Announcement

**Udog** · 02-20-2021, 09:16 AM

Armadillo:Saturday's six-pack

Odds to win the home run title this season:
12-1— Mike Trout, Ronald Acuna
14-1— Juan Soto
16-1— Joey Gallo
18-1— Eloy Jimenez
20-1— Pete Alonso, Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge
25-1— Vladimir Guerrero, Giancarlo Stanton

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 495,207
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

**********

Armadillo: Saturday's Den: Random stuff with the weekend here

13) This is what politicians/public servants are SUPPOSED TO DO:

In Texas this week, Beto O’Rourke organized volunteers to make more than 784,000 wellness calls to senior citizens around the state, to make sure they’re OK.

Common decency shouldn’t be a partisan issue; O’Rourke is a private citizen now, but he still has influence and he used it to try to help people this week. Good for him.

12) Long time ago, 40 or so years ago, I was student manager of the basketball team at UAlbany, when the Great Danes were a Division III team. A great learning experience, made lot of friends because of it; I was thinking of this story tonight and it made me smile:

Albany had a JV team; this is February 1980. The JV team had several injuries, one of whom was Jody MacDonald, who is now a sports talk host in Philadelphia; our team was down to six guys, so for two interesting nights, I suited up as the JV’s 7th player.

Because part of my job as student manager was dealing with the officials before games, I knew most of them; this was my junior year. I’m in the layup line, knowing I wasn’t going to play but trying to look like an actual player during warmups. I hear a voice behind me.

“Remember, no dunking in warmups” one of the refs says to me, then smiles and walks away. Just what we need, a smart-ass official. ��

Never got into either game I suited up for, but I did play in one scrimmage on our Sweden trip the following summer. I shot too much and was quickly yanked; go figure.

11) Seems strange to me that NBA teams haven’t seen the second half of their schedules yet, but in the COVID era, the league wanted flexibility in how they’re scheduling.

10) Bill Walton was telling a story Thursday night about how Michael Jordan’s first college choice was UCLA, but Larry Brown, then UCLA’s coach, wasn’t interested. I’ve never heard that one before; the whole course of college basketball would’ve changed.

Ironic that Larry Brown is a North Carolina alum.

9) I listen to podcasts a lot; can learn a lot from diverse sources, which is a good thing.

Rams’ GM Les Snead does a podcast with his wife, Kara Henderson; I’m listening to them as I type this, talking to poker pro Annie Duke about decision-making, and how decisions are made, and all the things that go into making good decisions.

Snead’s job has a lot of decision making; you wouldn’t think an NFL GM would take knowledge from a poker pro, but smart people listen to other smart people.

8) Boise State 81, Utah State 77:
— Broncos sweep Utah State, improve to 18-4, 14-3 in conference
— Mountain West is looking like a 2-bid league, with San Diego State looking solid.

7) Dayton 76, Saint Louis 53— Flyers sweep Saint Louis; they were up 20 at the half in this game. Not sure what to make of the Billikens; they had a 34-day COVID pause in January, are now only 4-3 in the A-14. They’re looking more and more like an NIT team.

6) UAB 76, Old Dominion 69:
— Brickfest: teams combined to shoot 7-32 on the arc.
— Andy Kennedy’s Blazers are 17-4, 10-3 in Conference USA, in Kennedy’s first season.
— UAB was +11 (20-9) in turnovers.

5) Iona 91, Monmouth 86:
— Rick Pitino’s Gaels are 7-5, 5-3 in the MAAC.
— Monmouth coach King Rice got tossed for carping to refs; in an empty gym, the yelling just sounds louder than it probably is.

Pitino has said that he believes in the Gonzaga/Saint Mary’s model of recruiting for mid-majors; 40-50% (6 or 7 players) being from foreign countries. Interesting strategy.

4) Baseball stuff:
— Mets gave P Taijuan Walker $20M for two years.
— Pirates gave 1B/3B Todd Frazier a minor league deal.

