NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Wednesday, January 18th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Portland split its last ten games, covered three of last four on road; they’re 5-11 as road underdogs. Over is 10-4 in their last 14 road games. Hornets lost seven of last eight games; they’re 6-1 in last seven games as a home favorite. Three of their last four games stayed under the total. Portland won seven of last nine games with Charlotte (6-3 vs spread); Trailblazers lost three of last five visits here (2-3 vs spread). Over is 6-2 in last eight series games.
Memphis is 3-4 in its last seven games, 7-7 vs spread as a road underdog. Grizzlies are 5-7 vs spread in last 12 road games. Over is 6-2 in their last eight games. Wizards won five of last six games, are 11-1 vs spread in last 12 home games. Over is 7-4 in their last 11 home games. Home side won eight of last ten Memphis-Washington games; Grizzlies lost three of last four visits here (1-3 vs spread, over 3-1).
Raptors won its last four games, is 4-6 vs spread as a road favorite. Last six Toronto games went over the total. 76ers won four of last five games, covered seven of last eight; they’re 12-6 as home underdogs. Under is 4-1 in their last five games. Toronto won its last ten games with the 76ers, covered last seven; Raptors won last five visits to Philly, covered last four. Six of last seven series games went over total.
New York lost 11 of last 13 games, 8-4 vs spread in last 12 games as a road underdog. Four of their last five games stayed under. Celtics won seven of last eight games, are 9-7 as home favorites; six of their last eight home games went over the total. Knicks lost eight of last nine games with Boston, losing last four visits to Beantown (1-3 vs spread). Under is 5-2 in last seven series games.
Magic lost six of last seven games, is 3-5 in last eight games as a road underdog. Last three Orlando games went over. Pelicans won four of last five home games, are 5-9 as home faves (star Davis is banged up, check status). Last four NO games stayed under. Orlando won its last four games with New Orleans (3-1 vs spread); Magic lost three of last five visits to Bourbon Street. Last six series games stayed under the total.
Atlanta won nine of last ten games, covered eight of last ten on road. Under is 4-1-1 in their last six road games. Pistons lost three of last four games; they’re 2-6 vs spread in last eight home games. Three of last four Detroit games stayed under. Hawks won four of last five games with Detroit; six of last seven series games went over total. Atlanta won three of last four visits to Motor City, winning last two by 17-4 points.
Bucks lost four of last six games, are 5-9 as road underdogs. Five of their last six games went over total. Houston lost three of last four games; they’re 1-4 in last five games as a home favorite. Five of their last six games went over the total. Rockets won five of last six games with Milwaukee; over is 7-3 in last ten series games. Bucks lost last three visits to Houston, by 10-6-4 points.
Pacers won six of last seven games, but lost four of last five games away from home. Seven of their last eight games went over total. Sacramento lost five of its last six games, six of last seven at home; over is 8-3 in their last 11 games. Kings won last four games with Indiana; they covered four of last five series games. Pacers lost by 1-11 points in last two visits here. Last three series games stayed under total.
Warriors won last four games with Oklahoma City, winning by 26 in first reunion with Durant and his old team on Nov 3. Thunder lost last four visits to Oakland (0-4 vs spread). Under is 7-2 in last nine series games. Thunder won four of last six games overall, but lost six of last eight on road; they’re 2-4 in last six games as a road dog. Over is 5-3 in their last eight games. Golden State won four in row, eight of last nine games; they’re 10-12 as home favorites. Three of their last four games stayed under.
Armadillosports.com
Red-hot Hawks face Pistons
By: StatFox,com
The Hawks will be looking to earn a solid road victory over the Pistons on Wednesday.
Atlanta is extremely hot right now, as the team has won nine of its past 10 games and covered in seven of those contests. The Hawks most recently faced the Knicks, and they won that game 108-107 in Madison Square Garden. Atlanta forced New York to commit 18 turnovers in that game, and the Hawks have now forced their opponent to commit 15 or more turnovers in five of the past seven contests. They play swarming defense and will hope to do so again on Wednesday. The Pistons, meanwhile, turned the ball over only seven times in a 102-97 victory over the Lakers last game. Detroit will need to make sure it is careful with the ball again in this one or the Hawks will likely win this one. Atlanta won 105-98 the last time these teams met, but the Pistons won 121-85 in the first meeting between these teams on the year. It’s worth noting that the Hawks are an impressive 7-1 ATS versus Central division opponents on the season. The Pistons, meanwhile, are a miserable 1-5 ATS after playing a game as a road favorite on the year. PF Jon Leuer (Knee) and SG Kentavius Caldwell-Pope (Shoulder) are both questionable for the Pistons, as well. Things will be tough on Detroit if those two can’t play.
