NBA Betting News and Notes Tuesday, April 23

NBA Playoffs: Tuesday's East Betting Preview
By Covers.com

Milwaukee Bucks at Miami Heat (-14, 197)

Heat lead series 1-0

LeBron James fell two assists short of his ninth career playoff triple-double in Game 1 on Sunday. The Miami Heat still won by 23 points. The Heat will be looking to make it a 2-0 cushion in the best-of-7 series when they host the eighth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks again on Tuesday. James went 9-for-11 from the floor and made or participated in a series of highlight drives and dunks in the second half that the Bucks could not answer.

Miami’s starters rarely played together over the last couple weeks of the regular season, but any rust wore off by the time the third quarter got underway in Game 1. The Heat looked like a well-oiled machine while the Bucks struggled to get anything from anyone other than Brandon Jennings or Monta Ellis. The two guards combined for 48 points but could not get their big men involved. Milwaukee is the only playoff team with a sub-.500 record but was confident enough going into the series for Jennings to predict a win in six games. For that to happen now, the Bucks will need to take four of the next five.

ABOUT THE BUCKS: Milwaukee’s biggest advantage was supposed to be on the glass, where they have Larry Sanders and Ersan Ilyasova up front. Instead, the Bucks were outrebounded 46-31 by a Miami team that ranked last in the NBA in rebounding average during the regular season. Ilyasova was a non-factor, scoring two points on 1-of-7 shooting and attempting only one 3-pointer. Milwaukee could stand to slow things down a bit and move the ball instead of settling for jumpers off the dribble from Jennings and Ellis. The Bucks starting frontcourt of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Ilyasova and Sanders combined for 18 field goal attempts while Jennings and Ellis put up 39 in Game 1.

ABOUT THE HEAT: Miami has won 38 of its last 40 games and has shown no sign that it is ready to slow down. James’ efficient performance was the standard for the whole team, with no one attempting more than Ray Allen’s 13 field goals. Chris Bosh did what Ilyasova has done so well at times, stepping out and going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, and Chris Andersen provided energy to go along with 10 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench. “All I care about is the win,” James said after the game. “I didn’t even know my stats. I just knew that we were playing efficient offensively besides the turnovers.” Those turnovers were the one thing keeping Milwaukee in the game in the first half, but the Heat cleaned that up after the break.

TRENDS:

* Heat are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a losing record
* Under is 3-0-1 in the last four meetings.
* Bucks are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 road games.
* Heat are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Miami 3-point specialists Allen and Shane Battier combined to go 3-for-15 from beyond the arc in Game 1.

2. James has had three career playoff games with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists - the most in NBA history.

3. Milwaukee did not help itself by going 12-for-20 from the free throw line in Game 1.

Boston Celtics at New York Knicks (-6.5, 185.5)

Knicks lead series 1-0.

The Knicks got 36 points from Carmelo Anthony in Saturday's 85-78 victory, but their defense made the difference. New York trailed by seven points late in the third quarter but limited Boston to only eight points in the fourth quarter. The Knicks forced eight turnovers in the final 12 minutes and 21 overall. "We've been playing like this since Rondo went down, so it's not an issue," Celtics center Kevin Garnett said in downplaying the point guard's absence. J.R. Smith, who on Monday was named the league's Sixth Man of the Year, has 15 points for the Knicks in the series opener.

ABOUT THE CELTICS: Boston appeared to have the Knicks right where they wanted them through three quarters, controlling the tempo and forcing Anthony into difficult shots. Garnett and Paul Pierce each missed multiple games down the stretch due to ankle injuries, so fatigue may have been a factor. The lack of bench production certainly was a concern the Celtics, who got a combined four points and zero field goals from their reserves. Jeff Green carried the offense for most of the game, scoring 26 points, but he was limited to two free throws in the fourth. Coach Doc Rivers expects more from Garnett in Game 2. "We've got to get Kevin more involved," he said.

