NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Monday, March 27th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Orlando won three of its last four games; they’re 3-6 vs spread in last nine road games. Three of their last four road games stayed under. Toronto won its last five games; they’re 4-2 vs spread in last six home games. Under is 13-6 in their last 19 games. Raptors won seven of last ten games with Orlando; six of last eight series games stayed under the total. Magic lost three of last four visits to Toronto (3-1 vs spread).
Detroit lost six of its last seven games; they’re 0-7 vs spread in last seven road games. Seven of their last nine games stayed under total. Knicks lost their last five games but covered four of last six; they’re 4-2 vs spread in last six home games. Over is 5-2 in their last seven games. Home side won last six Detroit-New York games; Pistons lost last three visits to New York (0-3 vs spread). Three of last four series games stayed under.
Cleveland is 5-7 in its last 12 games, 4-6 vs spread in last ten road games. Their last four games all went over the total. San Antonio won its last four games; they’re 3-7 vs spread in last ten home games. Over is 5-2 in their last seven games. Spurs won eight of last ten games with Cleveland; six of last eight series games went over total. Cavaliers lost four of last five visits to the Alamo (3-2 vs spread).
Oklahoma City won six of last eight games; they’re 3-7 vs spread in last ten road games. Over is 5-2 in their last seven road games. Mavericks lost five of last eight games; they’re 1-4 vs spread in last five home games. Under is 7-2 in their last nine games. Thunder won eight of last ten games with Dallas; they won four of last five games in this arena. Four of last five series games went over total.
Pelicans won four of their last five games; they’re 7-5 vs spread in last 12 road games. last three New Orleans games stayed under total. Jazz lost four of last five games; they’re 4-9 vs spread in last 13 home games- their last three games went over total. Utah won its last three games with the Pelicans, by 12-32-5 points; over is 7-3 in last ten series games. Teams split last four series games played here.
Grizzlies lost their last three games; they’re 4-6 vs spread in last ten road games. Five of their last six games stayed under total. Sacramento beat the Clippers in Staples last night, ending its 4-game skid; Kings are 2-5-1 vs spread in last eight home games. Under is 5-3 in their last eight games. Memphis won six of last seven games with the Kings; they won/covered three of last four visits to Sacramento. Under is 7-2 in last nine series games.
Armadillosports.com
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks
Two underperforming teams square off at Madison Square Gardens Monday night when Detroit Pistons visit the New York Knicks.
Pistons' offense in a lull last seven netting just 94.2 in offensive efficiency metrics have lost six of those seven games with supporters tossing six tickets into the waste basket while heading to the cash window just once. Knicks unable to stop anyone at the moment allowing a whopping 111.0 in defensive efficiency metrics have lost eight of nine games going 4-5 against the betting line.
Niether team a peg to hang your hopes on but there are eye-opening betting number worth considering. Pistons notorious troubles on the road are well documented. In 36 games away from 'The Palace of Auburn Hills' the result has been 11 wins, 35 losses with a money-burning 12-24 record against the betting line.
Pistons woes in the 'Big Apple' parallel those mentioned above. Since 2010, the Pistons have lost eleven of thirteen at this venue with an equally dimal 2-11 money-burning record against the betting line.
Monday’s NBA Game of the Day: Cavs at Spurs
By Covers.com
Cleveland Cavaliers at San Antonio Spurs (-5, 211.5)
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in danger of falling out of first place in the Eastern Conference and they won't have an easy time stopping the bleeding against a team in hot pursuit of the top spot in the West when they visit the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. The Cavaliers' latest defensive debacle came in a 127-115 home loss to Washington on Saturday and resulted in a tie for first in the East with Boston, with a visit to the Celtics on the horizon.
"I'm not confident," Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue told reporters when asked if there was time to repair a defense that has given up an average of 117.2 points during a 2-3 spell. "But we've got to." The Spurs have had no such issues, holding opponents under the century mark three times during a four-game winning streak - the latest a 106-98 triumph over the New York Knicks at home Saturday. Kawhi Leonard's 29 points led the way for San Antonio, which has a potentially pivotal matchup with the first-place Golden State Warriors - who entered Sunday with a two-game lead - on Wednesday. Leonard scored a career-high 41 points as the Spurs survived an overtime affair at Cleveland earlier in the season.
