Rockets at Jazz: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Houston Rockets at Utah Jazz
The Houston Rockets are rolling up points and victories and figure to have a chance to do both once again when they visit the Utah Jazz on Monday. Houston won its fifth straight game with Saturday’s impressive 112-106 victory over San Antonio, marking the fourth time the Rockets have scored 112 or more during their winning streak. Utah has won two of three contests after a 1-14 start and is coming off a 112-104 victory at Phoenix on Saturday.
The Rockets lead the league in scoring at 109.4 points per game while Utah ranks near the bottom at 90.5. Houston overcame a 19-point deficit to post a 104-93 victory in Salt Lake City earlier this season and handed the Jazz their worst home loss in the Utah era last season – 125-80, the fifth-worst beating in franchise history. Rookie point guard Trey Burke has provided the Jazz with a lift since returning from a broken finger and had a season-best 20 points in the win over the Suns.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (13-5): Star guard James Harden was back on his game with 31 points against the Spurs after having just nine points the previous night against Brooklyn in his return from a foot injury. The ailment had sapped Harden’s explosiveness – leading to a three-game absence – but he moved much better while playing 37 minutes in the intense contest. “I just have to have confidence,” Harden said after the outing in which he knocked down the tying 3-pointer during a game-ending 9-0 run. “Even though I haven’t played and missed a couple games, I have to make sure I get my teammates involved and make sure that when they look at me, they know that we’re ready to win this game.”
ABOUT THE JAZZ (3-15): Utah has topped 100 points in consecutive games after reaching the figure just once over its first 16 outings. The improved offense has come under the direction of Burke, who missed the first 12 games and his absence left the Jazz without a bona fide point guard. Veteran forward Marvin Williams also has provided a boost and has scored 14 or more points in six of his last seven appearances despite playing with a broken nose.
TRENDS:
* Rockets are 5-0 ATS in their last five games overall.
* Under is 7-1 in the last eight meetings.
* Under is 9-1 in Jazz last 10 games following a ATS win.
* Jazz are 4-0 ATS in their last four vs. NBA Southwest.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Houston has won the last four meetings and eight of the past 12.
2. Burke went 4-of-6 from 3-point range on Saturday and is averaging 15.7 points over the past three games.
3. Rockets C Dwight Howard has scored 15 points or fewer in five consecutive games while averaging 12.4 during the stretch.
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Atlanta Hawks at San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs suffering a rare home defeat falling 112-106 as 6.5 point favorite to the Rockets have conditions on their side when they host Atlanta on Monday night. The Spurs are 21-7 ATS as home favorite vs Non-Conference opponent, 19-7-1 ATS vs Atlanta, 11-2-1 ATS last thirteen hosting Hawks. Look for Spurs to move to 8-0 ATS following a home loss, 5-1 ATS after running the hardwood with the Rockets.
Inside the Paint - Monday
By Chris David
VegasInsider.com
The first month of the NBA regular season is in the books and Indiana owns the best record in the league. The Pacers have started 16-1 straight up and even more impressive, 13-4 against the spread. If you’ve been following the hardwood so far, you should be well aware of how bad the Eastern Conference is and that’s where Indiana has been cleaning up.
To put things in perspective, the Pacers have only defeated one team with a winning record this season and that came in yesterday’s 105-100 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers. They have beaten a pair of teams with .500 records in Memphis and New Orleans, but the other 13 wins have come against losing teams.
Indiana and Miami (14-3) are the only teams with a record above .500 in the East and as long as both clubs stay healthy, it’s likely that the pair will meet in next summer’s Eastern Conference Finals.
The Pacers are still the second choice (+140) to win the East behind the Heat (+100) and the next closest team after that is Chicago (+700).
Indiana has another chance to continue to flex its muscle on Monday when it visits Portland (14-3 SU, 12-5 ATS). The Trail Blazers have been a pleasant surprise this season and they currently sit in first place of the Northwest Division.
Similar to the Pacers, the Trail Blazers played at the Staples Center yesterday as well. The club earned a 114-108 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers last night in a game that wasn’t as close as the final margin.
Portland is averaging 104.9 points per game this season and a lot of that production comes from great 3-point (41.4) and free throw (79.9%) percentages. In last night’s win over the Lakers, the Blazers hit nine 3-points and connected on 29-of-34 (85.3%) shots from the charity stripe.
This year’s squad hasn’t been hampered by injuries like last season and the depth still remains a question but the starters are playing at high levels. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge leads the team in points (22.4) and rebounds (9.5) while second-year point guard Damian Lillard (20.2 PPG, 5.9 APG) is making a run at an All-Star spot.
The Trail Blazers offense will be tested tonight against Indiana, who leads the league in scoring defense (86.5 PPG). The stifling pressure has helped the ‘under’ go 12-5 this season for Portland.
Despite owning a 6-1 record at home this season, Portland has been installed as a short underdog (1 ½) to Indiana. The Pacers’ lone loss this season did come on the road when they lost to Chicago 110-94 on Nov. 15. The Blazers have only caught points one other time this season and they answered the bell with a 115-105 victory over San Antonio on Nov. 2 as 2½-point underdogs.
Both teams are playing on zero days rest tonight and they’ve both been solid in these situations. Indiana has gone 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS, while Portland owns a 4-0 record both SU and ATS.
After tonight, the Blazers will visit Utah on Wednesday before wrapping up the trip this weekend with a tough back-to-back set against San Antonio and Oklahoma City.
There are four other games on tap for Monday and we’ve leaned on a few of our VegasInsider.com experts to help break down the action.
Orlando (6-10 SU, 8-8 ATS) at Washington (8-9 SU, 9-8 ATS)
Washington opened as a 5½-point favorite and the number jumped to 6 ½ quickly. The Wizards have been a tough out at home (5-2) this season and the Magic have struggled on the road (1-5).
Total players might want to look at this matchup closer. Washington is averaging 105.1 PPG at home compared to 94.9 PPG on the road. The Wizards tend to run more at home and they also get to the free throw line more. Also, for whatever reason the Magic have averaged more points on the road (101.5 PPG) than at home (98.2 PPG).
The number on tonight’s game is hovering between 194 and 195 points.
New Orleans (8-8 SU, 6-9-1 ATS) at Chicago (7-8 SU, 6-9 ATS)
VegasInsider.com handicapper Stephen Nover offered up his analysis on this non-conference matchup.
“The Bulls return home after being on the road for two weeks. Chicago is unbeaten in five games at United Center and draw New Orleans, which defeated the Knicks on the road Sunday. It was a costly victory, though, for the Pelicans as they lost their one star player, Anthony Davis. He suffered a broken hand. The Pelicans haven't beaten a winning team on the road. They have a losing road mark against the spread. They also have lost nine of their past 10 games to the Bulls,” said Nover.
Rest could be an issue for New Orleans tonight as well after playing at MSG on Sunday. The Pelicans have gone 2-2 both SU and ATS in back-to-back spots this season but they’ve lost their last two.
The visitor has won three of the last four meetings in this series.
Atlanta (9-9 SU, 10-8 ATS) at San Antonio (14-3 SU, 9-8 ATS)
The Spurs have dropped two of their last three games after beginning the season with a 12-1 record. San Antonio lost its first home game of the season on Saturday to Houston (112-106).
Tonight, San Antonio is listed as a healthy 12-point home favorite. Even though the Spurs have gone 7-1 at home, they’re just 4-4 ATS.
Atlanta has been in a funk lately, going 1-4 both SU and ATS in its last five games and the lone win came on a buzzer-beater against Dallas (88-87). However, the Hawks own a stable 5-5 SU and 6-4 ATS mark on the road.
San Antonio has won five straight against the Hawks and swept the regular season series last season but the two wins came by a combined seven points.
Houston (13-5 SU, 12-6 ATS) at Utah (3-15 SU, 8-9-1 ATS)
The Rockets have won and covered five straight games, which includes Saturday’s impressive 112-106 victory at San Antonio. Houston has already defeated Utah this season, beating the Jazz 104-93 in Salt Lake City on Nov. 2 as a six-point road favorite. The win for the Rockets was the fourth straight over the Jazz.
After starting the season 1-14, the Jazz have won and covered two of their past three games and VegasInsider.com handicapper Jimmy Boyd believes the underdog has value.
He explained, “The Jazz are not getting enough respect from the oddsmakers on their home court tonight. This is Houston's fourth game in the last six days, while Utah has played just two games during that span. I expect to see Houston beginning to wear down, especially after battling it out with the Spurs in their last game. The Rockets defense is already bad, but it should be even worse than normal today. The Jazz may not have a great overall record, but two of their three wins have come on their home court, and they are a respectable 4-4 ATS in home games this season. The defense has been solid, allowing 99.2 points per game at home when their opponents are averaging over 100 points per game on the season. I think Utah has a great opportunity to boost their own scoring average today against a Rockets defense that is allowing 109.4 points in road games this season.”
Houston is listed as a 7½-point road favorite tonight and it’s gone 2-1 both SU and ATS when laying points on the road this season.