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**Udog** · 09-07-2020, 08:01 AM

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Most career regular season home runs in Dodger Stadium:
130- Eric Karros
123- Ron Cey
118- Steve Garvey
117- Matt Kemp
106- Andre Ethier
92- Mike Piazza

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 188,895
Please wear a mask when you go out.

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Armadillo: Monday's Den: Wrapping up a sports weekend

13) This is baseball, 2020:
In the Miami-Tampa Bay game Sunday, the Marlins’ 41st game this year:
— Miami’s Trevor Rogers threw 100 pitches.
— Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow threw 105 pitches.

It was the first time this season, in Miami’s 41 games, that both starting pitchers threw 100+ pitches in the same game.

12) Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman hit two grand slams in the last three games; in 10 years in the major leagues before this weekend, Freeman had never hit a grand slam.

11) Umpire Joe West threw Washington Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo out of the game Sunday; the thing is, Rizzo was sitting in a luxury box in the third level of the stadium. With no fans in the ballpark, umpires can hear a lot more of what their critics think of them.

Rizzo got a 3-year contract extension Saturday, so he can afford the fine he’ll get.

10) Astros-Angels played a doubleheader Saturday; it was 109 degrees in Anaheim when the first pitch was thrown. Tough weekend for the catchers in Orange County- it was 106 degrees for Sunday’s game in Anaheim.

9) Toronto leads the Bronx Bombers by a game in the race for 2nd place in the AL East; they play 10 of their last 20 games against each other, starting Monday in Buffalo.

8) Interesting conversation on the YES Network Sunday; top of 7th inning, Orioles led New York 4-1, but the visitors have two men on, with catcher Erik Kratz at bat, tying run at the plate.

Kratz is a career backup, but Gary Sanchez is having a dreadful season, so he’s been benched; if they pinch-hit for Kratz, they pretty much had to put Sanchez in the game, which they obviously didn’t want to do.

The three TV guys then discussed why this was happening, and how manager Aaron Boone isn’t making all the decisions as far as who plays and who doesn’t, the type of manager/front office issues we saw in the movie Moneyball.

It was an unusually frank discussion, and it was good stuff.

7) Sunday was the 25th anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr surpassing Lou Gehrig’s record for most consecutive games played, with 2,131.

Longest current active streak of consecutive games played? Whit Merrifield, 288 games.

6) SMU 31, Texas State 24— Imagine being Texas State and being on ESPN Saturday at 4:30, the only televised football game at that time? What a recruiting bonanza for the Sun Belt’s Bobcats, who hung in with SMU but couldn’t spring the upset- they got good exposure, though, and that sure helps their recruiting.

5) Villanova basketball coach Jay Wright made it known that he doesn’t want to be the 76ers’ head coach. He already has a lucrative gig with more job security.

4) They opened a new sportsbook in the Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas, one of the few strip casinos I’ve never been in. I look forward to seeing it someday.

3) Pittsburgh Steelers cut QB Devlin Hodges, who started six games for them LY and brought back QB Josh Dobbs, who had been a backup in Jacksonville.

2) From Ralph Michaels:
Since 2014 in the NFL, Week 1 divisional underdogs are 21-5-1 ATS.

1) If the baseball playoffs started today (they do not):
AL East- Tampa Bay, Toronto
AL Central- Chicago, Cleveland
AL West- Oakland, Houston
AL Wild Cards- Minnesota, New York

NL East- Atlanta, Philadelphia
NL Central- Chicago, St Louis
NL West- Los Angeles, San Diego
NL Wild Cards- Colorado, Mia/SF

**Udog** · 09-07-2020, 08:03 AM

NBA public betting, line movement September 7
Patrick Everson

Jayson Tatum and Kyle Lowry renew hostilities when the Celtics and Raptors meet Monday in Game 5. The SuperBook at Westgate opened Toronto -1, but the line flipped to Boston -1 Sunday.

NBA betting odds are on the board and getting attention for a couple of Monday conference semifinal playoff games. The Toronto Raptors meet the Boston Celtics in a pivotal Game 5, followed by the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets tangling in Game 3.

