Cnotes53 2017 NBA Best Bets-Trends-News Thru Playoffs !

[Cnotes53]

NBA
Dunkel

Monday, January 1

Orlando @ Brooklyn

Game 701-702
January 1, 2018 @ 7:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Orlando
110.303
Brooklyn
115.895
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Brooklyn
by 5 1/2
223
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Brooklyn
by 2
217
Dunkel Pick:
Brooklyn
(-2); Over

Milwaukee @ Toronto

Game 703-704
January 1, 2018 @ 7:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee
116.785
Toronto
124.611
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 8
210
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 6
215
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(-6); Under

LA Lakers @ Minnesota

Game 705-706
January 1, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Lakers
116.892
Minnesota
121.430
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 4 1/2
209
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
N/A

Portland @ Chicago

Game 707-708
January 1, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Portland
115.201
Chicago
120.879
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 5 1/2
205
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
N/A




NBA
Long Sheet

Monday, January 1

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

ORLANDO (12 - 25) at BROOKLYN (13 - 23) - 1/1/2018, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 13-23 ATS (-12.3 Units) in all games this season.
ORLANDO is 35-53 ATS (-23.3 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 127-166 ATS (-55.6 Units) in January games since 1996.
ORLANDO is 5-18 ATS (-14.8 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
ORLANDO is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
BROOKLYN is 8-24 ATS (-18.4 Units) in January games over the last 3 seasons.
BROOKLYN is 6-17 ATS (-12.7 Units) in home games after a division game over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 5-4 against the spread versus BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 7-2 straight up against BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

MILWAUKEE (19 - 15) at TORONTO (24 - 10) - 1/1/2018, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 26-15 ATS (+9.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 130-96 ATS (+24.4 Units) in road games against Atlantic division opponents since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 37-17 ATS (+18.3 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 9-5 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 11-3 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
10 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

LA LAKERS (11 - 24) at MINNESOTA (23 - 14) - 1/1/2018, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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

PORTLAND (18 - 17) at CHICAGO (13 - 23) - 1/1/2018, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, January 1

Home side won last six Magic-Net games; Orlando is 2-3 vs spread in last five games in Barclays Center. Over is 5-0-1 in last six series games. Orlando lost 10 of its last 11 games; they?re 1-7 vs spread in last eight games as road underdogs. Six of their last nine games stayed under total. Brooklyn lost eight of its last ten games; they?re 2-4 as home favorites. Seven of their last nine games stayed under total.

Raptors won four of last five games with Milwaukee; six of last eight series games stayed under. Bucks are 2-3 vs spread in last five visits to Canada. Milwaukee won four of its last six games; they?re 6-7 as road underdogs. Nine of their last 11 games went over total. Toronto won seven of its last nine games; they?re 7-2 in last nine games as home favorites. Three of their last four games stayed under the total.

Lakers are 3-5 in last eight games with Minnesota, 2-2 vs spread in last four visits here. Lakers lost in double OT in Houston yesterday, their sixth loss in row; they covered seven of last eight games as road underdogs. Nine of their last ten games went over total. Minnesota won six of its last seven games; they?re 1-10 vs spread in last 11 games as home favorites. Seven of their last ten games went over total.

Portland won seven of last ten games with Chicago; they?re 4-1 vs spread in last five visits to the Windy City. Five of last seven series games stayed under the total. Portland lost four of its last six games; they?re 20-6-1 vs spread on road. Eight of their last ten games stayed under total. Chicago is 10-3 in its last 13 games; they?re 4-0 vs spread as home favorites. Eight of their last ten games went over total.




NBA

Monday, January 1

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

ORLANDO @ BROOKLYN
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Orlando's last 6 games when playing Brooklyn
Orlando is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Brooklyn
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Brooklyn's last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Brooklyn's last 6 games when playing Orlando

MILWAUKEE @ TORONTO
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Milwaukee's last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games on the road
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Toronto is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Milwaukee

PORTLAND @ CHICAGO
Portland is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Portland's last 8 games on the road
Chicago is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

LA LAKERS @ MINNESOTA
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Lakers's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 9 of LA Lakers's last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Minnesota's last 9 games when playing LA Lakers
Minnesota is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games

 

[Cnotes53]

Preview: Magic (12-25) at Nets (13-23)
Date: January 01, 2018 7:30 PM EDT

The last time the Brooklyn Nets played a home game, they produced their best showing of the season.

The Nets will get several chances in the upcoming weeks to produce more home victories starting on Monday night when they host the Orlando Magic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn (13-23) is 7-10 at home (6-9 in Brooklyn) so far but its last appearance on its homecourt was a resounding 119-84 win over the Washington Wizards on Dec. 22.

Starting Monday, the Nets play eight of their next 10 games at home, and the second meeting with the Magic is the opener of a five-game homestand.

The Nets beat the Magic in their home opener on Oct. 20 and won their first three home games. Since then they are 4-10 at home, though two of those games were "home games" against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat played in Mexico City.

Including the games in Mexico, the Nets are averaging 108.7 points per game at home, but they are shooting 43.9 percent and hitting on 34.7 percent of their 3-pointers.

The win over Washington in the Nets' most recent home game is part of a 2-8 stretch that has seen the Nets allow 107.2 points. Brooklyn is returning home after concluding a five-game trip at 1-4 with Sunday's 108-105 loss to the Boston Celtics.

After leading by 38 in a 111-87 win at Miami Friday, the Nets fell behind by 11 in the opening quarter Sunday.

"We're obviously on a better pace in terms of getting wins than last year, right? So, there's improvement," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. "The next step is to be a little more consistent. I tell our guys I'd grade us as a below-average team, we're not in that average window yet. And that's where we've got to get to, and consistency, that's what we're looking for."

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson posted a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds against Boston and is averaging 16.4 points and 7.9 rebounds in his last 10 games.

Orlando (12-25) enters its second visit to Brooklyn missing Nikola Vucevic, who scored 41 points on six 3-pointers during its first trip, a 126-121 Nets win. Vucevic underwent left hand surgery last Wednesday after getting injured in Orlando's loss to Washington on Dec. 23.

Injuries are among the causes for Orlando's rapid descent from a surprising 8-4 start. Since a 16-point win at Phoenix on Nov. 10, the Magic are 4-21 in their last 25 games.

Five of those losses have occurred when Orlando held a double-digit lead at some point. The Magic held an 18-point lead early in the third quarter and wound up with a 117-111 home loss to the Miami Heat on Saturday.

Orlando was outscored 67-43 after taking the 18-point lead on its first possession of the third quarter. The Magic also allowed the Heat to shoot 62.8 percent (27 of 43) after halftime and couldn't stop Miami guards Tyler Johnson and Goran Dragic, who combined for 43 points on 18-of-26 shooting in the second half.

In this 25-game slide, the Magic are allowing opponents to score 111.9 points per game and shoot 47.5 percent. Saturday marked the 18th time this season an opponent scored at least 110 on the Magic and the 18th instance an opponent shot at least 47 percent.

"Very disappointing. Very disappointed," Orlando point guard Elfrid Payton said. "Another game where we played well, but we just didn't play a complete game."

If there was good news to emerge from Orlando's latest loss, it was Aaron Gordon's performance. In his second game back from a five-game absence due to a calf injury, Gordon scored 39 points on 14-of-22 shooting.

In the five games before the injury, Gordon averaged 15 points on 39.6 percent shooting.