ABOUT THE KNICKS: Although Smith typically provides the spark off the bench, New York received huge contributions from veteran reserves Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin. Kidd, forced into a bigger role due to the ankle injury suffered by starting point guard Pablo Prigioni, had eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Martin also came up big, supplying 10 points and nine rebounds after sitting out the final five games of the regular season with an ankle injury. "When you got Jason Kidd on the floor who's been in as long as he's been in, and Kenyon, I mean it makes a world of difference," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "That was the whole reason for adding those guys to our team."

TRENDS:

* Celtics are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a loss.
* Under is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Under is 5-1 in Knicks’ last six home games.
* Road team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Boston's eight fourth-quarter points tie a franchise record for its fewest in a quarter in a playoff game.

2. New York limited the Celtics to 25 second-half points, matching the franchise mark for fewest points allowed to an opponent in the postseason.

3. The Knicks are hopeful Prigioni will return Tuesday. They were 16-2 with him in the starting lineup.

Warriors at Nuggets: Game 2 Betting Preview
By Covers.com

Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets (-8, 207)

Nuggets lead series 1-0

The first three quarters of Game 1 were all about a pair of young teams getting their feet wet in the playoffs. The final period was when both the Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors really came alive. The Nuggets will try to take a commanding 2-0 lead when they host the Warriors in Game 2 on Tuesday. Golden State battled back in the fourth quarter despite losing David Lee early in the period and will have to figure out a way to win without him going forward.

Lee, who was the team’s lone All-Star and led the league in double-doubles during the regular season, went down with a hip injury in Game 1 and is expected to miss the remainder of the playoffs. The veteran forward was playing his first career postseason game and had helped the Warriors gain an advantage on the glass with 14 rebounds in 29 minutes before exiting. With Lee out of the paint, Andre Miller took over in the final quarter for Denver. The veteran point guard scored 18 of his 28 points in the final frame and drove for a layup with 1.3 seconds left to give the Nuggets a 97-95 victory.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS: An MRI taken after the game on Saturday revealed a torn right hip flexor for Lee, ruling him out for the rest of playoffs. That leaves a big hole in the frontcourt for Golden State, which had thrived with Lee working alongside Andrew Bogut. Those two helped the Warriors build up a 55-45 rebounding advantage in Game 1. With Lee out, Carl Landry will likely move into the starting power forward spot, tightening the defense a tad but shortening the bench and leaving the team without its best inside scorer and weak-side rebounder. Golden State could put even more of the offensive burden on the backcourt trio of Curry, Klay Thompson and Jarrett Jack. Curry went 1-for-10 in the first half on Saturday but finished with 19 points and nine assists and helped the Warriors score 31 points in the fourth quarter. His 3-pointer with 14 seconds left tied it at 95. Golden State was the top 3-point shooting team in the regular season but struggled to 8-for-22 from beyond the arc in Game 1 and will need to pick that pace up to survive without Lee.

ABOUT THE NUGGETS: Denver will be looking to take full advantage of Lee’s absence with the return of Kenneth Faried, who missed Game 1 with a sprained ankle. Faried averaged 11.5 points and 9.2 rebounds in the regular season and is one of many Nuggets able to finish strong on the break and battle in the paint. Denver leaned on Miller in the fourth quarter and the veteran rewarded that trust with strong play on both ends of the floor. Miller led a reserve corps that totaled 49 points, helping to make up for a less impressive effort from the starters. Point guard Ty Lawson was held to 12 points on 6-of-15 shooting and four assists. The Nuggets went 38-3 at home during the regular season and were counting on their team athleticism to wear the Warriors down in the fourth quarter. Getting Faried back should help Denver push the pace right from the start on Tuesday.

TRENDS

* Warriors are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games following a loss.

* Over is 4-1 in Nuggets' last five overall.

* Under is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Denver.

* Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Warriors are 3-18 in 21 games without Lee over the last three seasons.

2. Golden State turned the ball over 18 times in Game 1, leading to 18 points for the Nuggets.

3. Faried has averaged 11.7 points and 10.9 rebounds in seven career games against the Warriors.

Tuesday Playoff Tips
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com

The home teams dominated the series openers in the first round of the NBA playoffs this past weekend. Three teams look to take 2-0 advantages on Tuesday night, including the top two seeds in the East (Heat and Knicks). Meanwhile, the Nuggets attempt to extend their lengthy home win streak against a Warriors' squad down one of their stars. We'll begin in South Florida with the defending champs seeking another blowout.

