NBA Betting Info. 3/24

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NBA Knowledge

Thursday's hot teams
-- Cleveland won seven of its last nine games (3-5 last 8AF).
-- Bulls won four of last six games (4-3AF).
-- Utah won six of its last seven games (4-7 last 11AU).
-- Thunder won their last five games (10-4 last 14HF).

Cold teams
-- Pacers lost three of last five games (4-6 last 10HF).
-- New Orleans lost six of its last eight games (2-3-1 last 6AU).
-- Brooklyn lost seven of its last eight games (6-4 last 10HU).
-- New York lost four of its last six games (1-6 last 7HU).
-- Portland lost seven of its last eight road games (1-3 last 4AU).
-- Clippers lost four of their last five games (1-4 last 5HF).

Series records
-- Pelicans lost their last nine games with Indiana.
-- Nets lost six of last seven games with Cleveland.
-- Knicks lost four of last six games with Chicago.
-- Thunder won five of last six games with Utah.
-- Clippers won five of last seven games with Portland.

Totals
-- Six of last eight Indiana games stayed under total.
-- Four of last five Cleveland-Brooklyn ganes stayed under.
-- Over is 6-1-1 in last eight Chicago-New York games.
-- Last seven Jazz-Thunder games stayed under the total.
-- Eight of last nine Portland games went over the total.

Back/backs
-- Cavaliers are 2-5-1 vs spread on road last eight times they played the night before.
-- Chicago is 3-9 last 12 times they played night before.
-- Knicks covered four of last six if they played night before.
-- Jazz is 9-6 vs spread if they played night before.
-- Blazers covered three of last four if they played night before.
-- Clippers are 5-3 vs spread last eight times they played night before.

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Re: NBA Betting Info. 3/24

NBA Odds: Thursday, March 24 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews
Could the voting for NBA MVP actually be somewhat close? Golden State’s Steph Curry is going to win it, but he has been in a minor slump of late and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook has been a triple-double monster. He had a 15th this season on Tuesday and third in a row, and the way he’s going could get to 20 by the end of the season. So that’s basically a triple-double 25 percent of the time. Amazing, and it makes what Oscar Robertson did in 1961-62 in averaging a season triple-double even more astounding. Westbrook actually has been much more unselfish this season with a healthy Kevin Durant by his side. The Thunder are 19-1 this season when he shoots 15 or fewer times. They’re 30-12 when he records 10 or more assists. Westbrook has 12 games with at least 15 assists. If you give me the choice to start my franchise right now with one player in the NBA, it’s Westbrook.
Pelicans at Pacers (-12.5, 208.5)
Your lone national TV game on NBA TV as TNT is again involved in the NCAA Tournament this week. Depleted New Orleans lost 113-99 at home to Miami on Tuesday. Things are so dire that Luke Babbitt is getting major playing time and he had a season-high 23 points. Forward Ryan Anderson, the team’s second-leading scorer, missed a second straight game. Now there’s talk he might be shut down. Yeah, bet against the Pelicans going forward. Indiana beat visiting Philly 91-75 on Monday to assure itself a winning home record for a 27th straight season, the NBA’s longest active streak. Indiana won in New Orleans 91-86 on Jan. 8. The Pacers’ nine-game winning streak in the series is their longest active streak over any opponent.
Key trends: The Pelicans are 0-8 against the spread in the past eight meetings. The “over/under” has gone under in five of the past six.
Early lean: Pacers and under.
Cavaliers at Nets (+9, 209.5)
Sit-down alert! I wrote earlier this week how Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue admitted getting his key guys rest was more important than potentially getting the East’s top seed. Cleveland hosted Milwaukee on Wednesday, so I could easily see LeBron James or Kyrie Irving taking a seat here as the Cavs should beat the sorry Nets without one of those two. Brooklyn lost a third straight Tuesday, 105-100 at home to Charlotte but actually got some rare good news in this lost season: the return of rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. He had missed the previous 50 games following an ankle injury. RHJ had five points, three rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes. He’s one of the few potential building blocks this franchise has. The Cavs are 2-0 vs. Brooklyn this season and haven’t allowed the Nets to top 88 points. Cleveland is only averaging 90.5 points in the two.
Key trends: The Cavs have covered just one of the past five meetings. The under is 4-1 in those five.
Early lean: Wait and see but I’m inclined to lean Nets. Certainly under.
Bulls at Knicks (+5, 201)
These teams played in Chicago on Wednesday night, and in the second of a back-to-back you have to monitor whether the likes of Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol and Carmelo Anthony play here. They had split the first two meetings. The Knicks haven’t won the season series since 2010-11. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Knicks were big suitors of Gasol when he hits free agency this summer. Gasol is a worldly type of guy and probably would love to live in NYC. Plus, Phil Jackson still loves Gasol from their Lakers days.
Key trends: The home team is 6-2 ATS in the past eight meetings. The over is 5-1-1 in the previous seven.
Early lean: Whichever team loses Wednesday.
Jazz at Thunder (-10, 199.5)
Utah was in Houston on Wednesday night. Oklahoma City beat Houston 111-107 on Tuesday for its fifth straight win. Westbrook had 21 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds. It was his sixth triple-double in March, the most by any player in a calendar month since Michael Jordan had seven in April 1989. Westbrook is the first player with at least 20 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in three games in a season since Jason Kidd did it in 1995-96. It was Westbrook’s third streak of at least three triple-doubles in his career. Only the Big O (13), Wilt (six) and Magic (four) had have longer streaks. The Thunder are 15-0 when Westbrook has a triple-double. Magic holds the record for consecutive wins in games with a triple-double at 24. Utah looks to avoid the four-game season sweep here. And the Jazz have dropped nine straight in Oklahoma City.
Key trends: The Jazz have covered only two of their past nine in OKC. The under is 7-0 in the past seven meetings.
Early lean: Thunder and under.
Trail Blazers at Clippers (-5, 214)
Los Angeles was at Golden State on Wednesday, so I don’t expect the Clips to have much left in the tank here. Jeff Green was to return from a one-game absence for that one. Portland hosted Dallas on Wednesday again without big man Meyers Leonard (left shoulder injury). The Clippers lead the season series 2-1. Portland is 1-7 in the past eight games against the Clippers at the Staples Center. The lone win was 98-93 last season on March 4, 2015.
Key trends: The underdog is 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings. The under is 7-3 in the previous 10 in Los Angeles.
Early lean: Blazers and over.