Gordon's performance highlighted some of the unevenness to Orlando's latest loss. It occurred on a night when the Magic shot 54.3 percent, and it was their third loss in nine games when shooting at least 50 percent.

"It's disappointing, man, because I thought we fought and played with the right energy, but we just had a really bad defensive second half," said Magic forward Evan Fournier, who finished with 23 points, "When you have to pick the ball up out of the net, you can't run. So, this was a tough one."

The teams split the first two meetings with each winning a high-scoring game on its home court. Gordon missed the first meeting in Brooklyn with a calf injury but scored a career-high 41 in Orlando's 125-121 win on Oct. 24 when the Nets blew a 12-point lead.

Orlando has won seven of the last nine meetings with Brooklyn.

 

[Cnotes53]

Preview: Bucks (19-15) at Raptors (24-10)
Date: January 01, 2018 7:30 PM EDT

TORONTO -- The Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors have not played each other since April 27.

That was when the Raptors defeated the Bucks 92-89 to take their first-round playoff series in six games and the teams will meet for the first time this season Monday night at the Air Canada Centre.

The first thing Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan mentioned about the playoff series after practice Sunday was that the Bucks won Game 1, which was played at the ACC.

"It was one of those series that was a challenge for us," DeRozan said. "Once we figured it out, we got control of it and eventually we won it, but I always think back to that Game 1."

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo also mentioned Game 1 when he talked about the series.

"It definitely helps us," Antetokounmpo told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I was talking with (Bucks guard Sterling) Brown about it and he was like, 'You guys lost the series,' but I told him we won the first game (in Toronto), we lost the second one, but at the end of the day, we learned from it. I think we're more mature as a team, we're playing better and hopefully (Monday) we can get a win against these guys because we really want it."

The Bucks face a difficult task Monday. The Raptors are 13-1 at the ACC, including 11 wins in a row, and can equal a club record for consecutive team wins at 12 against Milwaukee.

"They ended our season early," Bucks guard Matthew Dellavedova said after Milwaukee defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. "Obviously, it was very disappointing so we're going to be very focused, locked in and ready to go."

The Raptors (24-10) had lost two in a row for only the third time this season when they defeated the Atlanta Hawks 111-98 Friday on their return home.

The Bucks (19-15) defeated the Thunder 97-95 Friday and have won two in a row.

"I think the two wins definitely helps," Dellavedova said. "But, it's more the way we did it, the whole team being engaged and really having to fight for both those wins."

The Raptors won the regular season series 3-1 over the Bucks last season. Antetokounmpo averaged 24.8 points, 8.8, rebounds and 5.2 assists on 55.6 percent shooting in the 10 games between the teams last season, including the regular season and playoffs.

DeRozan, who has average 24.1 points per game to lead the Raptors this season, said he enjoys watching Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 29.1 points and 10.4 rebounds.

"He's a freak of nature," DeRozan said. "I remember his first couple of years, he was skinny. Now, you watch and he's out there looking like a grown man, and he's playing like one. He's played like a franchise player. It's fun to watch a guy like that, who is 6-11 with a seven-whatever wing span handling the ball, creating for himself and his teammates. It's fun to watch as a basketball fan."

The Bucks have made some changes since last season, including the addition of guard Eric Bledsoe in a trade with the Phoenix Suns.

"They're a lot better," DeRozan said. "Not just with Bledsoe. You see how much Giannis improved. All those guys. They've got a great coach in Jason Kidd. They're well coached. ... Having a guy like Bledsoe definitely helps."

"They're a little bit different now offensively," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "Bledsoe gives another piece to the equation that we've got to guard."

Despite the Raptors' record, Casey feels they can be better. "I think we have a lot of growth, a lot of room for improvement in a lot of areas," he said. "It's little things, there's nothing glaring."

The key to the playoff series against the Bucks last season was Game 5, which the Raptors won 118-93. Casey liked the Raptors moved the ball.

"The ball was moving, zipping around," he said.

It is the style the Raptors have introduced this season so that they can get more players involved besides DeRozan and point guard Kyle Lowry, their key players.

"We've played them a lot here, so just understanding they're a little bit different -- you add someone like C.J. Miles and it definitely helps them with the 3s," Kidd said. "But DeRozan and Lowry are the engines and you've got to pay attention to those guys."

Raptors forward Serge Ibaka is expected to return to the lineup Monday after the team suspended him for the game Friday for being involved in what was termed an "altercation" with a staff member after the loss to the Thunder on Wednesday.

 

[Cnotes53]

Preview: Trail Blazers (18-17) at Bulls (13-23)
Date: January 01, 2018 8:00 PM EDT

The Chicago Bulls began December with three straight losses.

The Bulls will begin the new year hoping to bounce back from just their third loss in their past 13 games when they host the Portland Trail Blazers Monday night at the United Center in Chicago.

Chicago heads into Monday coming off a disappointing 114-110 loss to the Washington Wizards on Sunday. Before not being able to finish off the Wizards in the final minute, the Bulls had matched the Golden State Warriors for the league's best record over the past month.

Despite seeing their three-game winning streak snapped against the Wizards, the Bulls (13-23) take plenty of optimism into 2018. In addition to their recent turnaround, Chicago can look forward to January when Zach LaVine is expected to return from a torn ACL.

Yet, even as the Bulls looked forward to LaVine making his season debut, they overcame a tough stretch. They followed up a 10-game losing streak with a string of seven consecutive victories sparked by Nikola Mirotic and Kris Dunn.

Of late, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg has seen his team play through in-game adversity more effectively than earlier this season when Chicago started 3-20.

Through the ups and downs, Hoiberg has managed to remain steady and kept his team focused solely on what it can control.

"That's to compete and play hard and have the focus every day to put yourself in position to win games," Hoiberg told reporters on Sunday. "I've said this all along: I give our guys all the credit in the world for continuing to battle through the tough stretch when we lost 10 games in a row.

"They continued to come in with the mindset that they're going to get better and learn and hopefully find a way to close out some of the games that we had been losing."

That will continue to be the goal in the new year, starting when the Bulls play for the third time in four days.

Portland (18-17) may be without star point Damian Lillard for a fifth straight game due to a strained right hamstring. Lillard is listed as questionable in the team's injury report after working out Friday in practice and before Saturday's 104-89 loss at Atlanta.

Without Lillard again, the Blazers saw their two-game winning streak snapped on Saturday, when second-half cold shooting did them in. Portland shot 1-for-12 from 3-point range in the second half and committed 20 turnovers.

"It's a disappointing loss," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "In the end, we didn't make enough plays to win the game. It's certainly frustrating to lose that game the way that we lost it."

Shabazz Napier started for Lillard for the third straight game and scored 21 points and likely would start again if Lillard does not play.

Portland has experienced a bit of a roller coaster ride this season, but Stotts said his young players need to learn from experiences like Saturday when the Trail Blazers didn't make enough happen to finish off what began as a solid performance.

"We've got to be able to seize the moment when it's there," Stotts said. "We've got to make the plays (in the fourth quarter) that puts us not only in a position to win the game, but actually win the game."

 

[Cnotes53]

Preview: Lakers (11-24) at Timberwolves (23-14)
Date: January 01, 2018 8:00 PM EDT

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves were bound to be weary for their New Year's Day meeting at the Target Center with both teams traveling for the second game of a back-to-back set on Monday.

Los Angeles then played a marathon, double-overtime game in Houston on Sunday that lasted nearly three hours and saw starters Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Tyler Ennis play over 40 minutes apiece.

