Announcement

**StarDust Bum** · 12-30-2011, 05:03 PM

Bynum returns to Lakers Saturday afternoon

DENVER NUGGETS (2-1)

at LOS ANGELES LAKERS (2-2)

Tip-off: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Line: TBD

The Lakers get Andrew Bynum back in time for a big Western Conference matchup with the Nuggets on Saturday afternoon.

The veteran Lakers need Bynum back, as this will be their fifth game in seven days. But the Nuggets still match up very well with them. Even with Kobe-stopper Arron Afflalo sidelined, Denver came into the Staples Center and won 95-90 last April. With Afflalo in the lineup this time around, and one of the NBA’s most efficient teams on both ends of the court, DENVER is the pick to win against the spread.

The Lakers salvaged a split in their first four games, all without Bynum. They lost to Chicago in the final seconds and dropped their second game of the year, in Sacramento. Since then they beat up on Utah and New York, two teams very much struggling to find their way.

Offensively, SG Kobe Bryant (27.8 PPG) and PF Pau Gasol (16.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG) continue to carry the Lakers. And new head coach Mike Brown has so far gotten a more efficient and intelligent offensive effort out of SF Metta World Peace (11.5 PPG on 50% shooting from the field).

But the Nuggets have effectively held Bryant in check since adding Afflalo. In five matchups against the Nuggets with Afflalo primarily defending him, Bryant is averaging 23.6 PPG on just 39% FG. The Lakers went 2-3 SU and 1-3-1 ATS in those games.

The Nuggets pounded the Mavs in Dallas and the Jazz at home before getting tripped up in Portland Thursday night. PG Ty Lawson (22.3 PPG, 62% FG, 42% 3-pt FG) continues to be nearly unguardable, while C Nene Hilario (14.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG) is off to another solid start. The Nuggets’ second unit has been the NBA’s best in the early going, led by newly-acquired guards Andre Miller (12.7 PPG, 8.3 APG) and Rudy Fernandez (8.7 PPG), and veteran PF Al Harrington (14.7 PPG).

**StarDust Bum** · 12-30-2011, 05:06 PM

NBA Weekend Starts With Clippers Hosting Bulls

Blake Griffin and the Clippers start the weekend at home vs. the Bulls.
The new-look Los Angeles Clippers make their much-anticipated home debut Friday night against the Chicago Bulls.

The Clippers are 1-point favorites with a total of 190 points. NBA-TV will broadcast at 10:30 p.m. (ET) from Staples Center in the second half of a doubleheader following Phoenix at New Orleans.

Los Angeles (1-1 straight up and against the spread) will be playing its first home game, showing off its shiny new toy in Chris Paul, who was an early Christmas present from Commissioner David Stern. Ticket sales have gone through the roof since his acquisition and it should be a great home crowd, especially with Chicago in town.

Paul scored 20 points (7-of-12 shooting) in the opening 105-86 win at Golden State, but had just 10 points (3-of-10 shooting) in a 115-90 loss at San Antonio on Wednesday. He had nine assists each game. Blake Griffin (25 PPG) isn’t having any trouble getting used to the revamped lineup.

The Bulls (2-1 SU, 1-2 ATS) may be feeling déjà vu during introductions. They played at Staples Center on opening Christmas Day versus the Lakers, a stunning 88-87 comeback win. Chicago then headed up the coast, losing at Golden State (99-91) on Monday before beating Sacramento on Thursday (108-98).

Point guard Derrick Rose has modest numbers by his standards at 18.0 PPG and 7.0 APG. He’s taking less shots, which is a good thing for his teammates, and the addition of Richard Hamilton gives him a legitimate backcourt scoring partner.

The Clippers went 23-18 SU at home last year, although covered just one of their final eight there. This seems to be a favorable spread for them with the Bulls on the second half of a back-to-back.

There are 10 more Friday tilts. Dallas (0-3 SU, 1-2 ATS) looks for its first win when it hosts Toronto (1-1 SU and ATS) as 8½-point favorites. The total is 194½. The defending champs played Oklahoma City tough (104-102 loss) on Thursday, but are allowing 108 PPG overall, helping the ‘over’ go 3-0. Playing on consecutive nights won’t help this rapidly aging bunch.

