Announcement

**Udog** · 12-31-2020, 08:03 AM

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

— Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28: Deacons led 14-0 after first quarter.
— Nets 145, Hawks 141— Kyrie Irving scored 17, just in 4th quarter.
— Indiana 87, Penn State 85 OT— Hoosiers get first conference win.
— LaSalle 67, Dayton 65— Explorers were a 12-point underdog.
— Richmond 80, Davidson 74— Fun game to watch in A-14.
— Oklahoma 55, Florida 20: Sooners racked up 684 total yards.

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 340,956
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

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Armadillo: Thursday's Den: Our last den of 2020……

13) We’ll start today with a pet peeve of mine; don’t mean to end 2020 with a complaint, but I’m going to. Too many people mistake kindness for weakness; just because I’m nice to you doesn’t mean you can label me as a sucker. It happens way too often.

12) I read Monday where 90% of Americans live within ten miles of a Wal-Mart; surprised the hell out of me, but it seems to be true.

11) Clemson Tigers covered 10 of their last 12 bowls; they were an underdog in 10 of those 12 games. Quite a juggernaut Dabo Swinney has built; ironically, he is an Alabama graduate.

10) Ben Roethlisberger will sit out this week’s game in Cleveland; Mason Rudolph will play in his place. Will be interesting to see what teams do, if they’re already in the playoffs. Steelers are already in the playoffs; they’re letting some regulars rest up.

9) Odd stat of the day: Last nine times someone on the Knicks had a triple/double, it was nine different guys. Julius Randle had one Tuesday in the Knicks’ win at Cleveland.

8) Michigan State is off to an 0-3 conference start, first time since 2002 that they lost their first three Big 14 games. Spartans did make the MCAA’s back in 2002.

7) 13 of Louisville’s 16 basketball players are freshmen/sophomores, which helps explain why the Cardinals have been struggling. This is a particularly bad year to have such a young team.

6) Arizona Wildcats self-imposed a one-year postseason ban on themselves, hoping to soften the blow that will eventually come down from the NCAA. Auburn did the same thing earlier this fall; we’ll see if LSU/Kansas follow suit, since they’re both headed towards probation.

5) Toronto Raptors are playing home games in Tampa this season; they’re off to an 0-3 start, first time since 2006 they lost their first three games.

4) Conference USA teams went 0-6 in bowl games this season; no bueno.

3) NBA injuries:
— Kevin Love (Cavaliers) is out 3-4 weeks (calf)
— Ja Morant (Grizzlies) is out 3-5 weeks (ankle)

2) Phil Niekro started 716 games in his 24-year major league career; the knuckleballer was difficult to catch, since knuckleballs float around a lot. These two catchers caught the most Niekro starts:

— Bruce Benedict caught 145 of the games; he later became an SEC basketball ref.
— Biff Pocoroba (a 1978 All-Star) caught 92; he was also one of my boyhood heroes, since we have the same first name. Sadly, Biff Pocoroba passed away last May.

1) 2020 has been a tough year for all of us; glad it is ending. Hopefully 2021 will be the start of our recovery as a country, and that all of us can be healthy going forward. Some suggestions:

— Lets be nicer to each other. Every day.
— We should be more tolerant of people who disagree with us
— If it isn’t fatal, its no big deal.

Happy New Year, everyone.

**Udog** · 12-31-2020, 08:06 AM

511CLEVELAND -512 INDIANA
CLEVELAND is 5-18 ATS (-14.8 Units) after covering 3 of their last 4 against the spread in the last 3 seasons.

513CHICAGO -514 WASHINGTON
CHICAGO is 3-15 ATS (-13.5 Units) after scoring 110 points or more 2 straight games in the last 3 seasons.

515PHILADELPHIA -516 ORLANDO
PHILADELPHIA is 5-19 ATS (-15.9 Units) in road games versus good shooting teams - making >=46% of their shots over the last 2 seasons.

517SACRAMENTO -518 HOUSTON
HOUSTON is 22-39 ATS (-20.9 Units) after allowing 115 points or more in the last 3 seasons.

