NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Friday, March 3rd, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Raptors won their last five games, are 5-12 vs spread in last 17 road games. Six of their last seven games stayed under. Wizards won six of their last eight games, are 16-4-2 vs spread in last 22 home games. Four of last five Washington games stayed under. Toronto won five of last six games with Washington; they won last three games here, by 2-9-10 points. Five of last six series games stayed under.
New York lost seven of its last ten games; they’re 5-7 vs spread in last 12 road games. Three of their last four road games stayed under. 76ers lost four of last five games; they’re 12-0 vs spread in last dozen home games. Four of last five Philly games went over. Knicks won six of last seven games with Philly but 76ers covered three of last four; NY won three of last five visits here. Under is 6-4 in last ten series games.
Heat won four of last five games, are 6-2 vs spread in last eight road games. Three of their last four games stayed under. Orlando lost seven of last nine games; they’re 3-10 vs spread in last 13 home games. Last four Magic games stayed under the total. Magic won last two games with Miami after losing six of previous seven; Heat won three of last four visits to Orlando. Last five series games went over.
Cleveland lost two of last three games; they’re 5-7 vs spread in last 12 road games. Last five Cavalier games stayed under. Hawks won last two games, are 2-6 vs spread in last eight home games. Under is 4-0-2 in last six Atlanta games. Cavaliers won nine of last ten games with Atlanta, covering seven of last nine; they won last three visits to Atlanta (2-1 vs spread). Over is 7-3 in last ten series games.
Clippers lost three of last four games, are 6-1 vs spread in last seven road games. Five of their last seven games stayed under. Bucks lost three of last four games; they’re 1-7 vs spread in last eight home games. Last three Milwaukee games stayed under the total. Clippers won eight of last nine games with Milwaukee; they won three of last four visits here. Four of last six series games stayed under.
Memphis won its last two games; they’re 5-3 vs spread in last eight road games. Three of their last four games stayed under. Mavericks lost four of last six games; they’re 10-2 vs spread in last dozen home games. Under is 4-0-1 in last five Dallas games. Mavericks won three of last four games with Memphis; over is 6-3-1 in last ten series games. Grizzlies won three of last five games in Dallas.
Nets broke their 16-game losing streak last game; they’re 7-2 vs spread in last nine road games. Over is 7-4 in their last 11 road games. Jazz lost their last two games; they’re 2-7 vs spread in last nine home games. Four of their last six games stayed under. Utah won four of its last five games with Brooklyn; teams split last four meetings in Sale Lake City. Four of last five series games stayed under.
Oklahoma City won four of last five games; they’re 1-4 vs spread in last five road games. Over is 7-1 in their last eight games. Phoenix lost three of last four games; they covered three of last four at home. Over is 4-1 in their last five. OKC won its last six games with Phoenix; they won last two visits here, by 12-16 points. Six of last eight series games went over. Thunder are 3-4 vs spread on road if they played night before. Suns are 3-1 at home if they played night before.
San Antonio won its last five games; they’re 5-1 vs spread in last six road games. Under is 5-2 in their last seven games. New Orleans lost three of last four games, is 1-4 vs spread in last five home games. Six of their last seven games stayed under. Home side won nine of last ten Spurs-Pelicans games; San Antonio lost four of last five visits to Bourbon Street. Under is 4-2-1 in last seven series games.
Boston lost three of last five games; they’re 10-5-1 vs spread in last 16 road games. Under is 4-0-1 in their last five games. Lakers lost their last five games, are 2-6 vs spread in last eight home games. Over is 7-4 in their last 11 games. Lakers are 5-3 in last eight games with Boston, but Celtics won last two; four of last six series games stayed under. Celtics lost four of last five visits here (0-4 vs spread in last four).
Armadillosports.com
Friday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Game of the Night – Cavaliers at Hawks
Cleveland has eliminated Atlanta in each of the past two postseasons, pulling off a pair of sweeps. The Hawks picked up a modicum of revenge in the first meeting this season at Quicken Loans Arena with a 110-106 victory as 7½-point road underdogs on November 8. The backcourt of Dennis Schroder and Kent Bazemore lit up Cleveland for 53 points, including seven three-pointers to snap an 11-game losing streak to the Cavaliers dating back to the start of the 2015 playoffs.
