NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Thursday, April 6th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Brooklyn won its last three games, covered its last four; they’re 7-1 vs spread in last nine away games. Four of their last six games stayed under. Magic lost their last five games (1-4 vs spread)- they’re 4-8 vs spread in last 12 home games. Over is 7-1 in last eight Orlando games. Orlando won five of last six games with Brooklyn; last three series games went over the total. Nets lost last three visits to Magic Kingdom (1-1-1 vs spread).
Chicago won four of its last five games; they’re 5-2 vs spread in last seven road games. Over is 5-3 in their last eight gams. 76ers lost their last four games, are 2-4 vs spread in last six games at home. Over is 6-3 in their last nine games. Bulls won nine of last ten games with Philly (5-2 vs spread in last seven). Over is 9-1 in last ten series games. Chicago won its last five visits here (3-1 vs spread in last four).
Milwaukee lost its last two games by 4-31 points; they’re 4-1 vs spread in last five road games. Over is 5-3 in their last eight games. Pacers lost four of last five games; they’re 6-2-1 vs spread in last nine home games. Eight of last ten Indiana games went over the total. Bucks won/covered their last three games with Indiana; six of last nine series games went over the total. Milwaukee won last two visits here, by 4-16 points.
Wizards lost three of last four games overall, losing last three on road (0-3 vs spread); six of their last seven games went over total. New York is 3-2 in its last five games, 5-3 vs spread in last eight home games. Knicks’ last five games stayed under. Washington won nine of last ten games with the Knicks, covering last five. Wizards won/covered their last four games in Manhattan. Five of last six series games went over.
Celtics won six of last eight games; they got drilled last night by Cleveland. Boston is 2-5 vs the spread in last seven road games. Four of their last six games went over. Atlanta lost nine of last 11 games, is 1-10 vs spread in last 11 home games. Under is 9-1 in their last ten games. Hawks won three of last four games with Boston; under is 6-1-1 in last eight series games. Celtics lost four of last five games in Atlanta (2-3 vs spread).
Minnesota lost 8 of last 11 games; they’re 1-7 vs spread in last eight road games. Last five Wolves games went over total. Trailblazers won/covered their last five home games- they lost last two games overall, are 7-1 vs spread in last eight. Under is 6-3 in their last nine games. Portland won six of its last eight games with Minnesota; four of last five stayed under the total. Timberwolves lost three of last four games in Oregon (2-2 vs spread).
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NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Brooklyn at Orlando
The home team is considered to have a significant advantage over the visitors a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans. However, Orlando as 2.5 point chalk raises a red flag. There has been little Magic for this bunch when laying points. In sixteen as faves the result has been 2 cashed tickets, 13 tossed in the waste basket and 1 push.
Inside the Paint - Thursday
By Chris David
VegasInsider.com
The NBA playoff race became a little clearer last night as Golden State clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and the best record for the third straight season. San Antonio helped the Warriors’ cause by dropping a 102-95 decision at home to the lowly Lakers on Wednesday as a 12-point favorite. Los Angeles was listed as high as a 19/2 betting choice (Bet $100 to win $950) on the money-line to capture the outright road win.
In the Eastern Conference, Charlotte and Detroit both came up flat at home in losses to Miami and Toronto respectively. Even though the pair haven’t been eliminated mathematically, they would both need miracles down the stretch to earn a playoff spot. Also, Cleveland’s win at Boston on Wednesday inched them closer to obtaining the No. 1 seed in the East since they now own the head-to-head tiebreaker (3-1) over the Celtics.
For those keeping track, favorites went 5-3 straight up last night but underdogs were 4-2-2 against the spread while the ‘over’ produced a 5-3 record.
Central Clash
Indiana (38-40 SU, 35-43 ATS) faces another must-win game on Thursday as Milwaukee (40-38 SU, 34-44 ATS) pays a visit to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers are tied with the Heat and Bulls for the seventh seed in the East but both those clubs own tiebreakers over them. The Bucks are currently in the fifth slot in the East and two games ahead of the aforementioned trio.
Milwaukee was on a roll in March, winning 14 of 17 games but it comes into this game off back-to-back losses and that includes a humbling 110-79 blowout loss at Oklahoma City on Tuesday. On that same night, Indiana rallied past Toronto for a 108-90 decision at home to snap a four-game losing skid.
Oddsmakers opened the Pacers as 4½-point home favorites and you could be reluctant to lay the points knowing the Bucks have won and covered all three meetings versus the Indiana this season plus all of the outcomes were decided by double digits.
