NBA Knowledge
Indiana-Toronto
Sometimes life is simple: Pacers made 4-20 on arc in Game 2 loss, after draining 11-21 in Game 1 upset- rest of stats were similar in first two games. Raptors won seven of last nine games with Indiana, winning three of last four here; Toronto covered 10 of last 12 series games- six of last nine went over total. Pacers won seven of last ten overall, Raptors won eight of last 11 overall, covering six of last nine.
Dallas-Oklahoma City
Durant went 7-33 in 85-84 home loss in Game 2; Westbrook was 8-22. Thunder won five of last six games with Dallas, but Mavericks are 7-5 vs spread in last 12 series games. Thunder won by 13-3 in last two visits here. Seven of last ten series games went over. Dallas won eight of last 11 games, covered five of last seven as a dog- Nine of last 11 Dallas games stayed under total. Thunder lost five of its last six road games SU, with one win at Denver.
Houston-Golden State
Curry's ankle ould keep him out again here, as Warriors won by 9 without him in Game 2, going 27-38 on line. Golden State won 11 of last 12 games (8-4 vs the spread) against Houston, covering three of last four played here. Houston turned ball over 43 times in first two games, looked disinterested on defense- they did hit 10-25 on arc in Game 2, compared to 6-22 in Game 1 but Golden State got to line 14 more times than Game 1, and without Curry. .
Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 12-4, Over: 4-12
Armadillosports.com
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Oklahoma City at Dallas
Basketball, perhaps more than any other professional sport, has a huge gulf between the good teams and the not so good. It is generally expected that the top 3 seeds in each conference will easily dispense of their opening round playoff opponents before moving on to the tougher match-ups.
It was certainly expected that the Oklahoma City Thunder would be altogether too much for the Dallas Mavericks to handle in the first round, but the first two games of the series have proven that the Thunder may not have it all their way in this one. The opening game of the series was a total slaughter in favor of OKC, but Dallas seemed to figure out Russell Westbrook in Game 2, and somehow managed to come away with an invaluable road win, and all while keeping the potent Thunder offense to a meager 84 points. Game 3 is going to be a big one, and you can wager on it at MyBookie.ag Pro basketball odds portal.
Why bet on the Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder have developed a habit of staring games on fire, only to fall away badly coming down the stretch. They were able to avoid that in Game 1, but fell prey to it somewhat in the second game of the series. Game 2 was not a good night for the big guns on the Thunder, with Russell Westbrook in particular seeming to be off his game. This is not something that you see very often, and the odds of keeping these guys under 100 points in back to back games are not very good. The first game on the road in the playoffs can be tough, but OKC won both of the regular season games in Dallas this year, so expect their confidence to be high.
Why bet on the Dallas Mavericks
There seems to be a belief that the Mavericks got into the head of Westbrook before Game 2 even began. A couple of Mavericks players got in the way of the traditional pre-game dance that Westbrook performs on the court, and while it may have meant nothing, there are those who believe it messed up his mojo. The Mavericks are going to have to do more than breaking up a dance party if they are to win this series, and that means winning the rebound battle the way they did in Game 2. Keeping Westbrook quiet will also help their cause, but they know that the big man is likely to have a chip on his shoulder coming into this one.
Pick and Final Score Prediction
OKC could well have been coming in here up 2-0 if a last second basket had not been overturned in Game 2. They still know that they need to improve over that performance, and I think they will in Game 3.
Oklahoma City Thunder 106 Dallas Mavericks 97
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Golden State at Houston
The Houston Rockets haven't solved the Golden State Warriors yet, but they might catch a break when they get home for Game 3 of their first-round matchup this Thursday (9:30 PM ET, TNT). Stephen Curry could miss his second straight game for Golden State with foot and ankle issues.
The Warriors blew away the Rockets by 26 points in Game 1, but with back-up point guard Shaun Livingston starting in relief of Curry Monday night, they had to settle for a push, winning 115-106 as 9-point home favorites. That was down from –13.5 in Saturday's opener.
Thursday's NBA Playoffs Betting Preview
By Covers.com
Reining league MVP Stephen Curry is officially listed as Questionable for Thursday night's Game 3 contest in Houston. Although he has said that his injured ankle and foot are feeling better, the Warriors may hold him out just to be sure.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks (+8.5, 196.5)
Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki plans to play through a bruised right knee and the Mavericks look to take a 2-1 series lead when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. Nowtizki injured the knee during Monday's 85-84 victory, a stunning road win that kept sixth-seeded Dallas alive in the series.