Bucks at Heat (-14, 197)

There was no reason to believe Brandon Jennings' bold statement prior to this series that the 38-44 Bucks would knock off the Heat in six games. Miami proved in the series opener again that crazy predictions won't faze last season's title-holders, as the Heat blasted Milwaukee, 110-87 to cash easily as 13-point favorites. Past Jennings and Monta Ellis, the rest of the Bucks combined for just 39 points, while Miami chased Milwaukee in the second half with a 58-point outburst.

Erik Spoelstra's improved to 12-3 ATS the last 15 games with the victory in the series opener, including the fifth cover in the previous six opportunities at home. After the Bucks covered the first two meetings with the Heat, Miami's defense has stiffened up by not allowing more than 94 points to Milwaukee in each of the last three meetings.

The Bucks are listed as a double-digit underdog for just the second time this season tonight, while failing to cover five of their last seven times as a road 'dog. Playing away from Milwaukee has been a struggle for Jim Boylan's team recently, losing 10 of their past 11 road contests, with the lone victory coming in the season finale at Oklahoma City as Kevin Durant sat out. The 'under' is profiting on the highway recently for the Bucks, cashing in seven of the last 10 outings.

Celtics at Knicks (-6½, 185 ½)

New York hasn't won a playoff series since 2000, as the Knicks took a positive step forward by grabbing Saturday's Game 1 over the Celtics, 85-78. Boston put up 29 points in the opening quarter, but the C's limped to just 25 points in the second half, including an eight-point spot in the final 12 minutes. The Knicks didn't shoot well from the floor (40%), as New York leaned on the league's leading scorer to carry them to victory.

Carmelo Anthony lifted the Knicks with a game-high 36 points for just his second playoff victory in a New York uniform. The Celtics' bench was one of the main reasons for the horrific offensive performance thanks to a four-point output from Courtney Lee, Jason Terry, and Jordan Crawford on 0-7 shooting from the floor (Lee converted four free throws). The New York bench shined as Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith pumped in 15 points, while Kenyon Martin contributed 10 points.

The Knicks have taken four of five meetings from the Celtics this season, while Boston has now lost eight straight games in the role of a road underdog (3-5 ATS). New York is riding an 11-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden since losing to Oklahoma City on March 7, as Mike Woodson's team has covered nine times in this stretch.

Warriors at Nuggets (-8, 207)

Denver slipped by Golden State in the series opener, 97-95 as Andre Miller's layup in the final seconds gave the Nuggets their 24th straight home victory. The Warriors managed to cash as 7½-point underdogs, but lost David Lee to a hip injury that will sideline the power forward for the rest of the postseason. The Nuggets fell to 1-4 ATS the last five games, as Denver tries to take control of this series heading back to Oakland on Friday.

Past Miller's 28 points, the Nuggets needed to scratch and claw as many points as possible from Ty Lawson, Wilson Chandler, and Corey Brewer, who combined to score 33 points on 15-of-43 shooting from the floor. Denver's three-point shooting ranked 25th in the league and it showed in Game 1, as the Nuggets connected on just 3-of-16 attempts from downtown. The game finished 'under' the total of 211½, but that also tied into the fact that things tipped off at 3:30 local time in Denver.

The Warriors played three games without Lee in the regular season and covered in both opportunities as an underdog at New Orleans and New York. The Nuggets will get a huge boost in the paint as Kenneth Faried is expected to return to the lineup after missing a week with a sprained ankle. Golden State has covered five of its last six games, but own a 4-10 ATS record the last 14 opportunities in the road 'dog role.

