NBA Betting Info. 2/7

[TheGame]

Preview: Kings (21-29) at Celtics (30-22)


Date: February 07, 2016 1:00 PM EDT


The last time Boston went on this type of run at home, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were getting by with a third-year guard thrust into a more prominent role after Rajon Rondo went out with a torn ACL.


Jump forward three seasons and those big names are long gone, though Avery Bradley remains with the Celtics again streaking heading into Sunday's home game against Rondo and a struggling Sacramento Kings team that's reportedly considering a coaching change.


In Friday's 104-103 win in Cleveland, Bradley made a 3-pointer from the corner at the buzzer to give Boston (30-22) its eighth win in nine games, including three straight by no more than eight points. The guard finished with 14 points while hitting 4 of 8 from 3-point range and is averaging 16.3 points in his last 11 games.


"It's a great feeling," Bradley told the team's official website. "It's a blessing from God that I even had a chance to get open. I lost the ball for a second and I didn't even think I had enough time to get the shot off, but I did and it's just a great feeling."


The winner sparked a celebration by the young Celtics, who were swept by the Cavs in last year's playoffs. They've all of a sudden opened up a 7 1/2-game lead over New York for second in the Atlantic Division with Toronto five games ahead.


"In the big picture it does count as one (win), but it gives you a sense you're improving and getting better," said coach Brad Stevens, whose team has averaged 108.8 points over the last nine games. "For us it would have been disappointing to lose that lead and not come out with a win. They made huge plays late in the game, but our guys stayed poised. To score five points inside 8 seconds is a good deal."


The Celtics return to Boston having won six straight at home for the first time since an 11-game run from Jan. 27-March 16, 2013.


Boston opened the season series with a 114-97 win in Sacramento on Dec. 3, and it's also won the last seven meetings at home.


Sacramento (21-29) is playing its second of a four-game road trip, and how many more George Karl will be around for seems to be up in the air. After Friday's 128-19 loss in Brooklyn, Rondo placed blame on those on the court.


"It has nothing to do with the coaches, it's about us," said Rondo, who finished with 15 points and 15 assists and had 29 points in his only return to Boston with Dallas last season. "We don't sacrifice enough to do what it takes to win consecutive games."


The Kings have dropped six of seven while allowing 116.4 points per game with opponents shooting 44.9 percent from 3-point range. They've also lost four straight on the road for the third time this season, allowing an average of 121 points and 50 percent from long distance. The Nets went 18 of 28 from 3-point range.


"Shooters get going and in a lot of ways we never got a defensively mentality in the game," Karl said. "We tried to do a shootout mentality and just, we sit here very empty right now."


Whatever's boiling remains under the surface - for now. DeMarcus Cousins has had four straight double-doubles and is averaging 31 points and 12.6 rebounds in 17 games since the calendar flipped to 2016, but he wasn't willing to expand on the team's internal concerns.


"I'd rather keep it in house, but we definitely have a bigger issue than just energy and effort," Cousins said. 'That can't be the excuse every night."

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Betting Info. 2/7

Preview: Nuggets (20-31) at Knicks (23-30)


Date: February 07, 2016 1:00 PM EDT


Carmelo Anthony's ongoing knee issues are putting a drain on the New York Knicks' offense.


Making matters worse, he's being outperformed by a player they gave up to obtain the All-Star's services.


In the midst of arguably the best stretch of his career, Danilo Gallinari leads the Denver Nuggets into Madison Square Garden Sunday afternoon attempting to deal the sagging Knicks a season-high fifth straight loss.


Anthony has gone 8 of 34 from the field over his last two games and shot 32.6 percent over his past six, part of a 1-8 run that's dropped New York (23-30) to 11th place in the Eastern Conference. The 31-year-old has missed three of those games due to recurring tendinitis in his surgically repaired left knee, an injury that's led to Anthony registering a career-low 42.4 field goal percentage.


"He's carrying a big load night to night," coach Derek Fisher said. "I think he'll be fine long term. I think we just have to get through this next set of days into the break and hopefully re-evaluate him from there in terms of something that's not reoccurring."


The Knicks have shot just 38.7 percent while averaging 93.0 points during their swoon. They struggled again with Anthony held out of Friday's 91-85 loss to Memphis, falling to 0-7 in games he's missed and 1-18 when scoring 93 or less.


"We need a guy like 'Melo who you can give him the ball and he will score, he will get to the line and he will make plays for others," forward Kristaps Porzingis said. "I think that's what we're missing."


