Cnotes National Basketball League Apri's Picks/Trends/News Thru the Playoffs !!

[CNOTES]

Whiteside not expected to play Game 5
May 10, 2016


MIAMI (AP) Hassan Whiteside of the Miami Heat will not accompany his team to Toronto for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series there on Wednesday night.


The Heat were flying north on Tuesday. Before departing, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Whiteside will remain home to continue getting therapy on his injured right knee.


Whiteside did not play in Game 4 of the Heat-Raptors series on Monday. He sprained the medial collateral ligament in the knee while taking an awkward fall in Game 3.


The Heat still plan to list him as day-to-day going forward. Game 6 of the series is Friday in Miami.


Miami and Toronto have split the first four games of the series.

 

[CNOTES]

Hawks look to rise again in East
May 9, 2016


ATLANTA (AP) Paul Millsap tossed and turned much of the night.


He didn't expect the summer to begin this soon.


Millsap and the Atlanta Hawks were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, capping a season that fell short of expectations from start to finish.


Now, the Hawks face some huge decisions, from figuring out a way to re-sign free agents-to-be Al Horford and Kent Bazemore to charting the future of the point guard position.


''It's tough, especially when you expect more,'' Millsap said Monday after the Hawks wrapped up their exit interviews with coach Mike Budenholzer. ''We really felt like we had a good chance.''


But really, this playoff exit wasn't much of a surprise. The Hawks struggled all season to find the sort of consistency that carried them a franchise-record 60 wins the previous year.


After slipping to a 48-34 record and fourth seed in the East, the Hawks did manage to get by injury depleted Boston in the opening round. That was it. LeBron James and the Cavaliers breezed past Atlanta in four straight games, the same result as the previous season when the teams met in the conference finals.


''For five or six years, whatever team LeBron James has been on, the East has been trying to figure out how to beat that team,'' Budenholzer said. ''We're just like the rest of the East right now.''


The biggest priority for the Hawks is re-signing Horford and Bazemore, who are both unrestricted free agents.


Horford has spent his entire nine-year career with Atlanta, and it's hard to imagine where the team would be without him. While he struggled in the playoffs, the 6-foot-10 center is the type of hybrid player that Budenholzer loves to have in his fast-paced offense, a big man who can run the court and even became a bit of a 3-point threat this season.


Bazemore was one of the most improved players in the league, a 6-5 bundle of energy who wasn't even drafted out of college but averaged 11.6 points a game in his first year as a starter. While still raw, his potential upside that is off the charts.


''They're two big pieces,'' teammate Kyle Korver said. ''Al has been the cornerstone of this team for a lot of years. What he brings to the table, there's just not anyone really like him in the NBA. Baze is obviously just figuring out who he is as a player. I think he'll keep on getting better.''


Horford would prefer to remain with the only NBA team he's ever known, but he's just starting to think about all the ramifications of the huge choice he'll face this summer.


''I really haven't had a chance to start thinking and talking about all this stuff, even with my family,'' Horford said. ''I had a rule this season: Focus on the team, focus on the now, I don't want to hear anything about the summer. Now the summer is here.''


The Hawks are also facing a reckoning at point guard, where Jeff Teague is the longtime starter but Dennis Schroder is coming on strong. Tellingly, the 22-year-old German led the Hawks with 21 points in the season finale, Sunday's 100-99 loss to the Cavs, and had the ball in his hands for a potential game-winning shot at the end.


Teague was merely a spectator, watching from the bench.


Budenholzer, who has the final say in personnel matters, could elect to keep both point guards for another season. But Teague's trade value is probably as high as it's going to get entering the final year of his contract. Schroder has made it clear he wants to be the starter someday.


While another sweep by the Cavaliers prompted inevitable questions about a major overhaul, that doesn't seem likely. Budenholzer often talks about the importance of continuity, and he's counting on getting a lot more next season from players such as center Tiago Splitter, who went down with a season-ending injury, and Tim Hardaway Jr., who barely played at all the first half of the season.


''Blowing it up is probably not the way to beat a team like Cleveland,'' Budenholzer said. ''We value what this group has done, the success that they've had.''


The core of the team may return.


But no one wants to go through this again.


''We all want more,'' Budenholzer said. ''I think it's great that we've put ourselves in that position where there's some expectations. People want and expect a lot of us. We expect that. Tomorrow, the challenge is to come in, get to work, find a way to get better, find a way to go to that next level.''

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Heat (48-34) at Raptors (56-26)
Date: May 11, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

In his desire to show his respect for Canada and the Toronto Raptors, Dwyane Wade made sure to cut his warmup time before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.


As it turned out, he didn't really need all that much.


The Miami Heat star will look to continue his high-scoring performances Wednesday night in front of what could prove an especially unwelcoming crowd in Toronto.


Wade was part of some controversy in Game 3 in Miami on Saturday when he decided to take a couple more shots instead of joining his teammates in line for the Canadian national anthem. He quickly tried to make amends after the 95-91 loss.


"No disrespect at all from me," Wade said. "I apologize for Canada thinking I would disrespect them as a county. So today, I just adjusted how I normally get ready for a game."


Wade was the first in line for the singing of "O Canada" before Monday's Game 4 and scored 30 points in a 94-87 overtime victory that tied the series. He had nine points in the final 6 1/2 minutes of regulation to lead the Heat's comeback and a finishing dunk in the third game against Toronto that's required additional time.


Wade totaled 68 points while making 26 of 49 shots in the two games in Miami. He had 17 on 7-of-17 shooting in his latest one in Toronto, a 96-92 overtime loss Thursday.


"I'm as confident as I've been all season now," Wade said. "Every other day we're playing and it's taxing, but I love that every time I come out on the court I feel just as good as I did the last game. It allows me to go out there and play the game I love the way I can. I'm enjoying this."


The Heat are returning north without center Hassan Whiteside, who will try to continue healing from a sprained ligament in his right knee. He had a combined 29 rebounds in the first two games in the series, including 17 in a 102-96 overtime victory in the opener May 3.


The Raptors won't have their center, Jonas Valanciunas, for the rest of the series because of a sprained right ankle. Like Whiteside, he was injured in Game 3.


