Monday's best NBA bets
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Phoenix at Detroit -3 206
The Phoenix Suns have one of the most-potent offenses in the NBA, but their latest offensive explosion has been astonishing - even by their high standards.
The Suns look to match a season high with their eighth straight win when they open a daunting four-game road trip against the Central Division-leading Detroit Pistons on Monday.
Phoenix (47-22) has only two road victories - at Portland and Seattle - during its seven-game streak, and it will see much tougher competition over the next week. After Detroit (49-20), the Suns visit league-leading Boston on Wednesday, red-hot Philadelphia on Friday and New Jersey Saturday.
The Pistons, who have the second-best defense in the league (90.8), have won three straight home games, and 13 of their last 15 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Detroit won at Phoenix 116-86 on Feb. 24, but the Suns were still adjusting to the addition of Shaquille O'Neal at that time.
Phoenix has had no trouble with O'Neal in the lineup lately.
The Suns won their seventh in a row, 122-113 over Houston on Saturday. Phoenix has moved ahead of the Rockets into third place in the Western Conference, one-half game behind first-place New Orleans, which is percentage points ahead of the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Lakers.
The Suns, who reeled off eight consecutive wins Nov. 9-23, had lost four of five immediately before their current run, dropping to sixth in the West.
"I just don't want us to get ahead of ourselves," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Two weeks ago, we weren't going to make the playoffs, according to a lot of people, and today we'll probably never lose again, and neither one of them is true - we're right in the middle. We're still working and have got some things to do."
The Pistons lost their second straight, 95-83 at Washington on Sunday. Detroit is still 10 games ahead of second-place Cleveland in the Central, and close to clinching its fourth straight division title. The Pistons are also second in the Eastern Conference.
"With the position that we're in, we have the luxury of trying to work on some things,'' guard Chauncey Billups said. "We're not moving up or down or trying to go nowhere. We just have to stay healthy and try to work on some things that could benefit us in some series.''
Pick: over
Portland at Seattle +8 1/2 205
For the Portland Trail Blazers to avoid missing the playoffs for a fifth straight year, they must continue stringing together wins.
The Trail Blazers will try for their longest winning streak in more than two months on Monday when they close out their season series with the stumbling Seattle SuperSonics, who have dropped 11 straight.
Portland (37-33) seeks to return to the postseason for the first time since 2003, but is currently 10th in the competitive Western Conference, 6 1/2 games behind eighth-place Golden State for the final playoff spot and five behind ninth-place Denver.
However, the Blazers completed a home-and-home sweep of the Los Angeles Clippers with an 83-72 road win on Saturday. Brandon Roy scored 23 points, while LaMarcus Aldridge added 21 and 10 rebounds for the Blazers, who have not won three straight games since winning four in a row from Jan. 2-9.
The Blazers shot just 46.0 percent (74-for-161) in the two victories, but outrebounded the Clippers 87-69. Portland's 53 rebounds Saturday matched a season high set in an 89-79 win over Northwest Division rival Seattle (16-54) on Dec. 25.
Portland center Joel Przybilla grabbed a career-high 25 rebounds Saturday, two shy of the team record set Feb. 26, 1975.
"One of the assistant coaches told me before the game they were probably going to go small, so just try to get every rebound. And that's what I focused on," said Przybilla, who is averaging a team-leading 8.0 boards. "(Friday night) we played at home and I only got three rebounds, so I was upset with myself because that's not me. I take a lot of pride in my rebounding. That's what my job is."
The Blazers have outrebounded Seattle - the league's leader with 44.6 per game - only once in three games.
The Blazers have won five of their last eight on the road, but dropped their last two in Seattle, where they are 2-7 since the start of 2003-04.
Seattle, which begins a seven-game homestand, has lost five straight at KeyArena and is a conference-worst 10-23 at home. The Sonics - 1-15 since their February victory over Portland - extended their losing streak with a 115-101 defeat at Utah on Saturday.
Pick: Trail Blazers
Monday NBA Gameday
The NBA steals the hoops spotlight back from the college ranks on Monday, with the Phoenix Suns facing the Detroit Pistons in the top matchup. Here's your NBA Gameday:
Phoenix Suns at Detroit Pistons
The Suns have won seven straight games to stay close to the Lakers in the battle for top spot in the Pacific Division. Phoenix hasn't lost since falling in back-to-back contests to the Nuggets and Jazz on March 5 and March 7. The Suns knocked off the Rockets 122-113 in their last game on Saturday, with Amare Stoudemire scoring 38 in that win.
