NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Wednesday, April 5th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Miami lost four of its last six games; they’re 3-1-1 vs spread in last five road games. Under is 5-2 in their last seven games. Charlotte won three of last four games, is 6-4 vs spread in last ten home games. Over is 7-1 in their last eight games. Hornets are 5-3 in their last eight games with Miami; seven of last eight series games stayed under total. Heat won/covered once in last four visits to Charlotte.
Raptors won eight of last ten games; they’re 3-1 vs spread in last four road games. Four of their last five games went over total. Detroit lost nine of last 11 games; they’re 13-5 vs spread in last 18 home games. Four of their last five games stayed under the total. Toronto won four of last six games with the Pistons; they won three of last five games in Motor City. Over is 7-3 in last ten series games.
Cavaliers won their last three games; they’re 1-5 against the spread in last six road games. Over is 7-2 in their last nine games. Celtics won nine of last 11 games, are 0-4 vs spread in last four games at home. Four of their last six games went over the total. Cleveland won eight of last ten games with Boston; they won three of last four visits here. Three of last four series games went over.
Denver is 8-5 in its last 13 games; they won last two games, by three points each. Nuggets are 7-2 vs spread in last nine road games. Over is 7-1 in their last eight games. Houston lost three of last four games; three of their last four games stayed under total. Rockets won last three games with Denver, but Nuggets covered four of last six series games. Three of last four series games went over. Nuggets lost three of last four visits here (2-2 against spread).
Oklahoma City is 9-4 in its last 13 games; they’re 3-1-1 vs spread in last five road tilts. Four of their last five games stayed under total. Memphis won/covered last four home games; they’ve lost six of last eight games overall. Under is 8-3 in their last 11 games. Home side won eight of last nine Thunder-Grizzlies games; OKC lost four of last five games in Memphis. Four of last six series games went over.
Lakers lost four of last five games, are 2-6 vs spread in last eight road games. Over is 6-2 in their last eight games. San Antonio won eight of last nine games; they’re 3-5 vs spread in last eight home games. Under is 5-3 in their last eight games. Spurs won their last eight games with the Lakers (4-3-1 vs spread); LA lost its last four visits to the Alamo (1-2-1 vs spread). Last seven series games went over total.
Golden State won its last 12 games, covered last six; they’re 6-1 vs spread in last seven home games. Under is 18-3 in their last 21 games (0-2 in last two). Suns lost their last 12 games, are 2-4-1 vs spread in last seven home games. Six of their last seven games went over. Golden State won its last ten games with Phoenix, but Suns covered four of last five. Warriors won last four games in the desert (2-2 vs spread). Over is 6-2 in last eight series games.
Dallas lost five of last six games; they’re 5-7 vs spread in last 12 road games. Six of their last eight games stayed under. Clippers won seven of last nine games, are 6-7 vs spread in last 13 games at Staples. Four of their last six games stayed under. Clippers are 6-4 in last ten games with Dallas, but Mavericks won last two meetings by a basket each. Dallas won/covered once in last four visits here. Four of last five series games went under the total.
Armadillosports.com
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics
With the top spot in the Eastern Conference on the line, The Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics will square off on Wednesday at the TD Garden in Boston. Tip-off is at 8:00 EST.
The Cavaliers have struggled on the road as of late, going 4-8 away from home since March 1. Their defense has been the culprit. Cleveland has slipped to 20th in points allowed (107 per game average), six positions behind Boston (105.1).
The Celtics are eighth in points scored (107.8 ), which is four spots behind Cleveland in the rankings. Boston has been red-hot at home lately, going 5-1 on a recent homestand. That has launched them to the top of the Eastern Conference with a 50-27 SU record.
Cleveland has had the upper hand in this rivalry as of late, going 8-2 SU and 6-3-1 ATS in their last 10 games. The Cavaliers have won two of three games against the Celtics this season, and both were in Cleveland. The Cavs won 128-122 on November 3 and then 124-118 on December 29. The Celtics responded with a 103-99 home victory of their own on March 1.
Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Game of the Night – Cavaliers at Celtics
The race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference will likely come down to the final game of the season as defending champion Cleveland fights it out with upstart Boston. The Cavaliers (50-27 SU, 34-40-3 ATS) pulled even with the Celtics following Tuesday’s 122-102 victory over Orlando with five games remaining in the regular season. Do the Cavs need home-court advantage? Not necessarily since LeBron James-led teams have finished as the second seed four times in the last six seasons even though his squads have won six consecutive Eastern Conference titles.
Boston (50-27 SU, 38-37-2 ATS) has a tough finish to the regular season by facing Atlanta (Thursday) and Charlotte (Saturday) on the road and Milwaukee next Wednesday at home. The Celtics have won nine of their last 11 games, including seven of those victories at TD Garden. Boston is coming off a 110-94 blowout of short-handed New York on Sunday to cash for the first time in the last five games. When the Celtics post high-scoring numbers, they have been successful as Brad Stevens’ club has topped the 109-point mark in seven of the past eight victories.
This series has been owned by the Cavaliers the last few seasons as Cleveland owns an 8-2 record against Boston since the 2015 playoffs. The Cavs captured the first two matchups at home by six points apiece earlier this season, but the Celtics pulled out a 103-99 home triumph on March 1. Isaiah Thomas scored a game-high 31 points for Boston, as the diminutive guard posted 30-point efforts in all three matchups against Cleveland this season.
Odd Men Out
The Heat and Hornets are currently on the outside looking in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Miami began March with an impressive 8-3 record, but stumbled to a 2-4 mark in the final six games of the month, including home losses to New York and Denver. Erik Spoelstra’s squad begins Wednesday’s action one half-game behind Chicago and Indiana for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Miami heads to Charlotte looking to even the season series at 2-2 after winning the previous matchup at home, 108-104 in early March. The Hornets saw their three-game winning streak end in Tuesday’s 118-111 setback at Washington. Charlotte extended its OVER streak to eight consecutive contests, while scoring at least 110 points for the fourth straight game. Since the All-Star break, the Hornets own a perfect 5-0 record off a road loss, while winning four of their last six games at Spectrum Arena.
Rocky Mountain High
The Nuggets finish off their five-game road swing in Houston as Denver is hanging around the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race. Denver picked up a huge victory on Tuesday at New Orleans, 134-131 to improve to 37-40 and sit one half-game behind Portland for the final playoff position in the West. The task won’t be easy on Wednesday as the Nuggets have lost three times to the Rockets this season, although Denver covered as eight-point underdogs in a one-point loss last month in Houston.
The Rockets return home after snapping a three-game skid on their final game of their road swing at Phoenix on Sunday, 123-116. James Harden missed his first game of the season with the flu on Sunday, but the Rockets’ MVP candidate is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday. Since the All-Star break, Houston has compiled a 4-7 ATS record at the Toyota Center, while failing to cover in its last four games overall.
Sixth Sense
Oklahoma City owns a 2½-game edge over Memphis for the sixth seed in the Western Conference after the Thunder destroyed the Bucks, 110-79 as six-point home favorites. Memphis couldn’t hold onto a late lead in regulation at San Antonio as the Spurs held off the Grizzlies, 95-89 in overtime. The Grizzlies have lost six straight games on the road, but return home to FedEx Forum where they have won four consecutive games.
The home team has won all three matchups this season between the Thunder and Grizzlies as OKC has captured victories in the past two meetings in January and February. Memphis has won and covered in five of the previous six home matchups with Oklahoma City since January 2014. Both teams are playing with no rest and own dramatically different records on the second of a back-to-back as OKC has compiled a 4-9 SU and 5-8 ATS mark, while Memphis is a solid 11-5 SU and 10-6 ATS in this situation.
