Tuesday's Best NBA Bets
By Covers.com
Toronto Raptors at New York Knicks (-8.5, 197.5)
The Knicks look like a new team now that Mike Goodson is manning the bench.
New York dropped Indiana 102-88 on Saturday night, marking the fourth straight game that the Knicks have covered the number.
Jeremy Lin posted 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists to lead the way.
"Our hearts are right in it and it was a total team effort," Woodson told reporters after the game. "I couldn't be more proud of a team than I am tonight. I happen to have a great group of guys and a talented bunch. We just have to keep them playing at a high level. If we do that, we have a chance."
The Knicks went into Monday’s action holding onto the last playoff spot on the East and have been a lot better at MSG than they have on the road this year.
Pick: Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder at Utah Jazz (N/A)
The Thunder have split wins and losses in their last seven games, losing a bit of traction on top of the Western Conference. Oklahoma City can win two in a row for the first time since March 7 with a victory over Utah.
The Jazz have won three straight, including a victory over the Lakers, but have lost their last five meetings with the Thunder.
Still, Utah’s three-game winning streak has the team above .500 and sitting tied for ninth in the Western Conference. Forward Paul Millsap has been the constant force for the Jazz, averaging 16.6 points and 10.2 rebounds over his last five games.
Millsap has also become somewhat of a point forward in recent games, dishing out five assists in the win over Los Angeles and averaging four dimes in the last five outings.
Meanwhile, Al Jefferson’s status is still up in the air. He has missed the last two games to be with his family following his grandmother’s death.
Pick: Thunder
Tuesday's NBA Tips
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The NBA will receive some focus over the next few days until the Sweet 16 begins on Thursday night. There is five weeks remaining in the regular season as teams are fighting for positioning in the playoffs. Seven games take place on the Tuesday card, including a pair of late tip-offs on the West Coast. We'll begin in Indiana as two potential playoff teams search for consistency with a victory.
Clippers at Pacers
Los Angeles begins the dreaded three games in three nights stretch in Indianapolis on Tuesday, as the Clippers own a 1-5 ATS record the last six games. Vinny Del Negro's team needed a pair of rallies to beat the Rockets and Pistons, while failing to cover each game as 7 to 7½-point favorites. Now, the Clips head to Indiana to take on a faltering Pacers' squad that just lost a home-and-home series to the Knicks. Indiana is just 2-7 SU and 3-6 ATS the last nine games after beating the Warriors and Hornets following the All-Star break. The Pacers have compiled a 9-5 ATS record off a loss as a favorite, while the Clippers are 6-8 SU/ATS on the highway off a victory.
Suns at Heat
Phoenix hits the road for four games against Eastern Conference foes as the first stop is in South Florida. The Heat begins a three-game away swing following Tuesday's matchup with Phoenix, as Miami is riding a 13-game home winning streak after knocking off Orlando on Sunday. Erik Spoelstra's club is cold against the number since the All-Star break by covering just four of 10 contests, but the Heat is fresh off cashing tickets against the Sixers and Magic. Phoenix is red-hot in the ATS department by compiling an 8-2 mark to the number the last 10 games, including three straight outright wins in the underdog role. Miami is 6-1 SU/ATS the previous seven meetings in the series, including a pair of double-digit victories last season.
Raptors at Knicks
New York has stepped up its game since the resignation of Mike D'Antoni last week, as the Knicks are riding a three-game winning streak. The Knicks hope to avoid a hiccup against the Raptors, who have split the first two meetings this season. Toronto threw away a double-digit lead in Saturday's shocking loss at Charlotte, but the Raptors are an impressive 11-0-1 ATS the previous 12 contests when receiving at least three points. New York is on a four-game ATS winning streak, while its defense has given up more than 100 points in just one of the last three games (Indiana scored 42 fourth-quarter points on Friday to land on 100). The last time these teams hooked up in Toronto last month, Jeremy Lin drilled a last-second three-pointer to lift the Knicks to a comeback victory, 90-87 as 4 ½-point favorites.
Lakers at Rockets
Houston returns home after splitting its last six games, as the Rockets welcome the Lakers. Los Angeles lost outright as 11-point home favorites in Sunday's setback to Utah, as Kobe Bryant was limited to 3 of 20 shooting from the floor. The Lakers have failed to cover each of its last two games, while owning a 2-7-1 ATS record this season as a road favorite. The Rockets are playing without their starting backcourt of Kyle Lowry (infection) and Kevin Martin (shoulder), but Houston is 3-1 ATS the last four games after failing to cover in eight straight contests following the break. The Lakers have grabbed five of the last six meetings in this series, including a 108-99 triumph at Staples Center in early January as 7 ½-point 'chalk.'