Detroit has had some good success against the top Western Conference teams over the past couple of weeks. The Pistons knocked off the Spurs 84-80 back on March 14, and they followed up that result with strong victories over the Hornets (105-84) and the Nuggets (136-120). Detroit is close to locking down first place in the Central Division.
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics
The Sixers' strong play in the month of March has them comfortably in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia has gone 9-2 since March 1, losing only to the Celtics (March 10) and the Magic (113-95). The Sixers are coming off a 91-87 win over the rival Nets on Saturday, with Andre Iguodala pouring in a game-high 28 points.
Boston impressed with consecutive road wins over the Spurs, Rockets, and Mavericks last week, but they're coming off a 113-106 loss in New Orleans on Saturday. Paul Pierce had a team-high 28 points for the Celtics in that defeat, while Kevin Garnett picked up 19 points and 12 rebounds. Boston has already clinched first in the Atlantic.
Sacramento Kings at Houston Rockets
The Kings are currently on a two-game losing streak, falling back-to-back to the Spurs and Grizzlies on Friday and Saturday. Sacramento is just 4-6 over its past 10 games, and the team has no shot at a playoff berth in the tough Western Conference. Kevin Martin had 29 points against Memphis, while Ron Artest and Brad Miller sat with injuries.
The Rockets' lengthy winning streak was snapped by the Celtics last Tuesday, and they've now lost three of their past four contests to give up some ground to the Hornets and Spurs in the Southwest Division standings. Houston fell 122-113 to the Suns on Saturday, with Tracy McGrady contributing 30 points and Luis Scola tossing in 16 points.
Portland Trail Blazers at Seattle SuperSonics
The Trail Blazers will likely finish with a winning record this season, but that's not going to be enough to get them into contention for a playoff berth in the Western Conference. Portland beat the Clippers twice over the weekend, winning 107-102 at home on Friday, and 83-72 on the road on Saturday. Brandon Roy had 23 points in that Saturday victory.
The Sonics have lost 11 games in a row, and they now sit with the worst record in the Western Conference (16-54). Seattle hasn't won since they knocked off the Timberwolves 111-108 on March 2. The Sonics fell 115-101 to the Jazz last time out on Saturday night, with Kevin Durant and Jeff Green both scoring 23 points in that defeat.
Monday's Tip Sheet
By Josh Jacobs
College basketball has garnered all the headlines in the month of March, but Monday’s pro basketball card heats up the hardwood a nationally televised double-header on NBATV.
Phoenix and Detroit meet in an intriguing non-conference battle at 7:30 p.m. EDT, while the Lakers (48-22 straight up, 42-27 against the spread) and Warriors (43-26 SU, 30-37 ATS) meet in the back end of a home-and-home set from the Bay Area at 10:05 p.m. EDT.
Last night, the Warriors surprised the Lakers 115-111 as eight-point road underdogs. Stephen Jackson led Golden State with 31 points, 18 coming from 3-point land. Monta Ellis dropped in 31 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Kobe Bryant led five Lakers in double figures with 36 points. Total players watched the combined 226 points fall ‘under’ the closing total of 233.
The Warriors hold a 1½-game lead over Denver for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoff race and are only a ½-game lead behind Dallas for the seventh seed.
Golden State is staring down the barrel of a schedule with Denver, Dallas and San Antonio right around the corner. In total, nine of the remaining 13 contests will include opponents playing with a record greater then .500.
The Warriors will continue this beast of a schedule possessing a 5-8 against the spread record on the road and an 8-7 ATS performance at home versus teams with a winning record (equating to a 13-15 ATS record versus teams playing with a record greater then .500).
The Lakers will enter Monday’s contest with a 24-13 SU and 24-12-1 ATS billing away from home this season. L.A. is the fourth highest scoring team on the road, averaging 106.5 points per game, and is tickling the twine for a hot 47.9 percent from the field (on the road).
Coach Phil Jackson and the Lakers have added to the already impressive offensive contributions by averaging 110.6 PPG in their last 11 contests, helping to the ‘over’ reach a 6-5 record.
Burning even hotter from the field is a Golden State team logging in an average of 115.1 PPG in its last 10.
Continuing the trends leaning towards L.A.’s favor; off zero days of rest the club has gone 10-5 ATS this season, while Golden State is looking at a more human 9-8 ATS stint. v Five of the Lakers last nine wins have ended with a double-digit cushion.
