What Bettors Need to Know: Wednesday's NBA Action
By Covers.com
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers (-2, 172.5)
THE STORY: The first two games of the series were both decided by one point and it figures to be another close encounter as the second-round series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3. The 76ers notched an 82-81 victory in Boston on Monday to even the series after blowing a double-digit, fourth-quarter lead in Game 1 as the Celtics prevailed 92-91. Philadelphia is gaining confidence and won both home games against Boston in the regular season.
ABOUT THE CELTICS: Boston forward Paul Pierce is being greatly hindered by the left knee injury he suffered in the Atlanta series. Pierce is 5 of 20 from the field and averaging 10.5 points. He scored seven points in Game 2. Guard Avery Bradley aggravated a shoulder injury in Game 2 and is unable to play at the level he did late in the regular season. Ray Allen is receiving more playing time despite his ankle woes and scored a team-high 17 points in Game 2. Point guard Rajon Rondo is averaging 15 assists. Rondo had 13 against one turnover in Game 2.
ABOUT THE 76ERS: Second-year guard Evan Turner made big plays down the stretch and rookie post Lavoy Allen was a key contributor in both games in Boston. Turner scored six of his 10 points in the final three minutes, including driving for the go-ahead basket with 40.4 seconds left. Allen is averaging 11 points and 7.0 rebounds in the series after averaging 4.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in the regular season. “Our young guys just keep growing and they’re really becoming men,” Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said. “I have to tell you all season long, we couldn’t win these games and now our guys are believing they can do it and it’s pretty special to watch.”
TRENDS:
- Celtics are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings in Philadelphia.
- 76ers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight home games.
- Celtics are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 road games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The 76ers limited Boston to 24 total points in the second and third quarters of Game 2.
2. Celtics forward Kevin Garnett is averaging 24.0 points and 12.3 rebounds over the past three games.
3. Philadelphia forwards Elton Brand (5.5 points, 2.5 points) and Thaddeus Young (4.5 points) have been non-factors in the first two games while dealing with minor injuries – neck for Brand and ankle for Young.
Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder (-7.5, 195.5)
THE STORY: One game won't decide a best-of-seven playoff series, but it's fair to say the Oklahoma City Thunder have all the momentum as they entertain the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of their Western Conference second-round encounter. The Thunder had a lengthy layoff after sweeping the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round but showed no rust in the opener against the Lakers, cruising to a 119-90 victory.
ABOUT THE LAKERS: Los Angeles had precious little time to recover from an emotionally draining seven-game triumph over the Denver Nuggets, and looked sluggish at times against the well-rested Thunder. But Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant distanced himself from the suggestion that extra days off made the difference in Game 1. "Obviously, they're more well-rested than we are, but I don't think it made that much of a difference for us,'' he said. ''We could have had the same amount of days off. They're just younger and faster ... what you saw is them executing extremely well."
ABOUT THE THUNDER: Oklahoma City did several things right in the opening-game victory, but coach Scott Brooks pinpointed one area in particular that pleased him the most: the lack of turnovers. The Thunder handed the ball over just four times - a franchise low, and a remarkable turnaround for a team that averaged a league-high 16.4 turnovers per game during the regular season. ''I think that's huge," Brooks said. "Four - we've had that the first six minutes of games at times." The one-sided result allowed the Thunder to give stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant a large chunk of the night off.
TRENDS:
- Lakers are 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings.
- The over is 4-1 in Thunder last five overall.
- Lakers are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games following a ATS loss.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Monday's loss was the 12th worst in Lakers playoff history. It came just four days after the Nuggets crushed Los Angeles by 28 points.
2. Lakers C Andrew Bynum has averaged nearly 15 rebounds per game over his last four contests.
3. Thunder C Kendrick Perkins aggravated a hip injury in the opener and is a game-time decision for Game 2.
Wednesday's Playoff Tips
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The Wednesday NBA playoff card showcases two very different semifinals series, as far as a competitive standpoint. The Lakers failed to show up against the rested Thunder as Oklahoma City blew out Los Angeles in the series opener. Before we look at that Western Conference matchup, the night begins in Philadelphia with the 76ers looking to pull off another upset through a surprising playoff run.
Celtics at 76ers
These two Atlantic Division rivals have split a pair of close games in Boston, with both clubs squandering early leads in losses. The Sixers turned the trick in Game 2 by picking up an 82-81 road triumph as 4½-point underdogs, heading home tied at 1-1 just like they did in the opening round against the top-seeded Bulls.
Philadelphia fell behind 9-0 in the opening minutes of Game 2, but managed to trail by just two points at halftime. The Sixers responded with a strong 21-11 third quarter run, as the Celtics went nearly five minutes without a point. In fact, Boston converted two field goals in the final 9:48 of the quarter, while Philadelphia closed the period on a 14-2 run.
