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**Udog** · 09-06-2020, 10:06 AM

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

Top 6 rushers in the NFL in 2017; their team then and team now:
1) Kareem Hunt, KC then, Cleveland now
2) Todd Gurley, Rams/Atlanta
3) Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh/Jets
4) LeSean McCoy, Buffalo/Tampa Bay
5) Mark Ingram, New Orleans/Baltimore
6) Jordan Howard, Chicago/Philadelphia

Of top 20 rushers in 2017, Ezekiel Elliott is only one still on the same team.

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 188,096
Please wear a mask when you go out.

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Armadillo: Sunday's Den: Wrapping up a sports Saturday

13) Deshaun Watson broke the bank Saturday, signing a 4-year, $160M extension with the Houston Texans. Quarterbacks are important in football.

Chargers signed WR Keenan Allen to a 4-year, $80M deal.

12) There were 20 major league baseball games Friday; it was the first time there were 20 big league games on the same day since August 4, 1974.

11) When Jason deGrom starts against the Phillies Sunday, it’ll be the first time since August 3rd in Atlanta that he pitched against a team other than Miami. He made four starts in a row against the Marlins, first time that had happened since 1929.

10) Cubs’ OF Ian Happ fouled a ball off at the plate Thursday; it bounced up and hit him in the right eye, knocking him out of the game. Happ missed Friday’s game, then homered twice in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

9) Brooklyn Nets hired Steve Nash as their new coach, which was surprising; Nash had been a Golden State Warriors player development consultant the last five years, but he has never been a head coach. Great players aren’t always great coaches; they’re two different skills.

Will be interesting to see the coaching staff he hires.

8) It is cutdown weekend in the NFL; 1,000+ guys will get cut, then 180 or so will get signed to practice squads. Emotional time for a lot of people.

Miami Dolphins cut QB Josh Rosen, who has had an unusual career; he played 30 games at UCLA, was a high draft pick, but his star has dimmed very quickly.

2017: UCLA goes 6-7, the coach gets fired.
2018: Rosen is the 10th pick of the ’18 draft, by Arizona
2018: Cardinals go 3-13, Rosen starts 13 games; the coach gets fired.
2019: Miami trades 2nd/5th-round picks to Arizona for Rosen.
2019: Rosen starts three games (0-3); Miami goes 5-11.
2020: Rosen gets released.

I’m guessing another NFL team will pick him up; rookie QB’s seldom prosper, so tough to hold 2018 against him, especially with a rookie head coach, too, but you have to wonder what’s up when two teams give up on the guy so quickly.

7) Army 42, Middle Tennessee 0— Rough day for the Blue Raiders, whose QB is terrible, plus they lost track of game management at the end of the first half, in an awful display of coaching.

Down 21-0 in the last minute of the first half, the QB fumbles and is sacked with about 0:40 left; the clock is still running- they have two timeouts left, but instead the clock runs down, and runs down- they get only one play off, a pass inside the 10-yard line, before the half ends.

Army was going to win anyway because they dominated with their running attack and MTSU cannot throw the ball, but Middle Tennessee looked like a very poorly coached team.

6) Mike Trout hit his 300th home run Saturday; he is one of only 16 players ever to hit 300 homers before his 30th birthday.

5) Atlanta pitcher Max Fried has faced 197 batters this season, and hasn’t allowed a home run; he has a 1.98 ERA in nine starts this season.

4) Sunday night will be the St Louis Cardinals’ 32nd game; 15 of them have been at home in St Louis; 13 of the other 17 have been in Chicago, against Cubs/White Sox.

3) Cam Newton will start at QB for New England next week.
Mitch Trubisky will start at QB for the Bears next week.

2) Jacksonville Jaguars’ top two QB’s to start the season, will be Gardner Minshew, who was going to study to become a football coach before Mike Leach hooked him up at Washington State two years ago, and Jake Luton, a 6th-round draft pick from Oregon State.

Seriously, Minshew was going to transfer from East Carolina to Alabama, be the #3 QB there with an eye on becoming a grad assistant the following year, but Washington State had an opening for a QB, he went there instead and thrived under Leach in 2018. Now he is a starter in the NFL.

1) If the baseball playoffs started today (they do not):
AL East- Tampa Bay, Tor/NYY
AL Central- Chicago, Clev/Minn
AL West- Oakland, Houston
AL Wild Cards- Minn/Clev, NYY/Tor

NL East- Atlanta, Philadelphia
NL Central- Chicago, St Louis
NL West- Los Angeles, San Diego
NL Wild Cards- Miami, Milwaukee

**Udog** · 09-06-2020, 10:08 AM

NBA public betting, line movement September 6
Patrick Everson

LeBron James and the Lakers were dealt a stunning 112-97 loss in Game 1 against the Rockets. The SuperBook opened the Lakers -5.5 for Sunday night's Game 2 against Houston.

