NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Thursday, November 3rd, 2016 from various handicappers and websites.
NBA Knowledge
Orlando won three of last four games with Sacramento; over is 6-4 in last ten series games. Road team is 7-3 in last ten series games; Kings won three of last four visits to Orlando (over 3-1). Sacramento lost three of last four games, losing OT game in Miami Tuesday; they’re 1-2 as road underdogs. Under is 3-2 in Kings’ games. Orlando is off to a 1-3 start (over 2-2); they lost only home game, to Miami.
Cavaliers won six of last seven games with Boston (5-2 vs spread); under is 8-2 in last ten series games. Celtics lost three of last four visits here; they’re 3-3 vs spread in last six visits to Cleveland. Cavaliers are off to a 4-0 start, winning home games by 29-6-8 points (1-2 as home favorite). Boston beat the Bulls by 7 last night; they’re off to a 3-1 start (over 2-2).
Road team won six of last seven Denver-Minnesota games; Nuggets won last three meetings, by 3-12-4 points. Denver won its last five visits here (under 3-2). Timberwolves are 1-2 (over 2-1), winning only home game by 36 over Memphis. Nuggets lost their last two games by total of five points; all three of their games (1-2) went over the total.
Road team won six of last nine Indiana-Milwaukee games; Pacers won four of last five visits here, with three of last four staying under the total. Indiana split its first four games (over 3-1), losing first two road games by 9-17 points. Bucks also split their first four games (over 3-1); they’re 0-2 vs spread at home (1-1 SU) this season.
Golden State rallied from down 3-1 to nip Thunder in 7 games in playoffs last spring; now Durant is on Warriors, facing his old team for first time. Thunder won/covered once in last six visits to Oakland; under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Golden State won its last three games, all on road, by 8-6-23 points (over 3-1). They lost only home game, to San Antonio. Thunder had tough game vs Clippers in LA last night; they’re 4-0, with three wins by 6 or less points.
Armadillosports.com
Inside the Paint - Thursday
By Chris David
VegasInsider.com
Even though football is still dominating Thursday’s betting landscape with both pro and college action, the NBA has five games on tap tonight which includes a quality double-header on TNT.
Favorites started off this week strong, going 17-3 straight up from Sunday to Tuesday but the underdogs bounced back on Wednesday with a 6-4 mark. Through four days, favorites and ‘dogs have gone 23-7 SU and 15-15 against the spread while the ‘over’ has produced a 19-11 mark.
The marquee matchup for Thursday takes place in the Bay Area as Oklahoma City (4-0 SU, 2-2 ATS) and Golden State (3-1 SU, 1-3 ATS) renew their rivalry from Oracle Arena. The Warriors rallied from a 3-1 deficit to the Thunder in last year’s Western Conference Finals and captured the series in seven games.
While the rematch has some importance, the bigger headline for this game will be the first head-to-head showdown between former Oklahoma City teammates Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
Since KD left, Westbrook has blown up for the Thunder by averaging a triple-double (37.8 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 10 APG) and even more impressive, the team has opened with a 4-0 start. Oklahoma City’s most impressive of the young season win came last night when it beat the L.A. Clippers 85-82 as a 7 ½-point road underdog. This will be the first back-to-back spot for OKC this season and last year they struggled to a 6-10 mark with no rest.
Durant and the Warriors have been installed as 11-point home favorites over OKC and they’ll be looking to win their first home game of the season after getting blasted 129-100 by San Antonio on Oct. 25.
Since that embarrassing setback, Golden State has won three straight and the offense is averaging 118.3 points per game over this stretch. Offensively, Golden State has a big advantage in this matchup but Oklahoma City has been sharper on the defensive side (96.5 PPG) of the ball so far. They’ve held three teams under 100 points and they’re ranked third in defensive field goal percentage (41.8%).
Tonight’s total is listed as high as 226 as of Thursday morning and the number seems a tad inflated based on OKC’s defensive form and the recent meetings between the pair at Oracle Arena. In the last seven games played at this venue, the ‘under’ has produced a 6-1 mark and the highest combined points was 231 during this span.
Tip-off for this game is set at 10:35 p.m. ET with TNT providing national coverage.
The Rest…
Sacramento at Orlando: If you want to “pass” on a game tonight, I believe this is the matchup for you. Both clubs are still getting used to their new coaches (Dave Joerger, Frank Vogel) and the new faces on the roster. The Kings have started their East Coast trip with losses to the Hawks and Heat so the sense of urgency should be high on Thursday. Meanwhile, Orlando earned its first win (103-101) of the season on Tuesday and that came against the winless 76ers, luckily too. It’s been hard to watch the Magic, who are ranked 29th in scoring offense (95 PPG) and field goal percentage (40.8%). For what it’s worth, Orlando has won three of the last four meetings between the pair but Sacramento’s lone win came last November in Florida.
Boston at Cleveland: According to the futures market, these are the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. At the same time, the oddsmakers believe Cleveland is further ahead than Boston at this point, listing them as a 9½-point home favorite over Boston in this matchup. The Celtics beat the Bulls 107-100 last night and that was their largest margin of victory this season. Boston didn’t have center Al Horford (concussion) last night and he’s expected to miss tonight’s game as well. The C’s are 0-1 both SU and ATS this season when playing on no rest.
The Cavs remain unbeaten at 4-0 (2-2 ATS) and that includes a 3-0 mark at home where they’re averaging 116.7 PPG in their three wins. Boston captured a 104-103 win at Cleveland last February as a 6½-point underdog but the Cavs captured the other two regular season encounters by double digits.
Denver at Minnesota: If you appreciate young talent and great coaching, then this is the matchup for you. The Timeberwolves are listed as 3½-point home favorites over the Nuggets while the total is hovering between 208 and 209. Minnesota earned its first win of the season on Tuesday as Memphis gifted them a win by sitting Michael Conley and Marc Gasol. Denver hasn’t played since Monday when it lost 105-102 at Toronto, its second loss by three or less points this season. The Nuggets have eclipsed the century mark in every game this season and also allowed 100-plus as well, which has helped the ‘over’ go 3-1. Last season, Denver went 3-1 both SU and ATS versus Minnesota which included a pair of road wins from the Target Center.
Indiana at Milwaukee: The Pacers opened as two-point favorites over the Bucks and the number looks a little short considering Indiana is more talented squad. However, the Pacers haven’t looked great defensively (112.5 PPG) in any of their first four games and that’s resulted in a 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS record. Coincidentally, Milwaukee has the same exact record as the Bucks (2-2 SU, 1-3 ATS) and the two victories came when it scored 110 and 117 points. The total for this contest is 212 and that’s seven points higher than any of their four matchups last season. Indiana went 3-1 both SU and ATS in last year’s four meetings while the total split at 2-2.