CNOTES 2023-2024 NBA TRENDS, NEWS, BEST BETS AND OPINIONS THRU THE PLAYOFFS !

[Udog]

INDIANA is 7-0 Over (7 Units) off an upset loss as a home favorite in the current season.

TORONTO is 14-4 ATS (9.6 Units) in home games after 2+ road games over the last 2 seasons.

MINNESOTA is 12-3 ATS (8.7 Units) when the total is 210-219.5 in the current season.

CHICAGO is 8-0 ATS (8 Units) off a loss by 10 points or more to a division rival over the last 2 seasons.

DENVER is 19-38 ATS (-22.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins in the last 3 seasons.

LA LAKERS are 15-3 Over (11.7 Units) in a road game where the total is greater than or equal to 230 in the current season.




NBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, February 28

NBA

Wednesday, February 28

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Trend Report
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New Orleans @ Indiana
New Orleans
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New Orleans's last 8 games on the road
New Orleans is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Indiana
Indiana is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against New Orleans
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana's last 7 games

Dallas @ Toronto
Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Toronto's last 10 games at home
Toronto is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Dallas

Memphis @ Minnesota
Memphis
Memphis is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis's last 7 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Memphis

Cleveland @ Chicago
Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cleveland's last 5 games on the road
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 8 games when playing at home against Cleveland

Sacramento @ Denver
Sacramento
Sacramento is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Denver
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Sacramento's last 11 games
Denver
Denver is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
Denver is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Sacramento

LA Lakers @ LA Clippers
LA Lakers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Lakers's last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Lakers's last 5 games when playing LA Clippers
LA Clippers
LA Clippers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against LA Lakers
LA Clippers is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against LA Lakers


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NBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, February 28

 

[CNOTES]

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28​

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
DAL at TOR	07:30 PM	TOR +3.0 U 241.0	+500 +500
NO at IND	07:30 PM	IND -6.5 U 237.5	+500 +500
MEM at MIN	08:00 PM	MEM +12.5 U 208.5	+500 +500
CLE at CHI	08:00 PM	CHI +5.5 U 216.5	+500 +500
SAC at DEN	09:00 PM	DEN -7.0 O 231.0	+500 +500
LAL at LAC	10:00 PM	LAC -3.0 O 234.0	+500 +500

 

[CNOTES]

Thursday’s 6-pack:
Highest payrolls for the 2024 baseball season:
$290,541,666— New York (A)
283,801,859— New York (N)
237,303,141— Houston
237,182,617— Philadelphia
222,601,784— Toronto
221,315,000— Atlanta

Dodgers are #9, at $209,121,666- $68M of Ohtani’s salary is deferred.

Quotes of the Day
“My problems aren’t superficial. They just pour out of me. My (comedy) act is therapy for other people. They can all go away feeling they’re better off than me.”
comedian Richard Lewis, back in 1990
“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he’s been like a brother to me. He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob and for that I’ll never forgive him.”
Larry David

Thursday’s quiz
Who is the New Orleans/Utah Jazz’s all-time leader in triple-doubles?

Wednesday’s quiz
Larry Brown is the only coach to win both an NBA championship and a college national title.

Tuesday’s quiz
Steph Curry’s father Dell Curry played in the NBA for 16 years, scoring 12,670 points; he played his college basketball at Virginia Tech, which don’t recruit his two sons, both of whom are in the NBA.

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

Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud……​

If you’re reading this, that means the power/internet in my house stayed on, despite it being hideously windy outside.

— Where do baseball teams get their prospects from? The following info is from the Baseball America Prospect Handbook, which lists the top 30 prospects for each team.

Of the Tampa Bay Rays’ 30 top prospects, only 19 of them are home-grown, the fewest of any major league team. 11 of their top 30 prospects were acquired via trade, the most of any team; St Louis Cardinals are next, with eight prospects acquired via trade.

— Atlanta Braves are only team that doesn’t have a top 30 prospect that was acquired via trade.

— Cardinals/Oakland A’s are only teams that don’t have an international player among their top 30 prospects.

