Thursday's Best NBA Bets
By Covers.com
Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic (-8, 176)
Fading teams on the second half of back-to-back games can be a good betting strategy at times. However, Tuesday was not one of those games for Magic supporters.
Orlando put up a franchise-low 56 points in Monday’s blowout loss at Boston. After flying to Indiana, the Magic took it out on the Pacers in a 102-83 win, easily covering as 3-point favorites.
“Why would we have so much more energy on the second night of a back-to-back [after] getting in at three in the morning?” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said after the win. “Well, because we got our butt kicked last night and we were embarrassed.”
Embarrassment could play a part in Thursday’s game as well. The Magic were terrible in that loss to the Celtics and Dwight Howard will be looking for a big game after getting in foul trouble against Indiana. Howard finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in that one, though he did set the Magic’s franchise scoring record in the third quarter.
Orlando also won’t have to deal with Ray Allen, who is still out with an ankle injury.
Pick: Magic
Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Clippers (-3.5, 191.5)
The Grizzlies had a seven-game winning streak snapped against Portland on Tuesday and coach Lionel Hollins could see it coming a mile away with his club playing its second game in as many nights.
"When you're a little bit fatigued, it's hard to keep attacking. You want to settle, and we did settle too much," Hollins told reporters.
Hollins had better hope his club finds its legs in a hurry. Even though the Clippers will be playing on consecutive nights, they are putting up 97.4 points per game.
On the season, Memphis is averaging about 95 points on the year, but only 85.4 points on the road.
We like this one to stay under.
Pick: Under
Thursday NBA Tips
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The Thursday NBA card is the lightest one through the first month of the season with only two contests to wager on. The Magic has a score to settle with the Celtics following Monday's embarrassing offensive performance, while the Grizzlies continue their road trip in Southern California against the Clippers.
Celtics at Magic
Orlando returns home from an interesting two-game road trip which including a 31-point defeat to Boston, followed up by a convincing triumph over an improved Indiana squad. The Magic looks for their 13th win on the season, facing a Celtics' team going for their third straight victory.
Stan Van Gundy's club shot just 25% from the floor in Monday's ugly 87-56 loss at Boston as seven-point favorites. The Celtics played without their starting backcourt, as Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen sat out due to injury. Brandon Bass burned his old team with 19 points off the bench, while Kevin Garnett posted a double-double by putting up 14 points and 10 rebounds. How bad was Orlando's offense? The Magic scored just 20 points in the second half, while no player other Dwight Howard converted more than two shots from the floor.
Orlando bounced back the next night by posting a solid 102-83 rout of Indiana as three-point underdogs at Conseco Fieldhouse. The Magic outscored the Pacers by 26 points over the final three quarters, while drilling 13 three-pointers. Ryan Anderson hit five treys for a game-high 24 points, one of five Magic players to score in double-figures. The game eclipsed the 'over' of 183, snapping a four-game 'under' streak for Orlando.
In spite of cashing on Monday, the Celtics own a 3-6 ATS record the last nine games, including a 1-3 ATS mark as an underdog. After hitting the 'over' in each of the first three contests, Boston is on a 10-2-1 'under' run the previous 13 contests. The Celtics are expected to get Rondo back in the lineup after missing the last three games with a wrist injury.
The home team has won each of the last six meetings, even though four of those wins came by the Celtics at TD Garden. The Magic took care of the Celtics last Christmas by snapping Boston's 14-game hot streak in an 86-78 victory as 2½-point favorites at Amway Arena, the only meeting in Orlando last season.
Grizzlies at Clippers
Two of the hotter teams in the Western Conference meet at Staples Center as Memphis looks to rebound after having their seven-game winning streak snapped at Portland. The Grizzlies play the third game of a four-game West Coast swing against a Clippers' squad coming off a tough contest on Wednesday against the rival Lakers.
Memphis seemed like a one-hit wonder after reaching the second round of the playoffs last season, as the Grizzlies won just three of their first nine games. The team lost power forward Zach Randolph to a knee injury, but the team didn't stop fighting by posting seven consecutive victories, including routs of the Knicks and Bulls at home. Memphis has helped backers with a 6-2 ATS mark the last eight games, while pulling off a miracle comeback in Monday's furious rally at Golden State, 91-90 as 2½-point underdogs.
The Clippers have played only 15 games this season, while doing very little travel since Christmas by playing five road contests. Los Angeles takes care of its business as a favorite with a 6-2 ATS record, including five of those wins in the role of home 'chalk.' Vinny Del Negro's team has been very consistent by losing consecutive games only once this season, but is 5-5 to the 'over' in 10 home contests.
The Grizzlies covered three of four meetings last season, while each team picked up one win on the opposing teams' court. The Clippers have claimed three of the previous four matchups at Staples Center, with the lone loss coming last December as Memphis nipped Los Angeles, 84-83.
Hot Teams
-- Celtics won three of last four games, holding Orlando to 20 points in second half of 87-56 win Monday in Boston. Magic won six of its last eight games (4-3 as home favorite).
-- Memphis won seven of last eight games, covering three of last four on road. Clippers covered five of last seven games as a home favorite.
Cold Teams
-- None.
Totals
-- Nine of last ten Boston games stayed under the total.
-- Eight of nine Memphis road games stayed under total.
Wear and Tear
-- Celtics: Had last two nites off. Magic: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Grizzlies: 5th game/7 nites. Clippers: 2nd nite in row after two nites off.
BOSTON (7 - 9) at ORLANDO (12 - 5)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) after allowing 85 points or less over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 8-28 ATS (-22.8 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 74-50 ATS (+19.0 Units) as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 8-5 against the spread versus ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 8-6 straight up against ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
10 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS (10 - 7) at LA CLIPPERS (9 - 6)
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 15-4 ATS (+10.6 Units) in home games in January games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 69-42 ATS (+22.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 33-20 ATS (+11.0 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 38-24 ATS (+11.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 10-28 ATS (-20.8 Units) against Southwest division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 5-3 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 4-4 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON vs. ORLANDO
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Boston's last 10 games
Boston is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games when playing on the road against Orlando
Orlando is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games when playing at home against Boston
Orlando is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Boston
MEMPHIS vs. LA CLIPPERS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis's last 7 games when playing LA Clippers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
LA Clippers are 3-6 ATS in their last 9 games when playing Memphis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 7 games when playing Memphis
Hoop Trends - Thursday
By Vince Akins
VegasInsider.com
SU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Celtics are 0-11 ATS (-10.5 ppg) since December 09, 2010 on the road after a double digit win in which they outshot their opponent by at least 10 percent.
OU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Clippers are 8-0 OU (12.9 ppg) since March 10, 2008 as a favorite off a loss in which they led by 10+ points.
PLAYER BASED TREND OF THE DAY:
The Celtics are 0-10 OU (-15.8 ppg) since December 08, 2010 with at least a day of rest after a win in which Kevin Garnett took fewer than 10 shots.
CHOICE TREND:
The Celtics are 0-10 ATS (-7.5 ppg) since December 30, 2008 on the road after a game in which they allowed less than 35% from the field.
TODAY’S TRENDS:
The Magic are 0-8-1 ATS (-8.6 ppg) since March 26, 2006 at home with at most one day of rest off a road win in which they trailed by 10+ points.