Boston hosts Detroit in a battle of winless teams. The Celtics could drop to 0-4 SU for the first time since 1969, but are at least 2-1 ATS. Paul Pierce (heel) is questionable and holding up the pointspread, and they need his scoring. Detroit (0-2 SU and ATS) could only muster 89 points at home last game against a terrible Cleveland team. Watch for the pending total.

The New Orleans Hornets are 2-0 SU and ATS and beat Boston (97-78) last game even with guard Eric Gordon out. He’s listed as doubtful tonight as they host a Phoenix (0-2 SU and ATS) outfit they already beat 85-84 as 6½-point ‘dogs in the desert on December 26. The Suns lack a marquee player with 37-year-old Steve Nash declining precipitously. This spread is also pending.

Lakers get Andrew Bynum back Saturday

The Los Angeles Lakers (2-2 SU, 3-1 ATS) haven’t gotten many breaks this year, opening the season with three games in three days. They were also without center Andrew Bynum for the first four due to a league suspension.

The Lakers have won their last two contests after losing the first two. The latest came Thursday night against the Knicks, 99-82 as 4½-point favorites. Bynum is eligible to return Saturday afternoon at home versus Denver. The Nuggets (2-1 SU and ATS) can score at 111.3 PPG (‘over’ 3-0), but the Lakers are allowing just 85.2 PPG (‘under’ 4-0) even without Bynum in the middle.

The Golden State Warriors (2-1 SU and ATS) are finally playing some defense under first-time coach Mark Jackson. Their 91.3 PPG ranks sixth in the NBA and is over 14 PPG less than they allowed last year. It’s also helped the ‘under’ go 3-0.

The Warriors play their fourth consecutive home game on Saturday night versus Philadelphia. Guard Stephen Curry (ankle) is questionable after missing last game. The 76ers (1-1 SU, 1-0-1 ATS) have started the season with a West Coast trip and will be playing the second half of a back-to-back after visiting Utah on Friday.

Wizards host Celtics on New Year’s Day

The Washington Wizards may be 0-2 SU and ATS pending a Friday visit to Milwaukee, but they’ll be happy to host Boston on Sunday. The nation’s capital is a place Boston has struggled even when it was good, going 3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS over the last seven games. The Wizards are scoring just 83.5 PPG so far this year, but their athletes give the older Celtics troubles.

The Lakers and Nuggets will follow their Saturday game in the City of Angels with a Sunday affair in the Mile High City. Denver is the younger and deeper team and the Lakers could have serious trouble playing in the high altitude with little rest. Look for Denver to push the ball as much as possible with speedy Ty Lawson.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-30-2011, 05:08 PM

West Virginia On Big East Road At Seton Hall Pirates

Senior Kevin Jones has eight double-doubles in WVU’s first 13 contests.
A week ago, you couldn't swing a dead cat around without hitting someone talking up the Seton Hall Pirates. Their relatively soft schedule to begin the season was generally noted, but the pundits still gushed about the squad second-year head coach Kevin Willard had and suggesting the Pirates could be an upset force within the Big East.

Those notions might have gone right out the window Wednesday night in Syracuse where the Orange completely dismantled Seton Hall. If Willard and the Pirates are going to at least be a fly in the conference ointment, they'll have to quickly put that whipping behind them before hosting the West Virginia Mountaineers on Friday.

The contest will be the second half of an ESPN2 doubleheader that begins with Western Michigan at Duke in what should be a full-speed scrimmage for the Blue Devils. The Hall and WVU will get underway at Newark's Prudential Center a little past 9:00 p.m. (ET), with the Pirates starting off on the NCAA odds board as slim 1-point favorites. Friday's total opened at 136.

Anyone who saw the Orange's beat-down of the Pirates might have been reminded of those Animal Planet shows with footage of adult lions chasing down baby impalas. At least the prey escapes the clutches of death on occasion, but Syracuse on Seton Hall (11-2 straight up, 6-3 against the spread) played out like one kill after another.