Thunder at Jazz
Utah returns home looking for its fourth straight victory as the Jazz battles division rival Oklahoma City. The Thunder has alternated wins and losses in each of the last seven games, coming off Sunday's home blowout of the Blazers as nine-point favorites. Oklahoma City has taken each of the first two meetings this season against Utah, including a 101-87 victory in Salt Lake as one-point favorites on February 10. The Jazz has won five consecutive games at EnergySolutions Arena, while scoring at least 99 points in each of their last seven home contests. Utah is riding a nice 'over' streak as of late by cashing in eight of the previous 10 games, but each of the first two matchups with Oklahoma City finished 'under' the total.
Grizzlies at Kings
Sacramento is coming off consecutive home underdog victories over Boston and Minnesota, as the Kings look to beat the Grizzlies for the first time in three meetings this season. Memphis begins a four-game swing on the West Coast, while failing to cover in three games of its recent homestand, including twice as a heavy favorite against Toronto and Washington. The Kings play the eighth of nine straight contests at home, as Sacramento has eclipsed the 112-point mark in each of the last three games. The Grizzlies routed the Kings each of the first two matchups in Memphis by at least 17 points, while Memphis is 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS the last eight games in the series.
Bucks at Blazers
The second game of the Monta Ellis era in Milwaukee continues at the Rose Garden as the Bucks take on the reeling Blazers. Ellis scored 18 points in his Bucks' debut, which came against his old team in a 120-98 victory at Golden State last Friday. Portland returns home after dealing both Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby at the trade deadline, while head coach Nate McMillan was laid off after losing seven of his final nine games. The Blazers stumble back to the Pacific Northwest after a 2-5 SU/ATS ledger on a seven-game road trip, while owning a 3-6 ATS mark the last nine home contests. Milwaukee looks for its first victory at Portland since 2006 after dropping each of the last five meetings at the Rose Garden.
Hot Teams
-- Clippers are 6-1-1 vs spread in last eight games as road underdog.
-- Suns won/covered nine of their last eleven games. Miami won 12 of its last 13 home games (6-7 as home favorite).
-- Raptors covered six of last eight games as a road dog. Knicks are 3-0 with Mike Woodson as coach, winning by 33-15-14 points.
-- Lakers won/covered their last three road games.
-- Utah won four of its last five games. Thunder won 13 of its last 19 road games.
-- Grizzlies lost three of their last four road games. Sacramento won last four times they were a home underdog.
-- Bucks won last five games, covered last seven.
Cold Teams
-- Pacers lost six of their last eight games.
-- Rockets lost seven of their last ten games.
-- Portland lost eight of its last eleven games.
Wear-and-Tear
-- Clippers: 7th game/10 nites. Pacers: Had last two nites off.
-- Suns: 5th game/7 nites. Heat: 3rd game/5 nites.
-- Raptors: Had last two nites off. Knicks: Had last two nites off.
-- Lakers: 3rd game/5 nites. Rockets: 3rd game/4 nites.
-- Thunder: 4th game/6 nites. Jazz: 5th game/7 nites.
-- Grizzlies: 3rd game/5 nites. Kings: 3rd game/5 nites.
-- Bucks: Had last three nites off. Blazers: 3rd game/5 nites.
Totals
-- Four of last five Indiana games went over the total.
-- Last five Miami home games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Toronto games went over the total.
-- Last four Laker road games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Thunder games went over the total.
-- Six of last seven Sacramento home games went over.
-- Last seven Milwaukee road games went over the total.
Back-to-Back
-- None
Armadillosports.com
LA CLIPPERS (26 - 18) at INDIANA (25 - 18) - 3/20/2012, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 387-455 ATS (-113.5 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 37-56 ATS (-24.6 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 127-178 ATS (-68.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
INDIANA is 53-31 ATS (+18.9 Units) in home games against Pacific division opponents since 1996.
INDIANA is 120-85 ATS (+26.5 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 10-0 ATS (+10.0 Units) in road games after allowing 85 points or less over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
INDIANA is 2-2 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 2-2 straight up against LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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PHOENIX (23 - 22) at MIAMI (33 - 11) - 3/20/2012, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 60-37 ATS (+19.3 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 66-47 ATS (+14.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 38-21 ATS (+14.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 3-1 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI is 3-1 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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TORONTO (15 - 30) at NEW YORK (21 - 24) - 3/20/2012, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 19-33 ATS (-17.3 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
TORONTO is 22-37 ATS (-18.7 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
TORONTO is 32-55 ATS (-28.5 Units) after allowing 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
NEW YORK is 19-8 ATS (+10.2 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 3 seasons.
