Sunday's Best NBA Bets
By Covers.com
Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks (-2.5, 193)
The New York Knicks need to turn things around – and quickly – in the wake of a disastrous four-game road trip.
Here's all one needs to know about New York's defense: Despite hitting their first 11 shots and shooting nearly 60 percent in the first half, the Knicks trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter before a dramatic rally fell short in a 118-114 loss at Milwaukee on Friday.
New York hopes to get center Tyson Chandler (hamstring) back in the lineup after surrendering 119 and 118 points in the last two.
After failing to reach 100 points for 19 games, the Sixers have done it in back-to-back contests and three times in the last five.
Pick: Over
Memphis Grizzlies at Denver Nuggets (-6, 202)
Perhaps the 2011 run by Memphis wasn't a fluke after all. The Grizzlies, who upset San Antonio in the first round last year then took Oklahoma State to seven games, are catching fire.
They have won five in a row overall (4-1 ATS) as of Saturday evening and nine of their last 10 (6-4 ATS). They are 3-1 (2-2 ATS) in their last four road games. And they are still doing it without Zach Randolph, who is slated to return later this month.
Rudy Gay has scored in double-figures in 18 consecutive games for Memphis and he has double-doubles in two of his last three. Marc Gasol has reached double-figures in scoring in 14 straight contests and he has double-doubles in five of his last eight.
Denver has been solid of late as well, winning five of its last six games (4-2 ATS). However, the Nuggets have been unspectacular at home of late. Prior to a 110-97 win over Golden State on Friday, they edged Sacramento 119-116 in overtime and lost to Cleveland 100-99.
Pick: Grizzlies
What Bettors Need to Know: Celtics at Lakers
By Covers.com
Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers (-6, 180)
THE STORY: They may not resemble your father's Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics – nor even the caliber of the squads that met in the NBA Finals following the 2008 and 2010 seasons – but the longtime rivals still manage to generate a healthy buzz and put on a good show. That was evident in the Lakers' one-point overtime win at Boston last month that snapped a five-game winning streak by the Celtics. Boston will look to avenge that loss Sunday as they kick off an eight-game road trip.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (21-18, 17-22 ATS): Boston enters its marathon road trip well rested – although not entirely by design. After absorbing a 32-point beating by Philadelphia, the Celtics built a 35-point halftime lead vs. Portland on Friday, allowing their aging core to play limited minutes. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce scored 22 points apiece to help Boston improve to 6-1 since the All-Star break. Allen is averaging his lowest point total (14.7) since his rookie season, but he has a career mark of 20.4 points against the Lakers.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (24-16, 19-21 ATS): Amid (false) reports that forward Pau Gasol had been traded, Los Angeles avoided a winless three-game road trip by squeezing out a 105-102 win at Minnesota on Friday. The victory came on the heels of coach Mike Brown apologizing to superstar Kobe Bryant and others for publicly questioning their shot selection in a stunning loss at Washington on Wednesday. Center Andrew Bynum admitted to “loafing” against the Wizards, but he played with a purpose Friday by scoring 26 points and snatching 10 boards.
TRENDS:
* Under is 6-1-1 in the last eight meetings.
* Celtics are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Los Angeles.
* Underdog is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Road team is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Bryant scored 34 points against Minnesota to become the fifth player in league history to surpass 29,000 points. The others are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and Karl Malone.
2. Pierce became the third player in franchise history to play in 1,000 career games, joining John Havlicek (1,270) and Robert Parish (1,106). Kevin Garnett moved past Parish for the second-most career defensive rebounds in NBA history with 10,122.
3. The Lakers are one-tenth of a percentage point from being the worst 3-point shooting team in the league, while the Celtics rank last in offensive rebounds per game (8.4).
PREDICTION: Lakers 96, Celtics 89
Hot Teams
-- Celtics won six of last seven games, but they've lost six of last seven road games (0-7 vs spread). Lakers won their last eight home games (7-1 vs spread).
-- Orlando won/covered four of its last five home games.