Valanciunas averaged 18.3 points on 64.9 percent shooting and 12.7 rebounds in the first three games. Without him, the Raptors saw their shooting percentage drop from a postseason-high 47.1 in Game 3 to a series-worst 39.3 on Monday.


Toronto stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan were a combined 6 of 28 from the floor and totaled 19 points with Lowry going 0 for 6 from 3-point range.


The Heat tried to keep both players from reaching the paint and taking advantage of Whiteside's absence.


"Lowry and DeRozan, they're going to take their shots. We're trying to make it tough for them," point guard Goran Dragic told the Heat's official website. "(In Game 3), we felt like we didn't shrink the floor well and tonight we did an amazing job."


DeRozan has shot 33 percent and 3 of 19 from beyond the arc this postseason, but he averaged 22.8 points in his previous four games before Monday's dismal effort even while dealing with an ailing thumb. Lowry has connected at 33.1 percent and 19.7 from 3 but looked like he had broken his slump in Game 3.


He had 33 points on 11-of-19 shooting and was 5 of 8 on 3-pointers. He went 2 of 11 from the floor in Game 4, however, and scored 10 points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.


"It's not like we're just going to bench Kyle and DeMar, and go away from them. They're our guys. We believe in them," coach Dwane Casey said. "They're our two All-Stars and sooner or later they're going to come through or be a part of what we're trying to do."



SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Heat at Raptors
Tue, May 3 Final 102 to 96
Recaps


GAME 2
Heat at Raptors
Thu, May 5 Final 92 to 96
Recaps


GAME 3
Raptors at Heat
Sat, May 7 Final 95 to 91
Recaps


GAME 4
Raptors at Heat
Mon, May 9 Final 87 to 94
Recaps


GAME 5
Heat at Raptors
Wed, May 11 - 8:00PM EDT


GAME 6
Raptors at Heat
Fri, May 13 - 8:00PM EDT


GAME 7
Heat at Raptors
Sun, May 15 - 3:30PM EDT

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Trail Blazers (44-38) at Warriors (73-9)
Date: May 11, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

Another missed opportunity has left the Portland Trail Blazers with no margin for error in their quest to overtake the Golden State Warriors.


They'll now need to be virtually perfect with Stephen Curry back and having rediscovered his shooting touch.


Curry's heroic return has the Warriors a win away from a second consecutive trip to the Western Conference finals when they return home for Wednesday night's Game 5.


Playing for the first time since spraining his right knee in Game 4 of Golden State's opening-round series with Houston, Curry shook off a rusty start to take over the final stages of Monday's Game 4. Hours before officially earning his second straight league MVP in a first-ever unanimous vote, the sharpshooter scored an NBA-record 17 points in overtime to rally the Warriors to a 132-125 victory for a 3-1 series lead.


Curry missed his first nine 3-point attempts and was 6 of 18 from the field through three quarters, but he went 10 of 14 thereafter to finish with 40 points in 38 minutes.


"I figured he'd find his stroke and make a few shots, but that was crazy," coach Steve Kerr said. "Once he got going, he didn't look tired."


Curry's performance helped turn around a series that appeared to be shifting in the Trail Blazers' favor following Saturday's 120-108 Game 3 win and a sizzling start to Monday's matchup. Portland led 16-2 when Curry entered with 5:58 left in the first quarter and owned a 71-59 advantage early in the third before the Warriors began to mount their comeback.


The Blazers also couldn't close out Game 2 in Oakland, where they were outscored 34-12 in the fourth quarter in a 110-99 defeat.


"We played really well in Game 3 and got the win, Game 2 we played really well and we let that one slip away and then (Monday) we played really well again," guard Damian Lillard said. "They're a championship team. We competed with them. We're right there, we were one or two stops from winning the game. We let another one get away."


Lillard couldn't duplicate a brilliant 40-point effort in Game 3. Though he finished with 36 points, the star guard was 9 of 30 from the floor after Saturday's 8-of-13 display from 3-point range.


The near-misses have put Portland in a precarious spot. The Blazers will need to win twice at Oracle Arena, where the Warriors are 44-2 this season including the playoffs and have won six straight over Portland. Golden State also has yet to lose back-to-back games during its record-setting campaign.


"If I don't think they're done, I don't know who else is going to think it," Warriors forward Draymond Green said. "We're going home with a 3-1 lead. I trust our team to come out ready to go and close this series out. We did what we needed to do; we came on the road and got one win."


Curry, who will receive his MVP award before the game, presents another obstacle to a Portland team that's also had difficulty containing Klay Thompson and Green. Thompson is averaging 30.5 points for the series and hit three 3s during a momentum-shifting 19-5 run during the third quarter of Game 4. Green compiled 21 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks on Monday and is averaging 24.5 points and 11.3 rebounds in the series.


Only nine teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series, though Houston did so against the Los Angeles Clippers in last year's West semifinals. Portland did win four straight over the Clippers in the opening round after losing the first two.


"The important thing for right now is that we've played better in every game, which is improvement, obviously," coach Terry Stotts said. "Just like in the Clippers series, we played better as the series went along. Same thing here."



SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Trail Blazers at Warriors
Sun, May 1 Final 106 to 118


GAME 2
Trail Blazers at Warriors
Tue, May 3 Final 99 to 110
Recaps


GAME 3
Warriors at Trail Blazers
Sat, May 7 Final 108 to 120
Recaps


GAME 4
Warriors at Trail Blazers
Mon, May 9 Final 132 to 125
Recaps


GAME 5
Trail Blazers at Warriors
Wed, May 11 - 10:30PM EDT


GAME 6
Warriors at Trail Blazers
Fri, May 13 - 10:30PM EDT


GAME 7
Trail Blazers at Warriors
Mon, May 16 - 9:00PM EDT

 

[CNOTES]

NBA MONEYLINE


NBA > (537) MIAMI@ (538) TORONTO | 2016-05-11 20:05:00 - 2016-05-11 20:05:00
Play ON MIAMI using money line in Road games after 3 or more consecutive unders
The record is 14 Wins and 6 Losses for the last two seasons (+17.55 units)


NBA > (537) MIAMI@ (538) TORONTO | 2016-05-11 20:05:00 - 2016-05-11 20:05:00
Play ON TORONTO using money line in Home games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 21 Wins and 5 Losses for the this season (+14.9 units)


