NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Tuesday, October 31st, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Indiana is 6-4 in its last ten games with Sacramento; Kings are 2-0-1 vs spread in their last three visits to Indianapolis. Under is 4-1 in last five series games. Sacramento lost its last four games; they’re 1-2 on road, 1-1 as road underdogs, losing away games by 2-17 points. Under is 4-2 in their games this month. Pacers split their first six games (over 3-3); they’re 2-1 at home, 1-0 as a home favorite.
Nets won four in row, eight of last 10 games with Phoenix, covering last four; Suns are 1-4 vs spread in last five visits to Brooklyn (under 5-0). Phoenix is 3-0 vs spread (2-1 SU) since they changed coaches; they’re 0-2 on road (1-1 vs spread) losing by 42-7 points. Brooklyn lost three of last four games; they’re 3-1 at home, 2-0 as a home favorite. Over is 4-2-1 in their games this month.
Home side won six of last seven Thunder-Buck games; OKC won six of last eight (5-3 vs spread) series games. Under is 7-2 in last nine series games. Oklahoma City split its first six games (under 4-2); they’re 1-2 on road (favored in all 3), losing by 9 in Utah, 3 in Minnesota. Bucks won three of last four games; over is 4-2 in their games this month. Milwaukee split its four home games SU.
Lakers lost their last three games with Detroit, by 20-5-19 points; Pistons are 1-4 vs spread in last five series games played here. Under is 4-2 in last six series games. Detroit won its last three games, by 21-8-8 points; over is 4-2 in their last six games. Pistons won their last three road tilts; they’re 6-1 vs spread overall. Lakers lost three of last four games; they’re 1-3 at home. Last three Laker games stayed under total.
Armadillosports.com
Inside the Paint - Tuesday
By Chris David
VegasInsider.com
Week 3 of the NBA season tipped off last night with nine games and the visitors dominated the slate with a 6-3 record. Four of the six winners were underdogs, which included notable victories by the Magic (+8, ML +260) and 76ers (+7, ML +240) over the Pelicans and Rockets respectively. Underdogs were 5-4 straight up and 5-3-1 against the spread.
Including the above wins, the Eastern Conference went 6-1 against the Western Conference on Monday and the lone team to come out on top was Minnesota, who needed overtime to defeat Miami 125-122 as a three-point road favorite.
After watching the ‘under’ go 35-17 (67%) from last Monday through Sunday, we finally saw the ‘over’ rebound last night with a 7-2 mark. There were actually three totals that closed in the nineties and all of those results went to the high side.
The Association sticks with the non-conference theme on Tuesday as all four games will feature East vs. West matchups and below is my quick handicap.
Sacramento (1-5 SU, 2-4 ATS) at Indiana (3-3 SU, 4-2 ATS)
The Kings (+5½) will be looking to snap a four-game losing skid in this spot and based on their upcoming schedule, this could be the game they take. However, if you’re backing Sacramento then you better hope they play some defense because they don’t have the offensive talent to win games. They’re ranked 28th in the league with 96 points per game and they’re also 28th in effective field goal percentage (47.3%).
Even without center Myles Turner (concussion) out of the lineup, Indiana is the more talented team of the pair but I’d be hesitant to lay the points here. The Pacers just upset the Spurs 97-94 on Saturday as 6½-point home underdogs and we haven’t seen them win back-to-back games yet this season.
The Pacers swept both games against the Kings last season but the outcomes were decided by four and six points. Sacramento covered at Indiana last year and is 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS in its last three trips to the Hoosier State. The ‘under’ is on a 4-1 run in this series.
Phoenix (2-4 SU, 3-3 ATS) at Brooklyn (3-4 SU, 4-3 ATS)
Since the Suns fired head coach Earl Watson and disciplined starting point guard Eric Bledsoe, they've gone 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS. The lone loss came Saturday at Portland (114-107) and the Suns were in the game late but the youngsters couldn’t execute on the road. This matchup against the Nets will be the second game of their five-game road trip and first of three on the East Coast. Bledsoe remains ‘out’ and the latest rumors have him getting traded to a handful of teams in the East.