-- Toronto is 8-1-1 vs spread in its last ten home games.
-- Denver won five of six games since All-Star break. Grizzlies won nine of their last eleven games.
-- Sacramento won six of its last eight home games. Hawks won four of their last five games.
-- Warriors are 9-6 vs spread in last 15 games as road underdogs.
Cold Teams
-- Knicks lost four of last five games, but all four losses were on road; they're 9-2 vs spread in last eleven home games. 76ers lost five of their last six road games.
-- Pacers lost their last three games by 20-5-2 points.
-- Bucks lost last four road games, by 19-6-5-16 points.
-- Cleveland lost its last four home games (1-3 vs spread). Rockets lost five of their last six games.
-- Clippers lost three of their last five home games.
Wear-and-Tear
-- 76ers: 3rd game/5 days. Knicks: 4th game/6 days.
-- Celtics: 4th game/6 days. Lakers: 4th game/6 nites.
-- Pacers: 2nd in row after three off. Magic: Had last two nites off.
-- Bucks: 3rd game/5 nites. Raptors: 2nd in row after two off.
-- Rockets: 4th game/6 nites. Cavaliers: 3rd game/5 nites.
-- Grizzlies: 2nd game in row after two nites off. Nuggets: 3rd game in five nites.
-- Hawks: 4th game/6 nites. Kings: 3rd game/5 nites.
-- Warriors: 2nd nite in row after two off. Clippers: 3rd game/5 nites.
Totals
-- Four of last five Philly road games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last seven Boston road games stayed under.
-- Four of last five Orlando home games went over total.
-- Last eight Milwaukee games went over the total.
-- Last five Houston games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Memphis road games went over total.
-- Seven of last nine Sacramento games went over total.
-- Warriors' last three games all went over the total.
Back-to-Back
-- Pacers are 5-7 vs spread if they played the night before.
-- Toronto is 7-4 vs spread if it played night before.
-- Rockets are 2-5 vs spread on road if they played night before.
-- Grizzlies are 7-3 vs spread if they played the night before.
-- Golden State is 6-2 vs spread if it played night before.
PHILADELPHIA (24 - 17) at NEW YORK (18 - 22) - 3/11/2012, 12:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 72-55 ATS (+11.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 29-16 ATS (+11.4 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 7-2 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 6-3 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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BOSTON (21 - 18) at LA LAKERS (24 - 16) - 3/11/2012, 3:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 56-70 ATS (-21.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is between 180 and 184.5 points over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 29-47 ATS (-22.7 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 10-31 ATS (-24.1 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 105-129 ATS (-36.9 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 6-5 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 7-5 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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INDIANA (23 - 14) at ORLANDO (26 - 15) - 3/11/2012, 6:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 12-27 ATS (-17.7 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) after playing 3 consecutive road games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 5-5 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 8-2 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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MILWAUKEE (16 - 24) at TORONTO (13 - 26) - 3/11/2012, 6:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
MILWAUKEE is 7-1 against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
MILWAUKEE is 7-1 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
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HOUSTON (21 - 19) at CLEVELAND (15 - 23) - 3/11/2012, 6:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 239-186 ATS (+34.4 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
CLEVELAND is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 2-2 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 3-1 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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MEMPHIS (23 - 15) at DENVER (23 - 18) - 3/11/2012, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DENVER is 71-54 ATS (+11.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
DENVER is 36-22 ATS (+11.8 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 79-52 ATS (+21.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 37-23 ATS (+11.7 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 36-19 ATS (+15.1 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 45-32 ATS (+9.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 34-22 ATS (+9.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 42-22 ATS (+17.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
DENVER is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in home games against Southwest division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 5-4 against the spread versus DENVER over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 5-4 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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ATLANTA (23 - 17) at SACRAMENTO (14 - 26) - 3/11/2012, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 49-82 ATS (-41.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is between 190 and 194.5 points since 1996.
ATLANTA is 13-28 ATS (-17.8 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
SACRAMENTO is 26-45 ATS (-23.5 Units) against Southeast division opponents since 1996.
