NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Friday, October 27th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Spurs won nine of last ten games with Orlando, but Magic covered five of their last seven; San Antonio covered four of its last five visits here. Last five series games stayed under. Spurs are 4-0 this season (3-1 vs spread, over 2-2); they won their two road games, by 10-17 points. Orlando won three of its first four games (over 3-1); they won their two home games by 7-4.
Rockets won nine of last 10 games with Charlotte, but Hornets are 3-2 vs spread in last five. Houston is 2-3 vs spread in last five visits here. Rockets won four of their first five games; their last four games stayed under total. Houston is 3-0 on road, 1-2 vs spread. Hornets split their first four games (under 4-0), winning their two home games, by 17-18 points.
Nets are 6-4 in last ten games wth the Knicks; they’re 1-4 vs spread in last five visits to Madison Square Garden. Over is 6-3 in last nine series games. Brooklyn is 3-0 at home, 0-2 on road (over 3-1-1), losing away games by 4-9 points. Knicks are 0-3 this season, losing by 4 to Detroit in their only home game (under 2-1).
Hawks won/covered their last four games with Denver; over is 3-1-1 in last five series games. Nuggets are 1-4 vs spread in last five games in this building. Denver lost three of its first four games (under 4-0), losing away games by 10 at Utah, 17 at Charlotte. Atlanta lost its last three games, by 18-12-11 points; this is their home opener. Under was 2-1-1 in their first four games.
Thunder is 7-3 in its last 10 games with Minnesota; they’re 2-3 vs spread in last five visits to the Twin Cities. Road team won six of last 10 series games, under is 6-3 in those games. OKC split its first four games (under 3-1), losing by 9 at Utah in their only road game. Timberwolves are 2-3 to start season (over 4-0-1); they allowed 130-122 points in last two games. Minnesota split its two home games.
Lakers lost their last five games with Toronto (1-4 vs spread, under 4-1); Raptors are 4-1 vs spread in last five series games here. Toronto split their first four games, losing road games by 5-4 points (under 2-0) at San Antonio/Boston. Lakers split their first four games, with two wins by total of five points. LA is 1-2 at home, with losses by 16-7 points.
Golden State won five of last six games with Washington (4-2 vs spread); Wizards are 2-3 vs spread in last five visits to Oakland (under 4-1). Washington won three of last four games, but lost to the Lakers Wednesday; they’re 1-2 on road. Over is 3-2 in their games. Warriors are 3-2 to start season (over 3-2)— they’re 1-4 vs spread, 0-2 as a home favorite this month.
Armadillosports.com
Friday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Game of the Night: Wizards at Warriors
Golden State (3-2 SU, 1-4 ATS) returned home from a three-game road trip on Wednesday and needed a late rally to stun Toronto, 117-112. The Warriors outscored the Raptors, 12-0 in the final 90 seconds, but failed to cover as 12 ½-point favorites. The defending champions shot nearly 56% from the field, led by Stephen Curry’s 30 points and Kevin Durant’s 29 points. Golden State has covered only once this season, while laying at least 8 ½ points in all five games.
Washington (3-1 SU, 1-3 ATS) fell apart late in Wednesday’s 102-99 overtime loss to the Lakers, while blowing a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. The Wizards struggled from the floor by shooting 41% and an abysmal 6-of-26 from three-point range, as point guard John Wall converted only 7-of-22 shots from the field. Washington continues its four-game road trip which concludes in Sacramento on Sunday, as the Wizards are 0-3 ATS this season in the favorite role, but are 1-0 ATS in its only opportunity as an underdog by winning at Denver on Monday.
Last season, the home team won each time as the Wizards squandered an early 19-point lead but held off the Warriors in D.C. by a 112-108 count as seven-point ‘dogs. Durant suffered a hyper-extended knee in the opening minute when teammate Zaza Pachulia collided with the former scoring champion, but Golden State rallied back to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Golden State didn’t mess around the second time in Oakland by blowing out Washington, 139-115 as 9½-point favorites this past April as Curry torched the Wizards for 42 points.
Shooting for Five
The Spurs and Rockets have each won four games through the first two weeks of the season. San Antonio (4-0 SU, 3-1 ATS) finishes off its tour of the Sunshine State following a 117-100 triumph at Miami on Wednesday as 3½-point favorites. The Spurs continue to play without MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard, who is nursing a quad injury, but LaMarcus Aldridge has stormed out to a terrific start by averaging 26.0 ppg, while coming off a season-high 31 points against the Heat.
Orlando (3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS) didn’t have high expectations coming into the season, but the Magic are pushing the pace this season by averaging 119 ppg. The Magic pulled off a 114-93 rout of Cleveland as 11½-point road underdogs last Saturday night, while knocking down 17 three-pointers and limiting the Cavaliers to 38% shooting from the floor. Orlando will look to turn around its luck against San Antonio at home after dropping the last six contests at Amway Center, including a 107-79 setback last season.