NBA betting odds are up as the playoffs continue with a pair of conference semifinal games on the Sunday schedule. The prime-time tilt pits the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers against the Houston Rockets in Game 2, preceded by Game 4 of the stunningly one-sided Milwaukee Bucks-Houston Rockets series.

The SuperBook at Westgate provided insights on NBA opening lines and early line movement, sharp money and public betting for Sunday’s matchups.

NBA line movement

Houston got stretched to seven games by Oklahoma City in the first round, narrowly wrapping it up with a 104-102 victory Wednesday night. Then on far shorter rest than the Lakers, the Rockets put a 112-97 hurting on 6.5-point favorite Los Angeles in Friday’s Game 1.

For Game 2, The SuperBook opened at Lakers -5.5 late Friday night, and the number was pinned there through Saturday night for Sunday’s 8:30 p.m. ET start.

Meanwhile, the No. 1 overall seed in the NBA playoffs is in a world of hurt right now. Milwaukee is in a 3-0 hole in the best-of-7 series against Miami, which can put away this series with a win in a 3:30 p.m. ET tipoff. The Bucks could be without Giannis Antetokounmpo for Game 4 due to a sprained ankle suffered in the 115-100 Game 3 loss Friday.

With that in mind, The SuperBook opened the Heat 1.5-point favorites, and the line ticked down to pick Saturday afternoon before going back up to Miami -1. However, The SuperBook took the game off the board Saturday night, after Antetokounmpo was listed as questionable.

NBA public betting

Despite Antetokounmpo’s uncertain status, the Consensus showed the Bucks landing 54 percent of early picks as a short underdog to the Heat. Rockets-Lakers was also seeing two-way play late Saturday night, with 52 percent of early Consensus picks on the Lakers.

**Udog** · 09-06-2020, 10:12 AM

745MILWAUKEE -746 MIAMI
MILWAUKEE is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in road games when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 70%) in the current season.

747HOUSTON -748 LA LAKERS
HOUSTON is 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders in the current season.

NBA
Dunkel

Sunday, September 6

Milwaukee @ Miami

Game 745-746
September 6, 2020 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee
117.878
Miami
124.936
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami
by 7
217
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Miami
by 1
220
Dunkel Pick:
Miami
(-1); Under

Houston @ LA Lakers

Game 747-748
September 6, 2020 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
115.175
LA Lakers
124.095
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Lakers
by 9
230
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Lakers
by 5 1/2
224
Dunkel Pick:
LA Lakers
(-5 1/2); Over

NBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, September 6

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MILWAUKEE (60 - 21) vs. MIAMI (51 - 29) - 9/6/2020, 3:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MILWAUKEE is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
MILWAUKEE is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
MIAMI is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) against Central division opponents this season.
MIAMI is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in all playoff games this season.
MIAMI is 42-27 ATS (+12.3 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 98-76 ATS (+14.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 25-12 ATS (+11.8 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 151-113 ATS (+26.7 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 79-62 ATS (+10.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 77-61 ATS (+9.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 20-36 ATS (-19.6 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
MIAMI is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) in road games after scoring 115 points or more this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 9-4 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI is 9-4 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
9 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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HOUSTON (49 - 31) vs. LA LAKERS (56 - 21) - 9/6/2020, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 26-15 ATS (+9.5 Units) against Pacific division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders this season.
HOUSTON is 53-35 ATS (+14.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 55-38 ATS (+13.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 15-32 ATS (-20.2 Units) when trailing in a playoff series since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 6-6 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 9-3 straight up against LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA

Sunday, September 6

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Trend Report
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Milwaukee @ Miami
Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 5 games when playing on the road against Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Milwaukee's last 11 games when playing Miami
Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
Miami is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games

Houston @ LA Lakers
Houston
Houston is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Lakers's last 6 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Lakers's last 5 games when playing Houston

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**Udog** · 09-06-2020, 10:51 AM

Game 2 Odds: Rockets vs. Lakers
Michael Crosson

Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals between the No. 1 L.A. Lakers and No. 4 Houston Rockets will take place on Sunday night from the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida.

Despite being a heavy underdog in Game 1 and the series, the Rockets took the opener with their small-ball approach as the Lakers couldn't keep up with them offensively.

