Cnotes 2015 National Basketbaqll Association Playoff Thread News, Notes, Trends, Etc.

[CNOTES]

NBA

Monday, April 20

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Game of the Day: Monday's NBA Playoffs matchups
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Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls (-7.5, 187.5)

The Golden State Warriors spent most of Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series showing why they earned the top record in the regular season. The Warriors will try to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series when they host the New Orleans Pelicans for Game 2 on Monday.

MVP candidate Stephen Curry was phenomenal en route to 34 points in Game 1, but Golden State let a 25-point lead slip down to four before putting the finishing touches on Saturday’s 106-99 triumph. “We didn’t finish it off right,” Warriors center Andrew Bogut told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We know they’re young; they haven’t been in the playoffs in a number of years. They’re going to come out hungry, so we’ve got to finish teams off while we can.” Pelicans star Anthony Davis scored 20 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter but the gap proved to be too large. Davis could need to do even more in Game 2 if Tyreke Evans (knee) can’t take the court.

TRENDS:

*Bulls are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 home games.
*Over is 5-1 in Bucks last 6 overall.
*Bulls are 8-17 ATS in their last 25 games following a ATS win.
*Bucks are 1-6 ATS in the last 7 meetings.


New Orleans Pelicans at Golden State Warriors (-11, 205)

Derrick Rose made his initial postseason appearance in three years a memorable one and aims to help Chicago open a 2-0 lead when the Bulls host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of the first-round Eastern Conference series on Monday. Rose had 23 points and seven assists in his first playoff game since tearing the ACL in his left knee in the 2012 postseason.

Jimmy Butler aided Rose by scoring 25 points as Chicago posted a 103-91 win in Saturday’s series opener while Rose battled to keep his mind from thinking about his past injury setbacks. “You can’t think that way when you’re on the floor and you’re in a battle,” Rose told reporters. “When you step on the floor, all those thoughts have to be in the back of your mind. You have to have a clear mind.” The Bucks haven’t advanced past the first round since the 2000-01 campaign and would like to gain a split before the series shifts to Milwaukee. “There were a lot of nerves and whatnot, but we got rid of it and have a great opportunity on Monday,” Bucks guard Jerryd Bayless told reporters after Game 1.

TRENDS:

*Warriors are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games.
*Under is 6-2-1 in Pelicans last 9 overall.
*Pelicans are 3-7-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
*Under is 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA

Monday, April 20


Pelicans G Evans questionable for Game 2

The New Orleans Pelicans listed guard Tyreke Evans as questionable for Game 2 against the Golden State Warriors with a bone bruise in his left knee that he suffered Saturday night.

Evans underwent an MRI ?exam Saturday night after suffering the injury in a second-quarter collision with Golden State guard Andre Iguodala. ESPN.com reported that the exam revealed no structural damage.

The Warriors built a 15-point lead and rolled to a 106-99 victory in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series. Game 2 will take place Monday night.

After the game, Evans said he "felt a little pop, felt a little snap" in the knee.

Evans, in his sixth NBA season, averaged 16.6 points, 6.6 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 79 games.



NBA roundup: Irving, Cavs roll in Game 1

CLEVELAND -- Guard Kyrie Irving scored 30 points in his postseason debut, including making his first five 3-pointers, and the Cleveland Cavaliers posted a 113-100 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday in Game 1 of a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

Cavs forward LeBron James added 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and forward Kevin Love finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Guard Isaiah Thomas had a team-high 22 points and 10 assists, and center Kelly Olynyk added 12 points for Boston, both off the bench. Swingman Evan Turner had 12 points and seven rebounds, and guard Marcus Smart and forward Brandon Bass had 10 points each to lead the Celtics' starters.

Love missed his first four shots in his playoff debut -- he missed the rim on three of them -- and struggled to shoot 2-for-11 in the first half before erupting in the third quarter. He had eight points and six rebounds within the first 7 1/2 minutes of the third, and the Cavaliers outscored the Celtics 16-4 during a five-minute stretch to take command of the game.

Clippers 107, Spurs 92

LOS ANGELES -- Point guard Chris Paul scored 25 of his game-high 32 points in the second half, and Los Angeles pounded San Antonio in the opener of a first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Forward Blake Griffin added 26 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals for the Clippers, who won their eighth game in a row and their 15th in the past 16. Guard Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 17 points.

Forward Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points to lead the Spurs.

Hawks 99, Nets 92

ATLANTA -- Guard Kyle Korver fueled an electric atmosphere inside Philips Arena with a 21-point performance, lifting Atlanta past Brooklyn in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference playoff series.

The Hawks controlled the game and were dominant in stretches, but couldn't put away the scrappy Nets until the final minute. Brooklyn forward Thaddeus Young cut the Atlanta lead to 93-89 on a floater in the lane with two minutes to play. However, Hawks point guard Jeff Teague scored his team's final six points to secure the win for top-seeded Atlanta.

Teague finished with 17 points, as did forward DeMarre Carroll for the Hawks, who improved to 36-6 at home. Korver hit five 3-pointers, almost always sparking Atlanta runs. Brooklyn forward Joe Johnson and center Brook Lopez each led the Nets with 17 points. Johnson spent seven seasons in Atlanta and was bombarded by boos every time he touched the ball.

Grizzlies 100, Trail Blazers 86

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Reserve point guard Beno Udrih scored a playoff career-high 20 points, and forward Zach Randolph and center Marc Gasol posted double-doubles as Memphis rolled over Portland to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Randolph finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Gasol added 15 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks. The Grizzlies got 16 points from point guard Mike Conley.

Forward LaMarcus Aldridge scored a game-high 32 points for the Trail Blazers, shooting 13-for-34 from the floor. Aldridge also pulled down 14 rebounds and blocked four shots. Portland made 33.7 percent of its field-goal attempts, while Memphis shot 44.3 percent.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA
Dunkel

Monday, April 20


New Orleans Pelicans @ Golden State Warriors

Game 719-720
April 20, 2015 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New Orleans Pelic
117.143
Golden State Warr
133.113
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State Warr
by 16
201
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State Warr
by 11
205
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State Warr
(-11); Under

Milwaukee Bucks @ Chicago Bulls

Game 717-718
April 20, 2015 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee Bucks
117.360
Chicago Bulls
126.866
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago Bulls
by 9 1/2
183
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago Bulls
by 7 1/2
188 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago Bulls
(-7 1/2); Under

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

-- Running a 26-mile marathon seems unhealthy; then again, if I drive 26 miles, I'm looking for a Wendy's drive-thru window.

-- Cubs face Francisco Liriano tonight, their first game against a lefty starter- they also brought up infield prospect Addison Russell, who will play 2B..

-- North Carolina PG Marcus Paige had his ankle scoped this week; he didn't do lot of practicing this season.

-- San Jose Sharks "fired" Todd McLellan after seven years; he was 311-163-66 as Sharks' coach, but never made the Stanley Cup finals. No one quits these jobs.

-- Why would Oklahoma City fire Scott Brooks? Is it his fault his players were hurt all season? Sometimes coaching an NBA team seems like running an asylum. He has not been fired yet, but rumors are they want to hire Kevin Ollie.

-- Jimmy Butler scored 31 points for the Bulls last night; he didn't have a D-I scholarship offer coming out of high school. He went to Tyler JC for a year, then went to Marquette. Life is funny sometimes.

**********

Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud..........

13) Losing isn't fun; Cincinnati Reds' manager Brian Price went on a 5:34 tirade against a sportswriter, complete with 77 F-bombs and 11 other expletives. My first thought on this was: the season is two weeks old and the guy sounds like he's going to have a nervous breakdown. He might not be cut out for the job.

12) Seriously, 77 F-bombs in 5:34 is tremendous and he got off to a slow start. Worst thing about the whole thing is that his basic point is wrong; its the job of the reporter to give out news on the team. If a manager can't deal with this being the age of instant news via social media, then he shouldn't have the job he has. If he doesn't start winning soon, he won't have it anyway.

11) Sad day for a couple of tough guys: Doug Buffone, 71 and Bob St Clair, 84 two very tough men, passed away Monday. Buffone was a LB for the Bears with Dick Butkus, St Clair was a Hall of Famer for the 49ers. RIP fellas.

10) Anaheim Ducks are first team in NHL history to lead a playoff series 3-0 when they trailed all three games in the third period. Ottawa is down 3-0 in its series with Montreal, losing last two games in OT- they led all three games after the first period.

9) Woman was standing behind the plate in Pittsburgh last night; a foul ball hit the net, the net gave way a little and the ball hit the lady square in the side of the head. She was taken away on a stretcher after a 15-minute delay- can you say "personal injury lawsuit"?

8) Steve Spurrier turned 70 years old this week, is still going strong, playing golf and coaching the Gamecocks. He's had a tremendous career.

