NBA Betting News and Notes Saturday, May 11

Saturday's Tips
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Gamblers have a doubleheader of NBA Playoff games to wager on Saturday. Let’s take an in-depth look at both matchups.

Thunder at Grizzlies

As of late Friday afternoon, most books had Memphis (61-29 straight up, 53-35-2 against the spread) listed as a five-point home favorite with a total of 186.5. Bettors can back the Thunder to win outright for a +175 return (risk $100 to win $175). The Grizzlies are favored by 2.5 with a total of 94 for first-half wagers.

Oklahoma City (65-25 SU, 52-36-2 ATS) won Game 1 in come-from-behind fashion by a 93-91 count as a 3.5-point home favorite, rallying to outscore the Grizzlies 29-18 in the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant had a monster performance with 35 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. Durant buried the go-ahead bucket with 11.1 seconds remaining. Kevin Martin added 25 points for the winners. The Grizzlies did take the cash, however, and the 184 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 186.5 points.

In the Game 1 setback, Marc Gasol led Memphis with 20 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Zach Randolph also had a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards.

Lionel Hollins’s team bounced back in Game 2 to even the series by virtue of a 99-93 victory as a 2.5-point road underdog. Memphis hooked up money-line backers with a +125 payout. Mike Conley Jr. was the catalyst with 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists compared to only two turnovers. Gasol added 24 points, five boards and five assists.

Durant scored 36 points in the Game 2 defeat and nearly finished with a triple-double. Durant pulled down 11 rebounds and dished out nine assists. However, unlike in Game 1, Durant got no help from Martin, who scored only six points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field. Veteran guard Derek Fisher buried 4-of-5 from behind the line en route to a 19-point effort.

OKC owns a 5-2 spread record in its seven games as an underdog this season. This is the richest ‘dog situation the Thunder has seen this year.

Memphis has covered the number in seven consecutive games and is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games.

The ‘over’ is on a 6-2 run in the Grizzlies’ last eight games. However, they have watched the ‘under’ go 52-37-1 overall, 28-16 in their home games.

The ‘under’ is 49-39-2 overall for the Thunder, 26-17-1 in its road assignments.

The ‘over’ is 7-3 in the last 10 head-to-head meetings between these Western Conference rivals.

Tip-off is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

Knicks at Pacers

As of late Friday afternoon, most spots had Indiana (54-35 SU, 47-42 ATS) listed as a four-point ‘chalk’ with a total of 183.5. The Knicks are +150 on the money line (risk $100 to win $150). The Pacers are favored by 2.5 with a total of 92.5 for first-half plays.

Indiana drew first blood in the opener of this best-of-seven series, beating the Knicks 102-95 as a five-point road underdog in Game 1 at Madison Square Garden. The 197 combined points sailed ‘over’ the 181.5-point total. David West led six double-figure scorers with 20 points, while George Hill finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Paul George produced 19 points, five boards and four dimes.

Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 27 points in the Game 1 loss, but he made just 10-of-28 shots from the field. Raymond Felton and J.R. Smith added 18 and 17 points, respectively.

New York (59-31 SU, 50-38-2 ATS) responded in Game 2 by breaking open a close game late in the third quarter with a 36-4 run that resulted in a 105-79 victory as a 5.5-point home favorite. The 184 combined points hit right on the 184-point tally for a push on bets on the total.

Anthony paced the Knicks in Game 2 with a game-high 32 points and nine rebounds. The Syracuse product made 13-of-26 attempts from the field. Iman Shumpert added 15 points and six boards, including an incredible putback dunk that brought the MSG crowd to its feet early in the first quarter.

In the Game 2 defeat, George scored a team-high 20 points for the Pacers. Hill had 12 points and seven assists, while West finished with 13 points and six boards.

After missing several months with a knee injury, Amare Stoudemire is expected to play in Game 3. The veteran power forward is scheduled to play 10-15 minutes. Stoudemire averaged 14.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 29 regular-season games.

The ‘under’ is 46-41-3 overall for the Knicks, 21-21-2 in their road assignments.

The ‘under’ is 44-43-2 overall for the Pacers, but the ‘over’ is 23-20-1 in their home games.

The ‘under’ is 3-2-1 in the six head-to-head meetings between these clubs this season. Indiana won both home games against the Knicks this year by scores of 81-76 and 125-91.

ABC will have the telecast at 8:05 p.m. Eastern.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

Sportsbook.ag has a slew of proposition bets for every playoff game. For instance, there are odds for whom will score the first points of the game. Anthony is the +275 ‘chalk’ (risk $100 to win $275). The next-shortest odds belong to George (+550), West (+600), Felton (+700), Hill (+750) and Hibbert (+800).

Sportsbook.ag has updated series prices and has the Knicks and Pacers as a pick ‘em (-110 either way).

Sportsbook.ag has the following prices for the other matchups: Heat -2000, Bulls +1200; Spurs -140, Warriors +120; Grizzlies -200, Thunder +170.

Sportsbook.ag has these updated futures for whom wins the NBA title:
Heat -250
Grizzlies +800
Spurs 10/1
Knicks 15/1
Pacers 20/1
Warriors 20/1
Bulls 70/1

Saturday's NBA Action: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com

New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers (-4, 183.5)

Best-of-seven series tied 1-1.

The Indiana Pacers have had three days to get over the mental hurdle of Game 2’s breakdown. The Pacers will try to avoid another meltdown when they host Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks on Saturday. The Knicks bridged the third and fourth quarters with a 30-2 run in Game 2 that buried Indiana and evened the series at a game apiece. Carmelo Anthony was at his best during the decisive spurt.