Anthony is expected to play Sunday, a positive for a team that had other encouraging signs in its latest defeat. Jose Calderon had 18 points in his second game back from a groin injury and Porzingis compiled 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The rookie averaged 9.0 points on 33.3 percent shooting over his previous four games.


Gallinari has often been sidetracked by injuries since being part of the package New York sent to the Nuggets in the February 2011 trade for Anthony. The Italian has been healthy and productive since returning from a sprained ankle Jan. 2, averaging 23.4 points in 18 games to help Denver (20-31) split its last 16.


Gallinari had a season-high 33 and hit all 18 of his free throws in Friday's 115-110 comeback win over injury-plagued Chicago. He's shot 89.3 percent from the line while leading the NBA in free throws made and attempted since Jan. 6.


Denver, which has topped 100 points in 10 of its last 11, had several other contributors in rallying from an 18-point deficit late in the third quarter against the Bulls. Rookies Emmanuel Mudiay and Nikola Jokic each recorded 10 points during a fourth quarter in which the Nuggets outscored Chicago 42-21, with Mudiay finishing with 22 points and sixth man Will Barton 18.


"I would categorize this win as a character win," coach Michael Malone said. "One thing about our team, all year long we've had this resiliency, this never die, never quit mentality and that allows you to stay in a game and pull it out. You never want to get down by 18 but one thing I love about our guys is they have that fight."


The Nuggets begin a four-game trip seeking to end a three-game skid at Madison Square Garden. Anthony had 28 points in New York's 109-93 home win last season but did not play in a 106-78 loss in Denver on March 9, 2015.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Betting Info. 2/7

Preview: Hawks (30-22) at Magic (21-28)


Date: February 07, 2016 1:00 PM EDT


After last month was rough on the Atlanta Hawks, February has started in promising fashion, and a home-and-home with the spiraling Orlando Magic could keep it that way.


The Hawks go for a fourth straight win as they look to extend their dominance of the Magic on Sunday.


Atlanta (30-22) closed a 6-9 January with five losses in six games but has bounced back with three straight wins by an average of 19.7 points. The Hawks have scored 112.7 per game on the streak to move atop the Southeast Division by one-half game over Miami.


They shot 51.3 percent for the game while limiting Indiana to 30.2 in the second half of Friday's 102-96 win. Atlanta added 17 points off 20 Pacers turnovers and won despite being outrebounded 53-32, including 19-3 on the offensive boards.


"Obviously we'd like to be better, but I think just because you give up a rebound doesn't mean automatically they're going to score two points," coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Overall, our defense is a lot of times what's giving us a chance."


That's certainly been the case against Orlando (21-28), which has averaged 87.7 points while losing 17 of the last 20 matchups and eight of 10 at home.


Atlanta suffocated the Magic on Jan. 18 by holding them to 34.5 percent shooting, including 6 of 22 from 3-point range, en route to a 98-81 home victory.


Orlando has been abysmal in the new year, losing 15 of 17 and giving up 105.4 points per game after ranking sixth in the NBA at 98.4. The Magic have surrendered at least 107 in eight straight games and dropped their seventh in that span with a 107-93 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.


"Our whole mantra all season has been defense is going to carry us, and we've lost that side of the ball," coach Scott Skiles said.


Skiles got some good news at practice Saturday when he learned Tobias Harris didn't suffer a concussion after being inadvertently hit in the head by Victor Oladipo on Friday. After leaving that game in the fourth quarter, he's expected to face the Hawks.


Harris, though, has totaled 10 points in two meetings with Atlanta this season after averaging 16.3 over the previous six.


Oladipo is averaging 14.4 points but is putting up 19.2 in 13 games since rejoining the starting lineup following a 20-game stint as a reserve. That stretch included a 103-100 home loss to Atlanta on Dec. 20 in which he had four points on 2-of-11 shooting with six assists. The guard averages 18.8 points in six career matchups as a starter.


Paul Millsap and Al Horford are looking for another strong performance after combining for 45 points Friday. Millsap was averaging 9.8 over the four prior games, while Horford totaled 17 in the previous two.


Both, however, have been limited offensively in two season matchups with Orlando. Millsap is averaging 13.0 points and 12.5 rebounds and Horford has totaled 29 points while making 14 of 25 from the floor.


These division rivals will meet in Atlanta on Monday.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Betting Info. 2/7

Preview: Clippers (33-17) at Heat (29-22)


Date: February 07, 2016 2:00 PM EDT


The Miami Heat's recent surge is about to get a pair of major tests prior to the All-Star break.


