NBA Knowledge
Hot teams
-- Washington won its last three games (7-2 last nine AU).
-- Indiana won three of last four at home (9-3 last 12HF).
-- Thunder won eight of its last ten games (2-6 last eight HF).
-- Portland is 6-4 in its last ten games (2-2AF).
-- Denver won three of last four games, covered five of last six.
-- Cavaliers won eight of last nine games (3-12-1AF).
-- Houston won its last five games (4-1HU).
Cold teams
-- Minnesota lost its last eight games, covered three of last four.
-- Suns lost 11 of their last 12 games (1-7 last eight AU).
-- Boston lost six of its last eight games (8-8HF).
-- Nets lost five of their last six games (2-7 last nine HU).
-- Mavericks lost three of last four games (8-7AU).
-- Bulls lost three of last four games (4-2 last six HF).
-- Hawks lost four of their last seven games (2-5 last seven AF).
-- Milwaukee lost four of its last six (8-3 last 11HU).
-- Hornets lost seven of their last eight games (1-3 last four AU).
-- New Orleans lost six of last eight games (3-6HF).
-- Miami lost four of its last five games (4-3AF).
Series records
-- Indiana won last three games with Wizards by 2-4-17 points.
-- Thunder won last eight games with Minnesota (5-3 vs spread).
-- Suns won three of last four games with Boston.
-- Nets lost three of last four games with Portland.
-- Mavericks won four of last six games with Chicago.
-- Hawks won nine of last ten games with Milwaukee.
-- Pelicans won five of last seven games with Charlotte.
-- Miami won four of last six games with Denver.
-- Nuggets covered eight of last ten series games.
-- Rockets won their last six games with Cleveland.
Totals
-- Six of last seven Washington road games went over.
-- Five of Thunder's last six home games went over.
-- Four of last five Boston home games stayed under.
-- Four of last five Portland road games went over.
-- Last five Dallas road games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Atlanta road games went over.
-- Five of last seven Denver home games went over.
-- Last five Houston home games went over total.
Back/backs
-- Chicago 3-3 vs spread (1-3A, 2-0H) if it played night before.
-- Cleveland is 1-5-1 vs spread if it played night before.
Armadillosports.com
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Cleveland at Houston
King James and his Cavaliers had an eight-game win streak snapped in San Antonio last night and will try to start a new streak when they visit the Toyota Center in Houston to take on Rockets. Tough spot, teams playing without rest this season after a game against Spurs are winless 0-9 (3-6 ATS). Additionally, Cavaliers have had little success in Rockets back yard posting a 1-7 SU/ATS record last eight trips into Houston.
Game of the Day: Cavaliers at Rockets
By Covers.com
Cleveland Cavaliers at Houston Rockets (+2, 205)
The Houston Rockets are playing their best basketball of the season and put a season-best five-game winning streak on the line when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Houston has won six consecutive games against Cleveland but the Cavaliers also have been playing well and had an eight-winning streak halted by red-hot San Antonio on Thursday.
The Cavaliers are 4-1 on a six-game road excursion that concludes in Houston, and they let a double-digit lead get away in the 99-95 loss to the Spurs. "We could have executed better but it's tough to do against San Antonio," forward LeBron James told reporters after seeing an early 15-point lead dissipate. "They are always in the right position to make the most out of every possession." The Rockets have put aside their early-season troubles and their winning streak continued with Wednesday's 107-104 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. "We're playing for each other, that's the most important thing," guard James Harden told reporters. "So if a guy messes up, guys got his back. Everything isn't going to be perfect all the time and that's what we're starting to realize and we're just helping each other out."
LINE HISTORY: Despite playing the second half of a back-to-back the Cavaliers have opened as 2-point home favorites. The total has opened at 205.
INJURY REPORT:
Cavaliers - PG M. Williams (questionable Friday, personal).
Rockets - PG P. Beverley (questionable Friday, personal), PF D. Motiejunas (out indefinitely, back), SF S. Decker (Mid February, back).