Nowitzki, who said he was injured on the first play of game, underwent an MRI exam that revealed the bone bruise and he was relieved that it wasn't anything more significant. "I had it worked on a little bit and after the game I was really stiff," Nowitzki told reporters on Wednesday. Coming off the plane, I could barely walk anymore. There was some swelling (Tuesday), but it's feeling a lot better, moving around a little bit." The third-seeded Thunder are dealing with a bruised psyche after losing Game 2 following a 38-point beat down of the Mavericks in the series opener. All-Star forward Kevin Durant was a horrid 7-of-33 shooting in Monday's loss, prompting coach Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan to describe it this way: "For a guy that's been as great a scorer as he has his entire career, for him to shoot the ball the way he did was really uncharacteristic."
LINE HISTORY: The Thunder opened the betting for this matchup as 8.5-point favorites. The line initially dropped to Dallas +8, then rose as high as +9.5, before settling back down to the opening number of +8.5. The total opened at 197 and dropped slightly to 196.5. View complete line history here.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (56-28, 38-45-1 ATS, 39-45 O/U): Durant, who scored 21 points, had never previously missed 26 shots before in a game and he didn't have any answers for why he shot so poorly. "Bad shooting night for me," Durant said. "It's a part of it. I wish it didn't happen tonight, but it's a part of it. Got some great looks all night and just didn't knock them down. Just stick with my routine - don't do too much extra." Point guard Russell Westbrook also shot a poor percentage (8-of-22) while contributing 19 points and 14 rebounds but only six assists.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (43-41, 46-37-1 ATS, 39-44-1 O/U): Nowitzki's injury is just the latest in a long line of ailments for Dallas, which won't know until close to game time whether or not point guards J.J. Barea (groin) and Deron Williams (sports hernia) or forward David Lee (foot) will be available. Barea ran after Wednesday's practice - a good sign - while Williams is trying to fight through an injury that will require offseason surgery. "We know from a manpower standpoint we're at a pretty big disadvantage," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. "And we know we're not going to outrun or outdunk or outskill these guys."
TRENDS:
* Thunder are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Mavericks are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Under is 6-1 in Thunder last 7 vs. NBA Southwest.
* Under is 9-2 in Mavericks last 11 overall.
* Over is 24-9-1 in the last 34 meetings in Dallas.
Toronto Raptors at Indiana Pacers (+1.5, 193)
Jonas Valanciunas has been Toronto's most reliable performer through the first two games of the series and the Raptors hope the 7-foot center has another strong effort in him when they visit the Indiana Pacers in Thursday's Game 3. Valanciunas averaged team-leading figures of 17.5 points and 17 rebounds as second-seeded Toronto split the first two games with seventh-seeded Indiana.
Valanciunas had 23 points and 15 rebounds in Monday's 98-87 victory as the Raptors evened the series in a contest in which All-Star guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan continued to struggle. "We've all got to step up," Valanciunas told reporters. "It's not an individual sport. Some nights are tough for Kyle, some nights it's tough for DeMar, tough for me. Everybody has tough times, so everybody has got to pull for each other." All-Star forward Paul George is averaging 30.5 points in the series but he was annoyed the Pacers returned to Indianapolis with a split instead of a 2-0 lead. "You usually feel good walking away from a road trip with the series tied at one, but I'm upset because a lot of stuff that we gave up was preventable," George told reporters. "(Game 2) was set up the same way for us as Game 1 to rally back and win this game. I thought our focus was lost and we gave up some plays that we shouldn’t have."
LINE HISTORY: This game opened as a PICK and the public pushed the Raptors all of the way up to -1.5. The total opened at 193 and was bumped up to 193.5. View complete line history here.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (57-27, 46-38 ATS, 42-41-1 O/U): Lowry is averaging 14 points on 7-of-26 shooting and DeRozan is averaging 12 points on 10-of-37 shooting as neither player has come close to his All-Star form in the series. Most concerning was DeRozan's Game 2 showing as he didn't attempt a single free throw - he averaged 8.4 per game in the regular season - and coach Dwane Casey kept him on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. "I feel like it's nothing to get frustrated about, I really do," DeRozan told reporters at Tuesday's practice. "I don't mind having bad shooting nights. You have to be able to take the good with the bad. I had a great season, the season is over with and I've had two rough shooting nights. I don't think it's the end of the world; we still won (Game 2)."
ABOUT THE PACERS (46-38, 42-41-1 ATS, 37-47 O/U): George has been terrific but could certainly use some help from his teammates as shooting guard Monta Ellis (15 per game) is the only other Indiana player averaging in double digits in the series. "We all have to do a better job of helping Paul out," Pacers guard Rodney Stuckey told reporters. "We're at our best offensively when we're moving the ball around and moving (our feet)." Other than George, Indiana's frontcourt production has been practically non-existent with starting center Ian Mahinmi (0-of-8 shooting) and starting power forward Lavoy Allen each averaging three points per game and reserve forwards Myles Turner (nine per game) and Solomon Hill (7.5) also with room to improve.
