NBA Betting Info. 4/11

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Preview: Charlotte At Boston
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, April 11, 2016
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
The Boston Celtics had a chance to push themselves into third place in the Eastern Conference at Atlanta on Friday but instead fell to the Hawks and dropped into the pack battling for the four, five and six slots in the playoffs. One of the teams chasing the Celtics is the Charlotte Hornets, who visit Boston on Monday.
Boston can assure itself of no worse than fourth place in the East and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs if it can find a way around the Hornets and the Miami Heat in the next two games. The Celtics owned a 12-point lead at one point in Saturday’s game but fell off a cliff offensively in the second half and went 6-of-18 from the field in the fourth quarter in the 118-107 setback. The Hornets have taken themselves out of the race for the No. 3 spot with three losses in the last five games and stand one game back of Miami and Boston for fourth after a 113-98 loss at Washington on Sunday. Charlotte took on a Wizards team that had already been eliminated and was without John Wall and had Bradley Beal leave in the first quarter, but could not find a way to get stops on the defensive end.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Charlotte), CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (46-34): Charlotte struggled on both ends of the floor in a noon start at the Wizards, shooting 34.6 percent from the floor while allowing depleted Washington to go off at 52.5 percent. Kemba Walker appeared to be emerging from a slump with a total of 56 points in the two previous games but fell to 16 and went 1-of-7 from 3-point range on Sunday. The Hornets finish out the regular season by hosting Orlando on Wednesday and still have an outside shot at homecourt advantage in the first round.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (47-33): All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas went 6-of-19 from the field against the Hawks and fellow starting guard Avery Bradley was just 6-of-17. “We weren’t making shots and we were just playing so hard, guys were tired,” Bradley told reporters. “We were trying to get energy from each other but everybody was just tired.” The loss dropped the Celtics to 20-21 on the road, underlining the necessity of earning homecourt advantage – they are 27-12 at home – in the first round of the playoffs.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Thomas had a streak of scoring at least 20 points come to an end at 18 straight with 16 on Saturday.
2. Hornets rookie C Frank Kaminsky is averaging 15.3 points in the last three games.
3. Boston won twice at Charlotte in December by an average of nine points.
PREDICTION: Celtics 112, Hornets 111

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Preview: Washington At Brooklyn
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, April 11, 2016
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
All-Star point guard John Wall could be done for the season with the Washington Wizards having nothing to play for any longer. Wall (knee) has missed the past three games and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he is again sidelined when Washington visits the lowly Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
Wall had played in all 77 of Washington’s game before sitting out last Wednesday’s 121-103 home win over the Nets. The Wizards were eliminated from playoff contention on Friday and coach Randy Wittman is trying to motivate the troops. “I told them when we got eliminated, let’s see if we can get to .500,” Wittman told reporters. “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 Nets have dropped eight straight games and were blown out 129-105 by the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (39-41): Wall isn’t the only ailing member of Washington’s backcourt as shooting guard Bradley Beal departed Sunday’s 113-98 victory over Charlotte Hornets after aggravating a pelvis injury. Beal missed four games in March due to the injury and had been playing superb by scoring more than 20 points in four of five games prior to Sunday’s setback. Wittman was unsure of Beal’s status but it wouldn’t be a stunning development if he sat out of the final two contests of the season.
ABOUT THE NETS (21-59): Brooklyn is finishing up a miserable season and looked ill-prepared against Indiana as it trailed by as many as 42 points while being thrashed. “I didn’t see a lot of fight with our starting group,” Nets interim coach Tony Brown told reporters. “I wish they were prepared. I don’t know what to tell you.” The play of backup shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick isn’t an issue as he scored a career-high 26 points and has scored in double figures in 15 of the past 16 games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Wizards have won seven of the last nine meetings.
2. Brooklyn PF Thomas Robinson (knee) is questionable after leaving Sunday’s contest.
3. Washington C Marcin Gortat had 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting and collected 13 rebounds in Sunday’s win.
PREDICTION: Wizards 108, Nets 92

