NBA Betting News and Notes Monday, April 17th, 2017

NBA Knowledge

Wizards won their last three games with Atlanta, by 3-26-4 points, but teams played only once since late January. Washington is 3-5 in its last eight games overall; three of their last four games stayed under total. Hawks won four of their last five games, under is 6-2 in their last eight road games. Washington is in playoffs for third time in last four years, after a 5-year drought; they won last two first round series. Atlanta is in playoffs for 10th year in row; they’re 5-4 in last nine first round series, winning in first round last two years.

Warriors swept Portland this season, winning four games by 23-45-8-2 points; teams haven’t met since January 29. Golden State won 15 of its last 16 games overall, win 10-3-2 vs spread in last 15 games- over is 5-3 in their last eight. Portland won nine of its last 12 games to get into the playoffs; they covered five of their last six road games. Golden State won NBA title in 2015, lost Finals LY, added Durant last summer. Since 2001, Portland is 2-7 in first round series, with wins coming in last three years (2-1).

Home side won all four Boston-Chicago games this season; Bulls lost here, by 7-20 points. Celtics won nine of their last 12 games; they’re 1-6 vs spread in last seven home games. Bulls won seven of last nine games to sneak into playoffs; their last five games stayed under the total. Boston is in playoffs for ninth time in last 10 years, but their last series win was 2012- they lost last three first round series. Chicago is 83-81 under Hoiberg, missing playoffs LY, barely making it this year- they’re they’re 3-2 in last five first round series.

Houston won three of four games with Oklahoma City this year; three of the four were decided by 3 or less points, with Rockets winning last three. Rockets were just 4-5 in their last nine games (under 6-3). Thunder won four of last six games, with last four staying under the total. Houston is in playoffs for fifth year in row, making Western final two years ago, but since 1998, the Rockets are 2-9 in first round series. Oklahoma City won 8 fewer games this year than last; they won their last five first round series, but without Durant, they’re obviously not as good a team now.

Armadillosports.com

NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com

Memphis at San Antonio

In typical San Antonio fashion, the Spurs blew past Grizzlies 111-82 in Game-one of the first-round Western Conference playoff series at AT&T Center cashing as 9.5 point chalk.

Last year when San Antonio and Memphis played one another in the first round the Spurs swept the series cashing three of four tickets. In 2013, the Spurs dominated their Southwest Division rival in the Conference Finals once again sweeping the series treating supporters to a 3-1 record at the betting window.

San Antonio 9-0 (7-2 ATS) vs Memphis in post season winning by an average of 17.9 points have opened 10.5 point home favorites at Sports Interaction.

Not that you don't have enough reason to back San Antonio, but they're on 8-0 (5-3 ATS) and 18-1 (11-7-1 ATS) streaks vs Grizzlies in Alamo City winning by 12.8 points/game. Additionally, Spurs are 13-3 ATS at home in post season holding opponents to 100 or less points a situation they've managed in 16 of the 19 home games vs Grizzlies.

Monday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com

Eastern Conference First Round

Indiana at Cleveland

2016-17 Regular Season (Cavaliers 3-1)
Nov. 16 Cavaliers at Pacers (-2.5) 103-93 (Under 208.5)
Feb. 8 Cavaliers (+3.5) at Pacers 132-117 (Over 216)
Feb. 5 Pacers at Cavaliers (-6) 113-104 (Under 219)
Apr. 2 Pacers at Cavaliers (-8 ) 135-130 (2OT) (Over 214)

2016-17 Postseason (Cavaliers 1-0)
Apr. 15 Pacers at Cavaliers (-9) 109-108 (Over 208.5)

In his previous 11 seasons in the playoffs, LeBron James had never been eliminated in the opening round. In fact, the Cavaliers and Heat never lost Game 1 of the quarterfinals in this stretch with James leading the way, but Cleveland needed to stave off Indiana on Saturday, 109-108 to keep that perfect record intact.

The Pacers had a shot to win it on the final possession, but C.J. Miles misfired as Cleveland dodged a bullet to grab a 1-0 series lead. Indiana managed a cover as nine-point underdogs thanks to a solid performance from All-Star forward Paul George, who scored 29 points. Recently acquired Lance Stephenson brought back some of his old Pacers’ magic by chipping in 16 points off the bench, but the Pacers lost for the eighth consecutive time at Quicken Loans Arena.