The Cavaliers (41-18 SU, 27-30-2 ATS) finished the month of February with a 9-2 SU and 8-3 ATS mark, but stumbled to start March by dropping a 103-99 decision at Boston on Wednesday. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving each scored 28 points for Cleveland, but the Cavaliers were limited to 40% shooting from the floor to suffer their second loss to the Celtics in the last 10 tries. In the process, Cleveland dropped to 0-3 ATS the last three games and 1-6 ATS this season in the road underdog role.
Atlanta (34-26 SU, 29-31 ATS) started the second half of the season with ugly losses at Miami and Orlando, while averaging 88 points per game. The Hawks rebounded by routing the Celtics as road underdogs on Monday, 114-98, while holding off the Mavericks on Wednesday, 100-95. Mike Budenholzer’s team hasn’t won three straight games since pulling off a seven-game hot streak in January, as the Hawks are 0-3 in the last three tries off consecutive victories.
The Hawks have been listed as a home underdog only twice this season, knocking off the Spurs in overtime and suffering a 25-point setback to the Jazz. Atlanta is riding a 5-0-1 mark to the UNDER the last six games, including three straight UNDERS at Philips Arena. Cleveland has won and covered five of the previous seven opportunities as a road favorite, while capturing five consecutive victories at Philips Arena since 2015.
We Meet Again
The Wizards used a 26-1 run in the second quarter on Wednesday to pull away from the Raptors, 105-96 to snap a five-game skid to Toronto dating back to the start of the 2015-16 season. Toronto travels to Washington on Friday seeking revenge for that defeat as the Raptors have won in three straight visits to the Verizon Center, including a 113-103 triumph back in November.
Washington held off Golden State on Monday as seven-point underdogs to improve to 20-2 in its last 22 games on its home court. The Raptors have struggled on the road to say the least since late December by compiling a 3-12 record, including an 0-5 mark as an underdog. The three victories in this stretch haven’t exactly come against the elite of the league, beating the Nets twice and the Lakers.
Home Cooking
The Mavericks have been one of the best ATS teams since January by compiling a solid 16-6 ATS record, including an incredible 11-1 ATS mark at American Airlines Center. Dallas looks to cover another number when Memphis heads to the Lone Star State for a Southwest division battle.
The Grizzlies start a tough back-to-back set in Texas as Memphis travels to Houston on Saturday. Memphis looks to extend its winning streak to three following victories over Denver and Phoenix, as the Grizzlies limited the Mavericks to 64 points in their first meeting this season in mid-November. David Fizdale’s squad has performed well on the highway by capturing six of their last eight away contests, but have finished UNDER the total in the last two on the road since six straight highway OVERS.
Rivalry Renewed
The Celtics and Lakers meet for the second time this season as the two squads hook up at Staples Center. Boston begins a five-game swing against Western Conference foes, which includes games next week against the Clippers and Warriors. Brad Stevens’ club held off the Lakers last month at TD Garden, 113-107 as 11-point favorites, but the Celtics have lost in four of their last five trips to Los Angeles.
The Lakers are riding a five-game losing streak following Tuesday’s 109-104 home setback to the Hornets. Los Angeles has dropped six of its past nine in the role of a home underdog, as its last victory at Staples Center came on January 31 against Denver.
Never That Easy
San Antonio takes its five-game winning streak into New Orleans, looking to cover against the Pelicans at Smoothie King Center for only the second time in the last 11 visits. In the previous trip to New Orleans on January 27, the Spurs were blown out by the Pelicans as seven-point road favorites, 119-103. Gregg Popovich’s team is rolling on the highway by winning six of their last seven away from AT&T Center, including three straight covers as a favorite.