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Re: NBA Betting Info. 3/24

Preview: New Orleans At Indiana
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 24, 2016
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
The Indiana Pacers are attempting to join the four-team race for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference but are much closer to the No. 9 spot at the moment. The Pacers will try to gain some separation on the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons when they host the depleted New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.
Indiana enters play on Wednesday just a half-game ahead of the Bulls and Pistons, who are battling over the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. The Pacers did not look so sharp in matchups against contenders Toronto and Oklahoma City last week but returned to the win column by picking on the hapless Philadelphia 76ers in a 91-75 drubbing on Monday. “It felt like our energy was there,” Indiana star Paul George told reporters after the win. “Just at some moments throughout the game it went away. As far as being up for it, I felt we were coming off a couple losses at home and this was a must-win.” The Pelicans are playing out the string after shutting down star forward Anthony Davis and suffered a 113-99 loss to Miami on Tuesday to close out a 1-2 homestand.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN New Orleans, FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE PELICANS (26-44): New Orleans made the decision to shut down Davis (knee/shoulder) over the weekend and is also without forward Ryan Anderson (groin), guard Eric Gordon (finger), swingman Tyreke Evans (knee) and guard Norris Cole (back). Luke Babbitt stepped up with 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting and Jrue Holiday, who missed significant time earlier in the season with a leg injury, added 24 points in Tuesday’s loss. The Pelicans are giving several players more playing time than usual and guard Tim Frazier is averaging 13.8 points in four games since joining the team.
ABOUT THE PACERS (37-33): Indiana is getting a nice break in the schedule down the stretch and will close the season with nine of the final 13 games against teams with losing records, beginning with Monday’s win over Philadelphia. The Pacers got a boost in that win off the bench from point guard Ty Lawson, who sprained an ankle five minutes into his team debut on March 7 and missed the next five games before logging 15 minutes on Monday. “I felt good, just trying to get my wind back,” Lawson told reporters. “I felt comfortable. I was just eager to get out there, man. I spent a long time waiting to get out there and play. It felt good.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Babbitt is 6-of-8 from 3-point range in the last five games.
2. Pacers G George Hill is 18-of-28 from the field in the last three contests.
3. Indiana has taken nine of the last 10 in the series, including a 91-86 triumph in New Orleans on Jan. 8 in which Davis exited three minutes into the first quarter with a back injury.
PREDICTION: Pacers 106, Pelicans 97

