Thursday's Best NBA Bets
By Covers.com
New York Knicks at Orlando Magic (N/A)
The Orlando Magic are banged up, but coach Stan Van Gundy isn’t letting his club off the hook because of the injuries.
Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Ryan Anderson sat out Tuesday’s game against Detroit and the Magic lost 102-95 as a 4.5-point favorite despite 31 points and 10 rebounds from Glen Davis.
To Van Gundy, the problem is obvious, no matter who’s in the lineup.
"Even with Dwight, we still don't guard. It would not make any difference," Van Gundy told reporters. "We just haven't built the habits that are needed to be good defensively. If we don't start improving those habits on every single possession, we aren't going anywhere."
There still isn’t any word as to whether Orlando will have its big man – or anybody else – back in the lineup Thursday.
The Magic have now dropped four in a row both straight up and against the spread and all four of those games have played over.
Pick: Over
Los Angeles Clippers at Sacramento Kings (N/A)
Sacramento coach Keith Smart knows his team is a work in progress.
The Kings have some nice pieces in place, but still struggle on the defensive end and can’t seem to get any type of substitution rotation going.
"You still never know who (coach Keith Smart is) going to call on to play," Jimmer Fredette told reporters after scoring 17 points in Monday’s win over Minnesota. "But I was able to play pretty well, help the team continue to roll and continue to gain a lead. So I was just feeling good and I was able to help out and we were able to win."
However, the Kings struggled to contain Steve Nash and the Suns’ offense the following night in a 109-103 loss even though center DeMarcus Cousins scored a career-high 41 points.
That’s the way things are going to be with Sacramento down the stretch – impressive some nights and overmatched on others.
The Clippers took a six-game winning streak into Wednesday’s date with the Lakers and should give Sacto a tough time despite the back-to-back.
Pick: Clippers
Hot Teams
-- Knicks won/covered nine of 12 games under Woodson.
-- Pistons won six of last seven home games (5-2 vs spread).
-- Celtics won/covered five of their last six games.
-- Clippers won six of their last seven games.
Cold Teams
-- Orlando lost its last four games; they're 2-3 in last five at home.
-- Wizards lost eight of last nine games (0-3 vs spread last three).
-- Bulls lost two games in row for the first time this season.
-- Kings lost four of their last five home games.
Wear-and-Tear
-- Knicks: 2nd game/5 nites. Magic: 3rd game/5 nites.
-- Wizards: 6th game/8 nites. Pistons: 2nd game/5 nites.
-- Celtics: 2nd nite in row, after two off. Bulls: Last two nites off.
-- Clippers: 5th game/7 nites. Kings: 5th game/7 nites.
Totals
-- Six of last eight New York road games went over the total.
-- Last three Washington games went over the total.
-- Over is 8-3-1 in Chicago's last dozen home games.
-- Five of last six Clipper road games went over the total.
Back-to-Back
-- Washington is 1-3 vs spread on road if it played at home nite before.
-- Boston is 2-7-1 vs spread on road if it played night before.
-- Clippers are 3-4 vs spread on road if they played night before.
Armadillosports.com
NEW YORK (27 - 27) at ORLANDO (32 - 22) - 4/5/2012, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 6-3 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 7-2 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
9 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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WASHINGTON (12 - 42) at DETROIT (20 - 33) - 4/5/2012, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 7-2 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 7-2 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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BOSTON (30 - 23) at CHICAGO (42 - 13) - 4/5/2012, 9:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 7-4 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 6-5 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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LA CLIPPERS (32 - 22) at SACRAMENTO (19 - 35) - 4/5/2012, 10:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
SACRAMENTO is 4-4 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 5-4 straight up against SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK vs. ORLANDO
New York is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York's last 5 games when playing Orlando
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Orlando's last 5 games when playing at home against New York
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Orlando's last 5 games when playing New York
WASHINGTON vs. DETROIT
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Washington's last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games
Detroit is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing Washington
BOSTON vs. CHICAGO
Boston is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games on the road
Boston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Chicago's last 10 games at home
Chicago is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Boston
LA CLIPPERS vs. SACRAMENTO
LA Clippers are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games
LA Clippers are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
Sacramento is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Sacramento's last 9 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
New York at Orlando
New York: 27-11 Under playing their 8+ game in 14 days
Orlando: 19-37 ATS revenging a loss as a favorite
Washington at Detroit
Washington: 13-31 ATS off BB home games
Detroit: 31-15 ATS vs. Southeast Division opponents
Boston at Chicago
Boston: 10-22 ATS off 3+ games allowing 90 points or less
Chicago: 7-0 ATS off BB ATS losses
LA Clippers at Sacramento
LA Clippers: 0-7 ATS off a home divison loss
Sacramento: 12-4 Over as a home underdog
Hoop Trends - Thursday
By Vince Akins
VegasInsider.com
SU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Celtics are 10-0 ATS (10.5 ppg) since November 29, 2004 on the road with at most one day of rest off a loss of four points or fewer as a dog in which they trailed by double digits.