The Heat go for a seventh win in eight tries Sunday when they attempt to salvage a split of the season series with the Los Angeles Clippers.


Miami (29-22) is one-half game behind Atlanta for the Southeast Division lead with two left before the break - one fewer than the Hawks.


Entering the layoff with some momentum will be tough since the Heat host Southwest-leading San Antonio on Tuesday after facing the Clippers (33-17).


Miami, though, has won six of seven games after beating Charlotte 98-95 on the road Friday. The Heat dominated the paint with a 64-32 scoring edge, and Hassan Whiteside had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks for his fourth triple-double.


"It's obvious we're not like a big 3-point shooting team. We're going to beat guys up in the paint. That's our motto; 'A physical Miami Heat team,'" said Whiteside, whose average of 4.0 blocks is ahead of the 3.9 franchise record set by Alonzo Mourning in 1998-99.


Whiteside has totaled 33 points, 27 rebounds and five blocks during his last two meetings with the Clippers. However, his 10 points and 11 boards off the bench weren't enough in a 104-90 road defeat Jan. 13.


Los Angeles held a 42-32 scoring edge in the paint in that one even though DeAndre Jordan didn't play. Cole Aldrich had 19 points in 24 minutes in his place, while Dwyane Wade had seven turnovers - one less than the Clippers had as a team.


Wade has averaged 21.8 points over the past eight games while Chris Bosh has put up 20.3 per game. Bosh came three assists shy of a triple double against the Clippers last month, totaling 11 points and 12 boards.


That win was the last of Los Angeles' 10 straight and it's continued to play well without Blake Griffin by winning seven of its past 11. The Clippers never trailed Friday in a 107-93 victory at Orlando to open a four-game road trip.


While Chris Paul, J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford combined for 61 points, reserve Lance Stephenson made all six of his shots and finished with 13 points in 19 minutes at power forward.


"Never in my wildest imagination did I see Lance Stephenson playing the four," coach Doc Rivers said. "We have found something. You can't guard him at the four. You can't put a four on him and every team that's tried to do that, it has been good for us."


Stephenson is averaging 4.5 points on the season, but he's getting 8.8 over the last four while going 15 of 19 from the field.


"I think I can help the team anywhere on the floor," Stephenson said. "I've been in an attack mode since I've been playing the four."


Paul has averaged 21.3 points and 11 assists over the past three games against the Heat.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Betting Info. 2/7

NBA


Sunday's hot teams
-- Celtics won eight of their last nine games (4-1 last 5HF).
-- Hawks won their last three games (5-8 last 13AF).
-- Miami won six of its last seven games (4-3 last 7HF). Clippers won five of their last six games (5-4AU).


Cold teams
-- Kings lost six of their last seven games (7-4 last 11AU).
-- New York lost eight of last nine games (9-4HF). Nuggets lost three of last four road games (6-1 last 7AU).
-- Orlando lost nine of its last ten games (6-3HU, 1-3 last 4).


Series records
-- Celtics won four of last six games with Sacramento.
-- Home side won last six Denver-New York games.
-- Hawks won six of last seven games with Orlando.
-- Clippers lost four of last six games with Miami.


Totals
-- Four of last five Sacramento games went over total.
-- Over is 3-1-1 in last five Denver games; five of last six New York tilts stayed under.
-- Six of last eight Orlando games went over total.
-- Six of last eight Clipper games stayed under total.


Back/backs
-- None

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Betting Info. 2/7

StatFox Super Situations


NBA | SACRAMENTO at BOSTON
Play Against - Favorites (BOSTON) after a win by 6 points or less against opponent after a combined score of 205 points or more 3 straight games
50-21 over the last 5 seasons. ( 70.4% | 26.9 units )
5-4 this year. ( 55.6% | 0.6 units )


NBA | LA CLIPPERS at MIAMI
Play Against - Any team vs the money line (MIAMI) revenging a road loss vs opponent, off 2 or more consecutive upset wins as a road underdog
21-5 over the last 5 seasons. ( 80.8% | 16.8 units )
1-0 this year. ( 100.0% | 1.0 units )


NBA | ATLANTA at ORLANDO
Play Under - All teams where the first half total is greater than 100 poor offensive rebounding team - averaging <=11/game on the season, on Sunday games
175-102 over the last 5 seasons. ( 63.2% | 62.8 units )
39-23 this year. ( 62.9% | 13.7 units )

[Satch]

