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**TheGame** · 04-11-2016, 07:41 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

NBA notebook: 76ers name Colangelo president of basketball operations
By The Sports Xchange

The Philadelphia 76ers officially named Bryan Colangelo as president of basketball operations on Sunday.
As part of the transition, Jerry Colangelo will relinquish the role of chairman of basketball operations and remains as a special advisor to 76ers managing general partner Josh Harris.
Bryan Colangelo, the son of Jerry Colangelo, was twice named NBA Executive of the Year -- in 2005 with the Phoenix Suns and in 2007 with the Toronto Raptors.
Sam Hinkie stepped down as the 76ers' general manager and president of basketball operations last Wednesday.
Bryan Colangelo most recently served as president and general manager of the Raptors from 2006 to 2013. In his first full season at the helm of the Raptors (2006-07), the team saw a 20-win improvement from the previous year and tied a then franchise-high with 47 wins.
Overall, Colangelo's teams with the Raptors and Suns have appeared in the NBA playoffs 11 times and have captured four division championships in his 18 seasons as a general manager.

---Wizards guard John Wall missed his third straight game with a knee injury as Washington hosted the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
The three-time All-Star, officially diagnosed as dealing with a sore right knee, was one of two players to play in all 77 of Washington's games before sitting out Wednesday's 121-103 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
The Wizards were eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff hunt following Friday's 112-99 loss at the Detroit Pistons.
Wall leads the Wizards in scoring (19.9 points) and ranks third in the NBA with 10.2 assists per game.

---Sacramento Kings All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins won't play in the final two games of the regular season due to sore feet.
Cousins has been dealing with tendinitis in both feet most of the season and has stated he will undergo a procedure shortly after the campaign. He still intends to represent the United States in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Cousins averaged a career-high 26.9 points this season but was limited to 65 games. He also averaged 11.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

**TheGame** · 04-11-2016, 07:41 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

Preview: Bucks (33-47) at Magic (34-46)

Date: April 11, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Orlando Magic don't want to lose another home finale and may be facing the right opponent to close out their season at Amway Arena with a victory.

The Magic have taken 18 of their last 19 home games against the Milwaukee Bucks, although they may again be without Victor Oladipo and Aaron Gordon in Monday night's matchup.

Orlando (34-46) is closing out a fourth straight season out of the playoffs, and the first three have seen the club lose its home finale. The Magic have won seven of their last 10 at home.

"It's going to be a very important game for us," said guard Evan Fournier, who is averaging 22.5 points over his last four games. "The last game of the season at home, that's going to be hard because it's on a back-to-back, I think everybody's banged up at that point but no excuses, we're going to play as hard as we can and try to win that last game at home."

Orlando's 18-1 run at home in this series spans 11 seasons, with the lone defeat a 115-100 loss Jan. 29, 2015. The home team has taken all three matchups this season, with the Magic cruising to a 114-90 rout Nov. 27.

Neither Oladipo nor Gordon traveled for Sunday's 118-96 loss at Miami due to concussions. Their status for the final two games is unclear, with Gordon missing the last two and Oladipo suffering the injury in Friday's 112-109 win over the Heat.

Rookie Mario Hezonja started in Oladipo's place Sunday and scored 10 points. Gordon's place in the lineup has been filled by former Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova.

Orlando is 5-13 in the second game of back-to-back sets while Milwaukee has fared better at 8-11.

The Bucks (33-47) got a boost Sunday with the return of Khris Middleton from a three-game absence for rest as he matched a career high with 36 points in a 109-108 overtime win over Philadelphia that snapped a three-game slide.

'I felt good, I was able to get into a good rhythm,' Middleton said.

Milwaukee blew a 17-point halftime lead before surviving when Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked a late shot attempt from Hollis Thompson. Antetokounmpo made 4 of 15 shots for 14 points after averaging 27.7 on 61.5 percent shooting in his previous three games.

The inconsistent John Henson recorded his third double-double with 18 points and 10 boards, with the 59.3 percent foul shooter making all six attempts. He hasn't been a factor against the Magic with a total of 12 points and nine rebounds in the season series.

"When you look at the way he plays like that, defensively we're one of the best, and then on offense, when he's able to finish plays, again shooting his free throws well, that's what we needed," coach Jason Kidd said.

The Magic can tie the all-time regular-season series between these teams at 50 wins apiece.

**TheGame** · 04-11-2016, 07:42 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

Preview: Hawks (48-32) at Cavaliers (56-24)

Date: April 11, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Cavaliers squandered a chance to lock up home-court advantage for the Eastern Conference playoffs last time out and will face a motivated team when they return to Cleveland.

The Atlanta Hawks will not only try to avenge an overtime loss to the Cavaliers that opened this month, but they'll look to move one step closer to a second straight Southeast Division title Monday night.

