NBA Betting Info. 3/21

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Preview: Denver At Cleveland
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, March 21, 2016
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
The Cleveland Cavaliers already clinched a playoff spot but are still trying to hold off the Toronto Raptors for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and are not looking their best of late. The Cavaliers will try to bounce back from a 21-point loss when they host the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
Cleveland has dropped two of its last four games and was crushed 122-101 in Miami on Saturday by a Heat squad that it could see in the playoffs. “We didn’t play with (our) potential,” Cavaliers star LeBron James told reporters after Saturday’s setback. “We didn’t play our game. We let them play their game and they took it to us.” The Nuggets took it to the Charlotte Hornets in a stunning 101-93 victory on Saturday that saw them snap a three-game slide at the expense of the hottest team in the East. Denver built up a 22-point lead in the third quarter and was strong on the defensive end after allowing teams an average of 118.7 points in the first three games of the road trip.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), FSN Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (29-41): Denver squandered opportunities to play spoiler with losses at Miami and Atlanta previously on the five-game trip but took advantage on Saturday by holding the Hornets to 9-of-32 from 3-point range. The Nuggets leaned on D.J. Augustin for 24 points in the win and have been impressed with the combo guard since picking him up from Oklahoma City at the trade deadline. Augustin is averaging 13.3 points in 16 games with Denver after putting up 4.2 in 34 games with the Thunder.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (49-20): Cleveland started a small lineup on Saturday with Kevin Love in the center spot and James at power forward and the Heat had no problem running up the score. “I went with my gut and went small,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. “It didn’t work out. I do like the small-ball lineup. I like it more when we get a chance to go to it in the flow of the game rather than starting like that. … We just need to keep working on it and keep adjusting it.” Centers Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov ended up playing a combined 29 minutes and scoring a total of six points.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cavaliers SG J.R. Smith is 4-of-22 from 3-point range in the last four games.
2. Nuggets PF Kenneth Faried (back) sat out the last two games but could return on Monday.
3. James scored 34 points in Cleveland’s 93-87 win at Denver on Dec. 29.
PREDICTION: Cavaliers 103, Nuggets 91

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Preview: Philadelphia At Indiana
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, March 21, 2016
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
The Indiana Pacers made it through a six-game stretch against teams currently in the top eight of their respective conferences with a 3-3 record and will take a step down in competition to host the NBA-worst Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. The Pacers dropped back-to-back home games to the Toronto Raptors and Oklahoma City Thunder over the weekend and sit in seventh place in the East.
Indiana managed home wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics along with a victory at Dallas in the last six contests, but the back-to-back losses kept the team from joining a four-way battle for the No. 3 spot in the conference. “We’ve got to win these games,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel told reporters about an upcoming stretch that features three straight games against teams with losing records. “Teams we’re playing don’t have great records but we have to take care of business.” The 76ers were very helpful in nudging the Celtics out of a slump on Sunday, falling 120-105 at home in their fifth straight loss. Philadelphia is surrendering an average of 117.2 points during its latest slide.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TCN (Philadelphia), FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE 76ERS (9-61): Philadelphia is still searching for that elusive 10th win as it tries to manufacture some momentum to take into the offseason. This campaign – and the several previous seasons – have been about developing young players, but it was veteran forward Carl Landry doing most of the work on Sunday. The 32-year-old Purdue product turned back the clock with a season-high 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting against the Celtics.
ABOUT THE PACERS (36-33): Indiana star Paul George nearly pulled out a win over Oklahoma City by himself with 45 points on Saturday. “He was great in all areas,” Vogel told reporters of George. “I don’ think he forced much. When he got hot, we kept going to him.” George was just 7-of-24 from the field in a 101-94 loss to the Raptors on Thursday but went 14-of-29 on Saturday and was more aggressive, getting himself to the free-throw line 15 times in the 115-111 setback.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pacers PG Ty Lawson (ankle) sat out his fourth straight game on Saturday and has played a total of five minutes since being picked up by the team earlier this month.