3) Lakers’ star Anthony Davis (calf/achilles) is out for at least four weeks.

2) Get well soon to Indianas’ manager Terry Francona, who had offseason surgery to address a staph infection in his big toe- he is still wearing a walking boot.

Everyone you listen to says that Francona is a good dude; he’s also been a successful manager, ending the Curse of the Bambino with the 2004 Red Sox. Baseball is better if he is involved.

Random trivia you probably already knew: Francona was manager of the Birmingham Barons in the AA Southern League, the year Michael Jordan played for the Barons.

1) A 111-year old woman in South Carolina got the COVID vaccine this week, the oldest person to do so.

Maria Aulenbacher attributes living such a long life to a few things: staying active and reading every day (she particularly favors historical books and non-fiction), a glass of red wine with lunch, and a beer with dinner. Good for her.

**Udog** · 02-20-2021, 09:20 AM

523GOLDEN STATE -524 CHARLOTTE
GOLDEN STATE is 27-44 ATS (-21.4 Units) after having won 4 or 5 of their last 6 games in the last 3 seasons.

525PHOENIX -526 MEMPHIS
PHOENIX is 14-3 ATS (10.7 Units) in road games revenging a same season loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.

529SACRAMENTO -530 CHICAGO
CHICAGO is 10-28 ATS (-20.8 Units) in home games versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing <=14 turnovers/game in the last 3 seasons.

531MIAMI -532 LA LAKERS
LA LAKERS are 23-46 ATS (-27.6 Units) in non-conference games in the last 3 seasons.

533WASHINGTON -534 PORTLAND
WASHINGTON is 18-39 ATS (-24.9 Units) in road games versus poor foul drawing teams - attempting <=24 free throws/game in the last 3 seasons.

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, February 20

Golden State @ Charlotte
Warriors (16-14)
— Golden State won four of its last six games.
— Warriors are 3-2 ATS in last five road games.
— Three of their last four games went over.

Hornets (13-15)
— Charlotte hasn’t played since Sunday.
— Charlotte lost four of its last seven games.
— Hornets are 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight home games.
— Under is 3-2 in Charlotte’s last five games.

— Teams split last six series games.
— Warriors covered four of last five visits to Charlotte.
— Eight of last nine series games stayed under.

Miami @ LA Lakers
Heat (12-17)
— Miami lost three of its last four games, giving up 117.2 ppg.
— Heat is 6-9 ATS on the road this season.
— Over is 3-0 in their last three games.

Lakers (22-8)
— Lakers are 8-2 SU in last ten games, 2-5 ATS in last seven.
— Lakers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 home games.
— Over is 5-2 in their last seven games.

— Lakers won eight of last ten series games.
— Miami is 3-2 ATS in last five series games played here.
— Under is 7-3 in last ten series games.

Sacramento @ Chicago
Kings (12-16)
— Sacramento lost its last five games, by 8-11-14-11-8 points.
— Kings covered their last five road games.
— Over is 13-3 in their last 16 home games.

Bulls (12-16)
— Chicago is 5-5 in its last ten games SU.
— Bulls are 2-6-1 ATS in last nine home games.
— Over is 7-3 in their last ten games overall.

— Sacramento won six of last seven series games.
— Kings are 4-0-1 ATS in last five visits to Chicago.
— Three of last four series games went over.

Phoenix @ Memphis
Suns (18-10)
— Phoenix won/covered 10 of its last 12 games.
— Suns are 8-4 ATS on the road this season.
— Over is 5-1 in their last six games.

Grizzlies (13-12)
— Memphis won four of its last six games.
— Grizzlies are 6-7-1 ATS at home this season.
— Over is 9-2-1 in their last 12 games.

— Memphis won seven of last eight series games.
— Suns are 2-4 ATS in last six visits to Tennessee.
— Last five series games stayed under the total.