7) Adrian Peterson will make $765,000 a game this season, $15M in 2016, $17M in 2017; will another team take a chance on such an expensive player in his 30's? Peterson hasn't played since Week 1 of last season.

6) Kyle Wiltjer is coming back to Gonzaga next year, Jakob Poeltl is coming back to Utah, great news for both those teams.

5) Couple transfers to note: PG Ricky Tarrant goes from Alabama to Memphis and Evan Payne goes from LMU to Long Beach State.

4) Rumors say the Marlins will hire Wally Backman as manager if they can Mike Redmond; Backman is a fiery type who has done well in the minors, but Redmond is highly respected. Two weeks is a little quick to be firing people.

3) 15 of 30 current major league managers caught in the big leagues.

2) Ranger-Penguin series is first time since 2009 Stanley Cup finals that the Penguins haven't had home ice advantage in a series- thats ten series ago.

1) NFL schedule comes out tonight at 8:00; as Bud Grant used to say, "Its not who you play, its when you play them." Steelers-Patriots is early favorite to be the Thursday night season opener.

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Pointspreads for Week 1 of the 2015 NFL season

-- Steelers @ Patriots -6
-- Packers -4 @ Bears
-- Chiefs @ Texans -1.5
-- Browns @ Jets -1
-- Colts -3 @ Bills
-- Dolphins -2.5 @ Redskins
-- Panthers -4 @ Jaguars
-- Seahawks -3.5 @ Rams
-- Saints @ Cardinals -2.5
-- Lions @ Chargers -2
-- Titans @ Buccaneers -3
-- Bengals -3 @ Raiders
-- Ravens @ Broncos -4
-- Giants @ Cowboys -5.5
-- Eagles @ Falcons -1.5
-- Vikings @ 49ers -3.5

**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Initial thoughts on the '15 NFL schedule

13) Week 1 Thursday night game: Steelers @ Patriots. New England doesn't have lot of strong opponents on its '15 schedule; with this game on NBC, the opponent had to be a good team, and Pittsburgh fits that bill.

12) Eagles have five primetime games, plus Thanksgiving Day in Detroit, so the league is saying they like what Chip Kelly is doing. Weeks 6-7-9, Philly is on in primetime all three weeks, with a bye in Week 8.

11) Four of the Giants' first six games are night games, with three of the four divisional games.

10) Week 1: Ravens @ Broncos-- Gary Kubiak against team he worked for last year. Week 11: Broncos @ Bears-- John Fox against team he worked for LY.

9) Week 6: Cardinals @ Steelers-- Ben Roethlisberger wasn't happy when the Steelers let Bruce Arians go as OC; Arians returns here as a very successful head coach of the Cardinals-- he spent eight years in Pittsburgh.

8) Rex Ryan faces his old team in Week 10 when the Bills visit Swamp Stadium; they meet again January 3 in Orchard Park. Starting in Week 10, Buffalo plays five of six games on the road, including three in row in Weeks 10-12.

7) Week 1: Packers @ Bears-- Last three years, the team Green Bay opened the season with eliminated the Packers in the playoffs that year.

6) Andre Johnson catches passes for the Colts now; the longtime Texan WR will see his former team in Weeks 5 and 15, with Week 5 in Houston.

5) Week 1: Titans @ Bucs-- If Winston/Mariota are the first two picks in the draft next week, they could face each other in the first game of their careers.

4) Week 2: Seahawks @ Packers-- If Seattle kicks off to start the game, they have to onside kick, right?

3) Thanksgiving tripleheader:
-- Eagles-Lions, Panthers-Cowboys, Bears-Packers. Green Bay will retire #4 that night, as Brett Favre returns to the frozen tundra.

2) Jerry Jones better order some warm parkas for his team; their last three road games are in Washington (Dec 7 night game), Green Bay six days later, then in Buffalo on Dec 27. Something to ponder when you draft your fantasy team.

1) Oh yeah, DeMarco Murray is an Eagle now; Philly-Dallas games are Week 2, a 4:25 (presumably national) game, then a Week 9 Sunday night game.

 

[CNOTES]

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

Schedule spot

The Pittsburgh Pirates blow the dust off the suitcases this week, flying cross country for a date with the Arizona Diamondbacks starting Friday. The Bucs don’t have much down time to get their travel plans or home life in order before this nine-game road run that takes them into May. They host the Chicago Cubs for a day game Thursday, then immediately rush to the airport to catch their flight to Phoenix.

Last season, the Pirates avoided a situation like this, with at least a day between cross-country hikes. In 2013, the Bucs kicked off the season with a three-game home stand versus the Cubs that finished on a Friday and traveled overnight to play the L.A. Dodgers that Saturday, losing the opener 3-0 and getting swept in that three-game set, outscored 10-2.

Letdown spot

Gas was thrown on the Giants-Dodgers rivalry last October when San Francisco won its third championship in five years. The Giants continue to come through in October while Los Angeles spends millions on talent every offseason only to come up short. These National League West members picked up that rivalry this week with a three-game set in the Bay Area, and San Fran could be ripe for a letdown in the game immediately following the series finale Thursday.

San Francisco heads to Coors Field Friday, where letdown games usually involve the hometown Rockies sending a few balls over the fences at the homer-friendly park. The Giants were already swept by Colorado at home, getting outscored 10-3 in that series. San Fran has a 3.92 ERA on the road to start this season and the last time they went mile high, the Giants gave up 26 runs in three games to the Rockies.

Lookahead spot

The Golden State Warriors have cruised to two easy victories to open their first round NBA Playoffs series against the New Orleans Pelicans, winning 106-99 in Game 1 and 97-87 in Game 2 Monday. But while those games were rarely in doubt, outside of a slow start in Game 2, Golden State has burned backers who gladly gave the big points in those contests.

The Warriors are 0-2 ATS versus spreads of 12.5 and 13.5 points in the postseason and have actually struggled against double-digit chalk in recent weeks (1-6 ATS last seven). The Warriors are giving five points with the series swinging to New Orleans in Game 1 but bettors should beware over these next two games, especially if Golden State takes Game 3. They could start looking ahead to their possible Round 2 matchup, extending a 1-7 ATS record in their last eight overall.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, April 22

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BROOKLYN (38 - 45) at ATLANTA (61 - 22) - 4/22/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 49-31 ATS (+14.9 Units) in all games this season.
ATLANTA is 36-22 ATS (+11.8 Units) as a favorite this season.
ATLANTA is 26-16 ATS (+8.4 Units) in home games this season.
BROOKLYN is 53-37 ATS (+12.3 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 13-29 ATS (-18.9 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 7-5 against the spread versus BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 8-4 straight up against BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PORTLAND (51 - 32) at MEMPHIS (56 - 27) - 4/22/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PORTLAND is 25-40 ATS (-19.0 Units) against Southwest division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
PORTLAND is 10-23 ATS (-15.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 3 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 142-105 ATS (+26.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more since 1996.
MEMPHIS is 28-17 ATS (+9.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 9-3 against the spread versus PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS is 10-2 straight up against PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SAN ANTONIO (55 - 28) at LA CLIPPERS (57 - 26) - 4/22/2015, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 21-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) in home games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 901-788 ATS (+34.2 Units) in all games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 405-341 ATS (+29.9 Units) second half of the season since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 127-90 ATS (+28.0 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 323-270 ATS (+26.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 9-20 ATS (-13.0 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 171-234 ATS (-86.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 130-169 ATS (-55.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA CLIPPERS is 7-5 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 6-6 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, April 22

Brooklyn lost last six games with Atlanta, losing by seven in Game 1 as Atlanta's starters took 11-12-12-12-12 shots. Hawks made 10 of 30 from arc, 21-22 on line. Nets had only four fast break points. Brooklyn lost last three road games by 32-23-7 points. Hawks' C Horford hurt his finger in Game 1, but he came back in game later. Johnson was just 6-17 for Nets; he'll have to do better.

Memphis held Portland to 33.7% from floor in 100-86 Game 1 win; they were up 19 at half. Grizzlies won five in row, 10 of its last 11 games with Portland, covering nine of last ten. Memphis held the Blazers to six fast break points. Portland covered six of last nine games, lost four of last five on road, losing by 4-8-14-14- its subs made final score more respectable- starters were combined -71.

Defending champ Spurs are 12-2 in last 14 first round series, 3-1 in years after they won a title. SA lost last three games with Clipper, losing 107-92 in Game 1- Spurs' starting G's shot combined 6-22 from floor. LA won its last seven games overall, winning four in row at home by 5-8-7-5 points. Spurs won 11 of last 13 games; they lost first playoff game in three of four championship seasons.

Home favorites are 7-6 in this round; home teams are 11-2 SU, with Washington getting both road wins-- over is 4-9.

