Monday's Best NBA Bets
By Covers.com
Los Angeles Clippers at Memphis Grizzlies (-4, 186)
Two of the Western Conference’s hottest teams square off when the Los Angeles Clippers visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
Memphis has won seven of nine games since losing to the Clippers on March 24 after downing the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.
Rudy Gay dropped 25 points and Gilbert Arenas added 14 points in 17 minutes. The controversial veteran who didn’t have a NBA job until signing with the Grizzlies last month is averaging 11.0 points over the last four games while knocking down 10 of 15 3-point shots.
“It has been great because these guys have accepted me,” Arenas said. “I realized how much I really missed the game while I was gone.”
The Grizz have covered in six of their last nine and will be looking to avenge the beating the Clippers gave them late last month.
Pick: Grizzlies
Phoenix Suns at Minnesota Timberwolves (2, 209.5)
Spirits are high in the Phoenix locker room after the Suns downed the Lakers Saturday, marking their fourth win in the last five games.
"Tonight was great, to get a win and bounce back, mentally more than anything, to fight back," Michael Redd told reporters after scoring 23 points in the 125-105 win over the Kobe-less Lakers. "We played well this week, so we've got another tough week in front of us and hopefully we can do the same thing."
They should be able to keep it going against a Minnesota club that’s sinking despite Kevin Love’s stellar play. The Timberwolves have dropped seven straight against the number and six of those games outright.
Love put up another 29 points and 12 rebounds Saturday in New Orleans but Minnesota still fell 99-90 as a 3-point road favorite.
Phoenix will be riding high after the big win over L.A.
Pick: Suns
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Phoenix at Minnesota
Minnesota's rapid fall towards elimination continued Saturday as Twolves were stung 99-90 by Hornets marking a fifth straight loss (0-5 ATS) and eight the past ten on the hardwood (2-8 ATS). When the Twolves host the Suns in a Western Conference clash Monday night they'll be doing so under terrible conditions. It's bad enough that Twolves (25-32, 27-30 ATS) face a hungry Phoenix Sun (29-27, 30-26 ATS) team still in the running and one which has won six of it's last seven (5-2 ATS). But, Twolves will also be trying to improve it's horrendous 1-19 SU/ATS stretch on home court during the month of April. Good luck with that, Suns are on a 5-0 (4-1 ATS) stretch playing in Twolves back yard, 6-0 SU/ATS as road favorite of six or less.
Hot Teams
-- Raptors are 11-6 vs spread in last 17 games as a road dog.
-- Pistons are 5-3 vs spread in last eight games as a road dog.
-- Hornets won three of their last four at home (4-0 vs spread).
-- Memphis won seven of its last nine games. Clippers won eight of their last nine games (7-2 vs spread).
-- Bucks won last four games, but covered two of last seven at home.
-- Warriors covered eight of their last ten games, five in row on road.
-- Suns won/covered four of their last five games.
-- Spurs won their last eleven games (7-2-2 vs spread).
-- Portland won five of its last seven home games. Rockets won/covered four of their last five games.
Cold Teams
-- Pacers covered once in last seven games as a favorite.
-- Orlando lost five of its last six games.
-- Charlotte lost its last six home games (1-5 vs spread). Wizards lost 10 of last 11 games and five in row on road.
-- Lakers lost last two games, are 1-9 vs spread in last ten.
-- Thunder lost three of their last four games.
-- Nuggets are 4-10-1 vs spread in their last 15 games.
-- Minnesota lost four of its last five home games.
-- Jazz lost six of its last seven games (0-6-1 vs spread).
Wear-and-Tear
-- Raptors: 5th game/7 nites. Pacers: 9th game/13 nites.
-- Pistons: 4th game/5 nites. Magic: 3rd game/5 nites.
-- Wizards: Last two nites off. Bobcats: 5th game/7 nites.
-- Lakers: 7th game/10 nites. Hornets: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Clippers: 4th game/6 nites. Grizzlies: 6th game/8 nites.
-- Thunder: 6th game/9 nites. Bucks: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Warriors: 5th game/7 nites. Nuggets: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Suns: 5th game/7 nites. Wolves: 2nd game/5 nites.
-- Spurs: 5th game/7 nites. Jazz: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Rockets: 3rd game/4 nites. Blazers: 8th game/12 nites.
Totals
-- Last four Toronto games stayed under the total. Five of Pacers' last six games went over.
-- Five of last six Detroit road games stayed under the total.
-- Last five Washington games went over the total.
-- Last eight Laker road games went over the total.
-- Over is 8-3 in Clippers' last 11 games.
-- Under is 8-3 in Thunder's last 11 road games.
-- Five of last six Warrior road games stayed under total.
-- Over is 8-4 in last dozen Phoenix road games.
