NBA Betting Info. 4/6

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Preview: New Orleans At Boston
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
After a solid finish to a lengthy road trip, the Boston Celtics return home for the first time in two weeks when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. The Celtics went 3-2 on a five-game swing through Western Conference cities, finishing with a historic win at Golden State and a triumph at the rival Los Angeles Lakers that clinched a playoff berth.
They play four of their final five games at home and enter the relatively favorable stretch in a tight battle for the third seed in the East. “A very focused group, I haven’t heard [Boston players] talk about it a ton,” coach Brad Stevens told reporters earlier this week when talking about the playoffs. “Obviously, when asked about it, they may comment on it, but they’ve been pretty focused on just the task at hand. We still want to be playing our best going into it, so we’ve got a lot of work to do.” Boston will get the Pelicans on the second half of a back-to-back and the front end – a 107-93 loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday – wasn’t very pretty. Isaiah Thomas scored 22 points and Jared Sullinger hauled in a career high-tying 20 rebounds to lead the Celtics to a 111-93 rout in New Orleans earlier this season.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE PELICANS (29-48): The injury-plagued Pelicans have featured a host of lineup changes over the course of the season, and on Tuesday the big shift saw Alexis Ajinca return to the starting lineup. Ajinca finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes while regular starting center Omer Asik did not see any action one game after producing two turnovers and two fouls in four lackluster minutes of a win over Brooklyn. Dante Cunningham led New Orleans with 19 points on Tuesday and has four of his 11 double-digit games in a span of nine days.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (45-32): Evan Turner has started eight of the last nine games but will miss this one due to an eye abrasion, Stevens announced Tuesday. Avery Bradley will return after missing the win in Los Angeles due to the birth of his second child and rookie Terry Rozier will probably take on more playing time off the bench. The little-used Rozier played a season-high 21 minutes versus the Lakers and contributed six points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Thomas has a franchise-record streak of 16 games as the team’s leading scorer – all with at least 20 points – after putting up 26 against the Lakers.
2. New Orleans is 2-12 on the road against the East.
3. Bradley shoots 31.7 percent from 3-point range at home, compared to 39.2 percent on the road.
PREDICTION: Celtics 108, Pelicans 94

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Preview: Charlotte At New York
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
The New York Knicks made a strong effort at playing spoiler on Sunday only to fall just short in a 92-87 loss to the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks will get another chance to throw a wrench into the Eastern Conference postseason seedings when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
New York’s strong effort on Sunday is more impressive when considering that starters Carmelo Anthony (rest), Kristaps Porzingis (shoulder) and Jose Calderon (knee) all sat out. Porzingis, who has missed the last three games, refuted the notion that he is done for the season but does not plan to play in any of the last five regular season games unless the shoulder is 100 percent. The Hornets are hoping to turn their fortunes around and avoid a sweep on a three-game road trip after coming up short against the top two teams in the East – Cleveland and Toronto. The consecutive losses dropped Charlotte into sixth place in the East, one game behind Miami and Boston for fourth and 1 1/2 back of third-place Atlanta.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Charlotte), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (44-33): Charlotte is 16-22 on the road and would like to jump up to at least fourth place to ensure homecourt advantage in the first round with three of its remaining five regular-season games away from home. The Hornets shot 36.4 percent in the 96-90 loss at Toronto on Tuesday to drop back-to-back games for the first time since late January and were missing starting guard Nicolas Batum (knee). The veteran Frenchman suffered a strained knee in Sunday’s loss at Cleveland and is considered day-to-day.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (31-47): Porzingis is one of the few bright spots in another lost season for New York and is averaging 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in his rookie campaign. The Knicks are being understandably cautious with the 20-year-old Latvian, who has played his way into franchise building block status. “I’m young and I always want to be on the floor,” Porzingis told reporters. “At the same time, I want to be smart about this. Nothing really to gain the last few games but I think I’ll be back for the last two, three games hopefully. But it’s not my decision at the end of the day.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Knicks SF Cleanthony Early is 3-of-16 from the field in two games since returning from a gunshot wound to his right knee.
2. Hornets G Jeremy Lin started in place of Batum on Tuesday and scored 21 points.
3. Charlotte has taken two of the three meetings this season but fell 102-94 in its previous trip to New York on Nov. 17.
PREDICTION: Hornets 108, Knicks 92

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Preview: Houston At Dallas
When: 9:30 PM ET, Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
The battle over the final playoff spots in the Western Conference takes on a little head-to-head flavor when the Houston Rockets visit the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. The Rockets sit one game behind the Mavericks and on the outside of the top eight in the conference with five games left in the regular season.
Houston, Dallas and the Utah Jazz are fighting over the final two spots and the right to play historically strong teams Golden State or San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs. The Mavericks were the ones on the outside before ripping off a four-game winning streak that featured strong defense and star-level production from J.J. Barea. Dallas’ last four opponents have averaged 86 points while Barea, who was named Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday, has taken over for Deron Williams (sports hernia) and averaged 23.5 points and 6.8 assists in the four victories. The Rockets have managed to get up for big games of late and have three wins in their last five contests, with those victories coming over championship contenders Toronto, Cleveland and Oklahoma City.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, ROOT (Houston), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (38-39): James Harden scored 15 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 118-110 win over the win over the Thunder as Houston stayed aggressive and battled back from a double-digit deficit. “The thing we have to stay conscious of is we can’t play to not lose,” Rockets forward Trevor Ariza told ESPN.com. “We always have to play the same way throughout the game. When we do that, it gives ourselves a pretty good chance.” Houston will play its final four games against teams already eliminated from contention – Phoenix, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota and Sacramento – after leaving Dallas.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (39-38): Dallas does not know when Williams will return and is without Chandler Parsons (knee) the rest of the way, but Barea and rookie Justin Anderson are stepping up in their absence. Anderson moved into the starting lineup at the start of the winning streak and his length and athleticism on the wing are big parts of the team’s defensive improvement. “Anderson has learned gradually, and his teammates have been a big part of his development,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. “He’s been an attentive learner, and he’s a really big part of what we’re doing right now.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Mavericks star F Dirk Nowitzki is 21-of-76 from the field in the last four games.
2. Ariza is averaging 15.3 points in the last four games and has hit multiple 3-pointers in each of those contests.
3. Houston has taken two of the three meetings this season, including a 100-96 win at Dallas on Dec. 4.
PREDICTION: Mavericks 102, Rockets 96

