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**TheGame** · 05-24-2016, 07:37 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/24

NBA notebook: Green, Warriors wait for suspension decision
By The Sports Xchange

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was fined but not suspended by the NBA as a result of kicking Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams in the groin during Sunday's Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.
The foul was upgraded from a Flagrant Foul 1 to a Flagrant Foul 2, and Green was fined $25,000. Kiki VanDeWeghe, the NBA's Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations, made the announcement Monday afternoon.
The ruling is good news for the Warriors, who feared Green might be suspended for Tuesday's Game 4 of the series, which Oklahoma City leads 2-1.
The incident occurred with 5:57 remaining in the second quarter of the Thunder's 133-105 win over the Warriors in Game 3 in Oklahoma City. Green was driving to the basket against Adams when Green stopped and lifted his leg, causing him to kick Adams in the groin.
"After a thorough investigation that included review of all available video angles and interviews with the players involved and the officials working the game, we have determined that Green's foul was unnecessary and excessive and warranted the upgrade and fine," said VanDeWeghe. "During a game, players -- at times -- flail their legs in an attempt to draw a foul, but Green's actions in this case warranted an additional penalty."
Green went 1-for-9 for six points, with four rebounds and three assists along with four turnovers Sunday.
--The Toronto Raptors are on the verge of getting a big boost in their quest to make playoff life miserable for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
That big boost would come from 7-footer Jonas Valanciunas, who participated in Monday morning's shootaround. The 24-year-old Lithuanian has missed the past seven playoff games with a sprained ankle, but the Raptors upgraded Valanciunas' status from "doubtful" to "questionable."
"We're going to see how he reacts this afternoon," coach Dwane Casey told reporters. "He's still pretty sore, but we're going to wait and see."
Before being hurt, Valanciunas averaged 15 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.

**TheGame** · 05-24-2016, 07:37 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/24

Tuesday's NBA Conference Finals betting preview and odds: Warriors at Thunder

Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder (+1, 221.5)

Thunder lead series 2-1

The road to back-to-back championships for the Golden State Warriors ran straight into a wall in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals as the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated in a 133-105 triumph. The Warriors will try to pick themselves back up and avoid a 3-1 hole when they visit the Thunder for Game 4 on Tuesday.

Golden State was the more aggressive team in Game 2 and came away with a 118-91 victory, seemingly correcting all the mistakes that plagued the team in the second half of a Game 1 loss. Those mistakes came back in a big way in Game 3 as Oklahoma City raced past the Warriors, turning every rebound and every errant pass into an opportunity to get out in transition. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 63 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists in the emphatic win and most importantly sliced their turnover count from 11 in Game 2 to five in Game 3. “My teammates did a great job of driving the basketball and taking the pressure off of me,” Durant told reporters. “Not letting me handle the ball as much and just taking the pressure off me, and I was trying to make the correct passes and the simple passes.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: The Warriors opened as one-point road favorites after getting destroyed as road faves in Game 3. The line moved briefly to 1.5 Monday morning but has since returned back to the opening number. The total opened at 222 and, at the time of publication for this preview, has come down a half point to 221.5.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (82-13, 53-40-2 ATS, 51-43-1 O/U): Twice during their run to the 2015 title the Warriors fell behind 2-1 in a series before ultimately winning, but never were they as thoroughly crushed as they were on Sunday. “We got our butts kicked,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “It doesn’t matter if (the loss was by) one point or 30. You’ve got to look at the tape and you’ve got to figure out how you can be better and then you come back with a better effort. But they were the more desperate team (Sunday), they were beating us to loose balls, to rebounds, and our quick shots just fed their transition.” Warriors All-Star Draymond Green was held to six points on 1-of-9 shooting in the loss and was whistled for a flagrant foul for kicking Oklahoma center Steven Adams in the groin in the second quarter.

ABOUT THE THUNDER (65-31, 46-49-1 ATS, 46-50 O/U): The game was knotted at 40 with under nine minutes left in the first half when Oklahoma City put its foot on the gas, outscoring the Warriors 32-7 over the rest of the half while holding the best shooting team in the NBA to 2-of-23 from the field over that span. The Thunder followed that up with a 45-point third quarter to stun the defending champs and were matter-of-fact about their dominating effort after the game. “We were able to catch the ball, drive, get to the paint and kick-out,” Durant told reporters. “We were letting the ball move and our bodies move and that helped us out.”

TRENDS:

* Warriors are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Thunder are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
* Over is 5-1 in Warriors last 6 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
* Over is 4-1 in Thunder last 5 home games.
* Home team is 9-1-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
* Over is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings in Oklahoma City.