2. 76ers C/F Nerlens Noel is 7-of-23 from the field in the last two games.
3. George scored 34 points in a 112-85 victory at Philadelphia on Nov. 18 in the lone previous meeting this season.
PREDICTION: Pacers 106, 76ers 95

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Preview: Orlando At Boston
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, March 21, 2016
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
After ending a losing streak on the road, the Boston Celtics will try to build a winning streak at home when they host the Orlando Magic on Monday. Behind 26 points and eight assists from All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics rolled to a 120-105 victory in Philadelphia on Sunday to snap a season high-tying four-game skid.
The win moved Boston into fifth place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind the Miami Heat and a game shy of the Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics have won 10 straight at home against the Magic, the last being a 113-94 triumph on Jan. 29. That came at the end of an eight-game losing streak for Orlando, which has not recovered and carries a three-game slide into this one. It held a six-point lead in the fourth quarter Sunday in Toronto before faltering down the stretch in a 105-100 setback, falling to 11-23 on the road.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Orlando), CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE MAGIC (29-40): Orlando entered Sunday ranked 27th in the league in made free-throw differential (minus-2.5) and it was an alarming separation against the Raptors, who hit 17 more foul shots than the Magic. Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier scored 21 apiece but the rest of the Orlando starters combined for just 19 as the squad dropped the first of five straight on the road. Fournier had 24 points in just 23 minutes in the previous meeting with the Celtics, a 119-114 victory in Orlando.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (40-30): Boston has missed Jonas Jerebko in the last two games as he recovers from an Achilles issue, but he reportedly will be back for this one and looking to follow up a 17-point effort his last time out. Fellow reserve Kelly Olynyk has struggled since his return from a shoulder injury by shooting 5-of-22 from the floor – including 1-of-10 from 3-point distance – over a three-game span. Forward Amir Johnson, who had a recent stretch in which he scored in single digits in 25 of 26 games, is averaging 11.7 over the same three-game stretch and was 9-of-10 from the floor with 18 points versus Philadelphia.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Thomas has reached the 20-point mark in all nine games this month.
2. Magic PF Andrew Nicholson has scored in double figures in consecutive contests for the first time since a three-game run Nov. 29-Dec. 3.
3. The Celtics need one win to better last season’s total.
PREDICTION: Celtics 104, Magic 97

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Preview: Milwaukee At Detroit
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, March 21, 2016
Where: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
The Detroit Pistons are in the midst of a long homestand at the best time possible and look to take advantage when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. Detroit is 2-1 one-third of the way through the nine-game stretch as it attempts to beat out the Chicago Bulls for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Pistons are in a virtual tie with the Bulls with 12 games remaining and coach Stan Van Gundy is adamant that the team’s defense will decide whether or not Detroit lands the final playoff berth. “I think for us to make any kind of serious push for a playoff spot, we’re going to have to defend a lot better than we have been,” Van Gundy told reporters. “If we’re not going to defend, we’ll get a win here or there, maybe, but we’re not going to get enough to get ourselves into the playoffs. I really think for us, it’s either we defend or we’ll bow out of that race fairly quickly.” Milwaukee had won four of five games before struggling in a 94-85 loss to the Utah Jazz on Sunday. “This game was a very plain yogurt-type situation that had no flavor, no excitement,” Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd told reporters. “There was no juice.”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE BUCKS (30-40): Milwaukee was outworked on the glass in the loss to Utah as it grabbed a season-low two offensive boards while being outrebounded 45-27. Forward Jabari Parker with eight rebounds was the only player with more than four boards for the Bucks and Kidd cited the issues as a major factor in the defeat. “They’ve got two bigs that go to the boards every time and that kills your pace, especially if they come up with offensive rebounds,” Kidd said. “They had (16) of them that slowed the pace down and gave them second or third opportunities.”
