Wednesday's Best NBA Bets
By Covers.com
Washington Wizards at New Jersey Nets (-5, 204)
Two of the Eastern Conference’s cellar dwellers square off Wednesday. Both squads have lost five of six games entering a contest that wraps up a six-game road trip for the Wizards.
Washington has the second-worst record in the conference and has a 4-18 road mark. New Jersey has the third-worst record in the conference. The Nets are 5-17 at home as they wrap up a three-game homestand.
Point guard John Wall has played solidly since the All-Star break but has been turnover-prone over the last two games. Wall has committed 21 turnovers in three games after having just three over the previous three outings.
Wall is averaging 20.0 points and 8.8 assists in 11 games since the break but is now adjusting to new teammates after the trading deadline deals that sent Nick Young and JaVale McGee packing.
New Jersey forward Gerald Wallace was terrific in his second game with New Jersey. Wallace had 27 points and 12 rebounds in Monday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and provided a spark on both ends of the floor.
However, the Nets have still dropped three in a row both straight up and against the spread, while Washington has covered in three of its last four.
Pick: Wizards
Detroit Pistons at Denver Nuggets (N/A)
The Denver Nuggets will be without forward Danilo Gallinari when they complete a nine-game homestand against the Detroit Pistons. Gallinari fractured his left thumb in Monday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks and could be sidelined a few weeks.
The timing hurts in that Gallinari recently returned from an ankle injury. Detroit is in the midst of a tough stretch in which nine of 10 games are on the road. The Pistons are 1-3 through the first four contests.
Detroit hasn’t played since Sunday and that gave hot-scoring guard Rodney Stuckey time to recover from the left big toe ailment that sabotaged his performance in the loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Stuckey injured the toe in Friday’s game against the Phoenix Suns and had just seven points on 1-for-8 shooting against Los Angeles. He had averaged 25.1 points over the previous eight outings.
The Pistons are a much-better offensive team when Stuckey is thriving and able to use his driving ability to score or make trips to the free-throw line.
Pick: Pistons
Wednesday Tips
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The Wednesday sports wagering card will be dominated by the NBA before the Sweet 16 takes over on Thursday. Ten games take place on Wednesday, including a handful of games involving playoff squads getting together. Out in the Western Conference, the Clippers head to Oklahoma City, while the Lakers continue their Lone Star swing in Dallas. We'll start with an Atlantic Division battle as red-hot New York travels to the City of Brotherly Love.
Knicks at 76ers
Philadelphia returns home after blowing out Charlotte on Monday night as 10-point favorites, 105-80. The Sixers own a comfortable lead in the division over the Knicks, who have won three straight games since a six-game losing streak. New York is playing with no rest following Tuesday's home contest against Toronto, as the Knicks own a 5-10 SU and 7-8 ATS record when playing the second of a back-to-back.
The last time these two teams hooked up at Madison Square Garden on March 11 for an early tip-off as the Sixers drilled the Knicks, 106-94 as 2½-point underdogs. Philadelphia shot 50% from the floor, while Lou Williams and Evan Turner combined to score 52 points. The Knicks picked up a victory in the first meeting at the Garden, 85-79 as 3½-point 'chalk' on January 11. The loss by Philadelphia snapped a six-game winning streak for Doug Collins' team, as the Sixers own a 3-5 ATS record as a road underdog this season.
Suns at Magic
Orlando has been a tough team to figure out this season, even though all the Dwight Howard trade rumor drama is over. The Magic was held to below 60 points for the second time this season in Monday's ugly 85-59 home defeat to the Bulls. The Suns continue their trip through the Sunshine State after Tuesday's matchup at Miami, as Phoenix looks to stay hot from a pointspread standpoint.
Alvin Gentry's club has compiled a 9-2 ATS record the last 11 games, including a 3-1 ATS mark as an underdog. The Suns are winning games in both defensive showdowns and offensive shootouts, as Phoenix has limited opponents to less than 100 points in seven of the previous 11 contests. The Magic has done a nice job of rebounding off a loss since early February by going 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS, as the lone defeat came Monday to Chicago.
Clippers at Thunder
Each team is playing with no rest after being on the road last night, as Los Angeles is taking the court for the second of three straight games. The Clippers make the trip from Indiana, while Oklahoma City returns home after a division showdown at Salt Lake City on Tuesday.
In the only meeting of the season, the Clippers silenced the Thunder, 112-100 as two-point home 'dogs in late January. That game is memorable to basketball fans in the "Dunk Heard 'Round the World" by Blake Griffin over Kendrick Perkins, but the most important thing to take from that contest was the 56% shooting from the floor by the Clippers. The Thunder trailed by 18 at the half and never recovered, as Oklahoma City had a modest four-game winning streak snapped.
