NBA Knowledge
Atlanta-Cleveland
Cavaliers haven't played in eight days, Atlanta in four days. Cleveland won its last seven games (6-1 vs spread) vs Hawks, covered three of last four played here. Four of last five series games went over. Atlanta lost four of last five road games, with win coming Thursday in Game 6 over the Celtics. Cleveland swept the Pistons 4-0; they're 3-2 vs spread last five home games, with three of those five going over the total.
Oklahoma City-San Antonio
In Game 1, Leonard/Aldridge combined to make 28-36 from floor in easy win that Spurs led 73-40 at half. San Antonio won seven of its last ten games with Oklahoma City, winning last four played here, by 4-8-39-32 points. Four of last six series games stayed under the total. Spurs won last seven games overall, covering five of their last six. Westbrook missed 14 of 19 shots Saturday; Thunder was 6-23 on arc in an ugly loss.
Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31
Second round: Favorites: 2-0, over: 2-0
Armadillosports.com
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Oklahoma City at San Antonio
Spurs with the best defense in the league allowing a lowly 96.3 points per opponent 100 possessions along with featuring the third-best shooting team in the league netting 108.8 points per 100 possessions handed Thunder a 124-92 beat-down as 6.5 point home chalk in the opener of their conference semifinal game.
Home-court something San Antonio can tap into, the lean is towards Spurs. Tough nuts to crack at AT&T Center in San Antonio the Spurs have reeled of a 43-1 record in front of the friendly crowd with a profitable 26-18-1 mark against the betting line. Matching that, the Spurs are 15-4 (13-6 ATS) the past nineteen second season games on home court including 4-0 SU/ATS running the hardwood vs Thunder.
Monday's NBA Playoffs Betting Preview
By Covers.com
Monday's NBA Playoffs action is shaping up to be fantastic with the opener between the Hawks and Cavs and Game 2 between the Thunder and Spurs. We break down all the action so you can cap the games like a pro.
Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers (-7.5, 200.5)
The Atlanta Hawks were no match for Cleveland during last season's Eastern Conference finals and attempt to put up a better fight this time around when they meet the Cavaliers in the conference semifinals. The quest begins Monday in Cleveland and the Hawks certainly haven't forgotten that they were swept last season and suffered a 30-point shellacking in the final game of the series.
Forward LeBron James operated at will in the conference finals by averaging 30.3 points, 11 rebounds and 9.3 assists. James continued his dominance of the Hawks this season with averages of 27.3 points, 11 rebounds and 7.8 assists in three games - all won by Cleveland - but isn't expecting another cakewalk. "Nothing is easy in the postseason," James told reporters. "There's too much work, both on the floor and mentally that you have to do to prepare for a playoff series understanding how the competition is going to be at its highest level. Easy should never even come into play when you're talking about playoff basketball or basketball in general at this level." The Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons in the opening round while Atlanta ousted the Boston Celtics in a six-game series.
LINE HISTORY: The Cavaliers opened as eight-point favorites in the opening game of their second round playoff series - the line dropped to -7.5 as bettors put their initial support behind the Hawks. The total opened at 200 and went up as high as 201.5 before settling down at 200.5 on Sunday evening. Check out the complete line history here.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (52-36, 45-42-1 ATS, 39-49 O/U): Small forward Kent Bazemore will be under the microscope after averaging 14 points and seven rebounds in the series against Boston as he will draw the defensive assignment of slowing down James. Bazemore hasn't been shy about criticizing James in the past and is one of the Atlanta players who has a chip on his shoulders due to last season's playoff beat down. "You got to amp yourself up and you can't go in humble, I guess," Bazemore told reporters. "You got to make yourself angry and do whatever you got to do to accept that challenge, because he is a freight train and brings it and comes with everything he has, so you have to do the same to hang in there."
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (61-25, 39-44-3 ATS, 43-43 O/U): Point guard Kyrie Irving was superb during the sweep of the Pistons and topped 30 points twice while averaging 27.5 for the series. Irving knocked down the big shots as he continues to show that someday he will be the team's undisputed closer instead of sharing the role with James. "At the end of the day we have two of the best closers in the game playing on one team," Irving told reporters. "You have a 6-8 monster who can penetrate and get anywhere he wants on the floor, and then myself having that confidence in those situations. Regardless of who the play is drawn up for, that's up to (coach Tyronn Lue)."
TRENDS:
* Hawks are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Cavaliers are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 Conference Semifinals games.
