NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Thursday, March 23rd, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Toronto won four of last five games; they’re 4-6 vs spread in last ten road games. Three of their last four games went over total. Miami won seven of last nine games; they’re 10-2 vs spread in last 12 home games. Three of their last four games went over. Home side won last six Toronto-Miami games; Raptors lost last three visits to South Beach (0-3 vs spread) by 7-12-15 points. Under is 3-1 in last four series games played here.
Phoenix lost its last five games (0-5 vs spread); they’re 2-6 vs spread in last eight road games. Their last six games stayed under total. Brooklyn is 4-7 in last 11 games, 7-12 vs spread in last 19 home games. Over is 8-3 in their last 11 games. Nets won last three games with Phoenix; they covered five of last seven series games, Over is 5-3 in last eight series games. Suns lost three of last four visits to Brooklyn (1-3 vs spread).
Clippers won their last three games; they’re 2-4 vs spread in last six true road games. Four of their last six games went over total. Mavericks lost four of last six games; they’re 0-3 vs spread in last three home games. Under is 5-2 in their last seven games. Clippers won three of last four games with Dallas; teams split last four series games played here. Three of last four series games stayed under.
Grizzlies won four of last five games, are 3-5 vs spread in last eight road games. Four of their last six games stayed under. San Antonio won four of last six games; they’re 3-5 vs spread in last eight home games. Four of their last five games went over. Spurs lost their last two games with Memphis but both games were on road; Grizzlies lost their last four visits to Alamo (1-3 vs spread). Five of last seven series games stayed under.
New York lost six of last seven games; they’re 4-6 vs spread in last ten road games. Four of their last five games went over. Trailblazers won three of last four games; they’re 0-3 vs spread in last three home games. Four of their last six games stayed under. Knicks lost seven of last nine games with Portland; they lost three of last four games in Oregon (1-3 vs spread). Under is 5-2 in last seven series games.
Armadillosports.com
Raptors face red-hot Heat
By: StatFox.com
The Heat will be looking to get back to .500 with a home victory over the Raptors on Thursday.
The Raptors are coming off of an impressive 122-120 overtime victory over the Bulls on Tuesday, and Toronto has now won three straight games and four of its past five. The Raptors trailed by double digits for most of that game against the Bulls, but they were able to send it to overtime and pull it out. The Heat, meanwhile, have arguably been the best team in basketball since falling to 13-30 on the season. They are 22-6 in their past 28 games and should be looking at a spot in the postseason. Miami most recently faced Phoenix on Tuesday and won that game 112-97 as an 11.5-point favorite. The Heat have covered in 12 of their past 15 games, and they’re going up against a Toronto team that they beat 104-89 as six-point home favorites on Mar. 11. The Raptors did, however, win-and-cover when the teams met in Toronto on Nov. 4, and Toronto will be confident in the fact that the team is an impressive 12-4 ATS after two or more consecutive Overs this season. There are also some fascinating trends that favor the Heat, though. Miami is 17-5 ATS in the second half of the season this year, and the team is also 19-9 ATS after a blowout win by 15 points or more over the past two seasons. PF Serge Ibaka (Suspension) is not allowed to play in this game for Toronto, and PG Kyle Lowry (Wrist) is not yet back for the Raptors. The Heat, meanwhile, remain without SG Dion Waiters (Ankle). C Hassan Whiteside (Hand) is, however, likely to play after getting banged up last game.
