NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Sunday, February 26th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Spurs are 5-2 on their Rodeo Road Trip; they covered last three away games. Four of thei rlast five games stayed under. Lakers lost four of last five games, are 2-4 vs spread in last six home games. Over is 6-3 in their last nine games. Spurs won their last seven games with the Lakers (3-3-1 vs spread); last six series games went over total. Spurs beat the Clippers here Friday; they won last three here against the Lakers by 13-6-19 points.
Phoenix lost six of last eight games; they’re 2-4 vs spread in last six road games. Three of their last four games went over. Milwaukee won three of last four games; they’re 1-5 vs spread in last six home games. Over is 6-2 in their last eight games. Road team won five of last six Phoenix-Milwaukee games with Bucks winning four of last five. Suns won three of last five games in Milwaukee. Four of last five series games stayed under.
Utah won its last two games overall, three of last four on road- they’re 3-9 vs spread in last 12 road games. Over is 6-2 in their last eight games. Washington won four of last five games, is 15-3-2 vs spread in last 20 home games. Seven of their last nine games went over. Wizards won four of last five games with Utah; six of last eight series games stayed under total. Jazz lost last three trips to Washington, by 13-9-14 points.
Grizzlies lost three of last four games; they’re 1-3 vs spread in last four road games. Four of their last six games stayed under. Nuggets won/covered four of their last five home games; they are 5-7 in last 12 games overall. Five of their last seven games went over. Memphis won seven of last eight games with Denver; Grizzlies won last three visits here, by 1-7-20 points. Four of last five series games went over.
Portland lost five of its last seven games, is 3-5 vs spread in last eight road games. Last three Blazer games stayed under total. Toronto won four of its last five home games; they’re 6-11 in last 17 games overall, but did win last two. Last four Raptor games stayed under. Raptors won their last three games with Portland; five of last seven series games went over the total. Trailblazers won three of last five visits to Canada.
Boston lost its last two games, is 5-6 vs spread in last 11 road games, 0-3 in last three games overall. Over is 8-4 in their last 12 road games. Pistons won five of last seven overall, nine of last 11 at home; they’re 6-1 vs spread in last seven at home. Six of last eight Detroit games stayed under. Celtics won three of last four games with Detroit; they won three of last four visits to Motor City. Over is 6-4 in last ten series games.
Pelicans lost 8 of last 12 games; they’re 0-2 since All-Star break, losing by 30-13 points. Last five New Orleans games stayed under. Oklahoma City won/covered eight of last ten home tilts; they’re 5-6 in last 11 games overall. Four of their last five games went over. Thunder won five of last six games with New Orleans; Pelicans lost their last three visits to Oklahoma, by 7-26-9 points. Six of last eight series games went over.
Charlotte lost 12 of last 14 games, but they’ve covered three of last four on road. Five of last six Hornet games stayed under. Clippers are 0-2 since break; they lost three of last four home games. Four of their last five games stayed under total. Clippers won nine of last ten games with Charlotte; under is 6-3 in last nine series games. Hornets lost three of last four games with the Clippers here (1-3 vs spread).
Armadillosports.com
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Portland at Toronto
Raptors picking up two key defensive contributors (Serge Ibaka, P.J. Tucker) for a team that was in desperate need are off a much needed, confidence boosting win at home Friday vs division rival Celtics.
Heading into this contest the Raptors carrying a 20-10 (16-13-1 ATS) record in front of the home audience behind 114.2 points/game in offensive metric while allowing 104.7 per 100 opposition possessions.
The Blazers head north of the border an abysmal 10-20 (11-19 ATS) record away from Rip City netting 105.1 per 100 possesions while allowing a whopping 110.2 in defensive metrics.
Raptors owning the better efficiency metrics on both ends of the court, on a 9-2 ASTS stretch as 5 or less point home chalk, 4-1 ATS at home off win and Blazers ridding a 1-7 ATS skid as 5 or less point road underdogs, 2-7 ATS as road dogs in non-conference tilts the numbers point to Raptors being the right choice.