The controversy surrounding Monday's contest involved an illegal screen whistled on Kevin Garnett with Boston trailing, 85-82 in the final 10 seconds of regulation. The Sixers knocked down several free throws to ice the win, while Garnett and Ray Allen each drilled three-pointers to make the score look closer than it was. Boston attempted only nine foul shots in the defeat (making seven), as Philadelphia held the rebounding advantage, 47-36.
Doug Collins' club returns to the Wells Fargo Center owning a perfect 3-0 record in the playoffs, while covering two of three times in the opening round against the Bulls. The Sixers dismantled the Celtics in two home meetings this season, although Boston played with no rest in both contests. Philadelphia has put together a 4-0 ATS and 3-1 SU mark against Boston in the City of Brotherly Love since the start of last season, as both victories this season came by 32 and 13 points.
The Celtics are 7-15 SU and 12-10 ATS as a road underdog this season, but that record needs to be tightened up as far as this situation is concerned. Boston compiled a dreadful 1-7 SU/ATS record as an away 'dog with no rest, as Doc Rivers' squad will have one day off heading into Game 3. Basically, when the C's are rested as a road 'dog, this club owns a 10-3 ATS mark.
Lakers at Thunder
Oklahoma City sure didn't forget about blowing an 18-point lead at Staples Center on April 22 as the Thunder lost a double-overtime shootout to the Lakers. The Thunder exacted revenge in Monday's 119-90 rout of Los Angeles, the first matchup between the Western Conference rivals since Metta World Peace knocked out James Harden with an elbow three weeks ago.
The Lakers showed their age and fatigue after getting pushed to seven games by the Nuggets in the opening round of the postseason. Mike Brown's club trailed by 15 points at halftime in Game 1 at Oklahoma City, while the Thunder put the contest away with a 39-24 onslaught in the third quarter. The big three of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Harden took over as expected by combining for 69 points, as none of the three young stars played more than 29 minutes.
The last two meetings between these teams have finished 'over' the total, including the easy victory 'over' 192½ in Game 1. This series has been owned by the younger legs of Oklahoma City, which is now 3-1 this season against Los Angeles, including two double-digit victories at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Lakers haven't been able to put together consistent offensive efforts when they travel to OKC, scoring 95 points or less in each of the last five visits to the Sooner State.
The Thunder improved to 3-6 ATS the last nine games as a home favorite off a win on Monday, but OKC is just 1-4 ATS the previous five home contests. The Lakers sailed 'over' the total in six of eight opportunities as a road underdog off a loss this season, while posting a 1-5 ATS record the last six games when receiving points on the highway.
BOSTON (44 - 30) at PHILADELPHIA (40 - 34)
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 88-72 ATS (+8.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) in road games after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in road games after allowing 85 points or less this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 15-25 ATS (-12.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 9-4 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 8-5 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS (45 - 29) at OKLAHOMA CITY (52 - 19)
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 30-43 ATS (-17.3 Units) in all games this season.
LA LAKERS are 12-24 ATS (-14.4 Units) in road games this season.
LA LAKERS are 28-42 ATS (-18.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 140-115 ATS (+13.5 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) after scoring 105 points or more this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 10-7 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 10-7 straight up against OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
9 of 17 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON vs. PHILADELPHIA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 8 games on the road
Philadelphia is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Philadelphia is 6-15 SU in its last 21 games when playing Boston
LA LAKERS vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
LA Lakers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City
LA Lakers are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against LA Lakers
Oklahoma City is 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 games when playing at home against LA Lakers
Boston at Philadelphia
Boston: 4-14 ATS away playing with same-season revenge
Philadelphia: 7-0 Under at home off BB road games
LA Lakers at Oklahoma City
LA Lakers: 2-11 ATS away with a total of 190 to 195.5 points
Oklahoma City: 13-4 ATS off BB games shooting 50% or better from the floor
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City trampled Los Angeles Lakers 119-90 in Game-one of the Western Conference semi-finals and have now beaten L.A. in three of four meetings this season with the point differential over the span a whopping +11.3 for Durant and company. Thunder, the third highest scoring team in the league (103.1) and tops in the league in home scoring at 106.1 have betting trends on their side as Mike Brown's troops are on a 0-5 SU/ATS skid on the road allowing =>100 points and just 6-13 (5-14 ATS) on the season when host teams hit the century mark in scoring. The betting market has Thunder -7.5 point favorite for game-two in Oklahoma City knowing Lakers were poor bets on the road this season (13-24 ATS), have failed to cover the spread in 7 of their last 10 road games and enter on a 1-7 ATS skid as road underdogs of +5.0 to +10.0 points.