ABOUT THE PISTONS (36-34): Detroit knocked off below-.500 teams Sacramento and Brooklyn in its past two games and has two more lined up in Milwaukee and Orlando before the schedule toughens up for the rest of the homestand. “I know we’re capable of more. I know we need guys to put a lot more into it,” Van Gundy said. “We’ve still got a tough stretch here next week. Milwaukee’s been playing well and then we’ve got Orlando and then Charlotte and Atlanta. So it’s not going to be an easy week and we’re going to have to compete harder at the defensive end of the floor.” Detroit is allowing an average of 113.7 points in the last six games and gave up its fewest during the stretch Saturday when it produced a 115-103 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pistons have won four of the past five home meetings with the Bucks.
2. Parker had 19 points against Utah and has scored in double figures in 17 of the past 18 games.
3. Detroit C Andre Drummond had nine rebounds against Brooklyn to fail to reach double digits for just the second time in the past 24 games.
PREDICTION: Pistons 102, Bucks 92

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Preview: Washington At Atlanta
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, March 21, 2016
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
The Washington Wizards are finally making their push to join the playoffs in the Eastern Conference and have won four straight. The Atlanta Hawks, who host the Wizards in the opener of a home-and-home set on Monday, are already in the top eight in the East and are one of four teams fighting over the No. 3 spot and homecourt advantage in the first round of the postseason.
Washington’s up-and-down season is on an upswing with the four wins following a five-game slide, and the team sits 1 1/2 games behind the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons, who are in a virtual tie for eighth place. The Wizards had more trouble with the lowly Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks than they would have liked in the last two games and will get a clearer picture of where they stack up against the playoff teams of the East when they play the Hawks twice in a row and three times over the final 13 regular-season games. Atlanta has won five straight and eight of nine to leap past Boston, Miami and Charlotte into third place in the East. The Hawks are playing strong defense during the stretch and held the Houston Rockets to 39.3 percent from the floor in a 109-97 win on Saturday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (34-35): Washington overcame an 18-point, first-half deficit in Saturday’s 99-89 triumph over the Knicks as all five starters scored in double figures and point guard John Wall recorded his fifth straight double-double. Wall was quick to credit the team’s defense for keying the largest comeback of the season. “The main thing is we stuck with it and played better defense in the second half,” Wall told reporters. “In the past, we played bad defense when we didn’t make shots and let the game get away from us.”
ABOUT THE HAWKS (41-29): Atlanta is relying on a balanced offensive attack and strong team defense during its surge, and reserve guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is becoming a big part of the story on both ends of the floor. The Michigan product sat out 31 of the Hawks’ first 35 games this season before proving himself and has become a solid part of the rotation over the last two months. Hardaway found his shooting touch in the last two games and averaged 20.5 points in wins over Denver and Houston while going 7-of-11 from 3-point range.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hawks C Al Horford is shooting 59.6 percent from the floor in the last seven games.
2. Wizards G Bradley Beal (pelvis) played for the third time in the last seven games on Saturday and managed 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting in 32 minutes.
3. Atlanta put up 39 fourth-quarter points to pull away in a 114-99 home win over Washington on Nov. 7.
PREDICTION: Hawks 101, Wizards 97

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Preview: Sacramento At Chicago
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, March 21, 2016
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
The Chicago Bulls have won the first two games of a four-game homestand and attempt to further their playoff push when they host the Sacramento Kings on Monday. Chicago is in a virtual tie with the Detroit Pistons for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot with 14 games remaining.
The Bulls posted consecutive victories over the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz and are hoping they are about to go on an extended late-season push. “Now we just have to focus on getting wins — you get a nice win streak here and there, you can end up in the sixth seed,” Chicago center Taj Gibson told reporters. “You can’t focus on everybody else. You have to focus on yourself. The East is tight, but you never know. Anything can happen.” Sacramento has been struggling but posted an 88-80 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday — just its third victory in 14 games. All-Star DeMarcus Cousins had 24 points and 20 rebounds for his second 20-board effort of the season.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), CSN Chicago
ABOUT THE KINGS (27-42): Sacramento’s defensive showing against the Knicks was a stunner when factoring in it was allowing an NBA-worst 109.6 points entering the contest. The 80 points given up represent a season low for the Kings and New York scored 18 or fewer points in three of the four quarters in a contest that wasn’t aesthetically pleasing. “It was not a stellar basketball game,” Kings coach George Karl told reporters. “But for us to get a win on the road is always a happy place. This game had a lot of ugly to it, but it is a win.”