Granted, the Pirates were at the Carrier Dome against the No. 1 team in the land. The Orange were even playing with some revenge after Seton Hall cruised to a big upset last season in Syracuse.

The Pirates didn't perform badly on the boards, even grabbing 17 offensive rebounds, though even that positive went for naught since they couldn't find the net and convert those second chances. Herb Pope and Fuquan Edwin – who average over 32 points a game between them while each shooting 52 percent or better – combined for seven points while going 2-for-20 from the field.

A couple of dozen turnovers didn't help, to state the obvious. Give 'Cuse credit for the defense, but it was also on the Hall's offense which came in coughing it up a little less than 12 times a game.

If there's any good news for the Pirates and their hope to rebound back into the win column quickly, it's the fact this isn't one of Bob Huggins' best teams at West Virginia (10-3 SU, 7-3 ATS). The bad news is the Mountaineers are still plenty dangerous and have all but owned Seton Hall in recent years.

The Mountaineers have played a stronger schedule so far, and are beginning to make friends among bettors since their poor performance at Mississippi State to begin December. West Virginia has reeled off a 6-1 mark since then, covering five of the six lined affairs with the 'over' also 5-1 during the stretch.

The lone loss came last week against Baylor at the Las Vegas Classic, a strong showing for the Mountaineers who took the Bears to overtime before falling short, 83-81. Baylor was giving up six on the spread, and WVU bounced right back with a solid 83-69 win this week at home as 7½-point chalk vs. Villanova.

Kevin Jones was a one-man wrecking crew against the Bears, netting 28 on the scoreboard and pulling down 17 rebounds. Neither of those marks are season-highs for Jones who ranks 14th in the country in scoring (20.4), eighth in rebounding (11.5) and has eight double-doubles to his credit before we reach the new year.

Jones is officially probable on the injury report after needing a few stitches to close a gash from an elbow over his right eye in the 'Nova triumph. He should play and the battle between him and Pope should be a classic.

West Virginia has won the last seven matchups with Seton Hall, including the last three in New Jersey. The Mountaineers have also cashed betting slips in the most recent five meetings, each as the favorite. This is the first time since a 2003 meeting in East Rutherford that WVU hasn't been laying points.

Seton Hall will remain at home to take on Georgetown next Tuesday night; Wednesday (Jan. 4) finds West Virginia at Rutgers. The Pirates and Mountaineers aren't scheduled to meet each other before a potential get-together during the Big East Tournament in March.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-30-2011, 05:12 PM

Hoop Trends - Friday

December 30, 2011

SU TREND OF THE DAY:

The Hawks are 0-10 ATS (-11.2 ppg) since January 11, 2008 as a home favorite after a win in which they scored more than 25% of their points from the free throw line.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

The Suns are 12-0 OU (20.8 ppg) since November 30, 2002 on the road after a game at home in which they scored less than 10% of their points from the three-point line.

PLAYER BASED TREND OF THE DAY:

The Wizards are 0-8 ATS (-6.3 ppg) since January 05, 2011 with at least a day of rest after a loss in which John Wall had at least 5 turnovers.

CHOICE TREND:

The Hawks are 0-11 OU (-13.0 ppg) since April 09, 2006 with at most one day of rest after a double digit home win in which they allowed less than 40% from the field.

TODAY’S TRENDS:

The Pistons are 0-11 ATS (-9.2 ppg) since March 23, 2005 after a double digit loss against the Cavaliers.The Hawks are 0-9 ATS (-7.0 ppg) since March 16, 2004 at home when playing the first game of four-games-in-five-days.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-30-2011, 05:36 PM

Friday's Betting tips: Music City Bowl spread nears key number

Who’s hot

NCAAF: BYU is 6-0 against the spread in its last six overall.

NCAAF: Mississippi State is 5-1 against the spread in its last six overall and 4-0 against the number in its last four bowl games.

NBA: New Orleans is 6-2-1 against the spread in its last nine home games against Phoenix.

NHL: Washington is 23-9 in its last 32 home games.