NBA > (539) PORTLAND@ (540) GOLDEN STATE | 2016-05-11 22:35:00 - 2016-05-11 22:35:00
Play ON GOLDEN STATE using money line in All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game
The record is 87 Wins and 20 Losses for the last two seasons (+41.55 units)


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


NBA TOTALS


NBA > (537) MIAMI@ (538) TORONTO | 2016-05-11 20:05:00 - 2016-05-11 20:05:00
Play UNDER MIAMI on the totalin Road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game
The record is 17 Overs and 38 Unders for the last two seasons (+19.3 units)


POWER LINES


NBA > (537) MIAMI @ (538) TORONTO | 2016-05-11 20:05:00 - 2016-05-11 20:05:00
Line: MIAMI BTB PowerLine: MIAMI-1
Edge On: MIAMI (3.5)


NBA > (539) PORTLAND @ (540) GOLDEN STATE | 2016-05-11 22:35:00 - 2016-05-11 22:35:00
Line: PORTLAND BTB PowerLine: PORTLAND-11
Edge On: PORTLAND (2)

 

[CNOTES]

5/10 - Yesterday's Results 2 - 0
Overall : 56 - 62


WEDNESDAY, MAY 11


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


MIA at TOR 08:00 PM


TOR -4.5


O 188.5




POR at GS 10:30 PM


GS -13.0


O 217.5

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack


-- Max Scherzer beat his old team (Detroit) 3-2 last night; he struck out 20 Tigers, tying Clemens/Johnson/Kerry Wood as guys with 20 Ks in one game.


-- Detroit manager Brad Ausmus was in uniform as a player for the Clemens/Wood 20-strikeout games.


-- Detroit hitters swung at 69 pitches, missed 33 times. Over the last 15 years, that is 2nd-highest misses in one game- Clayton Kershaw got 35 LY. Jeremy Bonderman also induced 33 misses in a 2004 game.


-- Bryce Harper was suspended for a game earlier in the day, but appealed; too bad he didn't sit this game out; only seven Detroit outs came on batted balls.


-- Raptors 99, Heat 91-- Toronto takes a 3-2 series lead.


-- Since 1929, A's are 4th team to allow 11+ runs in four straight games, joining the '51 Pirates, '86 Brewers and '07 Astros. Awesome.


**********


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


13) Hard to believe not one person voted for Lebron James for MVP; Warriors won playoff games without Steph Curry. How many playoff games would Cleveland win if Lebron was hurt for a while?


12) Early NBA salary cap numbers for next year: Lakers ($62,298,562) have most room available, Clippers ($10,820,891) have the least.


11) Magic Johnson won NBA MVP in both 1989, 1990; thats the last time a player from a Big 14 college won the NBA MVP.


10) Arizona pitcher Daniel Hudson is only pitcher in big league history to have Tommy John surgery in consecutive years and make it back to the majors.


9) Los Angeles Angels are in trouble; they tried to patch some holes Wednesday by trading for P Jhoulys Chacin and SS Brandon Ryan.


8) Braves 5, Phillies 1-- Atlanta is now 2-16 at home.


7) Royals 7, Bronx 3-- Ventura went six innings for the win, just second time in KC's last 11 road games the Royals' starting pitcher went 6+ innings.


Lorenzo Cain hit three HRs Tuesday; he got drilled on the knee in his first AB here.


6) Injury-prone Stephen Matz (forearm) will miss his next start; he's only made 12 big league starts, for 70.1 innings.


5) You know how each ballpark has a person who brings out the headphones for umpires when there is an instant replay challenge? The guy who does it in Arlington at Ranger games is former big league pitcher Pete Falcone, who went 70-90, 4.07 in his 10-year career (1975-84), mostly with the Cardinals/Mets.


4) Astros 5, Indians 3 (16)-- Marwin Gonzalez sent fans home happy with a homer in 16th inning; three extra inning day games yesterday. Home side won all three.


3) Minnesota Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino is 16-38 in league games in his three years with the Gophers; he also overspent his $150K private plane allowance by double, spending $325K on private planes, which are used for recruiting.


You'd think Pitino's job would be in danger, but he has a $7.1M buyout that will keep him employed for at least another year- that deal was negotiated by an AD who later got fired by the school for other reasons. Not the best situation in Minnesota. .


2) World Series of Beer Pong is going to be at my second home, the Westgate Casino in Las Vegas, July 6-10. Had no idea there was professional beer pong.


1) Max Scherzer threw 119 pitches in his 20-strikeout win last night; he didn't walk anyone, and it wasn't a difficult decision for Dusty Baker to leave him in, especially in a 3-2 game. Both Detroit runs scored on home runs. It will be interesting to track him the next few weeks, but doubtful this game will have any ill effect on him.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA

Thursday, May 12

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NBA playoffs betting preview and odds: Spurs at Thunder
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Thunder opened as 3-point home pups with a chance to end the series and have already been bet to +1.5.

San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder (+1.5, 195.5)

Thunder lead series 3-2

The Oklahoma City Thunder are one victory away from reaching the Western Conference finals and have two opportunities to get the job done. The Thunder, who lead the series 3-2, aim to end the festivities in Thursday's Game 6, while the San Antonio Spurs visit town in dire need of a victory to force a Game 7.

San Antonio has held double-digit leads in the each of the past two games before wilting under Oklahoma City's late-game siege. "I hope we respond a little angry, with a chip on our shoulder," Spurs guard Danny Green told reporters after Tuesday's 95-91 loss. "If you want to be a championship team, you have to win on the road. Simple as that." The Thunder surprisingly have won two games in San Antonio in the series - the Spurs lost just once at home during the regular season - and small forward Kevin Durant said another defensive effort like the showing in Game 5 is crucial. "Late in the fourth we did a good job of putting a hand up on shots, making them shoot mid-range and we didn't let them get in the paint a lot." Durant told reporters. "That’s what we have to do if we want to win the next one. We have to play defense like that throughout the whole game."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: The Thunder opened as 3-point home pups, but bettors like the way OKC has been trending and the line has already moved to +1.5. The total has been bet up one point from 194.5 to 195.5. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE SPURS (73-18, 49-42 ATS, 38-51-2 O/U): NBA MVP runner-up Kawhi Leonard (26 points, five steals in Game 5) and power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (20 points, nine rebounds) have carried San Antonio during the series with occasional help from shooting guard Danny Green (six 3-pointers in Game 5) and point guard Tony Parker (good outings in Game 3 and 4). But the reserves have been below par and combined for just 11 points on 5-of-18 shooting in Game 5 and getting better efforts from players such as shooting guard Manu Ginobili and center Boris Diaw are a must if San Antonio is to win the next two games. "We haven't had great bench production," Popovich said after Game 5. "We need a couple more people to help us offensively. That would be great."