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Preview: Houston At Minnesota
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, April 11, 2016
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Houston Rockets are the team battling for a playoff spot into the final week of the season, but it’s the Minnesota Timberwolves that look like the team with more promise. The Rockets will try to stay alive in the race for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference when they visit the precocious Timberwolves on Monday.
The Timberwolves prevented the Trail Blazers from gaining some separation in the race for the No. 5 spot in the West with a 106-105 win at Portland on Saturday and have won three straight, including a victory at NBA-best Golden State. Minnesota fell behind by one point late on Saturday but Rookie of the Year favorite Karl-Anthony Towns scored the last of his 27 points on a go-ahead layup in the final seconds. Houston star James Harden is doing his part to keep the team in the race and went for 40 points and 13 assists in a 130-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. The win left the Rockets one game behind the Utah Jazz for the No. 8 spot in the West with two left in the regular season.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), FSN North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (39-41): Houston is playing the second end of a back-to-back on Monday and has been leaning heavily on Harden over the last few weeks. The 26-year-old has played at least 40 minutes in 10 straight games and is averaging 34.3 points and 8.3 assists in four games this month. Harden scored 20 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter on Sunday and averaged 28 points and 12.5 assists in two previous games against Minnesota this season.
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (28-52): Finishing the season strong and taking some momentum into the summer is the latest goal for the young Minnesota team, and sweeping a road trip that included Portland, Sacramento and Golden State certainly gives the team confidence. The wins marked Minnesota’s first road trip sweep of at least three games since 2005 and featured some star-making moments from Towns and Andrew Wiggins, who was the hero of the win at the Warriors. Minnesota has a shot at 30 wins if it can get past Houston and New Orleans in its final two contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Towns had a string of 14 straight double-doubles come to an end when he finished with 27 points and nine rebounds on Saturday.
2. Rockets F Trevor Ariza is averaging 20.5 points on 16-of-25 shooting in the last two games.
3. Towns went for 32 points and 11 boards at Houston on March 18 but Harden countered with 29 points and 14 assists as Minnesota fell 116-111.
PREDICTION: Rockets 116, Timberwolves 112

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Preview: Chicago At New Orleans
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, April 11, 2016
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
The Chicago Bulls were eliminated from postseason contention on Sunday night and have nothing to play for when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. Chicago had made the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons but will be spectators this time around after Indiana’s win ended its playoff hopes.
The Bulls are just a .500 team this season under Fred Hoiberg after firing highly successful Tom Thibodeau after a 50-win season. Chicago owned a 27-21 record after a win on Feb. 3 but lost nine of its next 12 games and never recovered. New Orleans is coming off a lackluster effort on Saturday in which it was routed 121-100 by the lowly Phoenix Suns while playing for the fourth time in five nights. “That’s definitely a big part of it, but at the end of the day we don’t want to make excuses,” guard Toney Douglas told reporters. “We lost. We have to learn from it and get ready for Monday against Chicago.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, FSN New Orleans
ABOUT THE BULLS (40-40): Saturday’s 105-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers was pleasing to center Pau Gasol but also carried an exasperating component. “It shows character. It shows pride,” Gasol told reporters. “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.” Shooting guard Jimmy Butler is doing his part of late by topping 20 points in five of the past six games.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (30-50): The depleted squad suffered its worst home loss of the season against the Suns and the franchise has lost 50 games for the third time in its 14-season history. “You kind of want to get in a rhythm with the starting five, the real players, the bench, and you have players coming in and out, but at the end of the day it’s a part of the game,” Douglas said. “Things happen and you have to adjust. I think we did a good job adjusting to it even though we were facing a lot of adversity this season.” Douglas scored a season-best 23 points in the loss to Phoenix and has scored 19 or more points in four of the past six games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bulls have won the past three meetings, including a 98-94 home victory on Dec. 12.
2. Chicago PF Taj Gibson (ribs) has missed six straight games and is unlikely to play in either of the final two regular-season contests.
3. New Orleans F James Ennis scored a career-high 18 points against the Suns and has reached double digits in six of seven games since joining the squad.
PREDICTION: Bulls 97, Pelicans 92

