NBA Knowledge
Wednesday's hot teams
-- Cleveland won last five games, covered last four.
-- Hornets won four of last six games; they're 4-3-1 as home dogs.
-- Celtics won six of their last seven games (4-1 last 5HF).
-- Golden State won its last seven games (15-8-1AF).
-- Thunder won 11 of its last 12 games (7-0 last 7HF).
-- Miami won four of its last five games (1-5 last 6AU).
-- New Orleans won five of its last seven games (4-0 last 4AU).
-- Spurs won 14 of their last 16 games (11-4 last 15HF).
-- Utah won four of its last five games (4-1 last 5HF).
-- Clippers won their last four games (6-3 last 9HF).
Cold teams
-- Hawks lost five of last seven games (6-8-1AF).
-- 76ers lost three of last four games, but covered seven of last nine.
-- Detroit is 3-4 in its last seven games (4-1 last 5AU).
-- Indiana lost seven of its last ten games (3-5 last 8AF).
-- Brooklyn lost nine of its last ten games (3-9 last 12HU).
-- Washington lost six of its last eight games (6-4HU).
-- Orlando lost seven of its last eight games (1-6-1 last 8AU).
-- Mavericks lost four of last seven games (7-2 last 9HF).
-- Denver lost seven of last ten games, but covered seven of last eight.
-- Chicago lost five of its last seven games.
-- Sacramento lost four of its last five games.
-- Minnesota lost its last five games (2-4 last 6U).
Series records
-- Cavaliers won their last four games with Charlotte.
-- Hawks won nine of last ten games with Philly (7-3 vs spread).
-- Pistons won three of last five visits to Boston.
-- Nets lost six of last eight games with Indiana.
-- Wizards lost eight of last nine games with Golden State.
-- Thunder won eight of last nine games with Orlando.
-- Mavericks lost eight of last nine games with Miami.
-- Pelicans won four of last five games with San Antonio.
-- Jazz won their last four games with Denver.
-- Bulls won seven of last ten games with Sacramento.
-- Clippers won last ten games with Minnesota (5-4-1 vs spread).
Totals
-- Four of last five Cleveland games went over total.
-- Seven of last ten Atlanta games stayed under.
-- Eight of last ten Boston games went over total.
-- Five of last six Brooklyn games went over total.
-- Over is 9-4 in last thirteen Golden State games.
-- Five of last six Thnnder games went over total.
-- Six of last nine Dallas games went over the tota.
-- Last nine New Orleans games went over total.
-- Ten of last eleven Denver games went over total.
-- Six of last eight Denver games went over the total.
-- Over is 7-0 in Minnesota games if they played night before.
Back/backs
-- Boston covered seven of its last ten if it played night before.
-- Miami is 3-4 vs spread if it played night before.
-- Minnesota is 3-4 vs spread if it played night before.
Armadillosports.com
Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Cavaliers at Hornets
Since losing the first game with Tyronn Lue as head coach, Cleveland (35-12 SU, 21-23-3 ATS) has picked up five straight victories, while scoring at least 110 points each time. The Cavaliers held off the Pacers, 111-106 in overtime on Monday, led by Kyrie Irving’s 25 points. Cleveland has been nearly unstoppable on the highway, posting a 10-1 SU and 4-4-3 ATS the last 11 road games with the lone defeat coming at San Antonio on January 14 as six-point underdogs, 99-95.
Charlotte (23-25 SU, 23-24-1 ATS) returns home following a 2-2 SU/ATS trip out west, capped off by a 101-82 blowout of the Lakers as four-point favorites on Sunday. The Hornets have cashed the ‘under’ in three straight games, while finishing ‘under’ the total in their previous meeting with the Cavaliers in late November, 95-90 on a 203 total. Charlotte has won three of its past four at Time Warner Cable Arena, including recent underdog victories over New York and Atlanta.
Pistons at Celtics
Both these teams are currently in the top eight of the Eastern Conference, while Detroit is 1½ games out of the fourth spot. The Celtics (27-22 SU, 26-22-1 ATS) go for the season split with the Pistons after losing the last meeting at TD Garden last month, 99-94. Brad Stevens’ club plays with no rest on Wednesday as the Celtics have compiled an impressive 8-3 SU and 7-4 ATS record on the second end of a back-to-back. Boston has topped the 100-point mark in 12 straight games, while cashing the ‘over’ eight times in this span.
Detroit (26-23 SU, 26-22-1 ATS) wraps up its three-game road swing after holding off Brooklyn, 105-100 as seven-point favorites on Monday. Stan Van Gundy’s team is riding a four-game ‘over’ streak after scoring at least 105 points in each contest during this span. The Pistons have covered four of the last five games as a road underdog, while posting a 5-1 ATS mark as an away ‘dog in their last six opportunities with rest. In spite of both Boston and Detroit putting up plenty of points recently, the two teams have finished ‘under’ the total in their past two matchups.
Warriors at Wizards
It’s amazing to believe that Golden State (44-4 SU, 29-18-1 ATS) has won 91% of its games this season. The Warriors are in the midst of their third winning streak of at least seven games this season, coming off a 116-95 rout of the Knicks as 10 ½-point favorites on Sunday. Steve Kerr’s squad has taken care of business as double-digit road favorites, posting a 7-0 SU and 5-2 ATS record, while going ‘under’ the total in three of the past four in this situation.
Washington (21-25 SU, 23-23 ATS) is playing its fourth straight game against a Western Conference opponent, coming off a split of two road games at Houston and Oklahoma City. The Wizards dropped their fourth game in the last five tries at OKC on Monday in a 114-98 defeat as 10-point underdogs, as Washington has allowed at least 100 points in 10 of the last 11 contests. Washington and Golden State are facing off for the first time this season as the Warriors pulled off the sweep last season, while the defending champions have won five straight meetings at the Verizon Center.
