NBA Betting News and Notes Saturday, April 15th, 2017

NBA Knowledge

Cavaliers played in Finals last two years, winning title LY; they won last seven first round series (last first round loss, ’98). Pacers are in playoffs for sixth time in last seven years; they won three of last four first round series. Cleveland won its last three games with Indiana this season, by 15-9-5 points, with last win 135-130 in double OT April 3. Cavs lost their last four games overall, but Lebron sat some of those out; they’re 4-7 in last 11. Six of last eight Cleveland games went over the total. Indiana won its last five games, covered its last six; over is 10-4 in their last 14 games.

Bucks are in playoffs for first time since 2015; they’re 0-6 in playoff series the last 15 years- their last first round series win was in 2001. Raptors are in playoffs for 4th year in row; they lost in Eastern Conference final LY, first year they got by first round since 2001. Bucks lost three of last four games with Toronto this year, losing here by 22-16 points, but Milwaukee won 101-94 in last meeting March 4. Milwaukee lost four of its last six games; under is 4-0-1 in their last five. Toronto won its last four games, 12 of last 14; six of their last nine games went over.

San Antonio has won five NBA titles, with last one in 2014; they’re 5-3 in last eight first round series. Grizzlies are in playoffs for 7th year in row; they’re 3-3 in first round series the last six years. Home side won all four series games this year; Memphis lost its two visits here this season, by 7-6 points, with last loss here 95-89 eleven days ago- they beat Spurs by 15-8 points in two games played in Memphis this season. Memphis lost nine of its last 12 games (under 8-4). San Antonio lost its last three games; three of their last four games went over.

Utah is in playoffs for first time in five years; since 2001, they’re 2-6 in first round series. Clippers are in playoffs for 6th year in row; they’re 3-2 in first round series the last five seasons. Jazz lost three of four games with the Clippers this season, losing by 13 points in both their visits to Staples Center (to play Clips). Utah won seven of its last nine games; under is 5-3 in their last eight. Teams split pair in Utah, with only Jazz win 114-108 at home March 13. Clippers won their last seven games (4-2-1 vs spread); over is 7-5 in their last dozen games.

Armadillosports.com

NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com

Milwaukee vs Toronto

Raptors (51-31, 44-36-2 ATS) have shown a habit of botching playoff series openers losing nine straight (0-9 ATS) and ten of eleven (2-9 ATS). But, this edition of the Purple Dinos look in sync to reverse the ugly trend. The Raptors closed regular season the hottest team in the East winning 12 of 14 games (8-5-1 ATS) behind 109.2 points per 100 possessions while giving up 100.7 in defensive metrics.

Additionally, Raptors have had their way with Bucks (42-40, 36-46 ATS) winning and covering three of four this season moving the record to 12-2 the last fourteen meetings treating supporters to a 9-4-1 record against the betting line.

A final nugget in the Toronto's favor is that the Raptors enjoy home cookin' (28-13, 21-19-1 ATS) while winning on the road has been an obstacle for Bucks (19-22 17-24 ATS).

Saturday's Early Tips
By Chris David
VegasInsider.com

Eastern Conference First Round

No. 7 Indiana at No. 2 Cleveland

2016-17 Regular Season (Cavaliers 3-1)
Nov. 16 Cavaliers at Pacers (-2.5) 103-93 (Under 208.5)
Feb. 8 Cavaliers (+3.5) at Pacers 132-117 (Over 216)
Feb. 5 Pacers at Cavaliers (-6) 113-104 (Under 219)
Apr. 2 Pacers at Cavaliers (-8 ) 135-130 (2OT) (Over 214)

Oddsmakers at Sportsbook.ag opened Cleveland as a healthy minus-1100 favorite (Bet $100 to win $9) to win their opening round series against the Pacers, who are plus-700 underdogs.

The line seems a little out of whack when you consider the form for both clubs. Cleveland closed the final quarter of the season with a losing record (9-13) and they enter the playoffs with a four-game losing streak. Meanwhile, Indiana enters the postseason with five consecutive wins.

Despite the struggles for Cleveland and its inability to earn the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, it still has LeBron James and nobody in the East has been able to slow him down the last six years.

Cleveland took three of four against Indiana in the regular season and coincidentally, LeBron did not dress for the loss at Indiana back in November. For those keeping track, the Cavaliers went 0-8 without him in the lineup this season.

