NBA Betting News and Notes Tuesday, April 19

Tuesday's NBA Playoffs Betting Preview
By Covers.com

Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks (-6, 205.5)

The Atlanta Hawks squandered all of a 19-point lead in Game 1 but recovered late in the fourth quarter and managed to pull out a 102-101 victory. The fourth-seeded Hawks will try to make it two in a row on Tuesday over the fifth-seeded and visiting Boston Celtics, who will be without guard Avery Bradley due to a “significant” hamstring injury suffered late Saturday.

Boston completed its comeback and took an 83-80 lead with 6:48 remaining on Saturday but had Bradley go down seven seconds later on the way back up the court. "Avery has a pretty significant strained hamstring,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters on Sunday. “I would say he would be doubtful for any of the remainder of the series, certainly very unlikely Tuesday night. As of right now, I would say he's out Tuesday night, but obviously he'll continue to get treatment around the clock and go from there. But I would say very unlikely the rest of the series." The absence of Bradley as a lockdown defender could open the floor even more for Atlanta guard Jeff Teague, who collected 23 points and 12 assists in the opener. Teague sealed the Game 1 win at the free-throw line and formed a potent pick-and-roll combination with center Al Horford.

LINE HISTORY: The Hawks opened as six-point favorites at most books and that number hasn't moved. The total began at 206.5 and has come down a full point to 205.5. View complete line history here.

ABOUT THE CELTICS (48-35, 43-39-1 ATS, 39-44 O/U): Boston is touting the fact that it doesn’t have a superstar, and the players were leaning on the “next man up” philosophy after learning the significance of Bradley’s injury. "No change with Avery being out," guard Marcus Smart, who figures to move into the starting lineup, told reporters of his role. "Just have to keep doing what I do. It's just going to be (that) I'm going to have more time to make more effort plays and intensity plays and help my team win. Our little slogan is '(We're) one superstar.' It's us as a team. So this isn't anything new. If Avery was here or not, my responsibilities would be the same." The Celtics could also turn to rookie guards Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter to cover the extra minutes.

ABOUT THE HAWKS (49-34, 42-40-1 ATS, 38-45 O/U): Atlanta held the Celtics to 23.1 percent shooting in the first half of Game 1 and got the stops it needed down the stretch after squandering the lead. The Hawks were the more aggressive team throughout most of the contest and outscored Boston 52-36 in the paint and attempted 16 more free throws. "Another point of emphasis was physicality," Hawks forward Paul Millsap told reporters. "We weren't as physical last year (in the playoffs). (Saturday) was a good night to set that tone. I felt like, especially in the first half, we did that."

TRENDS:

* Celtics are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Hawks are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Under is 9-1 in Celtics last 10 games following a ATS win.
* Under is 4-0 in Hawks last 4 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.

Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs (-18.5, 187)

The San Antonio Spurs are supposed to make quick work of Memphis and it sure looked that the way in the series opener as the Grizzlies suffered their largest margin of defeat in franchise postseason history. San Antonio looks to follow up the impressive 106-74 victory with another solid effort when it hosts Memphis in Tuesday's Game 2.

The second-seeded Spurs had 13 steals and nine blocked shots - All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard had four steals and three blocks - as they pulled away behind their suffocating defense. "Kawhi's a very good defender, and he takes great pride in it," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich told reporters after Game 1. "He did what he usually does for us. It's important. He sets the tone for us defensively, and (Sunday) was a good example of that." The beleaguered seventh-seeded Grizzlies have lost 11 of their last 12 games and their confidence surely took another hit due to the severe beat down. "We're going to forget it," power forward Zach Randolph said afterward. "Put this one in the backwash and get ready for Tuesday."

LINE HISTORY: The betting line for Tuesday's matchup between the Grizzlies and Spurs opened with San Antonio pegged as 18.5-point favorites and the initial total set at 187. View complete line history here.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (42-41, 42-40-1 ATS, 45-36-2 O/U): Memphis needs strong performances from Randolph to avoid being swept and that didn't occur in the opener as he scored just six points on 3-of-13 shooting. "I got some good looks. I just have to knock them down," Randolph told reporters. "They bring a bunch of people when I get the ball. I just have to stay positive. We know what we're dealing with. We've got a lot of young guys. We just have to be better, including myself." Veteran swingman Vince Carter was the Grizzlies' top offensive performer in Game 1 with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 19 minutes.

ABOUT THE SPURS (68-15, 45-38 ATS, 35-46-2 O/U): Leonard, who was named Defensive Player of the Year on Monday for the second straight season, also excelled on the offensive end with 20 points in Game 1 and veteran center Tim Duncan was strong on the board with 11 rebounds. "We got it going defensively," Duncan told reporters. "We were solid the whole way through and then some shots started falling. We kind of extended that lead - I think just giving ourselves a quarter or two to get ourselves rolling." The huge lead allowed power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (dislocated right pinky finger) to be rested - he had 17 points and 27 minutes - as San Antonio had 12 players see 10 or more minutes of action.

TRENDS:

* Grizzlies are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Spurs are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Over is 7-1-1 in Grizzlies last 9 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
* Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
* Grizzlies are 1-5 ATS in the last 6 meetings.

Tuesday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Celtics at Hawks

Atlanta (49-34 straight up, 42-40-1 against the spread) took a 1-0 series lead over Boston by capturing a 102-101 victory in Saturday’s Game 1 at Philips Arena. However, the Hawks missed crucial free throws in the final minute and a late Isaiah Thomas 3-pointer secured a backdoor cover for the Celtics, who closed as five-point road underdogs. Mike Budenholzer’s team easily covered the number for first-quarter wagers (-1.5, -120) and first-half bets (-3).

