Nets at Grizzlies: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Brooklyn Nets at Memphis Grizzlies (-4.5, 177.5)
The Memphis Grizzlies have bounced back from a three-game skid by winning three of the past four games. More importantly for the Grizzlies is the way they have tightened up defensively after allowing an average of 102 points during the losing streak. That defense will be tested when the red-hot Brooklyn Nets pay a visit to Memphis on Friday night. The Grizzlies are second to Indiana in points allowed at 89.5 and have surrendered an average of only 81.5 points in the last four. The only loss in the span was an 82-81 setback to the Pacers.
The Nets have won three straight and 10 of 11 following Wednesday's 91-83 victory at Minnesota. Brooklyn's defense hasn't been too shabby either, permitting only 85.7 points during the three-game win streak. The Nets are 12-2 since assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo was promoted to replace the fired Avery Johnson. The hot spell has propelled the team within one game of the New York Knicks for the lead in the Atlantic Division. The Grizzles and Nets have split the past 10 meetings.
ABOUT THE NETS (26-16, 20-19-3 ATS): A broken foot cost center Brook Lopez all but five games last season - and may have prevented him from being dealt to Orlando for Dwight Howard. Lopez is doing his best to make sure Brooklyn has no misgivings about failing to make the trade. The 7-footer scored a team-high 22 points against Minnesota, giving him four 20-point outings in his last five games. Lopez is averaging 20 points and 8.5 rebounds in the past five games, and his shooting percentage (52.1) is his highest since his 2008-09 rookie campaign (53.1)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (27-14, 24-16-1 ATS): Defense isn't the only area where Memphis made huge strides. After being held to 85 points or fewer in six consecutive games, the Grizzlies broke out of their doldrums in a 106-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. The offensive eruption came 24 hours after the team dealt away reserves Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington and Josh Selby in a salary-dump trade. Reserve forward Darrell Arthur wasted no time capitalizing on the additional playing time by scoring a season-high 20 points.
TRENDS:
* Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
* Nets are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings in Memphis.
* Under is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings in Memphis.
* Nets are 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings.
* Road team is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph, who leads the NBA with 27 double-doubles, was named to the Western Conference All-Star team on Thursday.
2. After losing its final four road games in December, Brooklyn is 5-1 away from home this month.
3. The magic number for Memphis is 100. The team is 12-0 when scoring in triple digits.
Friday NBA Tips
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The All-Star break is three weeks away in the NBA as teams are looking to close with a bang. The Wizards and Nets are two of the hottest clubs against the spread, while the Rockets and Lakers are losing money for bettors at a rapid pace. We’ll take a look at all ten games on the Friday card, starting with the best bet in the NBA over the last two weeks returning home.
Wolves at Wizards
Washington has won just nine of its first 30 games, but the return of former top pick John Wall has sparked this club in a positive way at the window. The Wizards have cashed eight straight games, including the last seven with Wall in the lineup. Washington heads back to the Verizon Center after cashing all five games on its West Coast swing, which included outright underdog wins at Denver and Portland. Minnesota is just seeking out any healthy body to help out its cause after losing Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic to injury, among others. The Wolves have dropped seven of their past eight games, while allowing at least 100 points in nine of the last 13 contests.
Celtics at Hawks
Boston travels to Atlanta with no rest after falling to New York at home on Thursday, as the Celtics look for their second win at Philips Arena this season. The C’s rallied past the Hawks, 89-81 earlier this month to cash outright as 5½-point ‘dogs, while limiting Atlanta to just nine points in the third quarter. Atlanta is banged up right now with guard Lou Williams out for the rest of the season (knee), as frontcourt mates Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia missed Wednesday’s win at Charlotte with injuries. The Hawks are seeking their first three-game winning streak since late December, while grabbing six victories in their last eight home contests.
Pistons at Heat
Miami is an interesting spot tonight, as the Heat may be in a look-ahead spot with their first trip to Boston on Sunday afternoon. The defending World Champions staved off the Raptors in overtime on Wednesday after a five-day sabbatical, while failing to cover as double-digit favorites. The Pistons knocked off the Heat at the Palace of Auburn Hills, 109-99 as six-point 'dogs in late December, as Detroit ripped off 41 points in the second quarter. Detroit has covered four straight games on the highway, while holding nine of its last 11 opponents overall to less than 100 points.
Bucks at Cavaliers
Cleveland returned from a long road trip to upend Boston as five-point home 'dogs on Tuesday, as the Cavs welcome in the Bucks tonight. Milwaukee has played extremely well since Scott Skiles was removed as head coach, winning and covering six of the last eight contests. The Bucks own a 4-1 SU/ATS record away from the BMO Harris Bradley Center in this stretch, but only one of those victories came in the favorite role (at Phoenix). The Cavs tripped up the Bucks in their last meeting in Milwaukee, a 94-82 triumph as eight-point underdogs in late December.
Nets at Grizzlies
Brooklyn continues to find that magic with P.J. Carlisemo as head coach, grabbing 12 of 14 games since the Avery Johnson firing on December 27. The Nets seek their fourth straight victory tonight against a Memphis squad that is just 3-4 SU/ATS the last seven contests. The Grizzlies took care of the struggling Lakers at home on Wednesday, while busting the 85-point mark for the first time in seven games. Memphis continues to play low-scoring affairs at FedEx Forum, cashing the 'under' in 12 of the last 16 games at home. Since losing by 31 at San Antonio on New Year's Eve, the Nets have won five of their last six away from the Barclays Center.