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Re: NBA Betting Info. 3/24

Preview: Cleveland At Brooklyn
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, March 24, 2016
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
The Brooklyn Nets are not showing enough spirit for their interim coach as they play out the string of a losing season, and the Cleveland Cavaliers hope to take advantage. The Cavaliers, who visit the Nets on the second night of a back-to-back on Thursday, are trying to balance holding off the Toronto Raptors for the top spot in the Eastern Conference with getting their stars some rest before the playoffs.
Cleveland needed LeBron James (37 minutes) and Kyrie Irving (38) to play heavy minutes as it held off the Milwaukee Bucks 113-104 at home on Wednesday, and the two combined for 42 points, 16 assists and 14 rebounds to lead the way. That victory combined with Toronto’s 91-79 loss in Boston pushed the Cavaliers 2 1/2 games ahead of the Raptors as they kick off a two-game road trip against a pair of New York teams with losing records. Brooklyn has dropped three straight – all to Eastern Conference teams fighting for playoff position – and interim coach Tony Brown would like to see more effort from his players. “I just wanted them to know it’s not acceptable,” Brown told reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “If you get a chance to be on the court, you have to play your minutes hard. We know we’re not going to the playoffs, but these guys are still getting evaluated. You have to go out there with that in your mind to prove that you belong on this team or you belong in this league.”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cleveland), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (51-20): Cleveland followed an embarrassing loss at Miami with a pair of solid wins in which it totaled 67 assists. “It is great basketball,” James told reporters. “Everyone is in a great rhythm as you saw (Wednesday). Even when we miss some shots, the ball is still moving and we are just in a great rhythm. It’s just good ball movement.” Kevin Love joined the fun with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 10 rebounds after sitting out Monday’s 124-91 win over Denver with an illness.
ABOUT THE NETS (19-51): Brown vowed to switch up the lineup and offered specifics on his plan going forward. “I’m going to give Shane Larkin a chance to start the rest of these games toward the end of the season and I’m going to give Sergey Karasev a chance to start the next couple games to give him some quality minutes, so I’m going to keep shifting it around,” Brown told reporters. “It’s not going to be the same guys every night. At this stage that’s kind of my mindset.” Brown also highlighted the efforts of Sean Kilpatrick, who joined the team on a 10-day contract late last month and has put himself in position for a future with the Nets by scoring in double figures in the last six games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Kilpatrick is 13-of-20 from 3-point range in the last five games.
2. Cavaliers C Timofey Mozgov is averaging 9.5 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the last two games.
3. Cleveland took each of the previous two meetings this season, including a 91-78 win in Brooklyn on Jan. 20.
PREDICTION: Cavaliers 116, Nets 102

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Re: NBA Betting Info. 3/24

Preview: Chicago At New York
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, March 24, 2016
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
The Chicago Bulls ended an otherwise solid homestand with a complete clunker against the New York Knicks. At the very least, the Bulls do not have to wait long to set things straight, as they visit the Knicks on Thursday in the second half of a home-and-home set.
Chicago was 3-0 on its homestand and had won nine in a row at the United Center against New York but it had no answer for the normally punchless Knicks, who went 14-of-25 from long range en route to a 115-107 win on Wednesday. Rookie Kristaps Porzingis broke out of a funk with 29 points and 10 rebounds for New York, which had averaged just 84.7 points during a three-game losing streak leading up to Wednesday’s encounter. The Bulls saw leading scorer Jimmy Butler limited to seven points on 3-of-11 shooting in falling a game behind Indiana and Detroit for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. They now begin a closing stretch in which they play eight of their final 12 games on the road.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE BULLS (36-34): The lone bright spot Wednesday night was the sharp shooting of Nikola Mirotic, who tied the franchise record with nine 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 35 points. That was just a footnote to a one-sided affair that saw the Knicks gain a 53-34 rebounding advantage and limit Chicago’s starters to 49 points. “They just out-horsed us, out-toughed us all night long,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (29-43): Coach Kurt Rambis’ recent decision to move Arron Afflalo to the bench and start Sasha Vujacic seemed to pay dividends Wednesday, as the former stuffed the stat sheet in a reserve role while the latter had a small hand in limiting Butler and also made his only two shots – both 3-pointers. Afflalo finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and a season-high seven assists with just one turnover in 35 minutes. All-Star Carmelo Anthony returned from a one-game layoff due to a migraine to score 24 points and he is averaging 23.7 on 50 percent shooting in three games versus the Bulls.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bulls had zero turnovers in the first half Wednesday and finished with a season low-tying six.
2. Anthony has hit 15-of-27 3-pointers in his last six contests.
3. Chicago PG Derrick Rose is averaging 20.3 points on 59.6 percent shooting in a three-game hot stretch.
PREDICTION: Bulls 101, Knicks 97