TRENDS:
* Raptors are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Pacers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up loss.
* Under is 6-0 in Raptors last 6 games following a ATS win.
* Under is 4-0 in Pacers last 4 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Raptors are 8-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings in Indiana.
Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets (+6, 217.5)
The Golden State Warriors got some good news in regards to Stephen Curry’s health, but the team might not even need the superstar to get through the first round. The eighth-seeded Houston Rockets are down 0-2 and will try to get back into the series when they host Game 3 on Thursday.
Curry scored 24 points in the first half of Game 1 before leaving with an ankle injury and sat out Game 2. The Warriors breezed to a 115-106 win behind 34 points from Klay Thompson on Monday and on Tuesday announced that an MRI exam on Curry’s ankle showed nothing of concern. "We'll see how he responds the next couple of days, and if he's not right, obviously being up 2-0 does give us more cushion if we decide to sit him," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters after Monday’s win. "But it will be based on his health - not the series score." Whether or not Curry plays, Houston is going to need to find a way to hang onto the ball after totaling 43 turnovers in the first two games.
LINE HISTORY: The Warriors opened as 5.5-point favorites on the road for Game 3 of this series. The public pounded Golden State and the books were forced to move the Dubs' line up to -6. The total opened at 217 and was bumped up to 218. View complete line history here.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (75-9, 47-35-2 ATS, 46-37-1 O/U): Curry is listed as questionable for Game 3 and Golden State knows how to play without its star if necessary. “All the guys knew they had to be aggressive with Steph out,” Kerr told reporters after the Game 2 victory. “The best number on the stat sheet is 16 free throws for Klay. I thought he was fantastic. He came up big.” Shaun Livingston started in Curry’s place and scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting while Andre Iguodala stepped up off the bench with 18 points and Draymond Green flirted with a triple-double with 12 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (41-43, 37-47 ATS, 48-36 O/U): James Harden scored 28 points in Game 2 and went 13-of-15 from the free-throw line after not attempting one in Game 1, but Houston appeared disjointed on both ends in both games. Center Dwight Howard has taken some criticism and needed his coach to come to his defense after Game 2. “No, I don’t think he was disinterested,” interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters. “I thought he was good on the glass. I thought he was running. Give (Warriors center Andrew) Bogut some credit, he does a good job with his size. He’s physical, uses his length, he pushes, he grabs, he holds, so I wouldn’t say he was disinterested. I thought he gave his effort.”
TRENDS:
* Warriors are 9-0 ATS in their last 9 Thursday games.
* Rockets are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Under is 5-0 in Warriors last 5 road games.
* Over is 4-1 in Rockets last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Warriors are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Houston.
Thursday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Thunder (-8½, 196½) at Mavericks
Everything has gone pretty much to form so far in the NBA playoffs, except for Dallas shocking Oklahoma City as 14-point road underdogs in Monday’s Game 2 of their first round series. Following a 38-point blowout in the series opener, the beat-up Mavericks hung with the Thunder for the first three quarters of Game 2 before hanging on in the final seconds for an 85-84 upset to cash at 10/1 on the moneyline (Bet $100 to win $1000).
The grind-it-out style the Mavericks employed for the final eight games of the regular season that helped them clinch a playoff berth didn’t work too well in a 108-70 setback in the series opener. However, point guard Deron Williams gutted out a sports hernia injury to score 11 first quarter points in Game 2, while Raymond Felton put up a team-high 21 points and dished out 11 assists in Monday’s victory to even up the series.
The concern on the Oklahoma City side is the shooting struggles of Kevin Durant, who missed 26 of 33 attempted shots in Game 2, including several misses in the final minute to give the Thunder the lead. Russell Westbrook didn’t shoot well either (8-of-22), but still scored 19 points and had 14 assists, but the duo knocked down just 3-of-17 shots from three-point range. In spite of OKC converting 33% of its shots, the Thunder limited the Mavericks to 42% shooting, while Mavs’ guard Wesley Matthews missed all seven of his three-point attempts.
VegasInsider.com editorial director and NBA expert Chris David explains that backing OKC can be a concern, “I expected Oklahoma City to sweep this series and was wrong on that prediction but I don’t see the Thunder losing another game to the Mavericks. However, it’s hard for me to back the Thunder versus the number in Game 3 just based on their regular season numbers. While the club was 22-9 as a road favorite, they burned bettors with a 12-18-1 record against the spread. Total bettors should note that the ‘over’ has gone 20-11 in those games and OKC has only been held under 100 points twice in that span.”