OU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Wizards are 0-11 OU (-15.0 ppg) since December 14, 2009 on the road when they lost their last two games and both were at home.
PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:
The Clippers are 0-9-1 ATS (-6.6 ppg) since January 14, 2011 on the road after winning the previous matchup in which Blake Griffin was not the Clippers’ high scorer.
CHOICE TREND:
The Celtics are 9-0 ATS (13.1 ppg) since February 09, 1999 as a dog with no rest after a loss in which they had at least 12 steals.
TODAY’S TRENDS:
The Magic are 0-8 ATS (-8.6 ppg) since March 04, 2011 after losing the previous matchup in which Jason Richardson scored fewer than 10 points.
The Bulls are 8-0 OU (14.9 ppg) since November 06, 2006 as a favorite when playing the second game of a two game homestand after losing the first.
NBA Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Boston at Chicago
Bulls (42-13, 32-23 ATS) mired in a mini two game slump have conditions and betting trends on their side when they host Celtics (30-23, 26-26-1 ATS) Thursday night at the United Center. Bulls a commanding 21-6 (13-14 ATS) on home court haven't lost three in-a-row since March of 2010 posting a 4-0 (2-2-1 ATS) mark when facing the possibility of a three game slide. If that were not enough, Bulls are a profitable 7-0 ATS off home loss allowing >95 points/game, 13-2 ATS at home off a loss as a favorites. As for Celtics, they're in a tough spot having played Wednesday. The C's are 5-11 ATS playing without rest this season including 2-7 ATS when on the road. One last tid-bit, Celtics are 0-3 ATS playing without rest in this series.
Orlando Tries To Gain Revenge Against New York
Sportspic.com
The 2012 NBA season has featured several particularly bad blowouts. The Orlando Magic will try to avenge one of them when they host the New York Knicks this week.
Why New York Will Win
The professional basketball analysts who will be assessing this NBA contest will tell you that the Knicks have not lost their step in the wake of injuries to Amare Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin, two of their three best scorers and, moreover, the two people who create the most movement and flow within New York's halfcourt offense. Lin's court sense and passing ability pried open opportunities for his teammates and enabled the Knicks to function the way they were supposed to throughout the course of this season. Lin gave this team balance and put other players in proper roles, something that did not exist before the spate of injuries that improbably gave Lin a chance to make an impact. Stoudemire is a weak defender, but his inside-outside combination of offensive skills makes him an extremely tough man to guard.
When New York lost Lin and Stoudemire, it figured to plummet in the Eastern Conference standings. Instead, it has used a defense-first approach under head coach Mike Woodson to rise in the East. The Knicks have gained ground on Milwaukee in the push for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, and they've come closer to second-place Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division. New York's defensive mastery was on full display last Wednesday, March 28, when it buried the Orlando Magic, 108-86, in a game that wasn't even that close. This is a team that is playing a beautifully blended style of basketball with a patchwork lineup, a clear indication that players are buying what Woodson, the interim coach, is selling. This remains a team that's happy to be rid of former coach Mike D'Antoni.
Why Orlando Will Win
When you do your homework and assess your Sports Bet on this game, you just have to look at a simple motivating reality that pushes professional athletes who have been embarrassed and do not want to be insulted a second time. Last week, in the aforementioned New York blowout of Orlando, the Magic – who lost by 22 points – were actually pushed around to a much more severe extent. They trailed by an 88-49 score (just under 40 points) with almost three minutes left in the third period. The laziness, inconsistency, and the brew of distractions cooked up by chatterbox center Dwight Howard – who has sent mixed messages to his teammates and coaches throughout the season – all collapsed on the Magic in the Big Apple. With this return engagement scheduled for Thursday night in Orlando, the Magic will want to avoid the humiliation they tasted a week ago. The Knicks are playing well, but the Magic will want to rise up in this game and prove that they're made of stronger stuff.
Who Will Win
It’s an interesting online Sportsbook choice do you trust the Knicks' quality of play and rhythm, or Orlando's motivation level, which should be high in this contest? Orlando has the talent to play at a particularly high level, but it has been slogging along in recent games. However, the NBA season involves many ups and downs. The sense here is that the Magic will answer the bell and play a strong game, defeating the Knicks by a close margin.
NBA Basketball Betting Pick: Orlando