2015 playoffs

Brooklyn vs Atlanta
Atl 99-92, -10, U201.5

Boston vs Cleveland
Clev 113-100, -11.5, O203
Clev 99-91, -11, U206

Milwaukee vs Chicago
Chi 103-91, -8, O186
Chi 91-82, -8, U190.5

Washington vs Toronto
Wash 93-86 OT, +4, U194.5
Wash 117-106, +5, O193.5

New Orleans vs Golden State
GSt 106-99, -12, U205
GSt 97-87, -13, U206.5

Dallas vs Houston
Hst 118-108, -5.5, O212.5
Hst 111-99, -6.5, U214

San Antonio vs LA Clippers
LA 107-92, -1.5, U207
Portland vs Memphis
Mem 100-86, -5.5, U188.5

East vs West
SU: West 242-177 ATS: West 214-202-3
East teams HF vs West: 56-57
East teams HU vs West: 46-52
West teams HF vs East: 81-79-3
West teams HU vs East: 24-21




NBA

Wednesday, April 22

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
BROOKLYN vs. ATLANTA
Brooklyn is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Brooklyn is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Atlanta's last 16 games when playing at home against Brooklyn

8:00 PM
PORTLAND vs. MEMPHIS
Portland is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Portland is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Memphis
Memphis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Portland
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Memphis's last 15 games when playing Portland

10:30 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. LA CLIPPERS
San Antonio is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
San Antonio is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
LA Clippers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 5 games at home

 

[CNOTES]

NBA

Wednesday, April 22


NBA roundup: Wizards win at Toronto again

TORONTO -- Guard Bradley Beal scored a game-high 28 points and grabbed five rebounds, and the Washington Wizards took a 2-0 series lead with a 117-106 win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night at Air Canada Center.

Washington became the fifth team to go up 2-0 on the road since the first round expanded to best-of-seven in 2003.

Wizards point guard John Wall added 26 points while setting a franchise playoff record with 17 assists. Center Marcin Gortat had 16 points and eight rebounds, while forward Otter Porter added 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

The Raptors, who got 20 points apiece from guard Lou Williams and DeMar DeRozan, face a tough road. Only three teams in NBA history won a best-of-seven series after falling behind 0-2 at home.

Cavaliers 99, Celtics 91

CLEVELAND -- Forward LeBron James and guard Kyrie Irving combined to score all 24 of Cleveland's fourth-quarter points, and the Cavaliers survived a scare from Boston to grab a 2-0 lead in their opening-round playoff series.

James scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth, and Irving added nine of his 26 points in the fourth. James also had nine rebounds and seven assists, while Irving had five rebounds and six assists.

Boston guard Isaiah Thomas, who finished second this week in Sixth Man of the Year balloting, finished with 22 points, including 10-of-10 shooting at the free-throw line on a night the Celtics' bench outscored the Cavs' reserves 51-7.

Rockets 111, Mavericks 99

HOUSTON -- With Josh Smith producing a crowd-pleasing passing exhibition, one that led to several rim-rattling dunks from Dwight Howard, Houston pulled away from Dallas and took Game 2 of its Western Conference first-round series at Toyota Center.

Smith finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, recording seven assists in the fourth quarter. During one decisive stretch, he fed Howard (28 points, 12 rebounds) on four alley-oop dunks, turning a three-point deficit into a 94-86 lead with 7:39 left.

During that stretch, Smith also converted a driving layup, and he tallied the final basket for the Rockets with a thunderous dunk working the pick-and-roll with guard James Harden (24 points, six assists).

The Rockets grabbed a 2-0 series lead by scoring 60 points in the paint. Reserve forward Corey Brewer added 15 points for Houston.

 

[CNOTES]

Thursday's Playoff Essentials


April 23, 2015




Cavaliers at Celtics – 7:05 p.m. ET
LeBron James dropped the passive facilitator act and finished with a game-high 30 points in Game 2, imposing his will on the contest. He distributed seven assists like he did in the series opener, but was certainly more assertive in getting to the rim and took 22 shots. He hasn’t been perfect, shooting just 2-for-8 from 3-point range and committing 11 turnovers, but accomplished his mission of making sure new tag-team partners Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving got off on the right foot. VegasInsider expert Kevin Rogers points out that “while a member of the Heat, James’ squad took a 2-0 series lead in the first round of all four postseasons and in Game 3 on the road, Miami won and covered all four times, a good sign for backing the Cavaliers here.” Irving stole the show in Game 1 with a 30 points, including five 3-pointers, while adding 26 points on Tuesday. Love has shot poorly (8-for-22) but is averaging a team-high nine rebounds per contest. The Cavs opened -3500 to win the series according to Sportsbook.ag and are now -25000 up 2-0. Game 2 snapped a streak of three consecutive games that had gone over the posted total. Cleveland has won six of its last eight as a road favorite, going 5-3 ATS in that span.


The Celtics have held second-quarter leads in both games thus far, but the Cavs have won the third quarter by a combined margin of 53-40 and have therefore coasted into both fourth quarters with comfortable leads. Brad Stevens has put an emphasis on improving after the break, so don’t be surprised to see him mix things up in Game 3. Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Isaiah Thomas has come off the bench to score 22 points in both losses in Cleveland while also averaging 8.5 assists. He’s only playing 31 minutes per contest, so the adjustment may simply be to give him more run. Rookie Marcus Smart is averaging 10 points per game but is just 2-for-9 from 3-point range and has been dared by the Cavs to keep shooting. Avery Bradley is just 6-for-19, so Boston’s top defenders simply haven’t been able to find the range. Stevens sat Jonas Jerebko in Game 2 and gave more of Kelly Olynyk’s minutes to Jared Sullinger, who has started regaining his rhythm after missing 24 games post-All-Star break. Sullinger got 22 minutes and scored 14 points in Game 2, the most he’s managed since Feb. 11. The 6-11 Olynyk can still be useful in taking advantage of mismatches on the perimeter. Evan Turner has seen the majority of time on James and has averaged 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds, but is just 7-for-23 from the field. Rogers adds that “the Celtics put together a solid winning stretch at TD Garden from February through mid-March, but have dropped four of their past seven home contests. One of those wins came against a Cavaliers’ squad that sat James, Irving, and Love towards the end of the regular season in a 117-78 blowout, but Boston has compiled a 4-1 ATS record in its past five as a home underdog.” Boston was +1500 to pull the upset in this series per Sportsbook.ag and is now +5000. Unders have prevailed in four of the Celtics last six games, including Game 2.


Bulls at Bucks – 8:05 p.m. ET


Right off the bat, we’ll get to see how engaged the Bucks crowd will be in their first home playoff game since 2013, only the sixth time they’ve hosted since ‘06. Complicating matters is the opponent, since Bulls fans are very likely to make their voices heard less than 100 miles from home. This is the first time the long-time rivals have met in the postseason in 25 years, but that’s not expected to alter the custom of Chicago fans finding tickets and being just as loud as the Milwaukee backers. Bulls Nation is riled up, too. Point guard Derrick Rose and former Marquette standout Jimmy Butler have thrilled Chicago with how healthy and explosive they’ve looked since returning from significant injuries. Rose has averaged 19 points and eight assists, getting to the rim and showing off an improved 3-point stroke, currently 5-for-13 from beyond the arc in the series. Butler is averaging 28 points through the first two games, shooting 18-for-33 (55 percent). His 31 points in Game 2 was the All-Star’s best scoring night since Jan. 29, helping the Bulls prevail despite the rest of the team shooting a combined 21-for-62 (33.8 pct) in a 91-82 win. Rookie forward Nikola Mirotic, typically able to give Chicago a boost with his perimeter touch and ability to create matchup problems, will miss Thursday’s game with a left knee strain suffered on Monday night. Kirk Hinrich (knee) has yet to play in the series but went through practice yesterday and will likely see his first postseason action. Joakim Noah has played through a hamstring issue and is averaging 15 rebounds per contest despite managing just 6.0 points per game. Pau Gasol is just 9-for-29 this postseason, but is averaging 10.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 blocks. The Bulls opened -750 to hold serve in this series according to Sportsbook.ag and are now -7000. Chicago has won six consecutive games and has covered five of those. The under is 6-3-1 in the team’s last 10 games.

The Bucks are shooting just 37.4 percent thus far this postseason, including 8-for-33 from 3-point range (24.2 pct). They’ve been outrebounded 116-89 and are really being exposed by Tom Thibodeau’s elite defense. Jason Kidd is the only coach in NBA history to take two different teams to the postseason in his first two years as a head coach, but this group is much younger than last year’s veteran Nets squad and is viewing this more as a learning atmosphere than a pressure situation. Point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who came over at the All-Star break, has averaged just 2.5 assists in the series and has shot 9-for-25 (36 pct) from the field, taking just one 3-pointer. The Bulls have been cutting off his driving angles and daring him to take open perimeter looks. Shooting guard Khris Middleton has led the Bucks in scoring, averaging 20 points per game in the series despite shooting 40.5 percent, roughly the same clip he shot against them in four regular-season meetings (21-for-51). Talented young small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is shooting just 25 percent against Chicago (6-for-24), averaging 9.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. Milwaukee was 23-18 at home this season, but is just 4-6 at Bradley Center since March 18, going 4-5-1 ATS. The Bucks are just 2-6 SU in their last eight games as a home underdog. They opened at +500 to win the series according to Sportsbook.ag, but are now +2000 after falling into an 0-2 hole. Five of their last seven games have gone over the posted total.


