NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Friday, April 21st, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls
The Boston Celtics unable to solve Chicago Bulls in the first two Conference Quarterfinal games in Bean-Town face the unpleasant prospect of going down 0-3 in their series when the teams square-off on United Center hardwood.
United Center has been a nightmare for the Celtics for many years. The Celtics lost both trips into Chicago this season (0-2 ATS) and have just 3 wins, 12 losses last fifteen with a bankroll-busting 4-11 record against the betting line.
Celtics struggling in second season road games posting a 5-17 SU, 10-12 ATS record on enemy hardwood are currently getting +1.5 points (-110) at Sports Interaction, +2.0 (-115) at Bodog.eu
Friday’s NBA Playoffs Betting Preview
Covers.com
Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls (-2, 207.5)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (53-31 SU, 40-42-2 ATS, 41-39-4 O/U): Boston fixed some of its rebounding issues from Game 1 but it allowed the Bulls to shoot 51.1 percent and turned the ball over 16 times in a lackluster effort that had some on the Chicago side questioning the Celtics' commitment. "It's got to [motivate us]," Stevens said when asked about his team suddenly playing the part of the underdog. "It has to. That has to happen, and that's the charge for our team." There could be some rotation and lineup changes in Game 3, and starting forward Amir Johnson (nine points in 27 minutes in the series) may continue to see a reduced role, while starting guard Avery Bradley needs to find the range after shooting 10-of-28 from the floor in Boston.
ABOUT THE BULLS (43-41 SU, 44-40 ATS, 34-49-1 O/U): Point guard Rajon Rondo was the one who first hinted that Boston looked defeated in Game 2, and he has a pretty good grasp of what it takes to be successful this time of year. The former Celtics star fell a rebound shy of a triple-double in Game 2 (11 points, 14 assists) and chipped in five steals in an electric 40-minute performance, giving him averages of 14.4 points and 9.1 assists in his 96-game playoff career. Dwyane Wade had his best performance since coming back from an elbow injury in Tuesday's win with 22 points, while rookie forward Paul Zipser broke out with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
LINE HISTORY: The Bulls opened as 1.5-point home chalk over the struggling Celtics and that line has since been bet up to an even 2. The total hit the betting board at 207 went up slightly to 207.5.
INJURY REPORT:
Celtics - No injuries to report.
Bulls - No injuries to report.
TRENDS:
* Celtics are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Bulls are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Over is 4-0 in Celtics last 4 games following a straight up loss.
* Over is 4-0 in Bulls last 4 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Favorite is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder (-3, 224.5)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (57-27 SU, 43-41-0 ATS, 42-41-1 O/U): Houston averaged just 102.5 points - nearly 13 points below its average - in two regular-season visits to Oklahoma City and struggled in the fourth quarters with outputs of 13 in the loss and 16 in the win. The Rockets received 93 of their 115 points in Game 2 from the backcourt quartet of James Harden, Eric Gordon (22 points), Lou Williams (21) and Patrick Beverley (15). Primarily known for his defensive prowess, Beverley is averaging 18 points on 14-of-22 in the first two games.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (47-37 SU, 46-37-1 ATS, 38-45-1 O/U): Coach Billy Donovan questioned his decision not to have Russell Westbrook take his customary break on the bench to start the fourth quarter of Game 2 but Westbrook insisted afterward that he wasn't tired. But the final 12 minutes was full of errant shots from Westbrook as he finished 17-of-43 from the field and is just 19-of-66 in the series. Part of the problem in Game 2 was that nobody from the supporting class stepped up and shooting guard Victor Oladipo has been horrid in the series by averaging 8.5 points on 5-of-26 shooting.
LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened OKC as 2.5-point home favorites for Game 3, and by Thursday afternoon that number was up to 3. The total opened at 224.5 and has held at that number
INJURY REPORT:
Rockets - SF Sam Dekker (Early May, hand).
Thunder - No injuries to report.
TRENDS:
* Rockets are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
* Under is 5-1 in Rockets last 6 games following a straight up win.
* Under is 5-1 in Thunder last 6 overall.
* Rockets are 10-2 ATS in the last 12 meetings.
* Under is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings in Oklahoma City.
