NBA TNT Doubleheader: Knicks at Nets, Heat at Bulls
By Covers.com
New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets (-1, 189)
When the 2013-14 NBA schedule was released months ago, an early December meeting between the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks looked like a sure bet to be a battle between two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Instead, the Knicks will look to snap a nine-game slide when they visit the disappointing Nets on Thursday. Brooklyn is fighting through a series of injuries and turmoil on the coaching staff while dropping eight of its last 10.
New York is just one loss away from matching the worst record in the NBA, and star Carmelo Anthony is not happy about it. “We are the laughingstock of the league right now,” he told reporters. “It’s nothing to hide. We are.” The Nets would be the laughingstock if not for the Knicks and are hoping to snap a five-game home losing streak on Thursday.
COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Knicks (-2.7) - Nets (-2.5) + Home Court (-3.0) = Nets +2.8
ABOUT THE KNICKS (3-13, 4-12 ATS): New York is without Tyson Chandler (broken leg) and is getting little from anyone other than Anthony. Coach Mike Woodson does not believe his players have quit on him and likes the way his team looks in practice. “Right now I think the spirits are still high,” Woodson told ESPN radio in New York. “Practice was spirited (on Wednesday). I think our guys are committed. They haven’t quit.” Anthony did not sound positively spirited when he told reporters, “Do I like being laughed at? Hell no. I don’t like that feeling.”
ABOUT THE NETS (5-13, 6-12 ATS): Brooklyn coach Jason Kidd played for the Knicks last season when the team won 54 games to take the Atlantic Division but is now wearing a suit on the sidelines and making some tough decisions about his staff, including demoting veteran coach Lawrence Frank. That move did not help much on Tuesday, as the Nets were blown out 111-87 in Denver with the former top assistant off the bench. Brooklyn is without Paul Pierce (broken hand), Deron Williams (ankle), Andrei Kirilenko (back) and Jason Terry (knee) while Kevin Garnett is averaging a career low in scoring (6.5 points) and Brook Lopez is seeing constant double teams.
TRENDS:
* Under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings.
* Knicks are 7-3-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Brooklyn.
* Knicks are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 vs. NBA Atlantic.
* Nets are 0-5 ATS in their last five home games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. New York rookie SG Tim Hardaway Jr. is 7-for-11 from 3-point range in the last two games.
2. The teams split the four meetings last season, with the margin of victory an average of 6.8 points.
3. Brooklyn G Joe Johnson is averaging 24 points on 17-for-30 shooting over the last two contests.
Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls (+4.5, 189)
A meeting between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls generally produces some sizzle, whether or not Derrick Rose is involved. But Rose’s latest injury has sent the Bulls into a tailspin, and they will be trying to win for just the second time in eight games when they host the Heat on Thursday. Miami had a 10-game winning streak come to an end on Tuesday and is opening up a four-game trip at Chicago that finishes with a stop at East-leading Indiana.
The Bulls remained one of the strongest defensive teams in the league with Rose out for the 2012-13 season but are struggling on that end since the latest season-ending knee injury to the former MVP. Chicago showed some fight in a 131-128 triple-overtime home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday but were burned on the perimeter, where they allowed the Pelicans to knock down 11 3-pointers. “Our defense is not there,” Luol Deng told the team’s website. “Especially we are not covering the (3-point) line well. That’s hurting us.”
COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Heat (-14.5) - Bulls (-7.0) + Home Court (-3.0) = Bulls +4.5
ABOUT THE HEAT (14-4, 9-9 ATS): Miami is among the league leaders in 3-point efficiency, knocking down 41.1 percent from long range, and rattled in 11-of-20 from beyond the arc in a 107-95 home triumph over the Bulls in the season opener on Oct. 29. The Heat were just 9-for-28 from 3-point range on Tuesday, however, as Shane Battier, James Jones and Chris Bosh combined to go 0-for-9. LeBron James is fighting through a back injury but is still shooting 57.8 percent from the field in his last three games.
ABOUT THE BULLS (7-9, 6-10 ATS): Despite the loss of Rose and the recent swoon, coach Tom Thibodeau is taking a positive approach. “I don’t see anyone hanging their head,” Thibodeau told ESPN Chicago. “(Rose’s) not going to be here, we know that. We’ve got more than enough here. Just concentrate on what we have to concentrate on.” Deng is stepping up with 27.4 points on 54.8 percent shooting in the last five games and Taj Gibson is coming off a career-best 26 points and 14 rebounds in Monday’s loss.
