Monday's Best NBA Bets
By Covers.com
Oklahoma City Thunder at Portland Trail Blazers (1, 198)
The Oklahoma City Thunder went into Saturday’s game in San Antonio with the best outright record in the Western Conference. They left with the conference’s top record too, though without the confidence you’d expect.
The Thunder were spanked 107-96 as 2.5-point underdogs by the Spurs, who hit 12 treys on 52.5 percent shooting from outside. Tony Parker torched Oklahoma City for 42 points.
"They beat us. They beat us in all aspects of the game," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks told reporters. "I thought Tony Parker had his way with us. It's all about stopping the basketball and we didn't do a very good job at that. It's on all of us, including myself.”
The Thunder did managed to cut into a 24-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but their overall effort left a lot to be desired.
They’ll look to kick this road trip out west on a good note Monday.
Pick: Thunder
Los Angeles Clippers at Orlando Magic (1, 192)
The Los Angeles Clippers normally don’t have any problems filling the bucket. They’re averaging 98.1 points per game and more than 105 points in their last five games.
Defense has been a different story, though. The Clippers are allowing more than 100 points a night over their last five outings.
But after a disappointing loss to the Denver Nuggets, they rebounded to slam the Washington Wizards 107-81on Saturday.
“When we get stops, we’re tough to guard in transition,” point guard Chris Paul told reporters. “We’ve got the shooters, we’ve got the high fliers and all that. When we defend teams, we’re tough to beat.”
Defending against the Magic is much bigger task than holding the Wizards down, obviously. Dwight Howard just put up 27 points in Orlando’s gutty win at Indiana, while hitting seven of his 10 attempts from the charity stripe.
If he can keep hitting those freebies, this might turn into a real shootout.
Pick: Over
Game of the day: Lakers at 76ers
By Covers.com
Los Angeles Lakers at Philadelphia 76ers (-4, 177)
THE STORY: The Philadelphia 76ers are in the midst of a grueling stretch looking to prove that their early season success is not a fluke. The 76ers will receive what figures to be another stern test when Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers arrive in Philly for a Monday matchup. Philadelphia bounced back from a 20-point drubbing at home by the Miami Heat with a 98-87 victory in Atlanta on Saturday. It was the fifth win in six games for the 76ers, who beat Chicago and Orlando last week and face matchups against San Antonio and the Los Angeles Clippers in the upcoming week. The Lakers are 1-1 on their season-high, six-game road trip and absorbed a 96-87 loss in Utah on Saturday night that dropped them to 3-8 away from home. Los Angeles coach Mike Brown picked up a pair of technicals and could be facing disciplinary action after bumping into referee Zach Zarba.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (14-10, 11-13 ATS): Pau Gasol had reached only 20 points twice – with a high of 22 – in the first 15 games of the season, but has scored at least 23 points in five of his last nine games. That included a 24-point, 16-rebound performance against the Jazz. Gasol has grabbed 33 rebounds in his last two and is averaging a double-double (16.5 points, 10.0 rebounds) for the season. Center Andrew Bynum is averaging 21.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in his last three.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (17-7, 16-7-1 ATS): The league's most balanced scoring team received a boost over the weekend with the return of big men Spencer Hawes and rookie Nikola Vucevic from injury. Starting center Spencer Hawes came back from a 10-game absence to score 14 points while Vucevic, in his second game back after sitting out the previous six, scored a career-high 15 against Atlanta. The duo combined to hit 14 of 21 shots to ease the loss of Elton Brand, who sprained his thumb in Friday’s game.
TRENDS:
* Lakers are 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings in Philadelphia.
* Under is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
* Favorite is 11-5 ATS in the last 16 meetings.
* Road team is 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Lakers have beaten the 76ers four straight overall and seven of the last eight. They've also won their last four visits to Philly.
2. Philadelphia has not allowed an opponent to score more than 87 points in its last five wins, holding three opponents to less than 74 points.
PREDICTION: 76ers 92, Lakers 90
Hot Teams
-- Orlando won its last three games, by 6-8-4 points. Clippers won five of their last six games.
-- 76ers won five of their last six games (10-3 as home favorite).
-- Bulls covered seven of last ten games as a road favorite.
-- Knicks covered their last four games, but are 3-6 as a home favorite.
-- Spurs won last four games, covered last five.
-- Sacramento won its last two games, covered its last four, but they're 4-9 vs spread as a road underdog.
-- Trailblazers won/covered their last five home games. Oklahoma City won six of its last eight games.