Al Horford was the catalyst for the winners in Game 1, producing 24 points and 12 rebounds. I hit a pair of prop bets on Horford by taking the ‘over’ for his points (15) and rebounds (eight). I’m also off to a good start for a series prop bet for Horford’s points-per-game average to go ‘over’ 14.5 PPG.

Atlanta raced out to a lead as big as 19 in the first half, leading 51-34 at halftime. Jeff Teague finished with 23 points, 12 assists, four rebounds, one steal and only two turnovers. Kent Bazemore added 23 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots, while Paul Millsap contributed 14 points, seven rebounds, three blocked shots and three assists without a turnover. Mike Scott also scored 14 points and pulled down five boards in 18-plus minutes of action from off the bench.

Atlanta’s off-the-bench trio of Dennis Schroder, Thabo Sefolosha and Tim Hardaway Jr. combined for only two points and went 0-for-11 from the field.

Thomas scored 27 points and dished out eight assists in the Game 1 defeat. Before pulling up lame with a hamstring injury, Avery Bradley scored 18 points for the C’s. Marcus Smart finished with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Jae Crowder contributed 14 points, 10 boards and four assists.

Despite 66 combined points in the fourth quarter of Game 1, the ‘under’ (206) was a winner.

As of late Monday night, most betting shops had the Hawks listed as six-point favorites for Tuesday’s Game 2. The total was 205.5 points, while the Celtics were +210 on the money line (risk $100 to win $210). Atlanta was installed as a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 99 for first-half wagers.

Boston (48-35 SU, 43-39-1 ATS) will be without its second-leading scorer Bradley, who is ‘out’ for Game 2 after sustaining a significant hamstring strain in Game 1. Bradley, who averaged 15.2 points per game during the regular season, is ‘highly unlikely’ to return for the entire series, according to comments made by Brad Stevens on Sunday.

Boston reserve center Kelly Olynyk is listed as ‘questionable’ for Game 2 with a shoulder injury. The Gonzaga product, who averaged 10.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game during the regular season, was limited to 11-plus minutes of playing time in Game 1. Olynyk had two points, one rebound and one assist.

Atlanta has won four in a row over Boston since the Celtics won the first of four regular-season meetings. The Hawks are 3-2 ATS in this year’s five encounters, while the ‘over’ is also 3-2.

Atlanta is 28-14 SU and 22-20 ATS at home this season. Meanwhile, Boston owns a 20-22 spread record on the road. The Celtics are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games as road underdogs. They have won outright in just one of those 10 games, but we should note that the lone victory came at Golden St.

For the updated series price, 5Dimes has Atlanta as a -420 ‘chalk,’ while the Celtics are +335 to win the seven-game series (risk $100 to win $335).

The ‘under’ has cashed at a 5-1 clip in Atlanta’s last six games. In their last 18 home contests, the Hawks have watched the ‘under’ post a remarkable 14-4 record. They have seen the ‘under’ go 45-38 overall, 23-19 in their home games.

The ‘under’ is 44-39 overall for the Celtics, 23-19 in their road outings.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Eastern on TNT.

Grizzlies at Spurs

San Antonio (68-15 SU, 45-38 ATS) cruised to a 106-74 win over a depleted Memphis team in Sunday’s series opener. Gregg Popovich’s club easily took the cash as an enormous 17-point favorite. The 180 combined points fell ‘under’ the 188.5-point total.

Kawhi Leonard led five Spurs in double figures with 20 points, four steals and three blocked shots in Game 1. LaMarcus Aldridge added 17 points and a pair of rejections, while Tony Parker and Patty Mills scored 15 points apiece. Parker dished out a team-high six assists. Tim Duncan played only 21-plus minutes, but he produced seven points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.

Memphis trailed by 11 at intermission of Game 1, but it was quickly put away in the third quarter when San Antonio enjoyed a 33-14 advantage to go into the final stanza ahead by 30. Vince Carter logged only 19 minutes of playing time, but he made 6-of-7 shots and scored a team-best 16 points. Lance Stephenson was the only other Grizzly in double figures with 14 points. Zach Randolph finished with only six points, five rebounds and three assists that matched his three turnovers. Randolph was an abysmal 3-of-13 from the field and didn’t get to the charity stripe.

As of late Monday night, most spots had San Antonio listed as an 18.5-point favorite for Tuesday’s Game 2 at home. The total was 187, while the Grizzlies had outrageous 25/1 odds to win outright at The Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas. For first-half bets, the Spurs are favored by 12 with a total of 93.5.

Memphis is playing without stars Marc Gasol (foot) and Mike Conley (Achilles). Both franchise stalwarts are out with season-ending injuries along with Mario Chalmers, Brandan Wright and Jordan Adams. Gasol, a two-time All-Star who was a first-team All-NBA selection last season, was the Grizzlies’ leading scorer (16.6 PPG) through 52 games of the regular season. He was averaging 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.3 blocked shots and 1.0 steals per game. Conley was lost after 56 regular-season games in which he averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 assists per game.

San Antonio has lost at home just once in 42 games this year. The Spurs are 24-18 versus the number.

The Spurs have seen the ‘under’ cash in four consecutive games to improve to 46-35-2 overall and 22-19-1 in their home contests.

The ‘over’ is 45-36-2 overall for the Grizzlies, but they have seen the ‘under’ go 22-20 in their road assignments.

The updated series price at 5Dimes has San Antonio as a -37500 favorite. The Grizzlies own 125/1 odds to pull the first-round shocker.

TNT will have the broadcast at 9:35 p.m. Eastern.