L.A. Clippers at Utah Jazz (+1.5, 197)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (53-32 SU, 40-43-1 ATS, 44-39-1 O/U): Center DeAndre Jordan had his share of issues with Gobert and the Jazz during the regular season but took control of the shorthanded Jazz in Game 2, recording 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting and 15 rebounds. "We can't worry about one person, and I don't think my job changes if he's playing or if he's out," Jordan told the media. Point guard Chris Paul figures to be successful regardless of who is on the court and he is averaging 23 points, 10.5 assists and three steals while shooting 55.9 percent from the floor in the series.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (52-32 SU, 38-42-4 ATS, 42-42-0 O/U): Utah fell behind early in Game 1 and was outscored 29-18 in the first quarter in Tuesday's loss, a trend it wants to reverse at home. "The first quarter is what really got us, and they hit us a little bit, set us back in Game 1, as well," forward Gordon Hayward told reporters following a 20-point effort. "We definitely have to be better in the first quarter, but besides the first quarter we played them pretty even." Veteran swingman Joe Johnson, who hit the game-winner in Game 1, added 13 points off the bench and forward Derrick Favors also finished with 13 while starting in place of Gobert.
LINE HISTORY: The Jazz opened as 1-point home favorites and with news of Golbert's absence the line jumped the fence to LAC -1.5. Oddsmakers set the total at 197 and that has yet to move
INJURY REPORT:
Clippers - PG Austin Rivers (Out Friday, hamstring), C Diamond Stone (Out Indefinitely, knee).
Jazz - C Rudy Gobert (Out, knee).
TRENDS:
* Clippers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Jazz are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
* Under is 4-1 in Clippers last 5 overall.
* Under is 4-1 in Jazz last 5 overall.
* Under is 6-0 in Jazz last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
Friday's NBA Essentials
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com
Western Conference First Round
No. 3 Houston at No. 6 Oklahoma City
2016-17 Regular Season (Rockets 3-1)
Nov. 16 Rockets at Thunder (-2.5) 105-103 (Under 218)
Dec. 9 Rockets (-1.5) at Thunder 102-99 (Under 224)
Jan. 5 Thunder at Rockets (-8 ) 118-116 (Over 227)
Mar. 26 Thunder at Rockets (-6) 137-125 (Over 230.5)
2016-17 Postseason (Tied 1-1)
Apr. 16 Thunder at Rockets (-7.5) 118-87 (Under 227.5)
Apr. 19 Thunder at Rockets (-7.5) 115-111 (Over 225.5)
**Game 4 will take place from OKC's Chesapeake Energy Arena on Sunday.
MVP votes were in before this tipped off, so this series has had no bearing on the verdict when a winner is crowned on June 26. That hasn't stopped those in the James Harden camp from going to the "told you so" card anyway. Thus far, Harden has been efficient in helping the Rockets earn a 2-0 series lead, while Russell Westbrook has taken everybody on the roller coaster demonstrating why he's so great and devisive at the same time.
It's all been on display, "It's a Small World"-style like the ride at Disneyland that sets you up with a tour on that neat virtual boat ride. To the left, we spy Westbrook's brilliance courtesy of a performance so great that it looked certain to lead the Thunder to a series split in Houston through three quarters. Then you see the poor decisions. The lack of trust in teammates breeds hesitancy in his ownmind. The breathless desire to succeed and the bulletproof confidence that both makes him great also makes it impossible for teammates to truly find the rhythm to help aid the cause.
Only Andre Roberson truly played well for the Thunder in Game 2, but it's his game to stay active at both ends without needing the ball. That puts him in the minority. Second-leading scorer Victor Oladipo often looks so lost next to Westbrook that it feels almost inhumane that no one has sent out a rescue party. Westbrook finished with 51 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists in the 115-111 loss, but sabotaged the Thunder by shooting 4-for-17 in the fourth quarter. His 6-for-23 shooting and nine turnovers gave OKC no chance in a Game 1 it dropped by 31 points. For the series, he's shooting just under 35 percent, so even though hes averaging 36.5 points and has managed a triple-double clip (10.5 rpg, 10.0 apg), he's been out-MVP'd thus far.
Back home, hope is renewed. Role players perform better in familiar surroundings, so Oklahoma City is hoping to take care of business and punch right back. In fairness, the old NBA adage has always been that a playoff series doesn't start until the home team loses, so the Thunder can indeed claw back into it. It doesn't matter how ugly it's been thus far. What OKC must prove is that it has some staying power over four quarters and the requisite fight to want to battle back. That's never an issue for Westbrook, but Billy Donovan must get the right guys out there around him that won't hang their heads.
