NBA Betting Info. 2/29

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Preview: Houston At Milwaukee
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, February 29, 2016
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Houston Rockets are having trouble stringing wins together and are leaving the door open for any team that may step up to challenge them for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Rockets will try to avoid their ninth loss in 13 games when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday.
Houston began a stretch with 11 of 13 games on the road prior to the All-Star break and has so far earned only two wins in that span against four losses. The Rockets failed to take advantage of one of the few home games in that stretch with a 104-94 loss to San Antonio on Saturday that dropped them one game below .500 and left their lead over the Utah Jazz at a half-game for the No. 8 spot in the West. The Bucks are much further from playoff contention and are searching for some consistency as coach Jason Kidd hands more responsibility to younger players. “It’s always something; different things, different games,” Milwaukee center Miles Plumlee told reporters. “As we keep saying; we’re a young group, but we’ve got to put it all together. It’s been a long year. I think guys have learned a lot and we just have to go out and play.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (29-30): Houston fell behind by as much as 31 points against San Antonio and never led in the game, looking like a different team than the one that rallied to a win in Portland on Thursday. “We’re capable of anything,” forward Josh Smith told ESPN.com. “We just got to be able to stay positive and stay with the process.” That process leans heavily on star guard James Harden, who has played over 40 minutes in each of the last three games and is averaging 38.3 points in that span.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (24-35): Milwaukee was outscored by 10 points in the first quarter of each of the last two games and never managed to climb all the way out of either hole in falling to the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons. “It’s always a concern when we’re losing,” Plumlee told reporters of the slow starts. “We just have to come out with more energy from the get-go. I think we’re fighting to get back into these games. We’ve got to come out with more energy in our coverages, finish on the rebounds, and all facets of the game.” Plumlee is serving as the starting center while Greg Monroe comes off the bench to lead the second unit.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bucks G Jerryd Bayless (knee) sat out each of the last five games but was expected to return to practice on Sunday and is day-to-day.
2. Smith is 9-of-47 from the field in the last eight games.
3. Harden had 30 points and eight assists in Houston’s 102-98 home win over Milwaukee on Jan. 22.
PREDICTION: Bucks 111, Rockets 107

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Preview: Memphis At Denver
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, February 29, 2016
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
The Memphis Grizzlies are still trying to figure out life without star center Marc Gasol and looked like a team without a plan on Saturday. The Grizzlies will try to quickly get past an embarrassing loss when they visit a Denver Nuggets team expected to be without its leading scorer on Monday.
Memphis went with a small lineup without Gasol and earned back-to-back wins over the lowly Los Angeles Lakers last week but was exposed in the middle on Saturday during a 111-106 loss to a Phoenix Suns team that had dropped its previous 13 games. The Suns started 7-1 centers Tyson Chandler and Alex Len together and crushed Memphis on the boards 56-34, providing future opponents with a blueprint for how to get past the Grizzlies. The Nuggets could be forced to go to a similar big lineup with Danilo Gallinari (ankle) expected to miss time after leaving Friday’s game. Denver starts Kenneth Faried and Nikola Jokic in the frontcourt and has centers Jusuf Nurkic and Joffrey Lauvergne coming off the bench.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Memphis), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (34-24): Zach Randolph found himself out of the starting lineup earlier in the season but is back with the top unit and would like to see his team attempt better shots after going 6-of-20 from 3-point range in Phoenix. “We’ve got to get better; that’s not us,” Randolph told reporters. “We’ve got to get better shot selection, work the ball with the team we’ve got. It’s just, we’ve got to be different and play different, so that’s something we’ve got to work on.” Memphis doesn’t have much time to figure things out as it fights for playoff positioning in the West.
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (23-36): Gallinari had X-rays come back negative on his right ankle after Friday’s game but was scheduled for an MRI exam to determine the severity of the sprain. The 6-10 Italian is averaging 19.5 points and 5.3 rebounds and is no stranger to ankle injuries after missing six games at the end of December with a sprain, and he did not sound optimistic about making a quick return. “It’s worse than the one I had just two months ago,” Gallinari told reporters. “It’s worse than that one.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Grizzlies G/F Lance Stephenson is averaging 12.5 points in four games since joining the team at the trade deadline.
2. Nuggets rookie PG Emmanuel Mudiay is 2-of-17 from the field in the last two games.
3. Gasol had 27 points in Memphis’ 102-101 win at Denver on Jan. 21.
PREDICTION: Grizzlies 104, Nuggets 101

