Tuesday's Trends and Indexes - 2/26 (NBA, NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

[Udog]

NBA

Tuesday, February 26

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Warriors at Pacers: What bettors need to know
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Golden State Warriors at Indiana Pacers (-8, 196.5)

With how well the Miami Heat have played recently, the Indiana Pacers’ surge in the Eastern Conference has fallen below the radar a bit. The Pacers will be looking to post their fifth straight double-digit win when they host the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Indiana has won its last four by an average of 27 points and just got former All-Star Danny Granger back on Saturday. The Warriors have won three straight behind Jarrett Jack and David Lee.

Golden State snapped a five-game road losing streak as Jack came through for 23 points at Minnesota on Sunday. The veteran guard comes off the bench for the Warriors but plays starter minutes and is usually running the offense at crunch time, with Stephen Curry sliding over to the shooting guard spot. Jack gives defenses an extra outside shooter to account for in addition to Curry and Klay Thompson. The Pacers, who own the best scoring defense in the NBA, will not be intimidated by Golden State’s plethora of options.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (Golden State), Fox Sports Indiana

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (33-23, 29-26-1 ATS): Golden State was struggling to adjust to having Andrew Bogut back in the lineup. It is hard not notice that the Warriors have played better the last two games with the former No. 1 pick out again dealing with back spasms. When Bogut is out, Golden State relies heavily on a smaller lineup with Carl Landry in the frontcourt and Lee crashing the boards. Lee has posted back-to-back double-doubles, including a 25-point, 22-rebound effort in an overtime victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. Jack, who like Landry comes off the bench, has been the team’s best crunch-time option on offense during the three-game winning streak. The veteran point guard has put up 24.7 points and 7.3 assists in that span. The Warriors kicked off a five-game road trip with Sunday’s 100-99 win at Minnesota and will get stiff tests from four of the best defensive teams in the East over the next week, with visits to the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers following Tuesday’s date with Indiana.

ABOUT THE PACERS (35-21, 32-24-0 ATS): Indiana is starting to look like a legitimate challenger to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers are holding opponents to an average of 89.4 points and lead the league in rebounding. Granger went 1-for-10 in 19 minutes off the bench on Saturday as he began to shake off the rust from missing the first 55 games. Granger could prove to be the biggest midseason addition to any contending team if he can provide the Pacers with another perimeter scorer to go along with Paul George. Indiana has put up 107.5 points during its four-game winning streak - almost 14 points better than its season average - and has moved up into the No. 2 spot in the East.

TRENDS:

* Favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Home team is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
* Over is 15-7 in the last 22 meetings.
* Warriors are 5-16 ATS in the last 21 meetings.
* Warriors are 1-10 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Indiana.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. Bogut did not travel with the team to Minnesota on Sunday but could join the trip at some point this week.

2. The home team has won nine of the last 10 meetings in the series, including Golden State’s 103-92 home win on Dec. 1. George was held scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting for the Pacers in that setback.

3. Granger has averaged 23.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in 14 career games against the Warriors.


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[Udog]

Hamlin, Johnson, Busch favorites for Subway Fresh Fit 500

Jimmie Johnson is a 6-1 favorite to win the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, coming off this season-opening victory at the Daytona 500 this past Sunday.

Johnson, who is the best active driver at Phoenix with an average finish of 6.68 and four wins in 19 starts, sits behind Denny Hamlin, who opened at 5-1 at the LVH Superbook in Las Vegas Tuesday. Hamlin has 15 starts at the 1-mile oval track, boasting an average finish of 10.27 and is the defending Subway Fresh Fit 500 winner.

Among the oddsmakers’ notables are Kyle Busch at 6-1, Brad Keselowski 8-1, and Kasey Kahne 8-1. Daytona pole winner, Danica Patrick, is a 300-1 long shot coming off an eighth-place showing last Sunday.