The Pelicans snapped their three-game skid in Wednesday’s blowout of the Pistons, but New Orleans has yet to win a game with DeMarcus Cousins in the lineup. Cousins returns following a one-game suspension as the Pelicans have been held to 99 points or fewer in two of three losses since the mid-February trade with Sacramento. Since beating Cleveland in January, the Pelicans own a 1-4 SU/ATS record in the past five as a home underdog with the only victory coming against the Spurs.
Gone Silent
The Jazz were squeezed out by the Thunder on Tuesday, but failed to show up the next night in a 27-point home defeat to the Wolves. Utah tries to get back in the win column against a team that hasn’t experienced many victories this season as Brooklyn invades Salt Lake City. The Nets were the last team to reach the 10-win plateau by knocking off Sacramento on Wednesday to end a 16-game skid.
Utah has struggled as a heavy favorite this season by putting together a dreadful 3-8 ATS record when laying at least eight points. The Jazz opened as 14-point favorites, as Utah was tripped up by Brooklyn last season at home as 11½-point chalk in a 98-96 setback in February 2016.
Head-to-Head Trends
The Knicks and 76ers have played a pair of games decided by one point apiece this season with the home squad winning each time. New York travels to Philadelphia seeking consecutive victories for the first time since late December, while the 76ers have covered 12 straight games at the Wells Fargo Center.
The road team has captured all three matchups between the Heat and Magic, as Orlando won the last two meetings in Miami. The final contest of the regular season between these division rivals takes place in central Florida as the Magic close out a five-game homestand (1-3 SU/ATS). The Heat have won 17 of their previous 20 games, including a 7-2 mark on the highway.
The Clippers hit the road for a back-to-back set in Midwest, traveling to Milwaukee on Friday, followed by a trip to Chicago on Saturday. Los Angeles has covered in six of its past seven road contests, while winning eight of the last nine matchups with Milwaukee. The Bucks have stumbled to a 2-8 ATS mark in their previous 10 games at BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Oklahoma City and Phoenix each play with no rest as the two squads meet in the Valley. The Suns lost the first two matchups with the Thunder in OKC earlier this season, while dropping six straight meetings with Oklahoma City. The Thunder has struggled with no rest this season by compiling a 3-8 record after losing at Portland on Thursday.
Friday’s NBA Game of the Day: Raptors at Wizards
By Covers.com
Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards (-5, 208 )
The Washington Wizards struck the first blow in the battle for third place in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday and will try to gain another game over Toronto in the standings when they host the Raptors for the second leg of the home-and-home set on Friday. The Wizards snapped an eight-game regular-season skid in the series and pulled one game ahead of the Raptors with a 105-96 triumph at Toronto on Wednesday.
“I thought the guys did a good job of just taking care of business,” Washington coach Scott Brooks told reporters after watching his team hold the Raptors to 36.7 percent from the floor in the win, which came one day after the Wizards knocked off the NBA-best Golden State Warriors. After coming out of the All-Star break sluggish with back-to-back losses, Washington bounced back to improve to 20-5 over the last 25 games and stay within two games of the second-place Boston Celtics in the East. The Raptors won four in a row before Wednesday's loss and are still trying to figure out the path forward without All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry, who underwent wrist surgery on Tuesday. "Our staff, we're going to have to come up with something to give us a rhythm offensively without Kyle in there, how we want to play," Toronto coach Dwane Casey told reporters. "We had three assists in the first half, that can’t happen. And 11 for the whole game. The ball's got to move and get in a rhythm and we were a little out of sync, and I felt that carried over to the defensive end."
LINE HISTORY: The Southeast leading Wizards opened as 4.5-point home favorites and that line was bet up to an even 5 early Friday morning. The total hit the board at 208.5 and was quickly bet up a full point to 209.5 before fading down to 208. Check out the complete line history here.