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Preview: Oklahoma City At Portland
When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Where: Moda Center at the Rose Quarter, Portland, Oregon
Oklahoma City All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook has been a triple-double machine this season and he chases another one when the Thunder visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Westbrook recorded his 17th triple-double in Tuesday’s 124-102 victory over the Denver Nuggets, the most in a season since legendary Magic Johnson had 17 for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1988-89 season.
Westbrook, who typically downplays his accomplishments, was beaming at the company he is in after having 13 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists against the Nuggets. “It’s a great honor,” Westbrook told reporters afterward. “Whenever you’re mentioned in the same sentence as Magic, it’s always great. That’s something you never take for granted.” Portland has won five of its last six games after producing a 115-107 road win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday and stands a half-game behind the fifth-place Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference race. Standout guard Damian Lillard is averaging 30 points during the past two games after scoring less than 20 in each of the previous five contests.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN Oklahoma, KGW (Portland)
ABOUT THE THUNDER (54-24): All-Star forward Kevin Durant scored 26 points against the Nuggets and has scored 20 or more points in 62 consecutive games, the NBA’s best streak since Kobe Bryant of the Lakers ripped off 63 straight during the 2005-06 campaign. Oklahoma City clinched the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with its 10th win in 12 games and coach Billy Donovan expressed his appreciation for Westbrook’s contributions. “He’s one of those rare guys that can dominate a game without taking a shot,” Donovan told reporters. “He distributed, he rebounded, he pushed the tempo. He created a lot of scoring opportunities for our team.”
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (42-37): Small forward Maurice Harkless exploded for a season-best 20 points — all in the second half — and collected a career-high 16 rebounds against the Kings for his best all-around effort of the season. “This game is a lot about consistency and when you get consistent playing time, your play becomes more consistent,” Harkless told reporters afterward. “I have a feel for the game right now, we have good chemistry and we’re rolling right now.” The double-double was the second in a row for Harkless, who has 10 or more rebounds in three of the past four games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Thunder are 2-1 against the Trail Blazers this season but lost 115-110 on Jan. 10 in their previous visit to Portland.
2. Portland SG C.J. McCollum is averaging 24 points during the past three games while making 13-of-22 3-point attempts.
3. Oklahoma City backup SG Dion Waiters had 18 points against Denver after averaging 4.7 points on 5-of-17 shooting during the previous three games.
PREDICTION: Thunder 111, Trail Blazers 102

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Preview: L.A. Clippers At L.A. Lakers
When: 10:30 PM ET, Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
The Los Angeles Clippers are accustomed to routing the Los Angeles Lakers and look to steamroll them for the second straight night when the teams meet on Wednesday at the Staples Center. The Clippers cruised to a 103-81 victory Tuesday for their 10th straight win in the series and the victories have come by an average of 21.6 points.
The Lakers matched the franchise single-season record with their 61st loss Tuesday and will need a much better showing to avoid setting that dubious mark in the rematch. Retiring Kobe Bryant scored just six points on 2-of-12 shooting in Tuesday’s outing and said after the contest that he will play Wednesday. The Clippers have won six of their past seven games and another victory will give them their fourth consecutive 50-win campaign. Point guard Chris Paul had 25 points and eight assists Tuesday and he is a candidate to be rested Wednesday as the Clippers no longer have a chance to catch Oklahoma City for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Clippers), TWC SportsNet (Lakers)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (49-28): Power forward Blake Griffin has been underwhelming in his first two games since returning from quadriceps and hand injuries and has displayed the rust by averaging five points and four rebounds. “I was just trying not to force anything,” Griffin told reporters after Tuesday’s game. “It will come. I’ve just got to be patient.” Coach Doc Rivers said that he anticipated that Griffin could struggle to regain his form and is hopeful Griffin will be at full speed by the time the playoffs begin.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (16-61): The Lakers have lost 10 of their last 12 games and Bryant is fading fast as the finish line approaches. He is just 15-of-58 shooting during the past four games, a stretch that includes a 34-point outing against Boston and a combined 13 points in the other three games. “I am just trying to push through,” Bryant told reporters after playing 22 minutes Tuesday. “Some games are better than others but you just have to do what you can.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Lakers last defeated the Clippers on April 4, 2012.
2. Lakers SG Jordan Clarkson (bruised right fibula) departed in the fourth quarter Tuesday and is questionable for Wednesday’s game.
3. Clippers SF Paul Pierce (knee) could return Wednesday after a four-game absence.
PREDICTION: Clippers 116, Lakers 88