Friday's Best NBA Bets
By Covers.com
Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks (-6, 189.5)
The All-Star break and the return of leading scorer Joe Johnson did little to help to help the Atlanta Hawks snap out of their offensive malaise. Maybe the sight of the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night will provide a spark for Atlanta.
The Hawks absorbed an 85-82 home loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. It was the fourth defeat in an ugly five-game stretch in which Atlanta has failed to surpass 83 points.
Despite getting double-doubles from three players in the loss to Golden State, Atlanta closed out the month of February with a 4-9 overall record and 2-5 mark at home.
Johnson missed the final two games prior to the All-Star break with a sore knee, and admitted he was not 100 percent Wednesday. He finished with 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
Johnson reached 20 points only once last month and struggled from behind the arc, connecting on 15 of 57 attempts in 11 games.
Pick: Under
Golden State Warriors at Philadelphia 76ers (N/A)
An inability to win on their home floor has caused the Philadelphia 76ers' lead in the Atlantic Division to dwindle to only three games over the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. Losers of six of seven overall and four straight at the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia looks to get back on track when it hosts the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
The continued absence of center Spencer Hawes (Achilles) was a big factor in Philadelphia's 92-88 loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
His replacements, Lavoy Allen and Nikola Vucevic, combined for two points, six rebounds and six fouls. The Sixers were also manhandled on the glass (56-39) and saw the Thunder attempt nearly three times as many free throws (34 to 12).
Philadelphia has gone 12-2 with Hawes and 9-13 without him. He is not expected to return until March 12.
Pick: Warriors
Bucks, Magic tangle again
By Bookmaker.eu
Saturday's Game of the Day - Milwaukee Bucks at Orlando Magic
Milwaukee's chance of moving up in the standings to grab a playoff spot is inconsistent week to week, much like the play of point guard Brandon Jennings. Jennings was just 2 of 11 from the floor with six points during Wednesday's loss at Boston. The Bucks lost 102-96, but covered the NBA odds as 6.5-point underdogs. Jennings said afterward that he is trying to look for his teammates first nowadays, instead of his shot.
Scott Skiles realizes his club needs a lengthy win streak to pull back into playoff contention. He's implored his players to run at a faster pace in order to create better scoring opportunities. The Bucks have gone from one of the slowest-paced teams in the NBA to eighth at 94.8 possessions per game.
The willingness to run has created a solid trend for bettors. The over has cashed in Milwaukee's last three outings and it is 12 - 3 - 1 at home this season. The starting lineup has been in a state of flux all year but the current one should stick. Drew Gooden is back from injury and he registered 15 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes on Tuesday and then backed that up with 23 points and eight boards Wednesday.
The Bucks travel to Atlanta on Friday before this matchup. They are 3-9 SU and ATS in back-to-backs this year, and can feel the pressure of possibly missing the playoffs bearing down on them.
We have to get it done, Gooden said. You know, it's funny. We never get blown out. We fight to the end, and it just kind of (upsets) us that we come up short every time, almost.
The Magic have won 11 of their last 16 games, including Wednesday's 102-95 win at Washington. The margin of victory wasn't enough for them to cover NBA odds of 8.5 points.
Orlando had seven players in double figures against a hapless Wizards defense. Dwight Howard was double-teamed all night, which meant the 3-ball needed to fall in order for the Magic to win, and it did. They drained 15 of their 36 attempts from downtown.
We can really stretch the court and obviously when we have Dwight get double-teamed and attract so much attention, that really leaves us open, Ryan Anderson said. After an ugly loss to Atlanta before the break that prompted Stan Van Gundy to say his team wouldn't be a contender if it didn't play more consistently, the players called a players-only meeting. But don't get too excited, those things are often overrated in this league, especially with a Jekyll-and-Hyde team like the Magic. These conference foes played on February 20 and February 11, both in Milwaukee. The Magic won the first meeting by five points and the second by three points, both as small underdogs.
MILWAUKEE (14 - 22) at ORLANDO (23 - 14) - 3/3/2012, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
MILWAUKEE is 28-14 ATS (+12.6 Units) in road games second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 5-5 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 9-1 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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CLEVELAND (13 - 21) at WASHINGTON (7 - 28) - 3/3/2012, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 4-3 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 4-3 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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OKLAHOMA CITY (29 - 7) at ATLANTA (21 - 15) - 3/3/2012, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 4-0 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 4-0 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
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DETROIT (12 - 25) at MEMPHIS (21 - 15) - 3/3/2012, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MEMPHIS is 77-52 ATS (+19.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 39-26 ATS (+10.4 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 41-24 ATS (+14.6 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 34-19 ATS (+13.1 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 23-6 ATS (+16.4 Units) when playing on back-to-back days over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 25-13 ATS (+10.7 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 45-29 ATS (+13.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) second half of the season this season.
DETROIT is 101-70 ATS (+24.0 Units) in road games after a win by 10 points or more since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 4-1 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS is 4-1 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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INDIANA (22 - 12) at NEW ORLEANS (9 - 27) - 3/3/2012, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ORLEANS is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is between 180 and 184.5 points this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW ORLEANS is 5-0 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
NEW ORLEANS is 3-2 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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UTAH (17 - 18) at DALLAS (21 - 16) - 3/3/2012, 8:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 7-2 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 7-2 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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MINNESOTA (18 - 19) at PORTLAND (18 - 18) - 3/3/2012, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 33-50 ATS (-22.0 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 2-12 ATS (-11.2 Units) in road games on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 15-7 ATS (+7.3 Units) as an underdog this season.