INJURY REPORT:
Raptors - PG Kyle Lowry (Early April, wrist)
Wizards - PG Trey Burke (Questionable, personal)
POWER RANKINGS: Raptors (-8 ) - Wizards (-5.7) + home court (-3) = Wizards -0.7
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (36-25 SU, 33-27-1 ATS, 33-28 O/U): Toronto is trying to figure out the flow amongst the starters with Lowry out but is also struggling on the bench, where the team added veteran forward P.J. Tucker at the trade deadline and saw point guard Delon Wright (shoulder) make his season debut just before the All-Star break. "We just have to figure out how to play together," reserve shooting guard Norman Powell told reporters, according to the Toronto Star. "It’s what, Delon’s (sixth) game back? He’s getting into the flow or the rotation. We got P.J. on the team too, so everyone is still trying to figure everybody out on that second unit. But that’s going to come just with playing defense." Veteran Cory Joseph moved into Lowry's starting point guard slot and managed 11 points and one assist on Wednesday.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (36-23 SU, 34-25 ATS, 35-24 O/U): Washington's bench seems to be thriving with the addition of shooting guard Bojan Bogdanovic, who came over from the Brooklyn Nets at the trade deadline and scored at least 15 points in each of the last three games. The 27-year-old's best game came on Wednesday, when he scored 27 points and went 6-of-7 from 3-point range while helping to spark a 26-1 run early in the second quarter. All-Star John Wall handed out 13 assists in Wednesday's triumph and is averaging 14.3 in four games since the break.
TRENDS:
* Raptors are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up loss.
* Wizards are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Under is 7-0 in Raptors last 7 games following a ATS loss.
* Under is 5-1 in Wizards last 6 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
CONSENSUS: 61 percent are taking chalk with the hometown Wizards and Over is picking up 70 percent of the totals wagers.
Friday's Best Bet
By Sportsbook.ag
San Antonio vs. New Orleans
Sportsbook.ag Odds: San Antonio (-6.5); Total set at 207
The Pelicans finally got their first win since bringing DeMarcus Cousins over in a trade and oddly enough it came without him. Cousins was sitting out a mandatory suspension for too many technicals this year and will be back on the court tonight.
It's a good thing too because now that the two All-Star's (Davis and Cousins) have gotten a few games together under their belts, tonight's game against the Spurs will be their first true test.
San Antonio's been doing what they always do and that's win a boatload of games. They enter tonight on a five-game winning streak after Kawhi Leonard knocked off the Pacers with a buzzer-beater last time out, and have a nice three-game homestand on deck.
It will be the first time they've seen the new-look Pelicans this year, but being the visitors in this series hasn't gone well for bettors on that side. Home teams are 9-1 SU the last 10 meetings while they are also 8-2 ATS. In fact, the Pelicans are 7-3 ATS themselves during that span as they've profited nicely as home dogs in recent history.
New Orleans is 4-1 SU in their last five at home vs. San Antonio and a perfect 5-0 ATS. Given that their new pieces on the floor make them better than they ever have been recently, tonight could bode well for those looking to grab the points with the Pelicans.
Now, obviously a worry in taking New Orleans here is the fact that they are still a team full of new faces getting used to one another.
Cousins and Davis have deferred to the other a little too often during their time on the court together and against the Spurs you've always got to take the best shot available each time down.
I expect both Pelicans stars to be a bit more selfish tonight as they know what a win over a team like the Spurs would do for their growth and development the rest of the way.
San Antonio looked a bit tired and sluggish in that home win over Indiana. It was the first time the Spurs had been at home in nearly a month and heading right back out on the road for a one-off game tonight isn't the most ideal spot.
A 2-5 ATS run in division games doesn't boost the confidence of Spurs bettors either, but it hasn't deterred many as VegasInsider.com numbers show nearly 70% of the money already laying the chalk with San Antonio tonight.
The sluggish feel may be gone tonight, but the motivation level for this Spurs team might be lagging with all this recent travel.
Therefore, if you are looking to cash a ticket or two on this game, expect the Pelicans to play their most complete game since Cousins arrived and at least keep this one close. If you want to take the home/road dichotomy even further in this division rivalry, the Pelicans are 17-5 ATS in their last 22 at home vs. San Antonio and should use their size inside to give the Spurs fits all evening.
New Orleans might not win this game outright, but 6.5 points is too many to give a home side as talented as the Pelicans are now looking for their first “statement” victory of their new regime.