Warriors at Pelicans – 9:35 p.m. ET


All five starters scored in double-figures in the series opener, but the scoring wasn’t quite as balanced in Game 2. Klay Thompson took his turn playing primary catalyst, connecting on 11 of 17 shot attempts to finish with a team-high 26 points. He averaged 19.7 points over three regular-season games, but shot just 41 percent against the Pelicans, so seeing him rebound from a 6-for-17 performance in Game 1 was reassuring. MVP front-runner Stephen Curry has been great, opening the playoff run with 34 points and adding 22 on Monday. For the season, his scoring output of 23.5 points in four regular-season meetings with New Orleans is right there near his average over 80 games (23.8), but he stepped his game up further at Smoothie King Center, averaging 29.5 and eight assists while shooting 11-for-18 from 3-point range. Despite the “Splash Brothers” getting off nicely, the key to persevering through a sneakily complicated series lies in the continued success of Draymond Green. The undersized power forward has been incredibly impressive defending Anthony Davis, who is a few inches bigger and longer, not to mention more talented. Green’s defense was the key in holding him to 9-for-22 shooting in Game 2 after his 35-point explosion on Saturday, keeping him from making a shot in five fourth-quarter attempts. Davis was 3-for-12 when Green guarded him. Andrew Bogut, the key to the Warriors winning a championship since they can’t replace his rim protection or how well he facilitates on offense from the five-spot, averaged 7.3 points,8.0 rebounds and 4.7 blocks against the Pelicans, during the regular season, has grabbed 28 boards and blocked five shots in the two wins in Oakland. VI’s Rogers researched that the “Warriors are favored on the road in the playoffs for the first time in 17 games, which stretches back to their first round upset of the Mavericks back in 2007. In the last three postseasons, Golden State has lost seven of 10 away from Oracle Arena, surrendering at least 100 points in five straight road playoff contests.” GSW opened at -5000 to win this series at Sportsbook.ag, by far the largest favorite of the first-round. Up 2-0, the Warriors are now -16500. The Warriors are 1-7 ATS in their last eight, but had covered in nine of 10 prior to this stretch. They’re 2-4 ATS against the Pelicans despite winning five of the six encounters.


When the Pelicans held off the Warriors 103-100 on April 7, Davis told reporters they considered themselves “an elite team” that “can play with anybody and beat anybody on any given night.” New Orleans put a couple of scares into Golden State at Oracle and is out to prove it can make this a series. Davis, despite his struggles with Green, is averaging 30.5 points, 9.0 boards and 3.0 blocks, so any chance the Pelicans have starts and ends with him. Unfortunately, Davis doesn’t have the help he envisioned since point guard Jrue Holiday (leg), missed Game 2 and is still dealing with soreness that has him questionable for Thursday. Tyreke Evans (knee) played 41 minutes after being limited to just 12 in Game 1. He came up with 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists on Monday but was visibly hampered and is just 4-for-15 in the series Ryan Anderson returned after missing most of March and still hasn’t been able to find the range. He shot 32 percent over nine April contests and is 2-for-11 in the series, making just one 3-pointer. Eric Gordon has continued to shoot the ball well and is 9-for-17 from beyond the arc in the series, lifting him to 33-for-67 (49 pct) from beyond the arc in April. Rogers likes that New Orleans can regroup at home, seeing this as “a favorable spot as a home underdog in Game 3. New Orleans owns a perfect 5-0 SU/ATS record since the All-Star break when getting points at home, which includes victories over Toronto, Golden State, and San Antonio.” The Pelicans are also 5-0 SU/ATS in their last five home outings, winning three as a favorite and two as a dog. The Pelis opened at +1800 at Sportsbook.ag and are at +4000. The under has gone 6-2-2 in New Orleans’ last 10 contests.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, April 23

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

CLEVELAND (55 - 29) at BOSTON (40 - 44) - 4/23/2015, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 7-6 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 7-6 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

CHICAGO (52 - 32) at MILWAUKEE (41 - 43) - 4/23/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 17-26 ATS (-11.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
MILWAUKEE is 45-36 ATS (+5.4 Units) in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 29-20 ATS (+7.0 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
MILWAUKEE is 136-101 ATS (+24.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 50-71 ATS (-28.1 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 13-22 ATS (-11.2 Units) second half of the season this season.
MILWAUKEE is 46-64 ATS (-24.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
MILWAUKEE is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 9-5 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 10-4 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
9 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

GOLDEN STATE (69 - 15) at NEW ORLEANS (45 - 39) - 4/23/2015, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ORLEANS is 47-35 ATS (+8.5 Units) in all games this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 27-13 ATS (+12.7 Units) as an underdog this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) against Pacific division opponents this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 25-16 ATS (+7.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 46-34 ATS (+8.6 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 42-28 ATS (+11.2 Units) as a favorite this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) when playing with 2 days rest this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) in the first round of the playoffs since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 28-15 ATS (+11.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 26-17 ATS (+7.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 24-13 ATS (+9.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 29-17 ATS (+10.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 35-21 ATS (+11.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 8-4 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 12-1 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, April 23

Lebron James is 39-7 in first round games in his career; Cleveland won eight of last ten games overall, covering two of its last eight; they were 20-59 on arc, 50-59 on line in first two wins, as Irving was on court for 80 minutes, James 84. Boston covered nine of its last eleven games overall; they had only 13 fast break points in first two games, were -20 on the boards. Smart/Turner are 15-38 combined from floor in first two series games.

Chicago made 24-65 from arc in first two series wins- they held the Bucks to 39%/36% from floor. Bulls won eight of last nine games with Milwaukee (7-1 vs spread in last eight)-- seven of last ten games stayed under total. Chicago won last five games. Bucks are 8-33 from arc in two games; they've only turned ball over 12 times in two games, but also have only 21 fast break points in the two games. Five of last seven Milwaukee games went over the total.

New Orleans lost 10 of last 12 games with Golden State, losing by 7-10 in first two games- they were down only 55-52 at half in last game, after being down 18 in Game 1. Golden State won ten of last twelve games, but covered only one of last eight- they got to line 34 times in Game 1, but only 19 last game. Davis had 61 points for New Orleans in first two games, but other starters went 27-74 from floor, even with Evans back in lineup (41:00) in Game 2.

Home favorites are 8-8 in this round; home teams are 13-3 SU, with two of three road wins in OT-- over is 5-11.

2015 playoffs
Brooklyn vs Atlanta
Atl 99-92, -10, U201.5
Atl 96-91, -9.5, U202

Boston vs Cleveland
Clev 113-100, -11.5, O203
Clev 99-91, -11, U206

Milwaukee vs Chicago
Chi 103-91, -8, O186
Chi 91-82, -8, U190.5

Washington vs Toronto
Wash 93-86 OT, +4, U194.5
Wash 117-106, +5, O193.5

New Orleans vs Golden State
GSt 106-99, -12, U205
GSt 97-87, -13, U206.5

Dallas vs Houston
Hst 118-108, -5.5, O212.5
Hst 111-99, -6.5, U214

San Antonio vs LA Clippers
LAC 107-92, -1.5, U207
SA 111-107 OT, +1.5, O207.5

Portland vs Memphis
Mem 100-86, -5.5, U188.5
Mem 97-82, -6, U189

East vs West
SU: West 242-177 ATS: West 214-202-3
East teams HF vs West: 56-57
East teams HU vs West: 46-52
West teams HF vs East: 81-79-3
West teams HU vs East: 24-21




NBA

Thursday, April 23

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

7:00 PM
CLEVELAND vs. BOSTON
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cleveland's last 9 games on the road
Boston is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games when playing at home against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games

8:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. MILWAUKEE
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 7 games

9:30 PM
GOLDEN STATE vs. NEW ORLEANS
Golden State is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Golden State's last 6 games on the road
New Orleans is 2-7-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans's last 5 games when playing at home against Golden State

 

[CNOTES]

NBA

Wednesday, April 22

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Game of the Day: Thursday's NBA Playoffs matchups
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics (+4, 203.5)
Cavaliers lead the series 2-0

The Cleveland Cavaliers are two wins away from a trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals and appear to have the Boston Celtics on the ropes. The Celtics will try to steal a game in the best-of-seven series when they host the Cavaliers in Game 3 on Thursday.

