NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Monday, January 2nd, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
New Orleans won its last four games, is 1-4 in its last five games as a road underdog. Three of their last four games stayed under. Cavaliers won seven of last eight games, is 5-2-1 in its last eight games as a home favorite; over is 5-3 in their last eight games. Pelicans are 7-3 in last ten games with Cleveland, but lost by 7-15 points in last two visits to Lake Erie. Six of last eight series games went over total.
Oklahoma City won five of last six games; they’re 3-5 as road underdogs. Last three Thunder games stayed under the total. Bucks are 5-3 in their last eight games, 3-1 in last four games as a home favorite. Over is 6-1 in their last seven games. Thunder won seven of last nine games with Milwaukee, winning last three by 13-8-8 points- they won four of last five visits here. Under is 5-2 in last seven series games.
Utah won its last three games, is 7-1 vs spread as a road favorite; favorites are 13-2 in their road games. Under is 9-2 in Utah’s last 11 games. Nets lost seven of last eight games, is 8-6 as a home underdog. Four of last five Brooklyn games stayed under the total. Jazz won three of last four games with Brooklyn; they won four of last five visits here. Three of last four series games stayed under.
Orlando is 5-3 in its last eight road games; they lost in Indiana yesterday. Magic is 10-6 as a road underdog. Last three Orlando games went over. New York lost its last four games, is 9-1 as a home favorite. Over is 6-2 in their last eight home games. Knicks won their last two games with Orlando by 13-11 points; Magic lost three of last four trips to Manhattan (1-3 vs spread). Five of last six series games stayed under.
Rockets won their last four games (3-1 vs spread); they’re 8-6 as home favorites. Last six Houston games went over total. Washington won its last three games, is 9-2 vs spread in its last 11; they’re 5-3 as road underdogs. Over is 7-3-1 in their last 11 games. Road team won last five Washington-Houston games; Wizards won last two visits here, both by one point. Over is 5-2 in last seven series games.
Charlotte won five of its last seven games; they’re 9-6 SU on road. Three of Hornets’ last four games went over. Chicago lost 8 of its last 11 games; they’re 3-4 in last seven home games. Under is 7-3-1 in their last eleven games. Hornets won six of their last eight games with Chicago, splitting last four games played here. Under is 5-4-1 in last ten series games.
Golden State won nine of last ten games, is 5-2 vs spread in its last seven home games. Under is 10-3 in their last 13 games. Denver lost four of last six road games; they’re 1-5 vs spread in last six away games. Over is 11-3-1 in their last fifteen games. Warriors won seven of last nine games with Denver; last seven series games went over total. Nuggets lost last four visits to Oakland, but covered three of four.
Clippers have injury issues, lost last six games; they’re 3-4 in last seven home games. Five of their last six games stayed under total. Phoenix lost seven of last nine games, is 1-4 in last five games as a road underdog. Five of Suns’ last seven games went over total. Home side won last five Phoenix-Clipper games; Suns lost last five visits here (2-3 vs spread). Over is 7-3 in last ten series games.
Armadillosports.com
Struggling Bulls host Hornets
By: Zach Cohen
StatFox.com
The Bulls will be looking to avoid a three-game losing streak when they host the Hornets on Monday.
Charlotte is coming off of a 121-109 loss to Cleveland, but the Hornets have been playing quite well recently. Prior to that defeat, the team had won five of its previous six games and covered in four of those contests. Charlotte will be hoping to keep up that level of play with a win over a Chicago team that is downright dysfunctional right now. The Bulls come into this game after having lost two straight games and eight of their past 11. Chicago’s offense has been a serious issue as of late, as the team has shot less than 40.0% from the floor in four of its past six games. These teams have already met once this season, and the Hornets won that game 103-91 as four-point home favorites. It was their third straight victory over the Bulls, and one of those victories was a 102-96 win as 5.5-point underdogs in Chicago as well. One trend that really stands out when looking at this game is the fact that the Bulls are a miserable 5-20 ATS against Southeast division opponents under head coach Fred Hoiberg. SG Marco Belinelli (Ankle) is questionable for Charlotte, though.