Cleveland (56-24) closed in on securing the East's No. 1 seed with a 109-80 rout of Milwaukee on Tuesday, the opener to a three-game trip against Central Division foes. The Cavaliers, though, couldn't claim another victory the rest of the way.

They fell 123-109 to Indiana on Wednesday and 105-102 to now-eliminated Chicago on Saturday when J.R. Smith missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

"It's always disappointing to lose. We wanted to come here and play well, which we did," said forward LeBron James, who had 33 points after resting against the Pacers. "The fourth quarter was kind of challenging for the lineup that we had in there, but we still had an opportunity."

Toronto remained in contention for the top spot with a 93-89 win in New York on Sunday and owns the tiebreaker over Cleveland by winning two of this season's three matchups.

The Cavaliers can alleviate any pressure with their seventh consecutive win against the Hawks (48-32), including last year's sweep in the East finals. Cleveland bounced back after blowing a 21-point lead in the first half April 1 to prevail 110-108 in overtime in Atlanta.

James had 29 points, a season-high 16 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Cavaliers, who shot 39.8 percent. The Hawks finished at 40 percent.

He finished two assists shy of a triple-double in a 109-97 home victory Nov. 21.

Paul Millsap scored 29 points for Atlanta in the latest matchup, which he supplanted as his season high with 31 in a 118-107 victory over Boston on Saturday. Jeff Teague had 28 points against the Cavaliers and is averaging 23.8 in four games this month.

Atlanta also clinched the season series over fourth-place Boston and perhaps an important tiebreaker in the race for home-court advantage in the opening round.

"Paul Millsap with a monster game, obviously he was special. I think other guys stepped up down the stretch," coach Mike Budenholzer said after his team's home finale. "(The Celtics are) very good so to beat them in a game like this at home. It's a good test for us. We have just got to keep building."

The Hawks would have had an opportunity to clinch the Southeast title in this game, but Miami won 118-96 against Orlando on Sunday. Atlanta is one game ahead of the Heat with two games remaining and is two up on Charlotte.

Miami owns the tiebreaker over the Hawks with its 3-1 season series victory. Atlanta, which closes the season Wednesday in Washington, hasn't won back-to-back division crowns since claiming five in a row from 1957-61 as the St. Louis Hawks.

"Cleveland is going to be a tough game. Washington is going to be tough. I think it's important that we step up to the challenge that's been presented to us," Millsap said.

Iman Shumpert and Mo Williams are expected to remain out for the Cavaliers after missing the loss to the Bulls because of ailing knees.

**TheGame** · 04-11-2016, 07:42 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

Preview: Hornets (46-34) at Celtics (47-33)

Date: April 11, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The Charlotte Hornets have been nearly unbeatable at home over the last nine weeks but recent struggles on the road have hurt their chances of securing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The Celtics have the Eastern Conference's best home record over the last three months and if they can close the season with two wins in Boston they'll capture home court.

With home court so important to these teams, the Celtics look to move a step closer to hosting a playoff series while preventing the Hornets from opening at home when they meet Monday night.

Boston (47-33) and Charlotte (46-34) are separated by one game with two to play and the prospects of beginning a postseason series on their own court is enticing for both clubs.

Since Jan. 13, the Celtics are 18-2 in Boston while they've gone 10-12 on the road. The Hornets are 12-2 at home since Feb. 6, but have lost three of four on the road.

The only two meetings between the teams this season took place in Charlotte back in December, and the Celtics managed to win both.

Boston wasted a chance to take over sole possession of third place in the East on Saturday, losing 118-107 in Atlanta to drop one game back of the Hawks. The Celtics are now tied with Miami for fourth and home court seems likely to come down to Wednesday's finale when the Heat visit Boston. The Celtics have won the first two meetings with Miami, which visits Detroit on Tuesday.

Charlotte also blew a prime opportunity to move up in the standings Sunday, falling 113-98 to a Washington team that was eliminated from the playoffs the night before. The Hornets, who host Orlando in Wednesday's finale, shot 34.6 percent and were outscored 50-22 in the paint and 20-5 in transition.

'We played two months of really, really good basketball and we have two games here to get back to that,' coach Steve Clifford said.

A quick turnaround may be beneficial for Charlotte, which has averaged 111.1 points and shot 43.5 percent from 3-point range in winning its last eight games in the second half of a back-to-back.

The Celtics also had a disappointing showing in their latest effort, squandering a 12-point lead and allowing the Hawks to shoot 52.3 percent and make 17 of 33 3-pointers to lose for the first time in five games.

Isaiah Thomas struggled to find his shot, going 6 of 19 from the floor to score 16 after reaching the 20-point mark in each of his previous 18 games. Playing one day after hurting his left wrist on a hard fall against Milwaukee, he missed 10 of 12 shots in the second half.

