NBA Betting Info. 2/27

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Preview: Portland At Chicago
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 27, 2016
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Derrick Rose is once again ailing and the Chicago point guard likely will sit out for the third consecutive game when the Bulls host the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. Rose has been diagnosed with tendinitis in his right hamstring and coach Fred Hoiberg said there is not yet a timetable for his return.
Rose averaged 26 points during a three-game span before his latest ailment and Hoiberg doesn’t want the situation to turn into a lengthy absence. “He talked about the pain he had,” Hoiberg told reporters of his discussions with Rose. “He talked about not being able to play his game, being cautious out there.” Being without Rose is bad timing with Portland point guard Damian Lillard enjoying a stellar season and ranking fifth in the league in both scoring (25.1) and 3-pointers (156). The Trail Blazers had a six-game winning streak halted by Houston on Thursday but have won 15 of their past 19 contests.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), WGN (Chicago)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (30-28): Lillard is 22-of-42 from 3-point range in seven career games against Chicago but he missed all six of his attempts from behind the arc when Portland suffered a 93-88 home loss to the Bulls on Nov. 24. Portland is 11-16 on the road but has been strong of late by winning six of its last eight in enemy arenas and certainly will be tested with the Chicago game being the opener of a six-game trip. “Anytime you go on the road, it’s tough,” Lillard told reporters. “But they’re a really good team, a top Eastern Conference team when they’re healthy. We’ve just got to have our minds right and it’s always good to start a road trip off right. That first game we’ve got to really be locked in and we’ve got to set the tone for the trip.”
ABOUT THE BULLS (30-27): Chicago has dropped eight of its last 12 games and has given up more than 100 points in each of them. The Bulls fell 103-88 to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday and Hoiberg was greatly disturbed by the fact his team committed 21 turnovers leading to 27 Atlanta points. “That’s all we’ve talked about for the last two days is taking care of the basketball,” Hoiberg told reporters. “You don’t give yourself a chance to win when you have careless turnovers like that.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Trail Blazers have won 12 of the past 16 meetings.
2. Bulls SF Doug McDermott is averaging 20 points and shooting 62 percent from the field during the past four games.
3. Portland C Mason Plumlee collected a career-best 17 rebounds in the first meeting with Chicago.
PREDICTION: Bulls 109, Trail Blazers 106

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Preview: San Antonio At Houston
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 27, 2016
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
The San Antonio Spurs scored a season-high 130 points the last time they played Houston and aim to beat the host Rockets for the sixth time in the past seven meetings when they meet on Saturday. San Antonio registered a 31-point victory in the beat down on Jan. 27 and is on a hot streak entering this encounter with 10 wins in its last 11 contests.
The Spurs are 6-1 on the eight-game “Rodeo Road Trip” after rolling to a 96-78 win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday and have a gaudy 21-9 away record, second best in the NBA behind the Golden State Warriors (28-5). “This is the best game since we came back from (the All-Star) break,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said afterward. “We had been really spotty and undisciplined, but what really helped us is that they are so good at execution. It actually helped us because they used the whole clock and we had to play (defense) over and over.” San Antonio will certainly need to apply defensive pressure against Houston All-Star guard James Harden, who rolled up 46 points as the Rockets overcame a 21-point, third-quarter deficit in Thursday’s 119-105 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Harden has 19 40-point outings over the past two seasons – the most in the NBA during that span.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, KENS (San Antonio), ROOT (Houston)
ABOUT THE SPURS (49-9): All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard displayed that the calf injury that sidelined him for three games is no longer an issue by scoring 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting in the win over Utah. Leonard’s defensive presence is already well established but the Spurs have given up an average of 85 points in two games since his return after allowing an average of 109.7 during his absence. All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge has been in a scoring funk since the All-Star break by averaging 13.4 points in the five games after averaging 25.5 points in his final six games prior to the break.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (29-29): Harden has recorded back-to-back 40-point outings as he scored 42 points in Tuesday’s loss to the Jazz before the big effort against Portland, which included 19 fourth-quarter points. However, he hasn’t operated so freely against the Spurs and is averaging just 19.7 points in this season’s three meetings — scoring 20 points in two of the contests and 17 in the other. Harden is averaging 34.4 points in five games since the All-Star break and has scored 33 or more points in seven of the past 11 games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Spurs have averaged 125.5 points while winning the last two meetings after Houston won an 88-84 defensive struggle in the season’s first matchup.
2. Houston C Dwight Howard, who is averaging 15.3 points and 10.7 rebounds against the Spurs this season, has recorded five double-doubles in the past six games.
3. San Antonio C Tim Duncan had 14 points and 11 rebounds against the Jazz for his second double-double in four games.
PREDICTION: Spurs 112, Rockets 108

