NBA Knowledge
Hot Teams
-- Cleveland won nine of last eleven games (0-4 vs spread in last four).
-- Hawks won ten of last eleven games (4-3 AU).
-- Mavericks won eight of last eleven games (4-3 AF).
-- Toronto won six of last eight games (1-4 last five HF).
-- Memphis won its last five games (2-1 AU).
-- Portland won seven of last nine games (7-4 HF).
-- Bucks won last two games, covered eight of last 11 (7-4 AU).
-- Clippers won ten of last twelve games (3-1 last four HF).
-- Rockets won six of last seven games (2-2 AU).
Cold Teams
-- Charlotte lost 13 of last 15 games (4-8-1 H).
-- Suns lost their last six games, covering once.
-- Celtics lost three of last four games (3-3 HF).
-- Orlando lost three of last four games, covered seven of last nine (11-4 AU).
-- Pistons lost 14 of their last 16 games (2-3-1 HU).
-- Miami lost six of its last nine games (3-4-1 HF).
-- Jazz lost 12 of last 13 games, covered three of last four
-- Nets lost four of their last six games (5-5 AU).
-- Spurs lost three of last five games (4-6 HF).
-- Pacers lost eight of last nine games (9-3 AU).
-- Nuggets lost six of last seven games (3-2-1 HF).
Series Records
-- Suns won five of last six games with Charlotte.
-- Hawks won four of last five games with Cleveland.
-- Celtics won 11 of last 12 games with Orlando.
-- Mavericks won ten of last eleven games with Detroit.
-- Jazz lost four of last five visits to Miami (all losses by 10+).
-- Nets beat Toronto in seven games in playoffs LY after being down 3-2; they won Game 7 by a point in Toronto.
-- Spurs won ten of last twelve games with Memphis.
-- Portland swept Bucks LY, by 9-5 points, after losing previous four series games.
-- Clippers lost three of last four games with Indiana.
-- Rockets won three of last four games with Denver.
Totals
-- Seven of last ten Charlotte games went over total.
-- Five of last six Atlanta road games went over total.
-- Seven of last eight Orlando road games stayed under.
-- Nine of last twelve Dallas games went over total.
-- Six of last seven Miami games stayed under total.
-- Five of last seven Brooklyn road games stayed under.
-- Six of last seven Memphis games went over the total.
-- Seven of last nine Milwaukee games went over the total.
-- Six of last eight Portland games stayed under.
-- Over is 8-3-1 in last twelve Indiana games.
-- Seven of last eight Denver games stayed under total.
Back-to-Backs
-- Dallas is 1-4 vs spread if it played night before.
-- Utah is 1-4 vs spread if it played night before. Miami is 3-3-1.
-- Nets covered three of four if they played night before.
East vs West
SU: West 83-41 ATS: West 69-55
East teams HF vs West: 15-20
East teams HU vs West: 16-19
West teams HF vs East: 23-22
West teams HU vs East: 7-2
Armadillosports.com
Game of the Day: Grizzlies at Spurs
By Covers.com
Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs
The Memphis Grizzlies had to host the team with the best record in the NBA on Tuesday and don’t get much of a break the next night. The Grizzlies will endure the second night of a brutal back-to-back when they visit the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. The defending champion Spurs have dropped three of their last five games and expect to again be without Tony Parker due to a nagging hamstring injury.
San Antonio played without Parker, Manu Ginobili (back), Tiago Splitter (calf) and Tim Duncan (rest) in Monday’s 108-95 loss at Portland and lost Kawhi Leonard to a hand injury late in the contest. The Spurs expect to have at least Duncan back in the lineup Wednesday against a Memphis squad that had to battle down to the wire to snap Golden State’s 16-game winning streak in a 105-98 triumph on Tuesday. The Grizzlies have won five in a row since falling to the Spurs at home Dec. 5.
LINE HISTORY: N/A
INJURY REPORT: Grizzlies - G Tony Allen (Questionable, eye). Spurs - G Manu Ginobili (Questionable, back), C Tiago Splitter (Questionable, calf), G Tony Parker (Out, hamstring).
COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Grizzlies (-12.8) - Spurs (-13) + home court (-3.0) = Spurs -3.2
WHAT CAPPERS SAY: "The defending NBA Champs became the first road team to win in Memphis during the regular season since February. Five of the Spurs' six losses this season have been by five points or less." Covers Expert Bryan Power.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (20-4 SU, 13-11 ATS, 13-10-1 O/U): Memphis got its usual strong performance from Marc Gasol with 24 points and seven boards Tuesday but also received a surprising contribution from Vince Carter off the bench. The veteran, who signed a three-year deal with the Grizzlies in the summer, posted a season-high 16 points and led a 20-0 run opening the second quarter that put Memphis in front for good. Carter had failed to reach double figures in any of the previous 14 contests but buried a season-high four 3-pointers against the Warriors in 24 minutes.
ABOUT THE SPURS (17-8 SU, 12-13 ATS, 12-13 O/U): Duncan became the second-oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double when he put up 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the 107-101 victory at Memphis on Dec. 5. Parker initially suffered his hamstring injury in that contest and has missed five of the six games since, with San Antonio going 3-3 in those six contests. Cory Joseph is getting most of the playing time in Parker’s spot and is averaging 12.5 points in the last six.
TRENDS:
* Over is 5-0 in the last five meetings.
* Grizzlies are 1-6 ATS in the last seven meetings.
* Grizzlies are 6-17 ATS in their last 23 vs. NBA Southwest.
* Over is 7-1 in Spurs last eight vs. Western Conference.
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Dallas Mavericks at Detroit Pistons
Pistons unable to get cylinders firing are off to a horrid 5-20 start with an equally ugly 8-17 record against the betting line. Pistons with an 'Offensive Efficiency Rating' of 96.6 points per 100 possessions and 'Defensive Efficiency Rating' allowing 105.2 per 100 possessions have an uphill battle when they host Mavericks sporting an NBA best in 'Offensive Efficiency' at 113.4 points per 100 possessions. That discrepancy in 'Offensive Efficiency' and the fact Mavericks have owned the series winning ten of the past eleven (6-5 ATS) meetings including 5-1 (4-2 ATS) playing at 'The Palace of Auburn Hills' has offshores pegging Mavericks 6.5 point road favorite for the contest. Pistons finding it difficult to slow down Clippers last time out losing by 22 will be hard pressed keeping Mavericks in check. Lay the points knowing home underdogs off a 20 or more point loss are 1-12-1 ATS this season and that Pistons are just 13-20 ATS last 33 situations as home underdogs off a 20 or more point drubbing.
Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Hawks at Cavaliers
Atlanta begins a rough three-game road trip that continues through Houston and Dallas this weekend. The first stop though is in Cleveland, as the Hawks looking to avenge a 127-94 rout at the hands of the Cavs last month, as Atlanta yielded 71 first half points. Mike Budenholtzer’s club is on fire with 10 wins in their past 11 games, with the only loss coming at the buzzer this past weekend at Orlando. Since getting trounced at Cleveland, the Hawks have won four of their previous five contests away from Philips Arena to sit one game behind Washington in the Southeast Division.
The Cavaliers jumped out to a 21-0 advantage over the Hornets on Monday night, but ultimately failed to cover as 10½-point favorites in a 97-88 win. Cleveland snapped a two-game skid following road losses at Oklahoma City and New Orleans, as David Blatt’s team has won six consecutive games at Quicken Loans Arena. In the past three home victories, the Cavs have failed to cover, while posting a 2-6 ATS record over in the last eight contests.
Grizzlies at Spurs
Memphis just can’t figure out San Antonio, dropping nine consecutive meetings with the defending champions, as the Grizzlies head to the Lone Star State with no rest following Tuesday’s victory over Golden State. The Grizzlies own an impressive 4-0 ATS record in the underdog role this season, which includes outright victories at Phoenix and Portland. In spite of low totals, Memphis has taken advantage by going ‘over’ in five of the past seven games, which includes two overtime contests.
The Spurs own a 6-1 record this season off a loss, coming off Monday’s 108-95 setback at Portland. However, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili all sat out for San Antonio, who has alternated wins and losses in each of its past six games. Gregg Popovich’s club has sailed ‘over’ the total in six of the last seven contests, while San Antonio will be listed as a single-digit home favorite for the first time since November 8 against New Orleans, a span of seven games.
