NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

Pacers at Wizards: What Bettors Need to Know
Covers.com

Indiana Pacers at Washington Wizards (-4.5, 180)

The Washington Wizards emphatically announced that they had no intention of bowing out quietly in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Wizards will attempt to keep the series going and put together a second straight dominating performance when they host the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 on Thursday. Marcin Gortat struggled through Games 3 and 4 but put up postseason career highs of 31 points and 16 rebounds as Washington controlled the inside in Game 5.

Gortat (16) had more rebounds than the entire Pacers team (15) at the end of the third quarter in Game 5 and the Wizards ended up with a 62-23 advantage on the glass. Indiana center Roy Hibbert, who came alive in three straight wins after being non-existent in the first eight games of the postseason, battled foul trouble in Game 5 and was no match for an aggressive Gortat. “We didn’t show up to play, man,” Pacers forward David West told reporters. “I don’t know if we thought we were going to come in here and these guys were going to roll over but they’re a very good team.”

ABOUT THE PACERS: Indiana certainly won’t be intimidated by the surroundings in Game 6 after taking Games 3 and 4 in Washington to gain control of the series. The Pacers suffered a big letdown on the interior in their return home and could not match the intensity of the Wizards in the elimination game. “We’ve got to play with the desperation they played with (on Tuesday),” Paul George told reporters. I knew they were going to bring it, we just didn’t mach what they brought.” Coach Frank Vogel was ready to quickly turn the page. “We’re still up 3-2,” Vogel said. “It’s one loss whether you lose by 20-something or you lose by one. It’s one loss. We got to go back and respond in Game 6.”

ABOUT THE WIZARDS: Gortat’s 13-of-15 performance from the field came as a big surprise after he totaled six points in the previous two games. “I was glad I was able to help my team this time,” Gortat told reporters. “I told them I want to contribute. I was an offensive decoy in Games 3 and 4. Now it was my turn to perform.” The “Polish Hammer” got plenty of help from John Wall, who buried three 3-pointers and scored 17 of his 27 points in the third quarter as Washington took control. “The pressure’s still on us,” Wall said. “It’s one game and you’re out.”

TRENDS:

* Under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings.
* Underdog is 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings.
* Pacers are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games.
* Over is 4-1 in Wizards last five home games.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. The Pacers’ 23 rebounds were the fewest in a playoff game in franchise history.

2. Washington is 1-3 at home in the playoffs.

3. Indiana is 6-0 all-time in series in which it held a 3-1 lead.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

Thursday's NBA Playoff Picks
By: Michael Robinson
Sportingnews.com

The Indiana Pacers looked back on track before their Game 5 disaster. They have another chance to eliminate the Washington Wizards on Thursday night, right before the Oklahoma City Thunder try to do the same to the L.A. Clippers in their Game 6.

Indiana Pacers at Washington Wizards (-4.5, 181)

The Pacers have been an enigma since their regular season swoon in March, but finally looked straightened out with a 3-1 series lead heading into Tuesday's home game. The result couldn't have been any worse, a 102-79 blowout loss as 5.5-point favorites.

The road team has owned this series at 4-1 straight-up and 5-0 against the spread.

Coach Frank Vogel's guys have no one to blame but themselves. They allowed 18 offensive boards and got outrebounded 62-23 overall. There is no excuse for that big a differential and simply points to a lack of effort.

Center Roy Hibbert has been Indiana's key player all series, averaging 19.7 PPG and 7.7 RPG in the three wins and 2.0 PPG and 1.0 RPG in the two losses. Marcin Gortat completely outplayed him last game, scoring 31 points on 13-of-15 shooting from the field, and adding 16 rebounds.

The Wizards have the clear momentum and a great chance to extend this series to a Game 7 on Sunday. Normally the home court would be a great advantage, but they lost both Game 3 (85-63 as 5-point favorites) and Game 4 (95-92 as 3.5-point favorites) at the Verizon Center.

Washington is 1-3 SU and ATS at home this postseason, while Indiana is 4-1 SU and ATS away.

Point guard John Wall is the key player for Washington, scoring 27 points in Game 5 on 11-of-20 shooting from the field. He averaged 11.5 PPG in the first four, shooting 31.4 percent. Wall has a problem with turnovers (17 over the last three games) and needs to limit those while still being aggressive offensively.

The Linemakers' lean: The Pacers are a perplexing bunch -- who knows which team will show up? But they're the better team than the Wizards, who have not been a profitable play at home. And why even consider the favorite in this series, as the dog is 5-0 so far? Indiana should actually be a 1-point favorite at Washington, according to The Linemakers' Kenny White, so the points here are just too good to pass up. We'll also make a correlation play on the UNDER, which is 4-1 in Pacers road games this postseason.

Pacers plus the points and UNDER are the plays.

