NBA Knowledge
Tuesday's hot teams
-- Pelicans won three of last four games (5-1 last 6AU).
-- Detroit won seven of its last nine games (2-5 last 7AU).
-- Miami won five of its last eight games (4-3 last 7HF).
-- Hornets won five of their last six games (2-4 vs spread).
-- Chicago won three of its last four games (3-0 last 3A).
-- Cavaliers won four of their last five games (1-4 last 5AF).
-- Spurs won eight of their last ten games (4-6 last 10AF).
-- Utah won six of its last eight games (6-4HU).
-- Oklahoma City won eight of its last ten games (6-4 last 10AF).
-- Portland won four of its last five games (6-3AF).
-- Sacramento won four of its last six games (4-9HU).
-- Golden State won eight of its last nine games (6-5 last 11HF).
-- Clippers won five of their last six games (3-1 last 4F).
Cold teams
-- 76ers lost last ten games, but covered six of the ten games.
-- Toronto is 3-4 in its last seven games (3-5 last 8HF).
-- Suns lost their last six games (3-3 vs spread).
-- Atlanta lost its last two games, by 2-8 points (5-3 last 8HF).
-- Memphis lost its last six games (2-3 last 5H).
-- Milwaukee lost six of its last eight games (7-2 last 9HU).
-- Denver lost four of its last five games (5-2 last 7HU).
-- Minnesota lost four of last five games (4-2 last 6AU).
-- Lakers lost five of their last six games (3-7 vs spread last 10).
Series records
-- 76ers lost five of last six games with New Orleans.
-- Pistons won four of last five games with Miami.
-- Raptors won three of last four games with Charlotte.
-- Suns are 6-4 in their last ten games with Atlanta.
-- Memphis is 5-3 in its last eight games with Chicago.
-- Cavaliers won four of last five games with Milwaukee.
-- Spurs won eight of last ten games with Utah.
-- Thunder won seven of last ten games with Denver.
-- Portland won its last five games with Sacramento.
-- Golden State won last seven games with Minnesota, but Wolvers are 4-1 vs spread in last five.
-- Clippers won last nine games with Lakers; Lakers covered last three.
Totals
-- Five of last six Pelican games stayed under the total.
-- Last four Detroit games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last eight Toronto-Charlotte games went over.
-- Last four Phoenix-Atlanta games stayed under the total.
-- Nine of last ten Chicago games stayed under the total.
-- Seven of last eight Cleveland-Milwaukee games went over.
-- Eight of last ten Utah games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Thunder-Nugget games went over
-- Eight of last ten Portland-Sacramento games stayed under.
-- Five of last six Golden State-Minnesota games stayed under.
-- Last five Clipper-Laker games stayed under the total.
Back/backs
-- None
Armadillosports.com
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Minnesota at Golden State
The Golden State Warriors try to stretch their season record to 70-8 when they host Minnesota Timberwolves. Home-court advantage is certainly something Golden State can tap into. The Warriors tough nuts to crack at Oracle Arena own a sparkling 37-1 record in front of its friendly crowd. Also good news for Golden State, the Warriors have dominated Twolves winning seven consecutive meetings and fourteen of the past fifteen encounters. The fact that life on the road has not been good for Minnesota as they've posted just 12 wins vs. 26 losses away from Target Center adds fuel Warriors inch closer in their attempt to best Chicago's league-best 72-10 record.
Those numbers in hand, oddsmakers have placed a -17.0 point premium on Warriors. Might be a touch generous. Curry and company haven't exactly been money in the bank as double digit home chalk recently posting a 2-5 record against the betting line. Additionally, as bad as Minnesota has been on the road the Twolves have kept backers happy handed double digits on enemy hardwood going 6-1 against the number. One final betting nugget. Twolves were 2-0 ATS handed double digits at Oracle Arena last year and have now cashed four straight handed 10 or more points in Oakland.
Tuesday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Hornets at Raptors
Charlotte (44-32 SU, 39-36-1 ATS) has never won a division title in franchise history, as the Hornets sit one-half game behind Atlanta in the Southeast with six games remaining. Steve Clifford’s club heads north of the border looking to beat the Raptors for the second time in three tries this season. Charlotte knocked off Toronto in overtime in mid-December, but lost at the Air Canada Center on New Year’s Day, 104-94 as six-point underdogs. The Hornets have won seven straight games off a loss, coming off Sunday’s 112-103 defeat at Cleveland.