CONSENSUS: As usual, the Warriors are picking up the majority of the betting action - even as after getting beaten so badly in Game 3. 61 percent of the picks are on the Dubs. Currently, 69 percent of the wagers are on the Over.

**TheGame** · 05-24-2016, 07:37 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/24

Preview: Warriors (73-9) at Thunder (55-27)

Date: May 24, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Draymond Green knows who is responsible for his kick to the groin of Thunder center Steven Adams: Russell Westbrook and the rest of the NBA stars who get to the foul line with a whole lot of salesmanship.

Green's kick felled the 7-foot, 255-pound Adams during the second quarter of Golden State's Game 3 loss to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals on Sunday night. Westbrook later said Green kicked Adams intentionally - and that didn't go over well with the Warriors' standout.

'There are multiple plays where I did it later in the game when I got fouled and my right leg went up,' Green said Monday. 'I always do it. Russell said I did it on purpose, but he's part of the superstar group that started all this acting in the NBA.'

Green even pointed to a play at the end of the second quarter, when Green fouled Westbrook on a long 3-pointer.

'Russell Westbrook kicked me at the end of the half,' Green said. 'He just didn't happen to catch me where I caught Steven Adams.'

Westbrook wasn't thrilled with Green's comments, calling Green's foul on the 3-pointer a 'dumb play on his part.'

'I've never been fined for one flop since I've been playing in the NBA,' Westbrook said. 'I don't know about no flopping or nothing. I don't know how to flop. But it seems like he was the one that was flailing, kicking his legs out and stuff yesterday. It wasn't me.'

Green was called for a flagrant 1 foul and Adams later noted that Green had kneed him in the same spot during Game 2. Green was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Monday and the foul was upgraded to a flagrant 2, but he was not suspended and will be in uniform when the defending champion Warriors try to even the series at 2-2.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he needs Green at his best.

'He needs to refocus a little bit,' Kerr said. 'He'll admit it. It was not one of his best games - in fact, it was one of his worst. The great thing with Draymond is he always turns it around. He's one of the great competitors that we have in the league, that we have on our team. When things aren't looking great, he usually plays his best.'

Kerr knows Green might have made himself a target for the officials.

'Does he have to be careful? I guess,' Kerr said. 'Now, people are watching for him or whatever. He's just going to play, he's going to be himself, and we'll see what happens.'

Green insists the hit that sent Adams to the floor wasn't that big a deal.

'I can see how somebody can think it was intentional, but yet nobody can go in my head and say, `Draymond was thinking about kicking him and he kicked him,'' Green said. 'If you watch my reaction, I walk back to the three-point line, clap everybody's hands, turn around and look like, `What's the dude on the floor for?''

Green scored six points, made 1 of 9 shots and committed four turnovers in a game to forget. Normally one of the league's best defenders, he was beaten numerous times individually by the Thunder, and the Warriors were outscored by 43 points with him on the floor.

With the crowd booing loudly every time Green touched the ball, he couldn't make plays to shut Thunder fans up.

'That's what was frustrating to me,' he said. 'I was just bad. I missed a couple easy ones and it just kind of killed my whole game. That was pretty frustrating, especially with all the boos, because I love boos and it usually helps me play well. It was frustrating that I couldn't get it going.'

Green has been below his standard throughout the series. He's averaging 13 points on 37 percent shooting in the series, and just 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists. In the regular season, Green averaged 14 points on 49 percent shooting, 9.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists.

Warriors guard Stephen Curry expects Green to improve. Green bounced back after a poor Game 3 in a first-round loss to Houston to post 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a 121-94 victory in Game 4.

'He's mentally strong, so nothing that happened last night is going to affect Game 4 except light a fire probably,' Curry said. 'You can look at trends and all that. In the Houston series, he was able to understand what he needed to do differently. He's a very smart guy. He has a great eye for the game. I think it matters to him a lot to have an impact on the game. He'll find a way.'

**TheGame** · 05-24-2016, 07:38 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/24

NBA

Oklahoma City-Golden State (OC 2-1)
Thunder was up 25 at half in Game 3, cruised to an easy win. Warriors starters other than Curry/Thompson shot 5-21 from floor. Golden State won seven of last ten games with Oklahoma City; two of three games in this series stayed under. Warriors are 2-3 in their last five visits here; four of those five games went over total. Thunder won four of last five home games. Golden State is 2-3 in its last five road games. Time to step up for Warriors here, or else they'll be down 3-games-to-1.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31
Second round: Favorites: 13-8, over: 12-9
Conference final: Favorites: 3-4, over: 3-3-1

**Satch** · 05-24-2016, 10:35 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/24

Preview: Golden State At Oklahoma City

When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Matchup Edge

GS	Edge in:	OKC
	Points Per Game
	Field Goal %
	Free Throw %
	Defense
	Rebounding
	Turn Overs
	Bench

The road to back-to-back championships for the Golden State Warriors ran straight into a wall in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals as the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated in a 133-105 triumph. The Warriors will try to pick themselves back up and avoid a 3-1 hole when they visit the Thunder for Game 4 on Tuesday.