'We needed this win,' Thomas said. 'We were up 12 at one point. In the fourth quarter, we just couldn't make shots. It was tough for us. It was a tough game for myself. I'm very frustrated with this. It hurts.'

Thomas' shot was also off in a 13-point win over the Hornets on Dec. 23, as he missed 7 of 10, but he made half of his 16 attempts in a 98-93 victory against Charlotte 11 days earlier.

The Celtics did a good job of frustrating Kemba Walker in those games, limiting the Hornets leading scorer to 26 points on 9-of-27 shooting.

Frank Kaminsky had 18 points and a career-high 11 rebounds Sunday and scored a personal-best 23 points in the last matchup with Boston.

**TheGame** · 04-11-2016, 07:42 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

Preview: Wizards (39-41) at Nets (21-59)

Date: April 11, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The Washington Wizards have two steps left to try to avoid their first losing season in three years and the first one shouldn't be too difficult even without John Wall and Bradley Beal.

The Wizards may be without their two best players Monday night when they visit a Nets team that also could be short-handed and is on a season-high eight-game slide.

Both teams are winding down the season, with Washington (39-41) getting eliminated Friday from playoff contention. Coach Randy Wittman then set a new goal for his club.

"I told them when we got eliminated, let's see if we can get to .500,' Wittman said. 'Guys are going to play that maybe haven't had the opportunities to play. We'll see if they can take advantage of those minutes. Let's take pride."

The coach was referring to how Wall has now missed three straight games with a sore left knee and may not play again this season. Beal left Sunday's 113-98 victory over Charlotte after playing the first 7:43 with a sore pelvis.

Washington improved to 2-1 in this stretch without Wall. Marcin Gortat had 21 points and 13 rebounds and Ramon Sessions scored 15 with 11 assists Sunday.

"Everybody wants to be in the playoffs and we feel like, from top to bottom our roster, we should be in the playoffs but it's one of those things that we just gotta keep grinding and learning and hopefully next season we can be where we want to be," said Sessions, who has been starting in place of Wall.

Brooklyn top scorer Brook Lopez has sat out the last four games and forward Thaddeus Young the last five as younger players get more minutes for the Nets, who are one defeat shy of reaching 60 for the fifth time in franchise history.

Increased minutes can be expected for Wizards rookie Kelly Oubre Jr., who hasn't played in three of the last five games, and Alan Anderson, who has seen action in just 11 games in an injury-plagued campaign.

Anderson will face the Nets (21-59) for the first time since playing the previous two seasons for them. He turned in some solid play in last year's playoffs for them, including a 23-point effort in a Game 5 first-round loss at Atlanta.

Washington has routed Brooklyn in each of the first two meetings, including Wednesday's 121-103 win in the first game of this stretch without Wall. Beal scored 25 and Sessions had 18 with a season-best 13 assists.

Thomas Robinson had 23 points and 10 boards in that contest as part of a streak of six straight double-doubles that ended in Sunday's 129-105 defeat at Indiana. He scored two points with two rebounds in nine minutes before leaving with a sore right knee.

Robinson was part of a starting five that had a major role in a dismal first quarter in which the Nets were outscored 39-19. Brooklyn trailed by as many as 42.

'I didn't see a lot of fight with our starting group,' coach Tony Brown said. 'I wish they were prepared. I don't know what to tell you."

**TheGame** · 04-11-2016, 07:42 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

Preview: Lakers (16-64) at Thunder (54-26)

Date: April 11, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The Oklahoma City Thunder aren't exactly piling up victories down the stretch, but coach Billy Donovan believes the tight contests will help his club prepare for the postseason.

However, they haven't had many close calls against the Los Angeles Lakers of late.

As Oklahoma City celebrates the final road game of Kobe Bryant's career, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have a chance to pass a couple of Lakers' legends in the record books Monday night when the Thunder chase their 11th straight home victory in this series.

Bryant turned back the clock in his final game at Houston on Sunday when he finished with 35 points - his fifth 30-point effort of 2015-16 - in a 130-111 defeat. The retiring future Hall of Famer has scored 19 in each of his two meetings with the Thunder this season.

Los Angeles will host Utah in the last game of the 18-time All-Star's career on Wednesday.

'It's a beautiful thing,' he said of the outpouring of support. "I found enjoyment in it and in being able to say thank you to everybody and vice versa. Rarely as an athlete do you get an opportunity to do that. Normally your career comes and it goes. I'm very appreciative.'

Bryant has had some memorable performances at Oklahoma City. He had 32 points in a 95-94 win that eliminated the Thunder in Game 6 of the 2010 first-round series and 42 in a 106-90 loss that pushed the Lakers aside in Game 5 of the 2012 Western Conference semifinals.