— Who has the most international prospects in their top 30?
15- Bronx
14- Angels
13- Red Sox
12- Rockies

— Houston Astros/Baltimore Orioles both have 19 college players in their top 30; Cardinals and Royals both have 18, Braves have 16.
Red Sox have only 5 college players in their top 30; Guardians have 6, Angels 8.

— Red Sox, Padres, Blue Jays have 9 high school players in their top 30, the most of any team; Tigers/Mariners have 8.
Bronx has only two top 30 prospects who went pro out of high school; Orioles-Cardinals-Astros have three each.

— Teams approach their prospects differently; the big $$$ teams will try and trade them to cheaper teams for star players, the cheap teams will promote their prospects, and play them until they hit their arbitration years, then they trade them to the big $$$ teams.

— Word of the Day: Corrupt- acting dishonestly in return for money or personal gain.

— Pretty cool baseball record that I never knew about, until Monday night; former Seattle 1B Alvin Davis reached base safely in his first 47 major league games, which is the all-time high for any player at the start of their career.

— Stolen bases were up 41% last year from 2022; the rule changes worked.

— Under is 38-12-1 in NBA games, since the All-Star break.

— Minnesota Vikings named former NFL QB Josh McCown their new QB coach.

— Famous people with birthdays on February 29:
Tony Robbins, 64
Terrence Long, 48
Tyrese Haliburton, 24
February 29 has to be the worst day to have a birthday right? You only have a birthday once every four years.

— Drake 107, Ill-Chicago 105, 3OTs
DeVries, the coach’s son, scored 39 points, with 13 boards, 7 assists.
Drake won six of its last seven games.
UIC shot 16-35 on the arc, only 15-42 inside the arc.

— Tennessee 92, Auburn 84
Dalton Knecht scored 39 points for the Vols.
Auburn led by 8 with 12:17 left in game.
Tennessee has won five in row, 11 of last 13 games.

— Iowa State 58, Oklahoma 45
Cyclones are 22-6, 11-4, in 2nd place in the Big X.
Iowa State forces turnovers 25.8% of time (#2 in country)
Teams combined to shoot 7-33 on the arc.

— Fort Wayne 79, Wright State 77 OT
Neither team led by more than six points.
Fort Wayne’s bench outscored Wright State’s subs 25-4.

— Illinois 105, Minnesota 97
Gophers lost despite shooting 14-20 on the arc.
There were a TOTAL of only 9 turnovers in this game.
Minnesota is 17-11 SU this year, but 24-4 against the spread.
Minnesota scored 1.48 points/possession; over the last 15 years, teams that scored that many points/possession are now 310-2.

— Alabama 103, Ole Miss 88
Crimson Tide outscored Ole Miss 64-46 in second half.
Both teams shot 60%+ inside the arc.
Alabama gets 38% of their points on 3’s, #22 in country.

— Upsets of the Night:
Wichita State (+7.5) 74, UAB 66
Green Bay (+7.5) 69, Cleveland State 61
Fort Wayne (+6.5) 79, Wright State 77 OT
South Carolina (+5.5) 70, Texas A&M 68
Northwestern (+5.5) 68, Maryland 61
Wofford (+5.5) 91, Samford 69

— RIP to Richard Lewis, a stand-up comedian and a star of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” who passed away at age 76. Known for his self-deprecating humor and acerbic wit, he was very funny.

RIP, sir.

 

[Udog]

CHARLOTTE is 7-0 Over (7 Units) in home games after scoring 100 points or less in the current season.

UTAH is 12-2 ATS (9.8 Units) in road games after failing to cover 3 of their last 4 against the spread over the last 2 seasons.

GOLDEN STATE is 11-1 ATS (9.9 Units) in road games after having won 2 of their last 3 games in the current season.

ATLANTA is 11-36 ATS (-28.6 Units) in road games after having won 2 of their last 3 games in the last 3 seasons.

SAN ANTONIO is 12-25 ATS (-15.5 Units) off 2 or more consecutive road losses in the last 3 seasons.