2013 NBA Playoffs

Milwaukee lost 16 of last 22 games; can they even win a game in series? Bucks upset Heat 104-85 at home Dec 29, forcing 20 turnovers (+15), but lost other four meetings by 7-13-11-23 points, with under 3-0-1 in last four series games. Heat shot 55.9% from floor, also went 27-33 on foul line in easy Game 1 win. Bucks were -9 with Jennings on court, -14 in 15:00 he sat out; other than Jennings/Ellis, Milwaukee shot 37% for night, not good enough. Miami's bench was just 3-16 behind arc in Game 1, if they shoot better here, game could be even uglier.

Knicks won last four games with Celtics, by 3-15-19-7 points, making 35-74 behind arc in three games in this arena (16-56 in Boston). Celtics have 4th-best defensive 3-point %age, have more playoff experience on their side, but they're without Rondo, which killed them in second half of Game 1, when they were outscored 18-8 in 4th quarter and scored 25 points in whole second half. Four of five series games this year stayed under the total. You look at the first two Game 2's last night, and both visitors played much better than they did in Game 1. All Celtics really wanted was split in NYC, can still get that here.

Denver won four of five vs Golden State this season, with only loss a game they led 60-51 at half; they're 39-3 at home; they won by 11-11-2 in three home games vs Warriors this season. Golden State is in playoffs for only second time in last 19 years, now Lee is out for season with a torn hip flexor- he had 10 points, 14 boards in opener. Landry will be an able replacement for Lee, but Warriors' problem is who will be sub for Landry on second unit? Denver is 6-1 since Gallinari got hurt; they've got 58 wins because they're very deep. Nugget starters were 0-11 from arc in opener; 37-year old Miller bailed them out with 28 points.

Armadillosports.com

Zig-Zag Angle
By Marc Lawrence
VegasInsider.com

NBA ZIG ZAGS…Up In Smoke

Long before the GOLD SHEET first called out the premise, Zig Zags were primarily recognized as popular rolling papers for those who enjoy their smoke of choice.

In NBA handicapping circles, Zig Zags are trendy applications that have been profitable moneymakers during the playoffs. The premise is simple: ‘Play On’ a team off a playoff loss in its very next game.

The theory is that in a short series involving imminent elimination, a team in more inclined to bounce back with a good effort off a losing performance than it is to continue its losing ways.

How have these plays held up of late? You might be surprised.

Here are pointspread results of NBA Playoff Zig Zags from 1991 through 2012.

Game On, Dude

Overall: 708-628-36 • 52.9%
Game Two: 174-144-13 • 54.7%
Game Three: 181-143-6 • 55.8%
Game Four: 133-124-6 • 51.1%
Game Five: 93-100-6 • 48.1%
Game Six: 67-61-2 • 52.3%
Game Seven: 27-22-2 • 55.1%

The strength of NBA Zig Zags appears to be in Game 3 where they become a near 56% point spread play on the blind. That’s especially true for home teams that were limited to 75 or fewer points in Game 2 as these guys get really stoked, going 14-4 in these contests.

Burn Baby Burn

Like all things that are popular, though, they eventually burn out and revert back to the norm.

A combination of the ‘law of averages’ and an adjustment by the oddsmakers has seen the NBA Zig Zags go up in smoke since 2001.

That’s confirmed by the fact that these plays slipped dramatically the last 12 years (2001-2012), going 397-379-26 – or 51.1% - overall as opposed to a 311-249-10 mark – or 55.5% - in games played from 1991-2000.

Talk about a buzz kill.

Round ‘Em Up

Round One: 334-293-29 • 53.2%
Round Two: 216-188-7 • 53.4%
Round Three: 104-101-6 • 50.7%
Round Four: 52-46-3 • 53.0%

While it appears there is hold no discernable edge between rounds, it’s interesting to note that the largest profits are derived by home teams in Round Two as they are 117-99-4, including 71-45-3 when playing off a double-digit defeat.

Planting The Seed

No. 1 Seeds: 93-90-5 • 50.8%
No. 2 Seeds: 93-77-3 • 54.7%
No. 3 Seeds: 81-71-9 • 53.2%
No. 4 Seeds: 74-64-1 • 53.6%
No. 5 Seeds: 62-57-2 • 52.1%
No. 6 Seeds: 50-50-2 • 50.0%
No. 7 Seeds: 38-53-3 • 41.7%
No. 8 Seeds: 54-39-5 • 58.0%

Note these results are since the 1996 season, when our database first began charting seeds.