Durant, who said he idolized and studied Bryant growing up, finished with 31 points in Saturday's 114-112 loss in the final game at Sacramento's Sleep Train Arena. Rudy Gay hit two free throws with one second left in Oklahoma City's fourth loss in the past six games.

Durant has had 63 straight games with at least 20 points, tying Bryant for the longest streak since 2005-06. He's one away from the best run since Michael Jordan's 69 in 1990-91.

Westbrook added a double-double with 24 points and 10 assists Saturday but also committed eight of Oklahoma City's 21 turnovers. He's still one triple-double away from breaking Magic Johnson's mark of 17 for the most in a season since '85-86.

With the Northwest Division title and West's No. 3 seed secured, Donovan says it's a positive that his club has had five of its last six games decided by eight points or less.

"We have a group of guys who are really competitive and really want to win," the first-year coach told the team's official website. "Emotionally, being able to control and stay focused and locked in on the things you have control over becomes really important."

"We need this right now this time of year, those hard fought battles and struggles."

The Thunder (54-26) haven't had many nail biters against the Lakers, winning by an average of 18.9 points during their streak at home - which includes playoffs - and 18 per game during a seven-game run overall.

They've scored 118.3 per game on 53 percent shooting while owning a plus-20.3 rebounding margin in the three meetings this season. Los Angeles (16-64) has given up an average of 118.4 points on 52 percent shooting in the last 10 of a 12-game road losing streak.

Westbrook led the way with 36 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in a rare close call, 117-113 at Staples Center on Jan. 8.

**TheGame** · 04-11-2016, 07:43 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

Preview: Bulls (40-40) at Pelicans (30-50)

Date: April 11, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

With their playoff hopes dashed, the Chicago Bulls are left to try to wrap up their disappointing campaign in the most positive fashion possible.

The Bulls can at least avoid their first losing record in eight seasons by winning at least one of their final two games against fellow eliminated teams. They'll play the first of those at the severely depleted New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.

Chicago's postseason hunt ended with Indiana's 129-105 rout of Brooklyn on Sunday, a bitter end for a franchise that once held championship aspirations. The consistency that was a hallmark under hard-driving former coach Tom Thibodeau was lacking at times in Fred Hoiberg's first season at the helm.

The Bulls (40-40) had one of their better efforts Saturday and a 105-102 victory against Cleveland gave them a 7-1 mark against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference - 3-1 vs. the Cavaliers and 4-0 against Toronto. That was offset by losses to lowlier competition like New York, Minnesota, Orlando and Phoenix.

"(The win over Cleveland) shows character. It shows pride," center Pau Gasol said. "But it's also very frustrating because if we showed this type of edge and competitiveness every single night, we wouldn't be talking about this."

There are likely changes coming for the Bulls in the offseason but Cristiano Felicio might work his way into the rotation if he can continue to perform like he did Saturday. The Brazilian rookie had a career-high 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting.

"He can play as everyone saw tonight," guard Jimmy Butler said. "I think if you give anybody confidence - and he's a very confident player - they can show that they can play. He's here to stay. He works really hard, and I'm happy for him."

Felicio will try to build on that performance while helping the Bulls officially avoid their first losing mark since going 33-49 in 2007-08, the last season in which they failed to make the playoffs. They were 41-41 in each of the following two seasons and have experienced five straight winning campaigns.

To extend that streak, Chicago will need to top New Orleans and Philadelphia. The Pelicans (30-50) reached the 50-loss mark for the third time in franchise history with a 121-100 loss to Phoenix on Saturday.

They used nine players in their rotation for that defeat. Chicago native Anthony Davis, Ryan Anderson, Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon and Jrue Holiday - brother of Bulls guard Justin Holiday - are among the bevy of New Orleans' missing players.

Toney Douglas had a season-high 23 points in the Pelicans' fourth game in five days and is averaging 20.7 in his last three games.

"We played hard but we just didn't have it tonight, energywise," Douglas said. "At the end of the day, no excuses. We lost tonight. We've got to learn from it and get ready for Monday against Chicago."

The Bulls have won three straight against the Pelicans, including a 98-94 home victory Dec. 12, and have prevailed in six of their last seven trips to New Orleans.

They likely won't have Taj Gibson (bruised rib) or E'Twaun Moore (hamstring) for this visit. Both players are considered doubtful.

**TheGame** · 04-11-2016, 07:43 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

Preview: Rockets (39-41) at Timberwolves (28-52)

Date: April 11, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

After struggling in the fourth quarter in their past two games, the Houston Rockets got the kind of closing performance they needed to keep their postseason hopes alive.

The Rockets could move into a playoff spot Monday night if they can add to their recent mastery over the resurgent Minnesota Timberwolves while getting some help.

Houston's playoff hopes took a major hit with back-to-back losses to Dallas and Phoenix last week. The Rockets were limited to 15 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday in their 88-86 defeat against the Mavericks - their fifth in six road games - and were outscored 35-25 in a 124-115 defeat to the lowly Suns the next night.

