Wednesday Tips
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The dog days of the NBA are here with the best teams trying to slug their way until the playoffs, while the struggling clubs are seeking a way to save their seasons. The team playing the best right now in the Southeast Division is the Wizards, who own just eight victories all season. However, Washington has won three straight, including an incredible upset over Oklahoma City at home. On the flip side, the Hawks have lost six of seven games, while the Heat has cooled off by dropping three of the first four contests on a six-game road trip.
Nets at Hawks
Joe Johnson makes his triumphant return to Philips Arena for the first time since getting dealt to Brooklyn in the offseason. Since firing head coach Avery Johnson, the Nets have won eight of their last nine games, as Brooklyn begins a home-and-home set with Atlanta. The Hawks can't get out of their own way lately, as Atlanta put together its worst performance of the season on Monday.
Five. That's how many points the Hawks scored in the second quarter of a 97-58 beatdown at Chicago, as Larry Drew's club shot just 29% from the field. Atlanta is a 15-point rally against Utah away from dropping seven straight contests, while the Hawks own a dreadful 5-12 ATS record the last 17 games overall. Since losing back-to-back home games to Oklahoma City and Golden State, the Hawks have won four of their past five at Philips Arena, as each victory came by at least seven points.
Brooklyn's offense has opened up since the change to P.J. Carlisemo as head coach, as the Nets have scored at least 97 points in nine of the last 10 games (6-3 to the 'over'). The naysayers to Brooklyn's sudden success will point to the fact that the Nets played only three teams (Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Indiana) that own records of .500 or higher. However, the Nets have won each of their last three road contests, while busting the 109-point mark each time.
Nuggets at Thunder
The top two teams in the Northwest Division meet for the first time this season as Denver heads to Oklahoma City with no rest. The Thunder returns home from a perfect 3-0 road trip at Los Angeles, Portland, and Phoenix, while the cashing the 'under' each game. Oklahoma City hits the highway again after Wednesday's contest for six more road games, including a visit to Denver on Sunday night.
The Nuggets have thrived with no rest by covering seven of nine games on the second of a back-to-back, while cashing the 'over' seven times. Five of those ATS wins came away from the Pepsi Center, including a 112-105 victory over the Lakers on January 6. Denver is riding a 13-4 SU and 10-7 ATS run over the last 17 games, as four of those ATS losses came as a favorite of at least eight points. The Nuggets staved off the Blazers in overtime last night, 115-111, as Portland cashed as nine-point 'dogs.
Oklahoma City grabbed two of three meetings with Denver last season, although the lone victory by the Nuggets came in the final game of the season with nothing on the line. The Thunder's defense is stepping up recently by cashing the 'under' in six of the last seven games, while limiting five of those foes to 92 points or less. Playing at home off a road win this season, OKC owns a 5-1 mark to the 'over,' as the Thunder has put up 114 points each of the last three times in this situation.
Grizzlies at Spurs
Memphis rallied past San Antonio at the FedEx Forum last Saturday night in overtime, the second time these two teams have played past regulation this season. The Grizzlies pulled out a 101-98 victory as 2½-point favorites, as Tony Parker helped out 'over' bettors by drilling a three-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime. The venue shifts to the AT&T Center tonight, where the Spurs will be playing without one of their "Big Three."
Manu Ginobili will miss at least 10 days with a hamstring injury, which was suffered in Sunday's home blowout of the Wolves. San Antonio improved to 16-2 SU and 11-6-1 ATS at home, while cashing the 'under' for the fourth straight time at the AT&T Center. As a single-digit home favorite, Gregg Popovich's team owns a 7-4-1 ATS mark, while busting the 100-point mark in 10 of the last 11 home contests.
Since knocking off the Spurs on Saturday, the Grizzlies have dropped a pair of games by double-digits each to the Mavericks and Clippers. Los Angeles strolled into Memphis and dumped the Grizzlies on Monday, 99-73, as Rudy Gay missed the loss to attend his grandmother's funeral. Gay is expected back with the team on Wednesday, as Memphis has lost three of their last five contests at FedEx Forum following a 12-2 start at home.
Heat at Warriors
Miami continues its miserable road trip, which stops in the Bay Area for the beginning of a back-to-back stretch against the Warriors and Lakers. The Heat fell behind early in Monday's 104-97 defeat at Utah as 2 ½-point 'chalk,' even though Miami cut a 21-point deficit to two in the final two minutes. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh played a combined 40 seconds in the fourth quarter at Utah, as the Heat dropped to 1-3 SU/ATS on their current six-game roadie.
