Announcement

**Udog** · 11-08-2012, 08:44 AM

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Some NFL trends to consider with Week 10 on the horizon........

-- Patriots covered six of their last nine post-bye games.

-- Giants covered 16 of their last 21 as a road favorite.

-- Jets covered eight of last ten post-bye games.

-- Buccaneers are 8-20 vs spread in last 28 home games.

-- Carolina is 0-5 in last five non-divisional home games.

-- Chiefs are 12-6 vs spread when a double digit underdog.

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Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Random stuff on a cold, overcast day........

13) Jason Bay is my new hero; he was owed $21M by the Mets, but is now a free agent, after Bay agreed to defer some of the money owed him. He is free to sign with another team, after hitting .165 in 70 games with the Mets last season.

I'll repeat this; the guy hit freakin' .165, and gets $21M to go away!!!!

12) Maryland Terrapins got some excellent news Wednesday; Xavier transfer Dez Wells, tossed out of school at Xavier for an off-court incident that many people say he got railroaded on, was declared immediately eligible for the Terps, which really helps them. Maryland plays Kentucky Friday, so they’ll need all the help they can get.

11) Underrated election result Tuesday; apparently Puerto Rico voted that they would like to become the 51st state in the union. If that happens, which major leaguer will be the first to change his number to 51, the way Hawai’ian Sid Fernandez used to wear #50 for the Mets?

10) There are 127 I-A college football teams; 27 of them (21.8%) changed head coaches after LY. Two (Kentucky/Idaho) have already fired their HC this year, but the carnage is expected to fall well short of 27 this winter.

9) I had no idea Virginia is only state in our country where the governor is allowed only one term. I would think with a one-term person in charge, six years would be better than four, but thats just me.

8) Former Notre Dame/North Carolina/SMU hoop coach Matt Doherty will try his hand at TV this winter, working games on ESPNU. Always interesting to listen to ex-coaches work games.

7) Houston Cougars have an awful defense; in their last three games, opponents have converted 33 of 55 (60%) 3rd down plays. That’s terrible.

6) Over their last four games, UConn Huskies have been outscored 49-3 in the second half, a different problem than Maryland, which has been outscored 40-3 in the first half of their last three games. Neither is good.

5) NFL games are the top 14 rated TV shows in primetime so far this TV season; #15 is the season premiere of NCIS, starring former UCLA QB Mark Harmon.

4) Not sure if I mentioned this already, but Mark McGwire, who quietly is a pretty good hitting coach, left the Cardinals for the same job with the Dodgers. McGwire hit a walk-off HR against the Dodgers in the ’88 World Series, in the only game the A’s won.

3) Saints’ GM Mickey Loomis is back in the office this week, his eight-game suspension over; not sure how he could be totally have been stopped from working, if he and team employees used their own private cellphones and such. No more worries about that; now all Loomis has to do is get coach Sean Payton under contract for next year and beyond.

2) I thought it never rained in San Diego? Friday’s Syracuse-San Diego State hoop game, scheduled to be played on the deck of an aircraft carrier, has to been moved to Sunday at 4:00 because of rain expected for Friday.

1) Longtime Texas Longhorn football coach Darrell Royal passed away this week at age 88; Texas was a dominant team under Royal- one of his best players was QB James Street, father of major league relief pitcher Huston Street.

To honor Coach Royal's memory, Texas will run the first play of this week's game from the wishbone formation, which was the offense of choice during Royal's heydey. Pretty cool.

**Udog** · 11-08-2012, 08:45 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Oklahoma City at Chicago
The Bulls look to take advantage of an Oklahoma City team that is 0-3-1 ATS in its last 4 road games. Chicago is the pick (+2) according to Dunkel, which has the Bulls favored by 3. Dunkel Pick: Chicago (+2). Here are all of today's picks

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8

Game 701-702: Oklahoma City at Chicago (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oklahoma City 123.890; Chicago 126.637
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 3; 194
Vegas Line & Total: Oklahoma City by 2; 191 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (+2); Over

Game 703-704: LA Clippers at Portland (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Clippers 122.191; Portland 115.546
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Clippers by 6 1/2; 197
Vegas Line & Total: LA Clippers by 1; 202
Dunkel Pick: LA Clippers (-1 1/2); Under

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, November 8

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OKLAHOMA CITY (2 - 2) at CHICAGO (3 - 1) - 11/8/2012, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 99-74 ATS (+17.6 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.

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

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LA CLIPPERS (3 - 2) at PORTLAND (2 - 2) - 11/8/2012, 10:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PORTLAND is 5-2 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
PORTLAND is 4-3 straight up against LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, November 8

Hot Teams
-- Bulls won three of first four games, covering once; they're underdog for first time this season.
-- Clippers are 3-2, but all five games were at Staples, with only "road" game vs Lakers, so this is their first road trip.

Cold Teams
-- Oklahoma City is 2-2, losing only road game, by 2 at San Antonio.
-- Portland is 2-2, beating Lakers in only home game.

Totals
-- Three of four Thunder games stayed under the total.
-- Four of five Clipper games went over the total.

Last Year's Series Records
-- Bulls lost 92-78 at Oklahoma City in LY's only meeting.
-- Clippers won three of four vs Portland LY, splitting pair here.