The Hornets are coming off of a loss to the Cavaliers, but PG Kemba Walker (22.7 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG) certainly gave Cleveland all it could handle. Walker was on fire in that game, finishing with 37 points on 13-for-22 shooting from the floor. He should be able to have his way with Chicago as well, as the Bulls are seriously weak at the point guard position right now. SF Nicolas Batum (14.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.2 SPG) is another guy that should really play well in this one. When he faced the Bulls on Dec. 23, Batum finished the game with 20 points, 11 boards and 10 assists in 40 minutes of action. He was 7-for-15 from the floor in that game, and another efficient performance can be expected on Monday. He’ll just need to make sure he’s locked in defensively, as he must hold his own against Jimmy Butler on that end. Another guy to keep an eye on for Charlotte is PF Frank Kaminsky (10.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG). Kaminsky’s size gave the Bulls trouble last meeting, as he had 13 points and five boards in that Dec. 23 game. If he can hit from the outside then the Hornets might blow out the Bulls.
The Bulls are struggling right now, and they have recently moved PG Rajon Rondo (7.2 PPG, 7.1 APG, 6.5 RPG, 1.3 SPG) out of the rotation. Rondo was one of the Bulls’ prized offseason acquisitions, but his 36.9% shooting from the floor was no longer cutting it. With Rondo benched, PG Michael Carter-Williams (4.7 PG, 4.1 RPG) is now the starter. Carter-Williams was once a promising young player in this league, but he has struggled to find his way. One thing that does make him a better fit in this starting lineup is that he does not really hold onto the ball very long. That’ll allow both SF Jimmy Butler (24.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.7 SPG) and SG Dwyane Wade (18.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.4 SPG) to do most of the heavy lifting. That’s the way it should be for this team, as Butler is one of the best players in the league right now and Wade’s resume speaks for itself. Look for both of them to play well against Charlotte in this one.
Monday's NBA Essentials
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com
Game of the Night - Denver at Golden State
The Warriors rebounded from their Christmas Day loss in Cleveland by beating the Raptors and Mavericks last week and continue a five-game homestand by playing two of the teams chasing the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, Denver and Portland, before looking to avenge a 21-point loss to Memphis in the top matchup on Friday’s card.
Golden State looks to become the NBA’s first team to 30 wins, but has already lost five games, something it didn’t do in last year’s 73-win campaign until after the All-Star break. The Warriors had only lost twice when they got to 30 wins, but this Kevin Durant-infused version has definitely hits its stride, going 25-3 over the last 28 and are an NBA-best 9-1 over their last 10.
The Nuggets had won a season-best five of seven before closing 2016 with a thud, losing at home to Philadelphia 124-122. The game was tight throughout until the 76ers pulled away to build a 10-point lead with 4:20 left, but Denver rallied and tied the game in the final minute, setting up a wild sequence at the end where Nikola Jokic intentionally missed the final of three free-throws to secure one last scoring opportunity. Gary Harris managed to secure the rebound and missed, as did Kenneth Fariedand Wilson Chandler on desperation tips. It was a disappointing ending, but showcased the depth at head coach Michael Malone’s disposal since seven players scored in double-figures.
Chandler is playing through a neck strain, but toiled for a team-high 36 minutes, so the Nuggets start 2017 a little banged up but in relatively good shape with reserve forward Darrell Arthur (knee) and backup guards Jameer Nelson (ribs) and Jamal Murray (groin) ailing but potentially available.