Oklahoma City Thunder at L.A. Clippers (-4.5, 211.5)

This series has had more twists and turns than a roller coaster, and the only sure thing is that no lead is safe. The Clippers rallied from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win Game 4 (101-99 as 5-point home favorites) and the Thunder rallied from a late 13-point deficit to win Game 5 (105-104 as 5.5-point home favorites).

The road team is 3-0 ATS in the last three games and 4-1 ATS this series.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers is still fuming from a controversial out-of-bounds call last game. He will definitely be fined by the league for his postgame tirade, likely designed to work the refs for a crucial call on Thursday.

Los Angeles (down 3-2) needs this win to save its season and will look for a bounce back effort from Chris Paul. The point guard had two key turnovers in the final 14 seconds and also fouled Russell Westbrook on a three-point attempt (he made all three).

Paul is one of the NBA's most competitive players and has to hate that his meltdown came in the same game that Westbrook exploded for 38 points. The Clippers should win on Thursday if Paul gets the better of that point guard battle. Keeping big men DeAndre Jordan and Glen Davis out of foul trouble is also key after getting outscored 44-22 in the paint.

Oklahoma City needs a much better shooting night from Kevin Durant after going six-of-22 last game. Scoring depth is a concern with Serge Ibaka averaging just 8.0 PPG the last two. He needs to be more aggressive as the third scoring option.

The OVER is 5-1 in the Clippers' home playoff games, with the UNDER coming last time in Game 4. The 200 combined points scored stayed below the 213.5 point total.

The Linemakers' lean: Staples Center has erupted since the Donald Sterling controversy surfaced, giving the Clippers one of the biggest home-court edges in the playoffs. But the dog is 4-1 so far in this series, and it's extremely difficult to lay points when these teams battle.

Instead, we're looking at the total. L.A. loves to push the tempo at home, and after two straight UNDERs, the number is lower than it's been all series. Value is on the OVER, and that's where our money will be Thursday night.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

Thursday's Playoff Tips
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com

The Heat and Spurs both advanced to the conference finals with victories last night, as two more teams have opportunities to move forward tonight. Miami and San Antonio both took care of business on its home court, but Indiana and Oklahoma City need a road win to advance tonight. On the against the spread front, the underdogs keep cashing with the Nets taking home the money as seven-point underdogs in the two-point defeat to the Heat, while the Blazers were blown out by the Spurs. Currently, underdogs own a 12-8 ATS record in the conference semifinals, improving to 43-26-1 ATS in the playoffs.

Pacers at Wizards (-4½, 180½)

In one of the weirder series to figure out in these playoffs, Indiana tries to close out Washington at the Verizon Center tonight after getting routed by the Wizards in Game 5. Washington stayed alive with a 102-79 destruction of Indiana on Tuesday to cash outright as 5½-point underdogs, marking the fourth time in five games of this series that the road ‘dog has won. The roller-coaster Pacers looked completely flat from the tip, scoring just 38 first half points, while getting outrebounded by the Wizards, 62-23, the third-largest rebounding disparity in playoff history.

After Roy Hibbert dominated the middle for the Pacers in Game 2, Washington big man Marcin Gortat scored a playoff career-high 31 points on an efficient 13-of-15 shooting, while pulling down 16 rebounds. On the flip side, Hibbert reverted back to his playoff self by putting up just four points on 2-of-7 shooting, the fifth time in the last 10 games in which the Indiana center has scored four points or less. Another key for the Wizards in Game 5 was the emergence of John Wall, who has struggled scoring at times in the playoffs. The former top pick scored a playoff career-best 27 points, matching his point total from the losses in Game 3 and Game 4 at home.

Playing at home for the Wizards has looked like a disappearing act for Randy Wittman’s team, who compiled point totals of 63 in Game 3 and 92 in Game 4. The game in which they scored 92 points actually went ‘over’ the total of 187, as Washington threw away a 19-point lead in a 95-92 defeat, while owning a 1-3 SU/ATS record at the Verizon Center in the playoffs.

VegasInsider.com’s Chris David provides an easy way to figure out this matchup, “This series has been very simple to handicap, just grab the points with the road team. It’s 5-0 ATS after five games and you really have no reason to go against that trend on Thursday. Washington was a mediocre team in the regular season (22-19) and that carry-over has produced a 1-3 record in the postseason. As bad as Indiana looked in Game 5, it hasn’t dropped back-to-back games in the playoffs. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Washington extend the series but based on these trends, I’m leaning to the road underdog in this spot.”

The Pacers have covered all three games in the postseason as an underdog, while hitting the ‘under’ in four of five playoff contests away from Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Thunder at Clippers (-5, 212)

Oklahoma City and Los Angeles are reenacting the end of “Rocky II” throughout this series with each team going back and forth and falling to the mat. However, the Thunder looks like the team that will get up last, heading to Staples Center tonight trying to move on to the Western Conference Finals with a win over the Clippers.