Anthony might be getting some more help in the form of Amar’e Stoudemire, who has been out since March 7 following knee debridement, is expected to play 10-15 minutes in Game 3. Stoudemire gives the Knicks another big body to bang around with Roy Hibbert and David West on the inside. Those two were a big part of Indiana’s Game 1 victory but could not stop the bleeding when New York started to get going in Game 2. The Pacers dominated the Atlanta Hawks in Indiana during the first round and had no problem bouncing back from some tough losses in that series.

ABOUT THE KNICKS: Anthony scored 16 of his 32 points during the decisive run in Game 2 as New York reached 100 points in a postseason game for the first time since 1999 with the 105-79 triumph. Anthony’s shooting was key, but coach Mike Woodson was quick to highlight the defensive effort. “The fourth quarter, we just defensively, we picked up,” he said. “We kept getting stop after stop and then we would rebound the ball and get it up and our offense began to flow like old times. It was kind of nice to see.” The scene was much different from Game 1, when the Knicks were outworked on the inside and outscored 59-38 in the middle two quarters. Stoudemire went through a full-contact four-on-four session on Thursday and will help off the bench.

ABOUT THE PACERS: Indiana lost Games 3 and 4 in Atlanta during the first round by an average of 16 points but had no trouble picking things back up in its own building. The Pacers won their three home games in the first round by 18.3 points and accomplished what they needed by taking a game in Madison Square Garden and grabbing homecourt advantage against the Knicks. Indiana committed 21 turnovers that led to 32 points in Game 2 and was outscored 52-40 in the paint after controlling that area in Game 1. “I like where we are,” Hibbert told reporters. “We were right there most of the game. But we gave them a sliver of hope late in the third, and obviously they’re so explosive. Obviously, a split is great.”

TRENDS:

* Knicks are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following an ATS win.
* Pacers are 0-5 ATS in their last five Saturday games.
* Over is 6-0 in Pacers’ last six home games.
* Home team is 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. New York G J.R. Smith is 15-for-57 over the last four games.

2. Pacers F Paul George matched a season high (regular and playoffs) with seven turnovers in Game 2.

3. Anthony struggled to 7-for-21 from the field in his lone regular season appearance at Indiana.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies (-5, 186.5)

Best-of-seven series tied 1-1.

The Memphis Grizzlies had to settle for a split in Oklahoma City after letting a Game 1 lead get away and look to go on top in the Western Conference semifinal series when the Thunder visit in Saturday’s Game 3. Memphis rebounded from the devastating fourth-quarter collapse in the opener to notch a 99-93 victory in Game 2. Oklahoma City needs to split the two road games in order to regain the homecourt advantage.

Thunder star Kevin Durant averaged 35.5 points, 13 rebounds and 7.5 assists over the first two games as Oklahoma City continues to adjust to not having standout guard Russell Westbrook (knee). Splitting the contests at home was disappointing to Durant, but he doesn’t see it as an obstacle that can’t be overcome in a seven-game series. “I don’t think we’ve fallen off track,” Durant said. “We dug ourselves a hole. We’ve just got to go in there and worry about the next game and take it a possession at a time.” Memphis went 3-0 at home in the first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers and has won 17 of its last 18 home games.

ABOUT THE THUNDER: You would think Durant would be requesting more help from his teammates after his two big games in this series. But the player who has averaged 35.5 points over his last six playoff games is calling on himself to pick up the pace. “I always can do more,” Durant said. “I’ve got to put my teammates in better positions to score. I turned the ball over some where I thought I could have made better passes, shot some shots (where) I should have drove or should have got closer. But I always can be better.” Durant has struggled from 3-point range in the postseason. He is 3-of-11 against the Grizzlies and 28.3 percent in Oklahoma City’s eight playoff games.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES: Point guard Mike Conley is often the third wheel behind post players Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol but he was the definitive star of Game 2. Conley had 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and drained the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:58 to play. His emergence as a go-to player looking to take pressure shots picked up after Memphis dealt Rudy Gay to Toronto in late January. Gay’s departure left the Grizzlies shy of players willingly to take the big shots and Conley hasn’t been shy about looking for the hoop in stressful situations. Conley is averaging 20.5 points over the last four games.

TRENDS:

* Thunder are 7-1 ATS in their last eight road games.
* Grizzlies are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games.
* Over is 10-2 in Thunder’s last 12 Saturday games.
* Underdog is 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Memphis had 13 steals in Game 2, five from defensive standout Tony Allen.

2. Thunder reserve G Derek Fisher is 15-of-23 from 3-point range over his past five playoff games.

3. Gasol is averaging 22 points and shooting 59.3 percent from the field in the series.

2013 NBA Playoffs

Carmelo Anthony was 13-26 in Game 2 after shooting 35-95 (36.8%) from floor in his first four games vs Indiana this year; JR Smith is 15-51 in three losses vs Pacers, 15-36 in three New York Ws- he might see his playing time cut here, since he hasn't been productive. Knicks get Amare Stoudemire back here; not sure how he'll affect their chemistry. Indana needs to keep Anthony under 40% from floor to win. Eight of last 12 Knick games stayed under the total; 12 of last 16 Indy games went over. New York lost 81-76/125-91 in its two visits to Conseco this year, with Pacers leading 74-44 at halftime of Knicks' last visit here.

Memphis won five of last six games, losing by hoop in Game 1; Martin reverted to 2-11 from floor in 29 unproductive minutes, failing to give Oklahoma City a scoring threat to compliment Durant. Last four series games were decided by six or less points. Thunder PG Westbrook is out for this series, which puts onus on vet PG Fisher and BC alum Jackson, who has four turnovers in 60 minutes in series. 17 of last 22 Thunder games stayed under the total. Six of last eight Memphis games went over the total. Oklahoma City covered four of last five as an underdog.

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