Sunday's Best NBA Bets
By Covers.com
Orlando Magic at Miami Heat (-8.5, 188.5)
It may seem hard to believe, but Dwight Howard is staying in Orlando for the foreseeable future. The trade deadline didn't just come and go, it came with Howard re-upping with the Magic.
And they played like an inspired team in their first game since the end of the chaos. In front of a joyous home crowd on Friday, Orlando hammered New Jersey 86-70. Howard played just 32 minutes but made eight of 10 field goals for 18 points while grabbing six rebounds.
"There was nothing we could have done about the situation other than play basketball," Jameer Nelson said of the big man's status. "With human nature, it was probably bothering certain guys more than others. But, at the same time, we were still winning games."
The Heat are generally winning games as well, but they have cooled off a bit of late. Miami is 4-4 in its last eight and a mere 2-6 ATS in that span. Take the Magic and the generous 8.5 points.
Pick: Magic
Portland Trail Blazers at Oklahoma City Thunder (-10, 199.5)
Portland won its first game under interim head coach Kaleb Canales, and it did so in alarming fashion. The Blazers went into Chicago on Friday and beat the Derrick Rose-less Bulls 100-89.
However, that is likely an aberration rather than the rule for the lowly Blazers. They are 3-7 overall and also 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games. They are two games under .500 and in last place in the Northwest Division. They just waived perennially-injured Greg Oden and traded Gerald Wallace to the Nets.
"I think as we evaluated our team in the last couple weeks, we've been very displeased with our performance on the court," explained general manager Chad Buchanan. "It's not Trail Blazer basketball. It was very disappointing. And that's kind of where we got to the decision (to make a trade)."
The Thunder, meanwhile, are coming off a 114-105 home loss to San Antonio on Friday. Look for them to come out mad on Sunday, because they have not lost two in a row since January 3 (their only back-to-back losses of the season).
Oklahoma City is still 18-4 at home (11-11 ATS)
Pick: Thunder
Atlanta vs. Cleveland Picks & Predictions
By Atssportsline.com
The Hawks are coming off a solid home win over Washington at home on Friday by 14 (laying 11.5), while Cleveland lost to Milwaukee on the road, 115-105 getting 6.5. Cleveland hosts the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday at 3:00pmET.
ODDS: Oddsmakers have made the Hawks a 2-point road favorite over the Cavs, while the over/under for the game is currently sitting at 190.5 points. Atlanta has a 25-19 SU overall record and is 12-13 SU on the road this year while Cleveland is 16-25 SU overall and 9-13 SU at home.
LINE MOVEMENT: The Atlanta Hawks opened as a 1-point favorite over the Cleveland Cavaliers and the spread has moved to 2 at most sports books. The total has gone down from 191 to 190.5.
ATS NBA FREE PICK & ANALYSIS: Take the Atlanta Hawks. According to the latest NBA trends, Atlanta is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 Sunday games and 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games overall. Cleveland is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 home games and is 7-15 ATS in their last 22 Sunday games. Atlanta has stayed in the playoff race despite some injuries. That's because forward Josh Smith is one of the best two-way players in the NBA, Joe Johnson is an All-Star-caliber guard and point guard Jeff Teague is coming into his own as a player. He'll give Cleveland rookie Kyrie Irving all he can handle. The Cavs have lost two straight and fell to Atlanta, 121-94 in Atlanta on Jan. 21 as Johnson went off for 25 points. Cleveland doesn't have enough talent to stay with Atlanta at home or on the road.
SUNDAY ATS NBA FREE PICK: Atlanta Hawks (-2).
ATLANTA (25 - 19) at CLEVELAND (16 - 25) - 3/18/2012, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 50-82 ATS (-40.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is between 190 and 194.5 points since 1996.
CLEVELAND is 4-15 ATS (-12.5 Units) in a home game where where the total is between 190 and 194.5 points over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 6-1 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 5-3 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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DETROIT (16 - 28) at LA CLIPPERS (24 - 18) - 3/18/2012, 3:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in road games in March games over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
DETROIT is 28-16 ATS (+10.4 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 24-12 ATS (+10.8 Units) after allowing 105 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 37-54 ATS (-22.4 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 9-21 ATS (-14.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
LA CLIPPERS is 3-1 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 3-1 straight up against DETROIT 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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WASHINGTON (10 - 33) at MEMPHIS (24 - 18) - 3/18/2012, 6:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 15-28 ATS (-15.8 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 12-22 ATS (-12.2 Units) as an underdog this season.