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Re: NBA Betting Info. 3/24

Preview: Utah At Oklahoma City
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 24, 2016
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook is having a memorable season and aims to record his fourth consecutive triple-double when the Thunder host the Utah Jazz on Thursday. Westbrook has posted 15 triple-doubles this season, the most in the NBA since the 1988-89 campaign when Magic Johnson had 17 and Michael Jordan had 15.
Westbrook had 21 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds in his latest standout performance during Tuesday’s 111-107 victory over the Houston Rockets. He also continues to deflect all praise for his feats — seemingly not impressed to hear his team has won all 15 of those games or that he’s in the company of Hall of Famers like Johnson and Jordan. “I’m just blessed to be able to play the game I love and have an opportunity to play with such great guys,” Westbrook told reporters. “My teammates do a great job of helping me out. I just try to go out and compete at a high level every night.” Utah has ripped off six victories in its last seven games and Wednesday’s crucial 89-87 road victory over Houston moved the Jazz into a tie for seventh place with the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference playoff race.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ROOT (Utah), FSN Oklahoma
ABOUT THE JAZZ (35-36): Center Derrick Favors had 17 points and 15 rebounds against the Rockets and his biggest contribution was the tiebreaking dunk with 1.6 seconds remaining that gave Utah a pivotal victory. “It feels good to know we’re still in it,” Favors told reporters. “But we’re not in there yet so we’ve got to continue to work hard, play hard and keep winning games.” The Jazz broke a six-game losing streak in Houston and face another tough chore against the Thunder as they have dropped nine straight visits to Oklahoma City.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (49-22): Oklahoma City has won five consecutive games and the duo of Westbrook and small forward Kevin Durant appear primed to make a playoff run. Durant praised the team’s defense as being solid in the win over the Rockets and he also reminded reporters that Westbrook isn’t fueled by stats or milestones. “One thing about Russell is he doesn’t really play for that stuff,” Durant told reporters. “That’s not really important to us. For him, of course it’s cool to have that many triple-doubles, but it’s about winning at the end of the day.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Thunder are 3-0 against the Jazz this season and have won the past four meetings.
2. Utah SF Gordon Hayward scored 22 points against Houston for his fifth 20-point outing of the month.
3. Oklahoma City backup C Enes Kanter has six double-doubles in the past nine games.
PREDICTION: Thunder 112, Jazz 107

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Re: NBA Betting Info. 3/24

Preview: Portland At L.A. Clippers
When: 10:30 PM ET, Thursday, March 24, 2016
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
The Portland Trail Blazers have an outside chance at chasing down fifth-place Memphis in the Western Conference standings and can take another step in that direction when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. Portland is four games behind the injury riddled Grizzlies with 10 games to play and has a favorable schedule with seven of its final nine games at home.
The Trail Blazers sit in sixth place by 1 1/2 games over the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz after posting a 109-103 victory over the Mavericks on Wednesday. “They could have passed us up with a win, could have swept us for the season, and we’re going to play the Clippers,” standout point guard Damian Lillard said after the victory. “It could have been a tough spot to be in, but we said, ‘We’re going to play the kind of basketball we need to play and get this one.’ ” The Clippers are in fourth place in the West but are struggling with five losses in six games after falling 114-98 to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. Their chances of slaying the mighty Warriors were sabotaged by a 4-of-16 shooting night from point guard Chris Paul.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, CSN Northwest (Portland), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (37-35): Reserve center Ed Davis was a surprise offensive contributor with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting against the Mavericks for his second-highest scoring game of the season. Davis also had nine rebounds — five on the offensive end — and three steals in a strong all-around effort that was extra timely with Meyers Leonard (shoulder) sidelined for the fourth consecutive game. “Ed gave us a lot of second-chance opportunities,” Lillard told reporters. “He was a monster on the glass and in the paint; he was finishing a lot of stuff. I thought he got fouled on a lot of them and he was just playing through it. He beasted up.”
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (43-27): Paul (13 points) and shooting guard J.J. Redick (nine) were a combined 8-of-29 from the field while the Golden State backcourt of Stephen Curry (33) and Klay Thompson (32) were totaling 65 points. “It’s going to be tough for us to win if me and J.J. can’t throw it in the ocean,” Paul told reporters. Center DeAndre Jordan had another superb outing with 19 points and 20 rebounds and has scored in double digits in 12 consecutive games to tie a personal best.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Clippers have won seven of the past eight home contests versus the Trail Blazers.
2. Paul is just 9-of-30 from the field in the past two games.
3. Lillard scored 27 points against Dallas for his fifth straight 20-point outing and is averaging 26 points per game during the stretch.
PREDICTION: Clippers 111, Trail Blazers 110