* Under is 6-0 in Hawks last 6 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Over is 8-2 in Cavaliers last 10 vs. NBA Southeast.
* Over is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings in Cleveland.
Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs (-7.5, 202.5)
The San Antonio Spurs annihilated Oklahoma City in the series opener and attempt to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals when they host the Thunder on Monday. San Antonio held a 23-point lead after the opening quarter of Game 1 and All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge had a huge game with 38 points as the Spurs blitzed the Thunder from the outset.
San Antonio led 73-40 at halftime while establishing supremacy over the Thunder but shooting guard Danny Green isn't expecting things to be so easy in Game 2. "We know that they're going to come out super-aggressive next game, they're gonna make adjustments, and we're not gonna shoot as well as we did," Green told reporters. "It’s one game. It’s not a momentum thing. Each game is different. Every game is its own playoff series. So it's not like it's going to carry over to next game." Oklahoma City stars Kevin Durant (16 points on 6-of-15 shooting) and Russell Westbrook (14 points, 5-of-19) both had woeful games as Spurs' two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard took turns defending each player. "Me personally, I never look at the guy in front of me," Westbrook told reporters. "I look at the help to see what's the next move. Not a big problem, just got to find ways to read the help a little bit better and make better decisions."
LINE HISTORY: The Spurs opened as seven-point favorites and the books were forced to bump them up to -7.5. The total opened at 202.5 and has yet to move. Check out the complete line history here.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (59-29, 40-47-1 ATS, 43-45 O/U): Durant has scored less than 20 points in two of Oklahoma City's six playoff games and wasn't the least bit interested to share his feelings after the horrendous loss. "I'm not telling you," Durant said in a response to a question about his emotions. "Because it's over with. Move on. We just move past it and figure out what we have to do better. No crazy emotions. It's not like we were upset and screaming at each other in the locker room after the game. That's not going to make things better." Westbrook's 14 points and 26.3 field-goal percentage were his lowest figures in six games this postseason.
ABOUT THE SPURS (72-15, 48-39 ATS, 37-48-2 O/U): Aldridge was a force by going 18-of-23 from the field and even knocked down a 3-point basket for the first time this season. "It was just one of those nights," Aldridge told reporters. "I can't take credit for it. I was just trying to play confident and ended up making some plays that I probably won't make the next game. It was enough for me." Leonard also shot superbly by making 10-of-13 from the field - the Spurs shot 60.7 percent as a team - and scored 20 of his 25 points in the first half.
TRENDS:
* Thunder are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Spurs are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 Conference Semifinals games.
* Over is 7-1 in Thunder last 8 road games.
* Thunder are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
Monday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
Atlanta at Cleveland
When these clubs met in the Eastern Conference finals last season, Cleveland dealt out broom treatment with a clean 4-0 series sweep. Even with Kevin Love sidelined with a shoulder injury, the Cavaliers won the first two games in Atlanta. J.R. Smith’s 28-point explosion on 8-of-12 shooting from 3-point land was the catalyst in Game 1. Kyrie Irving injured his knee in the series opener, but his absence didn’t prevent the Cavs from winning Game 2 by a 94-82 count behind LeBron James’s 30 points. Atlanta came out strong in Game 3 and was leading in the second quarter when Al Horford was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul that was complete garbage. Matthew Dellavedova, who put Kyle Korver out for the series by injuring him during a loose-ball scramble in Game 2, cut Horford’s legs out from under him. While falling to the ground, Horford had to brace his fall and he was coming down on Dellavedova by no fault of his own. Horford gave him a love-tap of a forearm as he landed, but it was nowhere near an act deserving of an ejection, especially in the playoffs. (Trust me, folks. If Horford wanted to give Dellavedova a forearm as if he meant business, Dellavedova would’ve been out for the game as well.) Anyway, without Korver and Horford, Cleveland won 114-111 in overtime. James scored a game-high 37 points, while Jeff Teague had a team-best 30 points in the losing effort. With Irving returning for Game 4, the Cavs easily closed out the series in a 118-88 blowout.
Cleveland (61-25 SU, 39-44-3 ATS) won all three regular-season meetings against Atlanta this year. The Cavs beat the Hawks 109-97 as 5.5-point home favorites. Then on April 1, Tyron Lue’s squad won a 110-108 decision at Atlanta in overtime as a 2.5-point road ‘chalk.’ On April 11, Cleveland won 109-94 as a 6.5-point home favorite.