WASHINGTON is 21-41 ATS (-24.1 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 21-35 ATS (-17.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 80-55 ATS (+19.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 42-26 ATS (+13.4 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 37-22 ATS (+12.8 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 27-13 ATS (+12.7 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 47-31 ATS (+12.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 35-22 ATS (+10.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 2-2 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS is 3-1 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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MINNESOTA (22 - 23) at SACRAMENTO (15 - 29) - 3/18/2012, 6:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
SACRAMENTO is 5-4 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 5-4 straight up against SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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ORLANDO (29 - 16) at MIAMI (32 - 11) - 3/18/2012, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) in a home game where where the total is between 185 and 189.5 points over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 72-101 ATS (-39.1 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 6-5 against the spread versus MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 6-5 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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HOUSTON (24 - 20) at PHOENIX (22 - 22) - 3/18/2012, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 59-37 ATS (+18.3 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 19-37 ATS (-21.7 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 6-3 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 6-3 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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PORTLAND (21 - 23) at OKLAHOMA CITY (33 - 11) - 3/18/2012, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PORTLAND is 0-9 ATS (-9.9 Units) in road games after a win by 10 points or more this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 126-102 ATS (+13.8 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 11-26 ATS (-17.6 Units) on Sunday games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PORTLAND is 5-4 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 5-5 straight up against PORTLAND 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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UTAH (21 - 22) at LA LAKERS (28 - 16) - 3/18/2012, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 107-131 ATS (-37.1 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 16-29 ATS (-15.9 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 18-31 ATS (-16.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 10-5 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 11-4 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
10 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA vs. CLEVELAND
Atlanta is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Atlanta is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games when playing Cleveland
Cleveland is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cleveland's last 6 games when playing Atlanta
DETROIT vs. LA CLIPPERS
Detroit is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
LA Clippers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games at home
LA Clippers are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games at home
MINNESOTA vs. SACRAMENTO
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
Sacramento is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games
Sacramento is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
WASHINGTON vs. MEMPHIS
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games when playing on the road against Memphis
Washington is 7-14 ATS in its last 21 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 6 games when playing Washington
Memphis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
ORLANDO vs. MIAMI
Orlando is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando's last 5 games when playing on the road against Miami
Miami is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Miami is 7-16-1 ATS in its last 24 games when playing Orlando
HOUSTON vs. PHOENIX
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Houston's last 12 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Houston is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Phoenix is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Phoenix's last 12 games when playing at home against Houston
UTAH vs. LA LAKERS
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Utah's last 6 games
Utah is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 5 games when playing Utah
PORTLAND vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
Portland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Portland's last 18 games when playing Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games at home
Hoop Trends - Sunday
By Vince Akins
VegasInsider.com
SU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Magic are 0-12 ATS (-10.9 ppg) since February 23, 2011 with at least one day of rest when they held their opponent to fewer than 85 points in their last game.
OU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Hawks are 0-11 OU (-9.4 ppg) since February 04, 2009 on the road after a game in which they scored more than 30% of their points from the three-point line.
PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:
The Magic are 0-10 OU (-12.1 ppg) since April 22, 2011 after a win at home in which Jason Richardson was not the Magic’s high scorer.
CHOICE TREND:
The Wizards are 0-10 ATS (-9.2 ppg) since April 15, 2009 as a dog with at least one day of rest after a game in which their opponent stole the ball at least twelve times.
TODAY’S TRENDS:
The Lakers are 0-10 ATS (-8.1 ppg) since November 08, 2006 after a home win against the Timberwolves.
Hot Teams
-- Orlando won four of its last five games. Heat won 11 of its last 12 games (5-8 vs spread in last 13 as home favorite).
-- Houston won four of its last five games. Suns won/covered eight of their last ten games.
-- Jazz won three of last four games, last two in OT, but they've lost last three road games, by 13-14-9 points. Lakers won last ten ome games, covered one of last four.
Cold Teams
-- Cleveland lost five of its last six home games. Hawks lost three of their last four road games.
-- Pistons covered once in their last five road games. Clippers are 3-5 in last eight home games (1-7 vs spread).
-- Memphis lost three of its last four games, last two in OT. Washington lost seven of last eight on the road (3-5 vs spread).
-- Minnesota lost four of its last five games. Kings lost three of their last four games.
-- Oklahoma City lost three of its last four home games. Trailblazers lost seven of their last ten games.
Wear-and-Tear
-- Hawks: 4th game/6 days. Cavaliers: Last 3 nites off.
-- Pistons: 3rd game/5 days. Clippers: 6th game/8 days.
-- Wizards: 5th game/7 nites. Grizzlies: 2nd game/5 nites.
-- T'wolves: 3rd game/4 nites. Kings: 4th game/6 nites.
-- Magic: 4th game/6 nites. Heat: 4th game/6 nites.
-- Rockets: 6th game/9 nites. Suns: 4th game/5 nites.
-- Blazers: 4th game/6 nites. Thunder: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Jazz: 5th game/7 nites. Lakers: 4th game/6 nites.
Totals
-- Three of last four Cleveland home games went over total.
-- Over is 10-1 in Detroit's last eleven road games.
-- Five of last seven Washington games went over total.
-- Over is 11-5 in Minnesota's last sixteen road games.
-- Four of last five Orlando games went over the total.
-- Eight of last nine Houston games went over the total.
-- Last three Portland games stayed under the total.
-- Last six Utah road games went over the total.
Back-to-Back
-- Clippers are 7-5 vs spread if they played nite before.
-- Rockets are 2-6 vs spread on road if they played nite before.
-- Jazz is 7-9 vs spread if it played nite before, 4-3 if it won.
ATLANTA at CLEVELAND
ATLANTA: 15-7 Under 2nd half of season
CLEVELAND: 13-5 ATS off road game
DETROIT at LA CLIPPERS
DETROIT: 15-6 ATS 2nd half of season
LA CLIPPERS: 3-11 ATS if favored L2 games
WASHINGTON at MEMPHIS
WASHINGTON: 0-11 ATS after covering 2 of L3 games
MEMPHIS: 11-3 ATS at home vs. Washington
MINNESOTA at SACRAMENTO
MINNESOTA: 14-4 Over off BB road losses
SACRAMENTO: 12-1 Over off win by 20+ as an underdog
ORLANDO at MIAMI
ORLANDO: 21-9 Under in Sunday games
MIAMI: 13-4 Under at home if favored L5 games
HOUSTON at PHOENIX
HOUSTON: 75-43 ATS Away off loss by 6 pts or less
PHOENIX: 9-26 ATS w/ double revenge
PORTLAND at OKLAHOMA CITY
PORTLAND: 0-9 ATS Away off double digit win
OKLAHOMA CITY: 18-8 ATS off SU loss as favorite
UTAH at LA LAKERS
UTAH: 12-2 Over Away if favored L2 games
LA LAKERS: 15-30 ATS as double digit favorite