NCAAB: The over is 9-3 in Duke’s last 12 home games.

Who’s not

NCAAF: Oklahoma is 1-4 in its last five bowl games.

NCAAF: The over is 2-7 in Rutgers’ last nine overall.

NBA: New Jersey is just 2-7 against the spread in its last nine games against Atlanta.

NHL: Ottawa is 2-8 in its last 10 meetings with Calgary.

NCAAB: Missouri is just 16-37 against the spread in its last 53 road games.

Key stat

50.3 – The Virginia Cavaliers rank second nationally allowing just 50.3 points per game and also rank second in defensive rebounding at 24.3 boards per contest. They have the under on a 6-1 run so far this season heading into Friday’s date with winless Towson.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Murphy Holloway, Mississippi Rebels – Holloway is expected to miss Friday’s matchup with Dayton after suffering a high ankle sprain on Dec. 21. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound forward leads the team averaging 9.6 points per game and also chips in 9.9 points per game on the offensive end.

Game of the day

Iowa Hawkeyes at Oklahoma Sooners (-16.5, 57.5)

Notable quotable

"For Alistair to think that Brock can't take him down is crazy. Brock can and probably will. The question is, can Brock keep Alistair Overeem down?" – UFC president Dana White on Friday’s main event between Brock Lesnar (+120) and Alistair Overeem.

Notes and tips

The Music City Bowl’s pointspread opened with Mississippi State favored by 6.5 points against Wake Forest and continues to hover around -7 at most books. A number of online shops had the Bulldogs set at -7 as of Thursday night while most Vegas sportsbook were still sending out -6.5. However, about 67 percent of *********** Consensus bettors were supporting the Bulldogs Thursday night.

New Orleans Hornets guard Eric Gordon will likely sit out Friday night's game against the visiting Phoenix Suns to rest his ailing knee. A swollen knee kept the talented 23-year-old out of the lineup for Wednesday's victory over the Boston Celtics. It isn't clear when Gordon suffered the injury. Marco Belinelli is expected to take Gordon's place in the starting lineup. Gordon scored 20 points in the Hornets' season opener Monday against the Suns, his first game with New Orleans after coming over in a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason.

St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford isn't holding out much hope of playing in the team's season finale Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. Bradford has already missed five games with a serious high ankle sprain, and wasn't thrilled about how he felt after missing Wednesday's practice session. He likely won't see any action in practice until Friday, and only if his ankle has sufficiently improved. Kellen Clemens would likely get the start if Bradford can't go. Bradford has thrown for 2,164 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions in 10 games this season.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-30-2011, 05:37 PM

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

-- Washington scored 56 points in its Alamo Bowl game, and not only did they lose, they couldn't cover as 9-point underdogs. Baylor has the Heisman winner and a terrible defense. Game went over the total of 79 with 8:28 left in third quarter. Bears won 67-56.

-- Big win for Rutgers, beating Florida 85-83 in double OT- they've got some pretty good guards, should move up in Big East this season.

-- Georgia Tech lost at Fordham? Boston College didn't cover as home dog of 12 points against Harvard? The ACC is down, man......

-- Terrific game in Seattle, where Washington pulled away from Oregon State late, winning 95-80; Beavers want to run more this year, but thats the Huskies' game.

-- Vanderbilt loses at home to Cleveland State/Indiana State, then goes to Marquette and runs out to a 31-8 lead, wins by 17; go figure. College basketball in December has been bizarre the last couple years.

-- BYU's first game in the WCC was a disaster, as St Mary's hung 53 points on them in first half and beat the Cougars, 98-82.

******************

Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Wrapping up the early bowls.........

Here are some thoughts I’ve had about the early bowl games, through the Alamo Bowl on Thursday night……..
14) Best Game—UL-Lafayette 32, San Diego State 30 (New Orleans Bowl)—Kid on ULL booted a 50-yard FG at the gun to win it, after Aztecs were penalized because one of their linemen spit on a Ragin’ Cajun lineman, to try and get him to jump offside.