Already short-handed due to the absences of Brook Lopez (sprained right ankle) and rookie Lonzo Ball (sprained left shoulder), the Lakers may experience a tough time against the streaking Wolves.

"It's obviously frustrating, but we're very proud of the way we're (playing despite being) short-handed right now," Los Angeles coach Luke Walton said after his team's 148-142 loss to the Rockets on Sunday. "It would've been a lot easier to kind of just pack it in and individually go out and try to put up big numbers until we get healthy or until we get to an easier part of the schedule.

"Our guys really came together tonight and really played well for most of the game."

Minnesota earned its sixth win in seven games and ninth in a span of 12 games with a commanding 107-90 victory at Indiana on Sunday.

"We just moved the ball well and our defense was phenomenal," Timberwolves forward Taj Gibson said. "Everybody was just really in sync."

It will be the second holiday meeting in a week between the two teams. Minnesota beat the Lakers 121-104 at Los Angeles on Christmas Day. The loss was one of six straight for the Lakers heading into play Monday.

Ball missed his fourth consecutive game on Sunday, and he won't play against the Timberwolves.

Rookie Josh Hart scored a career-high 26 points against the Rockets, and Tyler Ennis filled in for Ball with a career-high 20 points and season-high 11 assists.

Julius Randle had 29 points, 15 rebounds and six assists on Sunday. Kuzma continued his strong season with 21 points.

"We were playing really aggressive in the first quarter and we picked up our defense," Randle said. "We were able to get stops and get out and run."

The Wolves are also short-handed with point guard Jeff Teague out indefinitely due to a sprained MCL in his left knee.

Jimmy Butler has dealt with an ankle injury but is leading Minnesota in its recent run. Butler had 26 points Sunday, his seventh consecutive game of at least 20 points.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks in the Sunday win.

Of note for the Wolves against the Pacers was an improved defense. Minnesota scored the first 17 points and held a team under 100 points for the first time in eight games. Slowly, the Wolves' defense is showing positive signs.

"We made shots, they missed some they normally make, (it was) probably a combination of those two things," Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said. "They made a run at us. I think they got it down to five, but we built (the lead) back up."

Building leads in the fourth quarter had been troublesome for the Wolves this season. Minnesota's net rating in the fourth is minus-8.6, the second-worst mark in the NBA. However, the Wolves' net rating in the fourth over the past 15 games has been plus-1.9, the league's 14th-best mark over that stretch.

 

[Cnotes53]

MONDAY, JANUARY 1
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

ORL at BK 07:30 PM
BK -1.0
O 219.5

MIL at TOR 07:30 PM
TOR -5.5
U 214.5

POR at CHI 08:00 PM
CHI +1.0
U 206.5

LAL at MIN 08:00 PM
LAL +10.5
O 216.5

 

[Cnotes53]

DeRozan scores 52, Raptors beat Bucks 131-127 in overtime
January 1, 2018

TORONTO (AP) DeMar DeRozan scored a franchise-record 52 points, and the Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks 131-127 in overtime on Monday night, matching the team record with their 12th consecutive home victory.

DeRozan is the third player in Raptors history to score 50 or more in a single game. The others are Vince Carter and Terrence Ross, who each had 51.

Kyle Lowry had 26 points and Serge Ibaka added 11 for the Raptors, who also won 12 straight at Air Canada Centre between Jan. 18 and March 6, 2016. Toronto is an NBA-best 14-1 at home.

DeRozan made 17 of 29 field-goal attempts and shot 13 for 13 at the free-throw line.

Eric Bledsoe scored 29 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 for the Bucks, who had won their previous two. Khris Middleton finished with 18 points in the entertaining rematch between first-round playoff opponents from last season, a series Toronto won in six.

TRAIL BLAZERS 124, BULLS 120, OT

CHICAGO (AP) - Portland guard C.J. McCollum scored 25 of his 32 points after halftime, including the tiebreaking basket with 56.5 seconds remaining in overtime.

Al-Farouq Aminu added a season-high 24 points and Evan Turner also had his season best with 22 for Portland, which was without leading scorer Damian Lillard for a fifth straight game. Lillard is recovering from a right hamstring strain.

Kris Dunn scored 22 points and reserve Nikola Mirotic had 18 points for Chicago, which blew a late lead for a second straight game.

TIMBERWOLVES 114, LAKERS 96

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Jimmy Butler scored 28 points, and Minnesota won for the seventh time in eight games.

Karl-Anthony Towns recorded his 30th double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Andrew Wiggins scored 21 points and grabbed a season-high nine rebounds.

The Lakers have lost seven in a row and 10 of 11. Los Angeles was once again missing three starters: center Brook Lopez (ankle), and guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (legal) and Lonzo Ball (shoulder).

Jordan Clarkson scored 20 points for the Lakers, and Julius Randle had 15.

NETS 98, MAGIC 95

NEW YORK (AP) - Rookie Jarrett Allen had a career-high 16 points for Brooklyn, and Allen Crabbe added 15 points and blocked a potential tying shot.

Caris LeVert also had 15 points, while DeMarre Carroll chipped in 14 points, 10 rebounds and the tiebreaking free throw with 34.5 seconds remaining. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 13 for the Nets, who opened the new year with a win after closing out 2017 with a 1-4 road trip.

Aaron Gordon had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Orlando, which has lost its last seven road games. Elfrid Payton added 17 points and Bismack Biyombo had 13 points and a season-high 17 boards.

 

[Cnotes53]

January's NBA Record ( Best Bets & Opinions )

DATE W-L-T % UNITS

01/01/2018 1-7-0 12.50% -3350


January's NBA Record ( Best Bets )

01/01/2018......................1 - 3.................-11.50......................0 - 4..................-22.00


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

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY JANUARY 2, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Portland Trail Blazers Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena
7:30 PM San Antonio Spurs New York Knicks Madison Square Garden
9:00 PM Atlanta Hawks Phoenix Suns Talking Stick Resort Arena
10:00 PM Charlotte Hornets Sacramento Kings Golden 1 Center
10:30 PM Memphis Grizzlies Los Angeles Clippers Staples Center

 

[Cnotes53]

NBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, January 2

Portland @ Cleveland

Game 501-502
January 2, 2018 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Portland
117.303
Cleveland
130.414
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 13
224
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
N/A

San Antonio @ New York

Game 503-504
January 2, 2018 @ 7:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
122.674
New York
116.411
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 6 1/2
195
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 4
199 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(-4); Under

Atlanta @ Phoenix

Game 505-506
January 2, 2018 @ 9:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
114.433
Phoenix
114.672
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Atlanta
Even
224
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 2
217
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(+2); Over

Charlotte @ Sacramento

Game 507-508
January 2, 2018 @ 10:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Charlotte
115.204
Sacramento
116.132
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Sacramento
by 1
199
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Charlotte
by 3 1/2
206
Dunkel Pick:
Sacramento
(+3 1/2); Under

Memphis @ LA Clippers

Game 509-510
January 2, 2018 @ 10:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Memphis
116.775
LA Clippers
117.812
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Clippers
by 1
209
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Clippers
by 5
204
Dunkel Pick:
Memphis
(+5); Over




NBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, January 2

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

PORTLAND (19 - 17) at CLEVELAND (24 - 12) - 1/2/2018, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PORTLAND is 3-1 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 2-2 straight up against PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

