NBA TNT Doubleheader: Knicks at Heat, Mavericks at Suns
By Covers.com
New York Knicks at Miami Heat (-7, 202)
The Miami Heat and New York Knicks know a thing or two about winning at home. After all, the Eastern Conference leaders collectively have won all 15 such contests this season. The Heat, who are 8-0 at AmericanAirlines Arena, will have the home-court advantage on Thursday, when the Knicks pay a visit for a nationally televised game.
The Heat likely are still massaging their ego after woe-begotten Washington doubled its season win total at their expense. New York extended its winning streak to four games on Wednesday as J.R. Smith drilled a step-back jumper as time expired for a 100-98 triumph over Charlotte. Carmelo Anthony finished with 23 points before receiving stitches on the middle finger of his left hand after diving into the bench to save a loose ball. His status for Thursday is unknown, however, head coach Mike Woodson did tell reporters, “He’s going to play. He’ll be ready to play."
ABOUT THE KNICKS (13-4, 11-6 ATS): Coach Mike Woodson insisted after Wednesday's contest that Anthony would be able to play versus Miami. The electric forward cooled off the Heat with a team-high 30 points and 10 rebounds in New York's 104-84 victory on Nov. 2. As for Wednesday, Jason Kidd returned following a four-game absence due to lower back spasms. The veteran guard came off the bench to score seven points but logged nearly 25 1/2 minutes to provide a jolt for the Knicks.
ABOUT THE HEAT (12-4, 7-9 ATS): The inexplicable loss to Washington snapped a six-game winning streak for Miami. LeBron James did his best to put the setback in perspective, although his pair of missed 3-point attempts in the waning moments could have altered the outcome. Dwyane Wade insisted that the Heat will have no problem getting up for Thursday's tilt. "It'll be a good game for us," Wade said. "It's a game that we all look forward to. Obviously, we want to play better, and it's a good time for it (facing the Knicks)."
TRENDS:
* Under is 10-2-1 in the last 13 meetings.
* Home team is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.
* Favorite is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings.
* Knicks are 2-6 ATS in the last eight meetings.
* Knicks are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings in Miami.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. New York is off to its best 17-game start to a season since the 1995-96 campaign. It also was 13-4 during that campaign.
2. Wade had 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field in the teams' first meeting. While it's an impressive performance to be certain, Wade has averaged 27.9 points in 25 career games versus New York.
3. The Knicks played their fourth game without C Marcus Camby, who is being plagued by plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns (-3, 199.5)
The Dallas Mavericks try to shake off an awful start to their road trip Thursday, when they take on the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. Dallas began its three-game trek Wednesday in Los Angeles, where it thoroughly was thrashed in a 112-90 loss to the Clippers. The Mavericks never led as they allowed the first seven points of the game and fell behind by as many as 24 late in the fourth quarter.
Phoenix returns home from a 1-5 road trip during which it lost the last four contests. After splitting the first two games of the trek, the Suns suffered a 40-point loss in Detroit on Nov. 28. They dropped close decisions in Toronto and New York before concluding the trip with a 10-point overtime setback to the league-leading Grizzlies in Memphis on Tuesday. Phoenix led by as many as 16 points before Rudy Gay forged a 94-94 tie with 15.9 seconds remaining in regulation.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (8-10, 7-11 ATS): Dallas trailed by 11 points after one quarter in Los Angeles on Wednesday but began the second with a 9-0 run to get within 29-27. That was as close as the Mavericks would get as they were down 18 points at halftime and never got the deficit to single digits in the second half. Guard O.J. Mayo entered the game against the Clippers second in the league with a 52.7 percent shooting efficiency from beyond the arc, went 0-of-4 and has gone without a 3-pointer in three of his last five contests.
ABOUT THE SUNS (7-12, 6-12-1 ATS): Phoenix has not had much success against Dallas of late, losing eight of the last nine meetings between the teams. In fact, the Suns snapped an eight-game skid in the all-time series in their last encounter as they posted a 96-94 triumph at US Airways Center on March 12. It was the team's second win in the last 13 matchups and snapped its three-game home losing streak against the Mavericks. Center Marcin Gortat has started 96 consecutive games and appeared in all 140 contests since being acquired by the Suns from Orlando on Dec. 18, 2010.
TRENDS:
* Favorite is 9-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
* Mavericks are 8-1 ATS in the last nine meetings.
* Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Home team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Over is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings in Phoenix.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Gortat leads the Suns with six double-doubles.
2. Mavericks rookie F Jae Crowder is 3-of-26 from the field over his last four games.
3. The Suns have trailed by double digits in 15 of their 19 contests this season.
Inside the Paint - Thursday
By Chris David
VegasInsider.com
The hardwood heats up Thursday as Miami (12-4 straight up, 7-9 against the spread) welcomes New York (13-4 SU, 11-6 ATS) to American Airlines Arena for a nationally televised affair on TNT at 8:05 p.m. ET. This particular matchup has a lot of intrigue, especially with the Knicks surprising start.
According to Sportsbook.ag, Miami is the 8/5 (Bet $100 to win $160) favorite to win the NBA Finals and the top choice in the Eastern Conference at 1/2 odds (Bet $100 to win $50). The Knicks didn’t get much respect before the season but oddsmakers now have the club listed as the top contender (9/2) to challenge the Heat in the East.
New York gained some confidence early in the season by winning its first six games, the first four by double digits. During that streak, the Knicks blasted the Heat 104-84 on Nov. 2 as six-point home underdogs. Some players didn’t believe the game should have been played due to the effects from Superstorm Sandy to the entire area, especially Heat guard Dwyane Wade.
“''If we're in a car and we're in traffic for three hours, what are other people who are really affected by this, what are they doing? How are they getting around, how are they moving, et cetera?'' Wade said. ''So it was just like, come on man, we shouldn't be here to play a basketball game. If anything, we should be here to do something to help the city.''
The Knicks built an 11-point lead at the break (55-44) and withstood any challenge in the second-half from the Heat. New York shot a blistering 53% (19-of-36) from 3-point land. The Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 30 points.
Even though the Knicks beat the Heat in at the start of the season, Miami has owned New York. In the first round of last year’s playoffs, the Heat took care of the Knicks in five games (3-1-1 ATS) and all of the four victories were by double digits. New York’s lone win was by two points (89-87) and that occurred in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.
Including the results from the above series, Miami has gone 9-1 SU and 5-4-1 ATS in the last 10 home games against the Knicks. Seven of the nine wins came by 10 or more points and the other two came by eight and five. With that being said, tonight’s opening line of seven points makes sense and could be too low if you look at the recent history.
The fatigue factor will be in play for New York tonight. On zero days rest, the Knicks are 1-3 both SU and ATS this season and that includes three straight losses. The ‘over’ has gone 3-1 in the back-to-back situations for New York. Yesterday, the Knicks had to rally past the Bobcats for a 100-98 road victory. They failed to cover the 7 ½-point number but their win streak has now reached four games and winning close games is signs of a good team.
Miami certainly has that knack but it came to an end on Tuesday when it was upset by the Wizards (101-105) on the road. The win for Washington was just its second of the season (2-13). Bettors following the Heat shouldn’t be surprised by the setback, considering they’ve been escaping with a lot of close victories against average teams. In their recent four-game home stand, they beat the Bucks in OT (113-106), barely stopped the Cavaliers (110-108) and almost lost to a second-string Spurs squad (105-100).
Fortunately, they righted the ship in the final contest by beating Brooklyn 102-89 on Dec. 1. It’s apparent that Miami does get up for certain teams and it’s shown at home. They’ve beaten the Nets twice by double digits and they also handed Boston a 120-107 on the opening night of the season. It’s fair to say that the Knicks are in the same class of those Eastern Conference teams, probably a step above on most nights.
Injuries will play a key part in tonight’s game. The Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony got stitches in his finger last night after taking a spill but is expected to play. For the Heat, they won’t have point guard Mario Chalmers (finger) in the lineup and forward Udonis Haslem (hip) is ‘questionable.’ Also, backup point guard Norris Cole (groin) and forward Shane Battier (knee) are listed as ‘probable’ for the matchup.
The Knicks have gone 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS on the road this season and three of the losses have come against Western Conference clubs.
Total bettors are looking at a number hovering around 202 points. The Knicks (8-7) and Heat (9-7) have both leaned to the ‘over’ this season. While neither team pushes the pace offensively, both squads have sharp shooters on the outside and that always help ‘over’ tickets. New York is averaging 11.8 bombs per game from 3-point land, which is ranked first, and Miami is ranked third (8.6) in the league.