Bucks at Blazers
Milwaukee has plenty of strides from a 15-win season last year by posting a 13-12 record through 25 games. However, the Bucks were dealt a serious blow in Monday’s buzzer-beating win at Phoenix as top pick Jabari Parker tore his ACL and is out for the rest of the season. Jason Kidd’s team continues a four-game West Coast swing tonight, as the Bucks own a solid 9-5 ATS on the highway this season, but Milwaukee have allowed at least 100 points in six of the past eight games.
Portland knocked off a short-handed San Antonio team on Monday night, 108-95 as 8½-point home favorites to pick up its 19th victory of the season. The Blazers have won 10 of their last 11 contests at the Moda Center since getting tripped up by the Warriors in early November, but Terry Stotts’ team has stumbled to a 3-6-1 ATS record in the past 10 games overall. Milwaukee has actually played well at Portland the last three visits, covering all three times, including as 12½-point underdogs last season in a 120-115 overtime setback.
Rockets at Nuggets
These two teams are meeting for the second time in less than a week, as Houston erased an early 14-point deficit to cruise past Denver, 108-96 as 6½-point favorites. Dwight Howard returned from an 11-game absence to score 26 points and pull down 13 rebounds, as the home team has now won each of the past six matchups in the series. In 23 games this season, the Rockets have held 17 opponents to below 100 points in regulation, while Kevin McHale’s club has put together a terrific 9-2 SU and 6-5 ATS record on the highway.
Denver’s 7-1 stretch to close out November seems like a distant memory, as the Nuggets have reverted back to their early-season ways with a current 1-6 run. The most recent setback came in Sunday’s 99-91 home defeat to the Spurs as five-point underdogs, while scoring 91 points or less in four of the past six games. The Nuggets have won four straight home meetings with the Rockets, including a 123-116 underdog win last April, but Howard sat out due to injury for Houston.
Pacers at Clippers
Indiana heads out to the West Coast for the second time this month, as the Pacers look to build off Monday’s 110-91 blowout of the Lakers as five-point favorites. The Pacers jumped out to a 26-4 lead and never looked back, as Indiana gets a crack at the other L.A. team tonight, going for revenge. The last time these teams saw each other last Wednesday night in Indianapolis, the Clippers barely cashed as 6½-point favorites in a 103-96 victory. Since David West returned to the Indiana lineup, the Pacers have stumbled to a 2-8 SU and 4-6 ATS record.
The Clippers bounced back from a high-scoring loss at Milwaukee to drub Detroit on Monday night, 113-91 for their fifth straight home victory. Since starting the season at 0-7 ATS, Doc Rivers’ club is 11-6 ATS the past 17 games, including a 5-2 ATS mark at Staples Center in this span. Los Angeles has taken care of its business against the Eastern Conference with a 7-3 SU and 6-4 ATS record, including five victories by double-digits.
AccuScore NBA Pick
By: Rohit Ghosh
AccuScore.com
AccuScore’s computer simulates games 10,000 times to predict their outcome. Throughout the basketball season, we’ll be stacking up these forecasts against Las Vegas money-lines and spreads. When AccuScore gives a team a better chance to win than the money-line odds imply or suggest a high chance of covering the spread, it’s a recommended play.
Losers of three of their last four, both the Magic and Celtics look to get back on track Wednesday night as they face off at TD Garden. While Orlando is averaging just 92.3 points per game on the road, Boston is No. 28 in the league in points allowed per game at home (105.2).
AccuScore has the Celtics as 54.4 percent favorites to win, a number that would warrant a -119 money-line price at the bet window. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has them available at -165, so there's no value there. Orlando does offer some value at +145, as the Magic's 45.6 percent chance to win translates to money-line odds of +119.
There are also solid wagering opportunities on the point spread and total.
The average score after 10,000-plus simulations is 97.2-96.9. There is a 60.7 percent chance the total combined score stays UNDER 200.5. The total has stayed UNDER in four of the last six meetings between these teams.
AccuScore Best Bet: There is a 56.6 percent chance Orlando covers a +3.5 spread, a 4-star (out of 4) AccuScore hot trend.
Projected Leaders
Jeff Green: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 TOs
Tobias Harris: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 TOs