The Bucks haven’t dropped three straight since early February but the defense has been shaky the last six games, allowing 106.8 points per game. Indiana’s strength this season has been at home, evidenced by its 27-12 record.
Road Favorites
There are three teams expected to be laying points on the road Thursday and all of the matchups take place in the East.
Chicago (38-40 SU, 39-39 ATS) at Philadelphia (28-50 SU, 48-30 ATS)
After having their four-game losing streak snapped in a 100-91 loss to the Knicks on Tuesday, the Bulls will look to rebound against a 76ers squad that embarrassed them 117-107 on Mar. 24 at home. Fortunately for Chicago, Philadelphia has been giving more minutes to its youngsters and that has resulted in four consecutive losses for the club and the defense (118.8 PPG) has been getting diced up.
Despite losing to Philadelphia a couple weeks ago, Chicago did win the first two regular season meetings versus the 76ers and both decisions (121-108, 105-89) came by double digits. Bettors could still be hesitant to lay points on the road with the Bulls knowing they are 3-4 both SU and ATS in that role this season and that includes Tuesday’s setback versus New York.
Washington (47-31 SU, 40-37-1 ATS) at New York (30-48 SU, 41-37 ATS)
No opening line was sent out on this game due to the status of New York forward Kristaps Porzingis, who is nursing a back injury. Regardless of his availability, Washington will close as the favorite and it has won nine of their last 10 matchups against the Knicks and that includes a 3-0 record both SU and ATS this season. The ‘over’ has cashed in all three games with Washington lighting up the scoreboard with 117, 113 and 119 points.
As mentioned above, New York did beat Chicago on Tuesday and it’s a respectable 3-3 both SU and ATS in its last six despite playing with a limited roster. However, the Knicks haven’t won back-to-back games since Dec. 22 and their last four losses off a win were all decided by double-digit margins.
Boston (50-28 SU, 38-38-2 ATS) at Atlanta (39-38 SU, 35-42 ATS)
On Feb. 27, the Hawks earned an impressive 114-98 win over the Celtics as 4 ½-point underdogs. Since that win, Atlanta has fallen into a 6-12 slump and its playoff position isn’t as secure anymore, especially when you look at the schedule. After this game with Boston, they play a home-and-home with Cleveland and close the season with games against other teams in the playoff hunt – Charlotte and Indiana.
The Hawks haven’t played since Sunday when they dropped a 91-82 decision at Brooklyn and will be fortunate to catch Boston on no rest, as the Celtics were humbled 114-91 at home to Cleveland on Wednesday. Boston started the season strong on no rest but it limps into this matchup with a 1-3 record both SU and ATS in its last four back-to-back spots.
Boston opened as a short favorite (-1½) for this matchup and it captured a 103-101 decision in Georgia back on Jan. 13 but the Hawks earned the cover (+4).
Roll the Ball Out
Brooklyn (19-59 SU, 39-37 ATS) and Orlando (27-51 SU, 30-46 ATS) will meet in a meaningless matchup on Thursday and bettors could be a little surprised to see the Magic listed as a short favorite, especially when you look at the form for both clubs.
The Nets have won three straight, six of their last 10 and they’ve gone 7-3 ATS over this span. Meanwhile, Orlando has lost five straight games and that includes a 121-111 loss at Brooklyn last Saturday as a four-point underdog.
This game has the highest total listed on Thursday’s board and it’s hard to argue against the high side. The first two meetings between the pair this season easily went ‘over’ the total and both clubs aren’t exactly defensive-minded. Including the 121 they posted on Orlando last Saturday, Brooklyn dropped 141 on Philadelphia this past Tuesday. Orlando’s offense hasn’t been held under 100 points in nine straight games but the defense has allowed 121 PPG in its last five games.
We Meet Again
The late-night game on Thursday takes place at the Moda Center as Portland (38-40 SU, 37-41 ATS) faces a key matchup against Minnesota (31-46 SU, 35-42 ATS).
These teams just met in a make-up game on Monday from the Target Center and the Timberwolves captured a 110-109 decision but the Trail Blazers earned the cover as two-point road underdogs.
Unfortunately for the pair, they were both forced to play back-to-back spots on the road this past Tuesday due to the postponement and they both lost. Portland ran out of gas in a 106-87 loss at Utah while Minnesota never had a chance in a 121-107 setback against the league’s hottest team in Golden State.
Prior to Monday’s loss, Portland was 2-0 versus Minnesota this season and that includes a 112-100 win on Mart. 25 as a six-point favorite. Four of the last five encounters in this series have gone ‘under’ the total.