They outpointed the Lakers 42-30 in that quarter Sunday, matching their most in any period this season, and James Harden had 20 of his 40 points in those 12 minutes in a 130-110 victory. That result kept Houston (39-41) within one game of Utah for the Western Conference's final playoff spot.

"It's been (a roller coaster), these type of fourth quarters and then the Phoenix-type of fourth quarters," coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "It's not brain science. It's simple. We just need to do the simple things better for longer periods of time then don't change in the fourth quarter."

Utah will face seventh-place Dallas, which also hasn't clinched a playoff spot, on Monday. The Rockets currently have the tiebreaker over Utah with a superior conference record and against the Mavericks because of a better Southwest Division mark.

A Dallas win would mean that one more postseason spot is gone for Houston, but the Rockets could move back into eighth place by the slimmest of margins with that result. They would also have to earn a seventh consecutive victory against Minnesota (28-52).

"For us, you've got to win. It's simple for us. We understand the situation and the position we put ourselves in," Bickerstaff said. "There's games left and minutes to be played. We need to win and put the pressure on someone else to see if they make a mistake."

Houston has also won 10 of 11 over the Timberwolves but will face a team that's refusing to play out the string. Minnesota went 3-0 on last week's West Coast road trip, beginning with a 124-117 overtime victory against Golden State on Tuesday.

Karl-Anthony Towns delivered a 106-105 win against Portland on Saturday by scoring the final of his 27 points with 1.8 seconds remaining.

"To come out 3-0 against the teams that we played is a blessing," said Towns, who leads all rookies with 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. "It shows the progress."

Towns had 32 points - matching his second-most this season - in a 116-111 loss in Houston on March 18.

"He's had an amazing rookie season," coach Sam Mitchell said. "After about 40 games, we were waiting for him to hit that elusive rookie wall and I would talk to him about it and he would say, 'Coach, I'm not going to hit it.'"

Andrew Wiggins is averaging 27.5 points on 55.1 percent shooting in his last four games against the Rockets.

**TheGame** · 04-11-2016, 07:43 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

Preview: Mavericks (41-39) at Jazz (40-40)

Date: April 11, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

The Dallas Mavericks entered Sunday in control of their destiny for the Western Conference's No. 5 seed. Now a loss Monday night could drop them all the way into eighth - and still not secure of getting in.

The Mavericks and Utah Jazz are separated by one game heading into a crucial meeting in Salt Lake City with plenty on the line for both.

Dallas (41-39) saw its second six-game win streak end while missing a chance to clinch a berth with Sunday's 98-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavericks fell one game behind sixth-place Memphis and 1 1/2 behind fifth-place Portland.

They no doubt would like to finish fifth or sixth to avoid powerhouses Golden State and San Antonio in the first round. Utah (40-40) will gladly take a matchup with either of those teams since its postseason fate is far from secure.

The Jazz lead Houston by one game for the eighth and final spot, but the Rockets have the tiebreaker and matchups left with lowly Minnesota and Sacramento.

Utah will move into the seventh seed with a victory Monday since it has split its first two meetings with Dallas with this one determining the tiebreaker.

'I don't have to talk a whole lot about it,' coach Quin Snyder said of the importance of Monday. 'It speaks for itself."

The Mavericks played Sunday without J.J. Barea, who is out with a right groin strain. Deron Williams returned from an eight-game absence due to a left abdominal strain and had 15 points in 28 minutes.

'He was aggressive, especially in the first half,' forward Dirk Nowitzki said. 'I liked how he pushed it on the break and tried to get into the lane and collapse the defense. When a guy comes back from injury you look how he moves, and I thought he looked great."

Williams will play at Utah for the fourth time since he was traded to New Jersey in 2010-11. He averaged 18.7 points and 7.7 assists while shooting 34.1 percent in the first three games back, getting booed loudly on each occasion.

Jazz forward Derrick Favors, acquired in the trade for Williams, is uncertain after he was a late scratch because of right knee soreness for Sunday's 100-84 victory at Denver. Rookie Trey Lyles, who didn't find out he was starting in Favors' place until moments before the opening tip, scored a season-high 22 points.

'That's the thing about this team. It's been happening all year,' Snyder said. 'Individually, we've got guys that have depth of character. And then when you put them together collectively, they've been pulling together all year. It was good to see.'

Gordon Hayward also scored 22 and Rudy Gobert finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots.

It'll be hard for Monday's game to match the drama from the last time these teams met. Hayward hit a winning jumper at the overtime buzzer in a 121-119 victory Feb. 9, with Rodney Hood tying the game with a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation en route to a 29-point performance.

Williams had 23 points and eight assists in the Mavs' 102-93 win over Utah on Nov. 20. The first two meetings were both in Dallas.