The Clippers rallied from a 22-point deficit to stun the Thunder in Game 4, but the Thunder turned the tables on Los Angeles in Game 5 by erasing a seven-point deficit in the final 45 seconds to pull off a shocking 105-104 victory to take a 3-2 series lead. Russell Westbrook continued a strong playoff effort with 38 points, including three free throws after getting fouled late by Chris Paul. The Thunder overcame a poor shooting night from MVP Kevin Durant (6-of-22), while OKC didn’t cover as 5½-point favorites, marking the third straight cover by the underdog in this series.

David says there is no definite side to back after the final minute meltdowns in Games 4 and 5, “After watching both teams have monumental collapses in the last two games, I’m a little gun shy to back either squad in Game 6. However, I do believe the adjusted series price is too inflated. Most shops have the Clippers listed as a 3/1 choice to rally from a 3-2 deficit and advance. Rather than give 4½ points in Game 6, I’ll take those odds and hope for the straight up win. If L.A. does force a Game 7, you can let it ride with the visitor or get out and play Oklahoma City on the money-line, which should be -220 or -240, give or take a few cents. Either way, you’ll have options available if the Clips force Game 7 and if you’re very creative, you can wait on the hedge and place some Live Betting wagers come Saturday as the game begins.”

The Clippers have covered just two of six playoff games at Staples Center, while going 5-1 to the ‘over’ at home. Doc Rivers’ team is just 2-5 ATS in the last seven games off a road loss, which includes a 118-112 defeat to the Thunder in Game 3 of this series.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

MIAMI vs. INDIANA
Miami is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 7 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 6 games at home
Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

Round Three betting edges: Pacers solid as ATS dog
Marc Lawrence | May 18, 2014 |




One month into the NBA Playoffs and we’re down to the Conference Finals. In just two weeks the season will conclude with the Championship Finals as the 2013-14 season winds its way to the finish line.




From our database, let’s take a peek and see what we can expect from teams in the Third Round of the playoffs. Remember, all results are ATS (Against The Spread) in Third Round action since 1991, unless stated otherwise. Enjoy…




DOWN BUT NOT OUT




You can blow out a good team once. Twice is not as likely.




As we’ve learned, teams that fail miserably tend to bounce back rather than stay down. In fact, teams off a pointspread loss of more than 10 points are a very profitable 46-29-1 ATS in 3rd round playoff action.




Bring them in as a dog off a SU upset loss as a favorite and they improve to 15-5-1 ATS.




BETTER TEAMS MAKE NICE DOGS




Taking points with better teams will seldom put you in harm’s way.




Teams with a better win percentage takings points off a loss are 22-17-1 ATS on the blind. Bring them in off a loss of 4 or more points and they improve to 21-12-1 ATS.




Best of all, when taking 4 or more points with a better team off a loss of 4 or more points you have a 13-5-1 ATS winning edge.




RUNNING ON EMPTY




You can hold a good team down, but not for long.




Teams that reach the 3rd round of the playoffs have established themselves as being better than most. When good teams come up with sub par scoring efforts they tend to bounce back in followup games.




That’s confirmed by the fact the road teams in Round Three who scored 78 or fewer points in their previous game are a wallet stretching 15-6-1 ATS. Better yet, if the Over/Under total in this round is less than 186 points they improve to 13-3 against the number.




ITS WHAT’S TRENDING




Listed below are the best team trends for teams in Round Three of the post season.




Indiana: 17-8-2 ATS as a dog, including 4-1 ATS home.




Miami: 11-4 ATS off a loss, including 5-1 ATS off a SU favorite loss.




Oklahoma City: 11-4 ATS when O/U total is 199 or greater, including 5-0 ATS off a SUATS loss.




San Antonio: 10-2 ATS away off a win, including 6-0 ATS off a SU underdog win.




There you have it. Three rock-solid betting theories you can hang your hat on throughout the 3rd round of this year’s NBA playoffs.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

Game of the Day: Thunder at Spurs
By Covers.com

Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs (-5.5, 209)

Tony Parker will be in the lineup when the San Antonio Spurs open the Western Conference finals against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. Parker suffered a hamstring injury in Wednesday’s series-clinching victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in the conference semifinals and participated in practice on Sunday and pronounced himself ready afterward. The Thunder won all four regular-season meetings with the Spurs but will be without valuable power forward Serge Ibaka (calf) for the series.

Oklahoma City standout Kevin Durant posted nine 30-point outings while averaging 31.4 points during the first two rounds of the postseason and is hoping to lead the Thunder past San Antonio in the conference finals for the second time. Oklahoma City, which is the West finals for the third time in four seasons, defeated the Spurs in six games in 2012 to reach the NBA Finals for the lone time since the franchise relocated from Seattle. San Antonio swept the Memphis Grizzlies in four games in last season’s conference finals before falling to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. The Spurs are hoping their vaunted veteran trio of power forward Tim Duncan, guard Manu Ginobili and Parker will hold up for another dash to the finals.

