NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Tuesday, December 20th, 2016
NBA Knowledge
Pelicans lost seven of last nine games, are 3-11 on road, 0-1 as road favorites. Four of their last six games went over total. 76ers are 3-2 in their last five games but 5-13 at home, 9-5 as home underdogs. Six of Sixers’ last seven games stayed under total. Home side won four of last five Pelican-Sixer games; New Orleans lost by 15-14 points in last two visits here. Four of last five series games stayed under.
Lakers lost nine of last ten games, are 3-6 in last nine games as a road underdog. Three of last four Laker games stayed under total. Charlotte is 5-3 in its last eight games, 3-1 in last four at home; they’re 6-5 as home favorites. Six of Hornets’ last seven games stayed under. Lakers lost last three games with Charlotte by 1-19-10 points, but LA covered five of last seven series games. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games.
Nets lost four of last five games; they’re 3-2 vs spread in last five road games. Over is 5-2 in Brooklyn’s last seven games. Toronto won/covered five of last six games; they covered five of last seven home games. Over is 7-3 in Raptors’ last ten games. Nets lost last four games with Toronto (1-3 vs spread); they’re 3-2 vs spread in last five visits here. Three of last four series games stayed under.
Orlando lost five of last seven games but they’re 9-5 vs spread on road, covering four of last five away games. Over is 6-2 in Magic’s last eight games. Miami lost seven of last nine games but covered four of last five; they’re 2-3 as home favorites. Under is 5-2 in Heat’s last seven games. Miami won eight of last ten games with Orlando; Magic lost last three games in Miami, by 7-11-22 points. Over is 4-1 in last five series games.
Indiana won four of its last six games; they’re 3-5 as road underdogs, 1-5 if they played night before. Under is 4-0-1 in Pacers’ last five games. Knicks lost last three games but are 8-2 vs spread in last ten home games. Over is 5-2 in their last seven games. Knicks lost last seven games with Indiana; seven of last eight series games stayed under. Indiana won its last three visits here, by 6-16-5 points.
Celtics won last two games, covered eight of last ten road games; they’re 6-3 as road favorites. Four of last five Boston games stayed under total. Memphis lost three of last four games; they’re 5-3 as home underdogs. Grizzlies’ last seven games stayed under total. Grizzlies won six of last eight games with Boston; home side won six of last seven series games. Celtics lost last four visits here, by 5-17-7-4 points. Over is 4-1 in last five series games.
Cavaliers won six of last seven games; they’re 3-5 as road favorites. Over is 5-1 in their last six road games. Milwaukee won four of last six home games; they’re 4-2 as home underdogs. Over is 10-5 in their home games. Cavaliers won five of last seven games with Milwaukee; they lost two of last three visits here. Bucks are 7-3 vs spread in last ten series games. Over is 8-2 in last ten series games.
San Antonio won seven of last eight games, is 13-1 on road, losing last road game 12 days ago, in Chicago. Spurs’ last three games went over the total. Houston won its last ten games, is 10-2 at home this season, losing to Spurs/Raptors. Three of Spurs’ last four games went over. Spurs won seven of last nine games with Houston; they won three of last four visits here. Last three series games stayed under total.
Portland lost its last six road games (1-5 vs spread); they’re 3-10 vs spread in last 13 road tilts. Over is 9-4 in their last 13 games overall. Sacramento lost seven of last ten games; they’re 8-3 vs spread at home. Under is 8-2 in Kings’ last ten games. Portland won its last seven games with Sacramento; they won last three visits here, by 11-4-8 points. Under is 7-2 in last nine series games.
Blake Griffin is out 3-6 weeks for Clippers, who won four of last five games but are 1-6 vs spread in last seven. LA is 6-5-1 as a home favorite. Four of their last five games went over total. Denver lost three of last four road games, is 7-4 as a road underdog; they’re 2-3 if they played night before. Over is 6-1 in last seven Nugget road games. Clippers won five of last six games with Denver. last seven series games stayed under.
Utah won four in row, seven of last eight games; they’re 1-5 as road underdogs- favorites are 12-1 vs spread in Jazz road games. Four of their last five games stayed under the total. Golden State won eight of last nine games but is 1-5 vs spread in last six; they’re 6-7 as a home favorite. Six of Warriors’ last seven games stayed under. Golden State won its last six games with Utah (4-2 vs spread); under is 3-0-1 in last four series games.
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NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors will host the Brooklyn Nets in a division clash Tuesday night at the Air Canada Centre. Atlantic division leading Raptors enter 19-8 on the campaign and are the top ATS team in the league at 19-7-1 against the betting line. Raptors one of the better team in offensive efficiency metrics (115.4 ppg) carry a sparkling 11-2 SU/ATS stretch into the game on a whopping 121.6 points per 100 possesions. As for Brokklyn, the Nets hitting a rough patch are 3-14 SU, 7-8-1 ATS the past 17 games netting 101.2 per 100 possesions with a horrible 112.6 defensive efficiency rating over the skid.