SAN ANTONIO (25 - 12) at NEW YORK (18 - 18) - 1/2/2018, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) in home games this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 1023-895 ATS (+38.5 Units) in all games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 819-697 ATS (+52.3 Units) as a favorite since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 154-109 ATS (+34.1 Units) on Tuesday nights since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 344-271 ATS (+45.9 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 342-280 ATS (+34.0 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 210-148 ATS (+47.2 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 3-2 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 4-1 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

ATLANTA (10 - 26) at PHOENIX (14 - 24) - 1/2/2018, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 162-117 ATS (+33.3 Units) after allowing 115 points or more since 1996.
PHOENIX is 46-28 ATS (+15.2 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 4-0 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 2-2 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

CHARLOTTE (13 - 23) at SACRAMENTO (12 - 24) - 1/2/2018, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHARLOTTE is 48-63 ATS (-21.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SACRAMENTO is 48-77 ATS (-36.7 Units) against Southeast division opponents since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHARLOTTE is 3-1 against the spread versus SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
CHARLOTTE is 3-1 straight up against SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

MEMPHIS (12 - 25) at LA CLIPPERS (16 - 19) - 1/2/2018, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MEMPHIS is 13-22 ATS (-11.2 Units) in all games this season.
MEMPHIS is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 93-63 ATS (+23.7 Units) in home games in January games since 1996.
MEMPHIS is 163-123 ATS (+27.7 Units) after a win by 10 points or more since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA CLIPPERS is 4-4 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 5-4 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, January 2

Home side won last seven Portland-Cleveland games; Blazers are 1-3 vs spread in last four visits here. Under is 5-2 in last seven series games. Portland won three of last four games after winning in OT at Chicago Monday; Blazers covered their last seven games as road underdogs. Portland is 2-1-1 vs spread if they played night before. Under is 8-3 in their last 11 games. Cleveland is off an 0-3 road trip; they get Isaiah Thomas in lineup for first time tonite. Cavaliers are 4-14 as home favorites- their last three games stayed under the total.

Knicks lost four of their last five games with San Antonio; over is 6-2-1 in last nine series games. San Antonio is 2-3 vs spread in its last five visits to Manhattan. Spurs won six of their last eight games; they?re 4-8 vs spread as road favorites. Under is 9-2-1 in their last 12 road games. New York lost four of its last five games; they?re 7-5 as home underdogs. Under is 5-2 in Knicks? last seven games.

Home side won last five Atlanta-Phoenix games; Hawks are 1-4 vs spread in last five visits to the desert. Six of last seven series games stayed under the total. Atlanta won three of its last four games; they?re 9-3 vs spread in last dozen games as a home underdog. Last three Atlanta games stayed under total. Phoenix is 5-3 in its last eight games, 1-3 vs spread as home favorites- three of their last four games went over total.

Hornets won three of last four games with Sacramento; they?re 3-2 vs spread in last five visits here. Over is 5-2 in last seven series games. Charlotte lost seven of its last ten games; they?re 5-9-2 vs spread on road, 0-1 when favored. Last three Hornet road games stayed under total. Sacramento lost four of its last five games; they?re 7-5 as home underdogs. Four of their last five games went over the total.

Clippers are 6-4 in their last ten games with Memphis; last five series games went over. Grizzlies are 4-2 vs spread in last six series games played here. Memphis is 3-2 in its last five games after a 2-19 skid; Grizzlies are 5-2-1 vs spread in last eight games as road underdogs. Four of their last five games went over total. Clippers won five of their last six games, have Griffin back in lineup- they?re 9-4 as home favorites. Four of their last five games went over total.




NBA

Tuesday, January 2

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

PORTLAND @ CLEVELAND
Portland is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Portland's last 8 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Cleveland's last 8 games when playing at home against Portland

SAN ANTONIO @ NEW YORK
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of San Antonio's last 13 games on the road
San Antonio is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York
New York is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 7 of New York's last 9 games when playing San Antonio

ATLANTA @ PHOENIX
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing Phoenix
Atlanta is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Phoenix's last 7 games when playing Atlanta
Phoenix is 19-4 SU in its last 23 games when playing at home against Atlanta

CHARLOTTE @ SACRAMENTO
Charlotte is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
Charlotte is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Sacramento's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Sacramento's last 7 games when playing Charlotte

MEMPHIS @ LA CLIPPERS
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Memphis's last 5 games when playing LA Clippers
Memphis is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Clippers's last 5 games when playing Memphis
LA Clippers is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home

 

[Cnotes53]

TUESDAY, JANUARY 2
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

POR at CLE 07:00 PM
POR +8.5
U 214.5

SA at NY 07:30 PM
NY +5.5
U 200.5

ATL at PHO 09:00 PM
ATL +1.5
O 217.5

CHA at SAC 10:00 PM
CHA -4.5
U 205.0

MEM at LAC 10:30 PM
LAC -5.5
O 206.0

 

[Cnotes53]

Isaiah Thomas has stellar return as Cavs beat Blazers
January 3, 2018

CLEVELAND (AP) Isaiah Thomas showed flashes of what made him an All-Star in his long-awaited Cleveland debut as the Cavaliers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 127-110 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.

Thomas scored 17 points and played 19 minutes in his first game in seven months, an impressive return to action for the dynamic point guard. Thomas added three 3-pointers and three assists before leaving with 8:10 left and the Cavs up by 12.

LeBron James scored 24 points, Kevin Love had 19 and Jae Crowder added 15 for the Cavs, who were coming off losses at Golden State, Sacramento and Utah.

Damian Lillard scored 25 for the Blazers after missing five games with a hamstring injury. Jusuf Nurkic added 23 and CJ McCollum had 19 for Portland.

The Cavs were unable to separate from the Blazers until Thomas and Dwyane Wade teamed up in the fourth quarter.

SPURS 100, KNICKS 91

NEW YORK (AP) - LaMarcus Aldridge scored 29 points, Kawhi Leonard had a season-high 25 and San Antonio beat New York to give Gregg Popovich sole possession of fifth place on the NBA's coaching wins list.

Manu Ginobili finished with 12 points - three of them coming on what appeared to be a pass that went into the basket without everyone noticing.

Popovich has 1,176 victories, all with the Spurs. The five-time champion broke a tie with his friend George Karl.

The Spurs beat the Knicks for the second time in six days and won for the fourth time in five games. They beat New York 119-107 on Dec. 28.

Michael Beasley had 18 points for the Knicks, who were playing one of just four home games this month. They play 12 times on the road.

Kristaps Porzingis shot just 5 for 19 and was one of three Knicks to finish with 13 points.

SUNS 104, HAWKS 103

PHOENIX (AP) - Devin Booker sank three free throws to put Phoenix ahead with 12.3 seconds to play, Marquese Chriss blocked Taurean Prince's shot at the rim with 7 seconds to go and the Suns rallied from down 10 in the final 2+ minutes to beat Atlanta.

Booker scored eight of his 34 points in the final 37 seconds as the Suns finished with a 15-4 run. T.J. Warren scored 31 and Chriss had 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks for Phoenix.

Ersan Ilyasova scored 21 points for Atlanta. Kent Bazemore and Dennis Schroder added 20 apiece.

Bazemore made 7 of 8 shots, including 4 of 5 3-pointers, but he fouled Booker on a 3-point attempt with the Hawks clinging to a two-point lead.

Booker made all three to put the Suns on top 102-101. Prince then got free for what looked to be an open layup, but Chriss came from the other side of the court to block the shot.

HORNETS 131, KINGS 111

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Dwight Howard had 20 points and eight rebounds, Kemba Walker added 12 points and 10 assists and Charlotte built a big early lead and beat Sacramento.

