What Bettors Need to Know: Thursday's NBA Action
By Covers.com
Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers (+1, 181.5)
THE STORY: The Miami Heat had more trouble without Chris Bosh than they had anticipated. After handily winning Game 1 without Bosh for the second half, the Heat came into Game 2 feeling good about their chances. The Indiana Pacers made them reconsider, going strong to the inside and playing tougher throughout the second half to even the series at a game apiece. The Pacers will be looking to take the lead at home in Game 3 on Thursday night.
ABOUT THE HEAT: Bosh was ruled out indefinitely with an abdominal strain and Miami used a smaller lineup at points in Game 2, moving LeBron James to the power forward spot. But the supporting cast was not able to pick up enough of the slack, leaving James and Dwyane Wade to handle the bulk of the scoring and playmaking. The focus of heavy defensive pressure and a series of hard fouls, James and Wade wore down at the end. After leading the Heat back from a double-digit deficit, Wade missed four shots in the final 2:05 and James clanked two free throws that would have given them the lead with 54 seconds left. The two were so out of gas that Mario Chalmers ended up taking the final shot with Miami down by three. James and Wade combined for 52 points but no other Heat player managed more than five.
ABOUT THE PACERS: Indiana handled things just about as well as they possibly could in Game 2 and still had to sweat out a 78-75 win. Roy Hibbert, David West and Paul George controlled the glass but the Pacers still need to get more offensively from Danny Granger, who expended most of his energy on the defensive end against Wade and James. Granger ended up fouling out with 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting and is just 6 for 24 from the field in the series. Indiana could stand to give Hibbert more of a chance on the offensive end, as he had just six field goal attempts in Game 2 despite Miami not having Bosh around to defend.
TRENDS:
- The Heat are 4-1 ATS in their last five games in Indiana.
- The Pacers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as a home underdog.
- The under is 35-14-2 in the Heat's last 51 overall.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Game 3 will mark James’ 100th career playoff outing.
2. Miami PG Norris Cole played 17 minutes Tuesday, just shy of his total from the previous six playoff games.
3. The Pacers committed 17 turnovers in Game 2 and have totaled 32 through the first two games.
Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs (-11, 194)
THE STORY: One game does not decide a postseason series, but the San Antonio Spurs continued to display an aura of invincibility in methodically dismantling the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. It was the 15th consecutive victory for the Spurs, who can take a 2-0 series lead over the visiting Clippers on Thursday night. San Antonio has scored more than 100 points in 14 of the past 15 games and set a franchise playoff record with 13 3-pointers Tuesday.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS: Whether Los Angeles can disrupt the Spurs’ precision offense remains a question, but there is no doubt the Clippers will be facing a short series without better play from Chris Paul. The All-Star point guard, battling a hip flexor strain, managed only six points in Game 1 and was scoreless over the final three quarters. Paul did have 10 assists and five steals, but he also committed five turnovers and missed his last nine shots. Blake Griffin (knee) had 15 points and nine rebounds, but played fewer than 29 minutes for the second straight game and admitted he was feeling “80 percent.” The silver lining was the play of reserve guard Eric Bledsoe, who tied his career high with 23 points.
ABOUT THE SPURS: The Clippers could not stop Tim Duncan, but perhaps the Sports Illustrated jinx can. Duncan, who appears on the cover of this week’s issue, was magnificent in Game 1 with 26 points and 10 rebounds – his 133rd postseason double-double. It was the highest output in the playoffs for the 36-year-old Duncan since he scored 29 in May 2010. Veteran Manu Ginobili, another of San Antonio’s old guard, came off the bench to score 22 points and was among three Spurs players to hit three 3-pointers. One of the intriguing subplots of the series is the much-ballyhooed matchup at point guard between Paul and Tony Parker. Like Paul, Parker struggled in the opener with seven points on 1-for-9 shooting, though he had a game-high 11 assists.
TRENDS:
- Over is 13-3-2 in the last 18 meetings in San Antonio.
- The Clippers are 3-7-2 ATS in their last 12 games overall.
- Spurs are 21-4-1 ATS in their last 26 home games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Spurs C Boris Diaw grabbed 12 rebounds – his second-highest total of the season – to help his team dominated the backboards 47-34.
2. Clippers G Nick Young nailed all three 3-point attempts and had 13 points, helping Los Angeles to a 46-37 edge in bench scoring.
3. San Antonio is averaging 110.8 points during its 15-game winning streak.
Thursday's Playoff Tips
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The Eastern Conference playoffs are a toss-up right now, while the Western Conference seems like a collision course for Oklahoma City and San Antonio to meet in the Finals. The Spurs cruised to their 15th straight victory in the Game 1 rout of the Clippers, as the two teams hook up on Thursday for the second contest in the conference semifinals. We'll start in Indianapolis with a series that has taken an interesting turn following a choppy ending to Game 2.
Heat at Pacers
The absence of Chris Bosh due to an abdominal injury sure took a toll on Miami's offensive flow as the Heat were tripped up by the Pacers in Game 2. Indiana pulled out a 78-75 victory to even the series up at a game apiece, while cashing as 6½-point road underdogs. The big concerns past replacing Bosh's production are whether or not this team can count on LeBron James and Dwyane Wade down the stretch.
It sounds ridiculous to think a three-time MVP and a Finals MVP can't recover with Bosh on the shelf, but James and Wade missed key shots in the final minutes of the Game 2 defeat. James failed to convert on four free throws in the final quarter, while Wade's layup attempt came up short to tie the game with 16 seconds remaining. The key for Indiana was a 28-14 third quarter run to erase a five-point halftime deficit. Four of five Pacers' starters finished in double-figures, led by David West, who scored 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
Miami's outside shooting is downright abysmal through two games, as the Heat has knocked down a grand total of one three-pointer in 22 attempts. The Pacers took advantage of Bosh's injury on the boards by outrebounding the Heat, 50-40 in Game 2, including double-digit rebound efforts from West, Roy Hibbert, and Paul George. The 'under' of 186 easily cashed, while the Heat are 8-1-1 to the 'under' without Bosh in the lineup this season.