Check out the full list of odds for Sunday’s Subway Fresh Fit 500:

JIMMIE JOHNSON 6-1
DENNY HAMLIN 5-1
KYLE BUSCH 6-1
BRAD KESELOWSKI 8-1
MATT KENSETH 12-1
KASEY KAHNE 8-1
TONY STEWART 12-1
JEFF GORDON 12-1
DALE EARNHARDT JR 15-1
GREG BIFFLE 20-1
CARL EDWARDS 20-1
KEVIN HARVICK 12-1
CLINT BOWYER 18-1
MARTIN TRUEX JR 20-1
MARK MARTIN 25-1
JOEY LOGANO 35-1
RYAN NEWMAN 30-1
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 50-1
KURT BUSCH 60-1
PAUL MENARD 100-1
MARCOS AMBROSE 100-1
JUAN MONTOYA 100-1
JAMIE McMURRAY 100-1
ARIC ALMIROLA 100-1
JEFF BURTON 100-1
DANICA PATRICK 300-1
BOBBY LABONTE 1000-1
FIELD 100-1

Odds courtesy of LVH Superbook.

[Udog]

Report: Patriots, Brady agree to three-year extension

Tom Brady has agreed to a three-year, $27 million contract extension with the New England Patriots, as first reported by ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss.

The deal will keep the franchise quarterback in New England through the 2017 season, but what’s shocking about the extension is the pay cut Brady is willing to take in order for the Patriots to remain competitive. The three-time Super Bowl champ will have annual salaries of $7 million in 2015, $8 million in 2016 and $9 million in 2017.

The modest figures will give the Patriots some much-needed cap flexibility next season and for years to come. A Patriots source told NFL.com’s Albert Breer that the Brady extension creates "well over" $30 million in cap space over the next two years, and $20 million for the 2013 season alone. Breer anticipates that some of the savings will be used to lock up Brady’s favorite target, Wes Welker, to a long-term deal.

The Patriots are the favorites to win the 2014 Super Bowl with 5/1 odds at the LVH.

[Udog]

NCAAB
Top 25 Short Sheet

Tuesday, February 26

Indiana at Minnesota, 7:00 ET ESPN
Indiana: 8-2 ATS after one or more consecutive overs
Minnesota: 3-14 ATS after scoring 65 points or less 2 straight games

Memphis at Xavier, 7:00 ET ESPN2
Memphis: 4-14 ATS after playing 2 consecutive home games
Xavier: 51-32 ATS after 4 straight games forcing opponent to commit 14 or less turnovers

Florida at Tennessee, 9:00 ET ESPN
Florida: 12-2 OVER when the total is 120 to 129.5
Tennessee: 8-2 ATS as an underdog

Nebraska at Wisconsin, 9:00 ET BTN
Nebraska: 0-6 ATS off an upset win over a conference rival as an underdog
Wisconsin: 17-4 ATS after 2 straight blowout wins by 20 points or more

[Udog]

NBA
Short Sheet

Tuesday, February 26

Orlando at Philadelphia, 7:05 ET
Orlando: 2-12 ATS against Atlantic division opponents
Philadelphia: 14-4 ATS in home games after a loss by 6 points or less

Golden State at Indiana, 7:05 ET
Golden State: 3-12 ATS in road games after 2 or more consecutive wins
Indiana: 9-1 ATS after a division game

Sacramento at Miami, 7:35 ET
Sacramento: 9-19 ATS revenging a loss where opponent scored 100 or more points
Miami: 9-1 ATS after 2 straight games where they made 9 or more 3 point shots

Brooklyn at New Orleans, 8:05 ET
Brooklyn: 1-9 ATS against Southwest division opponents
New Orleans: 8-0 ATS after failing to cover 3 of their last 4 against the spread

Cleveland at Chicago, 8:05 ET NBATV
Cleveland: 8-18 ATS vs. division opponents
Chicago: 27-14 ATS after 1 or more consecutive losses

Milwaukee at Dallas, 8:35 ET
Milwaukee: 0-7 ATS against Southwest division opponents
Dallas: 13-4 ATS after 3 straight games committing 14 or less turnovers

Minnesota at Phoenix, 9:05 ET
Minnesota: 5-17 ATS after a close loss by 3 points or less
Phoenix: 18-6 ATS after failing to cover the spread in 3 or more consecutive games

Charlotte at LA Clippers, 10:35 ET
Charlotte: 7-18 ATS after one or more consecutive overs
LA Clippers: 24-15 ATS after 1 or more consecutive wins