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

NBA line movement

Toronto lost Games 1 and 2 against Boston, but bounced back to tie the series by winning the next two matchups, including Saturday’s 100-93 Game 4 victory. The defending NBA champion Raptors opened -1 for Game 5 at The SuperBook, but the line flipped to Celtics -1 Sunday morning. Game time is 6:30 p.m. ET.

After getting thumped 120-97 in Game 1, Denver rebounded with a 110-101 Game 2 victory over Los Angeles on Saturday night. The SuperBook opened the Clippers -7.5 for Game 3, and that line stretched to -9 Sunday afternoon, spurred by news that Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is questionable with a right wrist injury. Tipoff is at 9 p.m. ET.

NBA public betting

The Consensus indicated two-way play on Celtics-Raptors, with a lean toward Toronto, which was landing 56 percent of picks through Sunday night. Jokic’s status notwithstanding, the Nuggets were drawing 63 percent of early Consensus picks.

**Udog** · 09-07-2020, 08:10 AM

701BOSTON -702 TORONTO
BOSTON is 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) in road games versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 6+ points/game in the current season.

703LA CLIPPERS -704 DENVER
DENVER is 22-44 ATS (-26.4 Units) in road games after a game where they covered the spread in the last 3 seasons.

NBA
Dunkel

Monday, September 7

Boston @ Toronto

Game 701-702
September 7, 2020 @ 6:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
126.600
Toronto
127.105
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 1
207
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
by 2
212
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+2); Under

LA Clippers @ Denver

Game 703-704
September 7, 2020 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Clippers
129.720
Denver
113.234
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Clippers
by 16 1/2
230
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Clippers
by 9
219
Dunkel Pick:
LA Clippers
(-9); Over

NBA
Long Sheet

Monday, September 7

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BOSTON (54 - 26) vs. TORONTO (59 - 21) - 9/7/2020, 6:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 44-34 ATS (+6.6 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 46-30 ATS (+13.0 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) after a division game this season.
BOSTON is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 156-116 ATS (+28.4 Units) in road games revenging a home loss vs opponent since 1996.
BOSTON is 55-37 ATS (+14.3 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 27-12 ATS (+13.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BOSTON is 37-26 ATS (+8.4 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
BOSTON is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 35-25 ATS (+7.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
BOSTON is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
TORONTO is 228-279 ATS (-78.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 10-6 against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 9-7 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
10 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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LA CLIPPERS (54 - 26) vs. DENVER (51 - 31) - 9/7/2020, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 45-34 ATS (+7.6 Units) in all games this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 79-64 ATS (+8.6 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 220 over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 38-28 ATS (+7.2 Units) as a favorite this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 14-3 ATS (+10.7 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 15-7 ATS (+7.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 76-62 ATS (+7.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 38-29 ATS (+6.1 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 6-6 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 6-6 straight up against LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NBA

Monday, September 7

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Trend Report
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Boston @ Toronto
Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games
Toronto is 17-3 SU in its last 20 games

LA Clippers @ Denver
LA Clippers
LA Clippers is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
LA Clippers is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Denver
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Denver's last 8 games at home
Denver is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games

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**Udog** · 09-07-2020, 08:37 AM

Game 5 Odds: Celtics vs. Raptors
Michael Crosson

The Eastern Conference semifinals will continue on Monday and the 2-3 matchup between Toronto and Boston has now become a best-of-three series with the pair locked up at 2-2.

The third-seeded Celtics captured the first two games before the Raptors have rebounded with back-to-back wins. Even though these games are playing in the NBA Bubble from Orlando, the designated road team is now 4-0 in this series.

Betting Resources

Matchup: Eastern Conference Game 5
Second Round: Series tied 2-2
Venue: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Location: Orlando, Florida
Date: Monday, Sept. 7, 2020
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
TV: TNT

The Raptors stepped up defensively in their Game 4 victory, holding the Celtics to a playoff-low of 93 points. (AP)
Betting Odds - Celtics vs. Raptors

Line Movements

After watching Boston combine consecutive victories with consecutive losses, Vegas decide to lean with the Raptors heading into this Game 5 bout, setting the opening spread at Toronto -1. Early action on the Celtics (65%) though, has led to the line swinging to Boston -1.

The Raptors and Celtics have split the first two games of this series SU 2-2, but the same can’t be said for the ‘over-under’ as this series has been all about defense, cashing ‘under’ tickets in all four games. The total for Game 5 sits more than three points lower than any ‘over-under’ we have seen so far in this series – OU 212.