James paced the Cavaliers with 32 points and 13 assists, while Kyrie Irving dropped 23 points on 11-of-27 shooting from the floor in Game 1. Cleveland kept Indiana hanging around in the series opener by hitting only 14-of-27 free throw attempts, while getting outrebounded by Indiana, 41-34.

Following the cover on Saturday, Nate McMillan’s squad improved to 7-0 ATS the last seven games, including four straight ATS victories away from Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Over the previous two postseasons, the Cavaliers have compiled a 6-1 ATS record off a non-cover at Quicken Loans Arena. Only once in James’ playoff career has his teams not gone up 2-0 in the first round as that came back in his first postseason appearance in 2006 against Washington.

Indiana cashed a rare playoff OVER in Game 1 after the Pacers finished UNDER the total in six of seven games against Toronto in the opening round of 2016. Cleveland is currently on a 6-1 OVER run the last seven home contests as the lone UNDER came in the regular season finale against Toronto when James, Irving, and Kevin Love all rested.

The Cavaliers moved to -2000 to clinch this first round series at Sportsbook.ag after sneaking by in Game 1. If you have faith in the Pacers to come back and win this series, it may be time to jump on Indiana at +1000 (Bet $100 to win $1000) after starting the series at +700.

After closing as a nine-point favorite on Saturday, the Cavaliers have dropped to a 7½-point favorite in Monday’s Game 2 at Quicken Loans Arena with a total of 210.

Western Conference First Round

Memphis at San Antonio

2016-17 Regular Season (Tied 2-2)
Feb. 6 Spurs at Grizzlies (-1) 89-74 (Under 200.5)
Mar. 18 Spurs (-4) at Grizzlies 104-96 (Over 196)
Mar. 23 Grizzlies at Spurs (-8 ) 97-90 (Under 197.5)
Apr. 4 Grizzlies at Spurs (-9) 95-89 (OT) (Over 195.5)

2016-17 Postseason (Spurs 1-0)
Apr. 15 Grizzlies at Spurs (-9.5) 111-82 (Over 190)

For the second straight postseason, the Spurs and Grizzlies are hooking up in the opening round. Last season, Memphis was the walking wounded heading into that series as it was short-handed and got swept by San Antonio. The Grizzlies are healthier this time around (for the exception of guard Tony Allen sidelined), but Memphis scored only 52 points in the final three quarters of Saturday’s 111-82 setback at San Antonio.

The Spurs fell behind, 30-25 after one quarter, but stepped up their defense in the final three quarters, while outscoring the Grizzlies, 59-33 in the second half. San Antonio easily cashed as 9½-point favorites to pick up its first ATS win against Memphis in five tries this season. The Spurs had only three players in double-figures, led by Kawhi Leonard’s 32 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the floor, while LaMarcus Aldridge contributed 20 points.

The Grizzlies shot 39% from the floor, which included Marc Gasol’s 11-of-18 performance for 32 points. Zach Randolph and Mike Conley, Jr. combined to shoot 8-of-27 from the field for 19 points, while Memphis lost its eighth consecutive playoff game dating back to the 2015 Western Conference semifinals. In fact, Memphis has been limited to 100 points or less in 13 straight postseason contests, as the UNDER has cashed nine times in this span.

The Spurs improved to 8-11 ATS as a favorite in the postseason since 2014, while winning 20 of their last 27 games in the opening round dating back to 2012. In this stretch, Gregg Popovich’s squad has either pulled off a sweep in the first round (2012, 2013, 2016), or been stretched to the limit, reaching a seventh game against the Mavericks in 2014 and the Clippers in 2015.

Just like Cleveland, San Antonio is an overwhelming favorite to advance to the second round as the Spurs are listed at -3500 to move forward after opening the series at -1000. The Grizzlies split the regular season series with the Spurs, but Memphis is climbing an uphill battle in a 1-0 hole as it is listed at a hefty +1500 to beat San Antonio four times at Sportsbook.ag.

The Spurs have been pushed up to 11-point favorites in Game 2, while the total dropped slightly from 190 in Game 1 to 188½ for Monday’s contest.