The Thunder have still controlled this series in 2015-16, as Billy Donovan’s team has won five of six meetings with the Mavericks. OKC won both matchups at the American Airlines Center, as each game sailed ‘over’ the total. Dallas profited as a home underdog this season by compiling a 7-5 ATS mark in this role, including a cover against Oklahoma City in a 109-106 loss as six-point ‘dogs on January 22.
Can the Thunder rebound from the poor shooting performance in Game 2? David believes OKC will put up points tonight, “Game 3’s total opened 197 and has dropped to 196. The first two games in this series have easily gone ‘under’ the number and those totals ranged from 203 to 206. While Dallas has had trouble scoring, Oklahoma City has proven that it can get any shot it wants so far and more importantly, it’s been great off bad performances. The Thunder offense was held in the eighties three times in the regular season and they responded 114, 128 and 119 points. With that being said, I’m buying the Oklahoma City team total ‘over’ (102 ½) on Thursday.”
Raptors (-1½, 193) at Pacers
Toronto rebounded from a disappointing second half in its 10-point loss in Game 1 to even up its series with Indiana following a 98-87 victory in Game 2. The Raptors picked up the cover as eight-point home favorites, while its defense stepped up by limiting the Pacers to 21 points or less in three of four quarters. The big question heading into Game 3 with the venue shifting to Bankers Life Fieldhouse is whether or not the dynamic Raptors’ backcourt can get its scoring on track.
Coming off last season’s first round sweep at the hands of the Wizards, the Raptors were none too thrilled to drop the opener to the Pacers and continue their playoff struggles. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined to shoot 8-of-32 and score 25 points in the Game 1 defeat, while not performing much better in Game 2 by scoring 28 points on 9-of-27 shooting. Lowry helped his cause by getting to the foul line and making all 10 free throw attempts in Game 2, while DeRozan failed to attempt a single free throw. The advantage in the middle in this series clearly belongs to Toronto, as center Jonas Valancuinas has pulled down 34 rebounds through two games.
Paul George continues to carry this Indiana offense by averaging 30.5 points per game through the first two contests of this series. George put up 28 points in the Game 2 loss on Monday, but only one other Pacer reached double-figures as Monta Ellis scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Pacers’ center Ian Mahinmi failed to score a point on six shot attempts, while being listed as questionable with a back injury for Game 3.
The line has shortened up with the series headed to Indianapolis as David breaks down Game 3, “Even though this line is short, it’s rare to see the Pacers as home underdogs but the oddsmakers have been spot on with their ratings on the club. Indiana was listed as a home ‘dog six times this season and it went 2-4 in those games while managing to cover three of them. Toronto has gone a respectable 15-7 as a road favorite this season and that makes me believe they’ll get at least a spilt in these next two games played at Indiana.”
The Raptors have won in three of their last four visits to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, including a 101-94 overtime triumph on March 17. Four of the six games between Toronto and Indiana have finished ‘under’ the total, including each game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Warriors (-5½, 215) at Rockets
There isn’t much doubt that Golden State will knock out Houston, but there is plenty of doubt regarding the status of Stephen Curry’s sprained right ankle heading into Game 3. Curry’s status is currently listed as doubtful after last season’s MVP missed Golden State’s 115-106 victory over Houston in Game 2 to take a 2-0 series advantage.
The Warriors won their fifth straight home playoff game over the Rockets since last season’s Western Conference Finals as the defending champions shot 49% from the floor. Klay Thompson paced the Warriors with 34 points, including knocking down 15-of-16 free throws, while Shaun Livingston filled in for Curry with 16 points. Last season’s NBA Finals hero Andre Iguodala scored 18 points off the bench for Golden State, while hitting four three-pointers.
James Harden put together a better Game 2 performance with 28 points and 11 assists after scoring just 17 points in the series opener. Five Rockets scored in double-figures in Game 2, but center Dwight Howard is averaging 13 points per game in this series after attempting seven shots in Monday’s loss. Harden struggled from three-point range by hitting 1-of-8 attempts, but Josh Smith and Jason Terry combined to drill six treys off the bench.
The Rockets have lost six straight meetings with the Warriors since knocking off Golden State in Game 4 of the conference finals last May, 128-115 as 4½-point home underdogs. Houston put together an impressive 5-3 SU/ATS mark in the role of a home ‘dog this season, which includes wins over the Thunder (twice), Clippers, and Spurs. The Rockets haven’t been impressive at the Toyota Center since the All-Star break by posting a 7-5 SU and 5-7 ATS record in the last 12 home contests.
During last season’s championship run, Steve Kerr’s club compiled a 6-3 SU and 5-4 ATS record as a road favorite in the playoffs. The Warriors split their four Game 3’s last season on the highway, but routed the Rockets in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals as 1½-point underdogs, 115-80.