ABOUT THE BULLS (35-33): Center Pau Gasol (knee) has sat out the past four games and Gibson stepped up against the Jazz with 15 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double in the past seven games. Gibson’s contributions are timely but he made it clear he doesn’t care about getting credit for his strong play. “I’m just a player who goes out there and does the right things for the team,” Gibson told reporters. “I don’t have any hidden agenda. I want to see guys on my team succeed. I’m the biggest cheerleader on the court. If I play a lot of minutes or don’t play a lot of minutes, you have to just bring positive vibes.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Kings have dropped six straight games in Chicago and eight of their past nine.
2. Bulls SF Doug McDermott had just seven points against Utah after averaging 24.7 during the previous three games.
3. Sacramento C Willie Cauley-Stein (illness) has missed the past two games.
PREDICTION: Bulls 111, Kings 99

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Preview: Golden State At Minnesota
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, March 21, 2016
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Fresh off their worst offensive performance of the season in a rare loss, the Golden State Warriors will try to reestablish their dominance when they finish up a road trip by visiting the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. The Warriors scored a season-low 79 points in an eight-point loss at San Antonio with star Stephen Curry struggling to 1-of-12 from 3-point range.
The Spurs own the best defense in the NBA and the Timberwolves own one of the worst, so Golden State should be in for a different type of game on Monday. The Warriors were held under 20 points in three of four quarters on Saturday and now own only a three-game lead over San Antonio for the top spot in the Western Conference. Golden State still remains one game ahead of the pace set by the record-setting 1995-96 Chicago Bulls and will need to go 11-2 over the final 13 games to break the record for regular-season wins. Minnesota sits at the bottom of the Northwest Division but is coming off an impressive road trip that included wins at Oklahoma City and Memphis.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), FSN North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (62-7): Golden State was playing the second night of a back-to-back after a win in Dallas on Friday and was without Andrew Bogut (toe) and Andre Iguodala (ankle) but still had its chances against the Spurs. Curry and Klay Thompson, who combined for 70 points in the win over the Mavericks on Friday, were a combined 2-of-19 from 3-point range and both missed from beyond the arc in the final 30 seconds as the Warriors were trying to rally back. Golden State plays eight of its next nine at home after leaving Minnesota but will face San Antonio twice in the last four games as it closes in on the record.
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (22-47): Minnesota is measuring its season in the progression of its young players, and Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine are all making strides forward. Towns is well on his way to the Rookie of the Year Award and collected 32 points and 11 rebounds at Houston on Friday to record his fourth straight double-double. Wiggins is averaging 20 points on 55.5 percent shooting this month and LaVine went 13-of-23 from 3-point range on the four-game road trip.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Minnesota PF Gorgui Dieng averaged 16.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in the last four games.
2. Warriors SF Brandon Rush started in place of Bogut in a small lineup on Saturday.
3. Curry scored 46 points in Golden State’s 129-116 win at Minnesota on Nov. 12.
PREDICTION: Warriors 120, Timberwolves 101

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Preview: Memphis At Phoenix
When: 10:00 PM ET, Monday, March 21, 2016
Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
The Phoenix Suns are still trying to reach the 20-victory mark and could reach that low-bar milestone if they can defeat the Memphis Grizzlies for the third straight time on Monday. Phoenix was in a rut in which it lost 28 of 30 games before stunning the Grizzlies 111-106 on Feb. 27, and followed up with a 109-100 victory eight nights later in Memphis.
