NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Wednesday, December 14th, 2016 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Memphis won its last six games, even without injured PG Conley; Grizzlies covered four of last five games as a road underdog. Last three Memphis games stayed under. Cleveland won/covered its last four games; they covered five of last six games as a home favorite. Over is 8-2 in their last ten games. Cavaliers won three of last four games with Memphis; they covered seven of last ten series games. Teams split last four games played here. Over is 6-4 in last ten series games.
Magic lost their last three games, but covered six of last seven games as a road underdog. Three of last four Orlando games went over. Hawks won last two games but lost three of last four at home; they’re 0-3-1 vs spread in last four home games. Under is 12-3 in their last 15 games. Orlando won its last two games with Atlanta after losing six of previous seven series games; Magic lost three of last four visits here (3-1 vs spread). Four of last six series games stayed under the total.
Minnesota lost four in row, seven of last eight games; they’re 3-5 as road underdogs. Over is 7-2 in last nine Timberwolves games. Chicago won last two games by 4-5 points; they’re 3-4 as home favorites. Over is 3-1 in their last four home games. Minnesota won last two games with Chicago by 7-9 points; teams split last four games played here (Minnesota 3-1 vs spread). Under is 4-2 in last six series games.
Warriors won five of last six games but are 0-3 vs spread in last three; they’re 7-7 as road favorites (0-3 in last three). Under is 3-1 in last four Golden State games. Pelicans lost five of last six games; they’re 3-1 as home underdogs. Three of last four New Orleans games went over. Golden State won its last nine games with New Orleans (4-2 vs spread in last six); Warriors won last four visits to Bourbon Street (2-2 vs spread) winning by 8-14-11-4 points. Last four series games went over total.
New York won six of its last seven games; they’re 5-6 SU on road, 1-0 vs spread as road favorites. Three of last four Knick games went over. Phoenix lost six of last eight games; they’re 4-3 as home underdogs. Six of last seven Suns games went over total. Knicks won last two games with Phoenix by 18-31 points; teams split last four games played here (Suns 2-1-1 vs spread). Six of last seven series games stayed under.
Portland lost tough game in Staples Center last night, Trailblazers’ 4ht straight loss; Blazers won/covered five of last seven home games. Over is 8-2 in Portland’s last ten games. Oklahoma City won seven of last eight games, winning last three road tilts. Last four Thunder games stayed under the total. Home side won last six Oklahoma City-Portland games; Thunder lost last four visits here, by 5-5-3-17 points. Over is 5-2 in last seven series games.
Armadillosports.com
Thomas-less Celtics face Spurs Wednesday
By: Staff Writer
StatFox.com
The Celtics will be looking to prevent a three-game losing streak when they face Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs on Wednesday.
Boston is struggling right now, as the team has lost two straight games and really appears to be missing PG Isaiah Thomas (Groin). Thomas will not be back for this game against the Spurs, so the Celtics will need to figure out another way to win. One thing that does favor Boston is the fact that the Celtics are 19-4 ATS over the past three seasons in road games versus teams scoring 103 or more points per game. They are, however, facing a Spurs team that has won 14 of their past 16 games. San Antonio has won five straight games against Boston over the past three seasons, and the Spurs are 4-1 ATS in those contests. It’s also worth noting that the Celtics have not won a game in San Antonio since Mar. 31, 2011. They are, however, 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games in San Antonio. As previously mentioned, Thomas is out for the Celtics in this game. The Spurs do not have any significant injuries, but they could always opt to rest one of their aging players.
The Celtics can really use a victory on Wednesday, but they know that it’s not going to be easy. One guy that is going to have to step it up is C Al Horford (15.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.4 BPG). With Thomas sidelined, Horford can’t be satisfied with scoring anything less than 15. He is averaging 19.0 PPG over the past two contests, and he’ll need to have at least that on Wednesday. Look for him to be aggressive in taking the outside shot as well. PG Marcus Smart (10.0 PP, 4.2 APG, 4.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG) is also going to need to step it up. Smart is the guy seeing a bulk of the minutes with Thomas out, and he needs to find a way to score in this one. Smart plays solid basketball on both ends of the floor, but he is averaging just 11.5 PPG over the past two contests. It’d be big if Smart can reach the 15-point mark in this one. PF Jae Crowder (13.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.1 SPG) is another guy that can help this team by coming through as a scorer on Wednesday. It might be out of character for these Celtics, but things change when your leading scorer is not playing.
The Spurs will be looking to stay hot with a win on Wednesday night, and they should feel confident about their chances to do that. The Celtics are playing without their best player, and San Antonio needs to use this game as a way to get back on track at home. SF Kawhi Leonard (24.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG) and PF LaMarcus Aldridge (16.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.1 BPG) are the guys that’ll carry the load for this team offensively. Leonard is coming off of a 30-point performance against the Nets and there is nobody on this Celtics team that is capable of truly slowing down. Aldridge should also have his way in this one, as his combination of size and touch will be difficult to match for Boston. The Celtics will likely try to play small-ball, but the Spurs have the lineups to counter that. As always, it’s also worth watching Leonard on the defensive end. He is by far the best defender in the league, and he’ll certainly come away with a few steals in this one.
Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Underdogs cashed in four of six games in the NBA on Tuesday, including outright victories by the Magic, Suns, and Timberwolves. Minnesota erased a 21-point deficit to stun Chicago, 99-94 as 5½-point ‘dogs, while Phoenix slowed down New York in overtime, 113-111. The Warriors barely got by the Pelicans, 113-109 as they failed to cash as double-digit favorites for the fourth straight game. The UNDER hit in four of six contests, while the Knicks and Suns needed overtime to reach the OVER.
Game of the Night – Celtics at Spurs (-7½, 201)
The expectations were high in Boston (13-11 SU, 12-11-1 ATS) following a 48-win campaign last season. The Celtics have gone through a bit of an uneven start so far, while coming off a pair of losses to the Raptors and Thunder over the last five days. Boston has played without leading scorer Isaiah Thomas (26.0 ppg) the past three games due to a groin injury, as the diminutive guard will sit out again tonight in San Antonio.
The Spurs (19-5 SU, 11-12-1 ATS) control to roll atop the Southwest division, coming off Saturday’s 130-101 blowout of the Nets as 15½-point home favorites. San Antonio hasn’t been great against the number recently by posting a 2-5 ATS mark the last seven games, while cashing in only two of its past nine contests at the AT&T Center.
San Antonio has owned Boston through the years by winning 10 straight meetings, including a 109-103 triumph at TD Garden on November 25. The Spurs cashed as three-point favorites as San Antonio erased an early 10-point deficit, while Kawhi Leonard led San Antonio with 25 points and 10 rebounds. The Celtics have dropped four straight visits to San Antonio with the last victory at the AT&T Center coming in March 2011.
Taking it Easy
The Cavaliers cruised past the Grizzlies on Tuesday, 103-86 to cover as 14-point home favorites. The two teams will finish a back-to-back set tonight in Memphis but the Cavs will leave their version of the “Big Three” back in Cleveland as LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love won’t make the trip due to rest. This is the first time this season those three stars won’t play in the same game, while James is missing his second contest of the season as Cleveland lost that game in Indiana, 103-93 on November 16.
Thunder Road
Oklahoma City and Utah enter tonight’s Northwest division battle in Salt Lake City with exact 15-10 records after the Thunder lost in Portland last night, 114-95. The Thunder were limited to 38% shooting from the floor, while scoring below 100 points for the third straight game. OKC is riding a five-game streak to the UNDER, while the Thunder is 4-1 to the UNDER in five games with no rest this season.
The Jazz have been off for three days since routing the Kings, 104-84 as six-point favorites as Utah has won eight of their previous 10 contests. Utah will be looking to end its woes against OKC after losing all four meetings to the Thunder last season.
Southeast Slugfest
The Hornets continue their five-game road swing in Washington tonight as Charlotte tries to end a two-game slide. Charlotte’s defense has been lit up during the first two games of this trip, allowing 116 points at Cleveland and 110 points at Indiana on Monday. Washington has been an early disappointment at 9-14 as the Wizards fell short in Monday’s 112-101 loss at Miami to drop to 2-4 against division opponents. The Hornets and Wizards are meeting for the first time this season as the home team won all four matchups last season.
Motor City Bounce-Back
The Pistons were handed a stunning 97-79 home loss by the 76ers on Sunday as 12-point favorites as Detroit has now alternated wins and losses in its past six games. Detroit has won four straight games off a defeat as the Pistons travel to Dallas to face the 6-18 Mavericks. Dallas rolled past Denver on Monday, 112-92 as 2½-point underdogs to improve to 6-3 ATS the previous nine contests. However, the Mavs have won back-to-back games only once this season.
Southwest Travels
Sacramento heads out on a three-game road trip against Southwest division opponents, starting with a visit to Houston tonight. The Kings look to avenge a 117-104 home defeat to the Rockets on November 25 as the Rockets attempted an NBA record 50 three-pointers in that victory. Sacramento owns a solid 5-2 ATS mark as an underdog of five points or more this season, as the Kings opened as 9½-point ‘dogs in Houston. The Rockets are riding a seven-game winning streak, while capturing victories in seven of its last eight games at Toyota Center.
Head-to-Head Trends
The Raptors have won 13 consecutive meetings against the 76ers, while covering each of the last six as the two division rivals meet in Philadelphia.
Indiana and Miami split their four-game season series last season with the home team winning each time as the two squads hook up in South Florida. Miami has grabbed the last three meetings at home with two of those victories coming in overtime last season.
The Clippers have won five straight meetings with the Magic since 2014, while going 4-1 in the past five visits to Orlando. Six of the last seven matchups have finished UNDER the total, while Los Angeles has eclipsed the 100-point mark in the past five meetings.
The Lakers and Nets hook up for the second time this season after Los Angeles held off Brooklyn in the first go-around at Staples Center, 125-118 in November. Los Angeles has owned Brooklyn of late by winning the last three matchups, including a 104-98 victory at Barclays Center last season.