NBA Knowledge
Hot Teams
-- Celtics won/covered six of their last eight games (4-3 HF).
-- Toronto won last four games, covered four of last five (9-6 HF).
-- Wizards won nine of last ten games (4-2 AF).
-- Chicago won four of its last five games (2-3 AU).
-- Memphis won its last six games (5-2 last seven HF).
-- Portland won eight of last ten games (2-1 AU).
-- Clippers won 11 of their last 13 games (4-8-1 HF).
-- Oklahoma City won seven of last eight games, but Durant sprained an ankle last night, is doubtful here.
-- Lakers won three of their last four games (5-7 H).
Cold Teams
-- Orlando lost four of last five games, covered five of last seven (1-0 HF).
-- Utah lost 14 of last 16 games, covered four of last five (7-6 AU).
-- Hornets lost last four games (3-6 F, 0-1 AF).
-- 76ers also lost their last four games (5-1 last six HU).
-- Minnesota lost nine of last ten games (1-7 last eight AU).
-- Pistons lost 15 of their last 17 games (5-3 last eight AU).
-- Nets lost five of their last seven games (5-6 AU).
-- Cleveland lost three of its last four games (3-6 last nine HF).
-- Miami lost its last four home games (0-3 HU).
-- Spurs lost three of last four games (4-7 HF).
-- Nuggets lost seven of last eight games (2-3 HU).
Series Records
-- Jazz won seven of last eight games with Orlando.
-- 76ers lost three of last four games with Charlotte.
-- Celtics won nine of last eleven games with Minnesota.
-- Raptors won four of last six games with Detroit.
-- Cavaliers won last two games with Brooklyn, after losing previous six games with the Nets.
-- Home side won last six Miami-Washington games.
-- Grizzlies won four of last five games with Chicago.
-- Spurs won six of last eight games with Portland.
-- Clippers lost four of last six games with Denver.
-- Lakers lost eight of last ten games with Oklahoma City.
Totals
-- 10 of last 14 Orlando games stayed under total.
-- Five of last six Charlotte road games stayed under.
-- Five of last seven Minnesota road games went over.
-- Over is 7-2-1 in Toronto road games LY.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in Cleveland's last six home games.
-- Six of Nets' last eight games stayed under. .
-- Five of last six Miami home games went over.
-- Seven of last ten Chicago road games stayed under.
-- Seven of last eight Memphis games went over.
-- Last four San Antonio home games went over.
-- Four of last five Denver home games stayed under.
-- Six of last seven Laker games stayed under the total.
Back-to-Backs
-- Bulls are 2-4 vs spread if they played night before.
-- Oklahoma City is 3-1-1 if it played the night before.
East vs West
SU: West 86-44 ATS: West 72-58
East teams HF vs West: 15-21
East teams HU vs West: 16-21
West teams HF vs East: 23-25
West teams HU vs East: 7-2
Armadillosports.com
Game of the Day: Trail Blazers at Spurs
By Covers.com
Portland Trail Blazers at San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs will try to bounce back after an exhausting loss when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. The Spurs dropped a 117-116 triple-overtime decision to Memphis on Wednesday and now play their third game in a stretch of 11 straight against teams with non-losing records. Portland, winners of three straight, is in the midst of a tough stretch of its own, going 5-2 so far during a stretch of playing nine of 11 games on the road.
With Tony Parker (hamstring) and Kawhi Leonard (hand) unlikely to play against Portland due to injuries, the Spurs will be a tired bunch, as four players played more than 40 minutes against Memphis, including 48 by Tim Duncan. “I don’t think I’ve ever played three overtimes,” Danny Green told the San Antonio Express-News. "It’s going to take a while for us to recover from this, but we’ve bounced back from tougher situations.” San Antonio will also need to find an answer for Damian Lillard, who is averaging 25.9 points in eight career games versus San Antonio and torched the Spurs on Monday for 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a 108-95 victory.