Boston showed flashes of being able to keep up with No. 2 seed Cleveland in the first two games but has had no answer for LeBron James and Kyrie Irving down the stretch. “I’ve been in this moment before and a lot of our guys haven’t, so I felt like it was important for me to just try to put a staple on the game the best way I know how and that’s by being aggressive,” James told reporters. “I was able to make a few plays to help our team get the win and that’s what’s very important for me – just to be there for my team when they need it.” James and Irving combined to score all of the Cavaliers’ 24 fourth-quarter points in Game 2. The Celtics were 21-20 at home during the regular season, including a 117-78 win over Cleveland on Apr. 12 in which the Cavaliers rested their starters.

TRENDS:

*Cavaliers are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 vs. Eastern Conference.
*Celtics are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. NBA Central.
*Under is 4-0 in Cavaliers last 4 vs. a team with a losing S.U. record.
*Under is 4-0 in Celtics last 4 games playing on 1 days rest.


Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks (+2.5, 187)
Bulls lead series 2-0

Jimmy Butler is terrorizing Milwaukee and looks for a third consecutive strong game when the Chicago Bulls visit the Bucks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first-round series on Thursday. Butler is averaging 28 points while lifting Chicago to a 2-0 lead and he set a personal playoff high with 31 points in Monday’s 91-82 win.

Butler was at his best in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game as he scored 14 points in the final stanza. Milwaukee knows it faces a near must-win situation but remains confident it can get back into the series. “We lose these two but we are going to fight to get his series back,” shooting guard Khris Middleton told reporters. “We are going to defend our home court Thursday.” Middleton averaged 20 points in the first two games but the Bucks averaged just 86.5 as a team.

TRENDS:

*Bulls are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
*Home team is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
*Under is 8-2 in Bulls last 10 vs. NBA Central
*Under is 5-1 in Bucks last 6 vs. a team with a winning S.U. record


Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans (+5, 203)
Warriors lead series 2-0

The Golden State Warriors put up the best road record in the NBA this season at 28-13, but the most recent of those 13 setbacks came at New Orleans on Apr. 7. The Pelicans will try to turn that trick again and climb back in the series when they host the top-seeded Warriors in Game 3 of their first-round Western Conference series on Thursday.

New Orleans was surprisingly pesky in the first two games of the series but did not have quite enough to get over the hump in the fourth quarter of either contest and heads home in an 0-2 hole. “Hopefully for the fans watching (Game 2), our crowd can be like (the boisterous Warriors home crowd),” Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans told reporters. “When we’ve got our crowd behind us, we’re going to perform, play hard and do a good job.” New Orleans went 28-13 in its own arena during the regular season but Golden State won’t be intimidated. Warriors star Stephen Curry poured in 56 points in the first two games and averaged 25.5 points on the road in the regular season.

TRENDS:

*Warriors are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games following a S.U. win.
*Pelicans are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games.
*Under is 5-1 in Warriors last 6 road games.
*Under is 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA
Dunkel

Thursday, April 23


Golden State Warriors @ New Orleans Pelicans

Game 737-738
April 23, 2015 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Golden State Warr
129.927
New Orleans Pelic
120.785
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State Warr
by 9
198
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State Warr
by 5
204
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State Warr
(-5); Under

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Boston Celtics

Game 733-734
April 23, 2015 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland Cavalie
123.605
Boston Celtics
125.091
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston Celtics
by 1 1/2
209
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland Cavalie
by 5
203 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston Celtics
(+5); Over

Chicago Bulls @ Milwaukee Bucks

Game 735-736
April 23, 2015 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago Bulls
122.048
Milwaukee Bucks
123.470
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Milwaukee Bucks
by 1 1/2
191
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago Bulls
by 3
187
Dunkel Pick:
Milwaukee Bucks
(+3); Over

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

Top six picks in ESPN.com's last NFL mock draft........

6) Jets-- Todd Gurley, RB Georgia-- Has been cleared medically.

5) Redskins-- Shane Ray, LB Missouri-- Skins need an edge pass rusher.

4) Raiders-- Amari Cooper, WR Alabama-- Derek Carr needs some receivers.

3) Jaguars-- Dante Fowler, DE Florida-- Can also play outside linebacker.

2) Titans-- Marcus Mariota, QB Oregon-- Could very easily trade this pick.

1) Buccaneers-- Jameis Winston, QB Florida State-- If you made $1M a year and your job depended on getting this pick right, who would you choose?

**********

Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here.......

13) Warriors 123, Pelicans 119 OT-- Golden State was down 20 after the third quarter; Curry was 7-18 on the arc, Thompson 6-12, everyone else 1-11.

12) Bulls 113, Bucks 106 2OT-- In a double OT game, Chicago was +18 if Pau Gasol was on the court, -11 if he wasn't and he was only off for 14:00.

11) Reason #7,142 that NBA playoff series are too long; teams down 3-0 are a combined 0-110 in playoff series. Thats oh and 110.

10) Rajon Rondo will go down as one of the NBA's all-time strangest people; there was a story on the Interweb this year about when he was with Boston, during a film session, he took a water bottle, fired it at the 50-inch flatscreen TV that was playing the video of the game and shattered it. For no reason other than than the coach was critiquing his play. Oy.

9) Over/under on Lebron James' points Thursday was 26.5; he had 31. One of the great joys of being in Las Vegas is all the odd things you can bet on- there is no shortage of prop bets for any big event.

8) More college basketball transfers: Manu Lecomte from Miami to Baylor; Drexel's leading scorer Damion Lee was poached by Louisville.

7) Speaking of Louisville, they're taking a trip to Puerto Rico in August, where they will play six exhibition games. Trips like this are invaluable.

6) Maryland-Georgetown have finally agreed to play a game in November, which will be very big in that area of the world- they've only met three times since 1980, when Georgetown became a national power.

5) Mississippi State is expected to land Malik Newman today, the first prime recruit of the Ben Howland era; Newman's dad played for State. Problem is if he is any good, he's likely a 1-and-done, but he puts the Bulldogs on the map.

4) NFL schedule oddity: this will be the second year in a row no AFC team will play on Thanksgiving Day.

3) Mets are the 28th team since 2000 to win 11 games in a row; only two of previous 27 wound up that season with a losing record: the '04 Rays went 70-91 despite a 12-game win streak. The '13 Blue Jays won 11 games in a row, but wound up 74-88 anyway.

2) Major league teams whose pitchers walk more than they strike out are 4-25 this season, wth two of the four wins coming Wednesday night.

1) Baseball season is 18 days old; Phillies have played 16 games (5-11) but they still haven't led a game (0-13-3) after the fifth inning.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA
Dunkel

Friday, April 24

Los Angeles Clippers @ San Antonio Spurs

Game 743-744
April 24, 2015 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles Clipp
129.626
San Antonio Spurs
131.525
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio Spurs
by 2
200
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio Spurs
by 4 1/2
204 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles Clipp
(+4 1/2); Under

Houston Rockets @ Dallas Mavericks

Game 739-740
April 24, 2015 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston Rockets
119.195
Dallas Mavericks
126.453
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas Mavericks
by 7 1/2
219
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas Mavericks
by 1
214 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas Mavericks
(-1); Over

Toronto Raptors @ Washington Wizards

Game 741-742
April 24, 2015 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto Raptors
116.533
Washington Wizard
124.884
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington Wizard
by 8 1/2
199
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington Wizard
by 4
195 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington Wizard
(-4); Over




NBA
Long Sheet

Friday, April 24

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

HOUSTON (58 - 26) at DALLAS (50 - 34) - 4/24/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 224-181 ATS (+24.9 Units) vs. division opponents since 1996.
HOUSTON is 50-33 ATS (+13.7 Units) in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 23-13 ATS (+8.7 Units) second half of the season this season.
HOUSTON is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 21-10 ATS (+10.0 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
HOUSTON is 29-18 ATS (+9.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
HOUSTON is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
HOUSTON is 28-17 ATS (+9.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.
HOUSTON is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 34-46 ATS (-16.6 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 12-22 ATS (-12.2 Units) second half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) after a division game this season.
DALLAS is 9-21 ATS (-14.1 Units) after allowing 105 points or more this season.
DALLAS is 15-29 ATS (-16.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DALLAS is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 18-32 ATS (-17.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
DALLAS is 10-20 ATS (-12.0 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 8-6 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 8-6 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