Nicolas Batum scored 21 points, Jeremy Lamb added 16, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marvin Williams had 10 points apiece to help the Hornets to their third consecutive win in Sacramento.

Charlotte came in as one of the NBA's worst 3-point shooting teams but repeatedly got open looks from beyond the arc, especially in the first half when the Hornets made 10 of their season-high-tying 15 3s. Lamb and Batum made three apiece to pace the outside shooting.

Four days after stunning Golden State to begin their four-game trip, the Hornets set season highs in scoring and for points scored in the first half (72). Charlotte's previous high was 129 points in an overtime win over Washington on Nov. 22.

Zach Randolph had 24 points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento. Skal Labissiere added 17 points and a career-best 15 rebounds for the Kings, who have lost five of six.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY JANUARY 3, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Houston Rockets Orlando Magic Amway Center
7:00 PM New York Knicks Washington Wizards Capital One Arena
7:00 PM San Antonio Spurs Philadelphia 76ers Wells Fargo Center
7:30 PM Detroit Pistons Miami Heat AmericanAirlines Arena
7:30 PM Minnesota Timberwolves Brooklyn Nets Barclays Center
8:00 PM Cleveland Cavaliers Boston Celtics TD Garden
8:00 PM Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks BMO Harris Bradley Center
8:00 PM Toronto Raptors Chicago Bulls United Center
8:30 PM Golden State Warriors Dallas Mavericks American Airlines Center
9:00 PM New Orleans Pelicans Utah Jazz Vivint Smart Home Arena
9:00 PM Phoenix Suns Denver Nuggets Pepsi Center
10:30 PM Oklahoma City Thunder Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center

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

January's NBA Record ( Best Bets & Opinions )

DATE W-L-T % UNITS

01/02/2018 5-5-0 50.00% -2.50
01/01/2018 1-7-0 12.50% -33.50

Totals.........6-12..33.33%..-36.00


January's NBA Record ( Best Bets )

01/02/2018......................2 - 1................+4.50.......................2 - 3..................-6.50
01/01/2018......................1 - 3.................-11.50......................0 - 4..................-22.00

Totals:.............................3 - 4.................-7.00........................2 - 7..................-28.50

 

[hammer1]

My 1st time browsing thru this.. Seems to me we shd be fading the "Crap"out a these picks !!! Am i in error ????

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

? Notre Dame basketball star Bonzie Colson will miss eight weeks after breaking his left foot in practice this week? he could be back for the ACC tourney/NCAA?s.

? Early line on the college football national title game: Alabama -4.5 over Georgia

? Marvin Lewis signed a 2-year contract extension to keep coaching the Bengals.

? Carson Palmer retired Tuesday; he had a 92-87-1 record as an NFL starter, with 46,247 career passing yards.

? Red Sox hit the fewest home runs in the American League LY; do you think JD Martinez? agent is aware of this stat? (yes, he is)

? With the Bills making the playoffs, Seattle Mariners now own the longest playoff drought in North America? they last the playoffs in 2001.


**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings??.

13) Chuck Pagano lost his job Sunday, after six years of coaching the Colts. Pagano had leukemia back in 2012, but has beaten the disease and is healthy again, thankfully.

We watch NFL games every week and coaches get hired/fired and we really don?t know much about them, just what we see on Sundays/Mondays. But the coaches who get fired have families and lives and they?re people like us, just a lot wealthier.

Monday night, I saw a video of Pagano FaceTime-ing with a 21-year old leukemia patient who he did not know, just a kid who was fighting for his life, but he and coach Pagano talked for a minute and 55 seconds, about leukemia and medications and what food they could eat during their treatment. This was 2-3 years ago? the young man and coach Pagano have a mutual friend, which is why the call was made. The young man is healthy now, which is great news.

It is impossible to watch those 115 seconds without thinking that Chuck Pagano is a great freakin? person, to help a kid he didn?t even know. He lost his job this week, but he?ll find another one, and even though he?ll never be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he?s a Hall of Fame person, and that is way more important.

12) U of Arizona fired football coach Rich Rodriguez Tuesday night, even after an investigation over sexual harassment was termed unfounded (Rodriguez voluntarily took a polygraph test and passed it). Rodriguez? former administrative aide threatened to sue the school for $7.5M, but all that has gone away, but so has Rodriguez? job.

11) In one episode of CSI, a gambler loses $53,000 on one hand on blackjack when the dealer pulls a 10-card blackjack; they said on the show that the record for most cards in a blackjack is 11 cards? imagine losing a hand that way? No bueno.

10) Titans-Chiefs playoff game is on ESPN Saturday, with Jon Gruden as color commentator, the same Jon Gruden who likely will be coach of the Oakland Raiders at this time next week. Raiders/Chiefs is obviously one of the NFL?s fiercest rivalries.

Now Gruden and Andy Reid are friends, from their days together as assistants in Green Bay, but that production meeting they?ll have Thursday or Friday will almost have to be odd? how much information you giving to a guy who will be your arch-rival starting next week?

9) Jon Gruden is 95-81 in 11 years as an NFL head coach, making playoffs five times. He won Super Bowl XXXVII with Tampa Bay, then missed playoffs in four of his last six seasons.

In other words, he?s not exactly Vince Lombardi.

8) Indianapolis Colts? GM Chris Ballard was once a WR at Wisconsin; he didn?t play, but he has learned the sport well and is now an NFL GM. The Badgers? QB while Ballard was at Wisconsin was current Seahawks? OC Darrell Bevell, but there are people on Twitter who are adamant that Ballard wants Chiefs? special teams coach Dave Toub to be the next coach in Indianapolis.

7) Green Bay Packers pushed GM Ted Thompson out of his job and gave coach Mike McCarthy a one-year contract extension.

6) Odd Fact of the Day: A pair of twins was born in Delano, CA this week; a boy was born just before midnight Sunday night, and his twin sister was born just after midnight, meaning the twins were actually born in different years. You don?t see that a lot.

5) West Virginia is getting F Asa Ahmad eligible to play for the January 13 game against Texas Tech. Big addition for the Mountaineers, who are 14-1 and rolling.

4) It bothers me that pro and college teams use ?search firms? to find new coaches. For the love of God, I?m sitting in my living room and I could direct teams to solid candidates. For free.

Lot of times the search firm got the current decision-maker his job, so this is a case of paying back the people who got you your job.

If you?re an NFL or NBA GM and you don?t know who the best candidates are to be your new coach, then:
a) You probably shouldn?t be the GM of a pro team or
b) Maybe you shouldn?t have fired the guy you just fired.

3) Based on what I heard on the ESPN Film Room Monday night, Bret Bielema could be TV gold if he chooses to head in the direction. He has a great baritone voice, is sarcastic and appears to have a pretty good sense of humor- he cracked that he might have a career as an instant replay official after he called one review correctly Monday.

2) Auburn beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl; they split with Georgia, but Bama-Georgia will play for the college football national title, while Auburn lost their bowl game to an AAC team. That must be going over real well down on the Plains.

1) Alabama-Georgia in Atlanta?s new dome Monday night; its good to be a scalper, not so good to own a hotel in the Atlanta area? lot fewer out-of-towners coming in for the game.

 

[Cnotes53]

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, January 3

Wizards won their last six games with New York; Knicks are 0-3 vs spread in their last three visits here. Five of last seven series games went over total. Knicks lost five of their last six games; they?re 4-9 vs spread as road underdogs. Six of their last eight games stayed under total. Washington won four of its last five games; they?re 6-4 in last 10 games as home favorites. Over is 3-1-1 in their last five games.