[Udog]

NHL
Short Sheet

Tuesday, February 26

Dallas at Columbus, 7:05 ET
Dallas: 8-3 SU in road games off a road loss
Columbus: 1-11 SU after having lost 2 of their last 3 games

Carolina at Washington, 7:05 ET
Carolina: 5-0 SU in road games after one or more consecutive overs
Washington: 11-15 SU in home games after allowing 1 goal or less in their previous game

Winnipeg at NY Rangers, 7:05 ET RDS
Winnipeg: 6-0 OVER when playing their 4th game in 7 days
NY Rangers: 19-5 SU after having lost 3 of their last 4 games

Buffalo at Tampa Bay, 7:35 ET
Buffalo: 0-5 SU after allowing 2 goals or more in the third period last game
Tampa Bay: 15-1 SU in a home game where where the total is 6 or more

Pittsburgh at Florida, 7:35 ET
Pittsburgh: 10-2 SU in road games off 2 or more consecutive home wins
Florida: 0-7 SU revenging a road loss versus opponent

Boston at NY Islanders, 7:35 ET NBCSN
Boston: 12-2 SU in road games off 3 or more consecutive road wins
NY Islanders: 0-7 SU after having won 2 of their last 3 games

Calgary at Minnesota, 8:05 ET
Calgary: 28-17 SU in road games off a close home win by 1 goal
Minnesota: 0-6 SU after having won 2 of their last 3 games

Phoenix at Vancouver, 10:05 ET
Phoenix: 27-14 SU in road games after a game where both teams scored 4 goals or more
Vancouver: 7-13 ATS after a blowout loss by 3 goals or more in their previous game

Colorado at San Jose, 10:35 ET
Colorado: 11-4 SU when playing their 3rd game in 4 days
San Jose: 1-7 SU after a game where they failed to cover the spread

[Udog]

See spot. See spot bet: This week's best spot bet opportunities

Spot bets are a classic handicapping practice that have proven profitable no matter what sport you’re betting. Whether it’s a team looking past this week’s opponent, one coming off a hard-fought victory, or a rough patch of schedule, bettors can find value picking their spots.

Lookahead spot

A three-game skid looks to be in the past for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have won two straight heading into Wednesday’s walk-through versus the New Orleans Hornets. But if you think the Big Easy Bugs are going to be just that – easy – think again.

Oklahoma City has a nasty chunk of schedule on the way, starting in Denver Friday. The Thunder then face the Clippers, Lakers and Knicks. Needless to say, Wednesday’s home game with the Hornets isn’t circled on the calendar. New Orleans has been at its best on the road, going 19-11 ATS and averaging 96.7 points away from home (compared to 91.9 in New Orleans).

Letdown spot

The Ivy League crown will likely be decided when conference-leading Harvard takes on No. 2 Princeton in New Jersey Friday night. The Tigers (7-2) are 1.5 games behind the Crimson (9-1) after going 3-1 SU and ATS on a recent four-game road stretch. The lone loss in that span was a 69-57 beating at Harvard as 1.5-point road underdogs on Feb. 16.

Princeton will give all it has versus Harvard and L. Stockwell Jadwin Gymnasium will undoubtedly be rocking Friday. However, the Tigers – win or lose – must turn around and host Dartmouth Saturday. The Big Green, who will be playing their fourth straight road game, are at the bottom of the Ivy League and will get a ton of points versus an emotionally-exhausted Princeton side.

Schedule spot

The Detroit Red Wings may be the most two-faced team in hockey when it comes to home and away efforts. Detroit has built a 7-4-1-0 record in Hockey Town, among the best in the NHL, but has struggled to match that away from Motown. The Red Wings are just 2-3-2-0 on the road, averaging 2.29 goals and 3.29 goals against as visitors (Detroit is averaging 3.33 goals, 2.58 goals against at home).

Detroit hits the bricks for a two-game Western road swing this week, taking on the defending Cup champs, the Los Angeles Kings Wednesday, then playing the San Jose Sharks Thursday. The Kings have found their stride, winning five of their last six, heading into Monday. San Jose is a solid 5-1-0-2 at home.

[Kaptain]

thanks a lot U Dog.....appreciate it