NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Thursday, February 9th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Philly lost its last five games, is 0-5 vs spread in last five road games. Over is 9-2 in their last 11 games. Orlando lost seven of its last nine games, is 4-6-1 as a favorite- they’re 2-6 vs spread in last eight home games. Three of their last four games stayed under the total. 76ers lost six of last seven games with Orlando; they split last four visits to Magic Kingdom. Over is 5-2 in last seven series games.
Houston won three o fits last four games, is 2-6 vs spread in their last eight road games. Under is 8-4 in their last twelve games. Hornets lost seven of their last eight games, are 0-5 vs spread in last five home tilts. Five of last six Charlotte games went over the total. Rockets won nine of last ten games with Charlotte, winning three of last four visits to North Carolina. Under is 7-2 in last nine series games.
Cleveland won/covered its last four games, with three of those four wins on road. Nine of their last 11 games went over total. Oklahoma City lost four of last six games; they won seven of their last eight home games. Under is 7-3 in their last ten games. Thunder lost their last four games with Cleveland; five of last six series games stayed under the total. Cavaliers won three of last five visits here.
Jazz won last four games overall, won four of last five on road; they’re 2-7 vs spread in last nine road games. Four of last five Utah games went over total. Dallas lost its last two games but won four of its last five at home. Over is 5-2 in their last seven games. Utah won its last three games with Dallas, by 16-3-5 points; Jazz won last two visits here, both in OT. Four of last five series games went over the total.
Boston had their 7-game win streak snapped last night; they’re 2-4 vs spread in last six games on foreign soil. Last four Celtic games stayed under total. Trailblazers are 5-3 in their last eight games overall, 7-4 vs spread in last 11 home games. Under is 11-4 in their last fifteen home games. Portland won six of its last eight games with Boston, winning three of last four played here. Over is 5-5 in last ten series games.
Armadillosports.com
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Cleveland at Oklahoma City
The Cleveland Cavaliers still have the best record in the Eastern Conference, but they haven’t done very well against the NBA odds this year – certainly not as well as the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even without Kevin Durant, the Thunder are holding steady in the Western standings, and they’ll get a crack at the Cavs this Thursday night (8 PM ET, TNT) at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
There was talk that the Cavaliers were interested in doing some more wheeling and dealing after a difficult January that saw them go 7-8 SU and just 3-12 ATS. They might not be entirely happy with their roster, but they did manage to beat Oklahoma City 107-91 two Sundays ago, cashing in as 8-point home favourites on the closing line.
Things have otherwise gone quite well for the Thunder this year. Star point guard Russell Westbrook (+14.1 BPM) is well on his way to being named league MVP for the first time. However, centre Enes Kanter (0.0 BPM) broke his forearm while punching a chair on the sidelines and will miss the next two months of action. Kanter is OKC’s No. 2 scoring threat behind Westbrook at 24.0 points per 36 minutes.
Inside the Paint - Thursday
By Chris David
VegasInsider.com
Favorites produced a 9-3 straight up record on Wednesday and the ‘chalk’ managed to go 7-5 against the spread as well. Two of the three underdogs that won outright were at home as Minnesota and Sacramento knocked off a pair of Eastern Conference contenders in Toronto and Boston respectively.
The other ‘dog to cash was Miami, who dropped the Bucks 106-88 in wire-to-wire fashion while catching four points. The Heat have now won a season-high 12 straight (11-0-1 ATS) and the club has been listed as ‘dogs in seven of those games. The run has a great possibility of reaching 15 with the Nets, 76ers and Magic on tap.
The ‘over’ went 7-5 on Wednesday and is now 9-6 (60%) the last two nights in the NBA.
Game of the Night - Cleveland at Oklahoma City
This was expected to be the top matchup to watch on Thursday but a couple reports have LeBron James (rest) listed as ‘doubtful for Cleveland (36-15 SU, 23-26-2 ATS).
The Cavaliers won and covered their fourth straight game last night by running past Indiana 132-117 as 3½-point road favorites. Along with playing the back-to-back spot, tonight’s matchup will be the third game in four nights for Cleveland and it’s been a great team to fade on zero days rest this season. The club has gone 3-6 SU and 2-7 ATS when facing back-to-back spots and that includes a winless mark (0-6 SU, 0-6 ATS) on the road.
