NBA Knowledge
Hot Teams
-- Rockets won six of last eight games (5-3 last eight AF).
-- Lakers split their last six games, are 12-5 vs spread in last 17,
-- Nets are 6-2 in last eight games, upsetting Cavaliers Friday (0-9 last nine HF).
-- Cavaliers won eight of last ten games (5-2 vs spread in game following last seven losses).
-- Clippers won their last six games (3-0 last three AF).
-- Detroit won/covered five of its last six games (5-3 last eight AU).
-- Spurs won five of last six games (6-0 last six HF).
Cold Teams
-- Washington lost four of its last five games (2-4 HU).
-- Minnesota lost seven of last nine games (2-6 last eight AU).
-- Pelicans lost four of last five games (1-8 last nine HF).
-- 76ers lost three of last four games, but covered four of last six.
-- Celtics lost four of last six games (4-0 last four HU).
-- Miami lost three of last four games (3-0 last three HF).
-- Memphis lost last two games, by 22-23 points (4-0 last four AU).
-- Mavericks lost three of last four games (1-10 last 11 AU).
-- Indiana lost seven of its last eight games (0-5 last five HF).
-- Thunder lost their last four road games (6-3 last nine AF).
-- Suns lost last two home games, scoring 90 ppg.
Series Records
-- Rockets won six of last eight games with Washington.
-- Lakers lost last two games with Brooklyn, after losing previous eight.
-- Pelicans won their last three games with Minnesota.
-- 76ers lost four of last five games with Cleveland.
-- Clippers won four of last five games with Boston.
-- Heat won five of last seven games with Detroit.
-- Grizzlies won last two games with San Antonio, after losing eight in a row to Spurs before that.
-- Pacers won four of last six games against Dallas.
-- Home side won last six Oklahoma City-Phoenix games.
Totals
-- Last nine Washington home games went over total.
-- Four of last five Laker games stayed under total.
-- Six of last nine Minnesota games went over total.
-- Four of last five Cleveland home games stayed under.
-- Four of last five Clipper games went over total.
-- Four of Boston's last five games stayed under.
-- Last four Detroit games went over the total.
-- Miami's last five games all stayed under.
-- Eight of last ten Memphis-San Antonio games went over total.
-- Six of last nine Dallas-Indiana games stayed under total.
-- Nine of last ten Thunder road games went over. N
-- Nine of last ten Suns games stayed under.
Back-to-Backs
-- Thunder is 10-5-1 vs spread if they played night before.
East vs West
SU: West 237-167 ATS: West 208-193-3
East teams HF vs West: 50-56
East teams HU vs West: 45-48
West teams HF vs East: 81-78-3
West teams HU vs East: 24-19
Armadillosports.com
Game of the Day: Rockets at Wizards
By Covers.com
Houston Rockets at Washington Wizards (+2, 205)
The Houston Rockets look to pull even in the race for the Southwest Division title when they hit the road to face the Washington Wizards on Sunday. The Rockets clinched a playoff spot with a 120-110 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday and moved within a half-game of the Memphis Grizzlies for the division lead. Houston has won eight of its last nine against Eastern Conference opponents and hopes to continue the trend by beating the Wizards for the third time in the last four meetings.
Washington snapped a four-game losing skid with a 110-107 double-overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. The Wizards sit two games behind the Toronto Raptors in the battle for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Washington has dropped three consecutive games against Western Conference foes, including the last two by an average margin of 27 points, and it hopes to complete the season sweep against Houston for the first time since the 1998-99 campaign.
LINE HISTORY: The opening lines of Washington +2 and 205 have not moved.
INJURY REPORT: Rockets - G Patrick Beverley (Out-Wrist) Wizards - C DeJuan Blair (Ques-Personal)
POWER RANKINGS: Rockets (-8.2) + Wizards (-5.5) + Homecourt (-3) = Wizards -0.3
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (49-23 SU, 42-30 ATS, 34-38 O/U): James Harden went 6-of-12 from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 33 points as Houston knocked down 20 3-pointers in the win over the Timberwolves. Dwight Howard added 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting in his second game back after missing the previous 26 with a knee injury and Josh Smith had 16 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. Donatas Motiejunas missed his first game of the season with a lower back injury and will be re-evaluated in one-to-two weeks.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (41-31 SU, 28-44-1 ATS, 33-38-2 O/U): John Wall scored 32 points, including eight in the second overtime, to go along with nine rebounds and six assists in the win over the Hornets. Bradley Beal added 16 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals despite being bothered by a sprained ankle while Drew Gooden had 15 points and 17 boards as Washington grabbed 72 rebounds. Kris Humphries has missed the last 14 games with a groin injury but could return in time to face the Rockets on Sunday.
TRENDS:
*Rockets are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 vs. Eastern Conference.
*Underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
*Over is 4-1 in Rockets last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
*Over is 6-0 in Wizards last 6 home games.
COVERS CONSENSUS: 63.89 percent of Covers users are behind the Rockets -2.
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
www.sportspic.com
Houston Rockets at Washington Wizards
According to opening odds Rockets are 3-point favorites when they head to the Verizon Center for a matchup against Wizards Sunday afternoon. A small price to pay considering the negative betting trends Washington carries onto the floor. The Wizards have not only been the worst bets in the Association since the All-Star break cashing 26.3% of their tickets (5-14 ATS) but also the worst since Jan 21st posting an 8-23 mark against the betting line. Two other telling basketball betting stats leap out against Washington. The Wizards are 5-12 ATS facing a good offensive team like Rockets (102 PPG), 6-23-1 ATS after allowing 100 or more points the previous effort.