NBA

Thursday, November 8

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. CHICAGO
Oklahoma City is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
Oklahoma City is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Chicago is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

10:30 PM
LA CLIPPERS vs. PORTLAND
LA Clippers are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games on the road
LA Clippers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games when playing Portland
Portland is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
Portland is 13-5 SU in their last 18 games when playing LA Clippers

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NBA

Thursday, November 8

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NBA TNT doubleheader: What bettors need to know
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Oklahoma City Thunder at Chicago Bulls (+2, 191.5)

James Harden is lighting it up in Houston and Derrick Rose is on the sidelines, but Thursday game between Oklahoma City and Chicago is still an intriguing matchup. Both teams are learning how to win without a key player, although the adjustment hasn't been as smooth for the Thunder. Oklahoma City, which dealt Harden to the Rockets shortly before the season began, evened its record with a 108-88 victory over Toronto on Tuesday in the finale of a three-game homestand.

The Bulls will likely will be without Rose until after the All-Star break. Chicago handed Orlando its first loss of the season with a 99-93 win on Tuesday. The former league Most Valuable Player is recovering from a torn ACL sustained in Chicago's first-round playoff loss to Philadelphia.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT.

ABOUT THE THUNDER (2-2): Kevin Martin, the key figure Oklahoma City received in the blockbuster trade, has replaced Harden as the sixth man. The veteran guard has provided a solid offensive punch, averaging 19.3 points and shooting 51.2 from the field. Martin has hit 61.9 percent of his 3-point attempts. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are averaging 20.8 points apiece, but the offense has struggled in the first four games. Oklahoma City is averaging 98.3 points after scoring 103.1 points last season.

ABOUT THE BULLS (3-1): Other than an unexpected loss to New Orleans in the home opener, Chicago has played well without its star. Coach Tom Thibodeau always stresses defense and that's paid off early in the season. The Bulls allow 88.8 points and force 16.7 turnovers game. Kirk Hinrich has taken over at point guard for Rose, but backup Nate Robinson has provided the biggest boost. Robinson is averaging 12.3 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 51.2 percent.

TRENDS:

* Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Thunder are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Chicago.
* Thunder are 16-5-1 ATS in their last 22 Thursday games.
* Bulls are 1-6 ATS in their last seven vs. Western Conference.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. Westbrook, who has been playing with a sore shoulder, is shooting 38.7 percent from the field and has made just 26.7 percent of his 3-point attempts.

2. The Bulls have six players averaging at least 9.0 points a game. Joakim Noah leads the team in points (16.0) and rebounds (8.8).

3. The Thunder beat the Bulls 92-78 at home in their only meeting last season. Oklahoma City led by 29 points going into the fourth quarter. The teams split six games over the previous three seasons.

Los Angeles Clippers at Portland Trail Blazers (+1, 201.5)

The Los Angeles Clippers travel to Portland to face the well-rested Trail Blazers on Thursday. The Clippers dominated San Antonio for a 106-84 home win on Wednesday. Blake Griffin (22 points, 10 rebounds), DeAndre Jordan (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Chris Paul (10 points, 12 assists) all had double-doubles as the Clippers handed the Spurs their first loss of the season. The lopsided win allowed coach Vinny Del Negro to rest his key players.

Portland hasn't played since Monday when it dropped a 114-91 decision at Dallas. Rookie guard Damian Lillard has been one of the early season surprises in the league. Lillard, the No. 6 overall pick in the draft from Weber State, is second on the team in scoring with a 19.3 average. LaMarcus Aldridge is scoring 22 points a game to lead the Trail Blazers.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT.

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (2-2): Portland has been outscored in the fourth quarter of each game so the Trail Blazers are fortunate to be .500. The least productive bench in the NBA has a lot to do with the problems. Portland's reserves have combined to score 51 points in four games. Rookie center Meyers Leonard, who has scored 14 points, and small forward Sasha Pavlovic, who has 10, are the only bench players to reach double figures for the season. Portland was outscored 31-12 in the fourth quarter of Monday's loss.

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (3-2): Injuries have played a major role in the early going for Los Angeles. Griffin, the Clippers' All-Star forward, has been playing with a ruptured bursa sac in his right elbow and a strained neck. He's averaging 17.4 points and 8.4 rebounds. Veterans Chauncey Billups and Grant Hill have yet to play. Billups is still recovering from Achilles' tendon surgery last season while Hill has a bone bruise in his right knee. Jamal Crawford, who went into Wednesday averaging 24 points a game, was held to 10 against San Antonio.

TRENDS:

* Over is 8-1-2 in the last 11 meetings in Portland.
* Favorite is 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings.
* Home team is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
* Clippers are 2-5 ATS in the last seven meetings.
* Clippers are 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings in Portland.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. The Clippers won three of the four meetings last season.

2. Portland held a 23-2 advantage in offensive rebounds against Dallas, but lost the game by 23 points.

3. Los Angeles committed 15 turnovers Wednesday after turning the ball over 25 times in Monday's loss to Cleveland.

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**Udog** · 11-08-2012, 11:55 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Thursday, November 8

Oklahoma City at Chicago, 8:05 ET TNT
Oklahoma City: 10-4 Over off a home win by 20+ points
Chicago: 10-1 ATS off BB ATS losses

LA Clippers at Portland, 10:35 ET TNT
LA Clippers: 11-2 ATS with a total of 200+ points
Portland: 3-13 ATS with a line of +3 to -3

**Sirporkie** · 11-08-2012, 04:35 PM

Incorrect point here. In virginia a govenor can serve multiple terms just not consecutively.

**Udog** · 11-08-2012, 05:11 PM

Originally posted by Sirporkie View Post

Incorrect point here. In virginia a govenor can serve multiple terms just not consecutively.

We stand corrected! Thanks, Nick!

Announcement

Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 11/8 (NBA, NCAAB, CFL, Misc.)

Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 11/8 (NBA, NCAAB, CFL, Misc.)

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