HOUSTON is 8-0 Over (8 Units) in road games after failing to cover 4 of their last 5 against the spread over the last 2 seasons.

MIAMI is 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) in February games in the current season.

LA LAKERS are 10-32 ATS (-25.2 Units) off a road win in the last 3 seasons.

 

[Udog]

NBA

Thursday, February 29

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Trend Report
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Milwaukee @ Charlotte
Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 5 games when playing on the road against Charlotte
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Milwaukee's last 9 games when playing Charlotte
Charlotte
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Charlotte's last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
Charlotte is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home

Utah @ Orlando
Utah
Utah is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Orlando
Utah is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Orlando
Orlando
Orlando is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Orlando is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

Atlanta @ Brooklyn
Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games on the road
Atlanta is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
Brooklyn
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Brooklyn's last 5 games
Brooklyn is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Atlanta

Golden State @ New York
Golden State
Golden State is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
New York
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New York's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of New York's last 18 games at home

Oklahoma City @ San Antonio
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio
Oklahoma City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio
San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Antonio's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of San Antonio's last 15 games

Houston @ Phoenix
Houston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Houston's last 11 games when playing Phoenix
Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
Phoenix is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home

Miami @ Denver
Miami
Miami is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Denver
Denver is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing Miami
Denver is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home

Washington @ LA Lakers
Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games on the road
Washington is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
LA Lakers
LA Lakers is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
LA Lakers is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home


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[Udog]

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, February 29

 

[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel

Thursday, February 29

 

[CNOTES]

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29​

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
UTA at ORL	07:00 PM	ORL -6.5 O 225.5	+500 +500
MIL at CHA	07:00 PM	CHA +11.5 U 217.5	+500 +500
GS at NY	07:30 PM	GS -4.5 U 222.0	+500 +500
ATL at BK	07:30 PM	ATL +1.5 U 222.5	+500 +500
OKC at SA	08:30 PM	SA +11.5 U 237.5	+500 +500
HOU at PHO	09:00 PM	PHO -8.5 O 232.0	+500 +500
MIA at DEN	10:00 PM	MIA +5.5 U 214.5	+500 +500
WAS at LAL	10:30 PM	WAS +9.0 U 243.5	+500 +500

 

[CNOTES]

Friday’s 6-pack:
Lowest payrolls for the 2024 baseball season:
$45,525,000- Oakland A’s
$68,014,000- Pittsburgh Pirates
$84,433,928- Cleveland Guardians
$84,648,333- Cincinnati Reds
$86,535,000- Miami Marlins
$88,458,712- Tampa Bay Rays

Quote of the Day
“I want a guy that can lead, that wants to compete. I want a guy that’s not afraid of a challenge because this is a big challenge that we have in front of us. We’ve got the world champs in our division again.”
Las Vegas Raiders’ coach Antonio Pierce, talking about the Raiders’ next QB

Friday’s quiz
Butler Bulldogs lost the national title game two years in a row, when Brad Stevens was their coach. What league was Butler in back then (2010/2011)?

Thursday’s quiz
Pete Maravich is still the New Orleans/Utah Jazz’s all-time leader in triple-doubles, with seven.

Wednesday’s quiz
Larry Brown is the only coach to win both an NBA championship and a college national title.

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

Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….​

— I can’t put my finger on why, maybe it is because I’m getting older, but if I was an NFL team with a high draft pick, no way in hell would we draft USC QB Caleb Williams. Just a feeling in my gut that he ain’t worth the trouble.
I’m not a big fan of starting QB’s who transfer; he bolted from Oklahoma to USC, then USC lost five of its last six games last year, Williams skipped the Trojans bowl game (they won 42-28). Too much drama; after a loss to Washington; he was sobbing in the stands with his parents after the game.
By the way, I feel the same way about Wake Forest/Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman; you don’t start at QB for a team for four years, then jump ship to another college. You want to jump ship, go to the NFL; that would’ve made a lot more sense.
Now this week in Indianapolis, Williams isn’t working out, and he declined the medical exams, which are considered to be one of the most essential elements of the combine.
An NFL source thinks Williams is the first player to attend the NFL Combine after declining the medical exam. He isn’t doing any passing at the Combine, either.
NFL Draft is April 25; it should be interesting.