LINE HISTORY: Pinnacle Sports opened the Spurs as 4.5-point home faves, but that has since moved to -5.5. The total opened 209, dropped to 208.5 and rebounded back to 209.

INJURY REPORT: Thunder - F Serge Ibaka (out, calf). Spurs - PG Tony Parker (Probably, hamstring).

WHAT THE CAPPERS SAY: "San Antonio opened as a 4-point favorite in Game 1, but that line quickly climbed to 5.5 after the news that Thunder big man Serge Ibaka was lost for the rest of the season due to injury. As good as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have been over the last couple of weeks, it's a big blow for Oklahoma City, which will have its hands full now in the paint. In my opinion, Westbrook and Durant will both have to play the series of their lives for the Thunder to get by the Spurs. San Antonio fans are surely already preparing for another trip to the Finals." Covers Experts' Nick Parsons.

WHAT THE BOOKS SAY: "Decent line move to game 1 and the series price when it was announced Ibaka was out for this game and series. It’s a shame, because he’s their 3rd best player and definitely hurts this Thunder team that has a very limited bench. We went straight from 4.5 to 5.5 when that injury was announced, from -175 to -200 and eventually -215 on the series price. We’re starting to see some dog money come in on the series price, I wouldn't be surprised if we closed -200. We’re seeing great, 2 way action on game 1 at 5.5, really no need for any moves at this point. We’re seeing lots of over money, we went to 209 this morning and I could see us getting to 210 at some point Monday." - Peter Childs, Sportsbook.ag

ABOUT THE THUNDER: Beating the Spurs without Ibaka will be a challenge and rookie Steven Adams and veteran Nick Collison will be asked to plug the gap. It is a huge hole to fill considering Ibaka averaged 14 points, 11.5 rebounds and four blocked shots during Oklahoma City’s season sweep of San Antonio. Adams played 40 minutes in the series-clinching victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, posting a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds as he displayed that he can do more than be an antagonizer. Collison averaged 11.2 minutes during the first two rounds of the playoffs and could double that amount against the Spurs.

ABOUT THE SPURS: Parker addressed San Antonio’s problems with the Thunder this season on Sunday and expressed that the club’s ball movement has to improve. “We need to execute a lot better, because against them you can’t go half-speed,” Parker told reporters. “You have to go full speed and we have to be perfect because they are younger than us and they’re more athletic than us, so everything has to be more perfect.” San Antonio will also be looking for another strong series from small forward Kawhi Leonard, who averaged 17 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals and made 9-of-17 3-point attempts in the five-game series against Portland.

TRENDS:

* Thunder are 10-1-1 ATS in the last 12 meetings.
* Under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings.
* Spurs are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games.
* Over is 6-1 in Spurs last seven Conference Finals games.

COVERS CONSENSUS: 53 percent of Covers Consensus wagers are on the Thunder.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

OKLAHOMA CITY vs. SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oklahoma City's last 8 games when playing San Antonio
Oklahoma City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio
San Antonio is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City
San Antonio is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

NBA Playoff Picks
By: Craig Williams
Sportingnews.com

Are the Indiana Pacers back? No doubt they're fired up to be meeting the Miami Heat for the third straight postseason -- the second straight time in the conference finals -- but we'll have to see more than one game to know if they're truly ready to make this a series.

Indiana took Game 1 as a 2-point underdog, and bookmakers opened the Game 2 spread at Miami -2.5. The line remained unchanged at most Las Vegas bet shops through Tuesday morning. The total is between 184 and 185.

At the South Point, the series prices was adjusted after the Heat's loss in Game 1. After opening Heat -370/Pacers +310, it was moved to -200/+170.

Miami put up little defensive resistance against Indiana in Sunday's series opener, allowing the Pacers to score 107 points on 51.5 percent shooting from the field and 42.1 percent from beyond the arc. The Pacers also lived at the foul line, hitting 29 of 37 attempts compared to 10 of 15 for the Heat.

LeBron James (25 points) and Dwyane Wade (27 points) didn't receive enough from their supporting cast -- although 14 points from Chris Anderson was certainly a surprise. Chris Bosh shot 34 percent from three-point land in the regular season and 42.5 percent on his 40 attempts during the postseason, but he missed all five tries on Sunday. Despite his relative success of late, Bosh wasn't brought to South Beach to camp out behind the three-point line.

All five starters in the Pacers' lineup scored in double figures, led by Paul George's 24. Lance Stephenson was under a microscope after his comments regarding Wade's knee, but he came through with 17 points, eight assists and four boards.

A Game 2 win would obviously put the Pacers in a great position before hitting the road, but the Heat are a road favorite for a reason. They're not going to be rattled by an early uphill battle.