If LeBron doesn’t go, Oklahoma City (30-23 SU, 29-23-1 ATS) will likely close as a short favorite and it’s been a solid investment (18-7 SU, 16-8 ATS) at home this season. However, the Thunder are just 5-5 SU and 4—4 ATS versus the Eastern Conference in OKC and its 2-6 overall versus the Central Division.
These teams recently met on Jan. 29 and Cleveland coasted to a 107-91 victory over Oklahoma City as a 7½-point home favorite. Including this win, the Cavaliers have won four and covered straight versus the Thunder and they’re 7-3 SU and 8-2 ATS in the last 10 encounters.
The ‘under’ is on 5-1 run between the pair in this series but Cleveland enters this game on an 8-2 ‘over’ streak yet those numbers should likely be ignored if LeBron sits.
Along with this matchup, we have four other betting opportunities in the NBA on Thursday and below is my quick handicap.
Philadelphia (18-34 SU, 30-22 ATS) at Orlando (20-34 SU, 22-30-2 ATS)
I thought this line would open a little higher (Magic -4½) but it’s a tough handicap since neither team is in great form. Philadelphia was on fire in January but has come back to life this month with a 0-5 record (2-3 ATS). Meanwhile, Orlando is 3-7 in its last 10 games and surprisingly, the team has played better on the road (11-18) than at home (9-16) this season. The Magic are 5-4 as a home favorite but only 2-5-2 ATS in that role.
The Magic have won the first two meetings (1-1 ATS) against the 76ers this season, both victories coming on the road. Despite owning losing records the last few seasons, Philadelphia has managed to go 2-2 SU and 3-1 ATS in its last four trips to Orlando.
Philadelphia dropped a 111-103 decision last night to San Antonio as a 12-point home underdog and will be facing a back-to-back situation tonight. The 76ers have gone 3-9 on zero days rest this season but they’ve managed to go 6-6 versus the number in these situations. The ‘over’ has gone 8-4 in these games.
76ers center Joel Emiid (knee) has missed 10 of the last 11 games for the team and is expected to sit this game out as well.
Houston (38-17 SU, 31-24 ATS) at Charlotte (24-28 SU, 22-28-2 ATS)
If you handicap this game based on past history, you’re leaning to Houston to win the game outright. The Rockets have gone 17-3 in their last 20 meetings in this series, which includes a 121-114 victory on Jan. 10 as 8½-point home favorites. Charlotte covered the number in that loss and 3-1 ATS in the last four matchups versus the Rockets. The ‘over’ cashed in the last two games between the pair but that was preceded by a 7-0 ‘under’ streak in this series.
The Rockets opened as four-point road favorites and they enter this game off back-to-back wins. Houston hasn’t won three straight since early January and its recent form as a road favorite (2-4 SU, 0-6 ATS) doesn’t provide bettors much confidence.
Making a case for Charlotte isn’t easy either, knowing the club just snapped a seven-game losing streak on Tuesday in a 111-107 win over the lowly Nets. The Hornets are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 and are still winless (0-4 SU, 1-3 ATS) when listed as home underdogs.
Utah (34-19 SU, 23-29-1 ATS) at Dallas (20-32 SU, 28-24 ATS)
The Jazz will be looking to complete a four-game season sweep of the Mavericks when the pair square off on Thursday. Utah ripped Dallas 97-81 in the first encounter back in November but its last two wins only came by three and five points, both resulting in ATS wins for the Mavericks.
Utah is in solid form, winners in four straight (3-1 ATS) and that includes a 127-94 blowout victory at New Orleans last night. The Jazz have been respectable when playing on no rest this season, going 7-5 SU and 6-6 ATS. Delving into those B2B records further, the club started 2-0 on the road but has dropped four straight as a visitor with no rest and all of the losses came by nine-plus points.