13) Best game, runnerup—Toledo 42, Air Force 41—Rockets scored TDs on plays of 41-49-33 yards, ran a kick back for a TD, had a defensive TD and won still only won by a point, in a game played outdoors. In the East. At night.

12) Worst effort—Arizona State lost 56-24 to Boise State in Las Vegas Bowl, giving up two defensive scores and having opening kick returned for a TD. You tell me Western Kentucky couldn’t have done better?

11) Best QB whose dad played in major leagues—Ohio U QB Tyler Tettleton led Bobcats to their first-ever bowl win, 24-23 over Utah State in the Idaho Potato Bowl, leading a TD in the last minute to win it. Utah State lost despite running ball for 345 yards, which doesn’t happen much.

10) Least passes thrown in a bowl so far--- Temple waxed Wyoming 37-15 in the New Mexico Bowl, despite completing only 8-12 passes, albeit for 169 yards (14.1 ypa, 21.1 ypc). Only team that might throw fewer than 12 passes rest of bowl season is Georgia Tech.

9) When its windy in Hawai’i, bet the under—Southern Miss 24, Nevada 17 never got anywhere near the total (64); neither team completed half its passes. Game was semi-interesting because it was close, but there were hardly any fans at the game and Southern Miss seem distracted having a lame duck coach.

8) Notre Dame has two bowl wins since 1994; they came in El Paso and Honolulu, yet TV types still treat them as an elite program. Why is this?

7) Most points scored in a bowl. Poor Chris Spielman, who was a great linebacker and is a terrific analyst, but he was not happy watching the defenses in this game. Baylor 67, Washington 56. Bears ran ball for 482 yards, with three different kids running for 100+ yards. I'm serious, Spielman sounded like he wanted to go down and hit someone. Hard.

6) Least points scored in a bowl so far—Marshall 20, FIU 10—Rare opportunity to bet against a Sun Belt team favored in a bowl. Marshall’s freshman QB is pretty good, but Thundering Herd almost lost to a dreadful Memphis team- why were they even in a bowl?

5) Whats with coaches wearing sun visors? Missouri beat North Carolina 41-24 at a rainy Independence bowl in Shreveport; Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel wore a parka on a cold, wet night, but still wore the same sun visor he always wears, despite the game being played in the dark. In the rain. Parkas and sun visors don’t go together. Tigers ran ball down Carolina's throat in this game-- 337 yards.

4) Most turnovers ever in an indoor game—Purdue 39, Western Michigan 32 in the Little Ceaser’s Bowl. Has a team ever turned the ball over seven times in one game and won? Western turned it over seven times, Purdue four and teams still scored 71 points, with no defensive TDs. Broncos passed for 439 yards with a sophomore QB, so they should be good for a while.

3) Vindication bowl—NC State coach Tom O’Brien basically fired his starting QB Russell Wilson because he played minor league baseball instead of spring football. Wilson then transferred to Wisconsin and led the Badgers to a 10-2 record, while State struggled early in the season, putting heat on O’Brien, but the Wolfpack rallied late in the season, and junior QB Glennon justified his coach’s faith in him by throwing for 264 yards in State’s 31-24 Belk Bowl win over Louisville.

Side Note: I had zero idea who/what Belk was. Actually it is a leading retail department store located in the south, according to belk.com.

2) Teams who should’ve met in a better bowl: TCU 31, Louisiana Tech 24 (Poinsettia Bowl)—Curious to see how Horned Frogs do in Big X; think they would’ve dominated the Big East, albeit from very far away. This was a good game.

1) Texas 21, Cal 10— First time ever the Poinsettia Bowl was more fun to watch than the Holiday Bowl. How do the Texas freakin’ Longhorns not have a decent QB on their roster? Manny Diaz’ defense forced five turnovers and held Cal to 195 total yards, or else Mack Brown wouldn’t be as happy as he is today.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-30-2011, 05:43 PM