Disparate results abound between No. 7 and No. 8 seeds.

Digging deeper, No. 7’s are a not-so-lucky 3-13-1 as underdogs of 9 or more points, while No.8’s are 12-3 as a ‘pick’ or favorite.

Rocky Mountain High

So then where is it we can still expect to catch the best buzz possible with NBA Zig Zags these days, you ask?

Twist these two up for size and remember, no bogarting:

1) Double Digit Underdogs are 41-22-1 • 65.2% and,
2) 4.5 or more point favorites off a loss of 20 or more are 29-8 • 78.3%.

After all, they make the best sensimilla… if you know what I mean.

Tuesday Playoff Action
By Sportsbook.ag

MILWAUKEE BUCKS (38-45) at MIAMI HEAT (67-16)

The Bucks will try to improve greatly from Sunday's showing when they visit Miami for Game 2 of their playoff series on Tuesday night.

In Game 1, the Bucks did everything they could to put up points and keep the Heat off the board. That wasn't enough however, as Miami came out on top by a final score of 110-87. Despite the best efforts by Milwaukee's starting backcourt (Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings combined for 48 points), the Heat won the second half by 16 points (58-42). The Heat didn't let the Bucks score 25 points in a single quarter, and defensively the Bucks had absolutely no match for LeBron James, who was nearly perfect on the night. James finished the game 9-for-11 from the field with 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The Bucks (21-21 ATS on road this season) got little help from their bench and role players, and without them, they do not stand a chance versus Miami (38-4 SU, 23-19 ATS at home).

The Bucks are going to need perfect play from their entire roster if they are going to win a game in this series. On Sunday, SG Monta Ellis went 10-for-19 from the field with 22 points and added four steals, four rebounds and a team-high-tying three assists. He was getting quality looks in the game, but he went just 1-for-6 from three and also 1-for-6 from the foul line, contributing to a game-worst, minus-26 rating. Ellis will need to pick up those shooting percentages if Milwaukee is to keep these games closer. PG Brandon Jennings was the only other Bucks player to score in double-digits and he too played a strong offensive game, going 8-for-20 from the field (4-of-10 threes) for 26 points. Jennings only had two assists though, and will need to do a better job of getting his teammates involved. Outside of Jennings and Ellis, no other Milwaukee player eclipsed six points. SG J.J. Redick will have to provide more offense in Game 2, as he went just 1-of-6 from the field with six points and a minus-7 rating in this one.

The defending champions got off to a quick start Sunday against the Bucks and after Milwaukee got the game close again towards the end of the first quarter, the Heat flipped a switch and dominated the rest of the game. SF LeBron James was outstanding, missing a triple-double by just two assists, but he did commit a game-high five turnovers. PF Chris Bosh was dominant inside with 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range. Bosh's size caused Milwaukee tons of problems on Sunday and it could continue to do so in Game 2. SG Dwyane Wade had 16 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and a game-best +26 rating on Sunday, but it was SG Ray Allen who stole the show for Miami at the shooting guard position. In his first playoff game with the Heat, Allen dropped 20 points (6-of-13 FG), five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 29 minutes. He and PF Chris Andersen (10 points on 4-of-4 FG, seven rebounds in 16 minutes) both provided a huge spark off the bench for Erik Spoelstra's team.

BOSTON CELTICS (41-41) at NEW YORK KNICKS (55-28)

Boston will be looking to even up the series at one game apiece when they play in New York on Tuesday.

The first game between these two teams on Saturday ended up in a sloppy 85-78 game in favor of the Knicks. They really clamped down on defense in the fourth quarter and held the Celtics to just eight points in those final 12 minutes. The Knicks are now a sizzling-hot 17-2 SU (15-4 ATS) in their past 19 games, including 11 straight home wins (9-2 ATS) to improve their record at Madison Square Garden to 32-10 SU (25-17 ATS) this season. Boston is just 5-12 SU (7-10 ATS) in its past 17 games overall, and 14-28 SU (16-24-2 ATS) on the road this season.