POWER RANKINGS: Cavaliers (-9.5) - Rockets (-1.7) + home court (-3) = Rockets +4.8
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (27-10, 16-20-1 ATS, 17-20 O/U): The loss to San Antonio was just the third in 17 games for Cleveland, which was outscored by 16 points during the final three quarters and also committed 18 turnovers. "They did a good job of taking us out of our sets but we also had some really good looks that didn't go down for us," said James, who scored 22 points for his seventh 20-point outing in eight games. Power forward Kevin Love has notched three straight double-doubles but is shooting just 34.4 percent from the field in the past eight contests.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (21-19, 16-24 ATS, 21-19 O/U): Harden had 27 points and 11 assists against Minnesota and went over the 10,000 career-point mark — his total sits at 10,005 points. "It's definitely a great individual achievement," Harden told reporters. "Credit to this organization for helping me get there. But that's just the beginning. I've got a long way to go." Harden was just 8-of-22 shooting against the Timberwolves while scoring 20 or more points for the 10th time in 11 games.
TRENDS:
* Cavaliers are 0-4-1 ATS in their last five games in the second half of a back-to-back.
* Rockets are 6-1 ATS in their last seven versus teams from the Central Division.
* Under is 4-0 in Cavaliers last four games in the second half of a back-to-back.
* Over is 4-0 in the Rockets last four games overall.
CONSENSUS: The public is backing the Cavaliers with 61 percent of wagers backing them. As for the total, 61 percent of wagers are on the Over.
Friday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Wizards at Pacers
Washington (18-19 SU, 20-17 ATS) have been the ultimate roller-coaster team in the NBA this season. The Wizards recently lost three straight games at the Verizon Center prior to winning three in a row, as the offense has busted the 105-point mark in each of these victories. Guard Bradley Beal returned from a 16-game absence to score 11 points off the bench in Wednesday’s 106-101 victory over Milwaukee, but the former University of Florida standout will likely sit tonight. Washington is looking to avenge a 123-106 home loss to Indiana back in November as the Pacers drilled 19 three-pointers in the win.
The Pacers (22-17 SU, 22-17 ATS) hit the road for four games after tonight’s contest, as Indiana looks to bounce back from Wednesday’s 103-94 setback at Boston. Since losing to Golden State in early December, Indiana has won seven of its past nine games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, while covering six times in this span. Prior to blowing out Phoenix on Tuesday, Frank Vogel’s team had gone ‘under’ in seven of its previous eight home games, while holding seven of the last nine opponents at home to less than 100 points. Since the start of last season, the Wizards and Pacers have cashed the ‘over’ in five straight matchups.
Mavericks at Bulls
In spite of stars Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol sitting out, the Bulls (23-15 SU, 15-23 ATS) erased a 24-point deficit last night to stun the 76ers in overtime, 115-111. Chicago failed to cover as 8 ½-point favorites, but the Bulls snapped a three-game losing streak thanks to Jimmy Butler’s career-high 53 points, which included 21 points from the foul line. Gasol will likely return to the lineup tonight, but Rose is questionable with a lingering knee injury. Chicago has eclipsed the 100-point mark in 13 straight games, resulting in 10 ‘overs’ in this span.
Rick Carlisle’s team should be pretty rested after four starters sat out in Wednesday’s 108-89 blowout loss at Oklahoma City. Dirk Nowitzki, Deron Williams, Chandler Parsons, and Wesley Matthews all didn’t play at OKC following Tuesday’s home overtime loss to Cleveland, as Dallas (22-18 SU, 23-16-1 ATS) shot 39% from the floor against the Thunder. The Mavericks go for the season sweep of the Bulls after outlasting Chicago at the American Airlines Center on December 26 by a 118-111 count to cash as two-point favorites.
Hawks at Bucks
Atlanta (23-16 SU, 19-19-1 ATS) rebounded from a two-game losing streak by blasting Philadelphia and Chicago with scoring outputs of at least 120 points in each victory. However, the Hawks fell back to Earth in Wednesday’s 107-84 setback at Charlotte as three-point road favorites, as only member of the Atlanta lineup scored in double-figures (Paul Millsap with 20). Atlanta’s five-game ‘over’ streak came to an end at Charlotte, but the Hawks have allowed at least 105 points in five of the past six games. Mike Budenholtzer’s team owns a 3-5 SU/ATS record in its last eight opportunities as a road favorite, while the Hawks are facing the Bucks for the first time this season.
Milwaukee (16-25 SU, 20-20-1 ATS) has alternated wins and losses in each of its last five games, coming off a five-point loss at Washington on Wednesday. Since the end of November, the Bucks have won seven of their past 10 contests at BMO Harris Center, while covering in six of the last nine opportunities in the home underdog role. The Bucks have struggled at home against the Hawks recently, losing five straight meetings with Atlanta in Wisconsin, including a pair of low-scoring defeats last season.
