Announcement

**Udog** · 08-14-2020, 08:58 AM

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

Week 1 NFL spreads:
— Philadelphia (-6, 45) @ Washington
— Chicago @ Detroit (-1.5, 44)
— Indianapolis (-7, 44.5) @ Jacksonville
— Green Bay @ Minnesota (-3.5, 46.5)
— Chargers (-3, 44) @ Cincinnati
— Arizona @ San Francisco (-7.5, 46)

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 166,661
Please wear a mask when you go out.

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

13) So we had some excitement in the neighborhood Thursday night; around 6:30, I’m outside talking to a neighbor, and we hear this loud noise coming from a bullhorn. I live on a quiet suburban street just outside of Albany; not much ever happens here, but this was loud, and it went on for a few minutes.

We decide to explore, and take a walk down the street, where we find 20-30 people gathered on the sidewalk, around this jackass who is shouting “white supremacy!!!” over and over into his bullhorn. Couldn’t tell if the people around him were for him, against him or just weirded out by the whole thing, but there were four State Trooper cars there- the troopers were making sure no BS broke out. As far as I could tell, nothing really happened.

The next three months might be very long in this country.

12) The event occurred outside a store that makes cakes; upon further review, it turns out they had made a cake in the shape of a MAGA hat and posted a pic of it on social media, and because of that, some Black Lives Matter people came to the shop to protest. Albany Times-Union said there were 125 people there, and people were yelling at each other, but nothing worse happened.

The idea that there were troopers there means that people knew about it beforehand.

11) Dodgers 11, Padres 2— Mookie Betts hit three homers in the first five innings for LA; it was the 6th 3-homer game of his career.

10) A pitcher named Joe Cowley went 33-25 in a 5-year major league career in the 80’s; he threw a no-hitter for the White Sox in September of 1986. Turns out it was the last win of his big league career- he went 0-4 for Philly in ’87 and that was the end of his career. Pretty unusual for your last career win to be a no-hitter.

9) Stephen Strasburg got tossed out of the Washington-New York game while he was sitting in the stands watching the game. He was carping about ball/strike calls. Strasburg is pitching today; for his sake, hope there is a different umpiring crew working this game.

By the way, the two teams will resume Sunday’s suspended game before tonight’s regularly scheduled game. Orioles led that game 5-2 in the sixth inning.

8) Reds’ 3B Eugenio Suarez hit 49 homers last year; he hit 130 homers from 2016-19, but so far this year, he is hitting .115 in his first 74 at-bats. No bueno.

7) Much has been made about how the major league average this season is the lowest ever, lower even than 1968, but in ’68, the slugging %age in the majors was .340. This year, the slugging %age in the majors is .403, a pretty big difference. Fewer hits maybe, but more extra base hits.

6) Colorado 2B Ryan McMahon hit a homer on a 3-0 pitch the other night, the first time a Colorado player homered on a 3-0 pitch since Michael Cuddyer back in 2014.

5) FOX and ESPN insist on showing Boston-New York games this weekend, despite the fact that the Red Sox aren’t fielding a major league pitching staff this season. They’re 6-13 and sinking fast; would be nice if the TV networks would focus on some of the better teams.

4) Cory Sullivan does TV studio work for the Colorado Rockies; he used to play OF for the Rockies. In 2006, Sullivan tied a major league record by hitting two triples during a 7-run fifth inning, just the 11th player to hit two triples in the same inning, and the first one since 1951.

3) Steph Curry is going to represent Golden State at the NBA Draft Lottery, which will be odd; Warriors have been so good for the last decade, now all of a sudden they have a shot at the first pick in the draft.

2) One of the advantages of this summer is that one of the NHL’s bubbles is in Edmonton, which means we occasionally get late night hockey, never a bad thing.

1) 15% of our nation’s postal workers are military veterans, something to think about when people want to get rid of the Postal Service.

**Udog** · 08-14-2020, 09:01 AM

NBA line movement for August 14
Patrick Everson

Chris Paul and the Thunder can maintain the West's No. 4 seed with a win over the 76ers in Friday's regular-season finale. With lineups uncertain, books held off on posting odds for this matchup.

NBA betting odds are on the board for the final day of the regular season, with four games on the Friday schedule. While the teams in the playoffs are already set, three of the four games could lead to a flip-flop of the 4 and 5 seeds in each conference – not that it matters inside the NBA Bubble.

Multiple oddsmakers provided insights on NBA opening lines and early line movement, sharp money and public betting for Friday’s matchups.