MINNESOTA is 29-14 ATS (+13.6 Units) in road games after playing 3 consecutive road games since 1996.
PORTLAND is 51-82 ATS (-39.2 Units) as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
PORTLAND is 7-1 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
PORTLAND is 8-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. ATLANTA
Oklahoma City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Oklahoma City is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Atlanta is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City
CLEVELAND vs. WASHINGTON
Cleveland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland's last 6 games when playing Washington
Washington is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games at home
MILWAUKEE vs. ORLANDO
Milwaukee is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Orlando
Milwaukee is 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games
Orlando is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Orlando's last 11 games at home
DETROIT vs. MEMPHIS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing on the road against Memphis
Detroit is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Memphis's last 11 games at home
Memphis is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
INDIANA vs. NEW ORLEANS
Indiana is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of New Orleans's last 20 games when playing at home against Indiana
New Orleans is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home
UTAH vs. DALLAS
Utah is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Utah's last 5 games when playing Dallas
Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Utah
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Dallas's last 7 games when playing at home against Utah
MINNESOTA vs. PORTLAND
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Minnesota's last 23 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Minnesota's last 12 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Portland's last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Portland is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
MILWAUKEE at ORLANDO
MILWAUKEE: 0-8 ATS w/ same season revenge
ORLANDO: 46-23 Under off a loss
CLEVELAND at WASHINGTON
CLEVELAND: 1-8 ATS if home dog last game
WASHINGTON: 16-6 Under w/ 2 days rest
OKLAHOMA CITY at ATLANTA
OKLAHOMA CITY: 8-1 ATS vs. Eastern Conference
ATLANTA: 1-12 ATS at home vs. Oklahoma City
DETROIT at MEMPHIS
DETROIT: 11-3 ATS L14 games
MEMPHIS: 23-6 ATS playing on back to back days
INDIANA at NEW ORLEANS
INDIANA: 4-17 ATS off BB ATS wins
NEW ORLEANS: 10-1 Under at home off SU win as home dog
UTAH at DALLAS
UTAH: 9-2 Under revenging road loss
DALLAS: 11-2 ATS off SU loss as road favorite
MINNESOTA at PORTLAND
MINNESOTA: 1-7 ATS vs. Portland
PORTLAND: 16-5 ATS at home off BB ATS losses
Hot Teams
-- Orlando won/covered three of last four home games.
-- Thunder won last even games, covered last four.
-- Memphis won seven of its last eight games. Pistons covered six of last eight games, four of last five on road.
-- Pacers won last five games, last four by 9+ points. New Orleans has covered eight of last nine games.
Cold Teams
-- Bucks lost eight of last ten games, covered three of four on road.
-- Washington lost its last six games; they're 2-4 as a home favorite this season. Cavaliers lost last three road games, by 8-16-17 points.
-- Hawks lost six of their last nine games.
-- Dallas lost its last four games, scoring 92 or less in all four. Jazz lost its last five road games (1-4 vs spread).
-- Minnesota lost last two games, covered one of last four. Portland lost five of its last seven home games.
Back-to-Back
-- Bucks are 3-8-1 vs spread if they played night before.
-- Cavaliers are 1-3 vs spread on road if they played night before.
-- Hawks are 5-0 vs spread at home if they played night before.
-- Grizzlies are 6-3 vs spread if they played night before.
-- Hornets are 5-4 vs spread if they played night before, 1-0 at home.
-- Jazz is 5-8 vs spread if they played night before; Dallas is 4-2 vs spread at home if they played night before.
Wear-and-Tear
-- Bucks: 4th game/5 nites. Magic: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Cavaliers: 4th game/5 nites. Wizards: Had last two nites off.
-- Thunder: 3rd game/4 nites. Hawks: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Pistons: Had last two nites off. Grizzlies: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Pacers: Had last three nites off. Hornets: 4th game/5 nites.
-- Jazz: 4th game/5 nites. Mavericks: 4th game/5 nites.
-- T'wolves: 4th game/5 nites. Blazers: 3rd game/4 nites.
Totals
-- Over is 7-3 in Milwaukee's last ten road games.
-- Six of last eight Cleveland road games went over the total.
-- Thunder's last three road games stayed under the total.
-- Last seven Detroit road games went over the total.
-- Over is 7-3 in Indiana's last ten road games.
-- Five of last six Utah road games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 8-3 in Minnesota's last eleven road games.
Hoop Trends - Saturday
By Vince Akins
VegasInsider.com
SU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Hornets are 0-10 ATS (-10.8 ppg) since April 08, 2009 at home with at most one day of rest after a win in which they scored less than 15% of their points from the free throw line.
OU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Pistons are 0-16 OU (-11.7 ppg) since February 10, 2004 on the road with a total under 200 when they scored at least 25 more points in their previous game than in the game before.
PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:
The Magic are 0-10 OU (-12.9 ppg) since April 22, 2009 with at least a day of rest after a loss in which Dwight Howard scored at least 30 points.
CHOICE TREND:
The Magic are 10-0 ATS (10.7 ppg) since January 07, 2006 as a home favorite with at most one day of rest after a loss in which they made more baskets than their opponent.
TODAY’S TRENDS:
The Cavaliers are 0-10 ATS (-8.2 ppg) since March 06, 2001 on the road with at most one day of rest after a double digit home loss in which their opponent shot at least ten three-pointers and made at least half of them.