Sunday's Best NBA Bets
By Covers.com
Memphis Grizzlies at Boston Celtics (-4.5, 179)
Jesus Shuttlesworth has game. And he's had a whole lot of game especially since returning from an ankle injury on January 29.
Ray Allen missed three games late last month with the injury, but he has now scored in double-figures in four straight outings. Allen is scoring 15 points per game during this stretch and he has connected on 11 of 19 three-point attempts in his last four.
Not coincidentally, the Celtics have won three in a row and seven of their last eight (5-3 ATS) heading into Sunday's home game against the Grizzlies. They have won four of their last five at home after Friday's 91-89 comeback victory over the Knicks.
The Grizzlies are mediocre at defending the three-point line, allowing opponents to shoot 34.8 percent from beyond the arc (16th best in the NBA). As for the team's overall outlook, Memphis has lost five of its last seven games (3-4 ATS).
Pick: Celtics
Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat (-16, 189)
Don't be alarmed by the bloated 16-point spread. When the Raptors have been losing of late, they have been losing in a major way.
Toronto lost by 15 at Denver on January 27 before things really got ugly. The team fell 100-77 at home to Atlanta on Tuesday and it got blown out 100-64 at Boston on Wednesday. The Raptors have actually won two of their last five, but those victories came against lowly New Jersey and Washington.
Such is life for Toronto without Andrea Bargnani, who has missed the last five games (and all three blowout losses) with a strained left calf. Bargnani sustained the injury on January 25 against the Jazz and he remains out indefinitely.
Miami, on the other hand, actually has all hands on deck at the moment. Every one of the Big 3 is healthy and they played like it in a dominant 20-point road win at Philadelphia on Friday. Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, Chris Bosh added 12, and LeBron James contributed 19 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists.
Pick: Heat
Hot Teams
-- Celtics won seven of their last eight games (4-7 as home favorite).
-- Miami won eight of its last nine home games (1-4 vs spread last five as home favorite). Raptors are 4-3 in last seven games (8-7 as road dog).
Cold Teams
-- Memphis lost four of last five road games (4-6 as road dog).
Wear and Tear
-- Grizzlies: 5th game/7 days. Celtics: 4th game/6 nites.
-- Raptors: 4th game/6 nites. Heat: 3rd game/5 days.
Totals
-- Six of last seven Memphis road games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Miami home games stayed under.
MEMPHIS (12 - 11) at BOSTON (12 - 10)
Top Trends for this game.
MEMPHIS is 72-45 ATS (+22.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 36-21 ATS (+12.9 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 29-12 ATS (+15.8 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 37-18 ATS (+17.2 Units) in road games against Atlantic division opponents since 1996.
MEMPHIS is 41-26 ATS (+12.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 65-36 ATS (+25.4 Units) versus good defensive teams - allowing <=91 points/game since 1996.
BOSTON is 68-88 ATS (-28.8 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 0-11 ATS (-12.1 Units) in home games against Southwest division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 3-1 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 2-2 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO (8 - 16) at MIAMI (17 - 6)
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 30-15 ATS (+13.5 Units) as a road underdog of 12.5 to 18 points since 1996.
TORONTO is 30-15 ATS (+13.5 Units) as a road underdog of 12.5 or more points since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 5-3 against the spread versus MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI is 6-2 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS vs. BOSTON
Memphis is 15-5-2 ATS in its last 22 games when playing Boston
Memphis is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Boston
Boston is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Memphis
Boston is 5-15-2 ATS in its last 22 games when playing Memphis
TORONTO vs. MIAMI
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing on the road against Miami
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Miami
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
Miami is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
MEMPHIS at BOSTON
MEMPHIS: 14-0 ATS at Boston
BOSTON: 7-0 Under at home off ATS loss
TORONTO at MIAMI
TORONTO: 30-15 ATS as road dog of 12.5+ pts
MIAMI: 11-1 Over as a home favorite of 12.5+ points