The Linemakers' lean: We’re thoroughly impressed with the way the Pacers have bounced back to return to the solid team we remember from January, when they were the highest-rated team in the NBA. All five Indiana starters have scored in double figures the past two games, and the Heat figure to be in a dog fight.

The point spread may not reflect the rapid improvements by the Pacers, and the Heat are a little inflated, but we love LeBron James in bounce-back games. We look for him to put the Heat on his shoulders and get the Heat even in this series, which makes laying the inflated line okay.

We also like the game to stay UNDER 185, a number that has been increased because of the 203 points the two team combined for in Game 1, when the total was just 182.

The plays are Miami and UNDER.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

Game of the Day: Heat at Pacers
By Covers.com

Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers (+2, 184)

The real Indiana Pacers are in the process of standing up, and the Miami Heat are going to need stand up right alongside. The Heat will attempt to draw even in the Eastern Conference finals when they visit the Indiana Pacers for Game 2 on Tuesday. Indiana limped through the last half of the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs but was clearly the dominant team in Game 1, leading wire-to-wire as Miami struggled to get stops.

The Pacers enjoyed their highest-scoring game of the postseason with the 107-96 Game 1 victory and got at least 15 points from all five starters. “It’s a good start to the series but it’s just a good start, that’s all it is,” Indiana coach Frank Vogel told reporters. “We’ve got to expect a great fight in Game 2.” The Heat lost for just the second time in the playoffs but remained unconcerned and confident moving forward. “They took care of business in Game 1, but we’ll figure it out for Game 2,” said LeBron James, who put up 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals for Miami.

LINE HISTORY: Books opened the Heat as 2-point road faves. The line moved to -2.5 but has settled back at the original number. The total hasn't moved off 184.

INJURY REPORT: Pacers - F Evan Turner (Probable, illness), C Andrew Bynum (out for season).

WHAT THE CAPPERS SAY: "After losing in the postseason to Miami in 2012 and in 2013, securing home court advantage during the 2014 Eastern Conference Playoffs was pretty important to Indiana. So far though, home court hasn't been much of an advantage for the Pacers after they lost Game 1 in each of their first two series this year. Indiana looked sharp in Game 1 vs. Miami though and would not even need the 2.5 points it was afforded, winning outright handily. The Heat are once again favoured by 2.5 in Game 2. All eyes are now on LeBron James and coach Eric Spolestra, who will need to make some quick adjustments or face an 0-2 hole for the first time in the Eastern Conference Finals." - Covers Experts' Nick Parsons

ABOUT THE HEAT: Miami stuck with the small lineup that served it well in the semifinals instead of trying to match Indiana’s bigger starters. That plan left center Chris Bosh along the perimeter, where he went 0-of-5 from 3-point range and finished with just nine points, and put him on bruising Roy Hibbert defensively. “That’s probably us at our worst defensively,” coach Eric Spoelstra told reporters. “You have to give (the Pacers) the credit. … It’s a matchup collectively that we have to figure out. That’s the whole point of competition.” The Heat got a strong performance from guard Dwyane Wade, who scored a game-high 27 points on 12-of-18 shooting.

ABOUT THE PACERS: Indiana made it a goal at the beginning of the season to earn homecourt advantage over Miami and made sure it would not suffer a letdown at home. The Pacers, who dropped Game 1 at home in each of the two previous rounds, scored the first seven points and never trailed in Game 1, keeping the advantage at double figures for most of the fourth quarter. “We’re just being aggressive off the bounce, trying to attack, force help and then share it,” Vogel said. “It’s a pretty simple plan. It’s not always easiest to execute, but I thought our guys executed pretty well offensively.” Paul George led with 24 points and C.J. Watson provided key minutes off the bench.

TRENDS:

* Home team is 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings.
* Heat are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games following a SU loss of more than 10 points.
* Over is 4-0 in Heat last four overall.
* Pacers are 4-1 ATS in their last five vs. NBA Southeast.

COVERS CONSENSUS: Just over 67 percent of wagers on Covers Consensus are on the Miami Heat.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

NBA Playoffs

Pacers shot 52% in Game 1, outscored Heat 29-10 on foul line, putting six in double figures. Home side won all five Miami-Indiana games this season; Heat lost last five visits to Indiana by 7-6-1-12-11 points. Six of last eight series games went over the total. Miami is 8-3 in playoffs, 3-2 on road; they're 6-5 as favorite in playoffs. Indiana is 9-5 in playoffs, 5-0 vs spread when they are getting points. Under is 29-20 in Pacers' home games this season.

Over is 44-30 in playoffs this season.
Favorites are 25-49 in playoffs this season.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

MIAMI vs. INDIANA
Miami is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
Miami is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Indiana is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Indiana's last 13 games

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

Game 2 - Heat at Pacers
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com

The Heat has never fallen behind 2-0 in a playoff series since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined the roster in 2010, as Miami is 3-0 in this situation heading into tonight’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Indiana. The Pacers set the tone early in Sunday’s series opener, eyeing the Heat after getting eliminated by Miami in each of the last two postseasons.