Betting Resources

Matchup: Western Conference Game 2
Second Round: Rockets lead series 1-0
Venue: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Location: Orlando, Florida
Date: Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC

Despite dominating Game 1, the oddsmakers still have the Rockets listed as healthy underdogs to the Lakers in Game 2. (AP)

Line Movements

Showing a little less confidence in LeBron’s crew heading into Game 2, but Vegas still backing them as the Lakers enter their second Western Conference Semi-Final matchup as five and a half-point favorites, despite being outclassed on both sides of the ball in the first matchup of this series on Friday.

‘Under’ bettors never broke a sweat on Friday night thanks to the Lakers, as Frank Vogel’s team put up just 97 points in Game 1. The ‘over-under’ for the second game of this series has fallen to OU 224 points.

Rockets straight-up bettors walked away from Game 1 with fat pockets as Houston entered the contest as +240 on the money line. That price has gotten more expensive for Game 2, but still sits at a juicy line of +201.

Spread: Los Angeles -5.5
Money-Line: Los Angeles -240 Houston +200
Total: 224
Updated Series Price: Los Angeles -250 Houston +210

Game 1 Recap

James Harden carried the energy he brought down the stretch of Game 7 against the Thunder into the Rockets’ opening contest with the Lakers, and he rode it all the way to the finish line in Game 1, tallying 36 points on 60% FGA and 9 of 12 from downtown in Houston’s 112-97 rout of LAL.

The Rockets did not necessarily have a great game from deep, as they knocked down just 14 of their 39 3-point attempts, but they shot it much better than Lakers, who shot just 29% from 3-point land.

Game 1 Betting Results

The opening matchup in this series was a wire-to-wire result as Houston led after the first quarter and it never looked back.

Total bettors on the 'over' were teased with a good start as the pair combined for 120 points at halftime but neither club could break 50 in the second-half and that led to an 'under' winner.

Outcome: Rockets 112 Lakers 97

Game: Rockets Win, Rockets Cover Cover (+6.5), Under (227)
First Quarter: Rockets Win (29-28), Rockets Cover (+2.5), Under (58)
First-Half: Rockets Win (63-57), Rockets Cover (+3.5), Over (115)
Second-Half: Rockets Win (49-42), Rockets Cover (+7), Under (110.5)

Houston Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats

Bubble: 8-8 SU, 7-9 ATS, 5-11 O/U
Playoffs: 5-3 SU, 4-4 ATS, 3-5 O/U

Before Friday’s Game 1 matchup, it had been the Russell Westbrook show when the Lakers and Rockets met up in 2020, as the former-MVP averaged over 38 points per game, bobbing and weaving through the LA defense in the two contests he participated in against LeBron and company this season.

The first playoff game between these teams was a different story though, as Chef Harden had the hot hand, going 12 of 20 from the field and 50% from downtown. Mike D’Antoni’s team didn’t win Game 1 by knocking down 25 3-pointers in a fluke.

They won by standing toe-to-toe with the top-seed in the Western Conference and playing quality defense against a superior team for four whole quarters. All Houston can do is keep bombing away and pray to the basketball gods that the Lakers don’t find their rhythm from deep.

Los Angeles Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats

Bubble: 7-7 SU, 4-10 ATS, 9-6 O/U
Playoffs: 4-2 SU, 3-3 ATS, 6-8 O/U

If the Rockets go 20 of 35 from downtown and just run a team out of the building like they are capable of doing sometimes, there is nothing you can do except tip your cap to them, but that is far from what happened to the Lakers on Friday night.

There is really no excuse for the LA not breaking 100 points in this matchup, when Anthony Davis stands three inches taller than any of Houston’s starters while debatably being the best big man in the NBA. He scored 25 points on 62.5% shooting in Game 1 and it is clear Houston has nobody on the court that can potentially guard him.

The game plan has to be simple for Los Angeles moving forward. Don’t panic. Control the pace of Game 2. Get the ball to AD and the Lakers should not have a problem advancing to the next round, because they really are the far superior team in this series.

The defense has been there all month, they just need to start scoring more points, which everyone knows LAL is very capable of doing.

Key Injuries

Houston

SF Danuel House Jr.: Face - Game Time Decision

Los Angeles

None

Rockets’ forward, Danuel House Jr. left in the third quarter of Houston’s Game 1 victory over the Lakers and did not return for “precautionary” reasons. He is listed as a game-time-decision for Sunday’s contest.

**Udog** · 09-06-2020, 11:35 AM

Announcement

Sunday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 9/6

Sunday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 9/6

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