Cleveland advanced to the East semifinals by sweeping Detroit in four games, but the Pistons went 2-2 ATS. They covered as 11-point underdogs in a 106-101 loss in Game 1. Detroit led by five early in the third quarter of Game 2, but Cleveland went on a big run and eventually collected a 107-90 triumph as a 10.5-point home favorite. In Game 3 at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the Cavs won by a 101-91 count as five-point road favorites.
In Game 4 at Detroit, Cleveland captured a 100-98 win as a 6.5-point road ‘chalk.’ Reggie Jackson’s 3-point attempt to win the game at the buzzer was off the mark. Jackson pleaded for a foul call on the play to no avail. Irving sparked the winners with 31 points, including a huge trey with 42 seconds remaining. James tallied 22 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals. Smith added 15 points, while Love contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Irving averaged 27.5 points per game in the first-round series against Detroit. James averaged 22.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game, while Love averaged 18.8 points and 12.0 rebounds per contest.
Cleveland owns a 35-8 SU record and a 21-22 ATS mark at home this year.
Atlanta (52-36 SU, 45-42-1 ATS) eliminated Boston in Game 6 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2010-2011. The Hawks coasted to a 104-92 victory as three-point road ‘chalk’ Thursday night at TD Garden Arena. The 196 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 198-point total.
Mike Budenholzer’s club put the Game 6 on ice in the third quarter, outscoring the Celtics 39-26 after leading by eight at halftime. Atlanta cashed tickets for first-quarter (-0.5, -115) and first-half (-1.5) wagers. The Hawks led by 28 points at one point before Boston trimmed the deficit late in the fourth quarter to create a misleading final score. Paul Millsap led six Atlanta players in double figures with 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Kent Bazemore added 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocked shots, while Horford snapped out of his scoring slump to produce 15 points, three blocked shots and two steals. Horford hadn’t scored in double figures in the three previous games.
Korver capped an excellent first-round series in Game 6 by contributing 14 points, nine rebounds, two blocked shots, one steal and three assists compared to just one turnover. Dennis Schroder had 12 points, eight assists and three boards in the series finale, while Teague finished with 11 points and five assists.
For Monday’s Game 1, the Westgate SuperBook opened Cleveland as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 201. The number for the side hasn’t moved, while the total was at 200.5 points Sunday night. The Cavs are -350 on the money line, leaving the Hawks as the +290 underdogs (risk $100 to win $290). The Cavs are four-point ‘chalk’ for first-half plays.
VegasInsider.com's Chris David likes the Cavs in Game 1. He said, "Even though I believe this series will be more competitive than last year’s playoff encounter, I’m still buying Cleveland in Game 1 at home based on the rest. The Cavaliers will have had eight days off heading into the opener and they’ve thrived in this spot, going 5-1 with at least three days of rest this season. More importantly, they’ve covered four of those wins while outscoring opponents by 13 points per game (101-88)."
Atlanta owns a 22-22 SU record and a 21-22-1 ATS mark in its 44 road assignments this year.
The ‘under’ went 5-1 in Atlanta’s series against Boston. The combined scores were (in order) 203, 161, 214, 199 (despite OT), 193 and 196.
The ‘under’ is 49-39 overall for the Hawks, 24-20 in their road assignments. They have watched the ‘under’ cash at a 9-2 clip in their last 11 outings.
Totals have been an overall wash (43-43) for the Cavs this year. The ‘over’ is 23-20 in their home games.
The ‘over’ is 4-1 in the last five head-to-head meetings between these teams.
VI's David also has a play on Cleveland's team total. He said, "The total for Game 1 is hovering between 200 and 201 at most betting shops. The Cavaliers match up real well with the Hawks and it showed in the box scores. They averaged 109 PPG in the three regular season meetings plus they posted 105.8 PPG in the four-game playoff sweep last season. In the first round against Detroit, the Cavs weren’t held under 100 in any of the games and I believe the Pistons scheme and players are much better defensively. Cleveland’s team total is 104 and I believe they surpass that number on Monday."
Tip-off for Game 1 is scheduled for Monday night at 7:05 p.m. Eastern on TNT.
Oklahoma City at San Antonio
Game 1 was a quick and easy one for the Spurs, who coasted to a 124-92 win as 6.5-point home favorites. The 216 combined points soared ‘over’ the 199.5-point total. San Antonio went ahead 43-20 by the end of the first quarter and led by 33 at intermission. LaMarcus Aldridge led the way with 38 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. Aldridge made 18-of-23 shots from the field. Kawhi Leonard added 25 points, five rebounds and five assists compared to merely one turnover. He hit 10-of-13 attempts from the field. Danny Green buried 5-of-6 launches from downtown and finished with 18 points.