Friday, December 30

Game Score Status Pick Amount

NC-Greensboro - 4:00 PM ET Richmond -15 500
Richmond - Over 142.5 500

Western Michigan - 7:00 PM ET Western Michigan +21 500
Duke - Over 149 500

Missouri - 7:00 PM ET Missouri -8 500
Old Dominion -

Georgia Southern - 7:00 PM ET Georgia Southern +12.5 500
Auburn -

Princeton - 7:00 PM ET Princeton +12 500
Florida St. - Under 118.5 500

George Mason - 7:00 PM ET Charleston -3.5 500
Charleston -

Towson - 7:00 PM ET Under 119 500
Virginia -

Western Illinois - 7:00 PM ET Western Illinois +4.5 500
Indiana - Purdue - Over 129.5 500

Furman - 7:00 PM ET Furman +4 500
NC-Wilmington - Over 131.5 500

St. Bonaventure - 7:00 PM ET St. Bonaventure -8 500
Niagara - Under 141 500

Mississippi - 7:00 PM ET Mississippi +4.5 500
Dayton - Under 132.5 500

Appalachian St. - 7:00 PM ET Appalachian St. +15.5 500
Miami - Florida - Over 135 500

Temple - 7:00 PM ET Delaware +7.5 500
Delaware - Under 138.5 500

Oral Roberts - 8:00 PM ET Oral Roberts -11 500
South Dakota - Over 138.5 500

Murray St. - 8:00 PM ET Murray St. -9 500
Eastern Illinois - Under 136 500

Oakland - 8:00 PM ET Oakland +6.5 500
South Dakota State - Over 175 500

IUPU - Ft. Wayne - 8:00 PM ET North Dakota State -12 500
North Dakota State - Over 144.5 500

Southern Utah - 8:05 PM ET Southern Utah +3.5 500
UMKC -

Southeastern Louisiana - 9:00 PM ET Texas Tech -9 500
Texas Tech -

West Virginia - 9:00 PM ET West Virginia +1 500
Seton Hall - Under 136 500

Portland St. - 9:00 PM ET Montana St. -1.5 500
Montana St. - Over 150.5 500

Rhode Island - 9:00 PM ET Rhode Island +11.5 500
Central Florida - Over 137 500

Stetson - 9:00 PM ET Stetson +7.5 500
James Madison - Over 143 500

Wagner - 11:15 PM ET Santa Clara +1.5 500
Santa Clara - Over 139.5 500

**StarDust Bum** · 12-30-2011, 05:47 PM

NBA

Friday, December 30

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Orlando - 7:00 PM ET Charlotte +4.5 500
Charlotte - Over 183.5 500

Cleveland - 7:00 PM ET Indiana -9.5 500
Indiana - Under 193 500

Detroit - 7:30 PM ET Boston -9.5 500
Boston - Under 183 500

New Jersey - 7:30 PM ET Atlanta -11.5 500
Atlanta - Under 177 500

Houston - 8:00 PM ET Houston +6 500
Memphis - Over 196 500

Phoenix - 8:00 PM ET New Orleans -2 500
New Orleans - Under 185.5 500

Miami - 8:00 PM ET Miami -8 500
Minnesota - Under 211.5 500

Washington - 8:30 PM ET Washington +9 500
Milwaukee - Under 187.5 500

Toronto - 8:30 PM ET Toronto +8.5 500
Dallas - Over 192.5 500

Philadelphia - 9:00 PM ET Philadelphia -3 500
Utah - Under 190.5 500

Chicago - 10:30 PM ET L.A. Clippers +2 500
L.A. Clippers - Over 192.5 500

**StarDust Bum** · 12-30-2011, 05:50 PM

NHL

Friday, December 30

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Buffalo - 7:00 PM ET Buffalo +161 500
Washington - Under 5.5 500

Calgary - 7:30 PM ET Ottawa -129 500
Ottawa - Under 5.5 500

NY Rangers - 7:30 PM ET NY Rangers -127 500
Florida - Over 5 500

Nashville - 8:00 PM ET St. Louis -175 500
St. Louis - Under 5 500

Detroit - 8:30 PM ET Chicago -111 500
Chicago - Over 5.5 500

Announcement

The Bum's Friday's Best Bets NCAAB - NHL - NBA !

The Bum's Friday's Best Bets NCAAB - NHL - NBA !

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