Rockets at Hornets
The last time these two teams met in the Big Easy earlier this month, Houston closed as a 2 ½-point road favorite and lost 88-79. This time around, the number is flipped in New Orleans' favor, as the Hornets are rolling with a 7-3 SU and 8-2 ATS mark the previous 10 contests. The Rockets are flying in the other direction by dropping eight of their last nine, while failing to cover in all nine contests. New Orleans has done a majority of its damage against division foes by covering in eight of nine games inside the Southwest Division, including all four times against San Antonio.
Spurs at Mavericks
San Antonio has destroyed Dallas twice this season, beating the Mavs by 28 and 25 points. However, the Spurs aren't helping backers by cashing just three of their last nine games, including a 1-3 ATS mark away from the AT&T Center in this span. The Mavs aren't going away in the Western Conference playoff race, winning five of the past six games, while cashing tickets in seven straight games. Rick Carlisle's club has covered four straight games at the American Airlines Center since posting an 0-4 ATS home record through the end of December. The offense is picking things up by scoring at least 100 points in six consecutive games, resulting in a 4-1-1 mark to the 'over' for Dallas.
Warriors at Bulls
Golden State hits the road for four games against Eastern Conference foes, starting tonight at the United Center. The Warriors rallied past Oklahoma City on Wednesday night to complete an impressive two-game sweep of the Thunder and Clippers at home. The task doesn't get easier tonight against a Bulls' squad that has won five of their last six games, while limiting each of their last four opponents at home to fewer than 85 points. Luol Deng is listed as doubtful for the Bulls with a hamstring injury that has kept the forward out each of the last three games. The Warriors have put together a strong 5-2 ATS record against Eastern Conference foes away from the Bay Area, with all seven of those games coming on a trip in mid-December.
Thunder at Kings
Since 2010, Oklahoma City has grabbed 10 of the previous 11 meetings with Sacramento, including four of the last five at Sleep Train Arena. The Thunder play the fifth of a six-game road trip tonight, as OKC is just 1-3 ATS through the first four contests. The Kings blew a 10-point second-half lead in Wednesday's home defeat to the Suns, while losing seven of their last 10 games overall. OKC has struggled to cover numbers against teams off consecutive defeats, posting a 3-9 ATS record in this situation. In the last meeting in Oklahoma City, the Kings picked up a backdoor cover as 13-point 'dogs in a 113-103 loss by outscoring the Thunder by nine points in the second half.
Jazz at Lakers
The league's biggest mystery this season is the downfall of the Lakers, who lost their fourth straight game on Wednesday at Memphis. Los Angeles is 17-25 with Oklahoma City on deck Sunday afternoon, as the Lakers are also playing with double-revenge tonight against Utah. The Jazz are riding a four-game winning streak after holding off the Wizards on Wednesday, while Utah has won eight of 10 overall. In the last meeting between the Lakers and Jazz at Staples Center, Utah shot lights out (54%) from the field in a 117-110 triumph as seven-point 'dogs in December, in spite of L.A. drilling 15 three-pointers in the loss.
NBA Point Spreads and Betting Guide
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
Friday's NBA slate features 10 games highlighted by a few marquee matchups. The slumping Celtics and Lakers will both look to get on the right track as they take on the Hawks and Jazz, respectively. San Antonio travels to take on rival Dallas, while the Bulls and Warriors will meet in the Windy City.
Golden State has won three straight games, including back-to-back upsets of the Clippers and Thunder. The Warriors appear to be coming together at the right time. Meanwhile, Chicago has won five of its last six games with the only loss coming at home to a solid Grizzlies team.
Elsewhere around the league, the Heat plays host to the Pistons, while Oklahoma City visits Sacramento.
NBA Trends:
* The T’Wolves have covered only one of their last seven games and have failed to cover in their past five road games as well. The Wizards have been on a roll, covering 18 of their last 26 games, including their past four at home.
* The Celtics have failed to cover their past six games and are 3-13 ATS over their last 13 games. However, they have covered five of their last six games in Atlanta, the last four of which have stayed UNDER the total.
* The Pistons have covered their past four road games as well as their last five Friday night games. The Heat are just 4-9 ATS over the last 13 games. Miami has stayed UNDER the total in eight of its last 10 home games.
* The Bucks have covered four of their past five road games. The road team has covered the past five meetings between the Cavs and Bucks.
* The Nets have covered their past four games against Western Conference teams. The Grizzlies have gone UNDER the total in 12 of their last 16 home games.
* The Rockets have failed to cover the number in their past nine games. The Hornets have covered eight of their last 10 games. The home team has covered four of the past five meetings between the Rockets and Hornets.
* The Spurs have covered only once in their last five games and are 0-4 ATS in their last four Friday night games. The Mavericks have covered their past seven games. The favorite has covered the last four meetings between the Spurs and Mavericks.
* The Warriors have covered their last four games, the last two of which were impressive, outright underdog wins against the Clippers and Thunder. The Bulls have covered only seven of their last 26 home games. The Warriors and Bulls have stayed UNDER the total in their last six meetings.
* The Thunder have covered seven of their last nine games following a loss. The Kings have failed to cover the last six home games. The Thunder and Kings have gone OVER the total in five of their last seven meetings.
* The Jazz have covered five of their last seven games. The Lakers have failed to cover their past four games, all four of which stayed UNDER the total. The Jazz have covered the last four meetings with the Lakers.
NBA Injuries:
* Hawks center Al Horford (leg) is questionable.
* Bulls forward Luol Deng (hamstring) is doubtful tonight.
* Lakers center Dwight Howard (shoulder) is probable tonight.
* T’Wolves forward Nikola Pekovic (knee) is OUT.
* Spurs forward Tim Duncan (knee) is OUT.
* Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (knee) is questionable.