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Preview: L.A. Lakers At Oklahoma City
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, April 11, 2016
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Kobe Bryant will play the final road game of his NBA career when the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. Bryant’s final home game in the season finale on Wednesday figures to be the most emotional game of the season, but saying goodbye to one more group of opposing fans and fellow All-Stars like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will be a treat as well.
The Lakers are enduring the worst season in franchise history but Bryant is still providing plenty of highlights and went for 35 points in Sunday’s 130-110 loss at Houston. “I’m eternally optimistic,” Bryant told reporters of the outburst. “I think the jump shot was falling. The legs felt good. And then you have nights like this. But it wouldn’t be something that surprised me.” The Thunder are locked into the No. 3 spot in the West and have been tuning up for the payoffs over the last few weeks. Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka and Russell Westbrook returned to the lineup on Saturday after getting a game off to rest and Durant (31 points) scored at least 20 for the 63rd straight time, tying Bryant’s NBA record.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TWC SportsNet (Los Angeles), FSN Oklahoma
ABOUT THE LAKERS (16-64): Bryant was 12-of-46 from the floor in the three previous games before going 10-of-22 against the Rockets. “What can you say? The man was unbelievable at times,” Los Angeles coach Byron Scott told reporters. “Sometimes you just sit there and marvel the way he is able to play this game at a high level after 20 years of basketball. Single-handedly, along with (Jordan Clarkson), he kept us in the game.” Bryant and the Lakers will play their final game at home on Wednesday against Utah.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (54-26): The return of Westbrook and Durant did not guarantee Oklahoma City a win on Saturday, and it ended up falling 114-112 at Sacramento. Sitting the key players in Portland on the second night of a back-to-back Wednesday doubled as a strategic move for the Thunder, who could wind up facing the Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs. Oklahoma City could choose to rest players again on Tuesday when it closes out the regular season at potential second-round opponent San Antonio.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Westbrook and Durant combined for 13 of the Thunder’s 21 turnovers on Saturday.
2. Clarkson is averaging 23.5 points in the last two games and has scored in double figures in seven straight.
3. Oklahoma City took the first three meetings with Los Angeles by an average of 26.3 points.
PREDICTION: Thunder 120, Lakers 105

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Preview: Dallas At Utah
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, April 11, 2016
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
The Dallas Mavericks make a second attempt at clinching a Western Conference playoff spot on Monday and this time it comes against the host Utah Jazz, an opponent that can tie Dallas for seventh place if it wins the contest. The Mavericks had a six-game winning streak halted by losing to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday while the Jazz routed the Denver Nuggets to pull within a game of Dallas.
The Mavericks are trying to reach the playoffs for the 15th time in 16 seasons and they clinch a spot with either one win or one Houston loss. “Everybody should have plenty of gas, we ain’t guaranteed,” Dallas shooting guard Wesley Matthews said after Sunday’s 98-91 loss to the Clippers. “We’re not just going to sit on our hands and hope Houston loses. We’re going to go take a game.” Utah moved closer to its first playoff appearance since 2012 with an impressive 100-84 road win over the Nuggets. “I don’t have to talk a whole lot about it,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder told reporters of the importance of Monday’s game. “It speaks for itself.”
TV: 9 p.m. ET, KTXA (Dallas), ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (41-39): Red-hot guard J.J. Barea (groin) sat out Sunday’s loss and regular starting point guard Deron Williams (sports hernia) returned sooner than expected and scored 15 points in 29 minutes. Williams had missed the previous eight games and there’s no guarantee he will be available for the second game of the back-to-back, which leaves Dallas coach Rick Carlisle wondering if he will have a healthy starting point guard against the Jazz. “We’re heavily dependent on our training and medical staff to try to hold us together,” Carlisle told reporters.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (40-40): Rookie power forward Trey Lyles was a surprise starter and even a more stunning hero as he scored a career-best 22 points against Denver. Lyles drew the start when Derrick Favors was a late scratch due to soreness in his right knee and made a career-best four 3-pointers during his stellar showing. “That’s the thing about this team. It’s been happening all year,” Snyder said afterward. “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.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams have split two contests this season but the Mavericks have won nine of the past 11 meetings.
2. Utah C Rudy Gobert had 16 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots against Denver after not having a block and contributing just seven points and seven rebounds during Friday’s overtime loss to the Clippers.
3. Barea averaged 25.8 points in a four-game stretch before being injured during Friday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
PREDICTION: Jazz 92, Mavericks 86

