NBA Betting Info. 3/7

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Preview: Sacramento At New Orleans
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, March 7, 2016
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
The New Orleans Pelicans could be without shooting guard Eric Gordon for the remainder of the season after he once again broke his right ring finger during Saturday’s loss to the Utah Jazz. Gordon had just recently returned to action after the first break and the Pelicans will attempt to halt a four-game skid without him when they host the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
Gordon missed 16 games after breaking the finger the first time and averaged 22.7 points in his first three games back before getting hurt in a first-half collision with Utah center Rudy Gobert on Saturday. “He worked so hard to get back and I really thought he was playing good basketball,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said afterward. “So for that to happen to him again … that’s really unfortunate.” Sacramento has dropped 4 1/2 games out in the Western Conference race after losing five of its last six games. After visiting New Orleans, the Kings play four of five at home and that might be their last chance to legitimately stay in contention.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), FSN New Orleans
ABOUT THE KINGS (25-36): Point guard Rajon Rondo had nearly as many turnovers (six) as assists (eight) during Saturday’s 104-94 loss to the San Antonio Spurs as he continues to deal with injuries. Rondo’s list of ailments include a sprained right thumb, sprained right ankle, sprained right foot and turf toe but he still managed to play at least 36 minutes in each of the past four games. All-Star post DeMarcus Cousins had 31 points and nine rebounds against the Spurs to narrowly miss out on his sixth straight double-double.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (23-38): The latest losing streak has made it apparent there won’t be a magical run toward a playoff spot and coach Alvin Gentry says it is time to look forward in terms of mixing up his matchups and player roles. “At this stage, like I said, it would be a miracle almost for us to make the playoffs,” Gentry told reporters after the Utah loss. “We really have to start looking at developing a culture and how we’re going to play in the future and figuring out guys on this team, how they fit into the system and if they’re going to be able to fit in a system.” Point guard Jrue Holiday could move back into a starting role after being stellar coming off the bench with nine 20-point outings over the last 11 games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pelicans have beaten the Kings twice this season with backup SF Ryan Anderson averaging 27 points.
2. Cousins is averaging 29 points, 11 rebounds and 2.5 blocks against the Pelicans this season.
3. New Orleans All-Star power forward Anthony Davis had 29 points against Utah but was just 11-of-31 from the field.
PREDICTION: Pelicans 110, Kings 106

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Preview: L.A. Clippers At Dallas
When: 8:30 PM ET, Monday, March 7, 2016
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
After losing back-to-back games to teams that will watch the playoffs on television, the Dallas Mavericks look to get back on track when they host the playoff-bound Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. Dallas melted down late in regulation Sunday while suffering a 116-114 overtime road loss to the Denver Nuggets, three days after experiencing a home defeat against the Sacramento Kings.
The Mavericks had a four-point lead with 21 seconds left in regulation against Denver before being unable to close it out as the Nuggets turned a stolen in-bounds pass into a game-tying dunk. “We just made some crucial mistakes down the stretch,” backup power forward David Lee told reporters. “We couldn’t really get a stop when we needed to, and it seemed like both teams had the game won three or four different times. It was a hard-fought game, but that’s one we need to get.” The Clippers are coming off a disappointing 107-97 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday and are 5-4 over the last nine games. “It’s too late in the season to have letdowns like the one we had,” All-Star point guard Chris Paul told reporters. “That can’t happen.”
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (40-21): Center DeAndre Jordan will again be the subject of boos and vicious signs from the Dallas fans because of his last-minute spurning of the Mavericks during the summer free-agent process. Jordan had nine points – he was 3-of-9 from the free-throw line – and 11 rebounds in the Nov. 11 visit to Dallas and is averaging 7.5 points and 13 rebounds in two contests against the Mavericks this season. Jordan has posted 18 consecutive double-digit outings on the boards and ranks second in the NBA in rebounding (14 per game) and blocked shots (2.3).
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (33-30): Dirk Nowitzki doesn’t explode for high-scoring outputs too often at this point in his career but the 37-year-old forward scored 30 points Sunday for his second 30-point performance in six games. Nowitzki also went over 1,000 points for the season, allowing him to join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19), Karl Malone (18), Tim Duncan (17) and John Havlicek (16) as the only players to do so in 16 or more consecutive seasons. Nowitzki is averaging 23.5 points and nine rebounds against the Clippers this season and had 31 points (on 11-of-14 shooting) and 11 rebounds in the Nov. 11 victory.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Clippers have won nine of the past 13 meetings.
2. Dallas backup PG Raymond Felton was 1-of-8 shooting against Denver and is 8-of-26 over the past four games.
3. Paul has registered six consecutive double-doubles and eight in the past nine games.
PREDICTION: Mavericks 110, Clippers 107

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Preview: Orlando At Golden State
When: 10:30 PM ET, Monday, March 7, 2016
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
A record-setting season for the Golden State Warriors has reached the brink of another milestone. The Warriors will try to bounce back from a shocking road loss and break the 1994-96 Chicago Bulls’ record of 44 straight home wins when they go for their 45th against the visiting Orlando Magic on Monday.
Most of the talk of late has centered around Golden State’s pursuit of another record held by that famous Michael Jordan-led Chicago team – 72 regular-season wins – and the Warriors’ pursuit of that mark took a hit when they fell at the Western Conference-worst Los Angeles Lakers 112-95 on Sunday. “It’s actually pretty easy to explain,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “It’s the NBA, and if you’re not ready to play, anything can happen. We weren’t ready.” The Magic followed an impressive win over the Chicago Bulls with an embarrassing loss to the Phoenix Suns at home on Friday and now hit the road for a four-game West Coast trip with their chances for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference dwindling. “We should probably stop talking about (the playoff chase) right now because this was a game we had to have,” Orlando coach Scott Skiles told reporters after the 102-84 loss to the Suns while questioning his team’s motivation. “The question that we need to find out about – I know that I’m not going to get much sleep tonight, and I’m interested if the guys in the locker room are.”
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Orlando), CSN Bay Area (Golden State)
ABOUT THE MAGIC (27-34): Orlando is four games behind the Bulls for the No. 8 spot in the East and is trying to find some consistency after going 6-6 in the last 12 games. “It’s got to be a habit,” Skiles told reporters of his team’s inconsistency. “It’s got to be, ‘that’s how I play every game no matter what,’ instead of some games being real competitive and other games not being competitive. Once it becomes a habit, that’s what happens, and then a player becomes really reliable.” One of those last six losses came to the Warriors at home on Feb. 25, when Stephen Curry torched the Magic for 51 points in a 130-114 final.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (55-6): Golden State had flirted with a loss in its previous three games before pulling it out in the fourth quarter but could not get the shots to fall against the Lakers. The Warriors went 4-of-30 from 3-point range in the loss, including 1-of-10 from Curry, and committed 17 turnovers as a seven-game winning streak came to an end. “It was a bad performance all the way through,” Curry told reporters. “… It was just one of those days that you want to avoid at all costs.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Magic G Victor Oladipo (back) sat out Friday but returned to practice on Saturday and is likely to play on Monday.
2. Warriors F Andre Iguodala (hamstring) sat out for the second time in the last three games on Sunday and is day-to-day.
3. Golden State has taken five straight in the series.
PREDICTION: Warriors 132, Magic 109