The Nuggets are 5-3 since Harris returned to the lineup after returning from a foot injury that sidelined him for over a month and immediately paid dividends. The third-year shooting guard has scored in double-figures in all but one of those games and has poured in 17 points in each of the past two games, so it’s clear he’s in a rhythm. The same can be said about Jokic, the 21-year-old Serbian center who has a chance to exploit the Warriors inside. He scored 25 points in just 22 minutes due to foul trouble against Philly and has scored in double-figures in 12 of his last 14 games. Jokic was held to just four points in 18 minutes in the only meeting with Golden State this season, a 125-101 home loss on Nov. 10, so getting him on track will be imperative to Denver’s chances. Danilo Gallinari leads six Nuggets averaging double-digit points totals with a 16.9 scoring average.
Golden State has three guys averaging more than that in All-Stars Durant (25.9), Stephen Curry (23.9) and Klay Thompson (21.6) as the team has alternated riding the hot hand. Curry had it in the only previous meeting, finishing with 33 points and hitting seven 3-pointers, but Durant and Thompson each shot 50 percent from the field and combined for 37 points. The game was over after three quarters, ending Durant’s streak of 72 straight regular-season games scoring 20 points, leaving him tied with Michael Jordan for the fourth-longest streak in league history.
We’ll see whether there’s any extra motivation for him tonight as a result, but since it’s happened four times since, including Friday night against Dallas (19 points), that’s doubtful. The Warriors have won six of the last seven meetings against Denver, but the Nuggets have covered three of the last five. Ironically, one of those games came on Jan. 2 last year. All of those games have gone over the posted total.
While Golden State is off tomorrow, Denver returns home for a big game against Sacramento as Malone coaches against his former employer for the first time this season. We’ll see if being in a back-to-back situation affects Malone’s rotations, a situation that could potentially affect them chasing a cover in garbage time.
Clippers look to end freefall
The Clippers are already embarked on their worst run ever under Doc Rivers, a six-game skid that is the team’s longest since 2011. Not since Blake Griffin’s formative years in the league has L.A. suffered through such a dry spell, and he’s not going to be around to help end the struggles for at least another few weeks. Chris Paul is expected to miss another game with a hamstring injury that has cost him six of the last seven games, but should return at some point in the week.
Without him, L.A. lost by a combined 50 points at Houston and Oklahoma City in a weekend back-to-back that made for an unhappy New Year’s eve in Oklahoma City. The Clippers haven’t won since defeating San Antonio at Staples on Dec. 22, but will now be home for seven of eight games, leaving only for a trip to Sacramento on Jan. 6. They don’t leave the state again until they face Denver on Jan. 21, so the hope is that some home cooking and a return to health will make this brutal stretch a temporary nuisance.
They’re facing the Suns for the first time this season, running into a team that enters 2017 tied with Dallas for the Western Conference’s worst record, but considering the teams split last season’s meetings, this is no gimme. L.A. won the first meeting this season on Halloween night. There’s no line on this game due to the uncertainty over Paul’s ability.
Notable Head-to-Head Trends
Cleveland is just 2-2 against the Pelicans since LeBron James returned, splitting the season series twice with each team winning on their home floor. Anthony Davis averaged 27.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in last year's games.
OKC has won five of six against the Bucks, but won't have Durant to deal with Giannis Antetokounmpo this time around. Greek Freak has averaged 27.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists over his last 10.
The Nets stunned the Jazz last time the teams met, winning 98-96 in Salt Lake City last February as an 11.5-point underdog. At 8-24, Brooklyn opens 2017 as co-owner of the league's worst record alongside Philly.
The Knicks and Magic has split their last 10 meetings, but the 'under' has come in five of the last six times. Tonight's game features major injury concerns surrounding Kristaps Porzingis, Carmelo Anthony, Courtney Lee, Kyle O'Quinn and Magic guard Evan Fournier.
Injuries are also a key part of tonight's Wizards-Rockets game, as starting guards Bradley Beal (ankle) and Patrick Beverley (wrist) are questionable after missing their last games with nagging issues. Houston has won five of the last seven in the series.
The Hornets and Bulls opened as a pick'em, but Charlotte has won four of five, including three straight. Buzz City won at home 103-91 on Dec. 23.