ABOUT THE THUNDER (62-30, 43-48-1 ATS, 44-48 O/U): Point guard Russell Westbrook had 35 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in Game 5 and was so superb that everybody overlooked his eight turnovers. "He plays with such force and such passion," Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan told reporters. "I think he's doing a really good job of realizing when he gets so intense, so competitive, so emotional, he's doing a good job of kind of bringing himself back together and understanding there's four other guys out there depending on him." Durant scored 23 points on a series-worst 8-of-21 shooting effort in a dropoff from his spectacular 41-point effort in Game 4.

TRENDS:

* Thunder are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games versus a team with a winning SU record.
* Spurs are 3-12 ATS in the last 15 meetings in Oklahoma City.
* Under is 4-0 in Spurs last four games following a SU loss.
* Under is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings in Oklahoma City.

CONSENSUS: The public is split almost down the middle for this huge Game 6, with 51 percent of wagers on the underdog Thunder. As for the total, 61 percent of wagers are on the Over.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, May 12

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

SAN ANTONIO (73 - 18) at OKLAHOMA CITY (62 - 30) - 5/12/2016, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 17-26 ATS (-11.6 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 954-832 ATS (+38.8 Units) in all games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 48-36 ATS (+8.4 Units) as a favorite this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 31-17 ATS (+12.3 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 72-57 ATS (+9.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 14-8 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 12-10 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
13 of 22 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




NBA
Short Sheet

Thursday, May 12

San Antonio at Oklahoma City, 8:35 ET
San Antonio: 33-19 ATS after 1 or more consecutive unders
Oklahoma City: 15-25 ATS after a game where they covered the spread




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, May 12

Oklahoma City-San Antonio (OC 3-2)
Thunder won last two series games despite trailing after three quarters; they outscored Spurs by 15-7 points in last two 4th quarters. Spurs are 1-3 in last four visits here; Popovich is 2-10 in his career in elimination games on road. Thunder won Game 5 despite turning ball over 20 times (-13). OC improved to 16-43 on arc in last two games, after going 21-72 on arc in frst three games. Seven of last ten series games stayed under. Thunder split their last four home games; Spurs won four of last five on the road.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31
Second round: Favorites: 11-8, over: 10-9




NBA

Thursday, May 12

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

8:30 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
San Antonio is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Oklahoma City
San Antonio is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 6 games at home
Oklahoma City is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against San Antonio

 

[CNOTES]

NBA
Dunkel

Thursday, May 12


San Antonio @ Oklahoma City

Game 543-544
May 12, 2016 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
131.405
Oklahoma City
125.566
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 6
204
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 1 1/2
195 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(-1 1/2); Over

 

[CNOTES]

Game 6 - Spurs at Thunder
May 11, 2016




Western Conference Semifinals – Thunder lead 3-2
Game 6 – San Antonio at Oklahoma City – ESPN, 8:35 p.m. ET


For the second time in this series, Oklahoma City went into San Antonio and came out with a hard fought victory this past Tuesday. The Thunder captured a 96-91 win in Game 5 over the Spurs as a 7 ½-point road underdog and now own a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.


All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook led the charge for Thunder, finishing with 35 points, 11 rebounds while his partner in crime Kevin Durant added 23 points. Kawhi Leonard has 26 points for the Spurs while LaMarcus Aldridge posted 21 points in a losing effort.


The Spurs held a 48-43 lead at halftime and looked like they were going to pull away in the third quarter, leading by as many as 13 points but the Thunder kept chipping away and only trailed by three (72-69) entering the final 12 minutes. Oklahoma City outscored the Spurs 26-19 in the fourth quarter and that’s been the story of this series.


The Thunder was often defined as a team that couldn’t finish games but something has changed for the club in this series. In the first five games, OKC has outscored San Antonio by 31 points in the fourth quarter and a lot of that margin has been attributed to the inability of the Spurs scoring down the stretch.


San Antonio scored three points in the final four minutes of Game 5 and if you go back to Game 4, the Spurs only managed six points in the final seven minutes of that loss, which seems next to impossible for a team of their stature.


In Sunday’s piece, I noted that this best-of-seven matchup has become a game of 2-of-2 with each team pitting their two All-Stars against one another.


ALL-STAR MATCHUP - THUNDER VS. SPURS


Oklahoma City - Points Scored 1 2 3 4 5


Russell Westbrook 14 29 31 14 35


Kevin Durant 16 28 26 41 23


Total 30 57 57 55 58




San Antonio - Points Scored 1 2 3 4 5


LaMarcus Aldridge 38 41 24 20 20


Kawhi Leonard 25 14 31 21 26


Total 63 55 55 41 46


Looking above, you can see that Oklahoma City’s pair has won this battle so far but it’s evident what happens (Game 1) when the double-headed monster doesn’t show up for the Thunder.


What’s also clear through the first five games is that the supporting cast for the Thunder have outplayed the Spurs as well, especially in the paint. Oklahoma City outrebounded San Antonio 54-36 on Tuesday behind two youngsters in Enes Kanter (8 points, 13 boards) and Steven Adams (12 points, 11 rebounds).


While Kanter and Adams have been a nice boost for OKC, the Spurs haven’t had any magic from their role players and that’s something that has helped the dynasty during its championship years.


Danny Green has played well in two games but the team has receiving nothing from Manu Ginobili plus I’m wondering if Boris Diaw (4.4 PPG) and Patty Mills (3.8 PPG) are in the doghouse because they’re minutes and stats have both diminished in this series.


The Spurs’ Gregg Popovich is often considered the best coach in the NBA but for the second straight postseason, we’re seeing a rookie head coach (Billy Donovan) making noise again which certainly solidifies the “players trump coaches” argument.