The Celtics were up by as much as seven points in the third quarter of Game 1, but could not get anything going in the fourth quarter. PF Jeff Green was dominant in the first half of the game, but nowhere to be found in the second. He finished the game with 26 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, but he had just six of those points in the second half. He will need to be aggressive for the entire game if Boston is going to upset New York. SF Paul Pierce also struggled in the second half, but played very well overall for the Celtics with 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds in 39 minutes. But both Green and Pierce turned the ball over six times apiece, contributing heavily to the team's 20 miscues. Boston will need more scoring out of PF Kevin Garnett, who played well defensively (nine rebounds), but finished with just eight points on 4-of-12 shooting. PG Avery Bradley was on top of his game though, going 7-of-14 from the field with 15 points, four assists and three steals. The Celtics are going to need a lot more production from their bench as it combined for just four points, missing all seven FG attempts on Saturday. SG Jason Terry was 0-for-5 from the field and 0-for-4 from three-point range in 20 horrible minutes.

The Knicks didn't play their best in Game 1, but they certainly will take the final result, which was a win over a tough division rival. SF Carmelo Anthony was hot in the first quarter, struggled in the second and third, and then heated up again in the fourth quarter for New York. He was hitting timely buckets when the Knicks need him and finished the game with 36 points (13-of-29 FG), six rebounds and four steals. He was focused defensively and played with tremendous effort. SG J.R. Smith went ice-cold from three-point range, going 1-for-7 on his way to a 7-of-19 shooting performance, but it is unlikely that Smith is that off again. New York was able to get only 20 minutes of playing time out of C Tyson Chandler, who took zero shots in the game after coming back from a bulging disc in his neck. Chandler said after the game that he was rusty, so look for him to improve in Game 2. The two difference makers on Saturday were veterans PG Jason Kidd and PF Kenyon Martin. Kidd finished the game with eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. He also hit back-to-back threes in the third quarter to stop a very threatening Boston run. Martin was also magnificent off the bench, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds (five offensive) and two blocks, including a huge swat on Jason Terry that had Madison Square Garden roaring.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (47-36) at DENVER NUGGETS (58-25)

After nearly knocking off the heavily-favored Nuggets on Saturday, the now Warriors try to even up their first-round series without their best big man in Tuesday night's Game 2 at Pepsi Center.

Denver PG Andre Miller hit an acrobatic reverse lay-up with less than two seconds remaining to cap off a 28-point night and give his team a 97-95 win in Saturday's Game 1. Not only did Golden State lose the game, but they also lost All-Star PF David Lee to a torn right hip flexor in the fourth quarter that will keep him out for the remainder of the postseason. The Nuggets were also missing their starting PF Kenneth Faried (ankle), but he might be able to return to the court on Tuesday for the first time since April 14. Both teams finished the regular season strong, as the Warriors won 10 of their final 15 games (SU and ATS) while the Nuggets closed the season with eight wins in their final nine contests (5-4 ATS). With Saturday's tight victory, Denver has now won four of the five meetings (3-2 ATS) between these teams this season, and is a remarkable 39-3 SU (28-14 ATS) at Pepsi Center, including 24 straight home wins. Golden State is only 19-23 SU (20-21-1 ATS) on the road this season, but is now 5-2 ATS in its past seven away games.