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Preview: Sacramento At Phoenix
When: 10:00 PM ET, Monday, April 11, 2016
Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix rookie sharpshooter Devin Booker has established that he’s on the way to stardom despite his team’s dismal season. The guard, at 19 years, 162 days, became the fourth-youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career points and he aims to add on to the total when the Suns host the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
Booker was being brought along slowly but things changed once guard Eric Bledsoe suffered a season-ending knee injury. Now he’s the most dependable player on the roster by scoring in double digits in 22 of the past 23 games, and the only players to reach 1,000 career points at a younger age are LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant. “I’m on the right track,” Booker told reporters. “That makes me want to work that much harder, being mentioned with those names. That kind of puts the self-pressure on me. Just to know that I have high expectations in the future and to keep working because my ceiling is so high because I’m being mentioned with those names, so I’m just trying to live up to expectations.” Sacramento will be without All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, who is sitting out the final two games of the season to rest his sore feet.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBATV, CSN California (Sacramento), FSN Arizona-Plus (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE KINGS (32-48): Guard Seth Curry is making a late-season splash and is trying to work his way into Sacramento’s plans for next season. The younger brother of reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry made a career-best six pointers while scoring 20 points in Saturday’s 114-112 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder and has three 20-point outings in the past seven games. Curry’s season average is just 6.4 points but he has put up an average of 15.2 over the last nine contests.
ABOUT THE SUNS (22-58): Forward Mirza Teletovic is an unrestricted free agent after the season and the 30-year-old is certainly helping his stock with a strong finish. He has scored 22 or more points in four of the past five games and is averaging 21.6 points during the stretch while raising his season mark to 11.9. Teletovic has been superb from 3-point range and his 175 makes are the most by a reserve in NBA history.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Kings have won five of the past seven meetings.
2. Sacramento PG Rajon Rondo has been rested for three of the past four games and could again sit on Monday.
3. Phoenix backup PG Archie Goodwin scored 14 points against New Orleans – five shy of his career high total he scored against the Kings on April 16, 2014.
PREDICTION: Suns 119, Kings 112

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NBA betting angles for the final week of the regular season
By BIG AL MCMORDIE
The Golden State Warriors killed two birds with one stone on Sunday. By defeating San Antonio, 92-86, the Warriors not only snapped a 33-game regular season losing streak in the Alamo City, but they also equaled the Chicago Bulls’ record for 72 wins in a season. All eyes will be on Steph Curry & Co. Wednesday, when they will attempt to win number 73 at home vs. the Grizzlies.
And, of course, there are still two Playoff berths up for grabs in the Western Conference, as well as seeds to be determined, so let’s take a look at the upcoming week.
Spread Watch
The San Antonio Spurs lost for the sixth straight game against the spread on Sunday, and they’ve failed to cover by 6.08 point per game during this stretch – it’s also the longest ATS losing streak for the Silver and Black in the past two seasons. The main problem for the Spurs has been on the offensive end, as they’ve failed to shoot 50% from the floor in any of the six pointspread defeats (after shooting 50+ percent in five of the eight games previous to the ATS losing streak). And their opponents have outshot them in each of the last five games. This week, San Antonio will attempt to right its ship with a home game against the Thunder, on Tuesday, and a road game vs. Dallas, on Wednesday.
The good news for San Antonio – at least for its game vs. the Thunder – is that Oklahoma City will be playing without rest following its Monday tilt with the Lakers. The Spurs are a solid 74-45-1 ATS since February 24, 2010 when playing against an unrested opponent, including 19-5 ATS if the Spurs are also off an upset loss. Gregg Popovich’s crew look to be a solid bet in their final home game of the regular season.
Total Watch
The Oklahoma City Thunder have played five straight games over the total and, in each of those five games, both OKC and its opponents have scored more than 100 points. This week, the Thunder will close out their home schedule with a date vs. the Lakers, on Monday. And, then, on Tuesday, the Thunder will travel to San Antonio to play the Spurs, in what could be a preview of a quarterfinals match.
I like the Thunder/Lakers game to sail over the total, as the Lakers gave up 130 points to the Rockets, on Sunday and they surrendered 110 to the Pelicans in the game before that. Los Angeles has gone over in 11 of 16 games when playing without rest. Additionally, these two teams have gone over 14-5-1 in their last 20 meetings.
Schedule Watch
In the final week of the NBA season there are several situations on which I like to wager that relate to the schedule. One such situation involves playing on teams in their final home game of the season, provided they’re off momentum-building SU/ATS wins in their previous two games. These teams have been ‘money in the bank’ in their last game in front of their home faithful, as they’ve cashed 66 of 102 since 1991. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with 64.7%, but we can tighten our angle up considerably by eliminating all games where our opponent is playing with double-revenge. Then, our 66-36 ATS angle zooms to 51-18, 73.9% ATS!
On Tuesday, two teams fit our Last Home Game system: the Pistons (vs. the Heat) and the Clippers (vs. the Grizzlies). Looking ahead to Wednesday, there could be five more plays (depending on Monday’s results): the Wizards, Bulls, Timberwolves, Rockets and Suns. Of these games, my favorite would be Detroit, for two reasons. First, Detroit will be playing with revenge from a 107-89 loss at Miami last Tuesday (Detroit is 20-7-2 ATS in its last 29 at home when playing with revenge). And, second, Detroit will be playing its final home game with three days of rest (since 1991, winning teams have cashed 65% in their final home game if they played with at least two more days of rest than their opponent).