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Preview: Detroit At Milwaukee
When: 8:30 PM ET, Saturday, February 27, 2016
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Detroit Pistons are turning things around on the defensive end, and it has led to back-to-back wins. The Pistons will try to make it three straight and pull a game over .500 when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
Detroit ended a five-game slide by winning 96-88 at Cleveland on Monday and avoided a letdown by crushing the Philadelphia 76ers 111-91 on Wednesday. “They played really, really well the last two games,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters of his players. “But it’s only two games and we’ve got a long way to go. We’re obviously in the middle of a very tough stretch. A lot of road games against a lot of good teams. So we’re going to have to play pretty well.” The Bucks had won four of five before falling at Boston on Thursday and are still aiming at a playoff spot in the East. “We’re going to get on a roll,” Milwaukee forward Jabari Parker told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We have five home games and we’ll try to take advantage of it, try to win all five of them.”
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (29-29): The addition of Tobias Harris in front of the trade deadline is already paying dividends as the 23-year-old forward grows more comfortable playing in the Detroit frontcourt. “We’re trying harder,” Pistons forward Marcus Morris told reporters. “I think me and (Harris), we give a team different looks and our offense has been better, too. We’re pushing it at ’em. I feel like our pace has picked up, everything. I feel like we’re playing with more of a sense of urgency.” Harris is averaging 18.3 points in four games since joining the team.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (24-34): Milwaukee is giving more responsibility to small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the 21-year-old is responding. Antetokounmpo went for a triple-double in Monday’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers to cap a string of four straight double-doubles before managing 14 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in Thursday’s 112-107 loss in Boston. “Giannis is 14, 8 and 7,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd told reporters. “We’ll get to a point of saying that’s a bad night for him.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bucks G Jerryd Bayless (knee) sat out the last three games and is day-to-day.
2. Pistons F Stanley Johnson (shoulder sprain) sat out Wednesday and is not expected to play on Saturday.
3. Detroit snapped a four-game losing streak in the series with a 102-95 home triumph on Dec. 4.
PREDICTION: Pistons 101, Bucks 98