**TheGame** · 04-11-2016, 07:44 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

Preview: Kings (32-48) at Suns (22-58)

Date: April 11, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

The Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns are headed for the lottery. That apparently hasn't dampened their spirits as they play out the string.

The Suns try for their second three-game winning streak of the season Monday night when they host a Kings team coming off an emotional victory its last time out.

Archie Goodwin scored 24 points and Mizra Teletovic added 22 to lead the Suns past New Orleans 121-100 on Saturday, giving Phoenix consecutive road victories for the second time this season.

"We've had a lot of injuries and other stuff going on, but we continue to fight through them," Goodwin said. "It just shows the character of this team.

"No matter what's going on, we're staying positive."

Getting hot to close the season might not be the best big-picture scenario for Phoenix (22-58), which could end up hurting its odds in the lottery with victories.

The Suns are also playing under Earl Watson, who's served as interim coach since the firing of Jeff Hornacek on Feb. 1, but there's little expectation he'll be retained.

"That's just not on our minds right now," Goodwin said. "The coaching thing is out of our control and we're going to keep playing hard until the end. That's a big part of being a professional."

Phoenix has dropped three straight and 20 of 25 at home. It's allowing 105.8 points per game there - among the worst marks in the league.

The Kings (32-48) are coming off Saturday's 114-112 victory over Oklahoma City in the final game at Sleep Train Arena. Sacramento moves to the new downtown Golden 1 Arena next season, but the emotion surrounding the departure from their current home was apparent against the Thunder.

"These are some of the best fans in the NBA and we knew how bad they wanted a win," said guard Seth Curry, who made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 20 points. "It was something we wanted to do for the fans."

Darren Collison recorded a season-high 27 points and eight assists amid a raucous atmosphere that featured cowbells clanging and fans on their feet chanting.

DeMarcus Cousins had 15 points and seven rebounds, but fouled out with 3:26 remaining and struggled throughout, missing 17 of 24 shots. Cousins said he will not play in the final two games, but despite a possibly uncertain future with the team, the temperamental star center sounded committed to Sacramento afterward.

"I love this city, I love these fans and I can't wait until next year," he said.

Collison has averaged 21.5 points and 6.0 assists in his last four. Rudy Gay had 24 points with eight rebounds Saturday and has reached the 20-point mark in three of his last four games. He's averaged 10.8 boards in that span.

Teletovic has raised his scoring average to 11.9 by averaging 19.2 points in his past nine contests. Goodwin, averaging 8.8 points, has scored 40 over the last two.

The Kings have won five of the last six meetings and averaged 129.0 points in the past two. The Suns, however, took the first matchup of the season at Talking Stick Resort Arena 118-97 on Nov. 4.

**TheGame** · 04-11-2016, 07:44 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

Monday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers

Hawks at Cavaliers – 7:05 PM EST

The Southeast division title will come down to the end, as Atlanta (48-32 SU, 42-37-1 ATS) owns a one-game advantage over Miami with two games remaining. The Hawks won their final regular season game at Philips Arena on Saturday over the Celtics, 118-107 to extend their winning streak to three. Since losing at Golden State in overtime on March 1, Atlanta has compiled a 15-4 SU and 12-7 ATS record the last 19 games, including a 7-3 ATS mark on the highway since the All-Star break.

Atlanta has lost each of its two matchups with Cleveland this season, including a 110-108 overtime setback at Philips Arena on April 1. The Hawks erased a 14-point halftime deficit to force overtime, as both teams shot 40% from the field. Mike Budenholzer’s team won three of four regular season matchups from the Cavaliers in 2014-15, but are currently riding a six-game losing streak against Cleveland after getting swept in the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

Cleveland (56-24 SU, 36-41-3 ATS) wrapped up its final road trip of the season with back-to-back losses at Indiana and Chicago. The Cavaliers fell to the Bulls at the United Center on Saturday as seven-point favorites, 105-102, as Tyronn Lue’s squad allowed at least 100 points for the fourth time in the last five games. In this stretch, Cleveland cashed the ‘over’ four times, with three of those ‘overs’ coming away from Quicken Loans Arena. Since getting upset at home by Memphis last month, the Cavaliers have won five of the last six games at the Q, while covering just three times in this span.

Hornets at Celtics – 7:35 PM EST

All eight playoff spots in the Eastern Conference have been clinched, but the middle of the race is still up in the air with three days remaining in the regular season. Charlotte (46-34 SU, 40-39-1 ATS) fell to the sixth spot after getting tripped up at Washington on Sunday, 113-98 as a 5 ½-point favorite. The Hornets dropped to 1-5 ATS the last six games overall, including 1-3 SU/ATS the past four contests away from Time Warner Cable Arena.