The Pacers will rely on All-Star Paul George and he appears confident for this series.

"We've got to go out and challenge them," George said. "It's going to be tough. They've been struggling of late, but they're still one of the best teams in this game and have one of the best players in the world. It's going to be a fun matchup. I'm looking forward to it. If you ask me, it's who I've wanted to match up against."

I believe Indiana can steal at least one game in this series but it’s hard to back a team that went 18-26 this season against clubs above .500. Plus, the Pacers own the worst road record (13-28) amongst the 16 playoff teams.

For betting purposes, Indiana has gone 16-25 against the spread on the road which tells you that they’ve only managed to cover three times in their 28 losses.

Cleveland is holding steady as an 8½-point favorite as of Friday evening and its gone 31-10 SU and 19-19-3 ATS at home this season. When laying less than 10 points at home, the Cavaliers have gone 13-6 SU and 7-10-2 ATS.

Since LeBron returned to Ohio, the Cavaliers have played in six Game 1’s at home and they’ve gone 5-1 in those contests while winning by an average of 13.6 points per game.

The Pacers were eliminated in the first round of last year’s playoffs in seven games to the Raptors and they went 1-3 at the Air Canada Centre in the series. However, Indiana was 3-1 ATS and the losses came by an average of 6.3 PPG.

Obviously a lot of new faces surrounding George in Indiana but it should be noted that they’ve been a steady investment (12-12 ATS) as visitors in the playoffs since 2012.

Oddsmakers sent out a total of 213½ for Game 1 and that number has been steamed down to 210½ and other than expecting more defense in the postseason, I can’t figure out why the pros are leaning to the low side in the opener.

Our friends at ASA recently noted how poor Cleveland has been defensively this season and Indiana has averaged 112.6 PPG during their recent five-game winning streak. The Cavaliers have proven that they can score on Indiana, averaging 126.6 PPG versus the Pacers when LeBron plays.

Game 2 will take place on Monday from Quickens Loan Arena.

Eastern Conference First Round

No. 6 Milwaukee at No. 3 Toronto

2016-17 Regular Season (Raptors 3-1)
Nov. 25 Raptors (-3.5) at Bucks 105-99 (Under 207.5)
Dec. 12 Bucks at Raptors (-8 ) 122-100 (Over 212.5)
Jan. 27 Bucks at Raptors (-6) 102-86 (Under 213.5)
Mar. 4 Raptors at Bucks (Pick) 101-94 (Under 204)

Milwaukee (+300) hasn’t won a playoff series since the 2001 playoffs and the oddsmakers at Sportsbook.ag aren’t expecting that to change against Toronto (-380) in the first round.

The Bucks will enter this matchup with a 15-7 mark over the final quarter of the season but it should be noted that nine of those wins came against non-playoff teams. When Milwaukee steps up in class, it hasn’t answered and that was evident against Toronto this season and dating back to the 2013-14 campaign. During this span, the Raptors have gone 13-2 versus the Bucks and even more impresssive, they're 10-4-1 agaisnt the spread.

The lone win this season came on Mar. 4 when Toronto was without All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry due to an injury. When they did face him, Lowry averaged 23 PPG, 6.3 APG and he shot a blistering 52.4 percent from 3-point land.

The Raptors went 14-7 in his absence and newly acquired players via the trade deadline Serge Ibaka (Orlando) and PJ Tucker (Phoenix) certainly filled the void. Both of those veterans can shoot the ball and play defense, two critical factors in the playoffs.

Milwaukee’s success relies heavily on All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has a knack of doing everything well (22.9 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 5.4 APG). Outside of the Greek standout, the Bucks have a mixed bag of talent but veteran guards Jason Terry and Matthew Dellavedova do own championship rings.

Fast forward to Saturday and bettors might be leaning to the Bucks based on the Game 1 playoff tendencies for the Raptors. Toronto has dropped five straight postseason series openers over the past three years and they’re 1-10 all-time in Game 1 as a franchise. What’s a little more suspect is that four of those five aforementioned setbacks came at the Air Canada Centre.

For whatever reason, Toronto has struggled in all home playoff contests and not just Game 1. Over the last three postseasons, the Raptors have gone 10-7 SU and 5-11-1 ATS in Canada. As a favorite, the record drops to 8-6 SU and 3-10-1 ATS.