Spurs won their last ten games with Philly but 76ers covered four of last five. San Antonio is 2-3 vs spread in last five visits here. Under is 8-2 in last ten series games. San Antonio won seven of its last nine games; they?re 8-11 vs spread on road. Five of their last seven games stayed under total. 76ers won three of last four games; they?re 8-7 vs spread at home. Over is 7-4 in their last eleven games.

Rockets won eight of last ten games with Orlando; Houston is 2-3 vs spread in last five visits here. Under is 5-3 in last eight series games. Rockets lost five of their last six games; they?re 0-4 vs spread in last four games as road favorites. Over is 9-3-1 in their last thirteen games. Orlando lost 11 of its last 12 games; they?re 4-6 as home underdogs. Seven of their last ten games stayed under total.

Minnesota won three of last four games with Brooklyn; they?re 3-2 vs spread in last five visits to Barclays Center. Four of last five series games went over the total. Minnesota won seven of its last eight games; they?re 6-2-1 as road favorites. Wolves? last three games stayed under the total. Brooklyn lost eight of its last 11 games; they?re 7-4 vs spread as home underdogs. Under is 14-5 in their last 19 games.

Detroit is 6-4 in its last ten games with Miami; they?re 2-2 vs spread in their last four visits here. Four of last five series games went over the total. Detroit won six of its last eight games; they?re 9-5 vs spread as road underdogs. Pistons? last three games stayed under the total. Miami is 8-4 in its last 12 games; they?re 2-7-1 vs spread as home favorites. Nine of last 12 games stayed under the total.

Bucks won three of their last four games with Indiana; four of last six series games stayed under total. Milwaukee is 3-2 vs spread in its last five visits to Indiana. Indiana lost its last four games; they?re 7-6 vs spread as road underdogs. Under is 9-4 in their last 13 games. Milwaukee is 4-6 in its last ten games; they?re 7-7-2 vs spread as home favorites. 15 of their last 19 games went over the total.

Toronto won its last three games with Chicago; home side won last five series games. Raptors are 0-4 vs spread in last four visits here. Nine of last ten series games went over. Toronto won 14 of its last 17 games; they?re 6-5 vs spread as road favorites. Four of their last five road games went over total. Chicago is 3-4 in its last seven games; they?re 8-5 as home dogs. Six of their last seven games went over the total.

Cavaliers won eight of last ten games with Boston; they covered their last four games in Boston. Under is 5-3 in last eight series games. Cleveland lost four of its last six games; they?re 9-9 vs spread on road. Thomas won?t play tonite because he played last nite. Cavaliers are 3-3 vs spread if they played night before. Boston won four of its last five games; they?re 11-8-2 vs spread at home. Over is 7-2 in their last nine home games.

Golden State won its last eight games with Dallas (6-2 vs spread); they?re 4-1 vs spread in last five visits here. Three of last four series games stayed under the total. Golden State won 14 of its last 16 games; they?re 8-9 as road favorites. Under is 8-4 in their last 12 games. Dallas won its last four games; they?re 5-6 as home underdogs. Five of their last seven games went over the total.

Denver won its last six games with the Suns; last four series games went over. Phoenix is 2-4 vs spread in its last six visits to Denver. Phoenix won six of its last nine games; they?re 10-6 vs spread as road underdogs. Under is 9-4 in their last 13 games. Denver is 3-4 in its last seven games overall; they?re 8-6 vs spread as home favorites. Four of their last five games stayed under the total.

Pelicans lost their last five games with Utah; they?re 1-3-1 vs spread in last five visits here. Five of their last six games went over the total. New Orleans is 3-4 in its last seven games; they?re 5-6 as road underdogs. 13 of their last 16 games went over the total. Utah lost 10 of its last 13 games; they?re 3-6 in last nine games as home favorites. five of their last six games stayed under the total.

Thunder won nine of last 10 games with the Lakers (7-3 vs spread); they?re 2-3 vs spread in last five series games played here. Under is 5-2 in last seven series games. Oklahoma City lost its last two games after a 6-game win streak; they?re 0-9 vs spread in last nine games as road favorites. Under is 5-3 in their last eight games. Lakers lost 15 of their last 18 games; they?re 6-8 as home underdogs. Over is 9-2 in their last eleven games.

 

[Cnotes53]

NBA

Wednesday, January 3

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

HOUSTON @ ORLANDO
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Orlando
Houston is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Orlando's last 6 games at home
Orlando is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Houston

NEW YORK @ WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York's last 7 games when playing Washington
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York
Washington is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home

SAN ANTONIO @ PHILADELPHIA
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Philadelphia's last 11 games when playing San Antonio
Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio

MINNESOTA @ BROOKLYN
Minnesota is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Minnesota is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Brooklyn's last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Brooklyn's last 5 games when playing Minnesota

DETROIT @ MIAMI
Detroit is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Miami
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Miami's last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games when playing Detroit

CLEVELAND @ BOSTON
Cleveland is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Boston
Cleveland is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Boston is 16-4 SU in its last 20 games at home

TORONTO @ CHICAGO
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Toronto's last 12 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto

INDIANA @ MILWAUKEE
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana's last 7 games on the road
Indiana is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Milwaukee's last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Milwaukee's last 15 games

GOLDEN STATE @ DALLAS
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Dallas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

NEW ORLEANS @ UTAH
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New Orleans's last 6 games when playing Utah
The total has gone OVER in 13 of New Orleans's last 16 games
Utah is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing New Orleans
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Utah's last 6 games when playing New Orleans

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

OKLAHOMA CITY @ LA LAKERS
Oklahoma City is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing LA Lakers
Oklahoma City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
The total has gone OVER in 9 of LA Lakers's last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Lakers's last 5 games at home

 

[Cnotes53]

NBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, January 3

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

NEW YORK (18 - 19) at WASHINGTON (21 - 16) - 1/3/2018, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) as a favorite this season.
WASHINGTON is 398-463 ATS (-111.3 Units) in home games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-2 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 6-1 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

SAN ANTONIO (26 - 12) at PHILADELPHIA (17 - 19) - 1/3/2018, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 3-1 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 4-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

HOUSTON (26 - 9) at ORLANDO (12 - 26) - 1/3/2018, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 29-45 ATS (-20.5 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 37-24 ATS (+10.6 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) in road games after allowing 115 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 13-24 ATS (-13.4 Units) in all games this season.
ORLANDO is 35-54 ATS (-24.4 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 19-38 ATS (-22.8 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 127-167 ATS (-56.7 Units) in January games since 1996.
ORLANDO is 7-18 ATS (-12.8 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
ORLANDO is 14-25 ATS (-13.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 2-2 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 3-1 straight up against ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

MINNESOTA (24 - 14) at BROOKLYN (14 - 23) - 1/3/2018, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 25-38 ATS (-16.8 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 14-27 ATS (-15.7 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 35-57 ATS (-27.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
BROOKLYN is 9-24 ATS (-17.4 Units) in January games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 3-1 against the spread versus BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 3-1 straight up against BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

DETROIT (20 - 15) at MIAMI (19 - 17) - 1/3/2018, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 35-22 ATS (+10.8 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 6-3 against the spread versus MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 5-4 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