Oklahoma City has eclipsed the 100-point mark in each of the last five games, while cashing the 'over' four times. On the flip side, the Clippers are riding a six-game 'under' streak, as L.A. has scored 96 points or less in each game of this stretch. Los Angeles owns a 1-5 ATS record the last six contests, but all six times the Clippers were listed as a favorite.
Lakers at Mavericks
The Purple and Gold hasn't been the greatest road team with a 9-14 mark, but the Lakers go for their third victory over the Mavs in three tries. Dallas swept Los Angeles to bring the Phil Jackson era to a screeching halt in the second round of last season's playoffs, but the Lakers have responded with a pair of wins this season.
The Mavs are in the midst of a four-game winning streak following solid victories over the Spurs and Nuggets. Dallas has covered just two of its previous seven contests, including a 1-4 ATS record in the favorite role. The Lakers are riding the 'over' train of late by cashing in six of the last seven games, while scoring at least 97 points in each of those contests.
The first meeting between these teams was one to forget as the Lakers held off the Mavs, 73-70 at Staples Center in mid-January. The game in include plenty of ineptitude from an offensive standpoint, including a combined 23 points between the two teams in the third quarter. The second matchup was infinitely more entertaining as Los Angeles downed Dallas, 96-91 as 4½-point road 'dogs in late February. The Lakers' frontcourt duo of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum combined for 43 points and 23 rebounds, while the Mavs shot just 40% from the field.
Hot Teams
-- Knicks won/covered all four games under Woodson.
-- Bulls won five of their last six games.
-- Suns covered their last five games (4-1 SU).
-- Cavaliers won three of last four on road, covered four of last five.
-- Wizards covered three of their last four road games.
-- Spurs covered eight of last 11 games as a home favorite.
-- Lakers won last four games, by 9-5-7-17 points.
Cold Teams
-- 76ers lost three of their last four games.
-- Raptors lost five of their last seven games.
-- Orlando lost three of its last four games.
-- Hawks covered twice in last seven games as home favorite.
-- Nets lost five of their last six games.
-- Golden State lost its last four games, by 2-22-6-4 points. Hornets lost their last four home games.
-- Clippers lost three of last four road games, but are 6-2-1 vs spread in last nine games as a road dog. Thunder is 3-4 in its last seven games.
-- Minnesota lost five of its last seven games.
-- Denver is 3-13-1 vs spread in its last 17 home games. Pistons lost six of last seven road games (3-4 vs spread).
-- Lakers lost last two games by 4-3 points, are 3-6 vs spread last nine.
Wear-and-Tear
-- Knicks: 4th game/6 nites. 76ers: 4th game/6 nites.
-- Bulls: 4th game/6 nites. Raptors: 8th game/12 nites.
-- Suns: 6th game/8 nites. Magic: 6th game/9 nites.
-- Cavaliers: 3rd game/4 nites. Hawks: 6th game/9 nites.
-- Wizards: Last two nites off. Nets: 4th game/6 nites.
-- Warriors: 6th game/9 nites. Hornets: Had last three nites off.
-- Clippers: 8th game/11 nites. Thunder: 5th game/7 nites.
-- T'wolves: 5th game/7 nites. Spurs: Last three nites off.
-- Pistons: Had last two nites off. Nuggets: 3rd game/5 nites.
-- Lakers: 6th game/9 nites. Mavericks: 3rd game/5 nites.
Totals
-- Seven of last eight New York games went over the total.
-- Last three Chicago games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Phoenix road games stayed under total.
-- Four of last five Cleveland games went over the total.
-- Six of Nets' last seven home games went over the total.
-- Under is 7-1 in Warriors' last eight road games.
-- Six of last eight Clipper road games went over the total.
-- Last six San Antonio games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Detroit games went over the total.
-- Lakers' last five road games all went over the total.
Back-to-Back
-- Knicks are 4-2 vs spread on road if they played at home night before.
-- Toronto is 5-4 if it lost night before, 0-2 if they're playing at home.
-- Suns are 9-4-1 vs spread if they played the night before.
-- Clippers are 3-1 vs spread if they lost the night before.
-- Lakers are 4-6 vs spread on road if they played the night before.
Armadillosports.com
NEW YORK (22 - 24) at PHILADELPHIA (26 - 20) - 3/21/2012, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 74-58 ATS (+10.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 21-12 ATS (+7.8 Units) as a favorite this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
NEW YORK is 37-21 ATS (+13.9 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 36-24 ATS (+9.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 7-3 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 6-4 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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CHICAGO (38 - 10) at TORONTO (15 - 31) - 3/21/2012, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 29-19 ATS (+8.1 Units) in all games this season.
CHICAGO is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) in road games this season.
CHICAGO is 39-26 ATS (+10.4 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 11-1 ATS (+9.9 Units) in road games off an upset win as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 32-56 ATS (-29.6 Units) after allowing 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 5-3 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 5-3 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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PHOENIX (23 - 23) at ORLANDO (29 - 18) - 3/21/2012, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 61-37 ATS (+20.3 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in March games this season.