519NEW YORK -520 TORONTO
TORONTO is 12-2 ATS (9.8 Units) as a home favorite of 6.5 to 12 points over the last 2 seasons.

521NEW ORLEANS -522 OKLAHOMA CITY
OKLAHOMA CITY is 44-23 ATS (18.7 Units) as a dog in the last 3 seasons.

523PHOENIX -524 UTAH
PHOENIX is 9-0 ATS (9 Units) in road games when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 70%) over the last 2 seasons.

**Udog** · 12-31-2020, 08:09 AM

NBA

Thursday, December 31

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Trend Report
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Cleveland @ Indiana
Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Cleveland's last 9 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Cleveland is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Indiana's last 9 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland

Chicago @ Washington
Chicago
Chicago is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Washington
Chicago is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Washington
Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 18 of Washington's last 25 games when playing at home against Chicago
Washington is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games

Philadelphia @ Orlando
Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing Orlando
Orlando
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Orlando's last 7 games
Orlando is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

Sacramento @ Houston
Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Sacramento's last 6 games on the road
Sacramento is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 5 games at home
Houston is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Sacramento

New York @ Toronto
New York
The total has gone OVER in 7 of New York's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 11 of New York's last 15 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against New York
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against New York

New Orleans @ Oklahoma City
New Orleans
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New Orleans's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans's last 5 games on the road
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against New Orleans
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Oklahoma City's last 8 games at home

Phoenix @ Utah
Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games
Phoenix is 11-1 ATS in its last 12 games
Utah
Utah is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Phoenix
Utah is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Phoenix

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**Udog** · 12-31-2020, 09:34 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Thursday, December 31

**Udog** · 12-31-2020, 09:38 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, December 31

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CLEVELAND (3 - 1) at INDIANA (3 - 1) - 12/31/2020, 3:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 3-2 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 5-2 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CHICAGO (1 - 3) at WASHINGTON (0 - 4) - 12/31/2020, 5:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 348-409 ATS (-101.9 Units) as a favorite since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 7-2 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 7-2 straight up against WASHINGTON 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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PHILADELPHIA (3 - 1) at ORLANDO (4 - 0) - 12/31/2020, 6:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 12-23 ATS (-13.3 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 11-25 ATS (-16.5 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 11-25 ATS (-16.5 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 20-8 ATS (+11.2 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 32-17 ATS (+13.3 Units) after scoring 115 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 12-24 ATS (-14.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 5-2 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 4-3 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SACRAMENTO (3 - 1) at HOUSTON (0 - 2) - 12/31/2020, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SACRAMENTO is 45-29 ATS (+13.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 118-153 ATS (-50.3 Units) in home games against Pacific division opponents since 1996.
HOUSTON is 22-39 ATS (-20.9 Units) after allowing 115 points or more over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 6-1 against the spread versus SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 6-1 straight up against SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NEW YORK (2 - 2) at TORONTO (0 - 3) - 12/31/2020, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 4-2 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 6-0 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NEW ORLEANS (2 - 2) at OKLAHOMA CITY (1 - 2) - 12/31/2020, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 49-32 ATS (+13.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 31-15 ATS (+14.5 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 4-3 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 6-2 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PHOENIX (3 - 1) at UTAH (2 - 1) - 12/31/2020, 9:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
UTAH is 4-2 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 5-1 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**StarDust Bum** · 12-31-2020, 11:58 AM

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CLE at IND 03:00 PM
IND -7.5
U 220.5

CHI at WAS 05:00 PM
CHI +6.5
O 237.0

PHI at ORL 06:30 PM
ORL +2.5
U 219.5

SAC at HOU 07:00 PM
SAC +5.5
O 231.5

NY at TOR 07:30 PM
NY +9.5
U 217.0

NO at OKC 08:00 PM
NO -5.5
O 215.5

PHO at UTA 09:00 PM
PHO +3.5
U 221.0

Announcement

Thursday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 12/31

Thursday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 12/31

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