Toronto opened as a seven-point favorite and that number hasn’t moved as of Friday evening. During the regular season, the Raptors went 28-13 SU and 21-19-1 ATS at home and they’ll be facing a Milwaukee squad (19-22 SU, 17-24 ATS) that enters the playoffs with a losing record on the road.

Total bettors should note that the Raptors saw seven of their final eight games played at home go ‘over’ the total and they did average 110.9 PPG in front of their fans this season, which was the fifth best mark in the NBA.

The total for Game 1 opened 201½ and is listed as low as 199½ headed into the weekend.

The pair will meet again in Game 2 from the Air Canada Centre next Tuesday.

Saturday's Late Tips
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com

Western Conference First Round

No. 7 Memphis at No. 2 San Antonio

2016-17 Regular Season (Tied 2-2)
Feb. 6: Spurs at Grizzlies (-1) 74-89 (Under 200.5)
Mar. 18: Spurs (-4) at Grizzlies 96-104 (Over 196)
Mar. 23: Grizzlies at Spurs (-8 ) 90-97 (Under 197.5)
Apr. 4: Grizzlies at Spurs (-9) 89-95 (OT) (Over 195.5)
**Game 2 will take place from San Antonio's AT&T Center on Monday.

If they had their way, the Grizzlies would've likely preferred to be matched up with a team that it could more effectively throw off their rhythm. Golden State and Houston prefer to run and would've been more vulnerable on nights when outside shots weren't falling.

San Antonio relishes a more deliberate tempo. It helps the veteran team focus and lock in defensively. This is a problem for Memphis, especially since top wing defender Tony Allen is probably out for the series with a calf sprain. The Grindfather sets the tone for the Grizzlies with his ability to lock up opposing catalysts and held Kawhi Leonard to 39 percent shooting over three of the season's four meetings. Memphis won two of the three games Allen played, but lost the most recent encounter in overtime on April 4.

Leonard feasted with 32 points and 12 rebounds. In games where Allen was on the floor to shadow him, Leonard shot 14 percent from 3-point range. With him absent, Leonard shot up to 58 percent from beyond the arc. The combination of younger forwards JaMychal Green and James Ennis must now step up to try and bother Leonard, likely getting help from rookie wing Wayne Selden off the bench. With Allen and Chandler Parsons sidelined, the Griz are down two of their top three projcted wings coming into this season, left only with 40-year-old Vince Carter. Carter shot just 37.5 percent against the Spurs, averaging 8.5 points.

The Spurs have Danny Green back from a quad contusion they were cautious with, further complicating matters for Memphis. LaMarcus Aldridge has been in and out of the mix with a sprained thumb but looked sharp in shooting 9-for-14 in the regular-season finale, so the No. 2 seed is the healthier team in this pairing too.

Memphis went 2-3 with Marc Gasol sidedlined with a foot injury that sabotagd their chances of catching Oklahoma City for the No. 6 seed. He's played in five straight games entering the playoffs, but has shot just 43.5 percent, averaging 15.2 points and 6.2 rebounds. He has hit 8-for-16 from 3-point range, relying on a dimension to this that he's turned to for the first time this season. That could be an x-factor here in helping clear space in the paint by pulling older brother Pau Gasol, Aldridge and starting center Dewayne Dedmon out on to the perimeter.

Mike Conley shot just 40 percent against the Spurs this season, averaging 18 points per game, so he'll have to be better to give Memphis any chance at pulling an upset. In Year 1 after signing one of the NBA's richest contracts, Conley has had his most productive offensive season, averaging career-bests with 20.5 points, .459 field goal shooting and a .407 3-point clip. His 171 3-pointers and 420 attempts also blow away previous career-highs, so it will be interesting to see whether he can put the Grizzlies on his back since he seemingly has the advantage over veteran Tony Parker and diminutive backup Patty Mills.

The teams have played four times since Feb. 6, including three times since March 18. After losing the first two games by margins of 89-74 and 104-96 in Memphis, the Spurs took care of buisness at home 97-90 and 95-89 to split the series. Only the Clippers won a series against San Antonio this season. The under has prevailed in seven of nine in this series. The Spurs have won three of four playoff series against Memphis, sweeping twice. They won 4-0 in the first round last year. The Griz pulled off a memorable upset in the first round back in 2011, beating top-seeded San Antonio in six games as the No. 8.