Finally armed with home-court advantage, Frank Vogel’s team jumped out of the gate in Game 1 to a 30-24 edge after one quarter, the highest point total in the opening 12 minutes of the playoffs for Indiana. The Pacers increased the lead to double-digits at halftime, 55-45, while building the advantage as high as 19 in a 106-97 triumph to cash as two-point underdogs. Indiana improved to 5-0 straight-up and against the spread in the ‘dog role this postseason, while receiving points at home for the first time in the playoffs.

The Pacers topped the 100-point mark for just the second time in the playoffs, while winning a series opener for the first time after falling to the Hawks and Wizards in previous Game 1’s. All five Pacers scored in double-digits, led by Paul George’s 24 points, while David West and Roy Hibbert each chipped in 19 points to represent the Indiana frontcourt. C.J. Watson chipped in 11 points off the Pacers’ bench, while Indiana attempted 22 more free throws than Miami (37-15).

The Heat shot the ball well from the field (51%), but James and Dwyane Wade did the heavy lifting by combining for 52 points, while Bosh was limited to just nine points. For the second straight game, Miami struggled from downtown, hitting only 6-of-23 three-pointers, including an 0-for-5 effort from Bosh, who drilled the go-ahead trey in the Game 4 victory at Brooklyn in the second round.

Miami has lost five straight visits to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, including all three trips to the Hoosier State this season. However, Erik Spoelstra’s team has been exceptional off a loss in the postseason the last few years, posting a 10-0 SU and 9-1 ATS record since the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals off a defeat. This is the fourth postseason for the Big Three in Miami, as this team has lost consecutive road games just twice, coming to Boston in 2012 and Dallas in the 2011 Finals.

VegasInsider.com’s Chris David reminds us that taking the points has been the way to go in the playoffs, “This year’s postseason has seen underdogs cash at the betting counter and favorites advance on the hardwood. That trend continued in this matchup as the Pacers captured Game 1, yet the Heat are still favored in Game 2 and in the series. It appears that Indiana still hasn’t earned the respect of the betting public and I feel that’s a mistake. The NBA is all about matchups and regardless of what you’ve seen in the last couple months from both clubs, you can’t deny that Indiana is better this season and Miami is nowhere close to the squads that won the last two championships.”

The Heat opened this series at -440 (Bet $440 to win $100), but that number has dropped to -200 following the Game 1 loss. Meanwhile, the Pacers have dropped from +350 (Bet $100 to win $350) down to +170 to advance to the conference finals.

Heading into tonight’s Game 2, David looks at the Pacers’ recent home domination of the Heat, “Since this rivalry erupted in the 2012 playoffs, Indiana has gone 9-3 at home against Miami, which includes the last five meetings played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. During this recent winning streak, the Pacers have held the Heat offense in check, allowing just 86.4 PPG. Personally, I’m leaning to the home ‘dog again based on those facts and I like going against the betting public. However, it does concern me a little that Miami has never trailed 2-0 in a playoff series since they started its “Big Three” version in 2010.”

From a totals perspective, the number has jumped several points following the high-scoring output in the opener, “The total for Game 2 has been adjusted up to 184, compared to the closing number of 182 in Game 1. The pace for the opener was real slow but both clubs shot better than 50 percent from the field and they also combined for 39 made free throws. Betting the ‘under’ is hard with these low numbers, especially with Miami. The Heat have watched the ‘over’ go 8-2 in the postseason but the margins are very close,” David said.

The Heat are listed as 2½-point favorites at most spots, as Miami is 3-2 SU/ATS in the road favorite role in this postseason. The game tips off at 8:30 PM EST from Indianapolis and can be seen on ESPN.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

Game of the Day: Thunder at Spurs
By Covers.com

Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs (-6, 211)

The San Antonio Spurs unleashed a dominant display in the series opener and look to make it two consecutive wins over Oklahoma City when they host the Thunder in Wednesday’s second game of the Western Conference finals. San Antonio shot 57.5 percent from the field and owned a 66-32 edge in points in the paint while rolling to a 122-105 victory. Oklahoma City couldn’t stop Tim Duncan in the first half with post player Serge Ibaka out for the series due to a calf injury.

Duncan scored 21 of his 27 points in the opening half as the Spurs established they could operate at will in the interior. The display also opened up the outside as guard Danny Green went 4-of-5 from 3-point range and guard Manu Ginobili scored all 18 of his points in the second half. Thunder stars Kevin Durant (28) and Russell Westbrook (25) combined for 53 points but San Antonio seldom allowed Oklahoma City to carry the flow of the game. “They’re younger than us and more athletic,” said point guard Tony Parker afterwards, “and so we have to be more perfect.”