With Denver (37-41) losing last night in Houston, Portland holds a one-game lead for the eighth and final spot in the playoffs and it has the tiebreaker over the Nuggets. Even though Trail Blazers are super weak in the frontcourt, especially with the injury to Jusuf Nurkic (leg), the team will play its final four games at home while Denver has two on the road and two at home.
The Blazers are listed as high as six-point favorites on Thursday and that number appears to be inflated due to their playoff urgency. The T-Wolves have gone 3-2 their last five and the offense has been rolling (113.6 PPG) during this run, which has helped the ‘over’ go 5-0.
Struggling Hawks host Celtics
By: Sam Chase
StatFox.com
The Celtics will need to recover quickly after falling on their faces against the Cavs.
The Boston Celtics received a rude awakening on Monday night, getting destroyed 114-91 at home by the Cavaliers (CLE +4) in a game that amounted to a battle for the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Eastern Conference Playoffs. The loss dropped Boston to 50-28 on the year (38-38-2 ATS), which puts them a game back of Cleveland, 2.5 games up on the Raptors and three games up on the Wizards. They’ll have no time to feel sorry for themselves, though, as they will travel to take on another prospective playoff team in the East when they take on the Hawks Thursday night. Atlanta has lost two straight games and nine of their last 11, most recently falling to the worst team in the NBA in a 91-82 loss at Brooklyn on Sunday (BKN +3). They’re currently sitting at sixth in a tight race in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference playoff standings at 39-38 (35-42 ATS), but holding a solid 1.5-game edge over the Bulls, Heat and Pacers. And unlike the Celtics, they’ll be plenty rested on Thursday. Since 1996, teams allowing at least 103 PPG on the season coming off a game in which they scored 85 points or fewer (ATL) are 23-57 ATS when the line is between +3 and -3. Over the last five seasons, games involving a team that has gone Under the total by at least 30 total points in their last five games with winning percentages between .510 and .600 (ATL) are 110-63 Under against totals of 200 or greater. For the Hawks, SG Tim Hardaway is considered probable for Thursday night while SG Thabo Sefolosha is considered doubtful to play.
Not much for the Celtics could be considered a bright spot in their loss to Cleveland, but PG Isaiah Thomas (29.1 PPG, 5.9 APG) did score 26 points on 19 shots and dish out six assists. It was the seventh time in his last eight games that he has scored at least 25, with the lone exception being a blowout win over the Knicks in which he played 24 minutes. Unfortunately, the Celtics appear to have little else in the way of offense as of late. In their last five games, their offensive rating with him on the court is 118.4. Without him: 80.6. (It’s an incredibly small sample size for the Celtics, obviously, but for some context, the Sixers are last in the league with a rating of 100.7 for the season.) Thursday’s game against the Hawks will pit C Al Horford (14.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.3 BPG) against his former team, as he left Atlanta for Boston as a free agent this past offseason. In two games against them this year, he is averaging 8.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 5.5 APG. One problem recently for the Celtics has been the disappearance of PG Marcus Smart (10.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.6 SPG), as he is shooting only 23.7% from the field in his last six games (35.8% for the season). SG Avery Bradley (16.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.3 SPG) disappointed against the Cavs with four points on 1-of-8 shooting and a team-worse +/- of -22. C Kelly Olynyk (9.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG) scored 12 points off the bench.
Before Sunday’s game, star Atlanta PF Paul Millsap (18.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.3 SPG) had missed eight straight contests with a left knee injury. Considering how often they were losing without him, they have to be relieved that he’s back in the lineup. He showed some rust, though, scoring 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting and pulling down four rebounds in 26 minutes. Without him, PG Dennis Schroder (18.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.0 SPG)—who is actually the team’s leading scorer on the season—had taken on an even larger scoring role. He’s averaging 23.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 7.2 APG in his last six games, and has taken a mind-blowing 21.8 shots per game in that stretch. Clearly, the team does not thrive when Schroder has to play that large of a part in the offense. C Dwight Howard (13.4 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 1.3 BPG), who has generally had a good year for his hometown team, has had some strong performances as of late. He had 22 points and 20 rebounds against the 76ers in one of the team’s few recent wins, and he had four blocks in a win against the Suns the day before that. He has reached double-digit rebounds in 19 straight games that he’s played in. Rookie SF Taurean Prince (5.3 PPG, 2.5 APG) has taken on an important role in recent weeks, and he started and played 36 minutes against the Nets, scoring 13 points. Hardaway (14.2 PPG) had 14.