Western Conference First Round

No. 5 Utah at No. 4 L.A. Clippers

2016-17 Regular Season (L.A. won 3-1)
Oct. 30: Jazz at Clippers (-7.5) 75-88 (Under 190)
Feb. 13: Clippers at Jazz (-8 ) 88-72 (Under 207)
Mar. 13: Clippers at Jazz (-2) 108-114 (Over 202.5)
Mar. 25: Jazz at Clippers (-5) 95-108 (2OT) (Over 200)
**Game 2 will take place from L.A.'s Staples Center on Tuesday.

Although defeating the Kings on Wednesday night was never in doubt, the Clippers would be in Salt Lake City for this series opener if they had failed to do so. The homecourt edge should come in handy in the series computer models view as the most evenly matched of the NBA's first round, but all it takes is one Jazz win over the next few days for them to wrestle it away.

Utah will take its first stab at an upset with a healthy lineup that it hopes will be able to make the difference. Derrick Favors played in three of the last four games and becomes the x-factor for the Jazz after being limited by injuries most of the season. The former No. 3 overall pick shot 6-for-19 in the two games he played against L.A., both losses, but has the size, skill and ahtleticism to make life difficult for Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. If the Clippers have to worry about both he and Gobert patrolling the paint, this becomes a different series.

First-time All-Star Gordon Hayward, point guards George Hill and Shelvin Mack, Favors and scoring wing Rodney Hood all dealt with injuries over the season's last few months. That made it all the sweeter that they were all available to take the floor in Wednesday night's impressive win in a back-and-forth game against San Antonio. Since losing the final regular-season meeting on March 25, the Jazz have picked up home wins over the Pelicans, Wizards, Blazers, Wolves and Spurs in addition to a road upset at Golden State. In all, they've gone 7-2 to pull off their first 50-win season since 2010.

The Clippers are even hotter, entering the playoffs owners of the league's longest winning streak at seven straight. The Wizards, Spurs and Rockets have been among their victims and their last five wins have all come by double-digits, so Doc Rivers has his team in a great groove. They're 43-18 with Chris Paul in the lineup and 8-13 without him, so the Clips may have had a shot at catching Houston for No. 3 had they not been without their floor general for more than a quarter of the season. Instead, they've got a much tougher road, forced to deal with one of the top defensive teams in the league in Utah before facing the top offensive group in Golden State.

Griffin pulled back his intensity level over the regular season's final week, but for the first four wins on this seven-game surge, he averaged 31.3 points on over 70 percent shooting, chipping in 7.3 boards and 5.7 assists. Being able to run offense through him to keep the Jazz defense from keying on Paul is going to be critical to getting out of the series.

Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert and two-time All-Defensive First Teamer DeAndre Jordan will look to stay out of foul trouble so they can serve as anchors protecting the rim. Jordan averaged 9.0 points and 12.8 boards and was successful in avoiding the whistle over the four regular-season meetings

Another key matchup to watch will be how Hayward deals with the physical defense of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who helped hold him to 10-for-30 shooting over the two losses the Jazz suffered with him in the lineup. He scored 27 points and shot 4-for-5 from 3-point range in the win, so his ability to generate offense will be critical to the Jazz since they often struggle to score.

The under has prevailed in three of the last four Jazz games, but went 2-2 during the regular season between these teams, topping the posted total in both March meetings.

Saturday's Best Bet
By Sportsbook.ag

The 2017 NBA playoffs are less than 24 hours away and basketball bettors everywhere are excited for games to mean something once again after a very lackluster final month of the year.

The 1st round of the playoffs kick off with a pair of quadruple-headers on Saturday and Sunday, and although many will still be waiting for the Cleveland/Golden State NBA Finals rematch, there is plenty of money to be made on a game-by-game basis, so let's get right to the best bet for Saturday.

Best Bet: Milwaukee (+7.5)

The Toronto Raptors have had an up-and-down season with many different struggles to deal with on both sides of the ball, but now that the playoffs have arrived, the high expectations this team and their fans have can live in earnest.
However, despite Toronto moving up the ranks of the NBA the past few years, they've never been able to come out of the gates strong in the playoffs.