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Preview: Oklahoma City At Sacramento
When: 10:00 PM ET, Monday, February 29, 2016
Where: Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento, California
The Oklahoma City Thunder have lost four of their last five games and the latest defeat stings the most as they prepare to open a four-game road trip on Monday against the Sacramento Kings. Oklahoma City led the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors most of the night on Saturday before falling 121-118 in overtime on Stephen Curry’s 32-foot 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan was saying his club took “a step in the right direction defensively” against Golden State and raved about all the positive things that could be taken out of the game, but All-Star small forward Kevin Durant wasn’t interested in such rhetoric. “Moral victories are for young teams,” Durant sternly told reporters. “We’ll get better from it and worry about the next game.” Sacramento experienced a rare dose of success in its last meeting with the Thunder, posting a 116-104 victory on Jan. 4 to win in Oklahoma City for the first time after 14 consecutive losses. The Kings have lost back-to-back games and sit 10th in the Western Conference, four games behind eighth-place Houston in the battle for the final playoff spot.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN Oklahoma, CSN California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE THUNDER (41-18): Oklahoma City’s recent slide has prompted the squad to fall nine games behind the second-place San Antonio Spurs, so the Thunder will now concentrate on making sure the Los Angeles Clippers don’t overtake them. Oklahoma City was unable to put away the Warriors when it had the opportunities but point guard Russell Westbrook was encouraged by the defensive performance. “If we can give that defensive effort every night, that would be really great for our team,” Westbrook told reporters.
ABOUT THE KINGS (24-33): The status of point guard Rajon Rondo (thumb) might not be known until close to game time after he missed Friday’s 117-107 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Rondo has been bothered by the ailment for three weeks and recent X-rays fail to pinpoint the reason for the pain. All-Star post DeMarcus Cousins narrowly missed a triple-double with 26 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists against the Clippers but posted his 34th double-double of the campaign.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Thunder are 23-5 against the Kings since moving from Seattle to Oklahoma City.
2. Cousins had 33 points and 19 rebounds in last month’s win over the Thunder.
3. Durant scored 37 points against Golden State and has registered 44 straight 20-point performances.
PREDICTION: Thunder 118, Kings 113

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Preview: Brooklyn At L.A. Clippers
When: 10:30 PM ET, Monday, February 29, 2016
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
The Brooklyn Nets are trying to get out into the open floor and run a little more since waiving Joe Johnson, and so far the results have been solid. The Nets will try to pick up a third straight victory when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
Brooklyn reached a buyout agreement with Johnson last week to continue a planned roster reshuffling that the new front office hopes will get it back in postseason position sooner rather than later. The Nets moved Bojan Bogdanovic into the starting lineup to replace Johnson and rolled over the rapidly fading Phoenix Suns on Thursday before securing a more impressive victory with a 98-96 triumph at the Utah Jazz on Saturday that bumped their record to 2-1 on the current nine-game road trip. The Clippers are no strangers to lengthy road trips, having to abandon Staples Center annually for award shows, but are enjoying a stretch with seven of eight in their home building. Los Angeles got 40 points and 13 assists from Chris Paul on Friday to win the lone road game in that stretch at Sacramento on Friday and will need to avoid looking past Brooklyn with Oklahoma City coming to town on Wednesday.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE NETS (17-42): Brooklyn will at least get to spend a few days in one city with another game in the same building against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, but so far the road trip has not seemed to negatively affect the team’s effort. The Nets held a 23-12 advantage in fast-break points against the Jazz while forcing 21 turnovers. Reserve guard Markel Brown, who also stands to see an increase in minutes with Johnson off the roster, grabbed three of the team’s 12 steals in 18 minutes off the bench after chipping in 16 points in Thursday’s victory over Phoenix.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (38-20): Los Angeles was thoroughly disappointed in its effort in an 87-81 home loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday but looked like a different team in Sacramento. “I don’t think they like to lose,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers told reporters of his players. “I don’t think it’s harder than that. It’s nothing I’m doing. It’s a very competitive group. They like each other. They play together. … They certainly didn’t like losing the game the other night.” One big difference was the play of newcomer Jeff Green, who struggled to six points on 3-of-10 shooting against the Nuggets but exploded for 22 points on 9-of-13 against the Kings.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Paul has recorded a double-double in three straight games and five of the last six.
2. Nets F Thaddeus Young is averaging 19.5 points on 18-of-27 shooting in the last two games.
3. Paul had 15 points and 14 assists as Los Angeles claimed a 105-100 victory in Brooklyn on Dec. 12.
PREDICTION: Clippers 120, Nets 105