NBA line movement

The Heat and Pacers are currently fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Eastern Conference, but are tied with identical 44-28 records. So the winner of this 4 p.m. ET matchup is the “home” team in a first-round playoff series. Most sportsbooks didn’t post odds on any of Friday’s games on Thursday night, with lineups uncertain. However, FanDuel Sportsbook opened the Pacers -2, moved to -1, then to -1.5 late Thursday night.

In the Western Conference, Oklahoma City and Houston are tied at 44-27. The Thunder face the Clippers at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the Rockets meet the 76ers in the regular-season capper at 9 p.m. ET. Regardless of the outcomes, OKC and Houston will square off in the first round of the playoffs.

The Thunder-Clippers game wasn’t posted anywhere Thursday night, while FanDuel had the Rockets -4.5 against the Sixers.

**Udog** · 08-14-2020, 09:08 AM

NBA

Friday, August 14

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Trend Report
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Denver @ Toronto
Denver
Denver is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
Denver is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games at home

Miami @ Indiana
Miami
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Miami's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Miami's last 10 games when playing Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Indiana is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Miami

Oklahoma City @ LA Clippers
Oklahoma City
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Oklahoma City's last 11 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
Oklahoma City is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games on the road
LA Clippers
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Clippers's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of LA Clippers's last 11 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City

Philadelphia @ Houston
Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Philadelphia's last 13 games
Houston
Houston is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games at home

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**Udog** · 08-14-2020, 10:20 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Friday, August 14

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PHILADELPHIA (42 - 30) vs. HOUSTON (44 - 27) - 8/14/2020, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 0-8 ATS (-8.8 Units) in road games against Southwest division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) in road games after scoring 115 points or more this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 7-15 ATS (-9.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 22-31 ATS (-12.1 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 9-22 ATS (-15.2 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
HOUSTON is 111-73 ATS (+30.7 Units) in road games off a upset loss as a favorite since 1996.
HOUSTON is 49-30 ATS (+16.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 51-33 ATS (+14.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 20-32 ATS (-15.2 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 3-2 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON 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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DENVER (46 - 26) vs. TORONTO (52 - 19) - 8/14/2020, 1:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 39-30 ATS (+6.0 Units) in all games this season.
TORONTO is 30-21 ATS (+6.9 Units) as a favorite this season.
TORONTO is 22-10 ATS (+11.0 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 226-276 ATS (-77.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 5-0 against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 4-1 straight up against TORONTO 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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OKLAHOMA CITY (44 - 27) vs. LA CLIPPERS (48 - 23) - 8/14/2020, 6:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 6-4 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 6-4 straight up against LA CLIPPERS 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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MIAMI (44 - 28) vs. INDIANA (44 - 28) - 8/14/2020, 4:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 10-20 ATS (-12.0 Units) after scoring 115 points or more this season.
INDIANA is 75-55 ATS (+14.5 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 238-177 ATS (+43.3 Units) on Friday nights since 1996.
MIAMI is 27-14 ATS (+11.6 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
INDIANA is 7-3 against the spread versus MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 5-5 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**Udog** · 08-14-2020, 10:25 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Friday, August 14

Denver @ Toronto

Game 717-718
August 14, 2020 @ 1:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Denver
120.749
Toronto
117.355
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Denver
by 3 1/2
239
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 2 1/2
223 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Denver
(+2 1/2); Over

Miami @ Indiana

Game 721-722
August 14, 2020 @ 4:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Miami
120.979
Indiana
115.710
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami
by 5
215
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 1
219 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Miami
(+1); Under

Oklahoma City @ LA Clippers

Game 719-720
August 14, 2020 @ 6:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oklahoma City
116.136
LA Clippers
125.774
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Clippers
by 9 1/2
234
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Clippers
by 6
225 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
LA Clippers
(-6); Over

Philadelphia @ Houston

Game 715-716
August 14, 2020 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
113.140
Houston
122.119
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 9
226
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
by 4 1/2
230 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(-4 1/2); Under

**Udog** · 08-14-2020, 10:26 AM

715PHILADELPHIA -716 HOUSTON
PHILADELPHIA is 5-17 ATS (-13.7 Units) in road games after scoring 110 points or more 3 straight games in the last 3 seasons.

717DENVER -718 TORONTO
TORONTO is 7-0 ATS (7 Units) in road games after a win by 6 points or less in the current season.

719OKLAHOMA CITY -720 LA CLIPPERS
OKLAHOMA CITY is 7-0 ATS (7 Units) in road games when playing 8 or more games in 14 days in the current season.

