 5

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DENVER (41 - 20) at CHARLOTTE (21 - 40) - 3/5/2020, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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LA CLIPPERS (42 - 19) at HOUSTON (39 - 21) - 3/5/2020, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 237-296 ATS (-88.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
HOUSTON is 46-28 ATS (+15.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 48-31 ATS (+13.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 37-24 ATS (+10.6 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 46-29 ATS (+14.1 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 19-31 ATS (-15.1 Units) after allowing 115 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 5-5 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 5-5 straight up against LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PHILADELPHIA (37 - 25) at SACRAMENTO (27 - 34) - 3/5/2020, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 10-21 ATS (-13.1 Units) in road games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 6-16 ATS (-11.6 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 6-16 ATS (-11.6 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
SACRAMENTO is 78-64 ATS (+7.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SACRAMENTO is 33-17 ATS (+14.3 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SACRAMENTO is 5-0 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
SACRAMENTO is 3-2 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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TORONTO (43 - 18) at GOLDEN STATE (14 - 48) - 3/5/2020, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 65-44 ATS (+16.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 72-91 ATS (-28.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 30-51 ATS (-26.1 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 23-37 ATS (-17.7 Units) in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 220 over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) in home games in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 16-29 ATS (-15.9 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 36-53 ATS (-22.3 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 16-32 ATS (-19.2 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 9-20 ATS (-13.0 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 59-79 ATS (-27.9 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 25-43 ATS (-22.3 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 7-3 against the spread versus GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 6-4 straight up against GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA

Thursday, March 5

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Trend Report
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541 TORONTO @ 542 GOLDEN STATE
Play On TORONTO using the Money Line in Road games in non-conference games
The record is 21 Wins and 7 Losses Last 2 Years(20.8 units)
4.5 out of 5

539 PHILADELPHIA @ 540 SACRAMENTO
Play Against PHILADELPHIA using the Money Line in All games in road games
The record is 9 Wins and 23 Losses This Season(-22.55 units)
4.3 out of 5

541 TORONTO @ 542 GOLDEN STATE
Play On TORONTO using the Money Line in All games in all games
The record is 43 Wins and 17 Losses This Season(25.9 units)
4.3 out of 5

537 LA CLIPPERS @ 538 HOUSTON
Play On LA CLIPPERS using the Money Line in All games in March games
The record is 15 Wins and 2 Losses Last 2 Years(14 units)
4.1 out of 5

537 LA CLIPPERS @ 538 HOUSTON
Play On HOUSTON using the Money Line in All games in the second half of the season
The record is 63 Wins and 19 Losses Last 3 Years(38.75 units)
3.8 out of 5

537 LA CLIPPERS @ 538 HOUSTON
Play On LA CLIPPERS using the Money Line in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 7 Wins and 26 Losses Last 2 Years(18.3 units)
3.4 out of 5

539 PHILADELPHIA @ 540 SACRAMENTO
Play On SACRAMENTO using the Money Line in All games versus the first half line in all games
The record is 18 Wins and 42 Losses This Season(22.2 units)
3.4 out of 5

539 PHILADELPHIA @ 540 SACRAMENTO
Play On SACRAMENTO using the Money Line in All games revenging a loss vs opponent
The record is 8 Wins and 25 Losses This Season(16.2 units)
3.4 out of 5

537 LA CLIPPERS @ 538 HOUSTON
Play On LA CLIPPERS using the Money Line in All games revenging a home loss vs opponent
The record is 5 Wins and 20 Losses Last 2 Years(14.5 units)
2.8 out of 5

537 LA CLIPPERS @ 538 HOUSTON
Play On HOUSTON using the Money Line in Home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game
The record is 18 Wins and 5 Losses This Season(12.5 units)
2.7 out of 5

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**Udog** · 03-05-2020, 09:02 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Thursday, March 5

Denver @ Charlotte

Game 535-536
March 5, 2020 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Denver
121.136
Charlotte
107.716
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Denver
by 13 1/2
229
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Denver
by 9
207 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Denver
(-9); Over

LA Clippers @ Houston

Game 537-538
March 5, 2020 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Clippers
121.902
Houston
126.572
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 4 1/2
227
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
by 1
237
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(-1); Under

Philadelphia @ Sacramento

Game 539-540
March 5, 2020 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
118.164
Sacramento
117.073
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Philadelphia
by 1
226
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Sacramento
by 5
221
Dunkel Pick:
Philadelphia
(+5); Over

Toronto @ Golden State

Game 541-542
March 5, 2020 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
118.631
Golden State
114.493
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 4
220
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 8 1/2
226 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(+8 1/2); Under

**BettorsChat** · 03-05-2020, 01:36 PM

NBA Injuries

DENVER
[PF] 03/03/2020 - Noah Vonleh is "?" Thursday vs Charlotte ( Ankle )

CHARLOTTE
[PG] 03/03/2020 - Devonte' Graham is "?" Thursday vs Denver ( Ankle )

HOUSTON
[SF] 03/05/2020 - DeMarre Carroll is "?" Thursday vs LA Clippers ( Illness )

PHILADELPHIA
[SG] 03/05/2020 - Josh Richardson is downgraded to OUT Thursday vs Sacramento ( Concussion )
[PF] 02/27/2020 - Joel Embiid is out indefinitely ( Shoulder )
[SG] 02/24/2020 - Ben Simmons is out indefinitely ( Back )

SACRAMENTO
[PG] 03/05/2020 - De'Aaron Fox is probable Thursday vs Philadelphia ( Abdominal )
[PG] 03/05/2020 - Cory Joseph is probable Thursday vs Philadelphia ( Heel )

TORONTO
[C] 03/05/2020 - Marc Gasol is upgraded to "?" Thursday vs Golden State ( Hamstring )
[SF] 03/05/2020 - Dewan Hernandez is downgraded to OUT Thursday vs Golden State ( Ankle )
[PG] 03/03/2020 - Fred VanVleet is "?" Thursday vs Golden State ( Shoulder )
[C] 03/03/2020 - Serge Ibaka is "?" Thursday vs Golden State ( Knee )

GOLDEN STATE
[C] 03/05/2020 - Kevon Looney is downgraded to OUT Thursday vs Toronto ( Hip )
[PG] 03/04/2020 - Stephen Curry is upgraded to probable Thursday vs Toronto ( Hand )
[PF] 03/03/2020 - Draymond Green is "?" Thursday vs Toronto ( Knee )

Announcement

Thursday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 3/5

Thursday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 3/5

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