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Monday’s Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
Pacers at Cavaliers – 7:05 PM EST
The Central division race is Cleveland’s (41-17 SU, 25-30-3 ATS) to lose with 24 games to go as the Cavaliers are coming off a rough 1-3 SU/ATS stretch. LeBron James missed his second game of the season due to rest on Sunday in a 113-99 defeat at Washington as 2 ½-point road favorites. The Cavaliers were limited to less than 100 points for the third time since scoring 115 points in a victory at Oklahoma City last Sunday.
Cleveland outlasted Indiana in overtime on February 1 in a 111-106 triumph as five-point road favorites. The Pacers erased an 11-point halftime deficit in spite of Paul George shooting 3-of-15 from the floor for 11 points. The Cavs go for their third victory over their division rivals after knocking off the Pacers at Quicken Loans Arena in early November, 101-97, but failed to cash as eight-point favorites.
Indiana (31-28 SU, 28-30-1 ATS) has struggled of late by losing consecutive games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to Charlotte and Portland. Frank Vogel’s squad lost to the Blazers on Sunday night, 111-102 as six-point home favorites, while allowing 39 points in the opening quarter. The Pacers will be happy to hit the road as they have won two of their past three away from Bankers Life Fieldhouse, but Indiana owns an 0-6 SU/ATS record on the highway with no rest this season.
Jazz at Celtics – 7:05 PM EST
These two teams meet up for the second time since the All-Star break as Utah (28-30 SU, 28-30 ATS) ripped Boston, 111-93 at home. The Jazz shot a scorching 54% from the floor, while outrebounding the Celtics, 51-34 to beat Boston for the second time in the last 10 meetings. Quin Snyder’s team embarks on a four-game road swing following back-to-back home losses to the Spurs and Nets. Utah has slumped to a 1-6 ATS mark the last seven games, while losing three straight away from Salt Lake City since Gordon Hayward’s buzzer-beating jumper at Dallas prior to the All-Star break.
Boston (35-25 SU, 33-26-1 ATS) is starting to build a solid home-court advantage after winning its 10th straight game at TD Garden on Saturday over Miami, 101-89 as 5 ½-point favorites. It seems like a distant memory when the Celtics lost back-to-back home games to the Lakers and Nets two months ago as Brad Stevens’ team owns a spectacular 8-2 ATS record during this hot streak at home. Boston has pushed the pace of late by hitting the ‘over’ in seven straight games prior to cashing the ‘under’ against Miami.
Rockets at Bucks – 8:05 PM EST
The final playoff spot in the Western Conference will likely go to Utah or Houston, even though both teams currently sit below the .500 mark. The Rockets (29-30 SU, 26-33 ATS) have dropped five of their last seven games, with one of those victories coming at Portland last Thursday in which Houston erased a 21-point second half deficit. Houston scored less than 100 points for the first time in six games in Saturday’s 104-94 home defeat to San Antonio, while playing an Eastern Conference opponent on the road for the first time since losing at Orlando on December 23.
Milwaukee (24-35 SU, 29-29-1 ATS) continues to sit at the bottom of the Central division after losing its last two games to Boston and Detroit. In Saturday’s loss to the Pistons, the Bucks shot 49% from the floor, but fell behind by 10 points at halftime and never recovered. Jason Kidd’s team has hit the ‘under’ in four consecutive games at the BMO Harris Center, while compiling a 6-3 mark to the ‘under’ in the last nine overall. The Bucks look to avenge a 102-98 setback at the Toyota Center in January to the Rockets, as Houston has won each of the past five meetings in the series since 2014.
Thunder at Kings – 10:05 PM EST