Toronto has lost all three Game 1's outright of the first round they've played the last three years, and during last year's run to the Conference Finals, they went 0-2 SU in the subsequent rounds as well.

Four of those five defeats came at home as favorites – including all three first round Game 1's – and if you go back even further through the history of the franchise in the playoffs you'll find Toronto 0-10 SU all time in Game 1's of any round, with eight of those defeats coming in the opening stanza.

That's not to say Toronto will lose outright against a Milwaukee team here that they went 3-1 SU and ATS against in the regular season, but for a team that hasn't won outright in this spot in their history – including the last three year's with this core – laying 7 points is downright absurd.

Milwaukee also has a couple of other things working in their favor here with those being Giannis Antetokounmpo on the floor and Jason Kidd on the bench. Antetokounmpo is a nightmare matchup for anyone Toronto decides to throw at him and the last time Kidd coached a playoff series against the Raptors it was back in 2013-14 when his veteran laden Brooklyn Nets came in as significant underdogs and won the series in seven.

Kidd may not have an experience-laden roster this time around, but he's always coached well against this Toronto organization and he'll have his guys prepared to steal Game 1 if able to, but more importantly keep this one well within the seven points.

Saturday's NBA Playoffs Betting Preview
Covers.com

Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers (-8.5, 212.5)

ABOUT THE PACERS (42-40 SU, 39-42-1 ATS, 41-41 O/U): All-Star small forward Paul Goerge led the charge over the last five games, averaging 30.8 points on 56.9 percent shooting while recording three double-doubles in that span. "I guess it's because we're doing everything right," Paul said of the five-game winning streak. "When our back is against the wall, we figure things out. It just showed the character of this team, that we knew all along that we should have been a playoff team, we just hadn't figured out how to play the game the right way. I think we did that at the right time." That streak began after a 135-130 double-overtime loss at Cleveland in which George scored 19 of his 43 points in the overtime periods.

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (51-31 SU, 36-43-3 ATS, 47-34-1 O/U): James, who collected 41 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in that April 2 win over Indiana, is looking to advance to the NBA Finals for the seventh straight season. Cleveland is heading in the postseason healthy after resting nagging injuries down the stretch but needs to address a defense that finished 20th in the NBA in points allowed at an average of 107.2 "At the end of the day, I'm not going to harp on what happened in the regular season through injuries, through bad losses, through good wins, through whatever the case may be," James told reporters. "We have a good club going into the postseason. That's all you can ask for."

LINE HISTORY: The defending NBA champion Cavaliers opened as 8.5 home favorites against the Pacers and the line hasn’t moved off the opening number. The total hit the betting board at 213 and has been bet down half-point to 212.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Pacers - PG Jeff Teague (Probable, ankle), SG Glenn Robinson III (Questionable, calf), C Al Jefferson (Questionable, ankle)

Cavaliers - PG Kyrie Irving (Probable, knee), PG Kay Felder (Questionable, leg)

TRENDS:

* Pacers are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
* Cavaliers are 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Over is 7-0 in Pacers last 7 road games.
* Over is 5-1 in Cavaliers last 6 home games.
* Pacers are 8-2-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.

Milwaukee Bucks at Toronto Raptors (-7, 201)

ABOUT THE BUCKS (42-40 SU, 36-46 ATS, 41-39-2 O/U): All-Star small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will be expected to carry Milwaukee after becoming the fifth player in NBA history to lead his team in scoring (22.9), rebounding (8.8 ), assists (5.4), blocked shots (1.9) and steals (1.6) in the same season. The 22-year-old Antetokounmpo averaged 24.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and seven assists in four games against Toronto this season and feels his club's strong second half is a good sign in terms of performing better than the first-round exit against the Chicago Bulls two seasons ago. "We feel good about ourselves," Antetokounmpo told reporters. "In the second half after the All-Star break, we played great basketball, team basketball. A lot of people expect a lot from us, to do better than two years ago."

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (51-31 SU, 45-36-1 ATS, 44-38 O/U): The Raptors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in the East finals last season and shooting guard DeMar DeRozan is pointing to another sustained postseason run. "We understand what it takes to get there," DeRozan told reporters. "Let's take it one game at a time and with that understand what we've got to do to get there and how hard it is. That's our mentality this time around." DeRozan, who had 32 30-point outings while averaging 27.3 points this season, averaged 22.3 points in three outings against the Bucks.