Heat at Nuggets
Miami (22-17 SU, 19-19-1 ATS) looks to snap a three-game skid on its current six-game road trip after losing to the Clippers on Wednesday, 104-90. Point guard Goran Dragic returned to South Florida and will be out for at least one week with a calf injury, as the Heat were outscored by the Clippers by 21 points in the second half on Wednesday. Erik Spoelstra’s squad owns a 2-4 SU/ATS record against Western Conference teams on the road, but both victories have come in the favorite role at Phoenix and Minnesota. The Heat hope for a better showing at the Pepsi Center after losing by 20 points at Denver last December, as the Nuggets have won two of the last three meetings in the series.
The Nuggets (15-24 SU, 18-19-2 ATS) handed the Warriors their third loss of the season in Wednesday’s 112-110 home triumph over the defending champions. Denver shot just 42% from the floor, but benefited from a 33-of-37 performance at the free-throw line, including 17 made free throws from Danilo Gallinari. The Nuggets are seeking their third winning streak of three games this season, as Mike Malone’s team has covered the number in four of six games this month. Denver has played only four Eastern Conference opponents at home, but three of those contests have finished ‘under’ the total, as the Nuggets scored 95 points or less three times.
Cavaliers at Rockets
Cleveland (27-10 SU, 16-20-1 ATS) concludes a six-game road trip after blowing a 15-point lead in Thursday’s 99-95 setback at San Antonio. The Cavaliers managed a cover as six-point underdogs thanks to a LeBron James layup at the buzzer on a putback, as Cleveland improved to 4-1 ATS this season as an underdog. James is questionable for tonight due to the possibility of rest, as the Cavaliers have compiled a 1-5-1 ATS record as a road favorite in their last seven games in this role. The Cavs have struggled against the Rockets recently by losing six straight meetings, including a 105-103 defeat at the Toyota Center last season.
For the first time this season, the Rockets (21-19 SU, 16-24 ATS) are at least two games above .500, as Houston is riding a five-game winning streak. The Rockets failed to cover as eight-point favorites on Wednesday night, but found a way to sneak past the Wolves, 107-104 to score exactly 107 points for the third straight game. Houston has cashed the ‘over’ in eight of the last nine games, while performing well in the home underdog role by posting a 3-1 SU/ATS record this season.
Friday's Top Action
By Sportsbook.ag
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (12-28) at OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (28-12)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Oklahoma City -13, Total 208.5
The Thunder will be going for their third straight victory when they host the Timberwolves on Friday.
The Timberwolves have really struggled recently, losing their eighth straight game in a 107-104 defeat in Houston on Wednesday. The eight-game losing streak that Minnesota is currently on is the longest active streak in the league. The Thunder, meanwhile, defeated the Mavericks 108-89 on Wednesday night. Oklahoma City has now won two straight games and is 8-2 in its past 10 as well.
These two teams met on Tuesday night and the Thunder won that game 101-96 as 10.5-point favorites in Minnesota. In the past 10 meetings between these teams, Oklahoma City is 8-2 SU but the teams have split victories ATS.
Three of the past five meetings have gone Under the total. One thing working in Minnesota’s favor is the fact that the team is 11-5 ATS as an away underdog this season. The Thunder also happen to be one of the league’s worst teams ATS, going 15-24-1 on the season.
Both teams will be coming into this game at close to full strength, so injuries likely won’t play a major factor in determining the outcome of this one.
The Timberwolves have been one of the worst teams in the league this season, but they are still getting some excellent play out of SF Andrew Wiggins (20.8 PPG) and C Karl-Anthony Towns (15.7 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.7 BPG). Wiggins has been on fire recently, averaging 23.4 PPG and 1.0 SPG over the past five games. He had 28 in a loss to Houston on Wednesday night and 22 against this same Thunder team on Tuesday. He should be able to find some similar success in this one.
Towns has also been excellent, averaging 13.0 PPG and 13.0 RPG over the past two contests. He had a double-double (14 points, 10 boards) when the Timberwolves faced the Thunder two games ago and Minnesota will certainly be pounding the ball inside to him in this one.
One guy that would really help the team by having a good game in this one is PG Ricky Rubio (9.5 PPG, 8.9 APG, 4.6 RPG, 2.3 SPG). Rubio was miserable in his matchup with Russell Westbrook on Tuesday, finishing with just three points and six assists in 21 minutes of action. He’ll need to have a much better game on both ends of the floor if the team is going to have a shot at winning this one.