Houston heads to Charlotte for the third game of its road swing after knocking off Philadelphia at the buzzer on Wednesday, 105-104. The Rockets (4-1, SU, 2-3 ATS) are riding a four-game UNDER streak after hitting the OVER in their season-opening victory at Golden State. The backcourt duo of James Harden and Eric Gordon combined for 56 points against the 76ers, but shot 7-of-24 from three-point range, even though one of those treys was the game-winner from Gordon.
The Hornets (2-2 SU, 2-2 ATS) improved to 2-0 at home on Wednesday with a 110-93 blowout of the Nuggets as two-point underdogs. Charlotte’s offense has been dynamic at home this season by scoring 109 and 110 points in its two victories, as the backcourt of former UConn Huskies comprised of Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb combined for 35 points against Denver. Charlotte has finished UNDER the total in all four games this season, while four of the past five home matchups with Houston have cashed the UNDER.
Lightning Striking Again?
Oklahoma City and Minnesota met up last Sunday at Chesapeake Energy Arena and played to an exciting finish. Carmelo Anthony’s go-ahead three-pointer with five seconds left gave the Thunder a 113-112 lead, but Andrew Wiggins banked in a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to lift Minnesota to a 115-113 triumph as four-point underdogs. Reigning MVP Russell Westbrook scored a season-high 31 points, but couldn’t finish off the rally after trailing by 13 points heading into the fourth quarter.
The Wolves (2-3 SU, 1-4 ATS) haven’t won since beating the Thunder as Minnesota is coming off consecutive losses to Indiana and Detroit. The common theme from those setbacks was offseason acquisition Jimmy Butler sat out with a respiratory infection and the defense was torched by allowing 130 points to the Pacers and 122 points to the Pistons. Butler is listed as questionable for Friday’s contest, as the Wolves have lost six of their past seven matchups with the Thunder at the Target Center.
The Thunder (2-2 SU, 2-2 ATS) own a pair of home blowouts over the Knicks and Pacers, coming off Wednesday’s 114-96 victory over Indiana as 13-point favorites. Westbrook and Anthony each scored 28 points, while Paul George fouled out in his first game against his former squad, while putting up only 10 points. OKC’s defense has performed well for the exception of the Minnesota loss by allowing 96 points or less in its other three games.
On the Ball
Nobody said it was going to be easy, but the rebuilding Lakers are holding their own through four games. Los Angeles (2-2 SU, 2-2 ATS) picked up its first home win in three tries on Wednesday by rallying past Washington in overtime, 102-99. The Lakers have yet to lose consecutive games this season, as rookie Lonzo Ball was limited to 2-of-11 shooting and six points, but he dished out 10 assists for his second double-digit assist effort. Los Angeles has not shot the ball well from beyond the arc at Staples Center in three games by hitting only 20-of-73 attempts (27%), including 1-of-13 from Ball.
The Raptors (2-2 SU, 3-1 ATS) have yet to win a game away from Air Canada Center following road losses at San Antonio and Golden State. Granted, those were the top two teams in the Western Conference last season and the two defeats came by a combined nine points, but Toronto looks to get on track in the midst of this six-game road trip. In Wednesday’s 117-112 setback at Golden State, DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 20 points, while second-year forward Pascal Siakam put up 20 points as Toronto cashed 12½-point ‘dogs. Toronto has owned Los Angeles recently by winning five straight matchups, including the last two visits to Staples Center.
Wizards, Warriors meet at Oracle
By: Sam Chase
StatFox.com
The Wizards get an early road test when they take on the Warriors in the Bay on Friday.
Other than, of course, the Boston Celtics, perhaps no team experienced a greater contextual shift for their season when Gordon Hayward went down with an injury than the Washington Wizards. Their had already been whispers that the Wizards might present the Eastern Conference's greatest challenge to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and after the star Celtics forward broke his leg, the loud-mouthed Wizards' season will be considered a disappoint if they fall anywhere short of the conference finals. With a Friday night game at Oracle Arena this weekend, Washington will be getting perhaps the toughest game on its schedule—at Golden State—out of the way just over a week into the season. The Warriors, who many in the preseason had slotted for 70 wins, started a surprising 1-2 with losses to Houston and Memphis. They'll be looking to shut down the Wizards' explosive playmakers and make a statement in a game televised on NBATV.
