Monday's Best NBA Bets
By Covers.com
Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder (-8, 198)
After plodding along for a couple of weeks in mid-March, the Thunder has turned the corner into full-on championship mode. Winners of six straight, the Thunder has knocked off a series of top teams in convincing fashion. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, are among a group of teams packed tightly in the bottom half of the Western Conference playoff bracket.
Memphis had looked to be slipping all the way out of the playoff picture before turning it on recently. The difference has come on the defensive end, with the Grizzlies holding each of their last four opponents under 100 points. They managed to slow down a red-hot Milwaukee team on Saturday, getting strong play from O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay in the process. But the Grizzlies have already lost to Oklahoma City three times this season.
The Thunder has handled the Heat, Clippers and Lakers during their recent surge. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have taken turns handling the scoring load.
Oklahoma City is 5-2 ATS in its last seven meetings with Memphis.
Pick: Thunder
Los Angeles Clippers at Dallas Mavericks (-4.5, 189.5)
The Clippers are riding their longest winning streak in over five years and will look to continue the momentum on the road. Fresh off a perfect five-game homestand that marked the team’s longest winning streak since November 2006, the Clippers will visit the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.
Chris Paul has averaged 21.0 points during the winning streak and has continually taken over games in the fourth quarter. Blake Griffin has bounced back from some inconsistent play earlier in the month to score at least 20 points in six consecutive games.
Dallas, playing its ninth consecutive game against a playoff contender, is finally getting healthy. Reserve guard Delonte West, seeing his first significant action since breaking a finger on Feb. 15, had 15 points and five assists in Friday’s come-from-behind win at Orlando. "Delonte West played a massive game for us,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. Center Brendan Haywood returned from a seven-game absence and made headlines after Magic coach Stan Van Gundy accused him of punching Dwight Howard.
The Mavericks have won 17 of the last 19 meetings with the Clippers. And Dallas is 8-1 ATS in the last nine meetings.
Pick: Mavericks
Hot Teams
-- Bucks won/covered six of their last seven road games.
-- Chicago is 7-3 vs spread as a single digit home favorite.
-- Oklahoma City won its last six games (5-1 vs spread); they're 8-5 as home favorites of 9 or less points. Grizzlies won/covered three of their last four games; they're 8-10 as a road dog, 3-5 if spread was 6+ points.
-- Dallas won six of last seven home games; they're 4-6-1 as home faves of 5 or less points. Clippers won last five games, but they were all at home; they've lost three in row on road, by 13-23-7 points.
-- Portland won four of its last five home games.
Cold Teams
-- Wizards lost six of their last seven games; they're 1-5 as home dogs of 6 or less points.
-- Rockets lost eight of last eleven road games (2-8-1 vs spread).
-- Sacramento lost five of its last six games. Timberwolves lost seven of their last nine road games.
-- Jazz lost four of their last five games.
Wear-and-Tear
-- Bucks: 3rd game/4 nites. Wizards: 9th game/13 nites.
-- Rockets: 3rd game/4 nites. Bulls: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Grizzlies: 3rd game/4 nites. Thunder: 2nd in row after 2 nites off.
-- Clippers: 3rd game/4 nites. Mavericks: Had last 2 nites off.
-- T'wolves: 5th game/7 nites. Kings: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Jazz: 3rd game/4 nites. Blazers: 4th game/5 nites.
Totals
-- Over is 9-2 in Milwaukee's last eleven road games.
-- Under is 7-1-1 in last nine Chicago games.
-- Six of last eight Memphis road games stayed under total.
-- Last five Clipper road games went over the total.
-- Last seven Sacramento home games went over the total.
-- Nine of last 12 Utah road games went over the total.
Back-to-Back
-- Washington is 2-3 vs spread at home if it lost the night before.
-- Rockets are 2-8 vs spread on road if they played night before. Bulls are 5-0 (4-1 vs spread) if they lost the day before.
-- Minnesota is 3-5 vs spread if on road for second night in row.
-- Trailblazers are 4-3 vs spread if they played the night before.
Armadillosports.com
MILWAUKEE (24 - 28) at WASHINGTON (12 - 40) - 4/2/2012, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
MILWAUKEE is 6-3 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
MILWAUKEE is 6-3 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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HOUSTON (28 - 25) at CHICAGO (42 - 12) - 4/2/2012, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 13-26 ATS (-15.6 Units) in road games when playing on back-to-back days over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 32-22 ATS (+7.8 Units) in all games this season.
CHICAGO is 42-29 ATS (+10.1 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 82-54 ATS (+22.6 Units) in home games when playing on back-to-back days since 1996.
