NBA Knowledge
Friday's hot teams
-- Charlotte won six of its last nine games (0-3 last 3HF).
-- Miami won seven of its last ten games (6-3 last 9AF).
-- Magic is 4-2 in its last six games (5-1 last six HU).
-- Detroit won seven of its last ten games (11-6-1 last 18HF).
-- Toronto won three of last four home games (4-2 last 6HF).
-- Pacers won their last three games, all as favorites (1-2 last 3A).
-- Celtics won seven of their last nine games (5-4 last 9HF).
-- Dallas won its last five games (0-4 last 4HF).
-- Spurs won six of their last eight games (2-4 last 6AF)- they figure to rest some guys tonight.
-- Clippers won seven of their last eight games (2-3 last 5A).
-- Utah won six of its last nine games (3-1 last 4H).
Cold teams
-- Nets lost their last six games (0-6 vs spread).
-- Knicks lost five of their last six games (3-4AF).
-- 76ers lost nine of last ten games, but covered five of their last seven.
-- Wizards lost five of their last eight games (3-0 last 3AU).
-- Bucks lost seven of their last nine games (5-2 last 7AU).
-- Lakers lost seven of their last eight games (0-3 last 3AU).
-- Pelicans lost six of their last nine games (3-7 last 10HF).
-- Memphis lost six of its last seven games (4-3 last 7AU).
-- Denver lost five of its last six games (5-3 last 8HU).
Series records
-- Nets lost four of last five games with Charlotte.
-- 76ers lost their last four games with New York.
-- Heat won nine of last ten games with Orlando.
-- Wizards won their last four games with Detroit.
-- Raptors won six of last seven games with Indiana.
-- Celtics won three of last four games with Milwaukee.
-- Pelicans are 5-2 in last seven games with Lakers, but lost last two.
-- Dallas lost four of last five visits to Memphis.
-- Spurs won last ten games with Denver (7-3 vs spread).
-- Clippers won nine of last ten games with Utah.
Totals
-- Four of last six Brooklyn games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last seven New York games stayed under.
-- Six of last seven Miami games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Orlando games went over.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven Washington-Detroit games.
-- Six of last nine Indiana games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Milwaukee-Boston games went over total.
-- Four of last five Laker-Pelican games stayed under.
-- Over is 7-2-1 in last ten Memphis-Dallas games.
-- Three of last four Denver games went over total.
-- Seven of last nine Clipper games stayed under the total.
Back/backs
-- Miam is 8-6 vs spread if it played night before.
-- Toronto covered five of its last six games if they played night before.
-- Spurs covered two of last eight games if they played night before.
Armadillosports.com
Friday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Wizards at Pistons
The clock is running out on Washington (38-40 SU, 40-38 ATS) for a shot to make the playoffs, as the Wizards sit 3½ games behind the Pistons with four games remaining. Washington kept it slim postseason hopes alive with a 121-103 victory over Brooklyn on Wednesday, but point guard John Wall sat out to rest an ailing knee. Wall is questionable for tonight’s contest as the Wizards have seen plenty of success against the Pistons this season by winning each of the first three matchups, including a 124-81 home blowout in their previous meeting last month.
Detroit (42-37 SU, 40-37-2 ATS) is closing in on a playoff berth after rallying past Orlando on Wednesday, 108-104 as three-point underdogs. The Pistons busted the 100-point mark for the first time in six games, while snapping a five-game streak to the ‘under.’ Stan Van Gundy’s team has won six of their last nine home contests, but scored 95 points or less in each of the last three games at the Palace of Auburn Hills. In all three meetings with the Wizards this season, the Pistons’ offense has struggled to score by posting 95, 86, and 81 points, as all three games finished ‘under’ the total.
Pacers at Raptors
Even though this is the final regular season meeting between Indiana and Toronto, these two teams may hook up in the opening round of the playoffs. The Raptors (52-26 SU, 42-36 ATS) will likely finish with the second seed in the East, while the Pacers sit in the seventh position heading into tonight’s action. Toronto plays with no rest after falling at Atlanta on Thursday, 95-87 as 6 ½-point underdogs, but the Raptors own a solid 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS record since the All-Star break off a loss. The Raptors have won two of the first three matchups with the Pacers this season, including a road overtime triumph last month, 101-94.
Indiana (42-36 SU, 38-39-1 ATS) barely missed the playoffs last season after making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2014, as the Pacers are on the doorstep of returning to the postseason. The Pacers caught a break on Wednesday when the Cavaliers decided to rest LeBron James as Indiana cruised to a 123-109 victory to extend their winning streak to three. Frank Vogel’s squad has compiled a 5-8 ATS record in its last 13 games, while losing four of their last five road games to teams currently above the .500 mark.
Grizzlies at Mavericks
Things can change quickly in the NBA, as Dallas (40-38 SU, 43-34-1 ATS) looked to be the lone man out of the Western Conference playoff race. The Mavericks were blown out at Sacramento by 22 points on March 27, but that is the last time that Rick Carlisle’s team lost, as Dallas has run off five straight victories to pull into seventh place in the West. The style has a lot to do with Dallas’ recent success, slowing things down and playing grind-it-out games as the Mavericks have held all five opponents to 89 points or less, while not topping the 100-point mark once during this hot streak.