The Hawks have surprised a lot of people by the way they’ve played, especially since trading Kyle Korver to the Cavaliers. Atlanta has completely bought in defensively this season, as the team is one of the most efficient teams in the league on that end. C Dwight Howard’s (13.9 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG) arrival has certainly helped in that regard. Howard might not be what he once was, but he is still one of the better rim protectors in basketball. He’ll face a tough test on Tuesday, though. Andre Drummond has the size and strength to bang with Howard, and this game could be decided on which one of them is able to stay on the court. Howard must avoid foul trouble or it’ll be tough for Atlanta to win. PF Paul Millsap (17.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.0 BPG), however, should be able to absolutely dominate this game. While Millsap isn’t necessarily huge, he is a lot stronger than Tobias Harris at the power forward spot. That will allow Millsap to really thrive in the post, and he’ll also pop out and hit a few threes. The Hawks just need PG Dennis Schroder (17.4 PPG, 6.1 APG) to hold his own against Reggie Jackson, and they should be able to earn this road win. Schroder is a pest defensively and that should frustrate Reggie Jackson, who can really struggle when opponents get into his head.
If the Pistons are going to win on Wednesday then C Andre Drummond (14.5 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 1.2 BPG) must really play well in his matchup with Dwight Howard. Drummond normally has a physical advantage over all of his opponents, but that will not be the case this time around. That means that he’ll need to play a smart game on both ends of the floor, and rely a little bit on finesse. Drummond doesn’t have a ton of moves, but he gotten better with his push floater in recent years. That shot should come in handy on Wednesday, as it won’t be as easy for Drummond to just go up and dunk the ball. Reggie Jackson (16.3PPG, 5.3 APG), meanwhile, will need to use his size advantage on Schroder to get to the basket. He has a ton of weight on Schroder, and that will allow him to absorb contact when attempting to finish at the rim. He’ll just need to hope that his jumper doesn’t abandon him, which it has at times since returning from a knee injury. Whether or not the Pistons can win this game will likely come down to who else steps up, though. PF Tobias Harris (16.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG) is certainly capable of doing that, but the team needs something from the shooting guard position. With SG Kentavius Caldwell-Pope (14.5 PPG, 1.3 SPG) banged up, Detroit could struggle to get production there.
Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The underdogs profited on Tuesday night in the NBA by going 3-2 ATS as the Heat and Mavericks each won outright as a ‘dog. The Raptors sent the Nets to their 11th straight loss, while the Nuggets held off the Lakers, 127-121. The only underdog to cash in a loss was Minnesota, who fell short in a 122-114 setback at San Antonio as 12-point ‘dogs. The OVER hit in three of five games, including the Nuggets/Lakers matchup which had a total of 230.
Game of the Night – Thunder at Warriors (-13, 228)
Golden State (35-6, 17-23-1 ATS) picked up a bit of revenge on Monday in a 126-91 blowout of Cleveland in an NBA Finals rematch. The Warriors scored 78 first half points, while Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined to hit 10 three-pointers to give Golden State its fourth consecutive victory. Steve Kerr’s squad wraps up a four-game homestand as the Warriors have covered two straight games since a 1-8 ATS slump that began on December 23.
Oklahoma City (25-18 SU, 23-19-1 ATS) continues a six-game road swing as the Thunder looks to rebound from a 120-98 setback to the Clippers on Monday as 8½-point underdogs. Russell Westbrook failed to post a triple-double as he finished with 24 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while OKC lost its fifth straight game in the role of a road underdog (1-4 ATS). The Thunder have bounced back after a defeat in which they were held below 100 points by posting a 6-2 SU and 4-3-1 ATS record.