TORONTO (49 - 35) at WASHINGTON (48 - 36) - 4/24/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 37-46 ATS (-13.6 Units) in all games this season.
TORONTO is 13-23 ATS (-12.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
TORONTO is 14-25 ATS (-13.5 Units) after scoring 105 points or more this season.
TORONTO is 13-24 ATS (-13.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
TORONTO is 158-200 ATS (-62.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 17-5 ATS (+11.5 Units) in April games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 36-45 ATS (-13.5 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 40-53 ATS (-18.3 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 8-20 ATS (-14.0 Units) as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 34-48 ATS (-18.8 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 129-173 ATS (-61.3 Units) on Friday nights since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) after allowing 105 points or more this season.
WASHINGTON is 18-28 ATS (-12.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 7-6 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 8-5 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
9 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

LA CLIPPERS (57 - 27) at SAN ANTONIO (56 - 28) - 4/24/2015, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 225-277 ATS (-79.7 Units) after allowing 105 points or more since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 171-235 ATS (-87.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 130-170 ATS (-57.0 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 902-788 ATS (+35.2 Units) in all games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 714-607 ATS (+46.3 Units) as a favorite since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 460-382 ATS (+39.8 Units) in home games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in home games second half of the season this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 73-47 ATS (+21.3 Units) in home games in all playoff games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 26-12 ATS (+12.8 Units) when tied in a playoff series since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 73-54 ATS (+13.6 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 256-210 ATS (+25.0 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 21-8 ATS (+12.2 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 30-21 ATS (+6.9 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 120-85 ATS (+26.5 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA CLIPPERS is 7-6 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 7-6 straight up against LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, April 24

Washington has two of three road wins by lower seeded teams in this round; they shot 53% from floor in Game 2, one of only three teams to shoot 50% in playoffs so far- they were also 10-21 on arc. Toronto subs scored more points than starters in first two games- they have only 16 fast break points in two games. Raptors won four of last six road games. Five of their last seven Toronto games stayed under total. Wizards won four of last five at home.

Houston won six of last seven games with Dallas; five of last six series games stayed under total. Rockets won eight of last ten overall; six of their last eight games went over. Dallas is 4-3 in its last six games; nine of its last 11 went over. There were total of 24 points scored on fast break in Game 2, compared to 50 in Game 1. Rockets took 80 FTs, Dallas 55 in first two games. Mavericks won last two home games- their last four losses are all by 10+.

Defending champ Spurs are 12-2 in last 14 first round series, 3-1 in years after they won a title. SA lost three of last three games with Clipper, losing 107-92 in Game 1- Spurs' starting G's shot combined 9-34 from floor in first two games; Parker is hurt-- Mills had 18 off the bench to save Game 2. LA won seven of its last eight games overall, winning last four on road. Spurs won 12 of last 14 games; they lost first playoff game in three of four championship seasons

Home favorites are 8-8 in this round, home dogs are 1-2; home teams are 13-6 SU, with four of six road wins in OT-- over is 7-12.

2015 playoffs
Brooklyn vs Atlanta
Atl 99-92, -10, U201.5
Atl 96-91, -9.5, U202

Boston vs Cleveland
Clev 113-100, -11.5, O203
Clev 99-91, -11, U206
Clev 103-95, -4, U204

Milwaukee vs Chicago
Chi 103-91, -8, O186
Chi 91-82, -8, U190.5
Chi 113-106, 2OT, -2.5, O187

Washington vs Toronto
Wash 93-86 OT, +4, U194.5
Wash 117-106, +5, O193.5

New Orleans vs Golden State
GSt 106-99, -12, U205
GSt 97-87, -13, U206.5
GSt 123-119 OT, -5, O203

Dallas vs Houston
Hst 118-108, -5.5, O212.5
Hst 111-99, -6.5, U214

San Antonio vs LA Clippers
LAC 107-92, -1.5, U207
SA 111-107 OT, +1.5, O207.5

Portland vs Memphis
Mem 100-86, -5.5, U188.5
Mem 97-82, -6, U189

East vs West
SU: West 242-177 ATS: West 214-202-3
East teams HF vs West: 56-57
East teams HU vs West: 46-52
West teams HF vs East: 81-79-3
West teams HU vs East: 24-21




NBA

Friday, April 24

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

7:00 PM
HOUSTON vs. DALLAS
Houston is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing Houston
Dallas is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Houston

8:00 PM
TORONTO vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Toronto's last 14 games on the road
Toronto is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Washington's last 14 games when playing Toronto
Washington is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Toronto

9:30 PM
LA CLIPPERS vs. SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone OVER in 8 of the LA Clippers last 11 games when playing San Antonio
LA Clippers are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of San Antonio's last 11 games when playing LA Clippers

 

[CNOTES]

NBA

Friday, April 24

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Game of the Day: Friday's NBA Playoffs matchups
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks (-1, 214.5)
Rockets lead series 2-0

The Rajon Rondo experiment is having disastrous effects for the Dallas Mavericks, and the Houston Rockets are taking advantage. The Rockets will try to move to 3-0 in the best-of-seven series when they visit the Mavericks for Game 3 on Friday.

Rondo was brought in to stabilize the point guard spot but has done anything but in his short tenure in Dallas. The mercurial former All-Star was on the court for just 10 minutes in Game 2 before finally heading to the bench permanently after drawing a technical foul for shoving Houston guard James Harden less than a minute into the second half, and he will sit out Game 3 with a back injury. "All I know right now is that we need everybody at their competitive best,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. “This isn't about one guy who did or didn't play. This is about everybody pulling in the same direction for the organization.” A more pressing matter might be finding a way to stop Rockets center Dwight Howard, who put up 28 points and 12 rebounds in Game 2.

TRENDS:

*Rockets are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games playing on 2 days rest.
*Mavericks are 6-16 ATS in their last 22 games overall.
*Over is 8-2 in Mavericks last 10 home games.
*Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.


Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards (-4, 195.5)
Wizards lead series 2-0

The Toronto Raptors have dug themselves a hole and badly need a victory when they visit the Washington Wizards in Friday’s Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first-round series. Toronto lost the first two games at home and Washington can further take control of the series by delivering another salvo.

Wizards coach Randy Wittman knows his squad has carved out an advantage but he continues to view the series as wide open. “It’s hard winning four games in a series, and as you continue to move on, the harder it gets,” Wittman told reporters. “Game 3 on Friday is going to be harder to play in than these first two games. It just gets that way as the series moves on.” The Raptors are well aware of the situation they face but aren’t willing to concede anything. “It’s far from over,” Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan told reporters. “Our confidence is still high. All we’ve got to do is take it game by game.”

TRENDS:

*Raptors are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 Conference Quarterfinals games.
*Wizards are 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a ATS win.
*Under is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings.
*Over is 9-1 in Wizards last 10 games playing on 2 days rest.


Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs (-4, 204.5)
Series tied 1-1

Tim Duncan doesn’t play basketball like someone who turns 39 on Saturday and he is the sole reason why the host San Antonio Spurs gained a split of two games in Los Angeles to begin the Western Conference first-round series. Duncan had 28 points to lead the Spurs to a 111-107 overtime win on Wednesday and he attempts to help sixth-seeded San Antonio take the lead over the third-seeded Clippers on Friday.

Duncan was 14-of-23 shooting and collected 11 rebounds in his latest grand performance and continues to show no sign of declining. “He was spectacular. He continues to amaze me with the things that he is able to do,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters. “He knows he had to stay on the court and he figured out a way to do it. He continued to be aggressive, which is pretty amazing.” Los Angeles power forward Blake Griffin had a big Game 2 with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists but it was tainted by five turnovers, including a highly costly one at the end of the regulation that led to the Spurs tying the game and forcing overtime. “You know, that game is pretty much 100 percent on me,” Griffin told reporters. “I’ve just got to take care of the ball.”

TRENDS:

*Underdog is 11-3 ATS in the last 14 meetings.
*Spurs are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 home games.
*Over is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings.
*Under is 6-1 in Clippers last 7 games following a S.U. loss.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA

Friday, April 24


Bulls extend winning steak, paying out for bettors

With a double overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks the Chicago Bulls extend their winning streak to seven games, while winning their fifth consecutive game against the spread.

The Bulls have won their past seven games by an average of 11 points. Their five game ATS winning streak is the longest of the Bulls series.

Chicago will look to make it six straight covers and close out their Round 1 series against the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday.


Warriors continue to win on court, lose at window

The Golden State Warriors may have a 3-0 series lead over the New Orleans Pelicans, but they have now failed to cover in six straight after Thursday. Despite winning all six of those games, the Warriors continue their longest ATS losing streak of the season.

Golden State has been winning by an average of just under seven points per game over their past six, but have faced an average closing spread of -11.5.

The Warriors will look to correct their poor ATS play and close out their first round series with the Pelicans Saturday.

 

[CNOTES]

Friday's Tip Sheet


April 24, 2015


Rockets at Mavericks – 7:05 PM EST
Game 3 – Houston leads 2-0


The Mavericks are not only running out of time in their season, but they are starting to run out of healthy bodies. Houston goes for a commanding 3-0 series lead as things shift to the American Airlines Center for the next two games following a 111-99 home victory in Tuesday’s Game 2. The Rockets covered for the second straight game, this time as six-point favorites to beat Dallas for the fifth time in six tries this season.