Meeting for the fourth and final time this season, it should be noted that the Lake Show is 8-3 SU and 9-2 ATS in 11 games inside the division this season. Division wise, the Warriors' 7-4 SU record is comparable, but a 4-6-1 ATS slide this season has not been the most profitable of options.
Since Golden State is defending their own home from an L.A. invasion it should be pointed out that scoring an off the charts 112.8 PPG inside Oracle Arena ranks this squad at the top of the Association.
In the last five head-to-head games played in Golden State, the Lakers have robbed the home team with a 4-1 SU and 5-0 ATS record.
It was finally a home success for the Warriors on Dec. 14, when a close 108-106 victory over the Lakers finally broke the 0-9 SU slump, while gaining its second win in the last 16 head-to-head contests. Coming from behind, Baron Davis sunk a devastating three-pointer with 16.8 seconds left on the clock, and the rest was history.
The ‘over’ in the last 11 head-to-head meetings has been a money machine, cashing in with a 7-4 record.
L.A.’s Pau Gasol is “out indefinitely” with a sprained ankle and unconfirmed sources are reporting that his projected return could be likely in the next few games. In the four games that Gasol has missed, the Lakers have responded with a 3-2 both SU and ATS run. v The Warriors’ Austin Croshere is expected to miss Monday’s contest because of a groin injury. Golden State has posted a 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS performance in his absence.
**Phoenix (47-22 SU, 33-33-3 ATS) at Detroit (49-19 SU, 37-30-1 ATS)**
-- Most books have opened the Pistons as three-point home favorites, with a total installed at 206½.
-- In their last two meetings, Detroit is 2-0 SU and ATS, with the last contest resulting in a 116-86 runaway win.
-- The ‘over’ has gone 4-1 in the last five head-to-head meetings between the two teams.
-- Phoenix is currently on a seven-game winning streak, outscoring it opponents by an average of 14 PPG (117-10) during this stretch. The Suns are 6-0-1 versus the number over this span.
-- The Suns are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine road games, while the Pistons are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 from The Palace of Auburn Hills.
-- Detroit is 10-6 ATS at home this season versus teams with a winning record.
-- Phoenix has exceeded 200 points (in conjunction with its opponents) 70 percent of the time, 210 points 48 percent of the time and 215 points 45 percent.
-- Detroit lost to Washington 95-83 last night as a five-point road favorite. The Pistons have posted a 9-7 SU and 9-6-1 ATS mark in back-to-back nights. The ‘under’ has gone 12-4.
-- The Pistons are 10-4 SU and 7-7 ATS in their last 14 games, while the ‘over’ is 8-6 during the same stretch.
-- The Suns have listed guard Raja Bell as “day-to-day” with a sprained ankle. The team took a 122-113 win over Houston (covering the 6½-point spread) without their best shooter.
vegasinsider.com
Today's NBA analysis
Hot Teams
-- Celtics won fourteen of last sixteen games. 76ers won eleven of their last fourteen games.
-- Nets covered four of their last five games.
-- Suns won, covered their last seven games.
-- Nuggets won five of their last seven games. Grizzlies covered their last five games, winning three of last four.
-- Trailblazers won six of their last nine games.
-- Warriors won ten of their last fourteen games. Lakers are 3-1 in their last four games.
Cold Teams
-- Knicks lost four in row, 11 of last 12 games.
-- Miami lost three in row, eleven of last twelve games. Bucks lost six of their last seven games.
-- Pistons covered just three of last ten games.
-- Rockets lost three of their last four games. Kings are 5-10 in their last fifteen games.
-- Sonics lost last eleven games (4-7 against the spread).
Previous meetings this season
-- Celtics are 3-0 vs Philly this season, winning by 10-27-14 pts.
-- Knicks are 3-0 vs Nets this season, winning by 7-6-8 points.
-- Bucks won two of three vs Miami this season.
-- Pistons (+2.5) won 116-86 in Phoenix Feb 24.
-- Denver beat Memphis twice this year, by 4-22 points.
-- Home side won both Houston-Sacramento games this year.
-- Home team is 3-0 in Portland-Seattle games this season.
-- Lakers lost two of three against Golden State this year.
Totals
-- Six of last eight Boston games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last eight New Jersey games went over the total.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven Miami games; over is 17-3 in last twenty Milwaukee games.
-- Over is 16-5-1 in last 22 Phoenix games.
-- Nine of last eleven Denver games went over the total.
-- Five of last six Sacramento games stayed under the total.
-- Nine of last twelve Seattle games went over the total.
-- Six of last eight Warrior games stayed under the total.