Washington @ Portland
Wizards (9-17)
— Wizards won their last three games overall.
— Washington is 2-5 ATS in last seven road games.
— Under is 6-1 in Wizards’ last seven road games.

Trailblazers (18-10)
— Portland won nine of last 11 games, covered 10 of last 12.
— Blazers won/covered their last three home games.
— Over is 11-4 in Portland’s last 15 games.
— Starting G McCollum/C Nurkic are both out

— Blazers won/covered last four games.
— Washington is 3-2 ATS in last five visits to Portland.
— Over is 7-3 in last ten series games.

NBA

Saturday, February 20

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Golden State @ Charlotte
Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Golden State's last 5 games when playing Charlotte
Golden State is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Charlotte
Charlotte
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Charlotte's last 5 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Charlotte's last 5 games when playing at home against Golden State

Miami @ LA Lakers
Miami
Miami is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Miami's last 13 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
LA Lakers
LA Lakers is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
LA Lakers is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Miami

Sacramento @ Chicago
Sacramento
Sacramento is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Sacramento's last 8 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chicago's last 8 games when playing at home against Sacramento
Chicago is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Sacramento

Phoenix @ Memphis
Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing Memphis
Phoenix is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Memphis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis's last 5 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Memphis's last 7 games

Washington @ Portland
Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Washington's last 14 games when playing Portland
Portland
Portland is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Portland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

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

**Udog** · 02-20-2021, 11:08 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, February 20

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

GOLDEN STATE (16 - 14) at CHARLOTTE (13 - 15) - 2/20/2021, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHARLOTTE is 42-26 ATS (+13.4 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
CHARLOTTE is 204-255 ATS (-76.5 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
CHARLOTTE is 68-96 ATS (-37.6 Units) in home games after a loss by 10 points or more since 1996.

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

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

PHOENIX (18 - 10) at MEMPHIS (13 - 12) - 2/20/2021, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MEMPHIS is 70-47 ATS (+18.3 Units) in home games when playing on back-to-back days since 1996.
MEMPHIS is 185-141 ATS (+29.9 Units) after a win by 10 points or more since 1996.
PHOENIX is 22-9 ATS (+12.1 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 10-0 ATS (+10.0 Units) in road games after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 13-3 ATS (+9.7 Units) in road games after scoring 115 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 17-6 ATS (+10.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 28-16 ATS (+10.4 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 27-15 ATS (+10.5 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 6-2 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS is 6-2 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

SACRAMENTO (12 - 16) at CHICAGO (12 - 16) - 2/20/2021, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SACRAMENTO is 28-15 ATS (+11.5 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
SACRAMENTO is 29-16 ATS (+11.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 34-53 ATS (-24.3 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 50-76 ATS (-33.6 Units) in home games against Pacific division opponents since 1996.
CHICAGO is 146-195 ATS (-68.5 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1996.
CHICAGO is 23-43 ATS (-24.3 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SACRAMENTO is 3-2 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
SACRAMENTO is 4-1 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

MIAMI (12 - 17) at LA LAKERS (22 - 8) - 2/20/2021, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 9-18 ATS (-10.8 Units) in all games this season.
MIAMI is 17-29 ATS (-14.9 Units) after scoring 115 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
LA LAKERS are 23-46 ATS (-27.6 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 182-228 ATS (-68.8 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 5-4 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 8-2 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

WASHINGTON (9 - 17) at PORTLAND (18 - 10) - 2/20/2021, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 13-27 ATS (-16.7 Units) in road games after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 146-190 ATS (-63.0 Units) off an upset win as an underdog since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 21-38 ATS (-20.8 Units) in road games after allowing 115 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 15-28 ATS (-15.8 Units) in road games after scoring 115 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 24-47 ATS (-27.7 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 13-25 ATS (-14.5 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PORTLAND is 4-1 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PORTLAND is 4-1 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

NBA
Dunkel

Saturday, February 20

**Udog** · 02-20-2021, 11:24 AM

Announcement

Saturday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 2/20

Saturday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 2/20

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment