Clippers at Warriors: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors (+3, 202)
The Golden State Warriors seemed to snap out of their funk, at least offensively, in a win over the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday. They will find out how far they still have to go by hosting the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. The Warriors had dropped five of six before beating the Hornets - a stretch that began with a 26-point loss at the Clippers. Los Angeles has won four straight and got Chris Paul back on Saturday.
Golden State allowed the Hornets to shoot 57 percent - the highest shooting percentage for any losing team this season - in the 116-112 triumph on Saturday. The Warriors will need to come up with a better defensive effort against the Clippers, who average better than 100 points and are in the top five in the NBA in scoring defense. That combination has helped Los Angeles win 24 of its last 27 games and placed pressure on the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Clippers have struggled against the Warriors, however, dropping two of the first three meetings.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (32-9): Paul missed three straight games with a bruised right kneecap but returned to the lineup on Saturday and collected 22 points and 11 assists in a 94-87 win over the Washington Wizards. Los Angeles suffered a 115-94 loss at Golden State on Jan. 2 but got some revenge three days later with a 115-89 home win over the Warriors. Paul went for 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting and added nine assists in the win as the Clippers shot 52.2 percent. Los Angeles has won three straight road games since falling at Golden State and will have to work to not look ahead with a showdown against the Thunder looming on Tuesday.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (24-15): Golden State was missing guard Stephen Curry for two games with an ankle injury but got him back on Saturday at New Orleans. The All-Star hopeful scored 20 points but struggled to 5-of-17 from the field in his return. Klay Thompson picked up the slack with a season-high 29 points and Jarrett Jack came through down the stretch and finished with 25 points and 12 assists. Just when the Warriors got Curry back, they lost their other All-Star hopeful David Lee to an ankle injury. Lee rolled the ankle at San Antonio on Friday and is day-to-day. Golden State had averaged 91.6 points while dropping five of six before breaking out against the Hornets. The defense still has plenty of holes. The front line was especially susceptible without Lee on Saturday, when the Hornets’ frontcourt combined to shoot 67 percent.
TRENDS:
* Clippers are 5-1 ATS in their last six vs. Western Conference opponents.
* Warriors are 1-4-1 ATS in their last six vs. NBA Pacific opposition.
* Over is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Over is 4-0 in Warriors’ last 4 vs. NBA Pacific foes.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Paul has averaged 25.7 points and 8.3 assists in the three games against the Warriors this season.
2. Thompson had shot 31.8 percent in the three games prior to going 11-of-16 at New Orleans.
3. The winning team has scored at least 112 points in each of the last four meetings.
Nets at Knicks: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Brooklyn Nets at New York Knicks (-3.5, 193.5)
Carmelo Anthony has torched the Brooklyn Nets this season and looks to do so again on Monday when the New York Knicks play on Martin Luther King Day for the 14th consecutive year. Anthony is averaging 37 points in three games against Brooklyn this season, including a 45-point effort on Dec. 11. The All-Star forward has scored 20 or more points in 25 consecutive games. Brooklyn is two games behind New York in the Atlanta Division.
The Nets have won eight of their last nine games and have played solidly under interim coach P.J. Carlesimo. Brooklyn has a splendid 10-2 mark since Carlesimo replaced fired Avery Johnson. The Nets need a victory for a season split with the Knicks. New York is back on the mainland after beating the Toronto Raptors in London. The Knicks have won back-to-back contests following a stretch in which they lost five of seven games. New York is 14-5 at home.
ABOUT THE NETS (24-16): With the rivalry heating up now that the franchise is in Brooklyn, the Nets highly covet a victory over the Knicks to prevent losing the season series. “We’ve got to go in there with the mind-frame that we understand it’s going to be a hostile environment and some way, somehow we’ve got to come out of there on top,” guard Joe Johnson said. “They beat us the last two times and we owe them.” Point guard Deron Williams has made 47 consecutive free throws and forward Reggie Evans grabbed 20 rebounds in Friday’s 94-89 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Evans’ season-best is 23 rebounds.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (25-13): Explosive reserve J.R. Smith has been in a three-game funk since a splendid stretch in which he averaged 24 points over a 10-game stretch. Smith is just 13-of-43 shooting and averaging 12.3 points during the slump and scored just eight points in one of the games for his first single-digit outing since Dec. 2. Smith has been one of the top backups in the NBA all season with a 16.7 average. He is averaging 13.3 points in the three games against Brooklyn.
TRENDS:
* Under is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings in New York.
* Nets are 1-4-1 ATS in their last six vs. NBA Atlantic foes.
* Knicks are 4-1 ATS in their last five games playing on three or more days of rest.
* Knicks are 4-1 ATS in their last five after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Anthony scored 31 points when the Knicks beat the Nets at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 19.
2. New York is 12-5 when C Tyson Chandler records a double-double.
3. Brooklyn is averaging 101.5 points in Carlesimo’s 12 games after averaging 94.5 in 28 games under Johnson.
Monday Tips
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The MLK holiday card in the NBA today is filled up with action starting early in Memphis with the Grizzlies and Pacers. The night ends out in Portland between the struggling Blazers and the improving Wizards, but we'll begin in the Big Apple as two city rivals meet for the final time in the regular season.
Nets at Knicks
New York returns to Madison Square Garden following Thursday's blowout of Detroit in London, 102-87. The Knicks have dropped five of their last nine games at MSG after starting the season 10-0 at home, while the Nets look to split the four game season series with their arch-rivals.
Brooklyn won the opening meeting with New York in overtime, 96-89 on November 26 as short home underdogs. The Knicks responded with a pair of victories in the next two matchups, including a 100-86 home blowout of the Nets as six-point 'chalk' on December 19. Carmelo Anthony torched the Nets in the two wins, scoring a combined 76 points.
The Nets are rolling with wins eight of their last nine contests, as Brooklyn managed a split of its home-and-home set with Atlanta. Under P.J. Carlisemo, the Nets own a 10-2 SU and 6-5-1 ATS record, while posting a 2-2 ATS record in the underdog role. Each straight-up loss in this stretch came as a 'dog at San Antonio and Atlanta.
Clippers at Warriors
Los Angeles and Golden State hooks up for the fourth and final time today, as the Warriors go for the series victory. Since falling at Oracle Arena on January 3, the Clippers have won seven of their last eight, including four straight. L.A. dominated on its recent road trip, winning all three games without Chris Paul at Memphis, Houston, and Minnesota.
Paul returned to the lineup in Friday's home victory over the Wizards, but the Clips failed to cover as 12-point favorites. Los Angeles ripped Golden State in their last meeting at Staples Center on January 5, a 115-89 blowout as six-point favorites, as the Clips led by 24 points at the half. This win came just three days following a 21-point defeat to the Warriors in Oakland, as Los Angeles has lost three of the last four meetings at Oracle Arena.
Golden State is expected to have forward David Lee back in the lineup after he missed Saturday's 116-112 victory at New Orleans. The Warriors cashed outright as five-point 'dogs, but the Hornets shot lights out at 57% from the field. Since beating the Clippers at home, the Warriors have failed to cover three straight games at Oracle, while scoring less than 90 points twice.
Spurs at 76ers
San Antonio keeps rolling, winning its fourth consecutive game on Saturday at Atlanta, 98-93 as 3 ½-point favorites. The Spurs go for the season sweep of the 76ers, after San Antonio dumped Philadelphia on January 5 as 13½-point 'chalk,' 109-86. Six Spurs scored in double-figures in that victory, as Tony Parker led the shared scoring load with 20 points.
The 76ers' struggling offense has actually produced recently by drilling the 'over' in three straight games. Philadelphia picked up one of the most unlikely covers of the season on Friday night, rallying from a 19-point deficit to cash in a 108-101 overtime triumph over Toronto as three-point favorites. Doug Collins' club has hit the 'over' in 13 of the last 14 games at the Wells Fargo Center, dating back to mid-November.