Despite dropping two straight in this series, the Spurs opened as 2 ½-point road favorites over Thunder in Game 6. As of Wednesday evening, most shops have dropped that number to 1 ½ points.


VegasInsider.com NBA expert and playoff leader Kevin Rogers isn’t surprised by the shift to Oklahoma City. He said, “The Spurs haven’t performed well on the road in Game 6 of the playoffs trailing 3-2, losing in each of their last two opportunities. In 2011, the Grizzlies tripped up the top-seeded Spurs in the opening round, 99-91 as three-point favorites, while the Thunder ousted San Antonio in the 2012 conference finals, 107-99 as five-point favorite.”


Even though Oklahoma City has won two games outright as an underdog in this series, its overall record as a pup hasn’t been great this season. The club is 3-12 SU and 6-8-1 ATS and that includes a 0-2 mark at home, the loss in Game 3 of this series and earlier in the season to Golden State.


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While those stats could have you leaning to San Antonio to stay alive, Rogers doesn’t believe you should ignore the head-to-head encounters between the pair at this venue. “Oklahoma City has won six of its last eight home playoff games against San Antonio since the 2012 Western Conference Finals, but the Spurs have cashed in their only opportunity in this span as a road favorite at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Game 3 of this series, 100-96. The last time these teams played a Game 6 in the playoffs at Oklahoma City, the Spurs prevailed in overtime to win the 2014 Western Conference title, but San Antonio went into that contest leading 3-2,” said Rogers.


Including the outcomes that Rogers mentioned, Oklahoma City is 12-3 both SU and ATS in the last 15 encounters against San Antonio from Chesapeake Energy Arena.


The totals in the first five games of this series have ranged from 199 to 200 ½ points but oddsmakers sent out an opener of 195 for Game 6. The ‘under’ has cashed in three of the first five games and a lot of that has been attributed to San Antonio’s offense or lack thereof.


Since posting 124 points in Game 1, the Spurs have cracked the 100-point mark only once in the last four games, scoring exactly 100 points in their Game 3 victory at Oklahoma City.


Despite averaging 103.4 PPG at home in the playoffs, the Thunder have seen the ‘under’ go 3-2. Including the results from this series, the Spurs have watched the ‘under’ go 6-3 in the postseason.


Prior to Game 1, San Antonio was listed as a minus-275 favorite (Bet $100 to win $37) to win this series at the Las Vegas Westgate SuperBook while the takeback on Oklahoma City was plus-235 favorite (Bet $100 to win $225).


The Spurs ballooned to minus-900 favorites after blowout out the Thunder in the opener and were still minus-300 when the series was tied 2-2. Now facing elimination, San Antonio has been made a 6/5 underdog (Bet $100 to win $120) while the Thunder are a 5/7 favorite (Bet $100 to win $71) to advance.


If you like to lean to historical numbers in your handicapping, then Oklahoma City would get the nod in this situation. Since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City, the Thunder have held a 3-2 series lead in the playoffs four times and they won all four of those best-of-seven matchups. Make a note that Oklahoma City closed out three of those series in six games while only being forced to a Game 7 once.


And, the Spurs have rallied from a 3-2 deficit only once in their playoff history which occurred in 2008 when they beat the New Orleans Hornets.


If San Antonio stays alive, Game 7 will take place on Sunday from the AT&T Center.

 

[CNOTES]

Duncan competing with 'Father Time'
May 11, 2016


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Father Time can be awfully sneaky.


San Antonio forward Tim Duncan turned 40 last month, and the basketball world marveled at his accomplishments. Sure, his minutes were scaled back this season, but he played a significant role in helping the Spurs have their best regular season ever.


Suddenly, though, Duncan looks his age.


He has struggled in the past two games of the Western Conference semifinals against Oklahoma City's young front line featuring Steven Adams and Enes Kanter. In Game 3, the 15-time All-Star, five-time NBA champion and three-time Finals MVP went scoreless in 12 minutes, committed four fouls in the first half and did not play in the fourth quarter. In Game 4, Duncan was 1 for 6 from the field and scored five points in 28 minutes.


Duncan likely will need to play more like his former self if the Spurs are to extend their season, and perhaps his career. Duncan has a player option for next season, and he hasn't made it clear what he will do.


When asked what he was doing to be effective against Duncan, Adams said ''Nothing,'' perhaps not wanting to give the future Hall of Famer any additional motivation.


Adams and Kanter also have slowed LaMarcus Aldridge, who averaged 39.5 points on 75 percent shooting the first two games. That has dropped to 21.3 points per contest on 36.7 percent shooting the last three games.


''He had a lot of open looks,'' Kawhi Leonard said of Aldridge after Game 5. ''They just didn't fall. It's basketball. Once we play the right way and get the shots we take and play hard, that's all we could do.''


Adams, a 7-foot center from New Zealand, is averaging 10.2 points and 12.0 rebounds in the series. Kanter, a 6-foot-11 forward from Turkey, is averaging 9.0 points and 7.6 rebounds. They usually don't play together, but have been both been on the floor late in the past two games. Thunder coach Billy Donovan said Kanter and Adams have put in the time to make the experiment successful.


''I give them a lot of credit because, although we did it a little bit during the regular season, being able to get with those guys after practice and talk with those guys, seeing them work together to try to play off of each other - they've had to space the floor and work together.'' Donovan said. ''They've got a good bond going there.''


A look at Thursday's night's Game 6.


---


Spurs at Thunder, Oklahoma City leads 3-2, 8:30 p.m. ET., ESPN


In Game 4, Kevin Durant went off. In Game 5, it was Russell Westbrook's turn.


If either - or both - get going in Game 6, the Spurs could be done for the year.


Both have struggled at times with their shots during playoffs, but there are signs that could be changing. In Game 4, Durant scored 29 of his 41 points in the second half. In Game 5, Westbrook made 12 of 27 shots and scored 35 points.


The Thunder want to bring their best effort in Game 6 because they're really not interested in going back to San Antonio for Game 7.


''Closeout games are the hardest,'' Durant said. ''We know they're going to try to force this Game 7. We can't rely too much on our crowd. We can't be relaxed knowing that we're going to be at home. And they beat us at home in Game 3.''


Even if Westbrook misses shots, the Thunder aren't concerned.