LINE HISTORY: The Raptors opened as 7-point home chalk and that number has yet to move. The total hit the betting board at 201.5 and has dropped a full point to 200.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Bucks - PF Jabari Parker (Out For Season, knee)

Raptors - SG DeMar DeRozan (Probable, illness)

TRENDS:

* Bucks are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Under is 9-2-2 in Bucks last 13 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Under is 8-2 in Bucks last 10 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Under is 11-2 in Raptors last 13 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Under is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.

Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs (-9, 190.5)

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (43-39 SU, 41-41 ATS, 38-41-3 O/U): Defensive guru Tony Allen (calf) was injured in the regular-season finale and is sidelined indefinitely, so it is probable that he will miss the entire series. The veteran guard averaged 9.1 points and 5.5 rebounds and his defensive prowess will be badly missed. "It's an unfortunate injury for Tony and the team," general manager Chris Wallace told reporters. "With treatment and recovery, we hope to get him back as soon as possible."

ABOUT THE SPURS (61-21 SU, 41-39-2 ATS, 43-37-2 O/U): All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard averaged a career-best 25.5 points during the regular season and will be counted on to carry San Antonio in the postseason. Leonard scored 30 or more points on 26 occasions and is vying to earn his third consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award. "He's a really unique individual," coach Gregg Popovich told reporters. "I think he's the best two-way player in the league. I don't think anybody else does what he does at both ends of the court, night after night. He's a pretty special guy."

LINE HISTORY: The Southwest division winning Spurs opened up as 8.5-point favorites over the Grizzlies and that line has been bet up to an even 9. The total hit the betting board at 192.5 and has been faded two-full points to 190.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Grizzlies - SF James Ennis III (Questionable, knee), SG Tony Allen (Out Indefinitely, calf), SF Chandler Parsons (Out For Season, knee)

Spurs - No injuries to report

TRENDS:

* Grizzlies are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Spurs are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
* Spurs are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 vs. NBA Southwest.
* Under is 7-1 in Grizzlies last 8 road games.
* Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in San Antonio.

Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers (-5, 200.5)

ABOUT THE JAZZ (51-31 SU, 36-42-4 ATS, 42-40 O/U): Forward Gordon Hayward was the catalyst behind Utah's first playoff berth since 2012, as the Butler product registered career highs in scoring (21.9) and rebounding (5.4) while shooting a healthy 39.8 percent from long range. Forward Derrick Favors, who missed 31 games with knee issues as his production suffered a sharp dip, managed to play three games in the final week of the season after sitting out most of March and told reporters he could play 30 minutes a night if needed. Center Rudy Gobert finish tied for fourth in the NBA in double-doubles (58) and had one in each of the final three meetings with Clippers and their big man DeAndre Jordan, including 26 points and 14 rebounds in a loss at Los Angeles on March 25.

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (51-31 SU, 40-41-1 ATS, 44-37-1 O/U): Los Angeles scored at least 112 points six times during its seven-game winning streak and had 124 or better on three occasions as an oft-injured bunch finds its rhythm behind floor general Paul. The nine-time All-Star averaged 23.1 points and 10.3 assists while shooting 56 percent in the streak while backup Austin Rivers recovers from a hamstring injury that is expected to sideline him for a few more games. Jordan had five straight double-doubles to finish the regular season but he was limited to an average of nine points in four meetings with Utah while shooting 51.6 percent, the lowest mark he had against any opponent other than Portland (50 percent).

LINE HISTORY: The Clippers opened as 5.5-home chalk over the Northwest division champion Jazz and that number appears fine with bettors as it has yet to move. The total hit the betting board at 200.5 and briefly dropped to an even 200 before returning to the opening number, where it stands.

INJURY REPORT:

Jazz - PG Raul Neto (Late April, ankle)

Clippers - PG Austin Rivers (Out, Hamstring), C Diamond Stone (Out Indefinitely, knee)

TRENDS:

* Jazz are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Clippers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Under is 13-3 in Clippers last 16 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Under is 5-1-1 in Clippers last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Jazz are 1-5 ATS in the last 6 meetings.