Memphis (42-36 SU, 41-36-1 ATS) clinched a playoff berth on Thursday after Houston was tripped up at home by Phoenix. The Grizzlies aren’t playing their best basketball of the season, but ended a six-game losing streak in Tuesday’s 108-92 victory over the Bulls as 3½-point home underdogs. Since upsetting Cleveland as 14½-point underdogs on March 7, Dave Joerger’s club has slumped to a 1-7 SU and 4-4 ATS record on the highway, as three of those ATS wins came as double-digit underdogs. After capturing the first matchup with Dallas in November, the Grizzlies have lost each of the last two meetings with the Mavericks, including a home overtime defeat in February.
Spurs at Nuggets
San Antonio (65-13 SU, 43-35 ATS) didn’t mail it in on national television at Golden State last night, but Gregg Popovich is resting all of his key players tonight. The Spurs fell to the Warriors, 112-101 as six-point underdogs to drop to 0-4 ATS the last four games, while slipping to 1-4 ATS in the past five road contests. Among those sitting out for San Antonio tonight include Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Manu Ginobili.
The Nuggets (32-47 SU, 40-37-2 ATS) will try to avoid the season sweep against the Spurs after losing each of the first three matchups. Denver managed a cover as 13½-point underdogs at San Antonio in November, but the Spurs cashed each of the last two meetings, including a 91-80 victory at the Pepsi Center right after Thanksgiving. The Nuggets have slumped down the stretch by losing five of their past six games, while losing three straight home contests since a five-game winning streak at the Pepsi Center last month.
Clippers at Jazz
Los Angeles (50-28 SU, 37-38-3 ATS) is locked into the fourth position in the Western Conference, coming off a sweep of the Lakers on a home-and-home set earlier this week. The Clippers will likely rest Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan tonight as Los Angeles has won seven of its past eight games with the only loss coming at Oklahoma City with all their starters sitting out in a 119-117 defeat. Los Angeles hasn’t faced Utah since December 26, as the Clippers held off the Jazz in Salt Lake City, 109-104 as two-point road favorites.
The Jazz (39-39 SU, 40-38 ATS) are in must-win mode over the next week, holding onto a 1½-game advantage over the Rockets for the final playoff spot in the West. Utah has struggled against the Western Conference elite this season, posting a 1-13 record against the top four teams, coming off a heartbreaking 88-86 setback to the Spurs on Tuesday, 88-86 as 3½-point home underdogs. Quin Snyder’s team owns an impressive 7-2 ATS record in the last nine games with one of those defeats coming in an overtime loss to the Warriors. Since mid-March, the Jazz are riding an 11-2 mark to the ‘under’ the last 13 games, including a 5-1 ‘under’ ledger in the past six home contests.
Game of the Day: Pacers at Raptors
By Covers.com
Indiana Pacers at Toronto Raptors (+5, 194.5)
While the Toronto Raptors' playoff position is all but sealed, the Indiana Pacers are on the verge of punching their own ticket. The Pacers can clinch a spot in the postseason with a victory Friday at the Raptors, who are a loss or a Cleveland win away from securing the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The matchup could be a preview of a first-round series, as Indiana enters Friday in seventh place in the East - a half-game up on Detroit - with four games to play. The Pacers have won three in a row after a 123-109 win over the Cavaliers at home on Wednesday, when they shot 16-of-31 from 3-point distance. Paul George hit four of those triples and finished with 29 points, his seventh straight contest with at least 20. Toronto, which dropped a 95-87 decision in Atlanta on Thursday, is just 4-5 in its last nine games and has scored fewer than 100 in four consecutive affairs for the first time since December.
LINE HISTORY: The Raptors are expected to rest players in the second part of a back-to-back and have opened as 4.5-point home faves. They have since been bet to -5. The total opened at 194.5.
INJURY REPORT:
Pacers - PG T. Lawson (Questionable Friday, infection).
Raptors - No injuries to report.
POWER RANKINGS: Pacers (-4.7) - Raptors (-7.1) + home court (-3) = Raptors -5.4
ABOUT THE PACERS (42-36, 38-39-1 ATS, 35-43 O/U): Indiana took advantage of the LeBron James-less Cavaliers squad to match their longest winning streak since a six-gamer early in the season. The three-game run has coincided with the insertion of Lavoy Allen into the starting lineup in place of rookie Myles Turner, although Allen has provided a total of just nine points and six rebounds in the winning streak. Reserve Solomon Hill has earned more playing time of late and responded against Cleveland with season highs in points (15), 3-pointers (three) and steals (three).
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (52-26, 42-36 ATS, 40-37-1 O/U): Although it has hit a rut offensively, Toronto has to be pleased with the successful return to action of forward DeMarre Carroll, who ended a 41-game absence with a solid 14-minute effort Thursday night. He recorded five points - making his only 3-point try - and four steals, showcasing some of the defensive grit that could be huge once the playoffs begin. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, who each had 28 points in the previous meeting with the Pacers, scored 16 apiece versus Atlanta as the Raptors shot 38.1 percent.
TRENDS:
* Pacers are 7-21 ATS in the last 28 meetings in Toronto.
* Raptors are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 0 days rest.
* Under is 6-1 in Pacers last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Under is 4-1 in Raptors last 5 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
CONSENSUS: The early betting public is taking the Raptors as a rare home dog with 74 percent of wagers on Toronto. As for the total, 61 percent of wagers are on the over 194.5.