That huge discrepancy in scoring prowess along with the fact Raptors are on a sparkling 9-0 (7-2 ATS) streak hosting a division rival, 11-3 (12-2 ATS) stretch overall vs an Eastern Conference opponent sportsbooks have Raptors a whopping 15.5 to 16.0 point home favorites.
As always, a higher price on a game is cause to ratchet up tension for a sports handicapper. However, in this case supporters not adverse to laying a slew of points can coun't on Raptors tapping into home court advantage. In the past 43 regular season games in front of the home audience, Purple Dinos' have won 34 contest with just 9 losses. Add the great equalizer (point spread), Raptors are 27-17-1 against the spread including 6-2 ATS as double digit chalk. Another positive for Toronto supporters is the fact Nets have not been a peg to hang your hopes on when travelling. The Nets are just 1-12 SU, 6-5-2 against the betting line in road games this season, 3-2 ATS as double digit underdogs.
Red-hot Jazz, Warriors clash Tuesday night
By: Zach Cohen
StatFox.com
The Jazz will be looking to make a statement by defeating the Warriors in Oracle Arena on Tuesday.
Utah is on a roll coming into this one, as the Jazz have won four straight games and 11 of their past 13. They have also found ways to cover in most of those contests, as they are 9-2-1 ATS in their past 13. This team has been suffocating opponents on the defensive end over the past few weeks, as the Jazz have held their opponents to under 40.0% shooting from the field in three of their past four. They’ll need to be ready to keep that up on Tuesday, as it is not easy to chase around these Warriors. Golden State is also on a four-game winning streak in this game, and the team has scored an average of 116.8 PPG in those victories. The Warriors will be hoping to run up those scoring numbers again on Tuesday, as they know that this Jazz team is excellent and will want to show the world just how dominant they are once again. Golden State has gotten the best of this head-to-head series in recent years, going 8-1 SU and 6-3 ATS versus Utah over the past three seasons. The Warriors also happen to be 4-0 both SU and ATS when hosting the Jazz in that span. Utah will, however, be looking for revenge in this game, and the team is actually a ridiculous 34-9 ATS when revenging a home loss versus an opponent under head coach Quin Snyder. The Jazz will likely be without PG George Hill (Toe), though, and they will badly miss him in a game where they’ll need all the good guard play they can get.
If the Jazz are going to upset this juggernaut of a Warriors team then SF Gordon Hayward (22.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.0 SPG) will likely need to play the game of his life on Tuesday. With Hill out, Hayward will handle the ball for a majority of this game and he’ll need to make the right decisions in this one. It’s important that Hayward does his best to get his bigs involved, but he’ll also need to be aggressive as a scorer in this game. It’s tough to imagine the Jazz winning if Hayward doesn’t hit the 25-point mark. SG Rodney Hood (15.8 PPG) will also need to be ready to score in this one. His matchup with Klay Thompson will come a long way in determining the outcome of this game, so Hood needs to shoot the ball well and he also needs to defend at a high level. Another guy that must come ready to defend is C Rudy Gobert (12.3 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 2.7 BPG). Gobert is one of the best rim protectors in basketball, and he should see a ton of challengers on Tuesday. He must stay vertical in this one, as the Jazz will get blown out if Gobert gets himself into foul trouble.
The Warriors get to face one of their toughest opponents of the season on Tuesday and they will be excited for the challenge. The guy that could really go off in this game is PG Steph Curry (24.7 PPG, 5.9 APG, 1.6 SPG). Curry is going up against a Utah team that is missing its starting point guard, so he will need to be in attack mode early. He has deferred to SF Kevin Durant (25.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.6 BPG, 1.3 SPG) a ton this season, but that shouldn’t be the case here. Durant will still see plenty of looks, but Golden State needs to exploit its mismatches whenever the team can. SG Klay Thompson (21.5 PPG) will be crucial in this game for the Warriors. With Hill out, Rodney Hood is going to be a bigger part of the Jazz offense and Thompson needs to do his best to lock him down. He is one of the better wing defenders in the league and that must be on full display in this contest. PF Draymond Green (10.5 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 7.3 APG, 2.2 SPG, 1.4 BPG) also needs to do what he does on Tuesday. He should be able to stuff the stat sheet once again for the Warriors, but it’s important he shoots the three-ball well. If he can do that then it might make it hard for the Jazz to keep Rudy Gobert on the floor when Green is playing the center spot.
Tuesday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Favorites won four of five games inside the NBA on Monday night with the Thunder losing in the final seconds to the Hawks as the only chalk team to fall. The Pacers failed to cash as five-point favorites in a 107-105 home triumph over the Wizards as Washington covered for the fourth straight game. Following a 5-2 night to the UNDERS on Sunday, the OVERS bounced back last night with a 3-2 mark.