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Re: NBA Betting Info. 3/24

StatFox Super Situations™ – FoxSheets
NBA | PORTLAND at LA CLIPPERS
Play Against – Favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points (LA CLIPPERS) after failing to cover the spread in 3 or more consecutive games, tired team – playing 6 or more games in 10 days
80-40 over the last 5 seasons. ( 66.7% | 36.0 units )
14-7 this year. ( 66.7% | 6.3 units )
NBA | PORTLAND at LA CLIPPERS
Play Against – Home favorites of -165 to -500 vs. the money line (LA CLIPPERS) good offensive team – scoring 99+ points/game on the season against opponent after 3 straight games where both teams scored 100 points or more
32-34 over the last 5 seasons. ( 48.5% | 33.7 units )
9-17 this year. ( 34.6% | 0.1 units )
NBA | CLEVELAND at BROOKLYN
Play Under – All teams where the first half total is 100.5 to 105 good shooting team (45.5-47.5%) against an poor defensive team (45.5-47.5%), in a game involving two good ball handling team (<=14.5 TO's) 81-40 over the last 5 seasons. ( 66.9% | 37.0 units ) 8-8 this year. ( 50.0% | -0.8 units )

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Re: NBA Betting Info. 3/24

Inside the Paint – Thursday
By Chris David
As the NCAA Tournament comes to a close over the next couple weeks, the end of the NBA regular season is just around the corner too. Thursday’s slate has five games on tap and like any other night in the Association, I would advise bettors to expect the unexpected.
Favorites continue to win but covering the number in the NBA isn’t that easy. Since Monday, the ‘chalk’ has gone 19-6 (76%) straight up but underdogs have been competitive at the betting counter with a 14-11 (56%) mark against the spread. Total bettors have seen the ‘under’ go 15-10 (60%) during this span.
Most of the ‘dogs have been short but the Knicks (+9) dominating 115-107 win over the Bulls last night returned nearly 4/1 odds on the money-line. And for those bettors who has the 76ers on the money-line last night versus Denver, accept my apologies.
We’ve got a handful of teams playing on no rest tonight and that’s always a big factor in my handicapping.
Let’s break down the card!
New Orleans (26-44 SU, 29-41 ATS) at Indiana (37-33 SU, 36-34 ATS)
The first game on the board looks like a pass as a healthy Pacers squad hosts a beat-up Pelicans team as 13-point favorites. Indiana has been a great bully, going 22-8 versus opponents under. 500 and that includes eight straight wins. The Pacers are in a dogfight for one of the final two remaining playoff spots in the East so the sense of urgency should be high in this spot. Indiana has owned the Pelicans recently, winning nine straight encounters and they’ve covered eight of those games. On Jan. 8, Indiana notched a 91-86 road win over New Orleans as a two-point favorite. Make a note that the Pacers are 5-0 SU as double-digit favorites this season but just 2-3 ATS.
Chicago (36-34 SU, 29-41 ATS) at New York (29-43 SU, 38-34 ATS)
These teams will be completing a home-and-home Thursday as the Knicks will look to sweep the Bulls at Madison Square Garden. Chicago was laying nine points in last night’s loss (see above) and are now 4 ½-point road favorites for the rematch. Despite losing last night, the Bulls have won four of the last six games against the Knicks and three of the four wins came by double digits. If the playoffs started today, the Bulls would miss the postseason. They’re one game behind Detroit for the eighth seed but they do have two games in hand.
New York hasn’t put together back-to-back wins since mid-January but for what it’s worth, it did sweep its only home-and-home set of the season against Atlanta on Jan. 3 and 5. Déjà vu on Thursday?
Before last night’s loss, Chicago had won three straight but it was playing with fire in those games and survived a couple close calls. The team is finally healthy but certainly rusty and backing a club that is 5-3 SU and 4-4 ATS as a road favorite doesn’t appear to be a great investment. However, the Knicks have been horrible home underdogs (4-15 SU, 6-12-1 ATS) this season and continue to disappoint at MSG.