The series price for Boston advancing to the next round soared all the way up to -500 following its back-to-back victories against Toronto to open the Eastern Conference Semis, but has now fallen all the way back down to -120 as these teams begin what has become a best of three series between inner-conference rivals.

Spread: Boston -1
Money-Line: Boston -110 Toronto -110
Total: 212
Updated Series Price: Boston -120, Toronto +100

Game 4 Recap

The Celtics were just a couple ticks on the clock away from going up 3-0 on the second-seeded Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semis, but OG Anunoby was there to save the day with a game-winning buzzer beater in Game 3, which was followed up with a 100-93 victory on Saturday to knot up this series 2-2 heading into the fifth contest of this series.

Game 4 was a bit of a roller coaster ride as Toronto came out on top in the first and third periods of the contest and the Celtics caught the edge in the second and fourth stanzas.

Boston’s edge was not enough though as the Raptors rumbled to a 12-point advantage in the periods in which they were victorious compared to the Celtic’ five-point margin. This series has been a hard-nosed, defensive-minded battle so far as the ‘under’ has easily cashed in all four contests.

It will be interesting to see if these teams let up a little on defense on Monday, with a sixth matchup between these teams guaranteed now.

Game 4 Betting Results

Game 4 was a tale of two quarters as Toronto scored 31 and 32 points in the first and third respectively and those efforts helped the Canadian club cash tickets.

While it looked like we would finally see an 'over' ticket in this series, a combined 40 and 39 points scored in the second and fourth quarters helped the 'under' improve to 4-0 in the first four games.

Outcome: Raptors 100 Celtics 93

Game: Raptors Win, Raptors Cover Cover (+2), Under (215.5)
First Quarter: Raptors Win (31-27), Raptors Cover (PK), Over (54.5)
First-Half: Tied (49-49), Raptors Cover (+1), Under (108.5)
Second-Half: Raptors Win (51-44), Raptors Cover (+1.5), Under (105)

Celtics Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats

Bubble: 11-5 SU, 9-6-1 ATS, 5-10-1 O/U
Playoffs: 6-2 SU, 5-3 ATS, 1-7 O/U

A stunning four-game sweep of the defending champs appeared to be hanging in the balance as Brad Stevens’ group possessed a 2-0 series advantage, leading Toronto 103-102 during the closing seconds of Game 3 and in what felt like a blink of an eye, a two-game advantage became none.

The Celtics looked like the clear-cut, better unit in the first two games of this matchup, winning Games 1 and 2 by an average of 10.5 points per game, and controlled the pace/flow for the majority of Game 3 only to be nabbed at the last second.

Boston shot 7 of 35 from downtown in its Game 4 loss, and the odds of an efficient team on offense like the Celtics shooting at that clip in consecutive contests is not very likely – No need to sweat if you are a Celtics series bettor unless they drop another one here.

Raptors Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats

Bubble: 13-3 SU, 10-6 ATS, 4-11-1 O/U
Playoffs: 6-2 SU, 4-4 ATS, 3-5 O/U

When Kawhi Leonard walked away from the Raptors this past off-season, many thought he would be leaving behind an empty shell of what was once a championship lineup.

And while that is true to an extent, Toronto clearly still has the swagger on defense of a title-contender, holding the Celtics to an average of 98 points per game in its last two contests.

Nick Nurse’s team might not have the quick-strike ability on offense that his championship unit from last season possessed, but if they can guard Boston tight on the perimeter and hold them to 20% shooting from deep like the Raptors did in Game 4, there is no reason Toronto shouldn’t be able to complete the full comeback in this series.

Key Injuries

Boston

PG Tremont Waters: Knee - Out
C Vincent Poirier: Personal - Out
SG Javonte Green: Knee - Out
SF Gordon Hayward: Ankle - Out

Toronto

SF Oshae Brissett: Knee - Out
SF Patrick McCaw: Knee - Out

The Celtics are still without small-forward, Gordon Hayward, who has missed this series in its entirety with an ankle injury. He is not likely to return to the lineup before the conclusion of this round, but if Boston advances to the Eastern Conference Finals, look out for news regarding his status.

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Monday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 9/7

Monday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 9/7

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