721MIAMI -722 INDIANA
INDIANA is 12-3 ATS (8.7 Units) in road games versus good ball handling teams - committing <=14 turnovers/game in the current season.

**Udog** · 08-14-2020, 10:30 AM

NBA Bubble Bets - Friday
Tony Mejia

Denver Nuggets vs. Toronto Raptors

Time/TV/Venue: 1:40 p.m, Altitude, HP Field House
Records/Bubble Records (SU/ATS): Nuggets 46-26/3-4 (33-35-4, 4-3); Raptors 52-19/6-1 (40-30-1, 5-2)
Line: NL

Line Analysis: The Raptors rode their bench mob to a rally over the 76ers and have a chance at the East’s top record in seeding games if they come up with another win. A three-game losing streak wouldn’t be too concerning since the Nuggets have been working without multiple starters, but it would match their longest stretch without a win all season entering a complicated series against Utah. Denver’s backups have seen enough playing time in the bubble that they should be sharp.

Injuries/Rotational Adjustments to Watch: Gary Harris and Will Barton aren’t going to suit up for a dress rehearsal, so Denver doesn’t have much to play for beyond getting through 48 minutes without incident. We’ll see a lot of Bol Bol and Noah Vonleh will remind everyone he’s on this team. Keep an ear out for whether Jamal Murray is playing since the Toronto native could swing the game with a strong half if he wants to warm up his hamstring more. It would be unnecessarily risky.

The Raptors will turn to Chris Boucher and Dewan Hernandez as their big men with Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka expected to get the day off. Terence Davis should have a big day alongside shooter Matt Thomas with the typical starting backcourt likely to rest.

Handicapping Notes: It’s hard to use this stat given that we’re likely to see so many regulars sit out, but the Nuggets have been victimized by the most suspect defense since the restart, while Toronto has been the NBA’s stingiest squad. Denver is giving up over 122 points per 100 possessions.

Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers

Time/TV/Venue: 4:10 p.m. ET, ESPN, AdventHealth Arena
Records/Bubble Records (SU/ATS): Heat 44-28/3-4 (36-34-2, 3-4); Pacers 44-28/5-2 (39-30-3, 5-2)
Line: NL

Line Analysis: The next installment of T.J. Warren vs. Jimmy Butler will have to wait until the playoffs begin next week. Both will sit and the team’s reserves will get to know one another well before most of them sit and cheer as spectators when the real action gets underway. The deep bench will be involved in deciding this one since most everyone is getting the day off from coaches Erik Spoelstra and Nate McMillan.

Injuries/Rotational Adjustments to Watch: Butler, Adebayo, Goran Dragic and seldomly used Gabe Vincent and KZ Okpala are out for Miami. Vets Jae Crowder, Andre Iguodala and Derrick Jones Jr. are listed as questionable, so any run they get should be limited. Tyler Herro figures to get whatever he wants as the primary playmaker for as long as he’s out there, while fellow rookie Kendrick Nunn will look to play his way out of a slump as he tries to carve out a spot in Spoelstra’s rotation going forward after leaving the bubble. Chris Silva and Meyers Leonard are due to play huge minutes up front with veteran Udonis Haslem and two-way player Kyle Alexander available for minutes. Solomon Hill also figures to close on the wing.

The Pacers may throw Malcolm Brogdon out there since he’s trying to continue ramping up his post-coronavirus conditioning and has missed multiple games due to a neck issue. It will be interesting to see what Victor Oladipo opts to do given how much time he’s missed. Count on Edmund Sumner, Goga Bitadze and JaKarr Sampson to factor heavily in this one.

Handicapping Notes: The Heat don’t need to tank this one to ensure that the Pacers don’t slip behind Philadelphia, so there should be no strategic folding from Miami. Indiana has lost three matchups against the Heat this season and may want to get on the board for the mental boost it could provide even with the opposition nowhere near full strength. The winner here gets a meaningless No. 4 seed and opens as the “home” team when the playoffs open.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Clippers

Time/TV/Venue: 6:40 p.m. ET, ESPN, HP Field House
Records/Bubble Records (SU/ATS): Thunder 44-27/4-3 (44-27, 4-3); Clippers 48-23/4-3 (40-31, 5-2)
Line: NL

Line Analysis: OKC played so well in the bubble that it made this game inconsequential. Had the Thunder struggled in Orlando, the Clippers might have had a decision to make as to whether to start their regulars in order to guarantee a first-round matchup presuming they preferred facing OKC to squaring off in Dallas. That decision has been made for them, so the Clips get to use this as a friendly tune-up between teams that now can’t possibly meet again until the conference finals.