Tripped-Up Toronto
The Raptors entered Tuesday’s action winning eight of nine games and built a 19-point advantage at Indiana. However, the Pacers outscored the Raptors, 82-47 over the final 30 minutes to hand Toronto a 108-90 defeat. The Raptors try to get back on track with no rest at Detroit as Toronto owns a 7-9 record on the second of back-to-backs this season.
The Pistons are running out of time to grab a playoff berth in the East after losing nine of their past 11 games to fall 2 ½ games behind eighth-place Indiana. Detroit has been off since Friday’s overtime setback at Milwaukee, the seventh straight loss away from the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons have won two of their last three home games, but those victories came against two of the worst teams in the NBA, the Nets and Suns. In the last matchup between the Raptors and Pistons on March 17, Toronto outscored Detroit, 27-9 in the final quarter to pull out an 87-75 victory.
Head-to-Head Trends
The Spurs have won eight consecutive matchups with the Lakers since January 2015, including capturing the first three meetings this season. Los Angeles heads to San Antonio seeking consecutive victories for the first time since early January, while the Spurs are 11-2 SU and 8-5 ATS with no rest off Tuesday’s overtime triumph over the Grizzlies.
The Warriors shoot for the season sweep of the Suns in Phoenix as the two division rivals are meeting for the first time since December. Golden State has won 10 straight against Phoenix since January 2015, including four consecutive victories at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Phoenix has covered seven of its past eight games in the home underdog role dating back to mid-February.
The Mavericks remain in California following last night’s loss at Sacramento as Dallas heads to Los Angeles to face the Clippers. After L.A. grabbed the first matchup in Dallas by 20 points in November, the Mavericks have rebounded with a pair of low-scoring wins in the last two meetings by two points each.
Wednesday Night NBA Betting Preview
By Sportsbook.ag
L.A. Lakers vs. San Antonio
Sportsbook.ag Odds: San Antonio (-10); Total set at 206
Tonight's Lakers/Spurs game is far from the most attractive game on the NBA board this evening from an entertainment standpoint – especially when there is a Cavs/Celtics game for 1st in the East going on – but that doesn't mean that bettors should simply ignore this contest. In fact, from a situational standpoint it's arguably one of the best games to bet on tonight and here is why:
Everyone knows the Spurs and Lakers are all but locked in their position in the standings with one headed for as many lottery balls as they can get, and the other a team to be reckoned with in the playoffs. So there really is little motivation on either side to treat this like a “must-win” type game, but for a Lakers organization that is in the early stages of rebuilding from the ground up, finishing the year with competitive efforts is the main goal.
They've been blown out by San Antonio in all three previous meetings this season – the last two by 20+ points – and although they are completely overmatched from a talent standpoint, showing a bit of professional pride and fighting all the way until the end against a quality foe would be a positive heading into the summer.
Furthermore, the fact that L.A is 'overmatched from a talent standpoint' might not be as big of a concern tonight because if there ever was a spot for Popovich to give some of his guys a night off this would be it. Yes, the NBA came down on the whole rest issue, but there are always ways around it – including playing stars like Leonard or Aldridge for 5-10 minutes and letting everyone else take the game home. Against a bad Lakers team, this is the perfect opportunity for Popovich to do something like that, especially coming off a grinding OT win over Memphis last night, this being the third game in four nights for the Spurs, and a back-to-back coming up on Friday/Saturday.
Oh, and not to mention that their last five games have all been against playoff caliber teams, two of which (Golden State and Cleveland) are the favorites to go all the way.
Even a Spurs team void of Aldridge and Leonard playing significant minutes should be able to beat this Lakers team SU, but don't expect it to be easy. In fact, I'm sure Popovich wouldn't mind seeing his reserves out there on the floor in a tight game, reacting in key situations because the better they are able to do that, the more confidence he'll have in them in similar spots when needed during the playoffs. Obviously the level of competition increases then, but gaining experience in moments like that can prove invaluable.
So while the Lakers have been crushed by the Spurs all season long, this is their best chance to cash an ATS ticket for bettors against San Antonio.