Sunday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Game of the Night – Pelicans at Thunder
Yes, New Orleans has become more relevant on the NBA landscape in the last week following the acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins from Sacramento. This isn’t LeBron James switching teams, but the Pelicans will be more of a threat to make the playoffs with the 1-2 punch of former Kentucky Wildcat standouts Cousins and Anthony Davis. However, the Pelicans are 0-2 since the trade coming off Saturday’s 96-83 defeat at Dallas.
The Pelicans travel to Oklahoma City looking to avoid the four-game series sweep to the Thunder. OKC led New Orleans from start to finish in their first matchup at Chesapeake Energy Arena in early December, 101-92 as six-point favorites. Russell Westbrook posted one of his many triple-doubles for the Thunder by scoring 28 points, pulling down 17 rebounds, and dishing out 13 assists, while Davis put up a game-high 37 points for New Orleans.
The Thunder captured the next two meetings in the Big Easy, winning in late December as two-point favorites, 121-110. Westbrook roasted the Pelicans for 42 points, which includes hitting 16 free throws. Last month, OKC picked up its third win over New Orleans, 114-105, as the Thunder built a 19-point halftime advantage. The Pelicans are seeking their first victory at Oklahoma City since February 6, 2015 in a 116-113 triumph as six-point underdogs.
Billy Donovan’s squad has won nine of their last 10 games in the home favorite role, including Friday’s 110-93 blowout of the Lakers as 10-point chalk. The Thunder has eclipsed the 105-point mark in their last six home contests, resulting in four OVERS. Meanwhile, New Orleans has compiled a 4-7 SU/ATS record with no rest off Saturday’s loss at Dallas, but the Pelicans have put together a 3-1 SU/ATS mark in their last four opportunities as a road underdog.
District Fine
The Wizards and Jazz weren’t expected to be division leaders after the All-Star break, but both Washington and Utah are in prime position to qualify for the postseason. The two squads hook up at the Verizon Center as the Wizards have won 19 of their last 20 home contests, but are coming off a loss in their past game at Philadelphia on Friday, 120-112 as 8½-point favorites.
The Jazz started the second half on a high note by routing the Bucks on Friday, 109-95 as 3½-point favorites to grab their 16th road victory of the season. Utah is rolling on the highway of late by posting a 5-2 SU and 3-4 ATS record in the last seven away contests, although four of those victories are against teams currently below .500. The Jazz have struggled in the road underdog role this season by compiling a 1-10 SU/ATS mark in this role, while losing three straight visits to Washington.
Boston Bounce-Back
The Celtics closed the first half with a controversial one-point setback at Chicago, while starting the second half by squandering a 10-point halftime lead in a critical 107-97 divisional loss at Toronto on Friday. Boston closed the regular season series with Toronto dropping three of four games, but the Celtics still lead the Atlantic division by three games as they head to Detroit.
The Pistons rallied from an 18-point deficit to shock the Hornets in overtime on Thursday and pick up the front-door cover as 4½-point favorites. Detroit has won and covered six consecutive games as a home favorite, while owning a 4-2 ATS mark as a home underdog this season, as the Pistons opened as 1½-point ‘dogs. Stan Van Gundy’s team has lost two of three matchups with the Celtics this season, including a 94-92 home defeat to Boston on a last-second Al Horford lay-up in mid-November.
Raptor Rally
Toronto has overcome a pair of double-digit deficits in its last two home victories against Charlotte and Boston, while limiting each team to 97 points or fewer. The Raptors shoot for their third straight win against the Blazers, but Toronto will have to do it without standout guard Kyle Lowry, who is sidelined with a wrist injury. Dwane Casey’s club has stumbled to a 3-6 ATS mark in its last nine games at the Air Canada Center, while failing to cash as eight-point road favorites in a 95-91 December victory at Portland.
The Blazers also needed a comeback in their last game, rallying to shock the Magic, 112-103 on Thursday for only their 10th road win in 30 tries this season. Portland is seeking consecutive road wins for the first time since early November, while dropping four of its past five in the role of an away underdog.
Gold Rush
The Nuggets are trying to build a home-court advantage at Pepsi Center, as Denver has won eight of its past 10 home contests. Denver pulled away from Brooklyn on Friday to cash as 10-point favorites, 129-109, as the Nuggets look to snap a five-game skid coming off a victory when the Grizzlies invade the Rockies.