LINE HISTORY: The Spurs opened as 4.5-point home favorites over the visiting Cavaliers and that spread was bumped slightly by the books to -5 on Monday morning. The total hit the board at 212.5 and was dropped to 211.5. Check out the complete line history here.
WHAT SHARPS SAY: "Cleveland's road struggles are pretty well documented and the Cavaliers have really struggled on the road when playing solid teams as they are just 1-9 as underdogs. But a loss here knocks them out of first place in the Eastern Conference so something has to give. This is a game that needs to be waited on to bet with both teams always a threat to rest players but if everyone goes, the value is on Cleveland getting a pretty sizeable number." - Covers Expert Matt Fargo.
INJURY REPORT:
Cavaliers - No injuries to report.
Spurs - PG D. Murray (Mid April, groin).
POWER RANKINGS: Cavaliers (-6.5) - Spurs (-11.6) + home court (-3) = Spurs -8.1
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (47-25 SU, 32-37-3 ATS, 41-30-1 O/U): LeBron James was able to play Saturday despite a scratched cornea, ditching protective goggles early in the contest and finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. He is averaging 27 points while shooting 58 percent in four games since resting in a road game against the Los Angeles Clippers, while running mate Kyrie Irving has scored at least 20 points in a career-high 22 straight games. Reserve guard Iman Shumpert was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to knee soreness, although he was able to go through warmups and could be available Monday.
ABOUT THE SPURS (56-16 SU, 37-34-1 ATS, 38-32-2 O/U): An eight-point win at home against the struggling Knicks - who nearly erased all of an early 20-point deficit - was not what San Antonio had in mind as it gears up for back-to-back games against conference leaders. "We had too many defensive breakdowns," center Pau Gasol - who had 19 points and 10 rebounds - told reporters. "They were getting in the paint too easily, which forced us to get bodies off other bodies. They got too many easy looks and they made the run." Guard Danny Green was out of the lineup to rest and rookie Dejounte Murray (groin) sat out his eighth consecutive contest.
TRENDS:
* Cavaliers are 1-8-1 ATS in their last 10 games following a double-digit loss at home.
* Spurs are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up win.
* Over is 13-3-1 in Cavaliers last 17 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Under is 12-3-1 in Spurs last 16 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Over is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings in San Antonio.
CONSENSUS: Early consensus returns are showing 64 percent of the public supporting the home favorite San Antonio Spurs and 57 percent of the totals wagers on the Over.
Monday's NBA Essentials
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com
Game of the Night - New Orleans at Utah
After losing at Staples Center on Saturday afternoon, the Jazz got some help from the Rockets on Sunday in a 137-125 win against Oklahoma City that extended their lead in the Northwest Division back to 2.5 games as they head won the stretch. Utah enters tonight's game against the Pelicans with just nine contests remaining as it attempts to maintain its grip on a one-game edge on the Clippers for the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoff race, which would mean a playoff series would open in Salt Lake City if they can maintain the edge. The Pelicans are actually 8-5 over their last 13 games, winning four of five straight up and against the spread. They defeated the Nuggets 115-90 on Sunday to inch within four games of the final West playoff spot now currently shared by Denver and Portland. Although it is unlikely to catch either team, New Orleans is a dangerous spoiler down the stretch given the presence of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, who have begun figuring out how to co-exist.
They weren't in the lineup together on Sunday night since Cousins sat due to a right ankle injury suffered in the team's last loss on Friday against Houston and he's out for this one too. The Pelicans will be looking to produce a similar defensive effort to what they accomplished in Denver, where they held the Nuggets to 37.9 percent shooting, just the fifth time all season they've shot under a 40 percent clip. New Orleans snapped Denvers team record of 25 games where they've made at least nine 3-pointers, holding the Nuggets to just 6-for-25 (24 percent).