Brooklyn, like many teams in the NBA, lives and dies by the 3-pointer. Lately, the Nets have been dead ducks as they enter this game with two straight losses after starting the season 3-2. Brooklyn doesn’t boast any All-Stars but it has a lot of guys who chuck from distance and none of them play defense. The unit is ranked last in scoring (118.3 PPG). The Suns are just below them defensively (117.2 PPG) and while they have more size than the Nets, they send their opponents to the line 24.2 times per game (ranked 29th).
This has been a very one-sided series with the Nets winning four straight and eight of the last 10 meetings against the Suns. During this span, Brooklyn has covered four in a row and it dropped 126 and 128 points on Phoenix last season.
The Nets opened as four-point favorites and they have gone 2-0 both SU and ATS in this role. The total in those games ranged from 218½ to 227 and Tuesday’s number opened at 230. It’s hard to argue an ‘under’ look based on the pace and defensive liabilities for both teams. If the shots fall, the loser will likely put up 115 in this game.
Oklahoma City (3-3 SU, 3-3 ATS) at Milwaukee (4-2 SU, 3-2-1 ATS)
Of the four matchups, this is the best one on paper and NBATV will provide national coverage of this game at 8:05 p.m. ET. It’s a good test for both teams and it’s not an easy handicap.
The Thunder sit at .500 through six games and the three wins came against inferior clubs while the losses occurred to the Jazz on the road plus a pair of nail-biters against the Timberwolves. Meanwhile, Milwaukee hasn’t proven to me that it’s a contender just yet. They had a nice road win at Boston to start the season and they stole a game at the Bradley Center against Portland, but home setbacks to the Cavaliers and Celtics keeps you wondering how good they really are.
OKC has been installed as a favorite in all six of its games and its laying a short price (-1½) for this matchup. The Thunder are 1-2 on the road and the only victory came on Saturday in wire-to-wire (101-69) fashion at Chicago. Milwaukee hasn’t been a home ‘dog yet this season but the oddsmakers had a good feel on them last season as the team was just 4-6 SU and 5-5 ATS when catching points.
The home team won and covered both contests between the pair last season and the ‘under’ connected in both of the games and the low side is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.
The total for Tuesday opened 210 and was pushed up quickly to 212 and you could question that move based on what we’ve seen from OKC. The Thunder are ranked third in shooting defense (41.9%) and fourth in scoring defense (96.5 PPG), which has helped the ‘under’ go 4-2.
Detroit (5-2 SU, 6-1 ATS) at L.A. Lakers (2-4 SU, 2-4 ATS)
The expression ‘Hunter to Hunted’ is often used in sports betting circles and it applies to the late-night matchup between the Pistons and Lakers. Detroit has had a solid start to the season and it enters this game off a pair of big upsets against the Clippers and Warriors over the weekend as an underdog. In those wins, Detroit outscored Los Angeles 50-32 in the second-half and followed that effort with a 63-50 effort in the final 24 minutes against the Warriors.
Tonight, the Pistons are expected to win as they look to wrap up their three-game road trip in California as favorites (-4) against the Lakers. Los Angeles has dropped two straight and the offense was held to 92 and 81 points, which has been a major weakness this season. Bottom line is that the Lakers just can’t shoot from the outside, ranked last in 3-point percentage (27.8%) and head coach Luke Walton is already trying to sugarcoat the issue.
"We're better when we're out in transition and we're not bogged down against a half-court defense," Walton said. "Because we're playing so many young guys ... we've got to get out, let them make plays, where they can use some of their skills, some of their youth to their advantage."
The Lakers have started the season 4-2 to the ‘under’ and the oddsmakers continue to drop their totals down, which is the right move. The first five games ranged from 219 to 229, while Tuesday’s number is hovering around 210.
Stan Van Gundy’s squad went 2-0 both SU and ATS versus the Lakers last season and that includes a 102-97 win at the Staples Center.