The Raptors are coming off of a tough victory over the Bulls and SG DeMar DeRozan (27.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.1 SPG) willed his team to a win in that one. DeRozan was 17-for-38 from the floor and had 42 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, one block and a steal in 43 minutes of action. DeRozan was shooting the ball a lot, but he was converting. He’ll likely need to play another game like that on Thursday, as he won’t have the help of both Lowry or Ibaka in this one. With that being the case, DeRozan will need some help from guys like C Jonas Valanciunas (12.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG), PG Cory Joseph (9.2 PPG, 3.2 APG) and SF DeMarre Carroll (9.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.2 SPG) to rise to the occasion here. Valanciunas will need to hold his own in his matchup with Whiteside, and he can’t afford to be a defensively liability. If he is then he will be benched fast, as has been the case often this season. Joseph will also need to just be solid on both ends, as Toronto will get blown out if he is torched by Dragic in this one. Joseph did have 19 points against Chicago, and he should be able to play well offensively in this one. Carroll, meanwhile, has been inconsistent for the Raptors all season. If he can hit some threes then it’d be big for Toronto on Thursday, but he’ll be even more important on the defensive end.
The Heat had a bit of a scare with C Hassan Whiteside (16.8 PPG, 14.2 RPG, 2.1 BPG) injuring his hand last game, but he is expected to be ready to go in this one. That is big news for Miami, as Whiteside has performed at an All-NBA level this season. He has been even better as of late, though. Over the past five games, Whiteside has averaged a ridiculous 21.8 PPG, 15.2 RPG and 2.2 BPG. His athleticism will present a real challenge for Valanciunas on Thursday, so it should be expected that Whiteside stays hot. PG Goran Dragic (20.2 PPG, 5.9 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.2 SPG) will also need to play well for Miami in this one. Over the past four games, Dragic is averaging 21.3 PPG but he is shooting just 42.9% from the floor. He’ll need to be a bit better than that on Thursday, but he should be able to turn it around. He is a lot faster than Cory Joseph, so that should allow him to get to the basket for a few easy ones. SG Tyler Johnson (13.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.2 SPG) could also have a nice game in this one. He is averaging 18.0 PPG over his past three games, and he is seeing a bit of a bigger role with Waiters out.
Thursday's Top Action
By Sportsbook.ag
Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs
Sportsbook.ag Odds: San Antonio (-8.5); Total set at 198.5
The Memphis Grizzlies have sure shown a knack for beating the best the Western Conference has to offer this year as they started the year 2-0 SU and ATS vs. Golden State before finally falling to the Warriors, and they are 2-0 SU and ATS against San Antonio this year entering tonight.
Can they make it three in a row or will the same fate that befell them in Game 3 vs. Golden State happen again?
That third game for Memphis against the Warriors was an ugly one as they lost 122-107 in a contest that was actually much worse prior to the entire 4th quarter essentially being garbage time.
The Grizzlies will have another shot at Golden State following tonight's game, but for now it's all about beating San Antonio.
However, both of their wins over the Spurs this year came at home (the most recent being over the weekend), and although the Spurs have shown remarkable consistency on the road this season (28-8 SU), they still are a great team at home (26-7 SU).
There is also no question that San Antonio hasn't forgotten about those two defeats and will not be looking to rest anyone this evening.
Since Antonio lost to Memphis on Saturday, they've got 2-0 SU and ATS and would love to put a bit more pressure on the Warriors for the #1 seed.
After all, this is a Spurs team that obliterated Memphis in four straight playoff games a year ago and being 0-2 SU against virtually the same squad has to strike Popovich the wrong way.
They've covered the number four of the last five times they've hosted Memphis and they should make it five of six tonight.
What this all boils down to is a strong situation favoring the Spurs in a spot Memphis has been in before this year and failed. There was no doubt that Golden State was looking to make a statement to the Grizzlies in that third game after losing the first two, and San Antonio will be looking to do the same.
Memphis has lost three in a row SU and ATS on the road against Western Conference rivals and only Houston rivals the Spurs in terms of quality.
Oh, and by the way, Memphis started the year out 2-0 SU and ATS vs the Rockets this year as well and ended up losing their third meeting 119-95.
History will likely repeat itself for Memphis tonight as the Spurs will jump on them early and often, basically ending this contest by the early stages of the fourth quarter. 8.5 points may seem like a lot to lay for a team that is 0-2 SU and ATS vs an opponent this year, but when you're as talented as the Spurs are, on your own floor, and looking to make a statement, this number may actually not be high enough.