While Denver will play Portland tomorrow in a game that may ultimately decide who ends up No. 8, New Orleans is sitting a half-game behind Dallas and is currently 11th in the conference. The Pels have to go on a winning streak to have any chance at catching Denver and Portland, but decided Cousins' ankle sprain was too painful to have him even participate in shootaround yesterday, casting doubt on his availability for this one. Davis finished with 31 points and 15 rebounds, while five others managed to score in double-figures in the victory.
Although Utah officially clinched a playoff spot on Sunday, it still has work to do if it plans on holding on to the No. 4 spot since the loss to the Clippers means they've dropped the season series 3-1. Quin Snyder has been disappointed with how his team has opened games of late, lacking the requisite fire to compete with the better teams in the league and casting doubt on their ability to hang with the best in the West. This is one of their final four home games and should be considered a must-win considering they've dropped four out of five. Although they've got center Rudy Gobert as an anchor to one of the NBA's top defenses, the last three games have each gone over the posted total, making it six of nine that have gone over. After not surrendering 100 points in three consecutive games since January, Utah has seen it happen on two separate occasions over their last nine.
Gordon Hayward exited in the fourth quarter against the Clips with a knee injury and is considered questionable. The team got great news when x-rays came back negative for anything more serious than a sprain, but his availability for this one won't be known until later in the day. If he's unable to go, Utah will be without its leading scorer and will depend on Rodney Hood, who has had his own knee issues of late.
The Jazz have won both meetings against New Orleans thus far this season, leading the last contest throughout in an 88-83 win on March 6 thanks to Hayward's team-high 23 points. The Pelicans are 3-0 in games when Cousins doesn't participate since acquiring him at the All-Star break. Although they hope to have him back, they can lean on Davis despite him toiling in the team's third back-to-back of the month since he was able to sit for the entire fourth quarter with last night's game well in hand. New Orleans hasn't won both sets of a back-to-back since Nov. 22 and 23, so it faces an uphill battle here. This will be the last of a three-game road trip.
Game of the Night II- Cleveland at San Antonio
Despite getting Kevin Love back in the lineup and allowing him to participate in a back-to-back, the Cavs fell on Saturday against the Wizards and now share the top spot in the Eastern Conference with Boston. Although LeBron James isn't panicking publicly with 10 games to go, including a visit to Boston on April 5, winning in the team's only scheduled visit to the AT&T Center would alleviate a lot of concerns and give the Cavs some much-needed wiggle room down the stretch.
The Spurs own a four-game winning streak that has kept them on the heels of the Warriors for the NBA's top record, but they open their final 10-game stretch 2.5 back for the top mark in the league. Their 28-7 record is the second-best at home behind Golden State, so this will be a great opportunity for them to complete a season-sweep of the Cavs and keep the Heat on the Warriors.
"These (last 10) are opportunities for us to get ready and see where we are at," Pau Gasol said. "At this point, we just have to build the right habits so when we start our playoff run we are ready to go, we are sharp and we are locked in and know what we are playing for."
Although both teams are well known for resting players in big games, there are no indications that anyone will rest tonight. James opened Saturday night's loss to the Wizards wearing goggles to protect a corneal abrasion, but he discarded them in the first quarter since they were bothering him, ending that experiment. The Cavs are just 5-5 in their last 10 games and couldn't stop Kawhi Leonard in their only game against San Antonio, surrendering a career-high 41 points. With Leorard and James in the MVP conversation alongside Russell Westbrook and James Harden, tonight's head-to-head battle will be even more scrutinized.
Cleveland is just 1-4 against the spread over their last five games but hasn't dropped consecutive contests since losing three in a row earlier this month. Its last four games have all soared over the posted total due to a defense that has surrendered 120 or more points in three of the last four. San Antonio won the Jan. 21 meeting 118-115 in overtime and have seen the over prevail in five of seven. The Spurs have won 12 of 14 in this series.