Oklahoma City (41-18 SU, 23-35-1 ATS) is firmly in control of the Northwest division, but suffered a tough loss on Saturday in a buzzer-beating overtime defeat to Golden State. The Thunder has lost four of their last five games, while allowing at least 100 points in during each game of this stretch. Billy Donovan’s squad starts a four-game road swing that continues to Los Angeles against the Clippers on Wednesday, followed by a quick rematch with Golden State on Thursday. The Thunder and Kings have split the first two matchups this season as Sacramento knocked off OKC, 116-104 as 7 ½-point underdogs in January, but Kevin Durant sat out due to injury.
A rough three-game homestand for Sacramento (24-33 SU, 25-32 ATS) wraps up tonight after the Kings lost to the Spurs and Clippers by double-digits. George Karl’s team put together a modest three-game winning streak prior to these two losses, as the Kings are riding a 10-2 mark to the ‘over’ in the past 12 contests. The Kings have struggled lately as a home underdog by compiling a 1-3 SU/ATS record in the last four opportunities, while dropping eight of their past 10 home matchups with the Thunder since 2010.
Nets at Clippers – 10:35 PM EST
It’s been a tough season in Brooklyn (17-42 SU, 30-28-1 ATS) as the Nets fired their coach and bought out one of their top players. However, the Nets have been cashing tickets recently by covering all three games on their current nine-game away swing, including outright victories at Phoenix and Utah. Brooklyn tripped up Utah as 11 ½-point underdogs on Saturday, 98-96, as the Nets are going for their first three-game winning streak of the season. The Nets have struggled at Staples Center over the years by losing nine of the past 10 road meetings with the Clippers, while the ‘over’ has hit eight times.
The Clippers (38-20 SU, 29-26-3 ATS) haven’t won consecutive games since the All-Star break, going 3-2 in the past five contests. Los Angeles is fresh off a 117-107 victory at Sacramento on Saturday, while cashing the ‘over’ following a stretch of four consecutive ‘unders.’ The Clippers held off the Nets in their previous matchup at Barclays Center in mid-December, 105-100 as 6 ½-point favorites, as Brooklyn outscored Los Angeles by nine points in the fourth quarter to grab the backdoor cover.

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Re: NBA Betting Info. 2/29

PHILADELPHIA vs. WASHINGTON
Philadelphia is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 16 of Philadelphia's last 24 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games at home


INDIANA vs. CLEVELAND
Indiana is 7-14 SU in its last 21 games on the road
Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Cleveland is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Indiana


UTAH vs. BOSTON
Utah is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Utah is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games at home
Boston is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games


HOUSTON vs. MILWAUKEE
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 5 games on the road
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
Milwaukee is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Houston


MEMPHIS vs. DENVER
Memphis is 4-21 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Memphis's last 7 games when playing Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Denver's last 7 games when playing Memphis
Denver is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Memphis


OKLAHOMA CITY vs. SACRAMENTO
Oklahoma City is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Oklahoma City's last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Sacramento's last 12 games when playing Oklahoma City
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Sacramento's last 8 games


BROOKLYN vs. LA CLIPPERS
Brooklyn is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Brooklyn is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Clippers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Clippers last 5 games at home
LA Clippers are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing Brooklyn