NBA Knowledge
Wednesday's hot teams
-- Cavaliers won three of last four games; they're 0-2 vs spread in the Tyronn Lue era.
-- Celtics won last three games, 9-20-25 points (7-4 last 11HF).
-- 76ers won three of their last five games (5-2 last 7AU).
-- Rockets won their last three games (4-7AU).
-- Spurs had 13-game win streak snapped Monday night in Oakland (16-9HF).
-- Hawks won/covered last three home games (9-3 last 12HF).
-- Thunder won nine of its last ten games (0-7 last 7AF).
-- Hornets won four of last five games (4-2 last 6AU).
-- Dallas is 4-3 in its last seven games (1-3 last 4AU).
-- Warriors won last four games, all by 12+ points (1-4 last 5HF).
Cold teams
-- Suns lost seven of their last eight games (1-0 last 11AU).
-- Nuggets lost three of last four games; this is their first game on road in 19 days (7-4 last 11AU).
-- Detroit is 3-5 in its last eight games (10-2 last 12HF).
-- Clippers split their last six games (3-4AU).
-- Minnesota lost 12 of its last 14 games (3-1 last 4HU).
-- Utah lost five of its last seven games (4-2 last 6HF).
Series records
-- Cavaliers won three of last four games with Phoenix, but Suns covered five of last six series games.
-- Celtics won three of their last four games with Denver.
-- 76ers won four of last six games with Detroit.
-- Spurs won four of last five games with Houston.
-- Clippers lost four of last five games with Atlanta.
-- Thunder won last nine games with Minnesota (6-3 vs spread).
-- Jazz won eight of last ten games with Charlotte.
-- Warriors lost by 23 in Dallas Dec 30, their first loss to Dallas in last eight series games.
Totals
-- Six of last nine Phoenix games went over total.
-- Six of last seven Denver games went over the total.
-- Over is 7-3 in last ten Philly-Detroit games.
-- Eight of last ten Houston games went over.
-- Five of last seven Clipper games stayed under.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Thunder-Minnesota games.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Utah games.
-- Over is 3-1-1 in last five Dallas games.
Back/backs
-- Phoenix is 3-5 vs spread if it played the night before.
-- 76ers are 3-6 vs spread if they played the night before.
-- Clippers are 4-3 vs spread if they won the night before.
-- Oklahoma City is 2-4 vs spread on road if it played night before.
-- Dallas is 8-2 vs spread if it played the night before.
Armadillosports.com
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Houston at San Antonio
The best thing a San Antonio bettors can do after the 120-90 shellacking in Oakland, is to 'Forget-About-It'. That's because, they're going to be motivated following the beat-down and ready to make a statement when they host in-state rival Houston Rockets.
Oddsmakers have opened San Antonio -10.5 point favorite. As always a higher price on a game is cause to ratchet up the tension for a sports handicapper. However, in this case, the numbers add up well enough to conclude Spurs are a good choice.
Spurs are a profitable 12-3 ATS as double digit chalk and have a habit of bouncing back against the betting line following a loss (6-0 ATS). Also, these telling basketball betting stats leap out in favor of San Antonio. Historically, the Spurs have been money in the bank on home court following a road loss (11-3-1 ATS), have enjoyed success at the betting window off loss by 15 or more points (10-4-1 ATS).
Additionally, San Antonio playing tremendous basketball at both ends of the floor behind a league 3rd best in points scored per 100 possesions (108.2) and ranking tops in the league allowing opponents 94.0 per 100 possessions haven't loss AT&T Center this season (24-0, 17-7 ATS) winning by 16.2 points/game. Going back to the middle of last March, the Spurs are an amazing 33-0 (25-8 ATS) on home court in regular season netting 106.9 points/game while allowing visitors a lowly 89.6 per/contest.
Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Rockets at Spurs
These Texas rivals meet for the third time this season as the home team has won each time. Of course San Antonio (38-7 SU, 30-15 ATS) beat Houston at home, because no one has knocked off the Spurs at the AT&T Center this season. Gregg Popovich’s team looks to improve to 25-0 at home, coming off Monday’s 120-90 drubbing at Golden State. The Spurs played without Tim Duncan, who plans to sit out again with soreness his knee. Since mid-December, San Antonio has covered 10 of its last 13 at home, including an incredible 8-2 ATS mark as a double-digit home favorite.
The Rockets (25-22 SU, 20-27 ATS) hope to get center Dwight Howard back in the lineup after missing the last three games with a sprained ankle. Houston has survived without its big man, winning and covered all three times, including in Monday’s 112-111 triumph at New Orleans as 4½-point underdogs. The Rockets are starting to distance themselves from the .500 mark by winning nine of their last 12 games since losing at San Antonio to tip off January. Houston is returning to its run-and-gun ways, cashing the ‘over’ in eight of the past 10 games, while busting the 100-point mark nine times in this span.
Clippers at Hawks
The Clippers (29-16 SU, 21-21-3 ATS) wrap up this roller-coaster of a road trip after splitting the first four games. Los Angeles held off Indiana on Tuesday, 91-89 to cash as one-point favorites, improving to 6-2 ATS the last eight times in the favorite role. However, Doc Rivers’ club hasn’t responded well as an underdog, losing by double-digits in recent defeats to Cleveland and Toronto. The Clippers have finished ‘under’ the total in three straight games, but each of their last five visits to Philips Arena have resulted in ‘overs.’
This is a tough scheduling spot for Atlanta (27-19 SU, 23-22-1 ATS), who returns home from a 2-2 West Coast trip, followed by a road game at Indiana on Thursday. The Hawks snapped a two-game losing streak with a convincing 119-105 blowout of Denver as four-point favorites, the fourth time Atlanta has topped the 114-point mark this month. Mike Budenholzer’s team cashed the ‘over’ for the first time in six games, while hitting the ‘under’ in each of the last two home contests. The Hawks have posted a 5-3 SU and 3-5 ATS home record against Western Conference foes, but three of the ATS losses came as a favorite of 8½ points or more.
Thunder at Wolves
Oklahoma City (34-13 SU, 19-28 ATS) heads to Minnesota off an exciting double-overtime victory at New York on Tuesday, 128-122. Kevin Durant scored a season-high 44 points, but the Thunder failed to cover as nine-point favorites, dropping to 0-7 ATS the last seven road games. One of those ATS losses came at Minnesota two weeks ago in a 101-96 win as 10½-point favorites, as the Thunder have won nine straight meetings with the Timberwolves.
Minnesota (14-32 SU, 19-26-1 ATS) has had a January to forget, going 2-11 SU and 5-8 ATS, but is coming off consecutive covers against Memphis and Cleveland. The Wolves cashed as 12 ½-point underdogs in Monday’s 114-107 setback at Cleveland, as top pick Karl-Anthony Towns continues his push towards Rookie of the Year with a 26-point, 11-rebound performance. Minnesota has covered three straight games at the Target Center, while winning each of its last two home games against Memphis and Phoenix.
Hornets at Jazz
These two teams met up last week in Charlotte as the Hornets outlasted the Jazz in overtime, 124-119 to cash as 3½-point favorites. Hornets’ guard Kemba Walker exploded for a career-high 52 points, cancelling out a 36-point effort from Utah’s Gordon Hayward as Charlotte beat Utah for just the second time in the last 10 meetings. Charlotte (22-23 SU, 22-22-1 ATS) rallied from a 17-point deficit to stun Sacramento in double-overtime on Monday, 129-128 to cash outright as eight-point ‘dogs to start their four-game road trip. Steve Clifford’s team has covered three straight games, while winning back-to-back road contests since dropping 10 consecutive away games from December 16 to through January 20.