Erik Spoelstra's club is 5-2 to the 'under' in the postseason, as the Heat has allowed 89 points or less five times. Indiana split a pair of regular season meetings with Miami at Bankers' Life Fieldhouse by exactly the same 105-90 count both ways. The home victory by the Pacers on March 26 came as 3½-point underdogs as Indiana shot 46% from the floor and outrebounded the Heat, 49-33.
Clippers at Spurs
San Antonio continues to roll after routing Los Angeles in Tuesday's Game 1 of the conference semifinals, 108-92 as 11-point favorites. The Spurs go for their 16th consecutive victory since April 12, as Gregg Popovich's club owns a 13-1-1 ATS record in this stretch. The Clippers are listed as heavy underdogs once again in Game 2, but things won't ease up on Thursday for the fifth seed in the West.
Things were tied up after one quarter in the opener, but the Spurs jumped out to an eight-point halftime lead thanks to a 28-20 second quarter spurt. In a game which the two star point guards in Chris Paul and Tony Parker combined for 13 points on 4-for-22 shooting, San Antonio received 31 points from the unheralded duo of Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard. The reliable pair of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili put up 48 points, while the Spurs drilled 13 treys in the victory.
The Clippers have struggled from the line all season, but the frontcourt of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan attempted just four free throws, while the entire team went to the line 13 times. The Spurs improved to 18-1 SU and 11-7-1 ATS the last 19 home meetings against the Clippers dating back to 2002, as the 'over' is now 9-1 the previous 10 matchups at the AT&T Center.
Since losing outright to the Lakers as 10 ½-point favorites on April 11, the Spurs are a perfect 8-0 SU/ATS the last eight home contests, while sailing over the 100-point mark each time. The Clippers profited on the road off a loss this season, posting a 10-6 SU/ATS record, as Vinny Del Negro's club is 11-2 to the 'over' the last 13 games in this situation.
NBA Preview
Heat (1-1) @ Pacers -- Heat is 4-6 this season when Bosh doesn't play; he's likely out for series. Miami is 1-22 behind arc in series; they made only 34.6% from floor Tuesday, with subs 4-16, Wade 8-22. Bench did have +14 mark last game. Pacers' starting guards were just 5-15 from the floor in Game 1, but improved to 8-20 Tuesday; Indiana subs had a -44 mark last game. 11 of last 13 Miami games stayed under the total. Indy won five of last six games since losing opener to Orlando. Miami split its two road games at New York in the first round.
Clippers @ Spurs (1-0) -- So far this spring, teams that lost in Game 1's are 9-2 vs spread in Game 2's. LA is very banged up (Paul/Griffin) after surviving Game 7 in Memphis Sunday; Paul was 3-13 in opener, Griffin 7-17. In 139 combined minutes, Clipper starters took total of four foul shots. Rested, veteran Spurs' squad dusted Utah 4-0; only one of their five playoff wins was by less than 12 points. Would expect a stronger effort from Clippers, but San Antonio is on a serious roll right now.
Armadillosports.com
MIAMI (51 - 22) at INDIANA (47 - 26)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 8-5 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI is 10-3 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS (44 - 30) at SAN ANTONIO (55 - 16)
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 394-462 ATS (-114.2 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 43-67 ATS (-30.7 Units) as a road underdog of 9.5 to 12 points since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 20-36 ATS (-19.6 Units) against Southwest division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 13-29 ATS (-18.9 Units) in road games after allowing 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 185-233 ATS (-71.3 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 149-189 ATS (-58.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 137-188 ATS (-69.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 19-36 ATS (-20.6 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 47-21 ATS (+23.9 Units) in all games this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 37-16 ATS (+19.4 Units) as a favorite this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 26-8 ATS (+17.2 Units) in home games this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) against Pacific division opponents this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 41-23 ATS (+15.7 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 21-8 ATS (+12.2 Units) after scoring 105 points or more this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 23-7 ATS (+15.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 28-11 ATS (+15.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 22-13 ATS (+7.7 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 8-3 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 9-2 straight up against LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI vs. INDIANA
Miami is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing Miami
Indiana is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing Miami
LA CLIPPERS vs. SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 5 games when playing on the road against San Antonio
San Antonio is 21-2 SU in their last 23 games when playing LA Clippers
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Miami at Indiana
Miami: 8-1 Under after scoring 85 pts or less
Indiana: 1-15 ATS after covering 4 or 5 of their last 6 games
LA Clippers at San Antonio
LA Clippers: 5-1 Over at San Antonio
San Antonio: 26-8 ATS in home games
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
LA Clippers at San Antonio Spurs
Clippers had no answer in game-one of their best-of-seven Conference Semi Final falling 108-92 to the Spurs in San Antonio. The defeat marked Clippers 32nd loss in 37 tries vs. Spurs (14-22-1 ATS) including 1-18 (7-11-1 ATS) playing in Alamo City. Spurs riding a 15-0 (13-1-1 ATS) overall win streak and a 16-1 (15-1-1 ATS) stretch at the AT&T Center in San Antonio have once again been pegged -11.0 point favorite by the betting markets. A lot of lumber but with Spurs on a 11-1 ATS streak as home chalk of at least 11 points, Clippers on a 7-17 skid as road underdogs of 11.0 or more and having cashed just one of five tickets on the highway following a road loss allowing >100 points were sticking with Spurs