Monday’s NBA playoffs Betting Preview
Covers.com

Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers (-7.5, 210)

ABOUT THE PACERS (42-41 SU, 40-42-1 ATS, 42-41 O/U): C.J. Miles missed a mid-range jumper at the buzzer in Saturday's loss but Indiana just confirmed its belief that it could hang with the defending champions. The last possession of Game 1 was a hot topic of conversation after the contest, with George wondering why he didn't get the ball back after passing out of a double team. "I talked to C.J. about it," George told reporters. "In situations like that, I've got to get the last shot. ... But at the same time, I've got to have trust in my teammates. C.J.'s been in that position in this season where I've needed him to make a big shot and I've kicked to him and he's made that big shot." George finished with 29 points and went 6-of-8 from 3-point range in the loss, marking the sixth time in eight playoff games the last two seasons that he scored at least 25 points.

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (52-31 SU, 36-44-3 ATS, 48-34-1 O/U): The Cleveland Cavaliers withstood a late comeback and earned a one-point win in the first game of the Eastern Conference playoffs, but questions about the team remain. Cleveland stumbled out of the top spot in the East with a 12-15 record after the All-Star break, including four straight losses to end the campaign, and Game 1 wasn't the dominant effort the team had been seeking. "The playoffs are about adjustments and what you can do better," Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters "I just think that if we got to those 50-50 balls and the offensive rebounds, that it would have been a totally different game. Hats off to (Indiana). They played well, but we’ll be better." Cleveland went 14-of-27 from the free-throw line in Game 1 and surrendered 12 offensive rebounds.

LINE HISTORY: The Cavaliers opened as 7.5-point home favorites for Game 2 and the total hit the board at 210. Check out the complete line history here.

INJURY REPORT:

Pacers - SG G. Robinson III (Questionable, calf), C A. Jefferson (Questionable, ankle).

Cavaliers - PG K. Felder (Questionable, leg).

TRENDS:

* Pacers are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
* Cavaliers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Over is 8-0 in Pacers last 8 road games.
* Over is 7-0 in Cavaliers last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
* Pacers are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Cleveland.

Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs (-11, 188.5)

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (43-40 SU, 41-42 ATS, 39-41-3 O/U): The seventh-seeded Grizzlies will try to put the big Game 1 loss behind them and even the best of seven series when they visit the second-seeded Spurs in Game 2 on Monday. The biggest thing the Spurs did to disrupt Memphis was getting point guard Mike Conley out of his rhythm, and the team leader managed just 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting. "They forced other guys to handle the ball," Grizzlies coach David Fizdale told reporters. "We went over it, we expected it, but we just didn't respond well to it. I thought Mike missed some chippies in there in the paint. But give them credit; they really turned the game around defensively against us." The bright spot offensively was center Marc Gasol, who scored 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting while outplaying older brother Pau, who managed six points off the Spurs' bench.

ABOUT THE SPURS (62-21 SU, 42-39-2 ATS, 44-37-2 O/U): San Antonio allowed 30 points in the first quarter of Game 1 but did not surrender more than 19 in any of the following three frames en route to a 111-82 drubbing. San Antonio got a different performance out of their starting point guard, with veteran Tony Parker scoring 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting while stepping up defensively against Conley. "Him being aggressive and knocking down shots and just penetrating, and getting the defense to get an extra guy to go to him is big for us," Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard told reporters. "Not just me, but everybody. He gets us open shots." Leonard had an easy time of it against the Memphis defense while scoring 32 points in as many minutes and shooting 11-of-14 from the field and 9-of-9 from the line.

LINE HISTORY: The Spurs opened as 10.5-point home favorites for Game 2 and after their convincing Game 1 victory the public jumped on them and forced a line move up to -11. The total opened at 189.5 and came down a full point to 188.5 by Sunday evening. Check out the complete line history here.

INJURY REPORT:

Grizzlies - SG T. Allen (Out Indefinitely, calf), SF C. Parsons (Out For Season, knee).

Spurs - No injuries to report.

TRENDS:

* Grizzlies are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Spurs are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 vs. NBA Southwest.
* Under is 5-1 in Grizzlies last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Over is 4-1 in Spurs last 5 overall.
* Grizzlies are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.