The Grizzlies received a lift on Saturday when power forward Zach Randolph returned from a knee injury and contributed a season-best 28 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists for the first triple-double of his career in a 113-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Randolph’s big performance enabled Memphis to break a four-game losing streak and the Grizzlies are hoping the veteran can lead them down the stretch with point guard Mike Conley (Achilles) and center Marc Gasol (season-ending foot surgery) out of the lineup. Phoenix is a respectable 5-6 beginning with the first win over Memphis and recorded a 95-90 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. Point guard Brandon Knight scored 22 points against the Lakers and has been in double digits in four of five games since returning from a sports hernia injury.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN Southeast (Memphis), FSN Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (40-30): Randolph had never previously had more than eight assists in a game in his 15 NBA seasons before being a do-it-all standout against the Clippers after missing the previous seven games. “I can’t believe he’s never gotten one before,” Memphis coach Dave Joerger told reporters. “It does go to show you how his game has evolved.” Randolph was a go-to scorer most of his career, averaging more than 20 points five times, and the Grizzlies may be ready to rely on him with the injuries diminishing the team’s scoring ability.
ABOUT THE SUNS (19-50): The recent stretch of playing better could end up limiting Phoenix’s positioning in the NBA draft lottery but the players don’t want to hear such chatter. “We’re not trying to get ping-pong balls. That’s not a big deal to us,” rookie shooting guard Devin Booker told reporters. “We’re trying to build and get ready for next year. Hopefully the guy we get will be able to come in and work with us. But we’re trying to take this thing to the next level and turn it around.” Booker has displayed he’s a building block for the future and he poured in 27 points during the March 6 victory over the Grizzlies.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Suns C Alex Len averaged 20.5 points and 16 rebounds in the two recent wins over the Grizzlies.
2. Memphis SF Matt Barnes will return from a one-game suspension tied to his actions near the end of a loss to Milwaukee last Thursday.
3. Booker is just 8-of-32 from the field over the past two games.
PREDICTION: Grizzlies 108, Suns 101

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Monday’s NBA Essentials
By Tony Mejia
Spurs (-6.5, 199.5) at Hornets – 7:05 ET
Following Saturday night’s impressive win over Golden State, the Spurs will look to become the second team to win 60 games this season by winning their seventh straight.
San Antonio has won 20 of 22 games and will look to complete a season sweep of the Hornets, who they beat 114-94 on Nov. 7. San Antonio’s win over Golden State draws them within three games of first place in the Western Conference and will see them twice more. We’ll see if there’s any hangover on San Antonio’s end after winning such a big game on Saturday night.
Charlotte has the third-best home record in the Eastern Conference and will be looking for its 40th win tonight, attempting to climb 10 games over .500. They’re just 1.5 games behind first-place Atlanta in the Southeast Division, but come off a 101-93 upset loss at home against Denver on Saturday night. The Hornets haven’t lost consecutive games since Jan. 29. They haven’t lost back-to-back home games since Jan. 2. The ‘under’ has prevailed in three of the last four Charlotte contests.
Bucks at Pistons (-7, 205.5) – 7:35 ET
Detroit finds itself on the outside looking in, one-half behind the pace for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They have won consecutive games and are in the midst of a nine-game homestand that they’re currently 2-1 on.
The Bucks are just 9-26 on the road this season and have turned the reins of the offense to Giannis Antetokounmpo with Michael Carter-Williams sidelined for the season. The Greek Freak has posted four triple-doubles since the All-Star break and is averaging 20.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.6 assists in March.
The ‘over’ has prevailed in five of the last six Detroit games. This is the fourth and final meeting between these Central Division rivals. The Pistons have won two of the first three, winning the last encounter in Milwaukee 102-91 on Feb. 27.
Wizards at Hawks (-6.5, 206.5) – 8:05 ET
Washington looks to even its record at 35-35 and remains a few games behind the pace in the race for an East playoff spot despite a four-game winning streak that is tied with Toronto as the longest in the conference behind surging Atlanta.