Utah (19-25 SU, 22-22 ATS) continues a six-game homestand after falling to Detroit on Monday, 95-92 as 2½-point favorites. The Jazz have lost four of their past six games with two of those defeats coming in overtime and another setback coming at the buzzer to Sacramento. Quin Snyder’s club has posted a 4-1-1 mark to the ‘under’ in the past six home contests, while holding seven of the last eight opponents at home to 96 points or less.
Mavericks at Warriors
Only four teams have beaten the defending champions this season with Dallas being one of those clubs. The Mavericks (26-21 SU, 27-19-1 ATS) routed the Warriors at the American Airlines Center, 114-91 in late December, taking advantage of Stephen Curry sitting out with a leg injury. Dallas looks to build on a 7-4 SU/ATS record with no rest after beating the Lakers at Staples Center on Tuesday thanks to a last-second basket by Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavs hope to improve on a 2-4 ATS record in its last six as a road underdog, while going 1-3 ATS this season as a double-digit ‘dog.
Golden State (41-4 SU, 27-17-1 ATS) crushed San Antonio on Monday in a possible Western Conference finals matchup, 120-90 to improve to 21-0 at home. The Warriors easily cashed as 4½-point favorites, picking up their second cover in their last six games at Oracle Arena. Steve Kerr’s squad travels east after tonight’s contest for a three-game road trip against a trio of below .500 foes starting with Philadelphia on Saturday. The Warriors routed the Mavericks in two home matchups last season, as Golden State caught Dallas with no rest in a 15-point victory last March.
Game of the Day: Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs
By Covers.com
Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (-12, 205)
The San Antonio Spurs got a look at just how far away they are from being the best team in the NBA on Monday, but they’re still a solid No. 2. The Spurs will try to stay undefeated at home when they return to host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
San Antonio went into a hotly-anticipated meeting with the Golden State Warriors on Monday riding a 13-game winning streak but came out of it with a 120-90 loss. "It was like men and boys out there (Monday), I thought, as far as the toughness and the aggressiveness was concerned," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters. "In every facet of the game, it was men and boys.”
The Rockets are enjoying a string of three straight wins but were ripped 121-103 in a visit to San Antonio on Jan. 2. James Harden was held to 17 points in that loss but is averaging 30.3 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the last four contests.
LINE: Overnight odds went out with San Antonio as a 12-point home favorite with the total at 205 points. Books opened the Spurs as 10.5-point favorites and that has been bet down to -10.
POWER RANKINGS: Rockets (-1.5) - Spurs (-18) + home court (-3.0) = San Antonio -19.5
INJURIES: Rockets - Dwight Howard C (Questionable - ankle), Spurs - Tim Duncan PF (Questionable - knee)
WHAT SHARPS SAY: "San Antonio comes into this game off a 30-point loss in Golden State on Monday night, but I wouldn’t put too much stock into that defeat. The Spurs will likely meet the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, and Popovich is a shrewd coach who didn’t want to show Golden State anything in that game. San Antonio should play better now off a loss. Houston is playing solid basketball now, but they still play little defense and Dwight Howard has missed recent games with injury." - Covers Expert Steve Merril.
WHAT BOOKS SAY: "The Spurs have won three of the last four meetings including a 121-103 victory at home on January second. Dwight Howard will be making the trip but it is still unclear if he will play. Same goes for Duncan who has been out with soar knees. I suspect the Spurs will rebound from their 30-point drubbing at the hands of the Warriors Monday night." - Michael Stewart, CarbonGaming.ag.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (25-22, 20-27 ATS): Harden led the way with 35 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in a 112-111 win at New Orleans on Monday to kick off a three-game trip that concludes at Oklahoma City on Friday. “He was great again. He was flirting with another triple-double,” Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters of Harden. “When he does that, we’re hard to beat. He’s sharing the ball, he’s rebounding.” Harden is getting plenty of help of late from small forward Trevor Ariza, who is averaging 30 points in the last two games while going 14-of-20 from 3-point range.