The Raptors (51-25 SU, 41-35 ATS) have split their last eight games, coming off Saturday’s 102-95 setback at San Antonio as 13-point underdogs. The backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan sat out against the Spurs following Friday’s victory at Memphis, as Toronto has covered just three times in the past eight contests. The Raptors own a 4-2 ATS record in its past six games as a home favorite, while winning 18 of their last 21 contests at the Air Canada Center.
Pistons at Heat
Detroit (41-36 SU, 39-36-2 ATS) is sneaking closer towards its first playoff berth since 2009, as the Pistons are tied with the Pacers for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons have split their last four contests since a five-game winning streak, coming off Saturday’s 94-90 victory as three-point underdogs at Chicago. Stan Van Gundy’s team is riding a four-game ‘under’ streak, while scoring 95 points or less in each game during this stretch. Detroit captured each of the first two matchups this season with Miami, including a 93-92 triumph as 2½-point road underdogs on December 22.
The Heat (44-32 SU, 39-36-1 ATS) return home from a 1-2 SU/ATS record on the west coast, falling at Portland on Saturday, 110-93 as 6½-point underdogs. Miami played without Dwyane Wade in each of the last two games due to neck and back injuries, as the Heat hope to get their All-Star guard back on Tuesday. Since losing to Golden State on February 24, Miami has won seven of its past eight contests at the American Airlines Arena, while cashing the ‘under’ in each of their last two home victories against the Magic and Nets.
Bulls at Grizzlies
In the game with the most meaning for each team involved on Tuesday, both Chicago and Memphis are in desperate need of a win. The Bulls (39-38 SU, 33-44 ATS) are sitting outside the top eight of the Eastern Conference behind the Pacers and Pistons, in spite of topping the Bucks on Sunday, 102-98. Chicago has won three straight games away from the United Center, while finishing ‘under’ the total in seven consecutive contests overall. The next three games for Fred Hoiberg’s team are against playoff squads, with a trip to Miami on Thursday followed by a critical home contest against Cleveland on Saturday.
Memphis (41-36 SU, 40-36-1 ATS) is wheezing to the finish line as the Grizzlies try to snap a six-game losing streak. In Sunday’s loss at Orlando, the Grizzlies allowed at least 100 points for the fifth time during this skid in a 119-107 setback to lose for the seventh time in the last eight games away from FedEx Forum. Memphis is currently sitting in fifth place inside the Western Conference, but Houston is in ninth place only three games behind the Grizzlies. Dave Joerger’s squad lost at the United Center in their previous meeting with the Bulls in December, 98-85, while dropping the last two home matchups with Chicago.
Spurs at Jazz
Last season, San Antonio (64-12 SU, 43-33 ATS) won 55 games, but finished as the sixth seed in the Western Conference and were eliminated in the first round by the Clippers. This season, the Spurs have an outside shot to win 70 games and still finish second in the West behind the Warriors. San Antonio goes for the season sweep of Utah after capturing the first three matchups by at least 18 points each, including a 98-76 triumph in Salt Lake City on February 25. Gregg Popovich’s team has struggled to cover numbers of late by posting a 1-4 ATS record the last five contests, although three of those ATS losses came as a double-digit favorite.
Utah (39-38 SU, 39-38 ATS) has had its share of problems with the top three teams in the Western Conference this season by compiling an 0-11 record against Golden State, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. The Jazz have taken care of business against non-playoff squads of late with victories in four of their past five games, beating the Wolves twice, Lakers, and Suns to forge above the .500 mark with five games remaining. Quin Snyder’s club has stepped it up down the stretch with a 10-3 SU/ATS record in the last 13 games, while the ‘under’ has hit 10 times.
Wolves at Warriors
Minnesota (25-52 SU, 35-41-1 ATS) is making its first trip to Oracle Arena this season after losing twice to Golden State at home. The Wolves gave the Warriors fits in their last meeting at the Target Center last month before falling, 109-104 as 12½-point underdogs. Minnesota is currently not playing its best basketball by losing four of its past five games, while scoring 85 points or less in each of its last four defeats. Sam Mitchell’s team hasn’t cashed during this five-game stretch, including four losses in the underdog role.
The Warriors (69-8 SU, 42-33-2 ATS) sit one victory away from becoming the second team ever in NBA history to win at least 70 games in the regular season. Golden State bounced back from its first home loss of the season to Boston last Friday to crush Portland on Sunday, 136-111 as 11½-point favorites, as Stephen Curry knocked down nine treys and put up a game-high 39 points. In spite of the cover against the Blazers, Steve Kerr’s squad owns a 3-6 ATS record in the last nine games, including a 1-4 ATS mark in the past five contests at Oracle Arena.