Golden State was the more aggressive team in Game 2 and came away with a 118-91 victory, seemingly correcting all the mistakes that plagued the team in the second half of a Game 1 loss. Those mistakes came back in a big way in Game 3 as Oklahoma City raced past the Warriors, turning every rebound and every errant pass into an opportunity to get out in transition. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 63 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists in the emphatic win and most importantly sliced their turnover count from 11 in Game 2 to five in Game 3. “My teammates did a great job of driving the basketball and taking the pressure off of me,” Durant told reporters. “Not letting me handle the ball as much and just taking the pressure off me, and I was trying to make the correct passes and the simple passes.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Twice during their run to the 2015 title the Warriors fell behind 2-1 in a series before ultimately winning, but never were they as thoroughly crushed as they were on Sunday. “We got our butts kicked,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “It doesn’t matter if (the loss was by) one point or 30. You’ve got to look at the tape and you’ve got to figure out how you can be better and then you come back with a better effort. But they were the more desperate team (Sunday), they were beating us to loose balls, to rebounds, and our quick shots just fed their transition.” Warriors All-Star Draymond Green was held to six points on 1-of-9 shooting in the loss and was whistled for a flagrant foul for kicking Oklahoma center Steven Adams in the groin in the second quarter.

ABOUT THE THUNDER: The game was knotted at 40 with under nine minutes left in the first half when Oklahoma City put its foot on the gas, outscoring the Warriors 32-7 over the rest of the half while holding the best shooting team in the NBA to 2-of-23 from the field over that span. The Thunder followed that up with a 45-point third quarter to stun the defending champs and were matter-of-fact about their dominating effort after the game. “We were able to catch the ball, drive, get to the paint and kick-out,” Durant told reporters. “We were letting the ball move and our bodies move and that helped us out.”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Thunder went 33-of-37 from the free-throw line and outscored the Warriors 29-13 on the fast break in Game 3.

2. Oklahoma City C Enes Kanter collected 10 points and 12 rebounds on Sunday for his first double-double since the playoff opener against Dallas on April 16.

3. Golden State is 12-0 in games following a loss this season.

PREDICTION: Warriors 118, Thunder 115

**Satch** · 05-24-2016, 10:36 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/24

Trends - Golden State at Oklahoma City
ATS Trends

Golden State

Warriors are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
Warriors are 21-8-2 ATS in their last 31 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
Warriors are 25-10 ATS in their last 35 games following a ATS loss.
Warriors are 25-10-1 ATS in their last 36 games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game.
Warriors are 35-16 ATS in their last 51 games following a straight up loss.
Warriors are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Tuesday games.

Oklahoma City

Thunder are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Thunder are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Thunder are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
Thunder are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. Western Conference.
Thunder are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
Thunder are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
Thunder are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Thunder are 33-16-2 ATS in their last 51 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
Thunder are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games after scoring more than 125 points in their previous game.

OU Trends

Golden State

Under is 6-1-1 in Warriors last 8 games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game.
Over is 5-1 in Warriors last 6 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
Under is 4-1 in Warriors last 5 games following a ATS loss.
Over is 4-1 in Warriors last 5 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
Under is 9-3 in Warriors last 12 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Under is 6-2 in Warriors last 8 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
Under is 6-2 in Warriors last 8 Conference Finals games.
Over is 22-9-1 in Warriors last 32 vs. NBA Northwest.
Under is 12-5 in Warriors last 17 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
Under is 7-3 in Warriors last 10 road games.

Oklahoma City

Under is 4-1 in Thunder last 5 Tuesday games.
Over is 4-1 in Thunder last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Under is 4-1 in Thunder last 5 games following a straight up win.
Over is 4-1 in Thunder last 5 home games.
Under is 4-1 in Thunder last 5 games following a ATS win.
Under is 6-2 in Thunder last 8 Conference Finals games.
Over is 5-2 in Thunder last 7 games after scoring more than 125 points in their previous game.
Over is 5-2 in Thunder last 7 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
Over is 5-2 in Thunder last 7 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
Under is 5-2 in Thunder last 7 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
Over is 9-4 in Thunder last 13 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.

Head to Head

Home team is 9-1-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
Over is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings in Oklahoma City.
Warriors are 0-4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Oklahoma City.

Announcement

NBA Betting Info. 5/24

NBA Betting Info. 5/24

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