ABOUT THE SPURS (38-7, 30-15 ATS): San Antonio entered Monday’s contest leading the NBA with a scoring defense that yielded an average of 89.8 points but yielded more than that through the first three quarters as the game quickly got out of hand. “They outplayed us in every single aspect of the game,” reserve guard Manu Ginobili told reporters. “Aggression was one, shooting was another one, defense, everything. It was the whole package. I don't think there was one area in which it was close. We were slow, not every sharp. It was no game." All seven of the Spurs’ losses have come on the road, and the team is an NBA-best 24-0 at home.
TRENDS:
- Home team is 8-0 ATS in last eight meetings.
- Over is 5-1 in last six meetings in San Antonio.
- Over is 4-1 in last five meetings.
- Rockets are 9-3 ATS in last 12 meetings.
- Favorite is 5-2 ATS in last 7 meetings.
CONSENSUS: 54 percent of Covers Consensus is on San Antonio while 69 percent are on the Over.
Wednesday's Top Action
By Sportsbook.ag
HOUSTON ROCKETS (25-22) at SAN ANTONIO SPURS (38-7)
Sportsbook.ag Line: San Antonio -10. Total: 209
The Rockets will be going for their fourth straight victory when they face the Spurs in San Antonio on Wednesday.
Houston is playing some solid basketball recently and is coming off of a 112-111 victory as a four-point underdog in New Orleans on Monday. The Rockets have now won three straight games both SU and ATS. One thing the team is doing is keeping the turnovers down. The Rockets have not turned the ball over more than 14 times in each of their past six games.
San Antonio was embarrassed in their meeting with the Warriors at Oracle Arena on Monday. San Antonio was a 4.5-point road underdog in that game and ended up losing 120-90.The team turned the ball over 25 times and shot just 41.9% from the field, the lowest mark the team has hit over the past 18 games.
Houston has played well against San Antonio in recent years, going 6-4 SU and 7-3 ATS versus the team over the past three seasons. These teams have met twice this season and each team won-and-covered when playing at home. The Rockets are 18-8 ATS when revenging a loss where their opponent scored 110 or more points in their most recent meeting over the past two seasons. The Spurs, however, are 21-7 ATS after having won four or five of their past five games this season.
The Rockets have won three straight games and will now be going for their second win of the season over a very talented Spurs team. If Houston is going to come away with a win on Wednesday then SG James Harden (27.7 PPG, 7.0 APG, 6.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG) will need to play extremely well. He has not performed well against San Antonio this season (18.5 PPG in two meetings), but he is on fire coming into this game. Harden is averaging 28.2 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 9.6 APG over the past five contests and is doing so on 47.1% shooting from the field and 43.2% shooting from the outside. He should be able to carry some of that momentum into this game and find ways to score the basketball.
Another guy that Houston will be hoping can stay hot is SF Trevor Ariza (12.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.8 SPG). Ariza is averaging 30.0 PPG over the past two contests and was 22-for-31 from the field in those games. He has been lights out from three recently, going 19-for-32 from the outside over the past three contests. Ariza is a very solid defender and if he can continue to hit shots then it will take a lot of pressure off of Harden moving forward.
The health of C Dwight Howard (14.4 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 1.6 BPG) is a big factor in this one. Howard had 36 points and 26 rebounds in his last game before getting hurt against Detroit and had been dominant for the Rockets in the weeks before. If he is on the court then Houston will have a great chance to steal a win against a Duncan-less Spurs team.
The Spurs are coming off of a brutal loss to the Warriors on Monday and PF LaMarcus Aldridge (15.6 PPG, 8.7 RPG) was awful in that game. Aldridge played 25 minutes and finished with just five points and three boards on 2-for-9 shooting from the field. San Antonio needs Aldridge to be better offensively and he should be able to turn things around against the Rockets. He is averaging 21.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG on 57.6% shooting from the field in two games against Houston and could be even more dominant if Howard ends up sitting this one out.