— Old Dominion is hiring Maryland assistant Mike Jones as its new basketball coach; Jones is an Old Dominion alum who led the Monarchs to NCAA tournaments as a player in 1992, 1995. He’s also worked as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech.

— There was a lot of complaining about court storming after the Duke-Wake Forest debacle the other night, when Kyle Filipowski limped off the floor while the Wake Forest students ran on the court to celebrate the Deacons’ win.
Four nights later, after a lot of complaining on TV, Filipowski played 30:00, had 9 points, 10 rebounds, six assists in an easy win over Louisville, so he survived the incident.
For the record, there is a way to have court storming while making sure the visiting team gets off the floor safely; set the clock at 1:00 or 1:30 when the game ends, get the visitors off the floor, then the fans can run on the court when the clock hits 0:00.

— One of the cool parts of spring training is that some teams bring in retired players to mentor the younger players on skills. Mets had Darryl Strawberry in camp this week; Reds had former big league OF Brett Butler teaching their players how to bunt for base hits.

— Time flies, man; Atlantic Sun basketball tournament starts Monday; three other conference tournaments start Tuesday. One of the best times of the year is almost here.

— Word of the Day: Quirk- an unusual habit or way of behaving.

— Of the fifteen teams in the Atlantic 10 (Atlantic 15???), three of them have Rams as their mascot; Fordham, Rhode Island, Virginia Commonwealth.

— People who run college sports should keep the NCAA Tournament the way it is; it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

— 41 years ago this week, the last episode of M*A*S*H aired on CBS; 105.9M people watched it, the end of one of the best TV shows ever.

— Utah State is 8-0 this season in games decided by 5 or less points; four of their five losses were by 13+ points. Aggies are 23-5 this season, despite not having any players on their team who scored a point for Utah State last year.

— In his last 11 games, Edmonton Oilers’ star Connor McDavid has 26 points, but only one goal- he scored the game-winner in overtime against St Louis Wednesday night.

— Famous people with birthdays on March 1st:
Roger Daltrey, 79
Ron Howard, 70
Chris Webber, 51
Trevor Cahill, 36
Michael Conforto, 31
Tyreek Hill, 30
Justin Bieber, 30

— Charleston 96, Campbell 73
Cougars win the CAA regular season title for the first time.
Charleston has won 8 in a row; they still need to win CAA tourney to get in the field of 68.

— Ohio State 78, Nebraska 69
Buckeyes are 3-1 since they fired their coach, including a win over Purdue.
Ohio State was 24-28 on foul line, Nebraska 7-8.

— South Dakota State 72, North Dakota 62
Jackrabbits were down 3 at half; they shot 12-26 on the arc.
South Dakota State clinches the Summit League regular season title.

— Saint Mary’s 83, Pepperdine 57
On December 2, Saint Mary’s was 3-5, a very, very disappointing start.
On March 1, Saint Mary’s is 24-6, 15-0 in WCC; they’re the ONLY team in the country that hasn’t lost a conference game this season.

— Gonzaga 86, San Francisco 68
Zags outscored USF 51-34 in the second half.
Gonzaga shot 71.1% inside the arc.
Gonzaga hasn’t lost to the Dons since 2012.
USF made some extra $$$; this game was in the Warriors’ arena.

— Washington 94, UCLA 77
Huskies shot 15-24 on the arc.
UCLA lost its last three games, they’re 14-14, 9-8 in Pac-12.
Bruins have the #334 eFG% in the country.

— Eastern Washington 89, Montana 79
Eagles lost their first six D-I games this season, but they’re 18-4 in last 22 games.
EWU will be the #1-seed in Big Sky Tournament; they’ve got #8 eFG% in country.