PG John Wall makes everything go for Washington, having led the team in scoring and assists for the past several seasons. While he didn't shoot particularly well in two early games this season (10-28 vs PHI; 3-13 at DEN), he still finished with 28 and 19 points in those respective contests, thanks to a more aggressive approach to getting to the foul line than he has shown in the past. Time will tell if he continues with this tactic, but it is something that has certainly paid dividends for similarly ball-dominant players like James Harden over the years. Wall didn't score very effectively in two games against Golden State last season, averaging 13.5 PPG in them. In the first one, though, a 112-108 win, he dished out 19 assists. In the other, a 139-115 defeat, he had 11 assists with no turnovers. SG Bradley Beal was the Wizards' leading scorer in both of those games, and he remains option 1B in the Washington offense. He and SF Otto Porter will need to hit some three-pointers if Washington wants to pull off the upset this weekend. SF Kelly Oubre and SF Jodie Meeks have also attempted their fair share of threes on the young season. Some believe Oubre is due for a breakout this season, and an explosion against Golden State would make for a great start. C Marcin Gortat will go to war with the Warriors bigs, and the Wizards will be in good shape if he can come out on top in those matchups. Washington could, however, be a bit gassed
The defeat to Washington last year was a game to forget for the Warriors, and not just because it was one of the few losses they sustained on the season. SF Kevin Durant went down with an injury less than two minutes into the game, and it kept him out for significant time down the stretch run of the regular season. He still wasn't back on the court when Golden State played the Wizards again, but by that time the team had adjusted to his absence and made easy work of the Wizards. PG Stephen Curry had 42 points on blistering 9-of-14 three-point shooting, and PF Draymond Green had a triple-double with 13 points, 11 boards and 11 assists. While Green won't guard Gortat directly, keep an eye on the two when they cross paths—they're two of the mouthiest players in the NBA. Curry and Wall, meanwhile, both love to test themselves against the best guards in the league, and it figures to be a back-and-forth slugfest between the PGs on Friday. This will be Durant's first real game as a Warrior against the Wizards, and the opposition will have to find a way to contain him. Since it's a feat seldom achieved by any team, they're unlikely to be able to do so. Plus there's SG Klay Thompson, who, as the Warriors' fourth fiddle, is still a better version than Beal. Both SG Nick Young and C JaVale McGee are ex-Wizards, a dynamic that could add further spice to this contest.
NBA Pick 'n' Roll: Friday's Picks and Analysis
Covers.com
There have been 10 nights of NBA action so far and 10 editions of NBA Pick 'n' Roll. We've gone 0-2 twice, 2-0 once and 1-1 every other time. Chances are there is one winner in our two picks below and one loser. Let's hope everyone follows and fades our picks correctly.
Brooklyn Nets at New York Knicks (-2.5, 220.5)
There’s still a lot to figure out in this young NBA season but there is no mystery which team is the league’s worst. Please step forward Jeff Hornacek and the rest of the New York Knickerbockers.
The Knicks are 0-3 straight up and against the spread, and they’ve failed to score more than 90 points in two of their three contests. That’s not going to get the job done against the league’s highest-scoring side.
The Brooklyn Nets are averaging a league-best 121.2 points per game and they overpowered LeBron James and the Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Brooklyn will be without their leading scoring, D’Angelo Russell, again on Friday.
Expect the Knicks to try their best to slow the pace down against the new-look Nets and turn this game into a half-court slugfest.
Pick: Under 220.5
Toronto Raptors at Los Angeles Lakers (+5.5, 224)
The Raptors are in the middle part of their longest road trip of the season and the road has not been kind to them. They lost a winnable game at San Antonio, and they scratched and clawed to grab a five-point lead with 2:13 left in the fourth quarter before Kevin Durant and Steph Curry nailed back-to-back 26-footers and seal the game for the Dubs.
NBA teams have a habit of overlooking the inferior teams and play to level of the competition. That shouldn’t happen for Toronto on Friday night. We expect the Dinos will play angry knowing they played well enough to beat two of the league’s best sides and came away empty-handed.
Plus, Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan likes to show out against his home town team. He’s averaging 25.8 points in his last four games against the Lakers at Staples Center.
Pick: Raptors -5.5
Yesterday’s picks: 1-1
Season record: 9-11
Total Streaks
*The under is 4-0 in the Rockets’ last four games and 6-0 in the Hornets’ last six games.
*The over is 17-5 in the Spurs’ last 22 games overall and 8-2-1 in the Magic’s last 11 games.
*The under is 9-0 in the Nuggets’ last nine games.
*The under is 5-1 in the Thunder’s last six games.
Injury To Note
All-Star wing Jimmy Butler has missed the last two games for the Timberwolves and he’s questionable to return to game action on Friday because of a lingering respiratory infection. The T-Wolves are 0-2 straight up and against the spread in the two games they’ve played with Butler in the lineup.
Referee Assignment to Watch
The refs working the Wizards-Warriors game are calling low scoring-games so far this season. The under is a combined 1-6 in any games worked by Bill Kennedy, Eric Dalen or Gary Zielinski.
The total is set at 231 for Washington-Golden State tonight at Oracle Arena.
Trends
*The Magic are 13-27-1 ATS in their last 41 home games.
*The Hawks are 15-7-1 ATS in their last 23 games playing on zero days’ rest.
*The Timberwolves are 0-5 ATS in their last five home games.
Consensus
More than 70 percent of contest players expect the Rockets to cover as 3-point chalk against the hosting Hornets on Friday night.