TRENDS:
* Heat are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
* Favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Under is 11-5 in the last 16 meetings in Chicago.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Heat G Dwyane Wade (soreness) sat out Tuesday’s game and is day-to-day.
2. Miami has taken five straight in the series going back to last spring’s Eastern Conference semifinals.
3. Chicago F Carlos Boozer is struggling to 7.3 points on 33.3 percent shooting in the last three contests.
Thursday Tips
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Knicks at Nets
New York: 3-13 SU, 4-12 ATS
Brooklyn: 5-13 SU, 6-12 ATS
Basketball in the Big Apple is pretty rotten this season as these two division rivals have combined for eight wins in 34 games. The Knicks travel to the Barclays Center looking to snap a nine-game skid, while New York has scored less than 100 points in each of the last eight contests. Mike Woodson's club isn't helping backers in this stretch, covering just once in nine games, while falling flat in road defeats at Washington and Detroit.
The Nets are probably a bigger mess in spite of owning two more victories, as Deron Williams, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry remain out due to injuries. Brooklyn has dropped five straight games at the Barclays Center since winning its first two home contests, including four home losses by double-digits. Jason Kidd's squad has compiled a dreadful 2-8 ATS record as a favorite this season, while eclipsing the 100-point mark once in the last nine games.
These teams split four meetings last season, with each team winning once at home and once on the road. Three of the four matchups finished 'under' the total, while Carmelo Anthony tallied 45 points in a three-point triumph in Brooklyn last December.
Clippers at Grizzlies
Los Angeles: 12-7 SU, 10-9 ATS
Memphis: 9-8 SU, 6-10-1 ATS
The Clippers head into Memphis with no rest on Thursday after falling at Atlanta last night, 107-97 as short road favorites. The situation doesn't favor Los Angeles, as the Clippers have lost five straight meetings with the Grizzlies, including a 106-102 defeat at Staples Center last month. The Clippers dropped all three visits to FedEx Forum in the first round of last season's playoffs, with each defeat coming by double-digits.
Los Angeles has been up and down on the road this season, posting a 4-5 record after the loss to Atlanta. The Clips have split four games with no rest, but cashed three times on the second of a back-to-back, including in a five-point defeat at Miami. Doc Rivers' team had finished 'under' the total in six consecutive road games prior to last night's 'over' at Atlanta.
Since sweeping a four-game road trip through California, the Grizzlies have put together a mediocre 2-3 record the last five contests. Following a slow first half against the Suns on Tuesday, Memphis put up 64 second half points in a 110-91 blowout of Phoenix as 2½-point favorites. The Grizzlies are still without center Marc Gasol due to a knee injury, while Zach Randolph sat out the Phoenix victory with an ingrown toenail. Randolph is expected to return tonight, as Memphis has won just once in its last five home contests.
Heat at Bulls
Miami: 14-4 SU, 9-9 ATS
Chicago: 7-9 SU, 6-10 ATS
Miami saw its 10-game winning streak go up in smoke in a 107-97 home defeat to Detroit on Tuesday night. The Heat fell to 3-6 ATS as a home favorite of at least 8 ½ points this season, as Dwyane Wade sat out the loss to rest. Wade is expected back tonight to face his hometown team, as the Heat begins a four-game road trip at the United Center.
The last time the Heat faced the Bulls, Miami broke away from Chicago on opening night in a 107-95 triumph to easily cash as five-point home favorites. Seven members of the Heat finished in double-figures, while the Heat outscored the Bulls, 37-15 in the second quarter to open things up. Miami has performed well on the highway by posting a 5-2 SU/ATS mark, but the Heat hasn't faced a team currently above .500 on the road.
The Bulls are playing their second home game off the long Circus road trip, as Chicago fell in three overtimes to New Orleans on Monday, the first home defeat for Tom Thibodeau's team this season. Chicago has dropped six of its last seven contests, while being limited to below 100 points six times in this stretch. Since the Bulls snapped Miami's 27-game winning streak this past March, the Heat has beaten Chicago six of the past seven meetings.