NBA Knowledge
Saturday's hot teams
-- Detroit won six of its last eight games (2-4 last 6A).
-- Chicago won its last three games (3-2 last 5H).
-- Toronto won seven of its last ten games (3-5 last 8AU).
-- Spurs won eight of its last ten games (3-5-1 last 9HF).
-- Miami won five of its last seven games (1-4 last 5A).
-- Portland won five of its last seven games- they won last four at home.
Cold teams
-- Indiana lost five of its last eight games (6-7AF).
-- 76ers lost their last 11 games (3-7 last 10HU).
-- Sacramento lost four of last five road games (1-3-1 last 5AU).
-- Denver lost three of its last four games (5-3 last 8HF).
Series records
-- 76ers lost eight of last nine games with Indiana.
-- Pistons won four of last six games with Chicago.
-- Spurs won eight of last ten games with Toronto.
-- Kings won five of last seven games with Denver.
-- Miami won five of last six games with Portland.
Totals
-- 76ers' last five games stayed under the total.
-- Last five Chicago games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 14-4-1 in last nineteen San Antonio games.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Denver home games.
-- Four of last five Portland home games stayed under total.
Back/backs
-- 76ers are 5-3 vs spread in last eight games if they played night before.
-- Detroit covered seven of last eight games if it played night before.
-- Toronto won last six games (5-1 vs spread) if it played nite before.
-- Kings covered two of last seven games if they played night before.
Armadillosports.com
Saturday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Pacers at 76ers
Indiana (39-36 SU, 36-38-1 ATS) hits the road for a pair of games the next two days against a pair of non-playoff teams. Before heading to New York on Sunday, the Pacers look to beat the 76ers for the third time this season. Indiana routed Philadelphia as 15-point home favorites on March 21 by a 91-75 count, as all five Pacers’ starters scored in double-figures. Frank Vogel’s team is coming off a pair of ugly home losses in different fashion, blowing a seven-point third quarter lead to a struggling Chicago squad, while falling behind early in a 114-94 setback to Orlando on Thursday.
It’s been a while since Philadelphia (9-67 SU, 35-40-1 ATS) last won a game, as the 76ers look to snap an 11-game losing streak. The Sixers play with no rest after falling at Charlotte last night, 100-91, but managed the cover as 14-point underdogs. Brett Brown’s club has put together an impressive 4-1 ATS record the last five contests, but has failed to cash in each of its last two home losses to the Celtics and Hornets. Philadelphia is on one of the top ‘under’ streaks currently by finishing ‘under’ the total in six consecutive games.
Pistons at Bulls
The race for the final two spots in the Eastern Conference has come down to three Central division teams. Even though Washington is still hanging around, Detroit, Indiana, and Chicago are all vying for the seventh and eighth playoff positions heading into the final two weeks of the season. The Pistons (40-36 SU, 38-36-2 ATS) ended their nine-game homestand with a thud on Friday, falling to the banged-up Mavericks at home, 98-89 as 5½-point favorites. After scoring a bunch of points against several non-playoff teams, Detroit was limited to 95 points or less in each of the past three games, resulting in three straight ‘unders.’
For as much drama as Chicago (38-37 SU, 32-43 ATS) has dealt with this season, the Bulls have put themselves in a position to qualify for the playoffs with seven games remaining. Chicago begins Saturday’s action one game behind Indiana for the final playoff spot in the East, as Fred Hoiberg’s team is coming off a pair of huge road victories against the Pacers and Rockets. The Bulls are riding a five-game ‘under’ streak, while looking to grab the series split with the Pistons as both losses to Detroit this season came in overtime.
Raptors at Spurs
Toronto (51-24 SU, 40-35 ATS) escaped past Memphis last night, 99-95, but failed to cover as 5½-point favorites. The Raptors failed to reach the 100-point mark (barely) for just the second time in the last 18 games, but the dynamic backcourt of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined to score 49 points to give Toronto the season sweep of Memphis. Dwane Casey’s squad owns an impressive 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS mark in the last seven road games with no rest since mid-December, although they are 1-1 SU/ATS as an underdog in this stretch.
The Spurs (63-12 SU, 43-32 ATS) are the only team yet to lose a game at home this season after the Warriors were tripped up by the Celtics on Friday. San Antonio looks to improve to a 39-0 at home as its final three games at the AT&T Center come against division leaders Toronto, Golden State, and Oklahoma City. Gregg Popovich’s team has put together a 3-6 ATS record in its last nine home victories, while failing to cover as heavy 19-point favorites in Wednesday’s 100-92 victory over New Orleans. The Spurs are playing with revenge after losing at Toronto in early December, 97-94, as the Raptors shot a blistering 58% from the floor.
Kings at Nuggets
The only game involving a pair of non-playoff teams on the Saturday card won’t showcase several key players as center DeMarcus Cousins and point guard Rajon Rondo will sit for Sacramento (30-46 SU, 35-40-1 ATS). The Kings rallied to pick up a cover as 6½-point underdogs in Friday’s 112-106 home defeat to the Heat, the fifth straight ATS win for Sacramento. This is the second time in a week that both Rondo and Cousins will sit on the second end of a back-to-back, as Sacramento fell at Portland on Monday, 105-93, but cashed as 13-point underdogs.
Denver (32-45 SU, 40-35-2 ATS) is playing with double-revenge against Sacramento after losing a home-and-home set immediately following the All-Star break. Both games eclipsed the ‘over,’ as the Nuggets lost by six and four points in spite of scoring 110 points in each defeat. Denver plays its next four games at the Pepsi Center, coming off a 101-95 setback to New Orleans on Thursday as seven-point favorites, as Mike Malone’s club fell to 1-3 ATS the last four games in the favorite role.
Heat at Blazers
The three-team race atop the Southeast division has turned into a good one down the stretch with the Heat and Hornets sitting percentage points ahead of the Hawks. Miami (44-31 SU, 39-35-1 ATS) held off Sacramento on Friday, 112-106 to pick up its third victory in the last four games, while bouncing back from a tough overtime loss to the Lakers on Wednesday. Dwyane Wade sat out last night’s victory with back and neck injuries, as his status is listed as doubtful for tonight. The Heat go for the season sweep of the Blazers after beating Portland at the American Airlines Arena in late December, 116-109 as five-point favorites.
Portland (40-36 SU, 42-34 ATS) rallied past Boston on Thursday to creep closer towards the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoff race. The Blazers sit one game behind the Grizzlies heading into tonight’s action, looking to finish off a perfect 4-0 homestand before traveling to Golden State on Sunday. Portland covered for the second time in six games against Boston, while snapping a four-game ‘under’ streak in Thursday’s 116-109 triumph. Since losing to Atlanta on January 20, the Blazers have won seven of their past eight home games against Eastern Conference foes, while going 5-1 ATS as a single-digit favorite.