Houston has now beaten Oklahoma City five straight times. The Thunder's only win came at home way back on Nov. 16 and the Rockets have been able to make big plays to steal three of the games down the stretch, so it will be interesting to see whether they've packed that aura of invincibility on this trip. Harden is averaging 36.0 points, 5.5 boards and 8.5 assists through the first two games, but he's struggled shooting the ball at the Peake this season, coming in 10-for-39 (.256) from the field and 3-for-16 from 3-point range. While this season has taken matters to the extreme, he's never really shot the ball well back in OKC, which dates back to a 3-for-16 game in his back in 2012 after being traded away that offseason.
Harden ran into the Thunder that postseason, the last time these teams had met prior to this year's playoff pairing, and struggled in the first two games of that series, shooting a combined 15-for-43. His last playoff game at the Peake, a 107-100 Rockets win back on May 1, 2013, saw him shoot 10-for-16 and 7-for-9 from 3-point range. A performance like that would probably end this series, but Harden would settle for being efficient enough where his touch isn't a detriment since his ability to get to the paint and find teammates has become a game-changer due to the fact he's got more help than ever before. Lou Williams scored 21 points in 21 minutes off the bench in Game 2, while fellow guards Patrick Beverley and Eric Gordon have each made huge contributions already this series.
It should be a scary though for OKC that it is in an 0-2 hole despite Ryan Anderson shooting 2-for-14 from the field, missing all 11 of his 3-pointers. There's nothing physically wrong with him any more now that his ankle is healthy again, so regaining a rhythm is only a matter of time. The Rockets have average 116.5 points through the first two games despite shooting 21-for-62 from 3-point range, well below their season average. Oklahoma City has been worse, shooting 16-for-59.
The total has been set at its lowest figure in 2017. Through two regular-season games and the first pair of playoff matchups, the number hasn't dipped below 225, where oddsmakers opened the action before moving to 224.
Eastern Conference First Round
No. 8 Chicago at No. 1 Boston
2016-17 Regular Season (Tied 2-2)
Oct. 27 Celtics at Bulls (-1) 105-99 (Under 209)
Nov. 2 Bulls at Celtics (-3) 107-100 (Under 207.5)
Feb. 16 Celtics at Bulls (+1) 104-103 (Under 214)
Mar. 12 Bulls at Celtics (-7.5) 100-80 (Under 208)
2016-17 Postseason (Bulls 2-0)
Apr. 15 Bulls (+7.5) at Celtics 106-102 (Over 207)
Apr. 17 Bulls (+7) at Celtics 111-97 (Over 206.5)
**Game 4 will take place from Chicago's United Center on Saturday.
Anyone who got in on a Bulls upset before Game 1 could get back nearly four that times their investment if they go on to become the sixth No. 8 seed in NBA history to take out a No. 1. Backing Chicago prior to Game 2 means you're likely holding a ticket paying out nearly +200, and thus far, you're halfway home.
The Bulls are all the way home, location-wise, back at the United Center to try and claim a stranglehold on this series in front of a crowd that could've never envisioned attending a playoff game as recently as St. Patrick's Day. On March 17, Chicago fell for the seventh time in eight games, falling five games under .500. Dwyane Wade had just been lost for what was thought to be the rest of the season since there was no way to envision the Bulls getting back into the playoff hunt.
Instead of folding, a team that was in the running for the league's most dysfunctional for most of the season rallied, winning nine of 13. Chicago won its last two-regular season games, necessary since Miami was waiting to pounce on any slip-up in order to crash the playoff party, by a combined 86 points. The Bulls have won six of seven at home, a run that includes the Jazz, Hawks and Cavs as victims.
Chicago put together a pair of terrific games in Boston, where by the fourth quarter of Game 2, you could no longer tell who the top seed was supposed to be. Jimmy Butler has led the way with averages of 26.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists, taking the reins as the franchise player. Rajon Rondo (11.5/8.5/10.0), Dwyane Wade (16.5/4.5/4.0) and Robin Lopez (16.0, 9.5), the team's three oldest regulars, have been incredibly effective in outplaying expectations against much younger competition.
Rebounding and turnovers have been a major point of emphasis over the course of the past few games for Boston, which gave up an average of 108.5 points per game in the two losses. Chicago has been fantastic on the offensive boards and have gotten key contributions from reserves Bobby Portis and Paul Zipser to make up for the fact Nikola Mirotic has gone cold.