The Grizzlies were blitzed in the second quarter of Friday’s 102-92 setback at Indiana by getting outscored, 36-23 before halftime. Memphis has dropped three of its last four games with the only victory in this stretch coming against woeful Brooklyn. The Grizzlies have captured seven of the past eight meetings with the Nuggets, including a pair of victories this season.
Slump Buzz-ters
The Hornets snapped a 12-game road losing streak in Saturday’s 99-85 triumph at Sacramento as 3½-point favorites. Charlotte will try for consecutive victories with a trip to Los Angeles to face a Clippers’ squad that beat the Hornets on February 11 by a 107-102 count. The Hornets have finished UNDER the total in five of the past six games, while covering for the third time in the last four contests away from Spectrum Center.
The Clippers faced a gauntlet to begin the second half of the season and fell short in losses to the Warriors and Spurs. Chris Paul returned from his thumb injury to score 17 points in a 105-97 setback to San Antonio on Thursday, as Los Angeles had its five-game ATS hot streak snapped. However, the Clippers have won six straight games as a home favorite, while covering five times in this stretch since the start of January.
Clippers host struggling Hornets
By: StatFox.com
The Hornets will be hoping to pick up a big road victory over the Clippers on Sunday night.
Charlotte is coming off of a meeting with Sacramento on Saturday, and the team can badly use a victory over the Clippers in this one. The Hornets are sliding down the standings in the Eastern Conference, and this team needs to start putting together some wins fast. If they do not then they are going to miss out on the postseason and that would be quite the disappointment, as this team had serious aspirations heading into the season. Charlotte made the playoffs a year ago, and the team heavily invested in the core of that team. The Clippers, meanwhile, are also going to need to earn a victory on Sunday night. Los Angeles has some work to do in the Western Conference, but the team should be able to get it going over the remainder of the year. Chris Paul (Thumb) is now close to fully healthy for the Clippers, and his presence in the lineup should propel them moving forward. Games like these are important for Los Angeles, though. They need to handle the teams that they are expected to beat, and the Clippers should definitely expect a win on Sunday. They have now beaten the Hornets five straight times and nine times out of 10 as well. Los Angeles is 7-3 ATS in those contests, and the team has also defeated Charlotte as recently as Feb. 11. The Clippers were 2.5-point road underdogs in that game, and they ended up winning 107-102.
When the Hornets last faced the Clippers, SF Nicolas Batum played a very good game for Charlotte. Batum finished that one with 25 points, eight assists, six rebounds and a block in 37 minutes of action. He was also an efficient 7-for-13 from the floor in that game, and the Hornets can really use another performance like that on Sunday. Los Angeles is weakest at the small forward position, so Batum should be able to play well again. The Hornets will, however, need a lot more from PG Kemba Walker, who was a miserable 4-for-18 from the floor and 1-for-9 from the outside the last time these teams met. Chris Paul didn’t even play in that game, so things could be more challenging for Walker this time around. The good news is that it’s unlikely Walker will shoot that poorly again. He missed some good looks the last time they played, and he knows the importance of this game. Another guy worth looking out for is C Frank Kaminsky. Kaminsky has added a nice boost of offense for the Hornets lately, and he actually had 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks against the Clippers last game. His ability to shoot the ball also happens to drag DeAndre Jordan out of the paint, so it’d be big if Kaminsky can knock some shots down here.
The last time the Clippers faced the Hornets, PG Chris Paul was unable to play for Los Angeles. He should be out there on Sunday, though. That’s going to give the Clippers a major boost, and they just might blow this Hornets team out. Considering they won in Charlotte without Paul, it’s a safe assumption that the team will look even better with him in the lineup. SG Austin Rivers played well in Paul’s place in that game, so he might see some extended minutes on Sunday. Rivers had 18 points and five assists in 38 minutes of action in that one, and he should play at least 25 minutes this time around. On the inside, both PF Blake Griffin and C DeAndre Jordan should be able to feast against Charlotte. With Kaminsky starting at center, the Hornets are pretty soft inside. Griffin and Jordan took advantage of that last game, combining to rack up 28 rebounds. Griffin also had 20 points and eight assists, and he looks to be fully healthy right now. Another guy to keep an eye on in this game is SG Jamal Crawford, as the sixth man had 22 points against Charlotte in their last meeting.