 

[Udog]

CLEVELAND is 7-0 Under (7 Units) as a road favorite of 6.5 to 12 points in the current season.

CHARLOTTE is 104-145 ATS (-55.5 Units) after covering 5 or 6 of their last 7 against the spread since 1996.

DALLAS are 8-0 ATS (8 Units) in road games when playing their 3rd game in 4 days in the current season.

GOLDEN STATE is 10-2 Under (7.8 Units) versus poor teams - outscored by their opponents by 3+ points/game in the current season.

SACRAMENTO is 7-0 ATS (7 Units) after 2 straight games - allowing a shooting pct. of 50% or higher in the current season.

NEW ORLEANS are 12-2 ATS (9.8 Units) in home games after failing to cover 5 or 6 of their last 7 against the spread over the last 2 seasons.

MEMPHIS are 25-12 ATS (11.8 Units) in home games after scoring 105 points or less in the last 3 seasons.

CHICAGO is 11-2 ATS (8.8 Units) off an upset win as a home underdog over the last 2 seasons.

LA CLIPPERS are 12-3 ATS (8.7 Units) after 2+ home games in the current season.

 

[Udog]

NBA

Friday, March 1

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Trend Report
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Charlotte @ Philadelphia
Charlotte
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Charlotte's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Charlotte's last 5 games on the road
Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 5 games
Philadelphia is 21-2 SU in its last 23 games when playing Charlotte

Cleveland @ Detroit
Cleveland
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Cleveland's last 9 games on the road
Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Detroit's last 7 games when playing Cleveland

Dallas @ Boston
Dallas
Dallas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Dallas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Boston
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

Golden State @ Toronto
Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Golden State's last 5 games when playing Toronto
Golden State is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Toronto's last 11 games at home

Portland @ Memphis
Portland
Portland is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Memphis
Portland is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Memphis
Memphis
Memphis is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis's last 6 games when playing at home against Portland

Indiana @ New Orleans
Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Indiana's last 17 games on the road
Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
New Orleans
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans's last 5 games
New Orleans is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Indiana

Sacramento @ Minnesota
Sacramento
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Sacramento's last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Sacramento's last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing at home against Sacramento

Milwaukee @ Chicago
Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Milwaukee's last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Milwaukee's last 8 games
Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chicago's last 11 games

Washington @ LA Clippers
Washington
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Washington's last 10 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games on the road
LA Clippers
LA Clippers is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
LA Clippers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington


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[Udog]

NBA
Long Sheet

Friday, March 1

 

[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel

Friday, March 1

 

[CNOTES]

FRIDAY, MARCH 1​

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
CHA at PHI	07:00 PM	PHI -11.0 U 214.0	+500 +500
CLE at DET	07:00 PM	DET +9.0 O 221.0	+500 +500
GS at TOR	07:30 PM	GS -3.0 U 236.0	+500 +500
DAL at BOS	07:30 PM	DAL +9.0 O 237.0	+500 +500
POR at MEM	08:00 PM	MEM -1.0 U 208.0	+500 +500
IND at NO	08:00 PM	NO -5.0 O 238.5	+500 +500
SAC at MIN	08:00 PM	MIN -6.5 U 225.0	+500 +500
MIL at CHI	10:00 PM	MIL -4.0 U 222.0	+500 +500
WAS at LAC	10:30 PM	WAS +15.5 O 238.0	+500 +500

 

[CNOTES]

Saturday’s 6-pack:
Major League leaders in runs scored last year:
149— Ronald Acuna
131— Freddie Freeman
127— Matt Olson
126— Mookie Betts
122— Marcus Semien
117— Austin Riley

Quote of the Day
“Your job, thought your entire life, is to disappoint as many people as it takes to avoid disappointing yourself.”
Glennon Doyle

Saturday’s quiz
Atlanta Braves have won the NL East six years in a row; what was the last team other than the Braves to win the NL East?

Friday’s quiz
Butler Bulldogs lost the national title game two years in a row, when Brad Stevens was their coach. Butler was in the Horizon League back then (2010/2011).

