NBA Knowledge
Saturday's hot teams
-- Warriors won/covered last five games (14-7-1AF).
-- 76ers split last six games, are 5-3 vs spread in last eight.
-- Toronto won its last ten games (6-1 last 7HF).
-- Nuggets split last four games, covered five of last six (9-4 last 13HF).
-- Pelicans won three of last four games (4-1 last five HF).
-- Memphis won six of its last seven games (7-2-1 last 10HF).
-- Spurs won 14 of last 15 games (8-3 last 11AF).
-- Cleveland won 13 of last 16 games (0-0HU).
Cold teams
-- Detroit is 4-6 in its last ten games (3-1 last 4AU).
-- Indiana lost six of its last eight games (10-7HF).
-- Brooklyn lost 11 of its last 13 games (0-3 last 3AU).
-- Washington won five of its last six games (8-3 last 11AU).
-- Rockets are 3-4 in last seven games (8-4 last 12HF).
-- Sacramento lost its last three games (7-3 last 10AU).
Series records
-- 76ers lost last four games with Golden State (1-3 vs spread).
-- Raptors won five of last seven games with Detroit.
-- Nuggets won eight of last nine games with Indiana.
-- Nets lost their last three games with New Orleans.
-- Rockets won four of last five games with Washington.
-- Grizzlies won nine of last ten games with Sacramento.
-- Spurs won nine of last ten games with Cleveland; they lost here in OT last year.
Totals
-- Nine of last eleven Golden State games went over.
-- Five of last seven Detroit games went over total.
-- Eight of last nine Denver games went over total.
-- Last six New Orleans games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Washington games stayed under.
-- Eight of last nine Memphis games went over total.
-- Last four San Antonio games went over the total.
Back/backs
-- Detroit is 2-6 in last eight games if they played night before.
-- Brooklyn is 4-3 vs spread on road if it played night before.
-- Houston is 3-7 vs spread in last 10 games if it played night before.
-- Cleveland is 3-4-1 vs spread if it played night before.
Armadillosports.com
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Detroit at Toronto
The Toronto Raptors playing efficiently at both ends of the floor netting 105.1 points/game while giving up 92.6 per/contest have won a franchise-best ten straight and have covered the point spread in eight of those games. Saturday, Toronto will complete its seven game home stand hosting the Detroit Pistions and there is no reason the win streak can’t stretch to eleven games.
Home court advantage will play a significant role in Toronto winning this contest. Raptors have enjoyed home cooking of late, winning six consecutive (5-1 ATS) outscoring visitors by 13.8 points/game and thirteen of the past fifteen (8-7 ATS) in front of the friendly crowd by a margin of 8.5 points/game.
The most compelling numbers in the Toronto's favor is on the defensive end. The Raptors as a team have certainly bought into coach Dwane Casey's defensive mantra. Toronto has won twenty-two consecutive games (16-6 ATS) when allowing the opponent 100 or less points.
A telling basketball betting stats considering Piston haven't been a peg to hang your hat on when away from Auburn Hills. In the last twenty-one on enemy hardwood the Pistons are 7-14 SU/ATS dropping just 97.6 points/game and enter the contest without rest a situation that has seen the team post a 3-6 SU/ATS record netting 98.2 points/game. Evidence is the key in making any case, and the numbers above clearly illustrate that Toronto is the right choice.
Inside the Paint - Saturday
By Chris David
VegasInsider.com
Cleveland (32-12 SU, 19-23-2 ATS) has a chance to silence the critics on Saturday night when they meet San Antonio (39-7 SU, 30-15-1 ATS) at home in a nationally televised battle on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET.
In this same spot last week, the Cavaliers dropped a 96-83 decision to the Bulls as 10½-point home favorites, which came a day after the club fired head coach David Blatt.
Since that setback, the Cavs have rebounded with three straight wins (2-1 ATS) under head coach Tyronn Lue albeit against the Timberwolves, Suns and Pistons. The offense has looked much sharper during the winning streak, posting 114, 115 and 114 points.
Last night’s win at Detroit (114-106) could have some bettors citing fatigue on Saturday versus the Spurs. Make a note that Cleveland has gone 5-3 SU and 3-4-1 ATS in back-to-back situations this season while the ‘under’ has posted a 6-2 mark.
Playing against the Spurs is a major step up in class and the Cavs hung with them a few weeks ago in San Antonio. Cleveland wound up losing 99-95 at the AT&T Center but it did cover as a six-point underdog.
Including this win, San Antonio has gone 17-3 SU and 13-7 ATS versus the Eastern Conference this season. The three setbacks all came on the road and coincidentally the margin was three in all of the games as well (Wizards, Bulls, Raptors). The ‘under’ has gone 11-8-1.