After tonight, the Knicks head to Chicago on Saturday while Miami continues its six-game homestand against New Orleans on Saturday. New York and Miami won’t meet again until Mar. 3, which also takes place from South Florida.
Late-Night Guarantee?
It was brought to my attention that the Phoenix Suns are offering a “good times guaranteed or your money back” night when they take on the Dallas Mavericks this Thursday. The organization is guaranteeing that if you attend that game, and are not completely satisfied with the experience, the Suns will refund the price you paid for your ticket. With that being said, if you make a bet on Phoenix and they lose, will the Suns pick up your loss? That certainly sounds like a better gimmick in my opinion and you probably would have a lot more fans showing up.
In case you’re interested in the second-half of TNT’s double-header, Phoenix is laying three points to Dallas and it’s hard to justify a bet on the home squad. The Suns return home from a six-game road trip that watched them go 1-5. Phoenix did manage to cover four of the six games and it was competitive for the most part except for the 40-point (77-117) loss at Detroit.
The Mavericks haven’t been much better lately, going 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS, which includes a 22-point setback (90-112) to the Clippers last night. Dallas is 1-3 both SU and ATS in back-to-back spots this season, with the lone win coming against Cleveland (103-95) on Nov. 17. To be fair to the Mavs, all of these games were on the road. Dallas has only scored 93 PPG in these spots, which has helped the ‘under’ produce a 3-1 mark.
Knicks vs. Heat Point Spread, Trends and Pick
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
LAS VEGAS -- The last time the Miami Heat (12-4) faced the New York Knicks (13-4), the Knicks ran the Heat out of Madison Square Garden in a 20-point win. Things might be a little different Thursday night in Miami, where the Heat are undefeated, 8-0, at AmericanAirlines Arena.
But the Knicks come in full of confidence with the best record in the Eastern Conference, while the Heat are coming off an ego-deflating loss to the Wizards, a team that upped its season win total to two Tuesday night.
The Heat are 7.5-point favorites tonight against the Knicks, and based on what they have done lately, it's clear their rating has been inflated. They have failed to cover four of their last five games and seven of their past 10.
While the Heat have had a day off the think about their terrible loss in D.C., the Knicks had a tough game Wednesday in Charlotte, where they pulled out a 100-98 victory as 7.5-point favorites. Usually, playing back-to-back nights is one of the first bet-against indicators, but not with the Knicks.
Dating back to the end of last season, the Knicks have covered nine of their past 12 games on the second leg of back-to-back games.
The Knicks are currently on a four-game winning, but their rating has caught up with them a bit as well, as they’ve failed to cover the number in five of their past eight games. This will be only the fifth time this season the Knicks have been catching points – they covered three of the first four as dogs. It’s also the largest spread they’ve been getting this season. On Nov 16., the last time they got points, they were getting 6-points at Memphis and lost, 105-95.
The Knicks played their fourth straight game without Marcus Camby (foot) Wednesday night, but got a boost when veteran guard Jason Kidd (back) logged over 25 minutes after missing the previous four games. Carmelo Anthony injured his finger last night, but is expected to play tonight.
The Knicks are off to their best start since the 1995-96 season, when they started with an identical 13-4 record, and things look to be running smoothly on and off the court – or at least until Amare Stoudemire comes back, which might disrupt their current flow. The Knicks should give Stoudemire’s knee all the time it needs to heel and encourage him not to rush things.
The Heat will get a boost from having Shane Battier (knee) back, but could be without Udonis Haslem, who injured his hip against the Wizards. Mario Chalmers (finger) is also officially listed as OUT.
We think this will be a close game, perhaps offering some value with the Knicks, but the better play might on the OVER. Four of the Heat’s last five games have gone OVER, and they force the tempo much better at home than on the road. The Knicks also like to run on the road against good teams, going 6-1-1 to the OVER in their last eight road games against teams with winning records. Tonight’s total is 201.5.
NBA trends:
* The home team has covered five of the past six meetings between the Heat and Knicks. The Heat have gone OVER the total in eight of their last 10 home games.
* The Mavericks have covered their past four games when coming off a game they didn’t cover. The Suns have covered their past four Thursday night games. They’ve also covered 10 of their past 12 home games against a team with a losing road record. The favorite is 9-1 ATS in the Mavericks and Suns last 10 meetings. The Suns are -3.5 with a total of 202.5.