In the blowout defeat, Serge Ibaka scored a team-best 19 points for OKC. Kevin Durant had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Russell Westbrook produced 14 points and nine assists. Westbrook struggled from the field by hitting only 5-of-19 attempts.
For Game 2, the Westgate opened San Antonio (72-15 SU, 48-39 ATS) as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 202.5 points. Those numbers hadn’t budged by Sunday night. The Spurs were -350 on the money line, leaving the Thunder available for gamblers for a +290 payout (risk $100 to win $290). Gregg Popovich’s team is a four-point ‘chalk’ for first-half wagers.
San Antonio went 43-1 SU and 26-18 ATS at home this year.
Oklahoma City (59-29 SU, 40-47-1 ATS) is 25-19 SU but just 19-25 ATS on the road. Billy Donovan’s team owns a 4-7 spread record with just one outright victory in 11 games as a road underdog this season.
After losing Game 2 at home to Dallas in its first-round series, Oklahoma City won three in a row to close out the Mavericks. The Thunder beat the Mavs by margins of 38, 29, 11 and 14. They won a 118-104 decision in Game 5 thanks to 36 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists from Westbrook. Durant added 33 points.
Through six postseason games, Durant is averaging 24.3 PPG but he’s struggling mightily from the field. The 27-year-old who played one season at the University of Texas is making only 37.2 percent of his shots, including an abysmal 25.6 percent from 3-point land. Westbrook is averaging 24.0 points, 10.8 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game.
VI's David likes the Spurs in Game 2. David said, "Oklahoma City was exposed in Game 1 to the masses and I expect to see more of the same as this series progresses. Saturday’s defensive effort was the 10th time this season that the Thunder allowed 120 or more points and it’s even more amazing that they won three of those games. OKC is an offensive juggernaut and I wouldn’t advise betting on a team that needs to hit a high percentage to win. San Antonio has gone 21-10 as a favorite of eight or less points this season and 19-12 ATS, which means they usually cover when they win and I’ll take those percentages in Game 2 on Monday."
The ‘under’ is 45-43 overall for the Thunder, but the ‘over’ is 26-18 in its road assignments. They have watched the ‘over’ cash in each of their last five games.
The ‘under’ is 48-37-2 overall for the Spurs, 23-20-1 in their home outings. They have seen the ‘under’ go 6-2 in their last eight contests.
These teams split their four regular-season meetings with each club holding serve at home. The home team has compiled an 18-8-1 spread record in the last 27 encounters between these teams.
TNT will have the telecast at 9:35 p.m. Eastern.
B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets
Golden State captured a 118-106 win over Portland in Sunday’s series opener of the West semifinals at Oracle Arena. The Warriors raced out to a 20-point lead at the end of the first quarter and enjoyed a 65-51 advantage at halftime. They easily covered first-quarter (-3.5) and first-half (-6) bets. All five starters scored in double figures led by Klay Thompson’s game-high 37 points. Thompson hit 7-of-14 shots from 3-point range, grabbed five rebounds, dished out five assists and made two steals. Draymond Green produced a triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and three blocked shots. Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes both scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Trailing by 14 at intermission, Portland was a two-point underdog (+16 adjusted) for second-half wagers. The Trail Blazers covered those bets thanks to a 33-25 advantage over the Warriors in the fourth quarter. Damian Lillard finished with 30 points, but he got most of those in the second half and struggled from the field by making only 8-of-26 attempts. Golden State did an outstanding job of defending the Blazers’ backcourt, forcing C.J. McCollum to go 5-of-17 from the field in a 12-point effort. Terry Stotts has to feel great about the way his bench played, though. This group was an amazing 16-of-22 from the field. Allen Crabbe had 15 points, six rebounds and three assists without a turnover. Ed Davis fouled out after playing only 19 minutes, but he still contributed 11 points, seven boards and three assists without a turnover.
The 224 combined points went ‘over’ the 210-point total for the Warriors and Trail Blazers. The ‘over’ also hit for second-half bets (105, 221 adjusted).
Miami routed Charlotte 106-73 as a six-point home favorite in Sunday’s Game 7 in South Florida. Goran Dragic was the catalyst with 25 points, six rebounds and four assists. Luol Deng added 15 points, eight boards and four assists.