NBA Betting News and Notes
By Steve Merril
Covers.com
Boston Celtics
Ray Allen missed six straight games with a right ankle injury. But his absence has actually been a blessing in disguise for the Celtics as they won five of those six games while going 5-1 ATS.
Avery Bradley started in place of Allen in five games and emerged as a significant contributor for Boston on both ends of the court. Bradley averaged 14.6 points per game and the Celtics’ offense has really picked up the pace since he was inserting into the starting lineup.
Allen returned to the court on Wednesday night, so it will be interesting to see how head coach Doc Rivers manages Allen and Bradley going forward.
“We thought about that,” Rivers said when asked if he’d given any thought to bringing Allen off the bench. “We’ll talk about it. We’ll see how it goes, and if not, we will make a change. But we like what we have.”
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls have lost back-to-back games heading into their Thursday night home contest against the Celtics. It’s the first time Chicago has lost two consecutive outings over its last 86 games overall. Head coach Tom Thibodeau called it the worst consecutive performances since he arrived last season.
“I felt like we let go of the rope,” Thibodeau told reporters. “Usually, we’re a team that has shown great fight, great resolve. We get down; we fight back. I don’t feel we ever let go of the rope. The last two games, we let go of the rope.”
Derrick Rose has missed the last 11 games with a groin injury and the Bulls are 6-5 ATS without him. But reports out of Chicago indicate that Rose is close to returning.
“Obviously, the injury was pretty serious,” Bulls GM Gar Forman told the media. “Through the process, he has continued to make progress. Tuesday was his first day on the floor going full speed as far as a basketball workout; running, sliding, shooting. He was in a full lather for probably close to an hour. This was the next step. Hopefully, we'll have a resolution pretty soon.”
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland has struggled this season, with just 17 wins heading into Friday night's game in Toronto. The Cavaliers are also on a 1-8 ATS slide and will be without their best player, Kyrie Irving, who will miss as many as 10 days after aggravating a sprained right shoulder.
Irving, the NBA’s leading rookie scorer, averages 18.8 points and 5.7 assists per game. Cleveland will play six games in 10 days and eight games in 12 days. Head coach Byron Scott is thinking about shutting Irving down for the rest of the season.
“I think by the time that he could probably return, there might be two weeks left in the season. So I've thought about sitting him,” he told reporters.
Miami Heat
Miami played without Dwyane Wade (bruised left knee) Tuesday night and the Heat still beat the Sixers 99-93 behind 41 points from LeBron James.
That was the 10th game Wade has missed this season and it’s interesting to note that Miami is 7-3 over/under in those outings. He returned to the court for Miami’s 98-93 win over Oklahoma City Wednesday and that game played under the total.
“We want to be very smart about it right now,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said about Wade’s knee injury. “It’s nothing serious, but it is a bruise. He is sore. You don’t want to have a minor injury like this turn into something more, particularly when it has an opportunity to heal.”
Miami plays just three home games over the next seven days, so Wade should be able to get plenty of rest for his ailing knee.