ORLANDO is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 3-0 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO 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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CLEVELAND (17 - 26) at ATLANTA (26 - 20) - 3/21/2012, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 7-1 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 6-3 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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WASHINGTON (10 - 34) at NEW JERSEY (15 - 32) - 3/21/2012, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 16-28 ATS (-14.8 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 13-22 ATS (-11.2 Units) as an underdog this season.
WASHINGTON is 2-12 ATS (-11.2 Units) as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 22-41 ATS (-23.1 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 8-22 ATS (-16.2 Units) against Atlantic division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 63-86 ATS (-31.6 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 56-71 ATS (-22.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) in home games this season.
NEW JERSEY is 21-35 ATS (-17.5 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 19-35 ATS (-19.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 33-50 ATS (-22.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-3 against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 6-2 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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GOLDEN STATE (18 - 25) at NEW ORLEANS (11 - 34) - 3/21/2012, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ORLEANS is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) as a favorite this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 6-17 ATS (-12.7 Units) in home games this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 18-32 ATS (-17.2 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in home games after a non-conference game this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 17-30 ATS (-16.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 5-2 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
NEW ORLEANS is 4-3 straight up against GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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LA CLIPPERS (26 - 19) at OKLAHOMA CITY (34 - 12) - 3/21/2012, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 387-456 ATS (-114.6 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 24-36 ATS (-15.6 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 184-231 ATS (-70.1 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 144-182 ATS (-56.2 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 127-179 ATS (-69.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
LA CLIPPERS are 16-34 ATS (-21.4 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 127-103 ATS (+13.7 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 56-34 ATS (+18.6 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 19-8 ATS (+10.2 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
LA CLIPPERS is 5-3 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 4-4 straight up against LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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MINNESOTA (23 - 24) at SAN ANTONIO (29 - 14) - 3/21/2012, 8:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 5-4 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 7-2 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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DETROIT (16 - 29) at DENVER (25 - 21) - 3/21/2012, 9:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 2-2 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 3-1 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
4 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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LA LAKERS (28 - 18) at DALLAS (27 - 20) - 3/21/2012, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 61-76 ATS (-22.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) in road games this season.
LA LAKERS are 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is between 185 and 189.5 points over the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS is 84-63 ATS (+14.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in home games against Pacific division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 26-11 ATS (+13.9 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 35-15 ATS (+18.5 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 52-28 ATS (+21.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 30-12 ATS (+16.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 8-5 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 7-6 straight up against LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX vs. ORLANDO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing on the road against Orlando
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Phoenix's last 16 games when playing on the road against Orlando
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando's last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix
Orlando is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
CHICAGO vs. TORONTO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games on the road
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Toronto is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games when playing at home against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 8 games at home
NEW YORK vs. PHILADELPHIA
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
New York is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing New York
Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New York
CLEVELAND vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cleveland's last 7 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Atlanta's last 11 games when playing Cleveland
WASHINGTON vs. NEW JERSEY
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games when playing New Jersey
Washington is 8-14-1 ATS in its last 23 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
New Jersey is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New Jersey's last 7 games when playing Washington
LA CLIPPERS vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
LA Clippers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of the LA Clippers last 10 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 6 games
Oklahoma City is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games at home
GOLDEN STATE vs. NEW ORLEANS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Golden State's last 6 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Golden State's last 8 games on the road
New Orleans is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Golden State
New Orleans is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games when playing at home against Golden State
MINNESOTA vs. SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Minnesota's last 18 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing San Antonio
San Antonio is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games
San Antonio is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
DETROIT vs. DENVER
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Detroit's last 16 games when playing on the road against Denver
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games
Denver is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
Denver is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
LA LAKERS vs. DALLAS
LA Lakers are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Dallas
LA Lakers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games
Dallas is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Lakers
Dallas is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
Hoop Trends - Wednesday
By Vince Akins
VegasInsider.com
SU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Wizards are 0-15 ATS (-8.7 ppg) since January 07, 2007 as a road dog after a game in which they blocked at least 10 shots.
OU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Spurs are 12-0 OU (11.6 ppg) since December 30, 2008 when seeking revenge for a road loss in which they led at the half.
PLAYER TREND OF THE DAY:
The Magic are 0-10 OU (-13.2 ppg) since February 08, 2011 at home after a loss in which Dwight Howard played more than 39:30 minutes.
CHOICE TREND:
The Mavericks are 0-11 OU (-10.4 ppg) since April 01, 2003 as a favorite with at least one day of rest after a double-digit road win in which the percentage of their baskets that were assisted was at least ten percentage points higher than their season-to-date average.
TODAY’S TRENDS:
The Cavaliers are 7-0-1 OU (9.9 ppg) since December 15, 2003 as a road dog vs any team they lost to five straight games to.