Boston (47-33 SU, 41-38-1 ATS) can creep closer to locking up home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs with a win on Monday. The Celtics close out the regular season on Wednesday against the Heat, who also own a 47-33 record, as Boston lost a critical contest at Atlanta (who is currently third in the East) on Saturday. Brad Stevens’ club went through a scoring roller-coaster on Saturday by posting 71 first half points before being held to just 36 points in the second half of a 118-107 defeat. Boston has struggled to cover numbers down the stretch with a 2-6 ATS record, although five of those ATS defeats came away from TD Garden.

Charlotte is making its first trip to Boston this season after losing a pair of home games with the Celtics in December. Boston held off Charlotte in the first matchup on December 12 as three-point underdogs, 98-93, as point guard Isaiah Thomas scored 21 points and dished out 13 assists in the victory. The Celtics cruised past the Hornets less than two weeks later at Time Warner Cable Arena, 102-89 as two-point ‘dogs, as both matchups finished ‘under’ the total.

Mavericks at Jazz – 9:05 PM EST

The final two playoff spots in the Western Conference are up for grabs with three days left, as Houston barely remained alive with a win on Sunday. Dallas (41-39 SU, 44-35-1 ATS) couldn’t clinch a berth as it saw its six-game winning streak snapped by the red-hot Clippers, 98-91. The Mavericks held their seventh straight opponent to under 100 points, but head to Utah with a 2-3 SU/ATS record in its last five games with no rest. In spite of the loss to the Clippers, Rick Carlisle’s team owns a 10-4 ATS record in its past 14 contests, while starting point guard Deron Williams returned following an eight-game absence to score 15 points against the Clippers.

Utah (40-40 SU, 41-39 ATS) bounced back from a stunning overtime loss to a short-handed Clippers’ squad on Friday as 14-point favorites to rip Denver on Sunday to reach the .500 mark. Power forward Derrick Favors sat out with a knee injury, but the Jazz crushed the Nuggets as 6 ½-point favorites, 100-84, as Trey Lyles stepped up with 22 points for Utah. Quin Snyder’s club has lost three of its past four home contests, dropping those games to several of the top Western teams (Warriors, Spurs, Clippers).

The Mavericks travel to Salt Lake City for the first time this season after splitting a pair of home matchups with Utah earlier this season. Dallas took care of Utah in late November at the American Airlines Center, 102-93 as 1 ½-point favorites to extend its home winning streak over the Jazz to 10 games. That hot streak ended in one of the most exciting games of the season on February 9, as Gordon Hayward drilled the game-winning jumper at the buzzer in overtime to give Utah a 121-119 triumph.

**TheGame** · 04-11-2016, 07:44 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

NBA

Monday's hot teams
-- Orlando won four of its last five home games (5-2 last 7HF).
-- Hawks won seven of their last nine games (5-2 last 7AU). Cavaliers won three of last four home games (5-3 last 8HF).
-- Celtics won our of their last five games (4-2 last 6HF).
-- Mavericks won six of their last seven games (6-2 last 8AU). Jazz won five of their last eight games (4-6 last 10HF).

Cold teams
-- Bucks lost three of their last four games (5-3 last 8AU).
-- Hornets lost three of last four road games (1-4 last 5AU).
-- Wizards lost four of last five road games (5-5AF). Brooklyn lost its last eight games overall (1-7 vs spread).
-- Lakers lost nine of their last ten games (0-5 last 5AU). Oklahoma City lost three of last four games (12-5 last 17HF).
-- Bulls lost three of their last five games. New Orleans lost three of its last four games.
-- Rockets lost three of their last four road games (6-9AF). Minnesota won its last three games, all on road (1-4 last 5HU).
-- Sacramento lost three of last five games (4-3-1 last 8AU). Suns lost their last three home games (8-9HF).

Series records
-- Bucks won six of last nine games with Orlando.
-- Cavaliers won their last six games with Atlanta.
-- Celtics won their last four games with Charlotte.
-- Wizards won seven of last nine games with Brooklyn.
-- Lakers lost last seven games (2-5 vs spread) with the Lakers.
-- Pelicans lost their last three games with Chicago.
-- Rockets won their last six games with Minnesota.
-- Mavericks won eight of last ten games with Utah.
-- Kings won four of last five games with Phoenix.

Totals
-- Last three Milwaukee-Orlando games went over the total.
-- Last four Atlanta-Cleveland games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Charlotte games went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Washington-Brooklyn games stayed under.
-- Over is 7-3 in last ten Laker-Thunder games.
-- Under is 8-1-1 in last ten Chicago games.
-- Last eight Houston-Minnesota games went over.
-- Six of last seven Dallas games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 4-1 in Kings' last five visits to Phoenix.