Sunday's NBA Essentials
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com
Clippers at Celtics
Head coach Doc Rivers hasn’t been back at TD Garden since December of 2013, winning in his return after nine years as Celtics head coach and receiving a huge ovation when introduced. There’s no hard feelings regarding the departure of the only head coach to bring Boston a title in nearly three decades. Chris Paul flirted with a triple-double in that game and has been at his best this month, averaging over 22 points and nearly 11 assists this month so far. He’s had to do the heavy lifting with Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford sidelined and has scored 30 or more points four times this month. Griffin will be playing his eighth game since returning from elbow surgery and has scored in double-figures every time out thus far, averaging 16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists, picking up right where he left off in helping Paul facilitate offense. The Clippers are closing a three-game East coast road swing here, having thrashed New York and Philadelphia. They’ll be back at Staples to meet Golden State on Tuesday before heading right back on the road for games at Portland and Denver. The Clippers have covered four of five and have seen the over go 4-1 in that span.
The Celtics enter Sunday’s action occupying the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference, but with three teams within a game of them, that edge is clearly tenuous. Isaiah Thomas is still looking to find his rhythm after missing eight games with a tailbone injury. He’s shot just 6-for-20 in the two games since, but did finish with 18 points and six assists to help hold off the Knicks on Friday, suggesting he’ll be back to his old self soon. Thomas started this unexpected playoff run by scoring 19 or more off the bench in nine of the 10 games he played in after arriving from Phoenix. Evan Turner has been especially good of late, compiling a triple-double in Brooklyn on Monday and stuffing the stat sheet against New York. Over his last five, he’s averaging 15.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists. Boston has seen unders come in three consecutive games and eight of the past 11.
Grizzlies at Spurs
Back-to-back losses to Cleveland and Golden State have the Grizzlies on the verge of losing the Southwest Division lead for the first time all season. Remember, they started 6-0 en route to 15-2, so a loss here combined with a Houston win in D.C. earlier in the day would put them in alien territory. Memphis has only lost more than two games in a row once this season, so unless they pull the upset here, its second-longest losing streak of 2014-15 awaits, too. Zach Randolph is mired in a significant mini-slump, shooting just 6-for-18 over the last two losses, averaging 7.5 points and three rebounds. Randolph had 21 points and 21 rebounds in the Grizzlies 117-116 win in San Antonio on Dec. 17. Marc Gasol is a -47 in on-court plus-minus during this current spill, but is averaging 23.7 points and 10 rebounds in the three meetings with the Spurs this season. Snapping out of this funk in the Alamo City begins with the bigs. The Grizzlies are 6-12 ATS in their last 18 games.
Tony Parker has played against Memphis only once in the three games thus far and played just 23 minutes then, so the Grizzlies will really be seeing a healthy version for the first time. Parker is averaging 18.5 points and 5.2 assists in March, so not surprisingly, San Antonio is enjoying its finest moment, having won 12 of 15 and pulling within 3.5 games of Memphis. Tim Duncan is having statistically his worst month, scoring in single-digits four times and averaging 11.6 points and 7.5 rebounds, but he’s been tremendous against the Grizzlies, averaging 15.3 points, 12 rebounds and 5.7 assists, playing inspired ball. The Spurs have covered in five of six games and are 11-4 ATS since Feb. 27.
Mavericks at Pacers
The Mavericks opened a three-game road trip by getting destroyed in San Antonio and have fallen to seventh in the conference. Considering their four games after this one come against the Thunder, Rockets, Warriors and Suns, this last road game against Eastern Conference competition is one they really need. Unfortunately, top scorer Monta Ellis is doubtful with a knee injury, so the team’s fortunes are likely to ride on Rajon Rondo’s ability to get everyone going. Dirk Nowitzki came up with 22 points and 11 rebounds, one of just six double-doubles he’s got this season, in a 111-100 loss to the Pacers on Nov. 24. The last three games involving the Mavericks have all gone under, following up a run of five consecutive overs .
The Pacers have lost seven of eight to fall behind Boston for the East’s final playoff spot and arrive banged up. David West (illness) and Rodney Stuckey (calf) are returning to the lineup after missing the team’s 111-107 loss in Milwaukee on March 29, but Paul George remains out. His long-awaited return was expected at some point this week, but the wait continues George Hill gave the Pacers their only win since March 12 with a late layup at Washington and has been the team’s best player in spite of all the losing, shooting 55 percent and averaging 22.3 points and 5.1 assists over the last eight. Indiana has been involved in games that have gone over the posted total in eight of the last 10 games, a testament to how lost they’ve been defensively.
Thunder at Suns
The Thunder have had a rough week. Following news they would be without Kevin Durant until late September at the earliest and Serge Ibaka until at least the second week of April, they’ve dropped consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 27. OKC resides in the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference and can put further distance between themselves and Phoenix here. Russell Westbrook scored 20 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter to snap out of his mini-slump in Utah last night, but missed key shots in the final possessions and couldn’t prevent a defeat. The over is 14-4-1 in Thunder games since Feb. 21.
Phoenix has also dropped consecutive games after an 87-81 home loss to Portland on Friday night. This closes a four-game homestand that was considered to be the team’s last stand but has produced just a 1-2 record thus far. Brandon Knight hasn’t played since March 9 due to a severely sprained ankle and is considered doubtful tonight. Point guard Eric Bledsoe has been the motor for the Suns on the defensive end and keeping the ball moving, but has struggled with his perimeter touch, making them easier to defend. Bledsoe is 3-for-16 from 3-point range over the last three games. He shot 5-for-20 in the loss to the Trail Blazers. Forward Markieff Morris has been his team’s most consistent weapon of late, averaging 19 points and 8.1 rebounds over the last eight games. The Suns have seen the under win in 10 of their last 11 games, but have been involved in two overs against OKC, including that epic 137-134 result on Dec. 31.