Rajon Rondo will sit for the remainder of the series as the Mavericks’ point guard suffered a back injury in the Game 2 loss. It’s not like Rondo was dominating, as the former Celtics’ standout scored four points in less than 10 minutes of action, while Dallas shot 37% from the floor. Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis combined to shoot 11-of-37 from the field, as the Mavs played without swingman Chandler Parsons, who will miss the rest of the series with a right knee injury.


Houston’s one-two punch of James Harden and Dwight Howard dominated Dallas in Game 2 with a total of 52 points, while Harden has converted 28-of-30 free throw attempts in the first two wins. The Rockets led by one point heading into the fourth quarter, but outscored the Mavs, 30-19 in the final 12 minutes to grab their first 2-0 series advantage since the opening round of 2007 against Utah.


VegasInsider.com NBA analyst Chris David provides his thoughts on Game 3, “Houston overmatched Dallas in each of the first two games and I wasn’t surprised by the results because the Mavs are the weakest defensive team in the playoffs. I don’t believe you’re going to get a double-digit victory by either team in Game 3 just based on their recent tendencies. In last year’s playoffs, Dallas went 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS against the Spurs and all three games were decided by a combined seven points. Coincidentally, the Rockets also played three tight first round matchups to the Trail Blazers and they went 1-2 SU and 3-0 ATS while winning the one game by five and losing the two by a total of four points.”


From a totals standpoint, David says tonight’s matchup is tricky to handicap, “Game 1 went ‘over’ and even though Game 2 went ‘under’ the number, we were real close to seeing the Rockets-Over combo connect again but the Mavericks went cold in the fourth quarter. The total still seems a tad inflated and while it’s dangerous to go ‘under’ with Houston’s pace and ability to get free throws, I’m a little hesitant of this spot. I believe the early start (6:00 p.m. CT) will affect both teams and you can already look at how it’s factored into other series (Washington-Toronto, New Orleans-Golden State).”


Raptors at Wizards – 8:05 PM EST
Game 3 – Washington leads 2-0


Six home teams captured a 2-0 series edge through the first eight series, while the Wizards were the only road squad to win each of the first two games. For the second straight postseason, Washington heads home with a 2-0 lead after beating Toronto at the Air Canada Center in Game 2 by a 117-106 count as five-point underdogs. The Wizards opened things up with a 34-18 second quarter, while the backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal combined to score 54 points (Wall added 17 assists).


The only positive for the Raptors coming out of Game 2 was the production of their bench, which scored 56 points, led by 20 from Lou Williams. The major negative is the lack of production from Kyle Lowry, who shot 3-of-10 from the floor for six points, as the Toronto point guard has put up just 13 points through two games. Lowry suffered a shin contusion in Game 2, but is expected to play tonight. With the loss, the Raptors fell to 2-7 ATS the past nine games overall, which includes a 1-5 ATS mark as a favorite.


Washington improved to an incredible 7-1 SU and 8-0 ATS the past two postseasons in the underdog role, but as a favorite has been a different story. Randy Wittman’s club owns a dreadful 1-4 SU/ATS record when laying points in the playoffs since 2014, while losing Game 3 to the Bulls in last season’s first round after taking a 2-0 series lead. In all five games as a favorite, the Wizards failed to bust the 100-point mark, while scoring in triple-digits in five of eight tries as an underdog.


The Raptors have won three straight visits to the Verizon Center, including a 120-116 overtime triumph as five-point underdogs on January 31, as Toronto picked up the victory in spite of blowing a 21-point lead. Since that win in D.C., Toronto owns a 4-7 ATS record as a road ‘dog with the only straight-up victories coming at Atlanta, Indiana, and Miami.


Clippers at Spurs – 9:35 PM EST
Game 3 – Series tied 1-1


The only series that has seen both teams pick up a win so far is the one that most expected to be the most intriguing. The Clippers wiped out the Spurs in Game 1 at Staples Center, but San Antonio held off Los Angeles in overtime of Game 2 to even up the series. The Spurs held a 10-point lead with under seven minutes remaining in regulation, but the Clippers erased that deficit to take a 94-92 advantage with 50 seconds left. Patty Mills knocked down a pair of free throws for the Spurs to force overtime, much to the chagrin of ‘under’ backers.


The total closed at 206 ½, but the two teams combined for 31 points in overtime as the Spurs captured a 111-107 triumph to avoid an 0-2 hole. Tim Duncan paced San Antonio with 28 points and 11 rebounds, while overcoming just one point from Tony Parker in 30 minutes, as the Spurs’ All-Star guard will play tonight in spite of an ankle injury. The Clippers misfired on 20 three-point attempts, while missing 17 free throw attempts, including 11 misses from center DeAndre Jordan.


David isn’t buying into the defending champs at home, “Game 3 is a very tough to game to handicap and while most believe the Spurs won the series after capturing Game 2 on Wednesday, I wouldn’t dismiss the Clippers just yet and I believe the oddsmakers agree with that statement. To put things in perspective, San Antonio has won 17 of its last 20 at home against the Clippers yet they opened the Spurs as 3 ½-point favorites for Game 3 and I believe that number is a tad short. When these teams met in the 2012 playoffs, San Antonio was giving double digits at home to the Clippers, which tells you how much closer these clubs are this season.”


The two matchups in San Antonio between these teams this season were dramatically different as the Spurs outlasted the Clippers, 125-118 in late December, while L.A. blasted San Antonio, 105-85 one month later. In the first meeting at the AT&T Center, San Antonio shot lights out at a 63% clip, as Gregg Popovich’s club drilled 13 three-pointers, while Boris Diaw put up 23 points off the bench. In the second matchup, the Clippers limited the Spurs to just 37% from the floor, as Duncan and Parker combined for nine points.

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

-- Royals-White Sox game was suspended at 2-2 in 8th inning Friday night; it will be resumed Saturday, before the regularly scheduled game.

-- Mariners 2, Twins 0-- Two complete games; no walks, 18 strikeouts.

-- Rockets 130, Mavericks 128-- Houston was 13-24 from arc, Howard grabbed 26 rebounds in a game that didn't have that many missed shots.

-- Spurs 100, Clippers 73-- LA starters were a combined minus-130. Oy.

-- Rangers 2, Penguins 1 OT-- Four of five series games ended up 2-1.

-- Five of the eight NBA playoff series are 3-0. No bueno.

**********

Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind......

13) Why would the Rangers trade for Josh Hamilton? They shed themselves of his issues and huge contract, now they're going back down that road, while at same time letting a division rival off the hook from a bad situation.

Am very curious to see how much the Angels are going to eat of the $83M that Hamilton is still owed on that contract.

12) How come I didn't know The Rock and Billy Bob Thornton were in a movie together? Faster, a 2010 movie that was on cable the other night. Not bad.

11) Could we put in a rule that if an NBA playoff series was 3-0, it was then declared over? Teams down 3-0 are now 0-110 in NBA playoff series, all-time.

Hear me out; think how much better a Game 3 would be if the home team was down 2-0; not only would they be trying to stay alive in Game 3, they'd be buying themselves at least two extra games with a win-- if they stayed alive in Game 3, then it is 2-1 in a best-of-7 series. Would make things more interesting.

Its kind of like ping pong, where you play to 21 but if its 11-0, then its over.

10) Royals-White Sox had a near fracas in Thursday's game, during which Sox TV announcer Hawk Harrelson went off on the air, saying Yordano Ventura "....was going to get his fanny beat". Harrelson is in his 70's; he was a hothead in his playing days and hasn't cooled down too much in the broadcast booth.

9) Why did the Red Sox give Rick Porcello $20M a year? He is 77-65, 4.34 in 183 career starts for a very good Detroit team- thats worth $20M a year?

8) Glad to see Providence guard Kris Dunn is coming back to school next season; kids who come back will become better players and improve their draft stock in the long run. Friars will need Dunn to score more next year.

7) The Governor of Colorado is named John Hickenlooper. Unusual name.

6) Gambling can be fun; it can be frustrating; if you bet the under in last night's Houston-Oakland game, the gambling gods owe you one. Game was 0-0 after nine innings, but the bullpens imploded and Houston wound up winning 5-4, going over the total by two runs, after being scoreless thru nine innings.

5) One of the new owners of the Atlanta Hawks is Grant Hill.

4) Friend of mine was in San Antonio couple weeks ago; he is on elevator in his hotel and who gets on but Rockets' coach Kevin McHale. Glad to report McHale is a good guy, just like he seems to be on TV.

3) If you're not old enough to remember the old ABA, they played very fast-paced basketball; just picture last night's Houston-Dallas game, except with a red, white and blue basketball. 130-128 happened all the time back then.