-- Six of Spurs' last seven games went over the total.
-- Seven of last eight Portland games went over the total.
Back-to-Back
-- Toronto is 4-2 vs spread on road if they lost the night before.
-- Detroit is 6-8-1 vs spread if they lost the night before.
-- Thunder is 0-4 vs spread on road if they played at home nite before.
-- Spurs are 2-7-2 vs spread on road if they played the nite before. Utah is 5-6 vs spread if they lost the night before.
-- Houston is 3-8 vs spread on road if they played night before.
Armadillosports.com
TORONTO (20 - 37) at INDIANA (34 - 22) - 4/9/2012, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 14-25 ATS (-13.5 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
INDIANA is 5-4 against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 6-3 straight up against TORONTO 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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DETROIT (21 - 35) at ORLANDO (33 - 23) - 4/9/2012, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 6-2 against the spread versus ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 5-4 straight up against DETROIT 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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WASHINGTON (12 - 44) at CHARLOTTE (7 - 47) - 4/9/2012, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHARLOTTE is 5-5 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
CHARLOTTE is 6-4 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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LA LAKERS (35 - 22) at NEW ORLEANS (15 - 41) - 4/9/2012, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 8-7 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 12-3 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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LA CLIPPERS (34 - 22) at MEMPHIS (32 - 23) - 4/9/2012, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 388-457 ATS (-114.7 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 265-317 ATS (-83.7 Units) second half of the season since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 16-31 ATS (-18.1 Units) against Southwest division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 7-18 ATS (-12.8 Units) in road games after scoring 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 145-183 ATS (-56.3 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 130-181 ATS (-69.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
MEMPHIS is 86-62 ATS (+17.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 44-28 ATS (+13.2 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 43-29 ATS (+11.1 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 22-10 ATS (+11.0 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 43-27 ATS (+13.3 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 50-36 ATS (+10.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 5-5 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 6-4 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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OKLAHOMA CITY (41 - 15) at MILWAUKEE (28 - 28) - 4/9/2012, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 30-16 ATS (+12.4 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 35-18 ATS (+15.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 133-107 ATS (+15.3 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 69-50 ATS (+14.0 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 49-28 ATS (+18.2 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 140-178 ATS (-55.8 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) against Northwest division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 17-30 ATS (-16.0 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 45-71 ATS (-33.1 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
MILWAUKEE is 2-2 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
MILWAUKEE is 2-2 straight up against OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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GOLDEN STATE (22 - 33) at DENVER (30 - 26) - 4/9/2012, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 49-78 ATS (-36.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 25-15 ATS (+8.5 Units) as an underdog this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) in road games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 23-13 ATS (+8.7 Units) second half of the season this season.
DENVER is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in home games second half of the season this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 5-4 against the spread versus GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 6-3 straight up against GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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PHOENIX (29 - 27) at MINNESOTA (25 - 32) - 4/9/2012, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 22-40 ATS (-22.0 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 67-48 ATS (+14.2 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 210 over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 22-13 ATS (+7.7 Units) second half of the season this season.
PHOENIX is 67-42 ATS (+20.8 Units) after allowing 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 31-15 ATS (+14.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 27-40 ATS (-17.0 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 3-15 ATS (-13.5 Units) in April games over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 28-41 ATS (-17.1 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 2-12 ATS (-11.2 Units) in home games against Pacific division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 21-36 ATS (-18.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 149-189 ATS (-58.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 5-4 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 8-1 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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SAN ANTONIO (40 - 14) at UTAH (29 - 28) - 4/9/2012, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 34-18 ATS (+14.2 Units) in all games this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) as a favorite this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 41-28 ATS (+10.2 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 23-7 ATS (+15.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 53-35 ATS (+14.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 19-8 ATS (+10.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 33-20 ATS (+11.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
UTAH is 5-4 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 6-4 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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HOUSTON (31 - 25) at PORTLAND (27 - 30) - 4/9/2012, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 35-23 ATS (+9.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