The Spurs are in the midst of a nice 'under' run, cashing in eight of the last nine games, including a 5-1 'under' stretch in contests with the total listed below 200. Gregg Popovich's squad has failed to cover in three of the last four road games, while being held to less than 100 points in each of those contests.
Lakers at Bulls
Just when things were turning around for the Lakers, Los Angeles crashed and burned in losses to Miami and Toronto. The Lakers play the middle contest of their three-game road trip in Chicago tonight against a Bulls' team coming off three straight overtime affairs.
In Sunday's defeat at Toronto, Kobe Bryant shot a dreadful 10-of-32 from the floor, as the Raptors held off the Lakers, 108-103. L.A.'s defense allowed 54% shooting from the field, while Dwight Howard played just 17 minutes after getting ejected with a pair of technical fouls. The last time the Lakers played without rest, they covered as 13½-point 'dogs at San Antonio in a 108-105 defeat.
Bulls' forward Luol Deng is listed as doubtful for tonight's contest with a hamstring injury, as Chicago fell short in an overtime defeat to Memphis on Saturday. Amazingly, that game still finished 'under' the total of 175½ in an 85-82 loss, the fifth 'under' in the last seven contests played at the United Center. Chicago has struggled all season covering as a home favorite, posting a 3-8 ATS record the last 11 times in this role.
NBA Point Spreads and Betting Guide
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
The NBA celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday with nine games, including a handful of early tip-offs.
There are several good teams in action, but the day will be highlighted by a marquee intra-state matchup on each coast. The Nets (24-16) travel to Manhattan to continue nurturing their growing rivalry with the Knicks (25-13). Those two teams will tip-off at 3:30, thirty minutes before the Warriors (24-15) host the Clippers (32-9).
NBA Trends:
* The Pacers have failed to cover their last five road games against a team with a winning home record. The Grizzlies have covered 14 of their last 20 games against teams with a winning record. The Grizzlies have stayed UNDER the total in seven of their last eight games against teams with a winning percentage over .600. The Grizzlies are -6 with a total of 173.
* The Kings have covered only once in their last eight games. The Hornets have covered their past five Monday games. The Kings have gone OVER the total in 11 of their past 15 games and also five of their last six meetings with the Hornets. The Hornets are -7 with a total of 190.5.
* The Rockets have not covered any games during their seven-game losing streak. The Bobcats have failed to cover in five of their last six games against Western Conference teams. The favorite has covered the last eight meetings between the Bobcats and Rockets. The Rockets are 6.5-point road favorites with a total of 206.5.
* The T-wolves have failed to cover their last four road games. The Hawks have not covered in their past four Monday games and are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games. The Hawks are -8 with a total of 186.
* The Nets have covered only twice in their last seven road games. The Knicks have covered five of their last seven games. The Nets have gone OVER the total in seven of their last nine games. The Knicks are -3.5 with a total of 193.
* The Clippers have covered five of their last six against Western Conference teams, including a 115-89 home win against the Warriors on Jan.5. The Warriors have covered only two of their last seven games. The Clippers and Warriors have gone OVER the total in their past four meetings.
* The Spurs have covered only three of their last 10 road games. The 76ers have covered only twice in their last eight games. The Spurs have stayed UNDER the total in their last five games against Atlantic Division teams. The Spurs are 6.5-point road favorites with a total of 194.5.
* The Lakers have covered in only three of their last 10 games. The Bulls have covered in only five of their last 22 home games. The Lakers have gone UNDER the total in their last six games against Central Division teams.
* The Wizards have covered their last six games in a row. The Blazers have covered on one of their last five home games. The Wizards and Blazers have gone UNDER the total in six of their last seven meetings in Portland.
NBA Injuries:
* T-wolves forward Nikloa Pekovic (thigh) is OUT 7-10 days.
* T-wolves center Kevin Love (hand) is OUT indefinitely.
* Hawks guard Louis Williams (knee) is OUT for the season.
* Knicks guard Raymond Felton (finger) is OUT indefinitely.
* Spurs forward Manu Ginobili (hamstring) is OUT indefinitely.
* Bulls forward Luol Deng (hamstring) is doubtful.