Dallas enters this game off back-to-back losses but those setbacks came after the club had won and covered six of their last seven games. Since dealing with injuries in November, Dallas has turned it around and has only dropped three consecutive games once in the last two months.
Despite having some low totals posted in their matchups, these teams have seen the ‘over’ go 4-1 in their last five meetings. Thursday’s number is hovering between 192 and 193 points.
Boston (33-19 SU, 26-24-2 ATS) at Portland (23-30 SU, 22-31 ATS)
These teams met a couple weeks ago in Boston and the Trail Blazers captured a 127-123 overtime victory as 7½-point road underdogs. Portland has won three of the four previous meetings in this series at the Moda Center, which includes a 116-109 last season.
Boston had its seven-game winning streak snapped last night as it was thumped 108-92 by Sacramento as an 8½-point road favorite. Despite racking up wins, the Celtics are just 3-5 ATS in their last eight games.
Fatigue hasn’t been a factor this season for Boston, who has won eight of its last nine games when playing on no rest. Overall, the Celtics are 8-3 SU 7-4 ATS in back-to-back-spots and that includes a 4-2 road mark.
Portland enters this game with a little pep in its step after it edged Dallas 114-113 on Tuesday. The Trail Blazers are 5-3 in their last eight games and have been installed as short favorites (-1½) in this matchup.
Terry Stotts and company had a lot of past success at home but that hasn’t been the case this season (14-11 SU, 12-13 ATS), especially against teams from the East. The Blazers are just 4-5 at home in non-conference matchups and Boston enters this game as one of 10 teams in the league that owns a winning mark (14-11 SU, 15-8-2 ATS) on the road.
Thursday NBA Betting Preview
By Sportsbook.ag
Boston Celtics vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Sportsbook.ag Odds: Portland (-1.5); Total set at 219.5
The Boston Celtics don't have time to lick the wounds they received in Sacramento last night as they are right back at it this evening against a Portland team that has experienced it's own fair share of highs and lows this year. The Blazers prevailed 114-113 in Dallas on Tuesday night thanks to a buzzer beater by C.J. McCollum, as that win got them off a two-game slide.
Tonight the Blazers welcome in a Celtics team that they beat in overtime already this year and come limping in after failing to beat a Kings team without DeMarcus Cousins 24 hours ago.
That first meeting between the Celtics and Blazers was a highly entertaining one a few weeks back as Portland came away with a 127-123 OT win. McCollum (35 points) and Damian Lillard (28 points) led the way for the Blazers, but Portland also got double digit points from four other guys that night. The Celtics aren't exactly known for their defense (18th with 105.7 allowed/game) and the McCollum/Lillard duo torched them all night long.
Portland is going to need similar performances from those two tonight in what should be another high-scoring affair, but you know that Boston would love to erase the memories of not only that defeat, but last night's loss as well.
When the Celtics struggle in games this year it's usually because All-Star Isaiah Thomas isn't getting much help. The diminutive PG has put this Boston team on his back numerous times this year, but he's not going to go off every night and when he doesn't the Celtics need other guys to step up.
That wasn't the case in Sacramento last night as only three others had double-digit points by the end of the evening and it was Amir Johnson (14) who led the way. Others like Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, and prized free-agent acquisition Al Horford have to be much better tonight if Boston does want to leave the Pacific Northwest with a W.
The good news for the Celtics in that regard is the fact that those three guys combined for 50 points in the first meeting with Portland in late January as a very nice complement to Isaiah Thomas' 41. Although Boston didn't win that night, that's the type of production they need from their secondary options and after a very down night in Sacramento, bettors should expect those three to step up their game tonight.
Historically, Boston doesn't mind making the trip to Portland once a year as they are 11-4 ATS the past 15 years in this building. The past few years, they are a team that's showed plenty of energy with all the youth they've got with a 42-17-1 ATS mark the last 60 times they've played their second game in as many nights, and despite last night's setback, Boston is still on a 12-5-2 ATS run away from home.
Bettors may be hesitant to back a Celtics team who are 0-5 ATS in their last five and playing twice in 24 hours, but this is a game Boston needs to have as their western road trip continues on to keep pace with the rest of the pack in the Eastern Conference.