''Who cares about shooting percentage,'' Durant said earlier in the week. ''Obviously, we want him to - in a perfect world, we'd want him to shoot 65, 70 percent. But he's getting good shots. It's not like he's getting terrible shots. He's getting good looks. He's getting to the rim. It's just a matter of the ball going in and out of the basket.''


Westbrook is a major reason the Thunder are hurting the Spurs on the glass. Oklahoma City out rebounded San Antonio by an average of seven rebounds over the first five games, and has won that battle in each of the past four games. The Spurs feel they need to do better in Game 6 to have a chance.


''Control the boards,'' Spurs guard Tony Parker said. ''That's the key of the series. We have to control the boards. We can't keep giving them opportunities to score.''

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Spurs (67-15) at Thunder (55-27)
Date: May 12, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Father Time can be awfully sneaky.


San Antonio forward Tim Duncan turned 40 last month, and the basketball world marveled at his accomplishments. Sure, his minutes were scaled back this season, but he played a significant role in helping the Spurs have their best regular season ever.


Suddenly, though, Duncan looks his age.


He has struggled in the past two games of the Western Conference semifinals against Oklahoma City's young front line featuring Steven Adams and Enes Kanter. In Game 4, the 15-time All-Star, five-time NBA champion and three-time Finals MVP went scoreless in 12 minutes, committed four fouls in the first half and did not play in the fourth quarter. In Game 5, Duncan was 1 for 6 from the field and scored five points in 28 minutes.


Duncan likely will need to play more like his former self Thursday night in Oklahoma City if the Spurs are to extend their season, and perhaps his career. Duncan has a player option for next season, and he hasn't made it clear what he will do.


When asked what he was doing to be effective against Duncan, Adams said 'Nothing,' perhaps not wanting to give the future Hall of Famer any additional motivation.


Adams and Kanter also have slowed LaMarcus Aldridge, who averaged 39.5 points on 75 percent shooting the first two games. That has dropped to 21.3 points per contest on 36.7 percent shooting the last three.


'He had a lot of open looks,' teammate Kawhi Leonard said of Aldridge after a 95-91 loss in Game 5 on Tuesday. 'They just didn't fall. It's basketball. Once we play the right way and get the shots we take and play hard, that's all we could do.'


Adams, a 7-foot center from New Zealand, is averaging 10.2 points and 12.0 rebounds in the series. Kanter, a 6-foot-11 forward from Turkey, is averaging 9.0 points and 7.6 rebounds. They usually don't play together, but have both been on the floor late in the past two games. Thunder coach Billy Donovan said Kanter and Adams have put in the time to make the experiment successful.


'I give them a lot of credit because, although we did it a little bit during the regular season, being able to get with those guys after practice and talk with those guys, seeing them work together to try to play off of each other - they've had to space the floor and work together,' Donovan said. 'They've got a good bond going there.'


In Game 4, Kevin Durant went off. In Game 5, it was Russell Westbrook's turn.


If either - or both - get going in Game 6, the Spurs could be done for the year.


Both have struggled at times with their shots during the playoffs, but there are signs that could be changing. In Game 4, Durant scored 29 of his 41 points in the second half. In Game 5, Westbrook made 12 of 27 shots and scored 35.


The Thunder want to bring their best effort in Game 6 because they're really not interested in going back to San Antonio for Game 7.


'Closeout games are the hardest,' Durant said. 'We know they're going to try to force this Game 7. We can't rely too much on our crowd. We can't be relaxed knowing that we're going to be at home. And they beat us at home in Game 3.'


Even if Westbrook misses shots, the Thunder aren't concerned.


'Who cares about shooting percentage,' Durant said earlier in the week. 'Obviously, we want him to - in a perfect world, we'd want him to shoot 65, 70 percent. But he's getting good shots. It's not like he's getting terrible shots. He's getting good looks. He's getting to the rim. It's just a matter of the ball going in and out of the basket.'


Westbrook is a major reason the Thunder are hurting the Spurs on the glass. Oklahoma City outrebounded San Antonio by an average of 7 over the first five games, and has won that battle in each of the past four. The Spurs feel they need to do better in Game 6 to have a chance.


'Control the boards,' guard Tony Parker said. 'That's the key of the series. We have to control the boards. We can't keep giving them opportunities to score.'




SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Thunder at Spurs
Sat, Apr 30 Final 92 to 124
Recaps


GAME 2
Thunder at Spurs
Mon, May 2 Final 98 to 97
Recaps


GAME 3
Spurs at Thunder
Fri, May 6 Final 100 to 96
Recaps


GAME 4
Spurs at Thunder
Sun, May 8 Final 97 to 111
Recaps


GAME 5
Thunder at Spurs
Tue, May 10 Final 95 to 91
Recaps


GAME 6
Spurs at Thunder
Thu, May 12 - 8:30PM EDT


GAME 7
Thunder at Spurs
Sun, May 15 - 8:00PM EDT

 

[CNOTES]

NBA MONEYLINE


NBA > (543) SAN ANTONIO@ (544) OKLAHOMA CITY | 2016-05-12 20:35:00 - 2016-05-12 20:35:00
Play ON OKLAHOMA CITY using money line in Home games against Southwest division opponents
The record is 11 Wins and 1 Losses for the this season (+10 units)

NBA > (543) SAN ANTONIO@ (544) OKLAHOMA CITY | 2016-05-12 20:35:00 - 2016-05-12 20:35:00
Play ON SAN ANTONIO using money line in All games off a upset loss as a favorite
The record is 34 Wins and 9 Losses for the last three seasons (+21.85 units)


NBA > (545) TORONTO@ (546) MIAMI | 2016-05-13 15:00:00 - 2016-05-13 15:00:00
Play ON TORONTO using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 33 Wins and 17 Losses for the this season (+16.15 units)


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


NBA FIRST HALF


NBA > (543) SAN ANTONIO@ (544) OKLAHOMA CITY | 2016-05-12 20:35:00 - 2016-05-12 20:35:00
Play ON SAN ANTONIO ?>in the first halfin Road games against Northwest division opponents
The record is 10 Wins and 0 Losses for the this season (+10 units)