INJURY REPORT: Trail Blazers - F Nicolas Batum (Ques-Undisclosed) Spurs - F Kawhi Leonard (Ques-Hand), G Manu Ginobili (Ques-Back)
WHAT CAPPERS SAY: "Hard to get a good read on this matchup given the injury situation surrounding both teams. The Blazers bring better form to the table, but that's not saying much as they've gone just 2-3 ATS over their last five games and 3-6 ATS over their last nine. The Spurs battled hard in an overtime loss at home to the Grizzlies two nights ago, but ultimately fell short and now have to make the quick turnaround against another elite squad. It's an uphill battle for the veteran Spurs right now." - Covers Expert Sean Murphy
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (20-6 SU, 14-11-1 ATS, 10-16 O/U): Beginning with this game, Portland starts a four-game road trip in five days that concludes Tuesday at Oklahoma City. Thomas Robinson, who replaced injured center Robin Lopez (9.6 points, 7.2 rebounds), who is out six weeks with a fractured hand, had 15 points and 16 rebounds in his first career start as the Trail Blazers topped Milwaukee, 104-97 on Wednesday. LaMarcus Aldridge has three consecutive double-doubles and 14 for the season - fifth most in the NBA - and the 6-11 forward has added a 3-pointer to his arsenal, connecting on 14-of–27.
ABOUT THE SPURS (17-9 SU, 12-14 ATS, 13-13 O/U): Green drained a season-high seven 3-pointers in 13 attempts in 52 minutes against Memphis and was limping noticeably late in the game. Duncan had 23 points and 10 rebounds but missed 10-of-15 free throws and played more than 40 minutes for the second time in a week after playing 40 minutes once all of last season. It doesn't get any easier after this one, as San Antonio goes to Dallas before returning home to play the Clippers and Oklahoma City.
TRENDS:
*Trail Blazers are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
*Home team is 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
*Over is 7-1 in Spurs last 8 overall.
*Under is 5-0 in Trail Blazers last 5 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
Friday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Nets at Cavaliers
Cleveland is coming off its most lopsided loss of the season in Wednesday’s 127-98 setback to Atlanta as 6½-point favorites. The Cavaliers allowed 64% shooting from the floor and 16 three-pointers, while falling to 0-5 ATS in the past five games. Now, Cleveland will try to beat Brooklyn for the second time in less than two weeks after pounding the Nets at the Barclays Center, 110-88 on December 8 as eight-point favorites. David Blatt’s team has had problems covering at Quicken Loans Arena recently, putting together a 3-7 ATS record in the past 10 home contests.
The Nets have taken a few steps back since a modest two-game winning streak, as Brooklyn is coming off back-to-back losses to Miami and Toronto. Lionel Hollins’ club led by 11 early against the Raptors on Wednesday, but Brooklyn’s substandard offense scored just 37 points in the second half of a 105-89 defeat as 12½-point underdogs. The Nets have won four of their past seven road games, but we have to quantify that those victories came against the Hornets, Knicks, 76ers, and a Thunder squad without its stars. Brooklyn is currently riding an 11-2 run to the ‘under’ in the past 13 games, including an 8-1 ‘under’ stretch on the road.
Bulls at Grizzlies
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Memphis, who snapped Golden State’s 16-game winning streak on Tuesday, followed by an exciting three-overtime triumph at San Antonio. Now, Memphis goes for its seventh straight victory tonight, while looking to improve on a 12-1 record at FedEx Forum. The Grizzlies avenged their only home defeat by holding off the defending champion Spurs on Wednesday, 117-116. Memphis threw away a 23-point lead, but received great bench contributions from Vince Carter and Kosta Koufos, who combined for 34 points.
The Bulls head to Memphis with no rest after holding off the decimated Knicks, 103-97 as 12½-point home favorites. Derrick Rose sat out the win with an illness and is not expected to play tonight in the city where he played college basketball for one season before declaring for the NBA draft in 2008. Chicago owns a 3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS record on the second of a back-to-back this season, while posting a 2-5 ATS mark in the role of an underdog. Since the Bulls trounced the Grizzlies by 40 points on New Year’s Day in 2012, Memphis has won and covered four of the past five meetings in the series.