2) There were more than 100 people lined up outside a sneaker store in Las Vegas Friday, waiting to buy the new Flight 23 sneakers. I mean they're not going to run out of sneakers, why wait on line for them? Lot of money in the sneaker industry, which is why athlete endorsers make so much $$$$

1) Tampa Bay Lightning were down 2-0 with 6:00 to play in Detroit in Game 4 of their series; a loss would've left them in dire straits, but Lightning scored twice in 1:14, then won in OT and their radio announcer Dave Mishkin was very happy, as in really, really happy.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, April 25

Chicago made 38-98 from arc in first three series wins- they held the Bucks to 39%/36%/42% from floor. Bulls won nine of last ten games with Milwaukee (8-1 vs spread in last nine)-- seven of last 11 games stayed under total. Chicago won last six games. Bucks are 14-52 from arc in two games; they've only turned ball over 24 times in three games- six of their last eight games went over total.

New Orleans lost 11 of last 13 games with Golden State, losing by 7-10 in first two games, then blowing 20-point lead in 4th quarter of Game 3. Golden State won 11 of last 13 games, but covered only one of last nine - they got to line 34 times in Game 1, but only 49 times in last two games. Very difficult for Pelicans to bounce back and win game, after they had Warriors by throat last game but got beat in overtime.

Brooklyn lost last seven games with Atlanta, losing by 7-5 in first two series games. Hawks made 22 of 61 from arc, 35-41 on line in pair of home wins. Nets had only ten fast break points in losing twice- they won seven of last nine home games. Johnson was just 12-33 for Nets in Atlanta; he'll have to do better. Hawks lost last two road games- their last road loss was here by 3 on April 8.

Memphis held Portland to 34%/39% from floor in winning first two series games; they were up 19-11 at half in two games. Grizzlies won six in row, 11 of its last 12 games with Portland, covering ten of last eleven. Memphis held the Blazers to 13 fast break points in first two games. Portland is 14-46 from arc in two games, forcing only 13 turnovers in two games. Afflalo is expected back; if he is healthy, that should help Portland a lot.

Home favorites are 10-9 in this round, home dogs are 1-2; home teams are 15-7 SU, with four of six road wins in OT-- over is 9-13.

2015 playoffs
Brooklyn vs Atlanta
Atl 99-92, -10, U201.5
Atl 96-91, -9.5, U202

Boston vs Cleveland
Clev 113-100, -11.5, O203
Clev 99-91, -11, U206
Clev 103-95, -4, U204

Milwaukee vs Chicago
Chi 103-91, -8, O186
Chi 91-82, -8, U190.5
Chi 113-106, 2OT, -2.5, O187

Washington vs Toronto
Wash 93-86 OT, +4, U194.5
Wash 117-106, +5, O193.5
Wash 106-99, -4.5, O195.5

New Orleans vs Golden State
GSt 106-99, -12, U205
GSt 97-87, -13, U206.5
GSt 123-119 OT, -5, O203

Dallas vs Houston
Hst 118-108, -5.5, O212.5
Hst 111-99, -6.5, U214
Hst 130-128, +1, O214.5

San Antonio vs LA Clippers
LAC 107-92, -1.5, U207
SA 111-107 OT, +1.5, O207.5
SA 100-73, -, U203.5

Portland vs Memphis
Mem 100-86, -5.5, U188.5
Mem 97-82, -6, U189

East vs West
SU: West 242-177 ATS: West 214-202-3
East teams HF vs West: 56-57
East teams HU vs West: 46-52
West teams HF vs East: 81-79-3
West teams HU vs East: 24-21




NBA

Saturday, April 25

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

3:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. BROOKLYN
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Brooklyn
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games
Brooklyn is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Brooklyn's last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta

5:30 PM
CHICAGO vs. MILWAUKEE
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chicago's last 12 games on the road
Chicago is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games when playing at home against Chicago
Milwaukee is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Chicago

8:00 PM
GOLDEN STATE vs. NEW ORLEANS
Golden State is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Golden State's last 12 games when playing New Orleans
New Orleans is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans's last 6 games when playing at home against Golden State

10:30 PM
MEMPHIS vs. PORTLAND
Memphis is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Memphis's last 22 games when playing on the road against Portland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Portland's last 5 games when playing Memphis
Portland is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Memphis

 

[CNOTES]

NBA

Saturday, April 25

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Game of the Day: Saturday's NBA Playoffs matchups
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Atlanta Hawks at Brooklyn Nets (+2.5, 200.5)

Hawks lead series 2-0

Atlanta forward Paul Millsap went 2-of-11 from the field while playing with a bulky shoulder brace in Game 1. The All-Star ditched the brace for Game 2 and ended up going 4-of-4 from 3-point range and 7-of-11 from the floor en route to a team-high 19 points. “Definitely more range and definitely more mobility,” Millsap told reporters. “When you can’t pick your arms up above your ears, your shoulders up above your ears, it’s kind of tough. So I was able to do that (in Game 2), and more than likely I’ll go without it again the next game.”

Deron Williams, who drew criticism from former teammate Paul Pierce questioning his desire on the eve of the playoffs, is 6-of-18 from the field in the first two games of the series. "He was defending,” Brooklyn coach Lionel Hollins told reporters of Williams. “He made some hustle plays. Shooting comes and goes. People can criticize all they want, but if you are not in the game performing and doing it and going through the battle, you can't say anything.” Backup point guard Jarrett Jack led the team with 23 points in Game 2.

TRENDS:

* Hawks are 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings in Brooklyn.
* Under is 5-1 in Nets last six overall.
* Hawks are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 vs. NBA Atlantic.


Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks (+4.5, 188.5)

Bulls lead series 3-0

The Chicago Bulls are eyeing a sweep when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks in Saturday’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round series. The Bucks have lost nine consecutive playoff contests and blew an opportunity to make it a series by falling 113-106 in double-overtime on Thursday.

Milwaukee led by as many as 18 points in Game 3 but squandered the lead and later came up empty with chances to win in the final seconds of both regulation and the first overtime. “We had a great chance to win the game twice,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd told reporters. “Effort was there the whole night, and guys played their hearts out to give us a chance to win against a very elite team.” The Chicago backcourt of Derrick Rose (34) and Jimmy Butler (24) combined for 58 points in Game 3 and the Bulls knocked down 14 3-pointers – five from Rose and four apiece from Mike Dunleavy and Tony Snell. Chicago center Joakim Noah is averaging 14 rebounds in the series and power forward Pau Gasol (12.7 points, 14.3 rebounds) has posted three straight double-doubles.

TRENDS:

* Bulls are 8-1 ATS in the last nine meetings.
* Bucks are 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall.
* Over is 12-2 in Bulls last 14 Saturday games.


Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans (+7, 205)

Warriors lead series 3-0

Steph Curry finished with 40 points and Klay Thompson added 28, but Draymond Green’s third double-double of the series and Golden State’s rebounding down the stretch were just as big. Curry missed several shots from deep late in regulation but offensive rebounds led to second chances, including Marreese Speights’ offensive board before the game-tying shot. “It was just determination and will,” Green told reporters. “We have a group of guys whose competitive spirits are through the roof. We never give up.”

Anthony Davis went for 29 points and 15 rebounds in the loss but missed a free throw at the end of regulation that would have put the game out of reach and came up empty on a tying attempt in the final seconds of overtime. The 22-year-old also had trouble keeping the Warriors off the offensive glass down the stretch, even when Golden State went to a small lineup. “We're down 0-3 and it's a must win and we all know that,'' Williams told reporters. ''We had it and we let it go and I can't say it enough, we just didn't execute in the fourth quarter.”

TRENDS:

* Underdog is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Under is 8-3-1 in the last 12 meetings.
* Warriors are 0-6 ATS in their last six games overall.


Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers (-3, 188.5)

Grizzlies lead series 2-0

The Portland Trail Blazers still have time to make it a series with Memphis but they need to chime in with a strong Game 3 performance on Saturday to make it happen. The Grizzlies won each of the first two games of the Western Conference first-round series by double digits while controlling both contests.

Memphis’ physical style appears to be more than the Trail Blazers can handle as Portland has lost all six meetings this season with the Grizzlies and trailed by as many as 29 points in the opener and 18 in Game 2. “We can’t look at the first two games and say it’s impossible,” point guard Damian Lillard told reporters. “We’ve just got to keep believing.” Trail Blazers star LaMarcus Aldridge averaged 28 points and 14 rebounds in the first two games and the Grizzlies were still able to hold Portland to an average of 84 points. And Aldridge had to hoist 54 shots – making a subpar 37 percent – to score one-third of the Trail Blazers’ points.

TRENDS:

* Grizzlies are 10-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
* Under is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Trail Blazers are 0-6 ATS in their last six vs. Western Conference.