The HHawks have won five straight, which is currently the longest streak in the NBA behind San Antonio. Atlanta has won eight of its last nine games, winning four of the last five by double-digits. It has covered the number in 10 of the last 12 games.
This will be only the second meeting of the season between these Southeast Division squads, who last saw one another on Nov. 7 when the Hawks held serve at home. They’ll face each other two more times between now and the rest of the season, also squaring off on Wednesday and in the regular-season finale in DC on April 13. Both teams are relatively healthy, but Washington wing Alan Anderson will be a game-time decision with an ankle injury.
Warriors (-12, 232) at Timberwolves – 8:05 ET
The Warriors will look to bounce back from scoring a season-low 79 points in San Antonio on Saturday night. Stephen Curry shot just 4-for-18, including 1-for-12 from 3-point range. Golden State hasn’t lost consecutive games all season. Curry dropped 46 points on the Timberwolves in Oakland when the teams sqaured off on Nov. 12, hitting 15-for-25 shots, including eight 3-pointers.
The Timberwolves will visit Oakland one more time on April 5. Minnesota just closed a four-game road trip that featured wins over OKC and Memphis. They’ll be home for five of the next six games. Karl-Anthony Towns, currently the leader in the Rookie of the Year race, is averaging 17.9 points and 10.3 rebounds and scored 32 points, his second-highest output of the season, in Friday’s 116-111 loss to Houston.
Golden State remains on pace to shatter the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ all-time record for wins and will be wrapping up a three-game road swing. They’ll be home for eight of the next nine contests after this one. Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala remain out of the lineup for the defending champs.
Grizzlies (-2, 205) at Suns – 10:05 ET
Despite the massive amount of injuries they’ve suffered through, Memphis enters this one 10 games over .500, good enough for the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference. Mike Conley remains out for a few weeks with an Achilles injury, which means he leads a list featuring Marc Gasol, Brandan Wright, Chris Andersen, P.J. Hairston and Jordan Adams as injured Grizzlies players. Matt Barnes will also miss tonight’s contest due to suspension after trying to barge into the Milwaukee locker room the other night to confront John Henson. Zach Randolph returned from a knee injury to spark an upset of the Clippers on Saturday night, becoming the oldest player (34) in NBA history to record his first triple-double. Together with Tony Allen and Vince Carter, Z-Bo will look to lead the Grizzlies to consecutive victories for the first time since March 4. They had lost four consecutive games prior to the upset.
Brandon Knight is back for the Suns and is averaging 17.4 points since returning from an injury that sidelined him for nearly two months on Jan. 21. Phoenix is 2-3 with him back in the lineup, as his presence makes life easier for young shooting guard Devin Booker in addition to the rest of the group. The Suns have won the first two meetings between these teams, both of which have taken place over the last month. Considering Phoenix is 19-50, going 3-0 against a playoff team would be quite the accomplishment. The ‘under’ has prevailed in three straight Phoenix games.

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NBA Betting Roadmap, Week 22
by Al McMordie
NBA Betting Roadmap, Week 22
The Game of the Century, Part II lived up to expectations (unlike the first meeting), as San Antonio won a thriller, 87-79, against Golden State. The Spurs hounded Steph Curry by switching on defense, and effectively took away his biggest weapon — the three-point shot. San Antonio also controlled the pace. The game had just 90 possessions, 12 less than the Warriors’ average. The result was that the Warriors scored just 79 points, their lowest output in 212 games. More importantly, it moved the Spurs to within three games of the Warriors, with two more meetings to go, so the #1 seed is still up for grabs. The games this week won’t have the stature of Spurs/Warriors, but there’s still money to be made. Let’s take a look.