Re: NBA Betting Info. 2/7

Preview: Atlanta At Orlando
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 7, 2016
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
The Orlando Magic have gone from feel-good story to disaster over the span of six weeks, and the latest slide is at three straight. The Magic will try to avoid a fourth consecutive loss and 16th in the last 18 contests when they host the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday in the opener of a home-and-home set.
Orlando brought in Scott Skiles as head coach in the offseason in an effort to change a losing culture and turn some talented young players into winners. “I’m aware that basically the last three years at this point in the season, the season was over by maybe mid-January,” Skiles told reporters after a 107-93 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. “We’ve got to fight that urge to give in. Right now, we’re not doing that successfully.” The Hawks are trending in the opposite direction with three consecutive wins behind an average of 112.7 points. The scoring binge comes on the heels of a six-game stretch in which Atlanta lost five games and failed to score more than 95 points in any of the setbacks.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Atlanta), FSN Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (30-22): Atlanta shot over 51 percent from the field in each of its last three games, and forward Paul Millsap led the way with 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting to help the team overcome a minus-21 rebounding disadvantage in Friday’s 102-96 win over the Indiana Pacers. One of the features of the Hawks offense during a record-setting regular season last year was ball movement, and the team handed out at least 28 assists in each of the last three contests. “We just kept pushing the pace of the game, playing fast,” center Al Horford told reporters after Friday’s win. “It wasn’t one of our best efforts on the boards, but we just did enough to win.”
ABOUT THE MAGIC (21-28): Orlando allowed the Clippers to shoot 54.1 percent in Friday’s loss and surrendered at least 107 points in each of the last eight games. “We’ve got to go back to realizing that (defense) is what is going to win us games,” guard Victor Oladipo told reporters. “It seems like when our offense isn’t going our defense isn’t going, either. In all reality, no matter what is happening on the (offensive) end we’ve got to rely on our defense and know that our defense can pick us up.” Orlando is in the middle of a brutal stretch of schedule that started Jan. 29 and includes San Antonio (twice), Atlanta (twice), Boston (twice), Oklahoma City and the Clippers in the eight games leading up to the All-Star break.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hawks C Tiago Splitter (hip) sat out the last three games and remains day-to-day.
2. Magic PG Elfrid Payton is 8-of-30 from the field in the last three games.
3. Atlanta has taken four straight in the series, including a 103-100 win in Orlando on Dec. 20.
PREDICTION: Hawks 109, Magic 101

[Satch]

Re: NBA Betting Info. 2/7

Preview: Sacramento At Boston
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 7, 2016
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
The Boston Celtics are winners of eight of their last nine games and shocked the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers with a last-second win on Friday. The Celtics will try to keep rolling when they return home to host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
Boston was down five points with 18 seconds left against the Cavaliers before rallying for the win, capped by Avery Bradley’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the corner. The Celtics’ recent surge has pushed the team all the way into a tie for third place in the East, and they have a chance to maintain that momentum through the All-Star break with two of the next three games at home. The Kings don’t seem to be in any position to stop Bradley and the Boston offense after letting the Brooklyn Nets, who entered Friday 29th in the league in scoring average, go off for 128 points and 18 3-pointers in a nine-point loss. The setback marked the sixth in the last seven games for Sacramento, which is surrendering an average of 116.4 points in that span and is reportedly considering a coaching change.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE KINGS (21-29): All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins recorded a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists at Brooklyn but was unhappy with the team’s execution on the defensive end. “I’d rather keep it in house, but we definitely have a bigger issue than just energy and effort,” Cousins told reporters after the 128-119 loss. “That can’t be the excuse every night. … So we’re going to work it out as a team, and hopefully we can fix this.” Former Boston point guard Rajon Rondo had another big game with 15 points and 15 assists on Friday but the veteran, who twice made the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team with the Celtics, was part of a perimeter defense that allowed the struggling Nets to go off at 18-of-28 from beyond the arc.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (30-22): Boston is putting up an average of 110.5 points in its last 14 games while posting 11 wins in that span. The Celtics will attack that suspect perimeter defense of the Kings with the guard quartet of Bradley, Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart and Evan Turner, which combined for 63 points on Friday. Turner is excelling in his role off the bench and has scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 games while posting a double-double in two of the last three.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Celtics F Jae Crowder is fighting through a leg injury and went 1-of-9 from the field on Friday.
2. Kings F Rudy Gay (ankle) left the game in the first quarter on Friday and did not return, but x-rays came back negative and he is day-to-day.
3. Thomas and Bradley combined for 41 points when Boston earned a 114-97 victory over Sacramento in Mexico City on Dec. 3.
PREDICTION: Celtics 113, Kings 104

