Thursday's Best NBA Bets
By Covers.com
Orlando Magic at Chicago Bulls (-6.5, 183.5)
Dwight Howard is figuratively breaking Magic fans hearts and literally breaking his coach’s. Stan Van Gundy checked into a Toronto hospital after complaining of chest pains following the Magic’s win over the Raptors.
He checked out after doctors gave him a clean bill of health but his ticker had to be tested watching his team blow a 20-point lead while losing outright to the Charlotte Bobcats.
“This is who we are,” Van Gundy told the Orlando Sentinel. “This is what we deserve… We’ve been getting away with it. We’re happy to get away with it.
“We’re not trying to be great.”
Mostly the Magic are just trying to avoid all the Dwight Howard trade talk. That won’t help them against a supremely focused Bulls team.
Pick: Bulls
Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns (+3, 188.5)
Drama is following the Mavericks around and we’re not talking about Khloe & Lamar. Dallas point guard Jason Kidd complained to reporters that he and his teammates aren’t being treated like defending champions by the officials.
The NBA fined Kidd $25,000 for his comments.
Meanwhile, about Lamar Odom – he still looks like an uninterested player. Owner Mark Cuban could be seen yelling at Odom for not getting back on defense during Tuesday’s game against the Knicks.
We’ll fade another team that seems to have too much stuff going on off the court.
Pick: Suns
What Bettors Need to Know: Magic at Bulls
By Covers.com
Orlando Magic at Chicago Bulls (-6.5, 183.5)
THE STORY: Orlando has always had trouble keeping pace with the Eastern Conference’s elite. Now, it seems the Magic have trouble with the conference basement dwellers as well after giving up a 20-point lead in a loss to Charlotte. Orlando takes a major step up in competition against first-place Chicago, which has beaten the Magic in their last four meetings. The Bulls are 15-2 at home and won the first meeting with Orlando this season, 97-83, on the road.
LINE: Some books have the Bulls set as 7-point favorites, up a half point from the open. The total sits around 183.5-184.5.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (25-15): While Dwight Howard is one of the greatest physical specimens in NBA history, the Magic are short on pure athletes. Orlando has plenty of solid basketball players, like Ryan Anderson, Hedo Turkoglu and J.J. Redick, but runs into trouble when it faces athletic dynamos like reigning MVP Derrick Rose. Guards Jameer Nelson and Chris Duhon aren’t quick enough to keep pace with Rose, who has averaged 26.5 points in the Bulls’ four-game winning streak over the Magic.
ABOUT THE BULLS (33-8): Rose’s step-back jumper at the buzzer extended Chicago’s winning streak to eight games with a 106-104 win over Milwaukee Wednesday. That red-hot run is the longest in the NBA. Rose could be a bit gassed after those efforts, putting up 30 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds. He played over 39 minutes versus the Bucks, with the Bulls backcourt down to Ronnie Brewer and John Lucas in relief due to injuries.
TRENDS:
- Orlando is 1-5 against the spread in its last six.
- The underdog is 5-0 against the number in the last five meetings between the two teams.
- The under is 8-3 in Orlando's last 11 road games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Bulls guard Richard Hamilton sat out Wednesday’s game with a shoulder injury as did C.J. Watson, who is day-to-day with a sprained ankle.
2. Quentin Richardson returned to Orlando’s rotation Tuesday after missing four games with an Achilles injury. He scored all eight of his points in the first half.
3. Chicago is has won six of the last 10 meetings with Orlando, but the all-time season series is knotted at 41-41 heading into Thursday.
ORLANDO (25 - 15) at CHICAGO (33 - 8) - 3/8/2012, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 4-15 ATS (-12.5 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 8-22 ATS (-16.2 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 21-33 ATS (-15.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 25-16 ATS (+7.4 Units) in all games this season.
CHICAGO is 35-23 ATS (+9.7 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 81-53 ATS (+22.7 Units) in home games when playing on back-to-back days since 1996.
CHICAGO is 34-22 ATS (+9.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 4-4 against the spread versus ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 5-3 straight up against ORLANDO 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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DALLAS (23 - 17) at PHOENIX (17 - 21) - 3/8/2012, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 54-36 ATS (+14.4 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 62-40 ATS (+18.0 Units) after allowing 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS is 82-58 ATS (+18.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 44-25 ATS (+16.5 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 21-8 ATS (+12.2 Units) against Pacific division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 246-187 ATS (+40.3 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.
DALLAS is 26-10 ATS (+15.0 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) against Southwest division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 6-14 ATS (-9.4 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 8-2 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 9-1 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO vs. CHICAGO
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Orlando's last 7 games when playing Chicago
Orlando is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 7 games when playing Orlando
DALLAS vs. PHOENIX
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games
Dallas is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Phoenix is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Phoenix is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
ORLANDO at CHICAGO
ORLANDO: 8-22 ATS after a division game
CHICAGO: 40-25 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points
DALLAS at PHOENIX
DALLAS: 40-23 ATS after playing a game as a home favorite
PHOENIX: 6-14 ATS revenging a loss vs opponent