Thursday’s quiz
Pete Maravich is still the New Orleans/Utah Jazz’s all-time leader in triple-doubles, with seven.

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

Saturday’s Den: Clearing out a cluttered mind…….​

— Long time ago, I went to Colonie High School here in beautiful upstate New York; our mascot was a Garnet Raider, a Native American guy riding on a horse.
Found out this week that the NY State Board of Regents voted to drop all mascots that were tied to Indigenous people; more than a dozen schools in this area are changing their nickname.
Now a Raider isn’t necessarily a native American (see Las Vegas Raiders) but the powers that be announced this week that Colonie teams will now be the Wolfpack (one of the main streets near the high school is Wolf Road).
No one asked me, but I would’ve kept “Raiders” and just changed the picture of the mascot, but that isn’t going to happen. Strange times we live in.

— When you’re making our your college basketball brackets in a couple weeks, remember that Gonzaga has been in the Sweet 16 the last nine years, but when the Zags have been lower than a #4-seed under Mark Few, they’ve only made the Sweet 16 three of ten times.
Gonzaga will almost definitely be lower than a #4-seed this year.

— 20 of the last 22 national champs in college basketball were a #3-seed, or better; the two exceptions were both UConn, in 2014 (#7-seed) and last season (#4-seed).

— Out in the Big West, Cal Poly fired hoop coach John Smith, who in five years is 30-114 coaching the Mustangs, 8-74 in conference games. Cal Poly has been in the NCAA’s once in this century, back in 2014.

— Prop Bet of the Week: You could bet on whether someone will get a hole-in-one at the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic this weekend:
Yes, -130
No, +120
Nick Dunlap got a hole-in-one on the 7th hole Friday, cashing the win tickets.

— Three weeks ago, Bill Vinovich was the referee at the Super Bowl, a game watched on TV by 123.7M people; Thursday night, he was one of the refs at the Stephen F Austin-Cal Baptist basketball game, where the attendance was 2,111.

— Average salary in major league baseball last year was $4,525,719, a 7.1% raise over 2022.

— Philadelphia Phillies are ditching their popular promotion “dollar hot dog nights” because of rowdy fans and long lines at concession stands.
Instead of $1 hot dogs every Thursday, Phillies will run a 2-for-1 frankfurt promotion on certain days, April 2nd/16th being the first two.

— Diego Castillo is a 26-year old shortstop who had an interesting winter:
December 22- DFA’d by Arizona
January 5- claimed by the Mets
January 12- DFA’d by the Mets.
January 19- claimed by Bronx.
January 29- DFA’d by Bronx.
February 5- claimed by the Phillies.
February 13- DFA’d by the Phillies.
February 16- claimed by the Orioles.
February 20- sent to AAA by the Orioles.
He’ll start the season playing for AAA Norfolk.

— Famous people with birthdays on March 2nd:
Terry Steinbach, 62
Jon Bon Jovi, 62
Ben Roethlisberger, 42
Reggie Bush, 39
Adolis Garcia, 31
Tua Tagovailoa, 26

 

[Udog]

ATLANTA is 11-37 ATS (-29.7 Units) in road games after having won 2 of their last 3 games in the last 3 seasons.

MIAMI is 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) in the second half of the season in the current season.

PORTLAND is 12-32 ATS (-23.2 Units) when playing 4 or less games in 10 days in the last 3 seasons.

DENVER is 20-38 ATS (-21.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins in the last 3 seasons.

PHOENIX is 136-93 Over (33.7 Units) in home games versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing <=13 turnovers/game since 1996.