CHICAGO is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
CHICAGO is 38-25 ATS (+10.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 240-188 ATS (+33.2 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
HOUSTON is 76-40 ATS (+32.0 Units) in road games off a upset loss as a favorite since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 3-1 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 4-0 straight up against HOUSTON 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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MEMPHIS (28 - 22) at OKLAHOMA CITY (40 - 12) - 4/2/2012, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 81-67 ATS (+7.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 83-60 ATS (+17.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 40-25 ATS (+12.5 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 23-9 ATS (+13.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is between 195 and 199.5 points over the last 3 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 40-27 ATS (+10.3 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 27-15 ATS (+10.5 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 40-27 ATS (+10.3 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 19-7 ATS (+11.3 Units) off an upset win as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 44-22 ATS (+19.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 25-12 ATS (+11.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 10-7 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 10-7 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
12 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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LA CLIPPERS (31 - 21) at DALLAS (30 - 23) - 4/2/2012, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 387-457 ATS (-115.7 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 41-60 ATS (-25.0 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 15-31 ATS (-19.1 Units) against Southwest division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 15-30 ATS (-18.0 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 26-48 ATS (-26.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 144-183 ATS (-57.3 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 129-180 ATS (-69.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
DALLAS is 87-66 ATS (+14.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 125-92 ATS (+23.8 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
DALLAS is 248-189 ATS (+40.1 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.
DALLAS is 55-31 ATS (+20.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 33-15 ATS (+16.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 6-1 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 8-1 straight up against LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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MINNESOTA (25 - 29) at SACRAMENTO (18 - 34) - 4/2/2012, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 40-58 ATS (-23.8 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 25-40 ATS (-19.0 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 21-12 ATS (+7.8 Units) as an underdog this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
SACRAMENTO is 6-4 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
SACRAMENTO is 5-5 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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UTAH (27 - 26) at PORTLAND (25 - 28) - 4/2/2012, 10:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
UTAH is 6-3 against the spread versus PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 6-3 straight up against PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
MILWAUKEE vs. WASHINGTON
Milwaukee is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
MEMPHIS vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
Memphis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Memphis's last 11 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games when playing Memphis
Oklahoma City is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Memphis
HOUSTON vs. CHICAGO
Houston is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Chicago
Houston is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chicago's last 9 games
LA CLIPPERS vs. DALLAS
LA Clippers are 1-11 SU in their last 12 games when playing Dallas
LA Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games when playing Dallas
Dallas is 11-1 SU in their last 12 games when playing LA Clippers
Dallas is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games at home
MINNESOTA vs. SACRAMENTO
Minnesota is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota's last 7 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Sacramento's last 7 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Sacramento is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
UTAH vs. PORTLAND
Utah is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Utah is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Portland is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Utah
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Portland's last 6 games when playing Utah
MILWAUKEE at WASHINGTON
MILWAUKEE: 34-16 ATS Away second half of the season
WASHINGTON: 19-40 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points
HOUSTON at CHICAGO
HOUSTON: 13-26 ATS Away on back to back days
CHICAGO: 25-12 ATS off SU Loss
MEMPHIS at OKLAHOMA CITY
MEMPHIS: 19-7 ATS off SU dog win
OKLAHOMA CITY: 7-1 Over at home vs. Memphis
LA CLIPPERS at DALLAS
LA CLIPPERS: 1-9 ATS off 3+ home games
DALLAS: 6-1 ATS vs. Clippers
MINNESOTA at SACRAMENTO
MINNESOTA: 12-4 ATS Away off ATS loss
SACRAMENTO: 8-1 Over if favorite last game
UTAH at PORTLAND
UTAH: 47-30 ATS playing their 3rd game in 4 days
PORTLAND: 1-11 ATS when the line is +3 to -3
Hoop Trends - Monday
By Vince Akins
VegasInsider.com
SU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Bulls are 10-0 ATS (11.9 ppg) since November 15, 1995 as a home favorite with at most one day of rest after a game on the road in which their DPS was minus 15 points or less.
OU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Timberwolves are 10-0 OU (20.6 ppg) since April 04, 2010 on the road when seeking revenge for a 9+ point loss which they did not have 2+ days rest for.
PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:
The Thunder are 10-0 ATS (11.2 ppg) since March 02, 2011 after winning the previous matchup in which Russell Westbrook played more than 40 minutes.
CHOICE TREND:
The Trailblazers are 11-0 ATS (8.7 ppg) since March 19, 1996 as a favorite after a double digit win in which their opponent shot at least twenty three-pointers and made less than 25% of them.
TODAY’S TRENDS:
The Wizards are 0-10-1 OU (-11.2 ppg) since March 27, 2010 at home after losing the previous matchup in which Javale Mcgee had more rebounds than points.The Bulls are 10-0 ATS (7.9 ppg) since February 10, 2009 at home after a loss on the road in which Joakim Noah played fewer than 30 minutes.