NEW YORK is 60-38 ATS (+18.2 Units) in home games versus poor offensive teams - scoring <=91 points/game since 1996.
NEW YORK is 109-143 ATS (-48.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 6-3 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 5-5 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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LA LAKERS (28 - 17) at HOUSTON (24 - 22) - 3/20/2012, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 5-3 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 6-2 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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OKLAHOMA CITY (34 - 11) at UTAH (23 - 22) - 3/20/2012, 9:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 7-2 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 8-2 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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MEMPHIS (25 - 18) at SACRAMENTO (16 - 29) - 3/20/2012, 10:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 6-3 against the spread versus SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS is 7-2 straight up against SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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MILWAUKEE (20 - 24) at PORTLAND (21 - 24) - 3/20/2012, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 1-13 ATS (-13.3 Units) against Northwest division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 15-29 ATS (-16.9 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 43-70 ATS (-34.0 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 116-94 ATS (+12.6 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 31-15 ATS (+14.5 Units) in road games second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 28-11 ATS (+15.9 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 56-39 ATS (+13.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
PORTLAND is 51-82 ATS (-39.2 Units) as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
PORTLAND is 3-1 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
PORTLAND is 3-1 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS vs. INDIANA
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of the LA Clippers last 8 games when playing on the road against Indiana
LA Clippers are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Indiana is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home
Indiana is 7-14 ATS in its last 21 games
PHOENIX vs. MIAMI
Phoenix is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Miami
Phoenix is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Miami is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Phoenix
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
TORONTO vs. NEW YORK
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 7 games
Toronto is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 5 games at home
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
LA LAKERS vs. HOUSTON
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 5 games when playing Houston
LA Lakers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Houston
Houston is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Lakers
Houston is 3-8-1 ATS in its last 12 games
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. UTAH
Oklahoma City is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Utah
Oklahoma City is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games on the road
Utah is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Utah's last 7 games
MEMPHIS vs. SACRAMENTO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games when playing Sacramento
Memphis is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Sacramento
Sacramento is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Memphis
Sacramento is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Memphis
MILWAUKEE vs. PORTLAND
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Portland's last 16 games when playing Milwaukee
Portland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
LA CLIPPERS at INDIANA
LA CLIPPERS: 10-0 ATS Away after allowing 85 pts or less
INDIANA: 15-4 Under off SU loss as home favorite
PHOENIX at MIAMI
PHOENIX: 14-6 Under in road games
MIAMI: 49-74 ATS off BB covers as favorite
TORONTO at NEW YORK
TORONTO: 8-1 Under vs. division
NEW YORK: 7-0 Under off road win
LA LAKERS at HOUSTON
LA LAKERS: 6-1 ATS on Tuesday nights
HOUSTON: 8-2 Over in March
OKLAHOMA CITY at UTAH
OKLAHOMA CITY: 5-0 ATS at Utah
UTAH: 8-2 Over in March
MEMPHIS at SACRAMENTO
MEMPHIS: 9-0 ATS after failing to cover 4 or 5 of their last 6 games
SACRAMENTO: 9-2 Over in March
MILWAUKEE at PORTLAND
MILWAUKEE: 1-13 ATS vs. Northwest Division
PORTLAND: 12-2 Over at home vs. Milwaukee
Hoop Trends - Tuesday
By Vince Akins
VegasInsider.com
SU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Clippers are 10-0 ATS (4.8 ppg) since December 16, 2008 on the road when they held their opponent to fewer than 85 points in their last game.
OU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Jazz are 0-10 OU (-9.4 ppg) since January 19, 2007 with at least one day of rest off a win as a dog in which they trailed by 10+ points.
PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:
The Rockets are 10-0 ATS (10.3 ppg) since February 26, 2010 at home with at least a day of rest after a loss in which Luis Scola played fewer than 30 minutes.
CHOICE TREND:
The Bucks are 0-10 ATS (-8.7 ppg) since January 07, 2004 off a road win in which they never trailed.
TODAY’S TRENDS:
The Trailblazers are 9-0 OU (13.1 ppg) since February 19, 2008 off a road loss in which they never led.
The Knicks are 0-10 OU (-12.8 ppg) since April 08, 2011 after a win on the road in which Landry Fields was not the Knicks’ high scorer.