The Warriors have failed to cover in four straight games, while squandering a 10-point second half lead in Sunday's setback at Denver. Golden State owns a 6-2 SU record the last eight games at Oracle Arena, but Mark Jackson's team has covered just four times at home over the last month. The Warriors have dominated the Eastern Conference at home by compiling a 7-1 SU/ATS record.
The last time these teams hooked up in South Florida, Jarrett Jack put in a baseline shot in the final seconds to lift the Warriors past the Heat, 97-95 as 8½-point underdogs. Miami has won three of its past four trips to Oakland, but the Warriors rallied for a 111-106 overtime triumph last January as nine-point 'dogs.
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Brooklyn Nets at Atlanta Hawks
Dispatching visiting Toronto Raptors 113-106 most recently the Brooklyn Nets (23-15, 18-17-3 ATS) have been cruising since P.J. Carlesimo took over coaching duties back on December 27th. Playing better at both ends under Carlesimo the Nets have posted a smart 9-1 (6-3-1 ATS) stretch averaging 102.9 PPG while giving up 94.4 PPG to the competition. Next up for Brooklyn, a home-home series vs Hawks (21-16, 14-22-1 ATS) with the first matchup in Atlanta on Wednesday. Buoyed by recent success along with Joe Johnson (17.3) returning to his old stomping grounds the Nets will be tough opponents for struggling Hawks off a 97-58 defeat in Chicago shooting a lowly 29.3% and entering the contest on a 1-6 SU/ATS skid. Atlanta netting just 85.0 PPG over it's slide while pegged 4.5 point favorites for the opener are in dangerous betting territory. Hawks are 5-15 ATS scoring =<95 points/game, 1-4 ATS following a game in which they scored =25 points, 2-5 ATS at home after shooting =<.35% from the field the previous game for a combined 9-27 ATS slide.
Heat at Warriors: What Bettors Need to Know
Covers.com
Miami Heat at Golden State Warriors (+2, 202)
The Miami Heat have had a tough time on their current road trip and are now dealing with questions surrounding Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh being benched at the end of a loss at Utah on Monday. Perhaps coach Eric Spoelstra was just trying to save the legs of two of his best players for Wednesday, when those two will have to chase around Stephen Curry and David Lee when Miami visits the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State will have its hands full guarding LeBron James, who needs 18 points to become the youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 in his career. The reigning MVP has been the bright spot of an otherwise disastrous trip, shooting 55.4 percent in four games as the Heat have dropped three of four. The Warriors have lost three of four as well, marking their worst four-game span since early November. Golden State beat the Heat in Miami on Dec. 12, getting a layup from rookie Draymond Green with 0.9 seconds left to secure a 97-95 win.
ABOUT THE HEAT (24-12): Miami decided to leave Wade on the bench for the entire fourth quarter on Monday as James and the reserves nearly overcame a 21-point deficit before suffering a 104-97 setback against the Jazz. Wade appeared dismayed in his postgame comments, “Coach makes the calls,” he said. “I’m just a player.” Bosh sat for all but 16 seconds of the fourth quarter and struggled on the glass when he was on the floor, pulling down one rebound in 27 minutes. Miami is last in the NBA in rebounding and has seen its offense lose focus of late as well. Monday marked the fifth time in the last six games that the Heat had failed to reach 100 points. Still, Miami has a chance to pull out a .500 trip if it can slip past Golden State and take out the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (23-13): Golden State got 27 points from Klay Thompson and 22 points and 13 rebounds from Lee in the win at Miami while Curry was held to nine points. Curry is dealing with some knee pain and did not fully participate in practice on Tuesday. The star guard, who hit seven 3-pointers in the 116-105 loss at Denver on Sunday, is expected to play against the Heat. It was the defense that broke down against the Nuggets, allowing 37 points in the fourth quarter to squander an eight-point lead at the beginning of the frame. The Warriors committed seven of their 18 turnovers in the fourth quarter. Golden State can be encouraged by its offensive performance in that game, however, after it was a lack of scoring that did the team in against the Clippers and Grizzlies last week.
TRENDS:
* Heat are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games.
* Warriors are 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall.
* Over is 4-1 in Warriors last five overall.
* Heat are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 five meetings.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. James (28 years, 17 days) will be the youngest by over a year to reach the 20,000 mark, beating Kobe Bryant (29 years, 122 days). He will be the seventh-fastest in terms of games played, behind Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor and Allen Iverson.
2. Golden State has taken back-to-back games in the series, including a 111-106 overtime victory at home on Jan. 10, 2012.