SACRAMENTO is 11-24 ATS (-15.4 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
SACRAMENTO is 19-35 ATS (-19.5 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 3-1 against the spread versus SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 4-0 straight up against SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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GOLDEN STATE (15 - 21) at LA CLIPPERS (23 - 15) - 3/11/2012, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 58-87 ATS (-37.7 Units) as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 173-234 ATS (-84.4 Units) after allowing 105 points or more since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 15-29 ATS (-16.9 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 6-4 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 5-5 straight up against GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA vs. NEW YORK
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Philadelphia's last 10 games when playing on the road against New York
Philadelphia is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
New York is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New York's last 10 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
BOSTON vs. LA LAKERS
Boston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games
LA Lakers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing Boston
LA Lakers are 7-14-1 ATS in their last 22 games when playing Boston
INDIANA vs. ORLANDO
Indiana is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Indiana is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Orlando
Orlando is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Orlando is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
MILWAUKEE vs. TORONTO
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Milwaukee's last 9 games when playing Toronto
Milwaukee is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Milwaukee
Toronto is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games
HOUSTON vs. CLEVELAND
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 7 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Houston's last 15 games when playing Cleveland
Cleveland is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games when playing Houston
Cleveland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
MEMPHIS vs. DENVER
Memphis is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Denver
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Memphis's last 7 games when playing Denver
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Memphis
Denver is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
ATLANTA vs. SACRAMENTO
Atlanta is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Sacramento's last 5 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Sacramento's last 7 games at home
GOLDEN STATE vs. LA CLIPPERS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Golden State's last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
Golden State is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games on the road
LA Clippers are 12-4 SU in their last 16 games at home
LA Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games at home
PHILADELPHIA at NEW YORK
PHILADELPHIA: 10-2 Under if total is 190 to 199.5
NEW YORK: 17-5 Under as favorite
BOSTON at LA LAKERS
BOSTON: 0-10 ATS after allowing 35 pts or less last game
LA LAKERS: 14-4 ATS if road favorite L2 games
INDIANA at ORLANDO
INDIANA: 22-10 Under playing on back to back days
ORLANDO: 2-11 ATS off 3 straight road games
MILWAUKEE at TORONTO
MILWAUKEE: 6-1 Over off win by 6 pts or less
TORONTO: 5-1 ATS on Sunday
HOUSTON at CLEVELAND
HOUSTON: 60-29 ATS Away after allowing 100+ BB Games
CLEVELAND: 4-13 ATS as favorite
MEMPHIS at DENVER
MEMPHIS: 24-6 ATS playing on back to back days
DENVER: 11-3 Over revenging road loss
ATLANTA at SACRAMENTO
ATLANTA: 12-1 Under as road underdog
SACRAMENTO: 11-24 ATS at home vs. Eastern Conference
GOLDEN STATE at LA CLIPPERS
GOLDEN STATE: 13-4 Under on Sunday games
LA CLIPPERS: 4-14 ATS after scoring 110+ points
Hoop Trends - Sunday
By Vince Akins
VegasInsider.com
SU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Knicks are 10-0 ATS (8.1 ppg) since April 06, 2008 with at most one day of rest after a game in which they shot at least 55% from the field.
OU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Clippers are 0-12 OU (-15.5 ppg) since April 16, 2001 at home with at least one day of rest after a road win in which they shot at least 50% from the field.
PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:
The 76ers are 11-0 ATS (14.2 ppg) since January 22, 2010 after losing the previous matchup in which Elton Brand had a double double.
TODAY’S TRENDS:
The Bucks are 0-10 OU (-12.7 ppg) since December 21, 2010 on the road after a game in which they allowed at least 50% from the field.The Grizzlies are 11-0 OU (8.9 ppg) since February 22, 2011 on the road after winning the previous matchup at home in which Marc Gasol was not the Grizzlies’ high scorer.
CHOICE TREND:
The Knicks are 0-12 OU (-10.8 ppg) since January 19, 2005 with at most one day of rest off a loss as a favorite in which they led by 10+ points.