Cold Teams
-- Raptors lost three of last four games; they're 9-7 as a road underdog. Washington is 3-10 at home, but 2-1 as a home favorite.
-- Lakers are 3-7 away from Staples Center.
-- Suns covered three of their last ten road games. Atlanta lost its last two home games, is 3-6 vs spread in last nine games as home favorite.
-- Nets are 3-7 at home, 2-4 as home underdogs.
-- Utah lost five of its seven road games.
-- Grizzlies lost six of last eight games, but they're 5-2 as home faves.
-- Hornets lost nine of their last ten road games.
-- Rockets lost three of last four games; they're 2-7 as road underdogs. Denver lost four of its last five games.
Wear and Tear
-- Raptors: 5th game/7 nites. Wizards: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Clippers: 6th game/9 nites. Magic: 8th game/12 nites.
-- Lakers: 3rd game/4 nites. 76ers: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Suns: 6th game/9 nites. Hawks: 3rd game/5 nites.
-- Bulls: 6th game/9 nites. Nets: 5th game/7 nites.
-- Jazz: 4th game/6 nites. Knicks: 5th game/7 nites.
-- Spurs: 6th game/9 nites. Grizzlies: 6th game/8 nites.
-- Kings: 3rd game/5 nites. Hornets: 6th game/9 nites.
-- Rockets: 3rd game/4 nites. Nuggets: 5th game/7 nites.
-- Thunder: 3rd game/4 nites. Blazers: 4th game/6 nites.
Totals
-- Last four Toronto road games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last nine Clipper games went over the total.
-- Last three Laker games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Phoenix road games stayed under total.
-- Six of last eight Chicago games went over the total.
-- Six of last eight New York games stayed under the total.
-- Eight of last nine Memphis games stayed under.
-- Ten of last eleven Sacramento road games stayed under.
-- Five of last seven Houston road games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Thunder games went over the total.
TORONTO (8 - 17) at WASHINGTON (4 - 20) - 2/6/2012, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 40-66 ATS (-32.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 271-337 ATS (-99.7 Units) in home games since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 8-20 ATS (-14.0 Units) against Atlantic division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 56-77 ATS (-28.7 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 66-99 ATS (-42.9 Units) in home games after a loss by 10 points or more since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 5-4 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 5-4 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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LA CLIPPERS (14 - 7) at ORLANDO (15 - 9) - 2/6/2012, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 35-52 ATS (-22.2 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 73-112 ATS (-50.2 Units) in February games since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 27-44 ATS (-21.4 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) in road games after scoring 105 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 139-181 ATS (-60.1 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 4-0 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 4-0 straight up against LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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LA LAKERS (14 - 10) at PHILADELPHIA (17 - 7) - 2/6/2012, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 98-121 ATS (-35.1 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) in all games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) as a favorite this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 35-23 ATS (+9.7 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 65-96 ATS (-40.6 Units) as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 2-2 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 4-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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PHOENIX (9 - 14) at ATLANTA (16 - 8) - 2/6/2012, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 46-30 ATS (+13.0 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 12-24 ATS (-14.4 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 4-0 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 3-1 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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CHICAGO (20 - 6) at NEW JERSEY (8 - 17) - 2/6/2012, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 71-52 ATS (+13.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) after playing 3 consecutive road games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 82-105 ATS (-33.5 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) in home games against Central division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 5-3 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 5-3 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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UTAH (13 - 9) at NEW YORK (9 - 15) - 2/6/2012, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UTAH is 97-70 ATS (+20.0 Units) against Atlantic division opponents since 1996.
UTAH is 40-24 ATS (+13.6 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 4-0 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 3-1 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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SAN ANTONIO (16 - 9) at MEMPHIS (12 - 12) - 2/6/2012, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MEMPHIS is 72-46 ATS (+21.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 35-22 ATS (+10.8 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 37-19 ATS (+16.1 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 29-13 ATS (+14.7 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 21-4 ATS (+16.6 Units) when playing on back-to-back days over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 19-8 ATS (+10.2 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 24-10 ATS (+13.0 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 38-20 ATS (+16.0 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 41-27 ATS (+11.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 46-30 ATS (+13.0 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 11-5 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS is 8-8 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
9 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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SACRAMENTO (8 - 15) at NEW ORLEANS (4 - 20) - 2/6/2012, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
SACRAMENTO is 7-1 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
NEW ORLEANS is 5-3 straight up against SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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HOUSTON (13 - 11) at DENVER (15 - 9) - 2/6/2012, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DENVER is 62-46 ATS (+11.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
DENVER is 27-14 ATS (+11.6 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 44-26 ATS (+15.4 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1996.