NBA

Saturday, March 2

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Trend Report
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Atlanta @ Brooklyn
Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing on the road against Brooklyn
Atlanta is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Brooklyn is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Atlanta

Utah @ Miami
Utah
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Utah's last 6 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah's last 5 games
Miami
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Utah
Miami is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games

Portland @ Memphis
Portland
Portland is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Memphis
Portland is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Memphis
Memphis
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Memphis's last 12 games when playing Portland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis's last 7 games when playing at home against Portland

Denver @ LA Lakers
Denver
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
LA Lakers
LA Lakers is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Lakers's last 5 games when playing Denver

Houston @ Phoenix
Houston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Houston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix
Phoenix
Phoenix is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games


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




NBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, March 2

 

[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel

Saturday, March 2

 

[CNOTES]

SATURDAY, MARCH 2​

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
ATL at BK	03:00 PM	BK +1.0 O 219.0	+500 +500
UTA at MIA	05:00 PM	UTA +7.5 O 223.5	+500 +500
POR at MEM	08:00 PM	POR +2.5 U 208.5	+500 +500
DEN at LAL	08:30 PM	DEN -1.0 O 227.5	+500 +500
HOU at PHO	09:00 PM	PHO -9.5 O 233.5	+500 +500

 

[CNOTES]

Sunday’s 6-pack: Major league leaders in RBI last year:
139— Matt Olson, Atl
118— Pete Alonso, NYM
112— Kyle Tucker, Hst
109— Ozzie Albies Atl/Juan Soto SD
107— Mookie Betts LAD/Adolis Garcia Tex
106— Nick Castellanos Cin/Ronald Acuna Atl

Quote of the Day
“Thankfully, perseverance is a great substitute for talent.”
Steve Martin

Sunday’s quiz
Which Division I college basketball coach was Lebron James’ high school coach?

Saturday’s quiz
Atlanta Braves have won the NL East six years in a row; Washington Nationals in 2017 were the last team other than the Braves to win the NL East.

Friday’s quiz
Butler Bulldogs lost the national title game two years in a row, when Brad Stevens was their coach. Butler was in the Horizon League back then (2010/2011).

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

Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a Saturday full of basketball…….​

— WCC
Gonzaga 70, Saint Mary’s 57
Zags sweep the USF/Saint Mary’s road trip; they’re off the bubble.
Gonzaga has won eight games in a row, seven of them by 13+ points.
Saint Mary’s loses for first time since December 23, when they were 8-6.

Santa Clara 69, San Francisco 62
Teams combined to shoot 9-40 on the arc.
USF lost three of its last four games; they’re #3 seed in WCC, Santa Clara is #4.

— Big X
Baylor 82, Kansas 74
Both teams shot 62% inside the arc.
Kansas is 2-6 SU in Big X road games.
Baylor passes the Jayhawks, is now in 3rd place in Big X.

Iowa State 60, Central Florida 52
UCF led 50-49 with 3:31 left in the game.
Knights were 1-19 on the arc.
Iowa State won seven of last eight games, is in 2nd place in Big X.

Houston 87, Oklahoma 85
Houston hit an off-balance jumper at the buzzer for the win.
Cougars shot 10-19 on the arc, Oklahoma 12-25.
Houston led by 15 with 12:04 left in the game.
Bracketology has nine of 14 Big X teams getting in the NCAA’s.

— Big 14
Minnesota 75, Penn State 70
Penn State led 41-18 late in first half.
Gophers were 24-27 on foul line, Penn State 9-11

Illinois 91, Wisconsin 83
Illini was 9-16 on arc, scored 1.30 points/possession.
Illinois starts four seniors; they’re #10 experience team.
Wisconsin is 2-7 in last nine games, after a 16-4 start.
Bracketology has six Big 14 teams in the tournament.

— American
South Florida 76, Charlotte 61
Bulls have won 14 in a row; their last loss was January 7th.
USF has #35 eFG% defense in the country.
USF is #54 in experience, #281 in continuity; they used the portal very well.

Tex-San Antonio 77, SMU 73
Third straight loss for the Mustangs, who were favored by 17.5 points.
SMU led 21-8 early on.
11-19 Roadrunners have won 3 in a row; they were 12-28 on arc.
Bracketology has South Florida/FAU in the Field of 68, but barely.

— SEC
Tennessee 81, Alabama 74
Vols were 12-40 on the arc, 12-26 inside the arc.
Alabama led by 6 with 9:15 left in the game.
Crimson Tide was 9-37 on the arc.