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


NBA TOTALS


NBA > (543) SAN ANTONIO@ (544) OKLAHOMA CITY | 2016-05-12 20:35:00 - 2016-05-12 20:35:00
Play UNDER SAN ANTONIO on the totalin Road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 28 Overs and 71 Unders for the last three seasons (+40.2 units)



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


NBA TOP POWERLINE


NBA > (543) SAN ANTONIO @ (544) OKLAHOMA CITY | 2016-05-12 20:35:00 - 2016-05-12 20:35:00
Line: OKLAHOMA CITY1.5 BTB PowerLine: OKLAHOMA CITY-5
Edge On: OKLAHOMA CITY (6.5)

 

[CNOTES]

5/11 - YESTERDAY'S RESULTS: 3 - 1
OVERALL : 59 - 63


THURSDAY, MAY 12


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


SA at OKC 08:30 PM


OKC +1.5


U 195.5

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack


-- From Katie Sharp, pitch counts for the five 20-strikeout games: Clemens (1996) 151, Clemens (1986) 138, Randy Johnson 124, Kerry Wood 122, Scherzer 119


-- In those five games, pitchers struck out 100, didn't walk one batter.


-- Scherzer/Johnson are only pitchers with a 20-strikeout game and a no-hitter.


-- Nine of Scherzer's 20 Ks came on 3-pitch at-bats.


-- Only 20.7% of big league strikeouts come on 3-pitch at-bats.


-- Victor Martinez was 3-4 against his former teammate with no strikeouts.


**********


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


13) Its not that I'm old, its just that I'm not young anymore.


I'm watching TV the other night and a commercial for some reality dating show comes on; the host says to the contestant: "I need your swag level up to the tril!!!"


WTF does that even mean? When did I stop understanding English?


12) Kansas City Royals put two starting pitchers (Young/Medlen) on DL, as they continue to flounder, having lost 11 of their last 16 games.


11) Scott Skiles abruptly quit as coach of the Orlando Magic after only one season, during which the Magic improved 10 games from over last season.


10) Braves-Marlins are playing a game at Fort Bragg, NC on July 3 to honor our troops; they're putting up a new ballpark for the occasion.


9) UNLV added a couple of recruits from Chicago this week and now 6-11 Canadian Jordy Tshimanga will visit UNLV with his 7-1 brother Link Kabadyundi, a JC transfer who played a year at TCU. Rebels are up to nine players as they rebuild under Marvin Menzies, who had several Canadian players at New Mexico State.


8) Speaking of Las Vegas, WCC wisely decided to keep its postseason tourney at Orleans Arena thru 2019. Nice arena, good size for that league's tournament.


7) NBA Combine stuff is on TV this week on ESPN2 during the day; interesting to see the kids fightning hard as they try to impress NBA teams. Kids who are really good players in HS/college have to be shocked at how hard it is to make an NBA roster.


6) Nashville Predators are 21st NHL team to play two Game 7's in same season.


5) Noah Sydergaard homered twice in LA Wednesday night, first pitcher to do that since Micah Owings in 2007, first Met pitcher since Walt Terrell in '83.


4) Fernando Rodney saved two games Wednesday as Padres swept a twinbill; only other time a Padre reliever did that was Rollie Fingers at Candlestick in 1977.


3) Max Scherzer and John Lackey are only two active pitchers who've beaten all 30 major league teams.


2) It is odd that the Cowboys look like they're going into training camp with only two backup QBs, Kellen Moore and rookie Dak Prescott. Tony Romo is 36; he played in four games LY. Would be nice to have a competent backup QB.


1) RIP Dayton C Steve McAlvene, 20, who collapsed and died at his Indiana home this week. Very tragic to pass away so young.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA
Long Sheet

Friday, May 13

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

TORONTO (63 - 31) at MIAMI (54 - 40) - 5/13/2016, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 175-218 ATS (-64.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
TORONTO is 48-62 ATS (-20.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 33-24 ATS (+6.6 Units) as a favorite this season.
MIAMI is 41-31 ATS (+6.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
MIAMI is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 8-8 against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI is 8-8 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
9 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




NBA
Short Sheet

Friday, May 13

Toronto at Miami, 8:05 ET
Toronto: 14-24 ATS when the total is between 190 and 199.5 points
Miami: 21-12 ATS after playing a game as an underdog




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, May 13

Miami-Toronto (T 3-2)
Five series games decided by total of 29 points; three went to OT. Heat lost seven of last 10 games with Toronto; they are 2-3 vs Raptors in last five played here. Home side won ten of last 14 series games overall. Eight of last ten Miami games stayed under total, as have 10 of last 13 Raptor games. Lowry had 33 points in Game 3 but is 21-71 in the other four games. Toronto lost three of last four road games; Miami is 4-6 in its last ten games, splitting its last four at home.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31
Second round: Favorites: 12-8, over: 11-9




NBA

Friday, May 13

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

8:00 PM
TORONTO vs. MIAMI
Toronto is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games
Toronto is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Miami's last 10 games
Miami is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing Toronto

 

[CNOTES]

NBA
Dunkel

Friday, May 13


Toronto @ Miami

Game 545-546
May 13, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
119.156
Miami
125.760
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami
by 6 1/2
184
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Miami
by 4
189
Dunkel Pick:
Miami
(-4); Under

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Raptors (56-26) at Heat (48-34)
Date: May 13, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

MIAMI (AP) The centers are hobbled and sidelined. The starting point guards have seen their faces bloodied. Both teams have key forwards dealing with wrist injuries, and Toronto's leading scorer needs his super-tender thumb wrapped in something resembling a shoelace so he can play.


Someone will win this Toronto-Miami series.


Or more accurately, someone will survive this series.


The Raptors are leading 3-2 and therefore have two chances to be the ones who emerge, the first coming in Game 6 at Miami on Friday night. The Raptors know they're playing Sunday afternoon - either in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals in Cleveland, or back in Toronto for Game 7 of this East semifinal matchup.


'It's a seven-game series and these kind of series are very competitive,' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday. 'They're built to push you and stress you and put you in uncomfortable situations. And that's what this series is doing right now. It's a competitive series. Guys are embracing the competition. And we have a job to do tomorrow. We're just focused on tomorrow.'


Both teams got good news Thursday.