Game of the Day: Pistons at Heat
Covers.com
Detroit Pistons at Miami Heat (-4, 202)
The Detroit Pistons look to build off perhaps their biggest victory in the last seven seasons when they visit the Miami Heat on Tuesday to start a two-game trip to the Sunshine State. The Pistons, who play at Orlando on Wednesday, won 94-90 at Chicago on Saturday to increase their lead over the ninth-place Bulls to two games in their quest to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2008-09.
Detroit is tied with Indiana for seventh in the Eastern Conference with five games left, including a pair against the playoff-bound Heat. “These are games you need to be in for your team to grow and learn,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy told the Detroit News. “Last year, at this time, we were just winding it up. It was coming to an end and it’s great to be playing in games that matter all the way through the season.” Miami clinched its 19th postseason appearance in the team’s 28 seasons after Detroit’s victory over Chicago, despite a 1-2 road swing capped by a 110-93 loss to Portland on Saturday. Heat leading scorer Dwyane Wade (neck, back) missed the last two games and is questionable for Tuesday.
LINE HISTORY: The line was held back until Tuesday morning while everyone awaited the status of D. Wade. When a line was eventually released the Heat came out of the gates as 4.5-point favorites and the total was set at 195.5. By mid-morning the Heat were dropped to 4-point faves and the total rocketed up to 202.
INJURY REPORT:
Pistons - PG S. Dinwiddie (Questionable Tuesday, ankle), SG J. Meeks (Out Tuesday, foot).
Heat - SG D. Wade (Questionable Tuesday, neck), PF C. Bosh (Out Tuesday, leg).
POWER RANKINGS: Pistons (-2.7) - Heat (-5.5) + home court (-3) = Heat -5.8
ABOUT THE PISTONS (41-36, 39-36-2 ATS, 39-38 O/U): Leading scorer Reggie Jackson (18.5) snapped out of a shooting slump with 22 points against Chicago while Marcus Morris continued his scoring surge with 16. Morris is averaging 23.7 points over the past three contests and has drained 32-of-51 from 3-point range over a 12-game span. Tobias Harris has contributed 18.3 points per game over the past four, but defensive stopper Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has struggled during the same stretch by making just 13-of-48 from the field.
ABOUT THE HEAT (44-32, 39-36-1 ATS, 32-43-1 O/U): Miami allowed 106 points per game on the road trip – 7.5 above its average – and has a difficult final six games as it battles three other teams for third place in the East. “Instead of just looking at the standings and where we’re going to end up at the end of the year, we’ve really got to focus on us and try to figure it out right now: How can we go into the postseason being at our best?” forward Luol Deng told reporters. Center Hassan Whiteside has been outstanding with 18 double-doubles in the last 22 games.
TRENDS:
* Pistons are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Heat are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 vs. NBA Central.
* Under is 6-0 in Pistons last 6 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Under is 7-1 in Heat last 8 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
CONSENSUS: Early consensus data is coming in heavy on Miami (59 percent) and the Under (60 percent).
Tuesday's Top Action
By Sportsbook.ag
CHICAGO BULLS (39-38) at MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (41-36)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Bulls -2.5, Total: 200
The Bulls will be hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive with a win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday.
Chicago has played pretty well lately, winning three of its past four games and covering in four of its past five. The Bulls most recently took on the Bucks and came away with a 102-98 victory.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, lost 119-107 as five-point underdogs in Orlando on Sunday. They have now lost six straight games and have only covered in two of those contests. These teams met earlier in the season and the Bulls won 98-85 as 4.5-point home favorites. They’re now 3-2 both SU and ATS in this series over the past three seasons. They’re also 2-0 both SU and ATS in Memphis in that span.
Chicago is a miserable 7-19 ATS after having won two of its past three games and that doesn’t bode well for the team, as Memphis is an impressive 9-1 ATS after a game where both teams scored 105 points or more this season.
PF Taj Gibson (Ribs) is expected to miss this game for the Bulls and PG Derrick Rose (Elbow) is questionable for the team. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, will be without PG Mike Conley (Achilles) for the next couple of weeks and are already without C Marc Gasol (Foot) and PF Brandan Wright (Knee) for the season.