Kentucky 111, Arkansas 102
Kentucky won its last three games, scoring 106.3 ppg.
Seven Wildcats (seven!!!) scored in double figures.
Bracketology has seven SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament.

— Pac-12
Forgot to mention this Friday, but UCLA coach Mick Cronin got a technical foul 20 seconds into the Bruins loss at Washington Thursday. Never heard of that before.

Washington State 77, UCLA 65
Coogs are going to the NCAA’s for the first time since 2008.
Wazzu was 24-33 on the foul line, UCLA was 9-11.
Bruins lost their last four games, are 9-9 in Pac-12.
Bracketology has Arizona/Washington State as the only Pac-12 teams in the NCAA’s.

— Upsets of the Day:
Tex-San Antonio (+17.5) 77, SMU 73
Mercer (+9.5) 82, Furman 75
SE Missouri State (+7) 70, Southern Indiana 66
Western Michigan (+6.5) 78, Ball State 76
Minnesota (+6.5) 75, Penn State 70
Tulsa (+6.5) 72, Temple 67
Notre Dame (+6.5) 69, Clemson 62

— Famous birthdays on March 3rd:
Eric Torkelson, 72
Herschel Walker, 62
Jessica Biel, 42
Jayson Tatum, 26
Wee Willie Keller was born on March 3, 1872.
Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1922

— MAC
Western Michigan 78, Ball State 76- Ball State tied game on a foul shot with 0:01.6 left; kid on WMU overthrows a teammate on a full-court pass, the ball bounces untouched to another teammate who lays the ball in at the buzzer for an unlikely win. Big kid on Ball State let the ball bounce right past him; no idea what he was thinking.
MAC is a one-bid league; neither one of these teams figures to win the MAC Tournament, but this was a hell of a way to win/lose a game.

— Mountain West
Boise State 89, New Mexico 79
Broncos won their last five games, scoring 86.4 ppg.
New Mexico is 3-5 in last eight games, is probably beneath the bubble.

— WAC
Grand Canyon 80, Stephen F Austin 58
Antelopes are tied for first with Tarleton State, with one game left.
Grand Canyon was 22-22 on the foul line.
Antelopes get 24.3% of their points on foul line (#9)

Tarleton State 88, Southern Utah 83
Texans are coached by Billy Gillispie, the old Kentucky coach.
Tarleton State has won 10 games in a row.

— Atlantic 15
Richmond 79, VCU 76
VCU led by 7 with 13:32 left in this inner-city rivalry.
Spiders win their first-ever regular season title in the A-15.
Richmond won 17 of its last 19 games, after a 5-5 start.

— Ivy
Princeton 79, Cornell 77
Cornell shot 69% inside arc, 9-32 on the arc.
Princeton is tied atop Ivy League with Yale, with one game to go.

Brown 89, Dartmouth 67
Bears clinched the 4th and final slot in the Ivy League tournament.

— Southern
Samford 92, Citadel 80
Bulldogs win the SoCon by 3 games; they haven’t been in NCAA’s since 2000, when they won the TAAC (Trans-American Conference).

 

[Udog]

DALLAS are 9-1 Over (7.9 Units) after 3 consecutive non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.

LA CLIPPERS are 7-0 ATS (7 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games in the current season.

GOLDEN STATE is 8-0 ATS (8 Units) in road games after having won 3 of their last 4 games in the current season.

ORLANDO is 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) in home games after having won 5 or 6 of their last 7 games in the current season.

CHARLOTTE is 17-33 ATS (-19.3 Units) in road games after having lost 4 or 5 of their last 6 games in the last 3 seasons.

INDIANA is 20-5 Over (14.5 Units) in road games versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing <=13 turnovers/game - 2nd half of t...

NEW YORK is 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) after scoring 105 points or less 2 straight games over the last 2 seasons.

OKLAHOMA CITY is 11-2 ATS (8.8 Units) after allowing 130 points or more over the last 2 seasons.