HOUSTON is 31-15 ATS (+14.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
DENVER is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in home games against Southwest division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 3-3 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 4-3 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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OKLAHOMA CITY (18 - 5) at PORTLAND (14 - 10) - 2/6/2012, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PORTLAND is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in home games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 16-3 ATS (+12.7 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PORTLAND is 5-3 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
PORTLAND is 5-4 straight up against OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS vs. ORLANDO
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 7 games when playing Orlando
LA Clippers are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing Orlando
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Orlando's last 16 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Orlando's last 5 games at home
LA LAKERS vs. PHILADELPHIA
LA Lakers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Lakers last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games when playing at home against LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
TORONTO vs. WASHINGTON
Toronto is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 6 games
Washington is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Toronto
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Toronto
PHOENIX vs. ATLANTA
Phoenix is 6-17 SU in its last 23 games on the road
Phoenix is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta's last 9 games when playing at home against Phoenix
Atlanta is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix
CHICAGO vs. NEW JERSEY
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games on the road
Chicago is 19-5 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Jersey's last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Jersey's last 8 games when playing at home against Chicago
UTAH vs. NEW YORK
Utah is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New York
Utah is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
New York is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games at home
New York is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
SAN ANTONIO vs. MEMPHIS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Antonio's last 7 games
San Antonio is 2-10-1 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Memphis
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Memphis's last 9 games
Memphis is 10-2-1 ATS in its last 13 games when playing San Antonio
SACRAMENTO vs. NEW ORLEANS
Sacramento is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Sacramento is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Sacramento
New Orleans is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Sacramento
HOUSTON vs. DENVER
Houston is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Denver
Houston is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Denver's last 6 games
Denver is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. PORTLAND
Oklahoma City is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Portland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 6 games on the road
Portland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Portland's last 17 games when playing Oklahoma City
TORONTO at WASHINGTON
TORONTO: 26-15 UNDER when playing 8 or more games in 14 days
WASHINGTON: 35-16 UNDER after 2 or more consecutive losses
LA CLIPPERS at ORLANDO
LA CLIPPERS: 73-112 ATS in February games
ORLANDO: 111-73 ATS in home games after having won 3 of their last 4 games
LA LAKERS at PHILADELPHIA
LA LAKERS: 7-17 ATS after 3 or more consecutive unders
PHILADELPHIA: 14-4 ATS as a favorite
PHOENIX at ATLANTA
PHOENIX: 46-30 ATS second half of the season
ATLANTA: 13-27 ATS after playing a game as a home favorite
CHICAGO at NEW JERSEY
CHICAGO: 37-24 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points
NEW JERSEY: 16-30 ATS in home games after playing a road game
UTAH at NEW YORK
UTAH: 23-12 OVER in non-conference games
NEW YORK: 31-19 ATS after 1 or more consecutive wins
SAN ANTONIO at MEMPHIS
SAN ANTONIO: 3-14 ATS in road games after 5 or more straight ATS wins
MEMPHIS: 24-12 ATS off a road loss
SACRAMENTO at NEW ORLEANS
SACRAMENTO: 11-2 Under as a road underdog
NEW ORLEANS: 6-1 ATS after scoring 90 points or less 2 straight games
HOUSTON at DENVER
HOUSTON: 44-26 ATS in road games after 3 or more consecutive unders
DENVER: 4-14 ATS in home games against Southwest division opponents
OKLAHOMA CITY at PORTLAND
OKLAHOMA CITY: 23-12 UNDER in road games after having won 5 or 6 of their last 7 games
PORTLAND: 17-6 UNDER after a combined score of 205 points or more
Hoop Trends - Monday
By Vince Akins
VegasInsider.com
SU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Hawks are 0-14 ATS (-13.6 ppg) since April 28, 2010 at home with at least one day of rest after a game in which they allowed at least 50% from the field and committeed more than five turnovers.
OU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Wizards are 0-13-1 OU (-10.7 ppg) since February 11, 2007 at home with at least one day of rest off a loss in which they never led.
PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:
The Spurs are 0-10 ATS (-12.3 ppg) since May 03, 2010 on the road after a win where they allowed less than 102 points in which Richard Jefferson scored fewer than 10 points.
CHOICE TOP TREND:
The Kings are 0-14 ATS (-9.4 ppg) since December 07, 2007 with a total under 214 after a home win in which their DPA was greater than 0.5.