The Bulls have played well over the past week and this team will likely need to win out in order to make it to the postseason. One reason this team has played better is because SG Jimmy Butler (21.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.7 SPG) has returned to form. Over the past two games, Butler is averaging 26.5 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 10.0 APG, 2.0 SPG and 1.5 BPG. He has put the team on his back and will need to continue to play like this moving forward.
C Pau Gasol (16.5 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.0 BPG) is going to need to start shooting the ball better for Chicago, though. Gasol is shooting just 42.7% from the field over the past five games and that is not going to cut it moving forward. He is one of the best post players in the league and the Bulls will be counting on him to win the battle inside on Tuesday.
PF Nikola Mirotic (11.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG) could be the x-factor in this game. Mirotic is averaging 17.2 PPG over the past five games and Chicago is very tough to beat when he is scoring.
The Grizzlies are really struggling lately and one guy that needs to start playing better is PF Zach Randolph (15.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG). Over the past three games, Randolph is shooting just 39.6% from the field and he needs to be more efficient moving forward. The Grizzlies do not have many scoring options, so he’ll need to be the guy that carries them the rest of the season.
Another guy that Memphis needs more out of is SG Lance Stephenson (8.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG). Over the past five games, Stephenson is averaging 11.2 PPG. He’s shooting just 39.0% from the floor in those contests and he needs to make better decisions the rest of the way. He’s at his best when attacking the basket, so it’s important that he gets himself some easy ones at the rim on Tuesday.
SF Matt Barnes (9.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG) will be the x-factor for Memphis. He had 24 points and six rebounds against the Magic on Sunday and will need to play a solid game on both ends of the floor Tuesday.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS (16-60) at LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (48-28)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Clippers -14.0, Total: 206.5
The Lakers will be playing for pride when they face the Clippers on Tuesday night.
The Lakers have been miserable all season and not much has changed lately. This team has now lost two of its past 10 games and it has only shot better than 50% from the field in one of those contests. The Clippers, meanwhile, are coming off of a 114-109 victory as 6.5-point home favorites against the Wizards on Sunday.
The Lakers and Clippers have already met twice this season and the Clippers won both games by double digits. The Lakers did, however, cover the spread in each game. It is, however, worth noting that the Clippers are 9-1 SU in this head-to-head series over the past three seasons. They are also 5-0 SU when hosting the Lakers in that span. One trend that favors the Lakers is that they are 25-15 ATS when the total is 200 to 209.5 this season. They are also, however, a miserable 1-8 ATS after two straight games where both teams scored 100 points or more this season.
SG Lou Williams (Rest) and PF Brandon Bass (Rest) are both out for the season for the Lakers and SF Paul Pierce (Ankle) is expected to miss this one for the Clippers.
The Lakers have been extremely lousy lately, but one guy that will be looking forward to this one is SG Kobe Bryant (16.9 PPG). Bryant is coming off of a solid performance against the Celtics on Sunday, finishing with 34 points and three steals in 33 minutes of action. Bryant has just a few games left in his NBA career and he’ll certainly come out with a ton of fire in all of them.
Other guys to keep an eye on in this game are PF Julius Randle (11.7 PPG, 10.2 RPG) and PG D’Angelo Russell (13.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.2 SPG). Randle has played very well recently and is now averaging 12.4 PPG and 10.0 RPG over the past five contests. He’ll be matched up against a rusty Blake Griffin in this one, so he’ll need to attack the rim frequently. Russell, however, has struggled for the Lakers and needs to find his game. These final games are important for his development and he must hold his own against Chris Paul in this game.
The Clippers are playing well recently and they now get to face a far inferior Lakers team on Tuesday. One guy that should really be ready to go in this one is PG Chris Paul (19.9 PPG, 10.0 APG, 2.1 SPG). In two meetings with the Lakers, Paul is averaging 25.0 PPG and 6.5 APG on 59.5% shooting from the field. He is far too quick for any of the Lakers’ guards and he should dominate this one.
PF Blake Griffin (22.7 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 4.9 APG) is going to be playing in his second game after coming back from his hand injury. He had just six points and five boards in 25 minutes of action against the Wizards on Sunday, but he should be a lot better this time around.
C DeAndre Jordan (12.8 PPG, 13.9 RPG, 2.3 BPG) is also going to be a key factor in this game. Jordan is averaging 7.5 PPG, 15.5 RPG and 1.0 BPG in two meetings with the Lakers this season. He’ll just need to protect the rim and be active on the boards moving forward, as there’s less pressure on him to score with Griffin back.