Tests performed on the injured wrists of Toronto's DeMarre Carroll and Miami's Luol Deng showed they were just dealing with bruises after getting hurt in the Raptors' Game 5 win on Wednesday night. Officially, Carroll and Deng are listed as questionable, but the expectation is that both will be available to go in Game 6.


'If it ain't broke, with me, I'm ready to play,' Carroll said.


Said Deng: 'I've had worse injuries than this.'


Miami center Hassan Whiteside (knee) and Toronto center Jonas Valanciunas (ankle) are both expected to miss their third consecutive games. DeMar DeRozan's right thumb - the one wrapped in a shoelace - is still painful, yet he and backcourt mate Kyle Lowry were still able to lead the Raptors to a win in Game 5.


'Right now there's nobody healthy in this league, totally healthy,' Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. 'There's something that's hurting on somebody. Kyle Lowry looks like a boxer, got cuts on both eyelids. This is the time you play through it. This is what you work in the summer for. This is what you prepare your professional career for - playoff time.'


Lowry has shed blood in this series, as has his point guard counterpart, Miami's Goran Dragic.


No one seems to mind the physicality. Lowry said it's just a byproduct of two teams fighting for their seasons.


'Everything's just been basketball,' Lowry said. 'It's been physical. It's just a fun game and it's that time of the year.'


A look at Friday's lone NBA game:


---


Raptors at Heat, Toronto leads 3-2. 8 p.m., ESPN.


This is already the longest postseason in Raptors' history, with Friday marking their 13th game of these playoffs. Toronto's previous mark was 12 playoff games in 2001.


Of course, the Raptors hope they're just getting started.


Their bags are already packed for Cleveland. That's not disrespect toward Miami, just smart planning considering the potentially very tight turnaround if the Raptors win on Friday. But history suggests it won't be easy - the Raptors are 1-4 all-time in road closeout chances, and only two East teams have won two games at Miami in the same series since Dwyane Wade was drafted in 2003.


'They are well-coached, they play really hard and they've got Dwyane Wade,' Lowry said. 'He's playing at a level that he's pretty much played at his whole career.'


Wade has been Miami's best player in the series, and he'll likely need to stay that way. He's avoided knockout blows plenty of times before - the Heat are 7-1 in their last eight games when facing elimination, including 2-0 this season.


'Our guys love this,' Spoelstra said. 'Our guys love this kind of competition.'


Miami got down by 20 in Wednesday's Game 5 loss, cut the deficit down to one but never got all the way over the hump. The Heat haven't scored more than 94 points in regulation yet game in this series, Joe Johnson is 1 for 17 from 3-point range and Miami is facing elimination even though Lowry and DeRozan are both shooting under 40 percent from the field.


And if the Heat are to get a chance to match up with former Miami star LeBron James in the East finals, they need to defy the odds. Teams that lose Game 5 of a tied best-of-seven go on to ultimately lose the series 82 percent of the time.


'Whatever it takes,' Spoelstra said. 'We have enough.'




SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Heat at Raptors
Tue, May 3 Final 102 to 96
Recaps


GAME 2
Heat at Raptors
Thu, May 5 Final 92 to 96
Recaps


GAME 3
Raptors at Heat
Sat, May 7 Final 95 to 91
Recaps


GAME 4
Raptors at Heat
Mon, May 9 Final 87 to 94
Recaps


GAME 5
Heat at Raptors
Wed, May 11 Final 91 to 99
Recaps


GAME 6
Raptors at Heat
Fri, May 13 - 8:00PM EDT


GAME 7
Heat at Raptors
Sun, May 15 - 3:30PM EDT

 

[CNOTES]

Friday's Playoff Action
May 13, 2016




TORONTO RAPTORS (63-31) at MIAMI HEAT (54-40)


Eastern Conference – Round 2
Tip-off: Friday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: Miami -4, Total: 189


The Raptors will be looking to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with a road victory over the Heat in Game 6 on Friday.


Toronto dominated the first half of Game 5 against Miami, but the Heat came roaring back in the second half and eventually made it a one-point game in the fourth quarter. The Raptors were, however, able to clamp down and win the game 99-91 as 4.5-point home favorites.


They’re now one victory away from advancing to the next round. One thing that can help them win this pivotal Game 6 is taking care of the ball. Toronto committed just nine turnovers in Game 5 and doing that again would come a long way in earning a victory on Friday.


One thing that looks good for Toronto coming into this game is that Miami is 54-73 ATS after one or more consecutive OVERS over the past three seasons. The Heat are, however, 17-8 ATS after having lost two of their past three games this season.


C Jonas Valanciunas (Ankle) remains out indefinitely for the Raptors and C Hassan Whiteside (Knee) is out indefinitely for the Heat, who are already without PF Chris Bosh (Blood Clot) for the season.


The Raptors are coming off of a big victory in Game 5 and they will be feeling confident coming into Game 6, as PG Kyle Lowry (15.8 PPG, 6.8 APG, 1.9 SPG in playoffs) and SG DeMar DeRozan (19.1 PPG, 1.4 SPG in playoffs) finally showed up together last game.


Lowry finished Game 5 with 25 points, 10 boards, six assists and three steals in 41 minutes of action. He also hit a number of clutch shots in the fourth quarter.


DeRozan, meanwhile, had 34 points on 11-for-22 shooting from the field. He was playing that game with an injured thumb, but it did not end up hurting him. Toronto will need both of them to continue to knock down shots moving forward.


Another guy that must play well for the Raptors is C Bismack Biyombo (5.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.0 BPG in playoffs). Biyombo came up huge in Game 5, finishing with 10 points, six boards and four blocks in 38 minutes of action.


He was playing very well around the basket on both ends of the floor and must continue to be active the remainder of this series.


If the Heat are going to force a Game 7 then SG Dwyane Wade (21.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.3 APG in playoffs) is going to need to come up huge. Wade had just 20 points on 14 shot attempts in Game 5 and Miami needs him to be a lot more aggressive on Friday.


Wade averaged 34.0 PPG in the previous two contests and it’s going to take that type of performance for the Heat to win on Friday.


Another guy that must come to play for Miami is PG Goran Dragic (15.4 PPG in playoffs). Dragic had just 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting from the floor in Game 5 and Miami needs him to score around 20 in this one.


With the big men injured for both teams, this series has come down to a battle between backcourts and Dragic needs to be more effective moving forward.