Back/backs
-- Milwaukee is 12-7 vs spread if it played night before; Orlando is 9-8.
-- Charlotte covered five of last seven if it played night before.
-- Washington is 0-7 vs spread last seven times they played night before. Nets are 2-6 in last eight such games.
-- Lakers are 2-5 vs spread last seven times they played night before.
-- Jazz are 9-7 vs spread if they played the night before.

**Satch** · 04-11-2016, 09:32 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

Preview: Atlanta At Cleveland
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, April 11, 2016
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
The Atlanta Hawks put themselves in the driver’s seat for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference with a home win over the Boston Celtics on Saturday, but nothing has been decided yet. The Hawks will try to get closer to locking up that third spot and the homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs that comes with it when they visit the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
Atlanta could still fall down to fifth in the East with a poor final two games but looks like a team that wants to go into the postseason strong with wins in three straight games and 12 of the last 15 contests. One of those three losses came at home against the Cavaliers, 110-108 in overtime on Apr. 1, but that was against a Cleveland team that was willing to push its stars to 40 minutes and beyond. The Cavaliers have been more apt to rest players in anticipation of a lengthy playoff run of late and dropped their last two contests. LeBron James sat out Wednesday’s loss at Indiana and Iman Shumpert, who started in James’ place against the Pacers, got the night off on Saturday to rest nagging knee soreness.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN Southeast (Charlotte), FSN Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (48-32): All-Star Paul Millsap scored a season-high 31 points to go along with 16 rebounds and Jeff Teague continued his stellar play of late with 24 points in Saturday’s key 118-107 victory. The win finished out the home schedule for Atlanta, which went 27-14 in its own building, and it will finish up at Cleveland and Washington as it tries to hold off Boston, Miami and Charlotte. Teague is averaging 23.8 points in the last four games and buried at least one 3-pointer in each of those contests as he rounds back into form after an inconsistent March that saw him score in single digits four times.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (56-24): Cleveland was disappointed in its play during a 105-102 loss at the Chicago Bulls on Saturday and would like to tighten things up before the playoffs. James returned from his one-game hiatus and scored 33 points on 13-of-17 shooting but committed four turnovers as the Cavaliers let a lead slip away. “It’s all about making the easy play,” Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. “When we were up by 11, Kevin (Love) got the rebound and threw a bad pass and then they came down and scored. Then LeBron came back with a turnover and they scored again. … We just have to find a way to get the momentum back in a situation like that.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cavaliers PG Kyrie Irving went 5-of-17 from the floor on Saturday after hitting 16-of-27 in the previous two contests.
2. Hawks SF Kent Bazemore (knee) returned from a one-game absence on Saturday and scored 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
3. Cleveland, which swept Atlanta in the Eastern Conference finals last spring, has taken each of the first two regular-season meetings.
PREDICTION: Hawks 106, Cavaliers 102

**Satch** · 04-11-2016, 09:32 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/11

Preview: Milwaukee At Orlando
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, April 11, 2016
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
The Milwaukee Bucks have struggled on the road all season but scored a dramatic win away from home Sunday and look to follow that up in their road finale Monday at the Orlando Magic. A 109-108 overtime win in Philadelphia left the Bucks at 10-30 on the road, one of the primary reasons they went from a promising playoff team to an also-ran in the Eastern Conference.
Even against the worst team in the league Sunday, Milwaukee blew an 18-point lead before surviving the extra session to improve to 4-0 in overtime affairs. The Magic will be playing their final home game after sustaining a 118-96 loss at Miami on Sunday in the second half of a home-and-home set. Guard Victor Oladipo and forward Aaron Gordon both missed the contest with concussions as Orlando dropped its second straight road game, the first being a three-point setback at Milwaukee on April 1. That result gave the Bucks a 50-49 advantage in the all-time series.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin-Plus (Milwaukee), FSN Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (33-47): Khris Middleton scored 36 points in the win over the Sixers after missing the previous three games due to a thigh injury. Giannis Antetokounmpo continued to stuff the stat sheet with 14 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five blocks and three steals. Forward Greg Monroe was rested but is expected to return for this one, while point guard Jerryd Bayless (knee) will not come back until the regular-season finale Wednesday against Indiana, if at all.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (34-46): Evan Fournier was one of the few bright spots against Miami on Sunday with 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting. It continues a solid stretch run for the 23-year-old, whose scoring average has increased each month from December (11.6) to April (20.8). He is shooting 40.4 percent from 3-point range at home this season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Antetokounmpo entered Sunday averaging 4.3 assists but has at least seven in all five games this month.
2. Magic C Nikola Vucevic is averaging 22.3 points on 61.2 percent shooting in six games since returning from a groin injury.
3. Bucks F Jabari Parker has scored at least 15 points in eight consecutive contests.
PREDICTION: Magic 104, Bucks 100

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NBA Betting Info. 4/11

NBA Betting Info. 4/11

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