Game of the Night – Jazz at Warriors (-11½, 210)
A pair of first place teams in the Western Conference hook up at Oracle Arena as Utah will look like a different team against Golden State tonight than the one that lost to the Warriors on December 8. Golden State held off Utah, 106-99 after building a 24-point first quarter advantage as Gordon Hayward, George Hill, and Rodney Hood all sat out for the Jazz due to injuries. Hayward and Hood are back for Utah, who look to snap a six-game losing streak to the Warriors that dates back to March 2015.
The Jazz (18-10 SU, 16-11-1 ATS) wrap up a quick two-game road swing following an 82-73 victory at Memphis on Sunday as 1½-point favorites. Utah has won seven of eight games with the only setback in this stretch coming to Golden State, as Quin Snyder’s team is listed as an underdog for the third time in the last 14 contests. The Jazz have put together a solid 7-0 SU/ATS record as a road favorite this season, but have slumped to a 1-5 SU/ATS mark when getting points on the highway.
Golden State (24-4 SU, 12-15-1 ATS) is fresh off a 45-point blowout of Portland on Saturday night, 135-90 to easily cash as 14-point home favorites. Kevin Durant posted a 34-point, 11-rebound performance for the Warriors, who snapped a five-game ATS skid, while improving to 6-7 ATS as a home favorite this season. Golden State is riding a seven-game UNDER streak as Steve Kerr’s team is 1-1 to the UNDER in games with a total posted at 210 or less this season.
Tops in Texas
The only two teams to beat the Warriors this season both hail from the Lone Star State and meet tonight in Houston. The Rockets (21-7 SU, 19-9 ATS) play host to the Spurs (22-5 SU, 14-12-1 ATS) at Toyota Center as the road team has won each of the two meetings this season. In the past matchup in Houston on November 12, the Spurs held off the Rockets, 106-100 as 1½-point favorites as San Antonio owns a league-best 14-1 record on the highway. The Rockets are the hottest team in the NBA by winning 10 straight games, including six consecutive victories at Toyota Center.
Central Clash
The last time the Cavaliers visited Milwaukee in late November, the defending champions were embarrassed by the Bucks, 118-101 as seven-point favorites. Cleveland is back at BMO Harris Bradley Center tonight, but are without forward Kevin Love, who is out due to a left knee contusion. Milwaukee has been off for three days since pulling off an impressive home-and-home sweep of Chicago, while limiting the Bulls to 69 points in last Friday’s rout. Cleveland has won six of seven games with the only defeat coming at Memphis in which Love, LeBron James, and Kyrie Irving all sat out.
Coming up Roses
The Knicks return home following a 2-3 road trip as the Pacers invade Madison Square Garden. Derrick Rose is expected to be in the lineup tonight after missing the past two losses at Golden State and Denver with a back injury. New York owns a strong 9-3 SU/ATS home record when Rose in the lineup, while posting a 6-1 SU/ATS mark in the home favorite role. Indiana held off Washington last night, 107-105 on a Thaddeus Young layup in the final seconds to win its second straight game following a two-game skid. Playing without rest isn’t the best situation to back the Pacers, who own a dreadful 1-5 SU/ATS mark on the second of a back-to-back set.
Looking for Points
The Grizzlies haven’t scored many points of late, putting up fewer than 100 points in six of the past seven games. Memphis was limited to 73 points in Sunday’s home defeat to Utah, while cashing the UNDER in seven straight games. The Grizzlies are listed as a home underdog for the 10th time this season tonight against the Celtics, as Memphis owns a 6-3 SU/ATS mark in this role. The Celtics are riding a two-game winning streak following victories over the Hornets and Heat, but Boston has lost four straight visits to FedEx Forum.
Hot Nuggets
Don’t look now, but Denver is heating up of late by winning consecutive games following Monday’s 117-107 triumph over Dallas. The Nuggets travel to Los Angeles with no rest to face the Clippers, who play their first game without Blake Griffin, who is sidelined with a knee injury. Los Angeles is back from a three-game road swing which ended with a loss at Washington on Sunday, as the Clippers have stumbled to a 1-6 ATS record the past seven games.
Head-to-head trends
The 76ers shoot for the season sweep of the Pelicans tonight after Philadelphia won at New Orleans earlier this month. New Orleans hasn’t had much luck in Philadelphia, losing the last two visits to Wells Fargo Center.
The Hornets have won three straight meetings with the Lakers, including a pair of double-digit victories last season. Los Angeles travels to Charlotte tonight as the Lakers have covered in each of its past four trips to Spectrum Center.
Toronto and Brooklyn are meeting for the first time this season as the Raptors captured all four matchups last season. Three of the four games last season finished UNDER the total, as the Nets scored 99 points or less in three of those defeats.
The Heat are 6-1 in the last seven matchups with the Magic since February 2015, including a 108-96 victory at Orlando on opening night. Miami has won three straight home contests against Orlando as the Magic were limited to 97 points or less in each loss.
The Kings have dropped their last seven meetings with the Blazers, including a 122-120 overtime setback in Portland last month. The Blazers make their first trip to Golden 1 Center as Portland has won in its past three visits to Sacramento.