Of course the top storyline is Kevin Durant facing his former team as the ex-Thunder standout crossed over to the Warriors in the offseason. Golden State erased a 3-1 deficit to Oklahoma City in last season’s Western Conference Finals, as the Warriors continued their recent ownership of the Thunder in a 122-96 blowout on November 3 at Oracle Arena. However, OKC played with no rest in that loss as 12-point underdogs, as Durant torched his former mates for 39 points, while the Warriors blew the game open in the second quarter by outscoring the Thunder, 37-11.
Capital Punishment
The Wizards suddenly have the best home-court advantage in the league, at least recently. Washington has won 12 consecutive games at the Verizon Center, while covering 11 times in this span following Monday’s 120-101 rout of Portland as 3½-point favorites. The Wizards will be tested tonight as the Grizzlies invade the Nation’s Capital, as Memphis will try to bounce back from Sunday’s home loss to Chicago.
Earlier this season, the Grizzlies held off the Wizards in overtime at home, 112-103, but Washington has captured three of the past four matchups in D.C. since 2013. Memphis has lost five of its past eight games away from FedEx Forum, but has earned solid road victories as heavy underdogs at Golden State and Houston this month.
No Rest Needed
The Rockets were silenced in last night’s shocking 109-103 defeat to the struggling Heat as Houston knocked down only 9-of-39 attempts from three-point range. Houston returns to the Toyota Center tonight to host Milwaukee as the Rockets try to improve on a solid 9-1 SU and 7-3 ATS record on the second of a back-to-back set. However, Houston has covered just once in the last five games, including three consecutive non-covers at home.
The Bucks are back in Texas after pulling out their best win of the season at San Antonio on January 10 as 10-point underdogs, 109-107. However, Milwaukee is looking to snap a two-game skid, including a surprising 113-104 home setback to Philadelphia on Monday as 8½-point favorites. Milwaukee’s defense hasn’t been sharp of late by allowing at least 100 points in seven straight contests, while riding a four-game streak to the OVER.
Lacking Pace
Indiana is rolling at home this season by posting a solid 16-5 record at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The road has been a different story for Nate McMillan’s squad by losing 13 of 18 contests on the highway, including seven of the last nine away from Indianapolis. The Pacers begin a three-game road swing tonight in Sacramento against a Kings’ club closing out a seven-game homestand. Sacramento has dropped five of six games on this homestand, but the Kings have owned the Pacers recently by winning four straight meetings.
Bee Sting
The Hornets had expectations to advance past the first round of the playoffs this season after losing in seven games to the Heat last season. However, Charlotte has stumbled recently to fall below the .500 mark at 20-21 by losing seven of the past eight games. The Hornets welcome in the Blazers tonight as Charlotte starts an important five-game homestand. Portland attempts to snap a mini two-game skid as the Blazers allowed 115 and 120 points in its past two losses, while losing in two of its previous three trips to Charlotte.
Motor City Struggles
The Pistons finished off their five-game Western Conference road swing with a victory over the Lakers, but Detroit has dropped 11 of its past 16 games as it welcomes Atlanta to the Palace of Auburn Hills. Playing at home hasn’t been easy for the Pistons, as Stan Van Gundy’s team has compiled a 2-6 SU/ATS in the last eight at the Palace, which includes a victory over the Cavaliers without LeBron James.
The Hawks continue to remain hot after Monday’s one-point triumph at New York, as Atlanta has won nine of its past 10 games overall. Atlanta has been true road warriors by winning five consecutive contests away from Philips Arena, while capturing a pair of victories at the Palace last season.
Head-to-Head Trends
The Raptors have won 14 straight meetings with the 76ers since the 2013-14 season, while covering 11 times in this span. Toronto visits Philadelphia tonight as the Raptors are riding a seven-game winning streak at Wells Fargo Center.
Boston owns an 8-1 record in the past nine matchups with New York, including a 2-0 mark this season. The Celtics host the Knicks this evening as Boston has scored 115 and 119 points in the first two matchups this season, while the last three meetings at TD Garden have finished UNDER the total.
Orlando has captured the last four meetings with New Orleans, as the two squads hook up in the Big Easy tonight. The Magic topped the Pelicans at home in November, 89-82, the fifth consecutive time in this series the two teams have gone UNDER the total.