Injury Concerns
In addition to all the uncertainty surrounding tonight's Jazz-Pelicans game, there are also situations that must be monitored in a few other games. Toronto may not have DeMarre Carroll (back) in addition to the absent Kyle Lowry (wrist) for tonight's clash with the Magic, who have already ruled out Jeff Green with his own back issue.
New York's Carmelo Anthony missed Saturday night's loss against the Spurs with a knee issue, while backup Lance Thomas sat out with a hip injury. Both are considered questionable for tonight's game against Detroit, which has fallen one game behind Miami for the final playoff spot in the East.
Memphis could be without Marc Gasol in Sacramento due to a foot injury that is expected to be a lingering issue this week for a Grizzlies team currently stuck in the seventh spot in the Western Conference after three straight losses.
Head-to-head Trends
The Pistons are looking to win the season series against New York for the third time in four seasons if they can secure a victory to take three of four. The Knicks had won 12 of 14 from Detroit between 2009-13.
The Thunder have won 13 of 19 against the Mavericks despite Mark Cuban's assertion that Russell Westbrook isn't really a superstar. The teams will play for the final time this season, having split the first two meetings. Oklahoma City is 6-2 straight up and against the spread in its last eight despite falling in Houston last night and opened as a small road favorite here.
Cavaliers face Spurs in San Antonio
By: StatFox.com
The Cavaliers meet the Spurs in what could be a Monday preview of the NBA Finals.
Cleveland has not been playing its best basketball as of late, but the team really isn’t worried about how it finishes the regular season. Many people point to the fact that the Celtics can take over as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but the Cavaliers are confident in their ability to beat Boston in the postseason. Losing home court would definitely make that a bit tougher, but Cleveland is still the class of the Eastern Conference. The team is also going to continue to prioritize rest as the season comes close to a close. The Spurs are in a similar boat. They have a chance to steal the Warriors’ top seed in the Western Conference, but they are also trying to get healthy at the right time. Still, this is a game that should feature some emotion on Monday. In the only other meeting between the teams this season, the Spurs won 118-115 on the road. That game went to overtime, and San Antonio was able to prevail without both PG Tony Parker (10.3 PPG, 4.7 APG) and C Pau Gasol (12.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.1 BPG). Both of those guys are healthy coming into this one, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see either of these teams sit guys out on Monday. Both Gregg Popovich and Tyronn Lue have been cautious all season, and it’s too late for them to abandon those ideals now.
The Cavaliers are trying to repeat as NBA champions, and they will definitely want to send a message with a win over the Spurs on Monday. If they are going to come away with a win in this one then SF LeBron James (26.1 PPG, 8.8 APG, 8.4 RPG, 1.3 SPG) is going to need to take care of the ball. He shot insanely well the last time he faced San Antonio, scoring 29 points on 11-for-16 shooting from the floor. He did, however, have seven turnovers in that game. He’ll need to bring that number down on Monday. PG Kyrie Irving (25.5 PPG, 5.8 APG, 1.2 SPG) also had 29 points against the Cavaliers in that contest, and he should have no trouble scoring like that again here. He is a tough cover for the point guards the Spurs are currently trotting out, and Irving will need to be aggressive in this one. The guy that actually killed Cleveland in the last contest was PF Kevin Love (19.5 PPG, 11.0 RPG). Love was just 4-for-15 from the floor and 3-for-11 from three the last time he faced the Spurs, and the Cavaliers need him to be a lot more efficient this time around.
The Spurs will be looking forward to this meeting with the Cavaliers, and SF Kawhi Leonard (26.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.8 SPG) is the guy to watch in this one. Leonard has a very good chance to win MVP this season, and he’ll need to play like the league’s best player in order to help his team win on Monday. Leonard is going to be matched up with LeBron James often in this one, and he’ll need to play well on both ends of the floor here. Fortunately for San Antonio, Leonard did just that against the Cavaliers last time. He had 41 points in that victory and will need to be just as aggressive this time around. PF LaMarcus Aldridge (17.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.1 BPG) was also solid in that game, scoring 16 points and also adding 12 boards and six assists. It’d be nice if he can impact the game in that many ways once again.