The Thunder were able to win-and-cover against the Mavericks’ B-Team on Wednesday night, as Dallas rested Dirk Nowitzki, Deron Williams, Chandler Parsons and Wes Matthews in that game. Oklahoma City did, however, have to play three quarters without PG Russell Westbrook (24.8 PPG, 9.5 APG, 7.0 RPG, 2.5 SPG) in that game.
Westbrook was ejected for getting into an altercation with JJ Barea, but that may end up being a good thing for the Thunder. The team picked up a victory and now Westbrook will be extremely well rested for this game. He had 22 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds against the Timberwolves two games ago and completely dominated Ricky Rubio in that one.
SF Kevin Durant (26.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.2 BPG) was more than happy to make up for the loss of Westbrook against Dallas. Durant had 29 points on an incredibly efficient 9-for-14 shooting from the field and he’ll be ready to play the Timberwolves on Friday as well. He had 30 points when they met on Tuesday and he’ll probably play even better in front of his home fans.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (27-10) at HOUSTON ROCKETS (21-19)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Houston -1.5, Total 204
The Rockets will be looking to win their sixth straight game against a tired Cavaliers team on Friday.
The Cavaliers faced the Spurs in San Antonio on Thursday night and lost 99-95 as a six-point underdog. It was Cleveland’s first loss in the past nine games, but it was also the team’s first ATS victory in the past three.
The Rockets, meanwhile, are playing extremely well at the moment. Houston defeated Minnesota 107-104 as a 7.5-point favorite on Wednesday.
The Rockets have now won five straight games and three of their past five ATS. Their offense has really clicked recently, scoring 107 points in three straight games.
One interesting thing worth noting in this series is that the Cavaliers have not beaten the Rockets since Mar. 11, 2012. Houston is 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS versus Cleveland since then and the Rockets have won-and-covered in eight straight games versus the Cavaliers at the Toyota Center. The last time Cleveland covered in Houston was Feb. 24, 2004.
One thing favoring the Cavaliers in this game is the fact that the Rockets are 3-15 ATS when the total is 200 to 209.5 this season. The Rockets are, however, 22-9 ATS in home games after four or more consecutive Overs since 1996.
SF LeBron James (Rest) could be held out of this game after a battle with the Spurs on Thursday and PG Mo Williams (Personal) is doubtful for Cleveland. For Houston, PG Patrick Beverley (Person) is questionable and PF Donatas Motiejunas (Back) is out indefinitely.
The Cavaliers are coming off of a tough loss in San Antonio, as the team really wanted to prove itself in a matchup with one of the Western Conference’s best. SF LeBron James (25.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.5 SPG) had trouble getting good looks at the basket against Kawhi Leonard, finishing with just 22 points in 37 minutes of action. Cleveland is considering resting him in this one, but if he does play then he will need to be aggressive as a scorer.
The guy that really played well for Cleveland was PF Tristan Thompson (7.6 PPG, 9.7 RPG). Thompson played 35 minutes in the game and went 7-for-11 from the field with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Thompson will likely see the floor a lot in Friday’s game, as he is probably the Cavaliers’ best option for defending Dwight Howard. He gives up a lot of height to the Rockets’ center, but he has the strength and heart to battle him inside.
PG Kyrie Irving (16.5 PPG, 4.1 APG) will also be crucial in this game. If James does not play then Irving will be the number one option offensively. He is averaging 19.0 PPG over the past two contests and will likely need to play better than that on Friday.
The Rockets are on fire recently and SG James Harden (28.0 PPG, 6.8 APG, 6.0 RPG, 1.6 SPG) has been playing very well for the team. Harden had 27 points and 11 assists against the Timberwolves on Wednesday and is doing a great job of finding his teammates for open shots. He’ll need to continue to play unselfish basketball moving forward for Houston.
One thing that is making life on Harden easier has been the play of C Dwight Howard (14.2 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG). Over the past four games, Howard is averaging 17.3 PPG, 13.5 RPG and 1.3 BPG in 39.5 MPG. He has had a double-double in seven straight games and the Rockets are making more of an effort to get him the ball in the post. Howard should really be able to dominate the Cavaliers, as Cleveland has been going small often this season.
Another guy that will be important for Houston in this game is SF Trevor Ariza (11.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.8 SPG). Ariza is averaging 12.6 PPG over the past five contests and he is hitting 43.3% of his shots from the outside in those games. The Rockets need Ariza to play solid defense and also knock down his perimeter shots on a nightly basis. When he does both of those things the Rockets are at their best.