LINE HISTORY: Sportsbooks opened with the Spurs as 6-point home faves for Game 2. The total opened 210.5 and is up to 211.

INJURY REPORT: Thunder - F Serge Ibaka (Out, calf).

WHAT THE CAPPERS SAY: "Despite their previous series dominance, the Spurs were going to be in tough in this series regardless whether they were at full strength or not. Without Serge Ibaka they were in a world of hurt in the opener on Monday night, and it's tough to envision a much different story unfolding on Wednesday night. I do expect a stronger showing from Oklahoma City defensively, but the Spurs are simply locked in at both ends of the floor, and realize the importance of holding serve here at home. We could see some value with the 'under' after a high-scoring Game 1." Sean Murphy, Covers Experts.

WHAT THE BOOKS SAY: "With the loss of Ibaka, OKC struggled keeping the Spurs out of the paint. Are the Thunder able to adjust without their rim defender? The Spurs are 6-point faves and are getting 75 percent of the action on that number, Also the over the total of 211.5 is getting 94 percent of the action after a high scoring Game 1." Michael Stewart, CarbonSports.ag.

ABOUT THE THUNDER: Perhaps Ibaka is Oklahoma City’s most important player and not league MVP Kevin Durant. The Thunder were lost defensively without him on the floor – San Antonio’s 57.5 field-goal percentage is the highest allowed in the postseason in the franchise’s Oklahoma City era – and replacements Steven Adams (four points, two rebounds) and Nick Collison (scoreless with three rebounds) were both ineffective. “We’re a no-excuse team,” Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. “Serge is out. He’s not coming back. We have to play better. If we expect to beat one of the best teams in basketball – and a very good offensive team – we have to play and we’re not going to make an excuse.”

ABOUT THE SPURS: Parker had 14 points and 12 assists and wasn’t the least bit hampered by the hamstring injury he suffered Wednesday in the first round against Portland. He was able to navigate the floor well and control the pace as well as keep up defensively with the speedy Westbrook. “I thought he played a very smart game,” Duncan said of Parker in his postgame press conference. “A very efficient game, made the right plays and that’s what’s going to have to happen this series with him.” Parker said the hamstring held up well and he expects his legs to feel even better in Game 2.

TRENDS:

* Thunder are 10-2-1 ATS in the last 13 meetings.
* Over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings in San Antonio.
* Thunder are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six road games.
* Spurs are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games.

COVERS CONSENSUS: 50.43 percent of wagers on Covers Consensus are coming in on the Spurs -6.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

Game 2 - Thunder at Spurs
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com

After the Heat rallied past the Pacers last night, favorites are on a short hot streak in the conference finals covering each of the last two games, while improving to 2-1 straight-up and against the spread in this round. The Spurs will try to keep that pace going tonight in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Thunder after dominating Oklahoma City in the paint in the series opener on Monday.

San Antonio finally broke through against OKC after losing all four regular season meetings with a 122-105 rout in Game 1 of the conference finals to cash as six-point favorites. The Spurs owned the Thunder in the paint, 66-32, taking advantage of Serge Ibaka’s absence due to a calf injury that will likely sideline the Oklahoma City power forward for the remainder of the playoffs. San Antonio shot a blistering 57% from the floor, led by Tim Duncan’s 27 points and 18 off the bench from a rejuvenated Manu Ginobili.

The Thunder had to rely on its two young stars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who combined for 53 points, but the other three starters (Nick Collison, Kendrick Perkins, and Thabo Sefolosha) totaled just five points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field. OKC received a surprising output from veteran Derek Fisher off the bench with 16 points and 13 from standout guard Reggie Jackson, but the Thunder needs to make up for Ibaka’s absence somehow to slow down the Spurs’ frontcourt moving forward in this series.

After failing to cover the first three home games in the opening round against the Mavericks, San Antonio has now cashed five consecutive contests at the AT&T Center, winning each of those games by double-digits. In each win during this five-game hot stretch at home, Gregg Popovich’s club has drilled the ‘over’ four times, while topping the 104-point mark in each of the last six home contests.

Monday’s loss snapped an eight-game SU/ATS winning streak dating back to January in the role of an underdog for the Thunder, which included a 3-0 SU/ATS mark in the second round series victory over the Clippers. OKC has topped the 100-point mark in eight of the last nine games, but the ‘under’ has hit in four of the past six contests.

According to VegasInsider.com handicapper Marc Lawrence and his top-notch historical database, the Thunder are worth strong consideration tonight, “As we’ve learned, teams that fail miserably tend to bounce back rather than stay down. In fact, teams off a point-spread loss of more than 10 points are a very profitable 46-29-1 ATS in 3rd round playoff action.”