INDIANA (19 - 18) at MILWAUKEE (19 - 16) - 1/3/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 13-2 ATS (+10.8 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 58-41 ATS (+12.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 395-459 ATS (-109.9 Units) in home games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
MILWAUKEE is 4-4 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
MILWAUKEE is 4-4 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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TORONTO (25 - 10) at CHICAGO (13 - 24) - 1/3/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 45-32 ATS (+9.8 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 35-23 ATS (+9.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 8-1 against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 6-3 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CLEVELAND (25 - 12) at BOSTON (30 - 10) - 1/3/2018, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 6-6 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 10-3 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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GOLDEN STATE (29 - 8) at DALLAS (13 - 25) - 1/3/2018, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 395-323 ATS (+39.7 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
DALLAS is 37-23 ATS (+11.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 34-20 ATS (+12.0 Units) against Southwest division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 44-31 ATS (+9.9 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 6-3 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 8-1 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PHOENIX (15 - 24) at DENVER (19 - 17) - 1/3/2018, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DENVER is 44-28 ATS (+13.2 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 5-2 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 6-2 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NEW ORLEANS (18 - 18) at UTAH (16 - 21) - 1/3/2018, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UTAH is 34-20 ATS (+12.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 68-40 ATS (+24.0 Units) in road games in January games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
UTAH is 5-2 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 6-2 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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OKLAHOMA CITY (20 - 17) at LA LAKERS (11 - 25) - 1/3/2018, 10:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 5-2 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 6-1 straight up against LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

 

[Cnotes53]

Wednesday's Tip Sheet
January 3, 2018

Game of the Night: Cavaliers at Celtics ? 8:00 PM EST

The two teams on a collision course for the Eastern Conference Finals meet up in Boston as LeBron James and Kyrie Irving square off for the second time this season. The Cavaliers (24-12 SU, 11-24-1 ATS) held off the Celtics (30-10 SU, 24-14-2 ATS) on opening night, 102-99, but Boston cashed as 4 ?-point underdogs. Of course the storyline from that game was the devastating leg injury suffered by Celtics? forward Gordon Hayward, which overshadowed Irving?s return to Cleveland after helping the Cavaliers to three straight Eastern Conference titles.

Irving scored 22 points in the opener, but didn?t face off with the guard he was traded for in the offseason as Isaiah Thomas continued to nurse a hip injury. Thomas returned to the lineup on Tuesday against Portland to score 17 points in 19 minutes off the bench to help lead the Cavaliers to a 127-110 home victory. The cover as 8 ?-point favorites snapped a five-game ATS skid for Cleveland, while the Cavs own a 6-0 UNDER streak when playing with no rest this season.

The Celtics continue a four-game homestand following close victories over the Rockets and Nets. Boston erased a 26-point deficit in last Thursday?s 99-98 shocking win over Houston, while holding off Brooklyn, 108-105 on Sunday as 9 ?-point favorites. Brad Stevens? squad fell to 3-7-1 ATS the last 11 games as a home favorite, while suffering three outright setbacks at TD Garden in December to Utah, Miami, and Washington.

Since the start of last season, the Cavaliers have captured eight of 10 matchups with the Celtics, including a 4-1 record in Beantown. Cleveland won all three meetings in the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden, as two of those victories came by 30 points or more.

Third Times a Charm?

The Bulls (13-24 SU, 22-14-1 ATS) have been one of the hottest ATS teams recently by covering 13 of the past 15 games. Chicago failed to cash in its last trip to the court on New Year?s Day by losing in overtime to Portland, 124-120 as 4 ?-point favorites. In the role of an underdog recently, as Fred Hoiberg?s team owns a solid 10-1 ATS record when getting points.

Chicago dropped the first two meetings to Toronto this season at Air Canada Center, but covered the most recent matchup as 11-point underdogs in early November. The Raptors (25-10 SU, 20-15 ATS) are sandwiched between the Celtics and Cavaliers for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference following back-to-back home wins over the Hawks and Bucks. DeMar DeRozan is coming off a career-high 52-point effort in Monday?s overtime triumph over Milwaukee, as the Raptors look to snap a two-game losing streak on the road.

Shooting for 20

The Pacers and Bucks each sit at 19 victories heading into Wednesday?s Central division clash at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Indiana (19-18 SU, 20-17 ATS) looks to snap a four-game losing streak, coming off Sunday?s 107-90 home defeat to Minnesota as three-point underdogs. The Pacers have been without leading scorer Victor Oladipo (24.9 ppg) the last three games due to a sore right knee, as the former University of Indiana standout is questionable against the Bucks.

Milwaukee (19-16 SU, 15-15-5 ATS) fell short in overtime at Toronto on Monday, 131-127, but cashed as six-point underdogs for its third consecutive ATS win. The Bucks won seven of their nine December home contests with both losses coming to the Bulls, while erasing a 20-point deficit in its last home win over the Wolves last Thursday. Milwaukee and Indiana have yet to play this season as the Bucks grabbed three of four matchups last season, including a pair of double-digit home victories by Jason Kidd?s squad.

Phony as Favorites

The Wizards (21-16 SU, 18-19 ATS) seem to play up or down to their competition, as evidenced by a 2-8 ATS stretch in the favorite role the last 10 opportunities. Washington cruised past Houston last Friday as a short home underdog, but failed to cash as eight-point favorites in a 114-110 home victory over Chicago on Sunday. In spite of these recent ATS struggles, the Wizards have won seven of their last 10 games to remain atop the Southeast division.

Washington hosts New York (18-18 SU, 20-16 ATS), as the Knicks head to the Nation?s Capital following a 100-91 home setback to the Spurs on Tuesday. The Knicks have struggled away from Madison Square Garden this season by compiling a 3-12 road mark, even though one of those wins came in their last outing at New Orleans on Saturday. New York has eclipsed the OVER in six of seven games without rest, while looking to avenge a four-game season sweep to Washington last season.

Texas Two-Step

The Warriors (29-8 SU, 17-20 ATS) will spend the next two nights in the Lone Star State as they head to Houston for a showdown with the Rockets on Thursday. Prior to that contest, Golden State travels to Dallas on Wednesday attempting to grab its 30th victory of the season. Steve Kerr?s squad finished off a seven-game homestand at 5-2, capped off by a 141-128 triumph over Memphis on Saturday as 14-point favorites. Stephen Curry returned from an ankle injury to torch the Grizzlies for 38 points, including knocking down 10-of-13 shots from three-point range.

Dallas (13-25 SU, 19-18-1 ATS) has caught fire of late by winning four straight games, including sweeping a three-game road swing. The Mavericks finished off the trip with an impressive 116-113 upset of the Thunder as 7 ?-point underdogs on Sunday, as Harrison Barnes paced Dallas with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Dallas has dropped eight consecutive meetings with Golden State since 2016, including a pair of defeats to the Warriors this season by double-digits.

Seeking Consistency

The Jazz (16-21 SU, 19-18 ATS) snapped a three-game losing streak in Saturday?s 104-101 home victory over the Cavaliers. Since routing Washington by 47 points on December 4, Utah owns a dreadful 3-11 record, even though the three wins came against Cleveland, Boston, and San Antonio. Quin Snyder?s team is seeking consecutive victories for the first time since a six-game winning streak that ended in early December.

Utah welcomes in New Orleans (18-18 SU, 19-16-1 ATS), who blew a 12-point halftime lead in its last visit to Salt Lake City in a 114-108 defeat in December. The Pelicans have dropped three straight visits to Utah, while coming off a pair of home setbacks to Dallas and New York. New Orleans has lost six of its past seven in the role of a road underdog, while falling in each of its previous four games against Western Conference foes.