PORTLAND is 52-83 ATS (-39.3 Units) as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 5-4 against the spread versus PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 5-4 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
DETROIT vs. ORLANDO
Detroit is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games on the road
Detroit is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing Orlando
Orlando is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Orlando's last 6 games when playing Detroit
WASHINGTON vs. CHARLOTTE
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Charlotte
Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Charlotte
Charlotte is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
Charlotte is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Washington
TORONTO vs. INDIANA
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games
Toronto is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Indiana
Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 7 games at home
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. MILWAUKEE
Oklahoma City is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Milwaukee
Oklahoma City is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 19 of Milwaukee's last 25 games at home
Milwaukee is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Oklahoma City
LA CLIPPERS vs. MEMPHIS
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Clippers last 6 games when playing on the road against Memphis
Memphis is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Clippers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Memphis's last 6 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
LA LAKERS vs. NEW ORLEANS
LA Lakers are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 5 games on the road
New Orleans is 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games when playing LA Lakers
New Orleans is 6-19 SU in its last 25 games at home
GOLDEN STATE vs. DENVER
Golden State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Denver
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Golden State's last 5 games when playing on the road against Denver
Denver is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Golden State
Denver is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
SAN ANTONIO vs. UTAH
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio's last 5 games when playing Utah
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah's last 6 games at home
Utah is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home
PHOENIX vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games on the road
Phoenix is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix
Minnesota is 8-15 ATS in its last 23 games at home
HOUSTON vs. PORTLAND
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Houston is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games when playing Portland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Portland's last 5 games at home
Portland is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
Toronto at Indiana
Toronto: 20-9 ATS off BB ATS losses
Indiana: 0-10 ATS off ATS wins in 4 or 5 of their last 6 games
Detroit at Orlando
Detroit: 1-5 ATS after scoring 75 points or less
Orlando: 11-3 Over off a road win
Washington at Charlotte
Washington: 13-2 Over off ATS losses in 3 of their last 4 games
Charlotte: 11-27 ATS playing with revenge
LA Lakers at New Orleans
LA Lakers: 17-6 Over off ATS losses in 2 of their last 3 games
New Orleans: 8-15 ATS at home vs. LA Lakers
LA Clippers at Memphis
LA Clippers: 7-18 ATS away after scoring 105+ points
Memphis: 22-10 ATS off a division game
Oklahoma City at Milwaukee
Oklahoma City: 10-1 Under off 3+ non-conference games
Milwaukee: 17-30 ATS vs. non-conference opponents
Golden State at Denver
Golden State: 18-8 ATS as a road underdog
Denver: 5-13 ATS at home in the second half of the season
Phoenix at Minnesota
Phoenix: 12-2 ATS away off 3+ games allowing 105+ points
Minnesota: 2-12 ATS at home vs. Pacific Division opponents
San Antonio at Utah
San Antonio: 10-1 ATS with a total of 200+ points
Utah: 8-20 ATS at home with a total of 200+ points
Houston at Portland
Houston: 2-11 ATS away off 3+ ATS wins
Portland: 19-10 ATS off an ATS loss
Hoop Trends - Monday
By Vince Akins
VegasInsider.com
SU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Pacers are 0-11 ATS (-6.9 ppg) since January 15, 2007 off a home loss that broke at least a three-game winning streak.
OU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Raptors are 11-0-1 OU (13.6 ppg) since March 12, 2003 as a dog with no rest after a game on the road in which they shot less than 40% from the field.
PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:
The Grizzlies are 9-0-1 OU (6.0 ppg) since November 23, 2009 after losing the previous matchup on the road in which Zach Randolph was the Grizzlies’ high scorer.
CHOICE TREND:
The Suns are 0-13-1 ATS (-9.0 ppg) since January 09, 2008 with at least one day of rest after a game in which they blocked at least 10 shots.
TODAY’S TRENDS:
The Magic are 9-0-1 ATS (7.3 ppg) since December 23, 2009 with at most one day of rest after a win in which they scored more than 25% of their points from the free throw line.
The Lakers are 9-0 ATS (7.7 ppg) since February 18, 2009 on the road after a game in which they controlled at least 60% of the available rebounds.
Monday's X-Factors
By Antony Dinero
VegasInsider.com
Toronto at Indiana
Roy Hibbert has been struggling with consistency over the past few weeks, entering the past weekend without a double-double since Mar. 17 and actually going without a rebound on Apr. 4. While Larry Bird should've docked the 7-2 Hibbert a week's pay for embarrassing himself in failing to even meet with a board by accident, the goose egg apparently served as a wake-up call. Hibbert was a beast in Friday's upset of Oklahoma City, leading the way with 21 points and 12 rebounds by dominating Kendrick Perkins. In Saturday's 86-72 loss to Boston, he was one of the few Pacers with a pulse, winding up with 17 rebounds. No one is more vital to Indiana's aspirations of claiming the Eastern Conference's No. 3 seed than its All-Star Center, so count on his energy being the difference in whether the Pacers struggle with Toronto. The Raptors won't have Andrea Bargnani (calf) out there, but that actually aids the Raptors' defensive effort since active bodies Amir Johnson and Ed Davis will be over to help starter Aaron Gray if he struggles to handle Hibbert one-on-one. If he's sharp passing out of double teams and as active on the boards as he was this weekend, the Pacers are going to have an easier time covering double-digits.
Betting Notes – This will be the third and final meeting between the two teams this season. Indiana stopped Toronto in both of the first two games, with each being decided by five points (95-90, 90-85). Indiana is giving double digits tonight and the club has gone 4-0 straight up and 2-2 against the spread in this spot. The Raptors have seen the ‘under’ cash in five consecutive games, due to a lack of offensive talent.