Injuries/Rotational Adjustments to Watch: Montrezl Harrell won’t return for a seeding game’s worth of seasoning despite being out of quarantine, so he’ll just have to get loose during the next few days of practice. Same goes for point guard Patrick Beverley and shooter Landry Shamet, who have been nursing injuries. Their absences means this fourth quarter will feature a lot of Terance Mann and Rodney McGruder as catalysts. Center Joakim Noah should get extended time as well.

Chris Paul played both legs of a back-to-back but has ramped up to where he wanted to be and will now rest in this regular-season finale. Sixth man Dennis Schroder is still isolating after returning from paternity leave while starting guard Luguentz Dort will be out with a knee sprain. Hamidou Diallo should see big minutes at the point once Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is through. Centers Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel have each missed a few games but returned against Miami on Wednesday. Neither should play much, so Darius Bazley and Mike Muscala should continue receiving loads of touches.

Handicapping Notes: The Thunder rode Muscala’s timely 3-point shooting down the stretch to stun Miami in a game they had no business winning. The 3-ball will play a huge role in this one too since we’ll likely to see a lot of small ball once Ivica Zubac, Adams and Noel sit. JaMychal Green and Patrick Patterson have been terrific spotting up beyond the arc or playing pick-and-pop with Lou Williams and Reggie Jackson, so expect the team that’s most successful from beyond the arc to gain separation in this meaningless affair.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Houston Rockets

Time/TV/Venue: 9:05 p.m. ET, ESPN, AdventHealth Arena
Records/Bubble Records (SU/ATS): 76ers 42-30/4-3 (29-39-4, 2-5); Rockets 44-27/4-3 (33-38, 4-3)
Line: NL

Line Analysis: The 76ers know they’ll be missing Ben Simmons this postseason, so they’re looking to figure things out. They’ll probably pass on doing so against the Rockets despite the national television audience.

Injuries/Rotational Adjustments to Watch: Now that Russell Westbrook has been ruled out for the start of the postseason, the Rockets will need Eric Gordon to play a large role in order for them not to fall behind the Thunder. He looked spry in his return and should see a heavy workload. James Harden may play a half, while Danuel House looks like he’ll see minutes after missing time with a toe injury. Ben McLemore and Austin Rivers have picked it up and will be vital to staying afloat, so Mike D’Antoni has to balance keeping them in rhythm with limiting minutes so as to not expose his shorthanded team to injuries.

The Sixers want to get that Shake Milton/Josh Richardson backcourt more reps and will rely heavily on Alec Burks, so we could see Brett Brown push tempo and run with the Rockets. Raul Neto has been playing at a high level and we might get smallball out of necessity if Joel Embiid and Al Horford are given the night off. Mike Scott has been effective since being pressed into duty.

Handicapping Notes: The ‘under’ is 5-2 in Rockets games in the bubble as they’ve only scored 120 or more points in three of the seven matchups so far despite ranking second in the league behind the Bucks in points per game (118.1). Meanwhile, the high side is 5-2 in 76ers games, connecting in each of the last three contests. Philadelphia has averaged 119.7 points over its last three but has surrendered 126 in that same span. Houston won at home 118-108 on Jan. 3 in a game that stayed ‘under’ 227.5 by just 1.5 points.

**Udog** · 08-14-2020, 11:23 AM

Hoop Trends for Friday August 14
Vince Akins

ATS Play ON Trend of the Day:
Matchup: Denver at Toronto (1:30 p.m. ET)

-- The Nuggets are 10-0 ATS (12.10 ppg) off a 10+ point loss in which they had assists on at least 70 percent of their field goals.

ATS Play AGAINST Trend of the Day:
Matchup: Miami at Indiana (4:05 p.m. ET)

-- The Heat are 0-11 ATS (-8.41 ppg) off a road game where they rebounded less than 20% of their own misses.

OU Play OVER Trend of the Play:
Matchup: Philadelphia at Houston (9:05 p.m. ET)

-- The 76ers are 11-0 OU (11.95 ppg) with less than two days rest off a loss in which they had at least 30% of their points from threes.

OU Play UNDER Trend of the Day
Matchup: Philadelphia at Houston (9:05 p.m. ET)

-- The Rockets are 0-10 OU (-12.60 ppg) off a loss as a favorite in which James Harden had a positive plus/minus.

Announcement

Friday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 8/14

Friday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 8/14

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