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Preview: Golden State At Oklahoma City
When: 8:30 PM ET, Saturday, February 27, 2016
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The Golden State Warriors have looked tired and vulnerable at times on their road trip, but Stephen Curry has been around to bail the team out. The Warriors will close out the seven-game trip with their biggest test of the excursion when they visit Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.
Curry drained a pair of go-ahead 3-pointers in the final minute-plus and hit four free throws down the stretch in Miami on Wednesday to drag Golden State to a 118-112 victory, and followed it up by pouring in 51 points on 20-of-27 shooting in a 130-114 win at Orlando the next night. The reigning MVP is averaging 36.6 points and shooting 52.5 percent from 3-point range in five games since the All-Star break, capped by Thursday’s 10-of-15 effort from beyond the arc. Westbrook and Durant combined for 76 points on Thursday but it wasn’t quite enough to avoid a 123-119 loss at New Orleans that marked the team’s third setback in the four games since the All-Star break. “They just got at us today,” Durant told reporters after the latest setback. “They scored whenever they wanted and they did whatever they wanted. We didn’t show any resistance.”
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (52-5): Curry’s first 3-pointer on Thursday pushed him past Atlanta’s Kyle Korver and set an NBA record for making a 3-pointer in 128 consecutive regular-season games. “I don’t know that the record is that significant, because it’s so simple for him,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters of Curry. “A 3-point shot is like a layup. A halfcourt shot is like a 3-point shot. This is just what Steph does. It’s to the point that we expect everything to go in.” Curry is up to 276 3-pointers on the season, 10 short of tying the NBA record he set last season.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (41-17): Oklahoma City allowed Cleveland and New Orleans to shoot better than 51 percent from the floor in each of the last two losses. “It’s just our defense and the numbers we gave up on that end of the floor,” Thunder head coach Billy Donovan told reporters after Thursday’s setback. “They got some points off turnovers, but even besides that, it’s the shooting percentage. It was the deep paint shots, it was the 3-point line, it was everything really.” Oklahoma City will need to find a way to defend the 3-point line against Curry and the Warriors after allowing the Pelicans to go 12-of-20 from beyond the arc.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Thunder G Randy Foye is averaging four points in 17.7 minutes off the bench in three games since joining the team at the trade deadline.
2. The Warriors matched their franchise record for road wins at 28, set last season, with Thursday’s triumph.
3. Golden State has taken four of the last five in the series, including a 116-108 home win on Feb. 6.
PREDICTION: Warriors 120, Thunder 115

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Preview: Memphis At Phoenix
When: 9:30 PM ET, Saturday, February 27, 2016
Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
The Memphis Grizzlies have dominated Phoenix in recent seasons and look to defeat the host Suns for the ninth consecutive time when the teams meet Saturday. Memphis prevailed 95-93 in this season’s first meeting between the teams and enters this matchup with 15 victories in its last 20 games.
The Grizzlies are playing at a faster pace since losing center Marc Gasol (foot) for the season and averaged 120 points and made 26 3-point baskets while notching consecutive victories over the Los Angeles Lakers. “The one thing that we’re doing a great job of is sharing the ball. We’re making the game easy for each other,” veteran swingman Vince Carter said after Friday’s 112-95 victory. “We have a lot of guys here who can score, a lot of guys who can shoot the ball.” Phoenix has been in a free fall for more than two months and has lost 26 of its last 28 games. Thursday’s 116-106 loss to the Brooklyn Nets was the club’s 13th straight, matching the dubious franchise single-season record set to open the 1996-97 campaign, and a loss to Memphis would match the franchise’s overall losing streak of 14 games.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Memphis), TWC SportsNet (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (34-23): Speeding up the offensive pace has meant more minutes for Carter, and the 39-year-old is suddenly flourishing. He scored a season-high 19 points and made 5-of-7 3-pointers in Friday’s 112-95 victory over the Lakers and is averaging 14 points during the last five contests. Forward P.J. Hairston, acquired from the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 18, also is thriving and has made nine 3-pointers in the past two games while averaging 19 points.
ABOUT THE SUNS (14-44): Interim coach Earl Watson is winless in nine games since replacing fired Jeff Hornacek and Phoenix’s fortunes continue to sink. “It’s like boxing,” Suns forward Mirza Teletovic told reporters. “Somebody beats you up pretty bad. Next fight, you come kind of with more caution and you don’t have the same confidence and you kind of duck more.” Teletovic had his best outing of the season against the Nets — his former club — with season highs of 30 points and 11 rebounds.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Grizzlies have prevailed in five consecutive visits to Phoenix.
2. Phoenix rookie SG Devin Booker is just 11-of-42 shooting in four games since the All-Star break.
3. Memphis G Tony Allen (knee) likely will miss his fourth straight game.
PREDICTION: Grizzlies 108, Suns 101

