INDIANA (53 - 34) at NEW YORK (58 - 30) - 5/5/2013, 3:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 6-5 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 6-5 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS (60 - 28) at OKLAHOMA CITY (64 - 24) - 5/5/2013, 1:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 10-8 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 9-9 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
13 of 18 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA vs. NEW YORK
Indiana is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New York
Indiana is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New York
New York is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana
MEMPHIS vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Memphis's last 6 games
Oklahoma City is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Memphis
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Oklahoma City's last 14 games when playing at home against Memphis
Indiana at New York
Indiana: 6-16 ATS away off an Under
New York: 16-5 ATS at home off a road win
Memphis at Oklahoma City
Memphis: 8-1 ATS off BB games scoring 100+ points
Oklahoma City: 5-1 Under in playoff games
MEMPHIS vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
Memphis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games at home
Oklahoma City is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
INDIANA vs. NEW YORK
Indiana is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New York
Indiana is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New York
New York is 20-4 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New York's last 7 games
NBA Playoff Betting Preview: No. 3 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 2 New York Knicks
By Rob Veno
Sportsmemo.com
Series Schedule
Game 1 - Sunday, May 5, at New York 12:30 pm PT
Game 2 - Tuesday, May 7, at New York 4 pm PT
Game 3 - Saturday, May 11, at New York 5 pm PT
Game 4 - TBD
Game 5 * TBD
Game 6 * TBD
Game 7 * TBD
Series Price (CRIS)
New York -200/Indiana +170
Playoffs Records
Indiana - 4-2 SU, 4-2 ATS, 4-2 O/U
New York - 4-2 SU, 3-3 ATS, 1-5 O/U
Season Series (Split 2-2 SU, New York 3-1 ATS, 1-3 O/U)
4/14 - New York (-3) 90 vs. Indiana 80 - UNDER 193.5
2/20 - Indiana (-4) 125 vs. New York - OVER 185
1/10 - Indiana 81 vs. New York (+5.5) 76 - UNDER 184
11/18 - New York (-7) 88 vs. Indiana 76 - UNDER 186.5
These teams are very familiar with each other after having played four times during the regular season and splitting 2-2. Against the spread, New York went 3-1 and the under was also 3-1 with the final scores totaling 164, 157, 170 and 216. The numbers suggest a home court dominant, low scoring series and with each team winning twice it’s hard to see either altering that mindset. Looking at the first round results it becomes even more difficult to see Knicks HC Mike Woodson or Indiana HC Frank Vogel shying away from a defensive and physical approach. New York held Boston to 41.3% FG shooting and 82.3 points per game over their six game series while all the Pacers Friday night post game talk was about how their stifling defense has re-surfaced (held Atlanta to 33.3% FG and 78 ppg over the last two games).
There are a couple of fundamental things to note in this upcoming series and the most important is the offensive play of Roy Hibbert. The seven footer was virtually absent during the four regular season games scoring 6, 4, 8, and 4 points in those contests. In only three games against him, Tyson Chandler scored 38 points. Hibbert must be more productive if Indiana is going to win this series. On the other side, New York had a difficult time shooting and scoring against an aging but gritty Boston defense. The Knicks had only one game where they shot above 42.1% as primary options Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith combined to go 33-for-104, 31.7% from the field. New York’s bench was also very quiet production wise especially veterans Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin who scored 14 points in 167 combined minutes over the last four games. The shooting must improve and the bench has got to produce against Indiana which is far deeper, longer, and just as gritty as that seven man Boston bunch New York struggled with.
Game 1 is an extremely quick turnaround for these teams especially after taxing efforts to close their respective series out on Friday night. If one shows up without the necessary energy it could cost them this series. I like the Pacers chances to frustrate the Knicks offense and get them out of rhythm. Adjustments will be crucial in this series and it will be interesting to see which team leaps first to push tempo in an attempt to score before the opposing defense sets. Plus price with the Pacers in this series looks to have value.
NBA Western Conference Playoff Preview: Round 2
By Covers.com
Everything didn’t go according to plan in the first round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs. While the top two seeds advanced, the No. 5 and No. 6 clubs shocked their way into the conference semifinals.