Blazers at Spurs
Portland will be tested over the next four games on its road trip with stops in New Orleans, Houston, and Oklahoma City. The first challenge takes place in San Antonio tonight, as the Blazers will look to knock off the Spurs for the second time in a week after beating San Antonio, 108-95 on Monday. Portland cashed as 8½-point favorites even though Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili all sat out on the second of a back-to-back. Since dropping their first two road games of the season, the Blazers have won eight of their past 10 contests away from the Moda Center.
Parker and Kawhi Leonard are sidelined for the Spurs tonight, who have lost three of their past four games, including each of the previous two at the AT&T Center to the Lakers and Grizzlies. In spite of erasing a 23-point deficit and Duncan knocking down a fadeaway jumper to force a third overtime, San Antonio couldn’t overcome a hot Memphis club in Wednesday’s one-point defeat. The Spurs have been playing plenty of high-scoring contests recently, hitting the ‘over’ in seven of the last eight trips to the court.
Clippers at Nuggets
Los Angeles took care of Detroit and Indiana at home following a 1-2 road trip, as the Clippers escaped past the Pacers, 102-100 as 11-point favorites on Wednesday. Doc Rivers’ club has performed well on the highway this season with an 8-4 SU and 6-6 ATS road record, including a 7-1 mark against teams currently sitting below the .500 mark. Los Angeles has struggled at the Pepsi Center the last few seasons, losing four consecutive trips to Denver, including twice last season in the role of a road favorite.
The Nuggets continue to stumble following a nice run to close out November, as Brian Shaw’s team has lost seven of their past eight games. Denver squandered a 16-point lead in Wednesday’s 115-111 overtime loss to Houston, as the Rockets knocked down 37 free throws in the win. The Nuggets have covered just once in the past six games in the role of an underdog, while finishing ‘under’ the total in three of the last four contests at the Pepsi Center.
Thunder at Lakers
Oklahoma City has a quick turnaround following last night’s 114-109 setback at Golden State. The Thunder lost Kevin Durant late in the first half to a sprained ankle as last season’s MVP lit up the Warriors to 30 points before exiting the game. Durant is listed as questionable for tonight’s action, while OKC looks to build a new winning streak after its seven-game hot streak was snapped in Oakland. Since Durant has returned to the lineup, the Thunder is 7-1 SU and 5-3 ATS in the favorite role, but OKC failed to cover in two visits as double-digit favorites last season at Staples Center.
The Lakers have had a few days to get over an embarrassing 110-91 blowout loss at Indiana on Monday, as L.A. fell behind, 26-4 out of the gate. Byron Scott’s club is making progress at home, winning two of their past three games at Staples Center, while the Lakers are 4-4-1 ATS as an underdog in their last nine home contests. Los Angeles’ offense has broken the 100-point mark just twice in the previous seven games, resulting in five ‘unders.’
AccuScore NBA Pick of the Day
By: Rohit Ghosh
AccuScore.com
AccuScore’s computer simulates games 10,000 times to predict their outcome. Throughout the basketball season, we’ll be stacking up these forecasts against Las Vegas money-lines and spreads. When AccuScore gives a team a better chance to win than the money-line odds imply or suggest a high chance of covering the spread, it’s a recommended play.
Cleveland’s six-game home winning streak was snapped Wednesday night with a 127-98 loss to the Hawks. The Cavaliers look to bounce back Friday night when they host the Nets.
The Cavs are listed as 12-point favorites, with a total of 197.5, around Las Vegas. Check our odds page for updated NBA point spreads and totals .
AccuScore has the Cavaliers as heavy 77.1 percent favorites to win, but covering the spread is a different matter.
The average score after 10,000-plus simulations is 102-94, and there is a 63.1 percent chance the Nets cover as 12-point underdogs. Brooklyn is 17-6 ATS in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Cleveland.
There is also 52.9 percent chance the total combined score stays UNDER 197.5, a 4-star (out of four) AccuScore hot trend. The total has gone UNDER in eight of Brooklyn's last nine games on the road.
Keep an eye out: Cleveland outrebounded Brooklyn by 8-9 in each simulated game. The Cavs averaged about 3 more offensive boards than the Nets.
Projected Leaders
Joe Johnson: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
LeBron James: 24 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 TOs