3. Miami F Shane Battier (hamstring) has missed three straight games and is questionable for Wednesday.
NBA Point Spreads and Betting Guide
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
There’s a big lineup on Wednesday's NBA card with 20 teams in action, including each conference’s No. 1 team facing some stiff competition. The red-hot Denver Nuggets are on a six-game winning streak, but notching their seventh in a row will be tough. Not only will they be on the second leg of a back-to-back, but they also have to travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder, holders of the NBA’s best record at 30-8.
Despite the streak, the Nuggets have only beaten the spread once in their last four games. However, they were a favorite in each of those games. The last time they were an underdog was 10 days ago at Los Angeles -- getting 6-points from the Lakers -- and they won outright, 112-105.
The Thunder are currently on a four-game winning streak. This is their only home game during a stretch of 10 games.
The house should be rocking in Oakland tonight when the Golden State Warriors host the Miami Heat. Both teams have lost three of their past four games and could use a big win to get back on track.
The Warriors shocked the Heat in Miami in early December with a 97-95 victory at a time when the Heat were playing their best ball of the season. The Heat went on to win six more games after the loss but have dropped six of their past 10. They’re much worse against the number as well, covering only twice in those last 10 games.
The Heat will be playing the Lakers tomorrow night in a game that will feature a once-again hungry Lakers crowd.
A two-game win streak has got the fans in L.A. excited again, and the Lakers have looked noticeably better, albeit against the Cavs and Bucks.
The LVH Super Book has taken notice as well. They offered a proposition last weekend asking whether the Lakers would make the playoffs. YES opened -110, but has been bet up to -175 now. The LVH also dropped the Lakers odds to win the NBA Championship from 40-to-1, down to 30-to-1.
NBA Trends:
* The Pacers have covered their past four road games when playing a team with a home winning percentage lower than .400, including last night’s win at Charlotte. The Magic have covered five of their last seven games. The Magic have gone OVER the total in their last six home games. The Pacers are 1.5-point road favorites with a total of 186.5.
* The Bulls have covered seven of their last 10 road games, and have covered more road games (14) than any team in the league. The Raptors have covered 10 of their last 14 home games and come off a 7-point loss at Brooklyn last night. The underdog has covered four of the past five meetings between the Bulls and Raptors. The Bulls are 4.5-point road favorites with a total of 183.5.
* The Nets have gone 5-1-1 ATS during the current seven game winning streak. The Hawks have covered only six of their last 20 home games. The Nets have gone OVER the total in six of their past seven games. The Hawks are -13 with a total of 186.5.
* The Rockets have covered five of their last seven road games against teams with a winning home record. The Mavericks have covered their past four games. The road team has covered in five of the last seven meetings between the Rockets and Mavericks. Dallas is -4, total: 214.
* The Hornets have covered five of their last six games. The Celtics have gone 4-1-1 ATS during their six-game win streak. The Celtics have also stayed UNDER the total in six of their last seven games. Boston is -7 with a total of 183.5.
* The Nuggets have covered seven of their past eight games coming off of a game where they didn’t cover. The Thunder are 16-5-1 ATS in their last 22 games playing on one days rest. The Nuggets have covered four of the past five meetings in Oklahoma City. The Thunder are -8.5 with a total of 209.
* The Grizzlies have covered four of their last five road games. The Spurs have failed to cover their past four home games against a winning road team. The Spurs have gone UNDER the total in their past four home games. The Grizzlies have covered six of the past nine meetings at San Antonio. The Spurs are -5.5 with a total of 187.5.
* The Wizards have covered nine of their last 11 games following a game they won. The Kings have failed to cover the number in their past four games. The Wizards and Kings have gone OVER the total in their last five meetings in Sacramento. The Kings are -4 with a total of 205.5.
* The Cavs have failed to cover in their past four meetings against the Blazers. The Blazers have gone UNDER the total in eight of their last 12 home games. The Blazers are -7 with a total of 197.
* The Heat have covered the spread only twice in their last 10 games. The Warriors have failed to cover in their past four games while losing three of the four straight-up. The Warriors and Heat have gone OVER the total in five of the past six meetings at Golden State. The Heat are -2 with a total of 202.
NBA Injuries:
* Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani (elbow) is OUT indefinitely.
* Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (ankle) is questionable.
* Hawks forward Josh Smith (suspended) is OUT tonight.
* Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (chest) is questionable tonight.
* Spurs forward Manu Ginobili (hamstring) is OUT 10-14 days.
* Wizards guard Jordan Crawford (ankle) is questionable.
* Heat forward Shane Battier (hamstring) is questionable.