Here’s a look at the matchups and series odds for the second round of the Western playoffs.
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 5 Memphis Grizzlies
Season series: Memphis won 2-1, 1-2 ATS, 2-1 O/U
Series prices: Memphis -115, OKC -105
Why bet the Thunder: Oklahoma City got a wakeup call versus Houston and will be much more apt to close out teams on the ropes. Kevin Durant is more than capable of carrying the team and Kevin Martin has stepped up with Russell Westbrook out of action.
Why bet the Grizzlies: Memphis got some help from the injury bug versus the Clippers and now collides with an OKC team missing its second-best player. The Grizzlies defense was able to put the breaks on L.A.’s fastbreak and will plug up the lane with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 6 Golden State Warriors
Season series: Split 2-2, Golden State 3-1 ATS, 1-3 O/U
Series prices: San Antonio -850, Golden State +650
Why bet the Spurs: San Antonio is well rested having rolled the Lakers in the first round. The Spurs were relentless in that series, averaging 104 points per game and limiting L.A. to just over 85 points. Tim Duncan’s legs looked spry versus the Lakers frontcourt and Gregg Popovich trumps Mark Jackson in postseason experience.
Why bet the Warriors: Golden State hasn’t won at San Antonio since Stephen Curry was nine years old but the Warriors did manage to steal a win in Denver, one of the toughest venues in the NBA. Golden State has the scoring to stay in any game and Andrew Bogut and David Lee are a handful around the hoop.
Sunday's NBA Playoff Action: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (-3, 186.5)
The rematch of the 2011 Western Conference semifinals figures to be intense and physical as the 2013 version of that series begins Sunday in Oklahoma City when the top-seeded Thunder meet the fifth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies. Oklahoma City prevailed in seven games two years ago when Memphis was making an unexpected dash as a No. 8 seed. Now the Grizzlies think they can defeat a Thunder squad that will be without matchup headache Russell Westbrook due to a knee injury.
Memphis won two of the three regular-season meetings, including a dramatic 90-89 overtime win on March 20 when Marc Gasol tipped in the winner with less than a second remaining. A testy mid-November Grizzlies’ win in Oklahoma City included a confrontation between Memphis star Zach Randolph and Oklahoma City enforcer Kendrick Perkins that carried over into the hallway that leads to the locker rooms after their ejections. Oklahoma City was pushed to six games by the Houston Rockets in winning its first-round series. Forward Kevin Durant averaged 32.5 points in the series. The Grizzlies ousted the Los Angeles Clippers in the opening round, spotting the Clippers a 2-0 lead before claiming the next four games to advance.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES: Randolph finished the Clippers series with a flourish by averaging 24.8 points over the four straight victories. He engaged in physical play with Los Angeles forward Blake Griffin and is prepared for upcoming issues with Perkins and Oklahoma City forward Serge Ibaka. “I’ve got to keep my cool because that plays into their hands,” Randolph told reporters on Saturday. “So I’m going to go out just like they were trying to get me off my square during the (Los Angeles) series.” Randolph shot just 33.3 percent from the field in the three regular-season meetings while averaging 14.7 points and 16 rebounds. Gasol averaged 14.7 points and 9.3 boards against the Thunder.
ABOUT THE THUNDER: Oklahoma City is still feeling its way over the best way to operate without Westbrook. The Thunder went 2-2 after losing him for the postseason and Durant averaged 35.5 points over those four games. Durant picked up some of the ball-handling duties and veteran backup Derek Fisher received increased minutes and went 9-of-15 from 3-point range over the last three games. Reggie Jackson was the primary point guard and averaged 14 points against the Rockets but only dished out an average of 3.7 assists. Backup guard Kevin Martin starred in the closeout win against the Rockets with 25 points after struggling most of the series. Oklahoma City needs consistent production from Martin to take the pressure off Durant.
TRENDS:
* Grizzlies are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
* Thunder are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games.
* Under is 12-3-1 in Thunder last 16 home games.