The Celtics have been out-rebounded 96-74 over the first two games. This has forced them to have to work harder for longer on the defensive end, disrupting any rhythm they've looked to sustain. Isaiah Thomas has played scapegoat for some since he tragically lost his sister in a car accident early Saturday morning and has played through his emotional strife, but his clouded focus ranks way down on the list of reasons the Celtics lost two home games.
Head coach Brad Stevens will have Thomas back after he left the team to be with family and attend the funeral in Seattle. He and backcourt mate Avery Bradley were each at minus-20 or lower in Game 2 after actually being on the plus side in the series opener, so their ability to bounce back will also be critical since they're most responsible for creating the team's energy. Rondo has outplayed them both and largely controlled the game's pace, while Butler has yet to be phased by the defense of former college teammate Jae Crowder or Marcus Smart.
Despite their seeding, the Bulls have been installed as a slight favorite in this Game 3 and the series price that looks like a lottery ticket for early birds now looks like Boston's number at the beginning of the series. The total has been set at 207, in the same vicinity as the first two games of the series. All four regular-season meetings went under, but the playoff games have each gone over, narrowly hurdling the posted number.
Western Conference First Round
No. 4 L.A. Clippers at No. 5 Utah
2016-17 Regular Season (L.A. won 3-1)
Oct. 30 Jazz at Clippers (-7.5) 88-75 (Under 190)
Feb. 13 Clippers at Jazz (-8 ) 88-72 (Under 207)
Mar. 13 Clippers at Jazz (-2) 114-108 (Over 202.5)
Mar. 25 Jazz at Clippers (-5) 108-95 (2OT) (Over 200)
2016-17 Postseason (Tied 1-1)
Apr. 15 Jazz (+6) at Clippers 97-95 (Under 197.5)
Apr. 18 Jazz at Clippers (-9) 99-91 (Under 200)
**Game 4 will take place from Salt Lake City's Vivint Smart Home Arena on Sunday.
The big news as these teams transition from L.A. to Salt Lake City is that the Stifle Tower, Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Rudy Gobert, will be absent once again. The French center with the 7-foot-7 wingspan has been out of the mix following the first possession of the series, injuring his knee 17 seconds in.
Although the Jazz were able to win without him, claiming a Game 1 they controlled throughout when Joe Johnson snapped a tie at the buzzer, the Clips were able to take advantage of a Gobert-less defense in a 99-91 win to even the series on Wednesday, playing with the lead from the onset and holding on late.
L.A. scored 60 points in the paint and took advantage of the fact Derrick Favors, now flying solo in the rim protection game, had to be concerned about foul trouble and couldn't be aggressive. Thus far, he's been a bright spot compared to the regular season, when he former No. 3 overall pick shot 6-for-19 in the two games he played against L.A., both losses. He was a pleasant surprise as the x-factor in the series opener and is shooting over 70 percent from the field, averaging 14 points an 6.5 boards. He's got the size, skill and ahtleticism to make life difficult for Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, but hadn't played consecutive games where he worked for over 30 minutes since early November. If he surpasses that mark again tonight, it will be the first time he's played over 30 in three straight games since last March.
Fortunately for Utah, there have been multiple days between games in this series, so fatigue may be less of a factor than it ordinarily would be. Still, Favors just went through a season marred by knee issues, making a heavier workload in the postseason less than ideal since he had just returned from a 14-game absence on April 7. Boris Diaw and Jeff Withey are now being counted on to pitch in alongside Favors, but Quin Snyder has also opted to go small more often than he normally does, spreading the floor and playing slightly faster. We'll see if that trend continues at home.
First-time All-Star Gordon Hayward and Johnson have been the two leading scorers and have been involved in plenty of isolations, but they combined to shoot 11-for-30 in Game 2 and must be better if the Jazz are going to overcome losing Gobert. Hayward is shooting 12-for-33 from the field against the physical defense of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who helped hold him to 10-for-30 shooting over the two losses the Jazz suffered with him in the lineup during the regular season.
Snyder has had a great season in leading his team to a Northwest title, making him part of the Coach of the Year conversation. He's going to be counted on to adjust on the fly and has been open about utilizing the Hack-a-Shaq strategy against DeAndre Jordan, hoping to frustrate the big man since he's looked mighty comfortable without Gobert to contend with. For the series, he's averaging 14 points and 15 rebounds, shooting 13-for-18 and making it possible for everyone else to comfortably play their roles.
The under has prevailed in five of the last six Jazz games, including the first two games in the series. That may explain why even without Gobert, this total opened at its lowest point (197) of any of the five previous meetings played this calendar year.