To look at the view on both sides, VegasInsider.com’s Chris David first analyzes why to put your money on the Spurs tonight, “After watching Game 1, it's hard to make a case for Oklahoma City unless you believe it can fix its defense in the middle. Watching the Spurs score 122 was solid but what really impressed me is that they put up those numbers with 13 free throws and nine 3-pointers, both below their season averages. Including Monday’s win, the Spurs are now 6-1 both SU and ATS in their last seven games, and all six wins came by double digits. If you’re betting Game 2 and base your handicapping style strictly on current form, it’s hard to justify a play against San Antonio.”

On the flip side, David makes a case for the Thunder simply on their success in the ‘dog role, “If you’re looking for a reason to back Oklahoma City with the points in Game 2, you could lean to its 3-1 ATS record as an underdog in this year’s playoffs. Or perhaps past playoff tendencies will come to fruition again for OKC. Since the 2009 postseason, the Thunder have gone 3-2 in Game 2 after a loss in Game 1. The two losses came by three and nine points, the latter coincidentally came against San Antonio in the 2012 Western Conference Finals. In case you forgot, the Thunder wound up winning that series with four straight wins after trailing 0-2 but they did have a healthy Ibaka and an All-Star named James Harden.”

The Game 1 total closed at 208½ and easily went ‘over,’ but the oddsmakers have adjusted the total up for tonight’s contest to 211. The Spurs were favored to win the series prior to Monday’s opener, but San Antonio is now a -500 favorite (Bet $500 to win $100) to advance to the NBA Finals. The Thunder dropped from +150 to +375 to win this series following the Game 1 loss, but as David mentioned before, this OKC team has rallied past San Antonio before to advance to the NBA Finals.

Tonight's contest tips off at 9:00 p.m. from the AT&T Center and the game can be seen on TNT. The Spurs currently are six-point favorites across the board.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

Game of the Day: Pacers at Heat
By Covers.com

Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat (-6.5, 183)

Series tied 1-1.

The Indiana Pacers have enough to worry about against the Miami Heat without trying to figure out how to replace an All-Star. The Pacers hope to have forward Paul George available when they visit the Heat for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday. George was diagnosed with a concussion after taking a knee to the head on Tuesday and will need to pass NBA-mandated tests before he is eligible to return to action.

George is off to a rough start offensively in the series after being held to 14 points on 4-of-16 shooting in Game 2 but is a key part of the defensive effort against LeBron James. George remained in the game after catching Dwyane Wade’s knee on the back of his head but later said he “blacked out” following the hit and was diagnosed with the concussion on Wednesday morning due to the brief loss of consciousness. Any deterioration in the skills of George is a bad sign for the Pacers, who allowed James and Wade to combine for 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Heat came from behind to take Game 2 and even the series.

LINE HISTORY: Miami opened -6.5 and jumped as high as -7.5 with news that Pacers forward George Paul could sit out with a concussion. The line is being dealt -7 at most books. The total opened 182.5 and has climbed to 183.

INJURY REPORT: Pacers - P. George (Ques/Concussion), D. West (Prob/Eye)

WHAT BOOKS SAY: "We are guessing that Paul George will start when we opened Miami -7. If George doesn’t get clearance to play, expect the line to go up to Heat -9 or -9.5." - Mike Perry, Sportsbook.ag.

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "In Game 2, Miami broke a trend that had seen the home team win 13 of the previous 15 matchups between the two teams. Oddsmakers expect the Heat to hold serve on home court in Game 3, but are they not giving the Pacers enough respect?" - Covers Experts' Brian Powers

ABOUT THE PACERS: Indiana put together its best offensive performance of the postseason in dominating Game 1, leading wire-to-wire en route to a 107-96 victory. The Pacers led for most of the contest in Game 2 but had a much more difficult time scoring and ended up dropping an 87-83 decision. “It’s a split,” coach Frank Vogel told reporters. “We’ll respond. We’ll look at the tape, make our adjustments and come back for Game 3.” George has three full days off to go through the concussion protocol, which includes physical exertion on a stationary bike, jogging, agility work and non-contact team drills, each of which must be completed symptom-free before moving onto the next.

ABOUT THE HEAT: James and Wade put their stamp on the series in the fourth quarter of Game 2, scoring or assisting on every point scored and never panicking when Miami got down. After allowing the Pacers to go off at 51.5 percent from the field in Game 1, the Heat pushed that number down to 40 percent in Game 2. That defense gave James and Wade enough time to find their groove when the fourth quarter rolled around. “However the game presents itself, I just try to take advantage,” James told reporters. “I needed to do something in the fourth. I was able to get some good looks for guys in the third quarter but I needed to make a few buckets in the fourth quarter and I was able to come through for us."

TRENDS:

* Over is 6-2 in the last eight meetings in Miami.
* Home team is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
* Pacers are 5-0 ATS in their last five road games.
* Over is 4-1 in Heat's last five home games

COVERS CONSENSUS: 55 percent of bets are on Pacers +6.5 while 70 percent of total wagers are on Over 183