Saturday's Best NBA Bets
By Covers.com
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers (-5.5, 198.5)
The Lakers survived Andrew Bynum’s suspension, going 2-2 in his absence. They cruised past the Knicks 99-82 on Thursday thanks to Kobe Bryant’s 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting
Bryant said the innovative knee procedure he had in Germany after last season made a big difference, calling his knee “about 95% better, if not to say 100.”
The Nuggets went 4 of 20 from 3-point range in a 111-102 loss in Portland on Thursday night, dropping them to 2-1.
But point guard Ty Lawson continues to look unstoppable. He had 35 points in the loss and is averaging 22.3 points and 4.0 steals. Los Angeles won’t be able to stop him either.
Denver is 4-1-1 ATS in its last six meetings with the Lakers in L.A.
Pick: Nuggets
Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder (-13, 197.5)
When these teams get together, defense is an afterthought.
The over is 4-0 in the last four meetings, with these combined finals: 214, 240, 218, 223.
OKC’s Kevin Durant is pouring in 31.2 points per game and shooting 57.3 percent. The team ranks in the top eight in scoring, shooting percentage, 3-point shooting, and free throw shooting.
The Suns played Friday night in New Orleans, and are not likely to slow down the Thunder. They’ll have to score plenty to keep pace.
Pick: Over
DENVER (2 - 1) at LA LAKERS (2 - 2)
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 11-25 ATS (-16.5 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 5-2 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 5-2 straight up against LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA (2 - 0) at DETROIT (0 - 2)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
INDIANA is 6-3 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 7-2 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA (2 - 0) at HOUSTON (1 - 1)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 38-59 ATS (-26.9 Units) in road games in December games since 1996.
ATLANTA is 35-56 ATS (-26.6 Units) in road games on Saturday games since 1996.
HOUSTON is 12-2 ATS (+9.8 Units) in home games in December games over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 232-182 ATS (+31.8 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 2-2 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 2-2 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK (1 - 2) at SACRAMENTO (1 - 2)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
SACRAMENTO is 3-1 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
SACRAMENTO is 3-1 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX (0 - 2) at OKLAHOMA CITY (4 - 0)
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 194-153 ATS (+25.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
PHOENIX is 64-43 ATS (+16.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 4-3 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 5-2 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
6 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
UTAH (0 - 2) at SAN ANTONIO (2 - 1)
Top Trends for this game.
UTAH is 35-48 ATS (-17.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 552-480 ATS (+24.0 Units) as a favorite since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 145-111 ATS (+22.9 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 103-72 ATS (+23.8 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 151-110 ATS (+30.0 Units) after scoring 85 points or less since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
UTAH is 5-2 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 4-3 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA (1 - 1) at GOLDEN STATE (2 - 1)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 3-1 against the spread versus GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA is 3-1 straight up against GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
DENVER vs. LA LAKERS
Denver is 8-16 SU in their last 24 games when playing LA Lakers
Denver is 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
LA Lakers are 2-6 SU in their last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Lakers last 5 games
INDIANA vs. DETROIT
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Indiana's last 15 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 6 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing Indiana
Detroit is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Indiana
ATLANTA vs. HOUSTON
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing Houston
Houston is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing Atlanta
PHOENIX vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Phoenix's last 23 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Phoenix
Oklahoma City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
NEW YORK vs. SACRAMENTO
New York is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New York's last 8 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
Sacramento is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Sacramento's last 8 games when playing at home against New York
UTAH vs. SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Utah's last 12 games
Utah is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games
San Antonio is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 10 of San Antonio's last 11 games when playing at home against Utah
PHILADELPHIA vs. GOLDEN STATE
Philadelphia is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 9 games on the road
Golden State is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Golden State's last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
DENVER at LA LAKERS
DENVER: 23-10 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points
LA LAKERS: 18-30 ATS as a home favorite
INDIANA at DETROIT
INDIANA: 5-16 ATS when playing on back-to-back days
DETROIT: 26-13 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread
ATLANTA at HOUSTON
ATLANTA: 17-32 ATS after playing a game as favorite
HOUSTON: 12-2 ATS in home games in December games
NEW YORK at SACRAMENTO
NEW YORK: 18-3 ATS off 2 consecutive road losses by 10 points or more
SACRAMENTO: 9-22 ATS first half of the season
PHOENIX at OKLAHOMA CITY
PHOENIX: 1-11 ATS in road games off a win by 15 points or more as an underdog
OKLAHOMA CITY: 52-30 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread
UTAH at SAN ANTONIO
UTAH: 137-175 ATS in road games after playing a home game
SAN ANTONIO: 14-3 ATS in home games off a road blowout loss of 20 points or more
PHILADELPHIA at GOLDEN STATE
PHILADELPHIA: 24-11 ATS first half of the season
GOLDEN STATE: 4-15 ATS after successfully covering the spread in 2 or more consecutive games