Despite owning a 12-5 SU and 8-8-1 ATS mark versus the West, It’s well known that the Cavs are 0-3 versus the Warriors and Spurs this season and the recent 132-98 drubbing at home on Jan. 18 to Golden State is what everybody remembers.
Will San Antonio hand out similar treatment to the Cavs after a close call in the first go ‘round?
Even though center Tim Duncan (knee) has been ruled ‘out’ for Saturday’s game, the Spurs are listed as short road favorites (-2) over the Cavaliers. San Antonio has gone 8-1 without the future Hall of Famer in the lineup this season.
This will be the first team Cleveland is an underdog at home this season and fifth time overall. The Cavs have gone 1-3 SU and 3-1 ATS when put into this role this season and the ‘under’ has cashed in all four games.
The total on this game opened at 206½ and has dropped to 204½ as of Saturday morning.
Along with the Spurs-Cavs matchup on Saturday, we do have six other games slated and below is my quick handicap.
Golden State at Philadelphia: The Warriors and 76ers will partake in this week’s “Global Game” and while I’d normally think the time change could screw up a team, this is Golden State. The 76ers actually gave the Warriors a game at home last season and only lost 89-84 as 16-point ‘dogs. The spread is a tad higher (GSW -17½) this time around and this will the highest total (218) that Philadelphia has seen all season.
Detroit at Toronto: This is a really good matchup and it will be the first meeting between the pair this season. Last year, they split the four-game series with each club stealing one victory on the road. The Raptors enter this game with a 10-game winning streak (8-2 ATS) and they’re catching Detroit on no rest. Stan Van Gundy’s team is 3-6 SU and 3-5-1 ATS in B2B games and that includes a dreadful 0-6 and 0-5-1 ATS mark as visitors. Total bettors should note that the ‘over’ has gone 8-2 in the last 10 meetings in this series, and that includes four easy shootouts last season. Saturday’s number is 203½ and Toronto is a 7½-point favorite.
Brooklyn at New Orleans: Possible trap game for the Pelicans, who have won and covered six of their last eight. Thursday’s 114-105 home win over Sacramento was impressive since New Orleans was short-handed (Tyreke Evans, Anthony Davis) but when the Pelicans hit their shots, they can play with anybody. The offense is on a roll, averaging 110.9 PPG during this run and that’s helped the ‘over’ go 7-1. Why is the game a trap? The Nets aren’t the same without Jarret Jack at point guard but they still have a few pros and you just never know. Brooklyn is playing on no rest and it’s struggled to a 2-6 mark (5-3 ATS) in this role. Keep an eye on the latest injury report since Evans and Davis are both listed as ‘questionable’ for Saturday.
Denver at Indiana: These teams played a wild game two weeks ago in Denver and the Nuggets captured a 129-126 win over the Pacers as 2½-point home underdogs. Denver has played well against Indiana recently, winning eight of the last 10 encounters and three of the last four on the road. The Nuggets have been in great form at the betting counter recently, going 8-2 versus the number despite a 5-5 record. Head coach Mike Malone has the team playing fast and they’ve developed some nice young players. Indiana snapped out of its funk Thursday with a double-digit win over Atlanta and it will be trying to win back-to-back games for the first time in three weeks on Saturday. Indiana is listed as an eight-point favorite and that seems high, probably for the right reason. The total is 208½.
Sacramento at Memphis: I talked about the Grizzlies in Thursday’s edition of ITP and how their power ratings were down this season but they silenced the oddsmakers again with another victory. Memphis has quietly won eight of its last 10 games and it’s covered six of them, but a few of those tickets were very fortunate to cash. The Kings are acting like the Kings again and they enter this game on a three-game losing skid both SU and ATS. Since losing a tough 129-128 double overtime loss on Monday to the Hornets at home, Sacramento has looked awful in its next two games. This is the last game of their road trip and the Kings confidence might not be high for this tip knowing that they’re just 1-9 in their previous 10 meetings against the Grizzlies. Once again, the line on Memphis (-2½) seems super short and the total (203½) can be considered low for Sacramento’s pace. Rudy Gay is expected to play for the Kings.
Washington at Houston: The Rockets (-3) are short favorites and that tells you that the Wizards will have a shot to win this game but can you really trust either team? Washington is 1-5 both SU and ATS in its last six and I’m surprised they haven’t changed coaches yet, something Houston has done. That hasn’t made a difference for the Rockets either and they enter this game off back-to-back losses, which includes Friday’s 116-108 loss at Oklahoma City. The Rockets are 5-6 SU and 4-7 ATS on zero days rest and that includes a 2-2 mark at home. In those four games, the ‘over’ cashed in all four and I’d probably lean to the high side in this game with two weak defensive units on the court. Houston defeated Washington 109-103 on Dec. 9 as a 4½-point road favorite on Dec. 9 and the combined 212 points barely snuck ‘under’ the closing total of 214.