* Road team is 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Memphis became the first team in NBA history to drop the first two games of a series and then win the next four by double digits.
2. Durant averaged 31 points and 8.3 rebounds in three regular-season games against Memphis.
3. Defensive-minded Grizzlies G Tony Allen averaged 12 points in the series against Los Angeles.
Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks (-5.5, 183)
The New York Knicks held off one strong defensive team to advance past the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2000. The Knicks will face another rugged defensive team when they host the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the conference semifinals on Sunday. The Boston Celtics, who fell to New York in six games, did not feature the size that Indiana will bring with Roy Hibbert, David West and Paul George.
Carmelo Anthony snapped out of a shooting funk at precisely the right moment on Friday, ending a string of 19 straight misses from 3-point range with a dagger in the final minutes that staved off a late Boston surge. Anthony took on a host of different defenders in the Celtics' series and will likely be matched up against George or West against the Pacers. West could see time against Anthony if the Knicks elect to stick with a smaller lineup. Indiana split four games with New York in the regular season but lost in both of its trips to Madison Square Garden.
ABOUT THE PACERS: Indiana snapped a 13-game losing streak in Atlanta in Game 6 and brought out its good defense for the final two games of the series. After allowing the Hawks to shoot 44 percent or better in the first four games, the Pacers stifled them in the final two. That included a first half in which Indiana held Atlanta to 29 points on Friday. The Pacers have plenty of options offensively and leaned on George for most of the series with the Hawks. The All-Star forward struggled in Game 6 but West and George Hill were there to pick up the slack with 21 points apiece. Indiana enjoyed a huge advantage on the glass against Atlanta, outrebounding the Hawks 104-63 in the final two games of the series, but could be forced further out of the paint against a New York team that likes to shoot 3-pointers.
ABOUT THE KNICKS: Anthony had a brutal series shooting the ball against the Celtics but came through with two big buckets down the stretch in Game 6. Anthony shot 30.5 percent from the field, including 1-for-18 from 3-point range, over the final three games of the series and told reporters that he felt his left arm popping “in and out” of his shoulder in the fourth quarter of Game 6. The star forward will play in Game 1 but New York could choose to use a bigger lineup in part to keep that shoulder away from West in the paint. A bigger unit would mean playing Kenyon Martin alongside Tyson Chandler, who finally declared himself 100 percent healthy in Game 6. The Knicks also have Amar'e Stoudemire (knee) trying to work his way back, though his return at any point in the series is uncertain. New York held the Celtics to an average of 82.3 points in round 1.
TRENDS:
* Pacers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games.
* Knicks are 17-6 ATS in their last 23 vs. Eastern Conference.
* Under is 5-0 in Knicks last 5 home games.
* Favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Knicks G J.R. Smith went 8-for-27 from the floor in the final two games against Boston.
2. Hibbert recorded only one double-double in the first round - a 17-point, 11-rebound effort in Game 6.
3. New York outscored the Celtics by 56 points while Chandler was in the game during the first-round series.
2013 NBA Playoffs
Memphis won last four games of Clipper series, all by 10+ points, with five of those six games going over total; they beat Oklahoma City two of three this year, winning by 10 here in November, losing by 17 (58-34 at half) Jan 31, then winning 90-89 in OT March 20, in OC's only visit to Memphis. Westbrook shot 13-44 from floor in two Memphis wins, 9 of 17 in Thunder's win, but no Westbrook (knee) in this series. Grizzlies are 3-1-1 against the spread in last five games as an underdog. 16 of last 20 Thunder games stayed under the total.
Indiana/New York both won on road Friday to advance here; home side won all four series games this year- Knicks won by 12-10 here, with JR Smith 12-21 from floor in those games (he was 11-36 in two losses, one in which Anthony DNP). Eight of last ten Knick games stayed under the total; 10 of last 14 Indiana games went over. Pacers lost four of last five road games, with all four losses by 10+ points. NY is 9-3 vs spread last 12 games as a home favorite, winning 12 of last 13 at home SU. Carmelo Anthony was 25-67 (37.3%) from floor in three games vs Indiana.
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