Golden State had little trouble putting up points this season with 101.2 PPG (7th in NBA) on 45.8% FG (11th in league) and an NBA-best 40.3% three-point clip. In Game 1, they fell well below all of those averages with 95 points on 41% FG and 36% threes. Despite holding teams to 43.9% FG (4th in NBA) and 34.7% threes (7th in league), the Warriors still allowed 100.3 PPG overall (19th in NBA) and 107.5 PPG in the season series, so they were pleased to hold Denver to 97 points. Golden State committed the third-most turnovers in the league (14.8 TOPG), but was strong on the glass with a +2.3 RPG margin (8th in NBA). Both of these trends held true on Saturday when the team committed 17 turnovers but dominated the boards with a 55-45 rebounding edge. PF David Lee and C Andrew Bogut were the biggest reason their team fared so well on the boards in Game 1, pulling down 14 rebounds apiece. With Lee leading the NBA with 56 double-doubles in the regular season, eight more than any other player, his absence will surely be felt. Lee also crushed Denver during the regular season with 23.3 PPG (56% FG), 10.3 RPG, 5.0 APG and 2.3 steals per game. Bogut and PF Carl Landry will be asked to score more in the paint. Bogut netted just nine points on Saturday, but blocked four shots and posted a team-best +10 rating. Landry came off the bench to score 14 points with five rebounds in 24 minutes. PG Stephen Curry set an NBA record for most three-pointers made in a season (272), as he actually shot better from three-point range (45.3%) than from inside the arc (44.9%) this season. He couldn't make anything to start the game, going 0-for-9 from the floor, but heated up after that dry spell by finishing 7-of-11 FG including a game-tying three-pointer right before Andre Miller's heroics. Curry finished with 19 points, nine assists, four rebounds, five turnovers and a +8 rating. SG Klay Thompson had a huge finish to the regular season with three straight 20-point efforts, averaging 24.0 PPG on 48% shooting over that span. He kept that streak going in Game 1 with a team-high 22 points (10-for-19 FG). PG Jarrett Jack shot just 42% FG in the regular-season series with the Nuggets, and was also cold on Saturday, making just 3-of-12 shots (0-for-5 threes). But he still contributed a near triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in 33 minutes off the bench.

The Nuggets led the NBA in scoring with 106.1 PPG, as they attempted the second-most field goals in the league (85.2 FGA per game). But they also shot a stellar 47.8% FG (5th in NBA), despite a subpar 34.3% clip on three-pointers (25th in league) during the regular season. Denver failed to reach any of these marks in Game 1 though, scoring 97 points on 44.7% FG and 3-of-16 threes, while missing 10 free throws. Miller was the only Nuggets player with more than a dozen points, getting his playoff-career-high 28 points on 11-of-16 FG with five assists and just two turnovers. Miller had been in a major shooting slump over the final four games of the regular season, scoring just 6.3 PPG on 6-of-30 shooting. PG Ty Lawson didn't play very well in the playoff series opener with 12 points and four assists, well below his 16.7 PPG and 6.9 APG during the regular season. But two other starters also played very well in SF Wilson Chandler and SG Andre Iguodala. Chandler shot just 5-of-16 from the floor, but still finished with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds. He has really stepped up his offense with SF Danilo Gallinari (torn ACL) sidelined, pouring in 20.0 PPG on 51% FG (43% threes) with 6.0 RPG in the final five regular-season games. Iguodala took just four shots, but wound up with eight points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and a game-high +11 rating. This performance wasn't a big surprise considering he had a huge series versus Golden State in the regular season with 20.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 5.0 APG in the four meetings. PF Kenneth Faried hasn't played a full game since April 12 when he recorded a double-double (11 pts, 10 reb) in Dallas. The team thinks his ankle is healed enough for Tuesday, as Faried was a beast in the paint with 11.5 PPG, 11.3 RPG and 2.3 BPG against the Warriors this season.

NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com

Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets

Denver the most dominant home team in the NBA during regular season posting a 38-3 (28-13 ATS) mark and the regular season highest scoring team netting 106.1 points/game needed a last second layup by Andre Miller to lift itself to a 97-95 victory in game-one of it's best-of-seven quarterfinals with Golden State. The Warriors will have a tough time slowing down Denver in back-2-back games especially on home court, the Nuggets have scored 107.5 PPG this season following a game in which they scored =< 100 points including 108.8 per contest on Pepsi Center hardwood (8-3 SU/ATS). Warriors' inconsistencies at the defensive end of the floor going 8-15 (9-14 ATS) on the road following a game in which they held their opponent to =< 100 points won't break through at Pepsi Center. Nuggets on a 7-3 ATS stretch hosting Warriors, 10-2 ATS streak vs the Pacific Division, 9-3 ATS at home laying -6.0 to -8.5 are worth a second look.