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Preview: Brooklyn At Utah
When: 9:30 PM ET, Saturday, February 27, 2016
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
The Utah Jazz are sliding in the wrong direction and are badly in need of a victory when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. Utah has dropped four of six games after recording a season low point total against San Antonio on Thursday and a four-game road swing begins Monday in Boston.
The Jazz were outclassed 96-78 by the Spurs to drop one game below .500 and fall into ninth place in the Western Conference. Utah trails the Houston Rockets by a half-game for the final playoff spot and feels the urgency to defeat the Nets as it has struggled on the road (9-18) all season. Brooklyn will be playing its second game without former All-Star Joe Johnson, who was waived on Thursday after agreeing to a buyout with the Nets. Brooklyn wasn’t distracted by the development as it posted a 116-106 victory over the Phoenix Suns later that night to halt a seven-game road losing streak.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, MSG (Brooklyn), ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE NETS (16-42): Johnson gave up $3 million of his $24.9 million salary to gain his release in hopes of joining a contender and interim coach Tony Brown was disappointed to see him go. “I’m a little sad that he’s not going to be around and I’d like to run plays for him,” Brown told reporters. “But I have the utmost respect for him and wish him nothing but the best going forward.” Bojan Bogdanovic moved into the starting lineup at small forward in place of Johnson and poured in a season-best 24 points versus the Suns.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (28-29): Power forward Derrick Favors continued his recent strong play with 25 points against the Spurs and is averaging 22.3 points and shooting 61.7 percent from the field over the past four games. “I want to be aggressive,” said Favors afterward, “and take my shots and really try and make something happen.” Small forward Gordon Hayward struggled to get free against Spurs defensive guru Kawhi Leonard and had just 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting after scoring 20 or more points in six of the previous seven games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Jazz have won the past three meetings by an average of 21.3 points and recorded a 108-86 road victory on Jan. 22.
2. Brooklyn PF Thaddeus Young had a season-high seven steals – one off his career high – while scoring 18 points against the Suns.
3. Utah averaged 113 points during a three-game span before being limited to 78 by the Spurs.
PREDICTION: Jazz 98, Nets 89

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Hot teams
— Miami won three of last four games (4-1 last 5AU). Celtics won seven of last ten games (6-2 last 8HF).
— New Orleans won five of its last seven games (1-5 last 6HF).
— Spurs won 10 of their last 11 games (2-5 last 7AF).
— Trailblazers won six of last seven games. Chicago won three of its last four games.
— Detroit won its last two games, after losing seven of previous eight games (4-7 last 11 AU). Milwaukee won four of its last six games (4-0 last 4HF).
— Golden State won 15 of its last 16 games (4-6 lst 10AF).
— Brooklyn split its last eight games (2-5 last 7AU).
— Memphis won four of its last five games (7-5AF).
Cold teams
— Minnesota lost three of its last four games (3-5 last 8AU).
— Houston lost four of its last six games (4-2HU).
— Thunder lost three of its last four games (0-0HU).
— Utah lost four of its last six games (8-5 last 13HF).
— Phoenix lost its last thirteen games (3-3HU with Watson).
Series records
— Visiting team won last four Miami-Boston games.
— Pelicans won last seven games with Minnesota.
— Rockets lost five of last six games with San Antonio.
— Bulls won last two games with Portland, after losing previous aeven.
— Bucks won four of last five games with Detroit.
— Golden State won four of last five games with Oklahoma City.
— Jazz won seven of last nine games with Brooklyn.
— Memphis won its last eight games against Phoenix (6-2 vs spread).
Totals
— Last seven Boston games went over the total.
— Eight of last nine Monnesota games went over.
— Five of last six San Antonio-Houston games went over.
— Last six Portland games went over the total.
— Five of last six Detroit games stayed under the total.
— Over is 7-3 in last ten Warrior-Thunder games.
— Eight of last ten Brooklyn games went over total.
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Back/backs
— Chicago is 2-6 vs spread last eight times it played night before.
— Memphis is 8-3 vs spread if it played the night before.