Chicago has gone 5-9 both SU and ATS on zero days rest and the ‘over’ has gone 9-5 in those games. New York hasn’t been much better in these spots, going 7-9 SU and 9-6-1 ATS.
Cleveland (51-20 SU, 31-38-2 ATS) at Brooklyn (19-51 SU, 35-34-1 ATS)
The magic number for the Cavaliers to clinch the top spot in the East is 12 and the next two games in New York (Nets, Knicks) should be a formality for the club. Cleveland is listed as an eight point-favorite and it’s won six of seven versus the Nets which includes two wins this season (1-1 ATS). The ‘under’ has cashed in the last three meetings between the pair.
Cleveland has gone 4-2 SU and 3-3 ATS in its last six road games and they earned double digits wins in three of those games. The Cavs ran out the Bucks 113-104 last night and have been somewhat respectable on zero days rest (10-5 SU, 7-7-1 ATS) this season considering they were laying healthy numbers in the majority of those games.
Brooklyn has gone 5-11 since the All-Star break but has earned a small profit (9-7 ATS) for bettors while their fast tempo has helped the ‘over’ go 9-7.
These teams will meet once more on Mar. 31 when the Nets head to Cleveland.
Utah (35-36 SU, 35-34-2 ATS) at Oklahoma City (30-39-2 ATS)
Tough game to handicap here with the Jazz coming off a huge 89-87 victory over the Rockets last night as two-point road underdogs. Utah moved into the eighth playoff spot in the West ahead of Houston and could move up to the seventh seed over Dallas with a win tonight. Including last night’s victory, the Jazz have won and covered six of their last seven games and playing in a back-to-back spot hasn’t been much of an issue for them. Quinn Snyder’s team has gone 9-6 both SU and ATS on no rest this season but this will be the fourth game in six nights for Utah and that’s never easy.
OKC is rolling again, winners in five straight and it’s actually covered a few of them (3-2 ATS) as well. Utah isn’t a pushover but it does have a losing record and the Thunder have cleaned up against inferior opponents (below .500) this season with a 35-6 record. Possible look-ahead on deck for the Thunder with San Antonio visiting on Saturday.
The Thunder captured the first three meetings (2-1 ATS) against the Jazz this season but the pair hasn’t met since the middle of December. Utah hasn’t won at OKC since the 2010 season when it had a lineup that included Deron Williams, Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Andrei Kirilenko. How times have changed in Salt Lak City.
This series has watched the ‘under’ cash in seven straight and Utah is starting to get back into ‘under’ form, cashing to the low side in six straight games. Tonight’s total opened 199 ½, which is low for OKC standards, and has already dropped to 197 ½ at a few major offshore outfits.
Portland (37-35 SU, 40-32 ATS) at L.A. Clippers (43-27 SU, 32-34-4 ATS)
Even though we’ve got a handful of great players on the court, this could be an ugly game due to the situation. Both clubs played late last night and will have to do the quick turnaround and that usually favors the home team, in this case the Clippers.
Los Angeles dropped a 114-98 decision at Golden State on Wednesday and that was its fifth loss in six games. The Clippers look like they’re playing out the string, knowing that the worst playoff scenario for them is the fifth seed in the Western Conference. They’re 7-10 ATS since the All-Star break and the ‘under’ has gone 11-6 during this span.
These teams have met three times already these season and the first three outcomes were decided by double digits, with the Clippers capturing two of those wins. The ‘under’ has gone 2-1.
Portland has gone 5-11 SU and 7-9 ATS on zero days rest this season and that includes a 3-7 mark on the road. The Trail Blazers did beat the Mavericks 109-103 last night but this is a difficult travel spot tonight, playing their third game in four nights and on the road. The club is 1-7 SU and 3-5 ATS in its last eight away from home and four of those losses were blowouts.
Los Angeles has won seven of its last eight games (5-3 ATS) on no rest and stand at 9-6 SU and 7-8 ATS overall. Oddsmakers have installed the Clippers as five-point home favorites and they’ve gone 20-7 in that role this season, which includes a 5-2 mark (4-3 ATS) when laying five or less points.