Fast Break

-- The 76ers begin a rough four-game homestand starting with the unrested Spurs. Philadelphia then hosts Detroit, Boston, and Toronto over the next week as the Sixers are coming off back-to-back wins at Phoenix and Denver. San Antonio has won 12 consecutive matchups with Philadelphia since 2012, including six straight at Wells Fargo Center.

-- The Rockets begin life without James Harden, who is sidelined for two weeks with a hamstring strain. Houston heads to Orlando looking to build off an overtime win over the Lakers on Sunday, which snapped a five-game skid. The Magic have dropped 11 of their last 12, while posting a 2-8 mark in their last 10 matchups with the Rockets.

-- The Wolves are getting back on track of late by winning seven of their last eight as they travel to Brooklyn. The Nets have covered three straight and have won twice in this stretch, but have lost three of the past four meetings with Minnesota.

-- Detroit begins a two-game road swing that starts in Miami, looking to beat the Heat for the second time this season. The Pistons are riding a 6-2 mark the past eight games, while the Heat have alternated wins and losses in their last five games and are fresh off a comeback victory at Orlando last Saturday.

-- The Suns shocked the Hawks with a late comeback on Tuesday, outscoring Atlanta, 11-2 in the final 90 seconds for a 104-103 win. Phoenix tries to turn around its bad fortune against Denver as the Nuggets have defeated the Suns six consecutive times, while the Nuggets try to snap a two-game skid.

-- Oklahoma City heads out west for three games, including a pair of contests at Staples Center. The Thunder faces the Lakers first, after suffering a pair of close home losses to the Bucks and Mavericks. The Lakers have dropped seven consecutive games, while losing nine of the past 10 matchups with the Thunder.

 

[Cnotes53]

Raptors are finally evolving
January 2, 2018

DeMar DeRozan has always played professional basketball with a long view. He?s improved steadily every year, and is well respected throughout the league for his summer training program. If there?s something to work on, he?s going to head back home and work on it.

As one of the league?s elite scoring talents, getting buckets has never been a problem for DeMar. It?s become a bit more difficult for a former All-Star in Kyle Lowry, who remains one of the best at his position but has dropped off in reliability. Not all of that is his fault ? the incredibly juvenile coaching of Dwane Casey has routinely painted Lowry, DeRozan and the Raptors in to corners.

They just never felt like a team that was willing to do something different?wait for it?until now.

Leading the charge is DeRozan himself, who is coming off a 52-point game that is grabbing national attention. DeRozan has always been one of the finer scoring talents in the league, if not its most underappreciated. But where the franchise player?s game has improved the most is in his passing.

If you want one number that exemplifies where Toronto?s mental shift has pointed, then just look at DeRozan?s slash line. He?s putting up 25-5-4 on the season with those 4.9 assist being a true career high. It?s not that he?s a selfish player by any stretch. DeRozan and Lowry simply did what they were always asked to do by a curiously unimaginative Dwane Casey.

The trickle down effect of this has made the Raptors a different kind of offensive threat in an ever-evolving NBA that requires all five players on the floor to have impactful roles. Seemingly gone from Toronto?s offence is the infuriating ISO plays that they used to draw up for Kyle Lowry and DeRozan. Installed instead is a fresh, brand of?well?there?s no way around it.

The Raptors finally have embraced the modern game.

The driving force behind necessity as the mother of invention has always been survival. Two years ago, the Raptors made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals and put up a ?WE ARE SO HAPPY TO BE HERE SMILEY FACE? type of performance that should have been flat out embarrassing. Last season, they were ousted by the Cleveland Cavaliers again in brutal fashion during the second round. At no time during either series against the Cavs did they feel like they belonged in the playoffs.

No longer is Toronto willing to be the regular season superheroes they?ve been for years. Gamblers have long targeted the Raptors as one of the better bets during the 82-game haul. Over the past two seasons, Toronto has gone a steady 45-36-1 in 2016-17 and 45-37 in 2015-16, both times ranking 4th in spread rankings. A long time grind with them has always paid out.

This year it?s a lot different and that?s largely due to the paradigm shift that was much needed and well overdue. The Raptors are currently just 20-15 ATS, which ranks 5th, but there have been some obvious growing pains. A stricter attention to defence has ranked them as a top-10 defence with 103.5 points allowed per game and the 7th best field-goal percentage against at 45.1.

Obviously, that offence is still humming along and tracking well in every necessary kitchen-sink stat category. However, what makes them more intriguing than you might guess is the fact that they?re +7.5 in net rating, putting them over +2.6 points ahead of the Boston Celtics.

Does this impact their NBA futures value? The Toronto Raptors are a +350 second choice in the Atlantic Division at BetOnline.ag behind the hard charging Celtics who are a hefty favorite at -450. There?s just a five-game difference between them, and Boston is far more talented and better coached so it does seem silly. But a fanboy flier on the Raptors isn?t ill-advised.

Toronto Raptors Schedule: at Chicago (1/3), at Milwaukee (1/5), at Brooklyn (1/8), vs Miami (1/9), vs Cleveland (1/11)

In under two weeks, the Raptors get their biggest challenge when they host the fully powered Cleveland Cavaliers with Isaiah Thomas back in the fold. Cleveland has routinely never been scared of Toronto so they won?t tackle that matchup as intensely as the home town team, but it?s as much of a statement game for the newly crafted Raptors if there ever was one.

Improved ball movement, more three-pointers, better passing and a much more involved team mindset has redefined the Toronto Raptors in 2018. This makes them the biggest dark horse in an Eastern Conference that has been routinely focusing on the Wizards, Bucks, Celtics, Knicks, Sixers and Cavaliers for obvious reasons.

This by no means that Toronto is a true threat in the Eastern Conference. They simply demand a bit more attention than they?re getting. Toronto still lacks scoring. CJ Miles and Norman Powell have been disasters this season despite optimistic potential leading in to the campaign. Toronto ranks in the mid-range with 38.1 bench points per game, and while that?s insulated by the fact that the second unit plays fantastic defence ? ranking third in net rating at +6.6 ? the Raptors simply need to find a more dynamic bench scorer and a real three-point assassin.

It?s obvious that the Raptors are no longer satisfied by being a team that does well when it generally doesn?t matter. They are better than most teams in the Eastern Conference, but they might not be on the level of the Cavaliers and the Celtics. To get to that next level, obvious changes have needed to be made.

They?ve taken the first step. Whether they can make the leap depends on how much Lowry, DeRozan and the team can improve their overall shooting as a team.

 

[Cnotes53]

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NY at WAS 07:00 PM
NY +9.5
O 211.5

SA at PHI 07:00 PM
PHI -1.5
O 206.5

HOU at ORL 07:00 PM
ORL +7.5
O 218.0

MIN at BK 07:30 PM
MIN -6.5
O 212.0

DET at MIA 07:30 PM
DET +2.5
U 196.5

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


IND at MIL 08:00 PM
IND +7.5

CLE at BOS 08:00 PM
BOS -3.0
O 213.0

TOR at CHI 08:00 PM
TOR -4.5
O 216.5

GS at DAL 08:30 PM
GS -7.5
U 219.0

NO at UTA 09:00 PM
NO +1.0
U 211.5

PHO at DEN 09:00 PM
DEN -11.5
O 218.0

OKC at LAL 10:30 PM
OKC -5.5
U 213.5