Detroit at Orlando
Glen Davis had a fan favorite role carved out for him upon his arrival in a swap with Boston for Brandon Bass, but things haven't worked out that way. He was hoping to be more of an offensive threat than Stan Van Gundy saw him being out of the gate, so he moped and was ineffective as the primary big man off the bench. With Dwight Howard (back) out and Ryan Anderson working his way back from a nasty ankle sprain, Big Baby gets his wish to be the focal point inside in a critical game for the Magic's playoff seeding. Howard also missed last Tuesday's 102-95 loss in Auburn Hills, so Davis stepped up with 31 points and 10 rebounds on the heels of going for 18 and 16 in a loss to Denver that Howard also missed. He's averaging nearly 22 points and over 11 rebounds over Orlando's last four, so if the Magic is to get back in the good graces of a crowd that booed them lustily in Thursday's crushing loss to New York, it all falls on Davis' shoulders.
Betting Notes – Including last Tuesday’s win, the Pistons have won and covered three straight against Orlando. The Magic are 0-3 both SU and ATS in their last three home games. Orlando has allowed 104 and 103 points in the two previous games that Howard missed this season. The ‘over’ cashed in both affairs.
Oklahoma City at Milwaukee
Milwaukee sacrificed oft-injured former No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut to secure Monta Ellis' services as a closer. It looks like Ellis is game to help deliver on the Bucks' gamble, stepping up during their three-game winning streak with averages of 24 points and six assists as Oklahoma City visits. This is an identity game for the Thunder, who have stepped up their defense of late and put the clamps on the punchless Raptors on Sunday. With Thabo Sefolosha as the first line of defense and Russell Westbrook being pressed to become the lockdown defender he's athletically equipped to be, Ellis will have his work cut out for him, but it's not like he's a stranger to being the focal point of defenses. He's gotten accustomed to finding sweet spots at the Bradley Center over the past week, playing consecutive home games for the first time since being acquired in mid-March. How he fares against the Thunder will obviously be a critical factor in them covering, but may also be a great indicator in how seriously we should take Milwaukee's playoff push going forward.
Betting Notes – The Bucks have gone 6-6 both SU and ATS as home underdogs this season. Milwaukee has gone 7-10 versus the Western Conference this season, which includes a 4-4 mark at home. The Bucks have been a great lean to the ‘over’ (35-19) this season, especially at home (19-6) but tonight’s total is the highest (210.5) they’ve seen posted all season. OKC has failed to score over 100 points in five straight games, which has led to a 4-1 ‘under’ record over this stretch.
L.A. Clippers at Memphis
Blake Griffin brings his lunch pail to Memphis, so what better night than to see whether Zach Randolph is truly back? The Grizzlies' anchor hasn't been himself in this shortened season because he's never really been in shape. The extra weight he was carrying cost him 37 games due to knee problems resulting from the poor conditioning and even though he returned with a 25-point outburst on March 16, he's spent the last few weeks playing catch-up. This past weekend offered a tremendous sign, as Randolph came off the bench to deliver his first back-to-back double-doubles on 2012. His run delivered victories over the Heat and Mavericks, so another high-profile game against the Clippers is sure to keep him engaged. L.A. crushed the Grizzlies on March 24, so there's a revenge factor here, especially since Randolph struggled (6-for-16) in a 101-85 loss.
Betting Notes - The Clippers have gone 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS over their last 10, with both losses coming on the road. Los Angeles has beaten Memphis twice this season, but the two games were played at Staples Center. The Grizzlies will be playing their eighth game in 10 days tonight. Total players should note that the ‘under’ is on an 8-0 run for Memphis.
San Antonio at Utah
Paul Millsap was invisible in last night's 114-104 loss in San Antonio, so as the Jazz and Spurs square off in the second night of a home-and-home, his ability to bounce back is a major question mark. Millsap has been battling an energy-sapping stomach illness and was a major factor in the Spurs jumping all over Utah to ultimately lead by 17 (57-40) at halftime. Utah's second-half surge was keyed by ever-improving Derrick Favors replacing Millsap, who finished 1-for-8 in just 21 minutes, statistically his worst career start. Millsap's ability to be better in this return game would help Utah hang with San Antonio's depth, since last night's lopsided result ensured that Gregg Popovich didn't have to play a single player over 32 minutes.
Betting Notes - The Spurs have won 11 straight (8-1-2 ATS), with five of the victories coming on the road. After winning six in a row in mid-March, the Jazz have gone 3-6 (2-6-1 ATS) in their last seven. San Antonio has won all of its last six encounters against Utah, which includes the two encounters this season.