Heat at Mavericks
Things are heating up at the right time for Miami (27-21 SU, 24-23-1 ATS), who closed out January with four consecutive victories. The Heat remains in the Lone Star State after facing the Rockets on Tuesday, as Erik Spoelstra’s team goes for the season sweep of the Mavericks. Miami routed Dallas on New Year’s Day, 106-82, the eighth win in the last nine meetings since losing to the Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals. The Heat has struggled against Western Conference opponents on the road this season by posting a 3-5 SU/ATS record with the only three wins coming at Minnesota, Phoenix, and Denver.
The Mavericks (28-23 SU, 29-21-1 ATS) have excelled at home recently, winning 10 of the past 13 games at the American Airlines Center with the last two losses coming to Oklahoma City and Cleveland. Dallas has scored 97 points or less in four of the past five games, while the past two home victories came against two of the league’s bottom feeders – Brooklyn and Phoenix. Rick Carlisle’s club has compiled an impressive 5-1 SU/ATS record at home off a road loss, coming off Monday’s 112-97 defeat at Atlanta.
Bulls at Kings
Chicago (26-21 SU, 18-29 ATS) continues a seven-game road trip as the Bulls look to snap a two-game skid. The Bulls began the West Coast swing with a blowout of the Lakers, but Fred Hoiberg’s squad scored 93 points in regulation in losses to the Clippers and Jazz. Chicago squandered a late lead at Utah on Monday as they fell in overtime, 105-96 as 5½-point underdogs, while scoring a measly three points in the extra session. The Bulls have struggled against the number, failing to cover in 10 of the past 13 games, including a 3-6 ATS mark on the road.
The Kings (21-27 SU, 23-25 ATS) have won three straight home matchups with the Bulls since 2013 with all three victories coming by double-digits. Sacramento rallied past Milwaukee on Monday night, 111-104 without DeMarcus Cousins to snap a four-game losing streak. Cousins is listed as questionable for Wednesday with a sprained ankle, as Sacramento is playing its final home game before the All-Star break, heading east for four games starting Friday in Brooklyn.
Wednesday's Top Action
By Sportsbook.ag
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (44-4) at WASHINGTON WIZARDS (21-25)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Golden State -11.5, Total: 225.5
The Wizards are hoping to get their season back on track with a victory over a Warriors team that has won seven straight games heading into Wednesday.
The Warriors have responded very well to their loss in Detroit on Jan. 16, rattling off seven straight victories. Golden State has been dominant in most of those contests, winning by at least 11 points in six of those games. The Warriors are 5-2 ATS over the course of their winning streak and will now look to beat up on a Wizards team that is really struggling.
Washington has lost four of its past five games and the team is allowing 115.0 PPG over that span. The Wizards must be better defensively moving forward and if they are not competitive on that end on Wednesday then the Warriors will blow them out.
Golden State has won the two most recent meetings between these teams. The Warriors are 3-1 SU and 2-1-1 ATS against the Wizards over the past three seasons and that includes a 2-0 SU record in Washington in that span. One trend heavily favoring the Warriors in this game is that the team is 17-6 ATS after playing a road game this season. Golden State is also 15-4 ATS after one or more consecutive Unders on the year.
The Warriors have been playing well recently, but the team will definitely be hoping that PG Stephen Curry (29.4 PPG, 6.5 APG, 5.2 RPG, 2.2 SPG) can regain his touch on Wednesday. The superstar is averaging just 16.7 PPG over the past three contests and is a pedestrian 18-for-47 from the floor in those games. He has been shooting the ball at an impressive clip all season and must creep back towards his season shooting percentages for this Warriors team.
Fortunately for Golden State, SG Klay Thompson (21.4 PPG) has been scorching hot. Thompson is averaging 37.0 PPG over the past three contests and he is 16-for-28 from the outside in that span. He will need to continue shooting the ball well moving forward and he’ll also need to be locked in defensively on Wednesday. He should see plenty of time matched up with both John Wall and Bradley Beal in this game and he must be ready to contain them as best as he can.
PF Draymond Green (14.6 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.3 BPG) must also play well on both ends of the floor in this one. He is in a groove recently, as he recorded a triple-double (20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) against the Knicks on Sunday and did not miss a shot in that game (9-for-9 FG, 2-for-2 3PT).
The Wizards are really struggling lately and the team will need to start winning games fast. They are out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture at the moment and this is a team that was successful in the postseason a year ago.
PG John Wall (19.5 PPG, 9.8 APG, 4.3 RPG, 2.1 SPG) is really playing terribly for Washington. Wall is averaging 15.8 PPG and 10.8 APG over the past five contests, but he is shooting just 33.3% from the field and 18.2% from the outside in those games. If he does not start hitting jumpers then the offense is really going to be clogged up. Wall better be ready to play at a high level on Wednesday or Steph Curry will take complete advantage of him.
SG Bradley Beal (18.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG) will also need to come to play on Wednesday. Beal will be matched up with Klay Thompson in this one and he must do well defending the Warriors guard in this game. Thompson has been on fire from the field and Beal can’t afford to let him go off from the outside.
C Marcin Gortat (13.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.3 BPG) is coming off of a good game against the Thunder, scoring 17 points in 25 minutes of action. If he can get it going around the rim then he may force Golden State to ditch its small ball lineup for a couple of extra minutes. That would give Washington a huge advantage and could end up helping them steal this victory at home.