[Satch]

Re: NBA Betting Info. 2/7

Preview: Denver At New York
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 7, 2016
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
The Denver Nuggets will try to give the fans in their region something to occupy their minds and release some nervous energy in advance of the Super Bowl on Sunday. The Nuggets will visit the New York Knicks on Sunday, hours before the Denver Broncos are scheduled to kick off against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
Denver picked up its third win in the last five games with a 115-110 home triumph over the Chicago Bulls on Friday, and each of the team’s last five victories have come against Eastern Conference competition. Danilo Gallinari is leading the charge and relentlessly attacked the basket on Friday en route to an 18-of-18 effort from the free-throw line and 33 points. The Knicks will try to stop Gallinari, who began his career in New York, with a depleted frontcourt that was missing starting forward Carmelo Anthony on Friday. Anthony underwent an MRI on his sore left knee that showed no structural damage and he is considered day-to-day.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (20-31): Denver overcame a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter of Friday’s win and is beginning to execute at the end of games like head coach Michael Malone expects. “You want to win close games? You want to close teams out? You have to have good execution, value the ball, get the best shot possible, play good defense and rebound,” Malone told reporters. “If you do that, you’re going to win a lot of games.” The Nuggets outscored the Bulls 42-21 in that fourth quarter after being outscored 32-18 in the third.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (23-30): New York has dropped four straight and eight of its last nine games, with the lone win in that span coming at home over the struggling Phoenix Suns. Jose Calderon picked up some of Anthony’s scoring load with 18 points on Friday but the Knicks shot 37.5 percent from the floor without the superstar directing the offense. Anthony will be watched closely with just two games left before the All-Star break and could get an extended rest if he decides to skip the festivities in Toronto and sit out the next two weeks.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Knicks C Robin Lopez is averaging 13 rebounds in the last three games and came within one point of his third straight double-double on Friday.
2. Nuggets C Nikola Jokic knocked down a pair of 3-pointers on Friday and has hit at least one in four straight games.
3. The home team has taken the last six in the series, with Denver’s last win in New York coming on Jan. 21, 2012.
PREDICTION: Nuggets 101, Knicks 95

[Satch]

Re: NBA Betting Info. 2/7

Preview: L.A. Clippers At Miami
When: 2:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 7, 2016
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan rarely faces an opposing big man as strong as he is on the glass, but he might just get that opportunity on Sunday. Jordan and the Clippers will visit Hassan Whiteside and the Miami Heat in the hours before the Super Bowl.
Jordan is on a rebounding binge of late with at least 15 boards in six straight games while Whiteside is coming off a triple-double in a win on Friday. Los Angeles kicked off its four-game road trip with a 107-93 win at Orlando that included 12 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks from Jordan, who ranks second in the league with an average of 13.9 boards. Whiteside (11.1) sits fifth in the NBA in rebounding average but leads the pack in blocks (4.02) while Jordan (2.25) entered the weekend ranked third, and Jordan (.716) and Whiteside (.616) rank first and second in field-goal percentage. Whiteside went 4-of-8 from the floor on Friday en route to 10 points and added 10 rebounds and 10 blocks in 27 minutes to help the team earn a 98-95 win at Charlotte.
TV: 2 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (33-17): Jordan is shouldering a bigger burden with Blake Griffin (broken hand) out, and Los Angeles is getting contributions from a host of different players. Lance Stephenson took his turn to step up on Friday and went 6-of-6 from the field in 19 minutes off the bench in support of starter Paul Pierce, who is occupying Griffin’s spot and scored 12 points in Orlando. Pierce had failed to score more than five points in any of his five previous games, including a scoreless 16 minutes against Chicago on Jan. 31.
ABOUT THE HEAT (29-22): Whiteside has come off the bench in each of the last two games after missing six straight with an oblique injury but looked plenty healthy on Friday. “When the ball is around my elbow, I’m going to try to catch it,” Whiteside told reporters. “Then I’m going to get the ball to (Dwyane Wade), so he can do D-Wade stuff.” Wade scored 22 points on Friday and is averaging 21.7 during Miami’s stretch of six wins in seven games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Heat F Gerald Green is 3-of-25 from 3-point range in the last nine games.
2. Los Angeles G Jamal Crawford scored 20 or more points in three straight games and four of the last five.
3. Jordan sat out a 104-90 home win over Miami on Jan. 13 due to illness.
PREDICTION: Clippers 103, Heat 98