Spread Watch
The maddenly inconsistent (or consistently maddening) Cavaliers lost all four of their games to the spread last week. And it was capped off by a 122-101 blowout loss in Miami, as a 4-point favorite. For all of Tyronn Lue’s bluster, in his first press conference as coach, about doing things “better” than David Blatt, he hasn’t. Cleveland was 30-11 SU and 19-21-1 ATS under Blatt this season. It gave up just 95.7 ppg, and outscored its foes by 5.65 ppg. With Lue at the Helm, the Cavs are 19-9 SU and 12-15-1 ATS. One of Lue’s goals was to increase his team’s pace of play. Understandably, the Cavs are now giving up more points per game (101.0). But, importantly, their defensive field-goal percentage has significantly declined. Under Blatt, the Cavs ranked in the Top 10 (44%), but they rank in the bottom half (46%) since the coaching change. This week, Cleveland has games against four really bad teams (Denver, Milwaukee, Brooklyn and New York), each at least 10 games below .500. I like Cleveland to find success this week, as it’s won nine straight games vs. foes that were at least 10 games under .500 (6-3 ATS), and is 27-6 SU and 20-13 ATS the past two seasons against such cupcakes (including 11-5 ATS if the Cavs were off an ATS loss).
Total Watch
When the Miami Heat signed Joe Johnson, they were 29th in points per game (96.9), ahead of just the Philadelphia 76ers (95.8 ppg). And they were 36-21-1 ‘Under’ the total. Since then, the Heat’s offense has taken off. It’s averaged 112.0 ppg, better than any team in the league, except for Golden State (115.0). Not surprisingly, the Heat have gone ‘Over’ the total in eight of 11, including each of their last six games. Can their high-scoring games continue? Miami’s first game this week will be at New Orleans, on Tuesday. New Orleans just decided to shut down its best defensive player, Anthony Davis, for the season. And New Orleans has also been giving up a ridiculous amount of points. Since March 5, the Pels have surrendered 113.2 ppg, and have gone ‘Over’ the total in eight of nine games. Moreover, six of the last nine meetings between Miami and New Orleans have sailed ‘Over’ the total. Tuesday’s game seems to be a great candidate for a high-scoring contest.
Injury Watch
Houston lost its 3rd straight game to the spread when it fell, 109-97, to the Hawks on Saturday. But more worrisome is that James Harden (28.6 ppg; 7.2 apg) injured his foot when he landed on Thabo Sefolosha in the 3rd quarter. Harden continued to play, but failed to register a point or assist the remainder of the game. Harden is questionable to play at Oklahoma City, on Tuesday. Then, on Wednesday, looms a huge game vs. Utah, which sits just one game behind Houston in the battle for the Playoffs. But if there is a silver lining, it’s that Houston has gone 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS since November 23, 2013 without Harden in the lineup. So, even if Harden doesn’t play vs. OKC, bettors might want to take a shot with the Rockets. More ammunition for Houston on Tuesday: it’s 64-36-3 ATS on the road off three pointspread losses.
Schedule Watch
The Spurs and Warriors are a combined 67-0 straight-up at home this season (39-27-1 ATS). This week, the Spurs will try to stretch their season record to 37-0 with home games vs. Miami and Memphis. Meanwhile, the Warriors can move to 35-0 at home by besting the Clippers, Mavericks and Sixers. The oddsmakers have certainly made adjustments, so it hasn’t been profitable to play on these two juggernauts at home since February 1 (combined 10-10 ATS). But the one spot which has been lining bettors’ pockets all season has been to play on these two teams at home off an ATS defeat. They’re 22-7 ATS in this situation. Of the five Spurs/Warriors home games this week, the one which stands out to me is Golden State’s game on Wednesday vs. the Clips. If the Warriors happen to lose ATS at Minnesota, on Monday, then they would be a solid play vs. the Clippers, especially since L.A. is an awful 12-33-1 ATS since December 13, 2005 vs. foes with an .857 (or better) home win percentage. Good luck, as always…Al McMordie. And don’t miss any of my hoops and hockey winners here at BigAl.com, as I’m 167-120 my last 187 in Hoops; and 20-9 my last 29 NHL. Join today for a week or month to get all of my award-winning selections.