Tuesday's NBA Playoffs Betting News and Notes
By Covers.com
Atlanta Hawks vs. Indiana Pacers (-7, 186.5)
Teague scored a career playoff-high 28 points in Game 1 and was one of six players to knock down at least one 3-pointers for Atlanta. “I just wanted to be aggressive,” Teague told reporters. “We know they’re a good defensive team with a lot of length. We just wanted to attack, stay aggressive and hit the open guy. We’ve got a lot of shot makers. We know they are a long team who likes to clog the paint, but we want to stretch the floor against them.” Frontcourt mates Paul Millsap and Pero Antic combined to go 4-for-9 from beyond the arc, pulling Hibbert and David West out of the paint and opening driving lanes for Teague.
Indiana fought all season to earn the top seed and homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference but has already surrendered homecourt advantage in the series. The Pacers struggled to adjust to Atlanta’s “spread-5” offensive attack, and coach Frank Vogel is contemplating changes to his rotation in order to adjust. “Probably just stick with what we have, but in the playoffs you have to contemplate everything,” Vogel told reporters. “You got a difficult matchup, obviously with a unique offensive attack, so you consider everything.” Evan Turner collected nine points and seven rebounds off the bench in Game 1 and could see more time if Indiana goes to a smaller lineup.
TRENDS:
* Road team is 3-0-1 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Over is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings.
* Hawks are 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Toronto Raptors (-4.5, 188)
Brooklyn ranked as one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the Eastern Conference this season but struggled mightily in Game 1. After making three of their first four attempts from beyond the arc, the Nets missed 19 in a row before Pierce hit a big one with less than three minutes remaining. The Brooklyn bench combined to miss all 12 of its long-range tries and Johnson - the team leader in makes, attempts and percentage during the regular season - got off only one attempt and missed it.
The Game 1 performance was sloppy all-around in Toronto, where a clock malfunction forced officials to utilize stopwatches as the Raptors committed 19 turnovers. They stayed in the game by gaining a 45-37 advantage on the glass - including 18 rebounds by center Jonas Valanciunas - and converting 23-of-25 free throws. Greivis Vasquez looked like the team's best player behind Lowry, coming off the bench to produce 18 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes.
TRENDS:
* Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings in Toronto.
* Home team is 7-3-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
* Underdog is 5-2-1 ATS in the last eight meetings.
Washington Wizards vs. Chicago Bulls (-5, 181.5)
The big games from Marcin Gortat and Nene helped make up for John Wall and Bradley Beal combining to go 7-for-25 from the field, though the two guards each hit a pair of free throws in the final 25 seconds to help put it away. “I know I can play better offensively, but to get a win like this and have my teammates step up when I didn’t have a good game is big for us,” Wall told the Washington Post. “We don’t have a lot of experience as young guys, me and (Beal), but we have great leaders.” One of those leaders is veteran guard Andre Miller, who scored eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter in Game 1.
Chicago squandered a 13-point third-quarter lead in Game 1 and missed nine of its last 11 field-goal attempts as Washington took control down the stretch. “We have to pick up our intensity,” center Joakim Noah told reporters. “Up 13, we exhaled, they came back. Bad turnovers, they got some easy scores. We got to make our adjustments. This is chess. It isn’t checkers.” Noah, who was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds in Game 1.
TRENDS:
* Wizards are 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings in Chicago.
* Wizards are 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings.
* Under is 21-6 in th elast 27 meetings.
By Covers.com
Atlanta Hawks vs. Indiana Pacers (-7, 186.5)
Teague scored a career playoff-high 28 points in Game 1 and was one of six players to knock down at least one 3-pointers for Atlanta. “I just wanted to be aggressive,” Teague told reporters. “We know they’re a good defensive team with a lot of length. We just wanted to attack, stay aggressive and hit the open guy. We’ve got a lot of shot makers. We know they are a long team who likes to clog the paint, but we want to stretch the floor against them.” Frontcourt mates Paul Millsap and Pero Antic combined to go 4-for-9 from beyond the arc, pulling Hibbert and David West out of the paint and opening driving lanes for Teague.
Indiana fought all season to earn the top seed and homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference but has already surrendered homecourt advantage in the series. The Pacers struggled to adjust to Atlanta’s “spread-5” offensive attack, and coach Frank Vogel is contemplating changes to his rotation in order to adjust. “Probably just stick with what we have, but in the playoffs you have to contemplate everything,” Vogel told reporters. “You got a difficult matchup, obviously with a unique offensive attack, so you consider everything.” Evan Turner collected nine points and seven rebounds off the bench in Game 1 and could see more time if Indiana goes to a smaller lineup.
TRENDS:
* Road team is 3-0-1 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Over is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings.
* Hawks are 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Toronto Raptors (-4.5, 188)
Brooklyn ranked as one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the Eastern Conference this season but struggled mightily in Game 1. After making three of their first four attempts from beyond the arc, the Nets missed 19 in a row before Pierce hit a big one with less than three minutes remaining. The Brooklyn bench combined to miss all 12 of its long-range tries and Johnson - the team leader in makes, attempts and percentage during the regular season - got off only one attempt and missed it.
The Game 1 performance was sloppy all-around in Toronto, where a clock malfunction forced officials to utilize stopwatches as the Raptors committed 19 turnovers. They stayed in the game by gaining a 45-37 advantage on the glass - including 18 rebounds by center Jonas Valanciunas - and converting 23-of-25 free throws. Greivis Vasquez looked like the team's best player behind Lowry, coming off the bench to produce 18 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes.
TRENDS:
* Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings in Toronto.
* Home team is 7-3-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
* Underdog is 5-2-1 ATS in the last eight meetings.
Washington Wizards vs. Chicago Bulls (-5, 181.5)
The big games from Marcin Gortat and Nene helped make up for John Wall and Bradley Beal combining to go 7-for-25 from the field, though the two guards each hit a pair of free throws in the final 25 seconds to help put it away. “I know I can play better offensively, but to get a win like this and have my teammates step up when I didn’t have a good game is big for us,” Wall told the Washington Post. “We don’t have a lot of experience as young guys, me and (Beal), but we have great leaders.” One of those leaders is veteran guard Andre Miller, who scored eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter in Game 1.
Chicago squandered a 13-point third-quarter lead in Game 1 and missed nine of its last 11 field-goal attempts as Washington took control down the stretch. “We have to pick up our intensity,” center Joakim Noah told reporters. “Up 13, we exhaled, they came back. Bad turnovers, they got some easy scores. We got to make our adjustments. This is chess. It isn’t checkers.” Noah, who was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds in Game 1.
TRENDS:
* Wizards are 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings in Chicago.
* Wizards are 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings.
* Under is 21-6 in th elast 27 meetings.
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