SF Kawhi Leonard (20.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.9 SPG) has also played well against the Rockets this season, averaging 21.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.5 SPG and 1.5 BPG in two meetings with the team. Leonard has played excellent defense against James Harden when called upon and should be able to find some success on Wednesday. He was one of the few Spurs that wasn’t taken out of the game by Golden State on Monday, as he finished with 16 points, five boards and two steals on 4-for-6 shooting from the field and 7-for-7 shooting from the charity stripe.
The x-factor in this game could just be PG Tony Parker (12.5 PPG, 5.0 APG). Parker has been absolutely horrendous in two meetings with the Rockets this season, averaging just 2.0 PPG on 1-for-13 shooting from the field. He will need to knock down some shots for his team or it will be tough for San Antonio to win this one.
DALLAS MAVERICKS (26-21) at GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (41-4)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Golden State -18, Total: 216.5
The Warriors put their perfect home record on the line when the Mavericks come to town on Wednesday.
The Mavericks faced the Lakers at Staples Center on Tuesday and came away with a 92-90 victory as 6.5-point favorites. Dallas had lost its previous two games, so the win was much needed for a team that has its heart set on making the playoffs.
The Warriors, meanwhile, are coming off of a 120-90 victory as 4.5-point home favorites against the Spurs. Golden State has won four straight games by double digits and has shot 52% or better from the field in three of those four games.
These two teams have met just once this season and the Mavericks won that game 114-91 as 3.5-point home underdogs. Golden State did play that game without PG Steph Curry (30.3 PPG, 6.5 APG, 5.3 RPG, 2.1 SPG) though. The Mavericks have really struggled at Oracle Arena over the years, losing five straight games in Golden State and seven of the past eight as well.
One thing that favors Dallas in this game is the fact that the team is 14-5 ATS after playing a game as a favorite this season. Yet, Golden State is 30-13 ATS after two straight wins by 10 points or more over the past two seasons.
The Mavericks are coming off of a tough game in Los Angeles and PF Dirk Nowitzki (17.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG) actually saved the day for his team. Nowitzki buried a midrange jumper to win the game with two seconds left in that one. He is still as much of a matchup nightmare as he has always been and he will need to have a good game against the Warriors on Wednesday. He had 18 points and eight boards the last time these teams met and another performance like that would put his team in a good position to win.
PG Deron Williams (14.1 PPG, 5.5 APG) can also really help the Mavericks by playing at a high level in this game. Williams will be matched up with Curry all night and if he does not come to play on both ends of the floor then Golden State will wipe the floor with Dallas.
Another guy that will really need to play well is SF Chandler Parsons (11.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.5 APG). Parsons looks as healthy as ever at this point in the season and his knee injury is far behind him. Over the past five games, Parsons is averaging 24.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 3.0 APG. He could see a lot of time matched up against Draymond Green in this one, so he would need to be ready to play physically on the defensive end. Dallas is going to have no choice but to play Parsons at the four spot a little and he can’t afford to play a lousy game in this one.
The Warriors are back to playing their dominant brand of basketball and that has everything to do with the otherworldly play of Steph Curry. Over the past five games, Curry is averaging 34.8 PPG, 7.0 APG, 6.2 RPG and 2.6 SPG on 55.4% shooting from the field and 51.7% shooting from three. He has the ability to knock down bad shots at a high clip and that’s what makes defending him so tough. If he can stay hot then the Mavericks have almost no chance to pull off an upset at Oracle Arena.
What also helps the Warriors is that PF Draymond Green (14.6 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.3 BPG) is around to do the dirty work. Green is a threat to put up a triple-double on a nightly basis and is also one of the best defenders in basketball. He will spend a lot of time trying to shut down both Nowitzki and Parsons on Wednesday.
One guy that Golden State would like to get going is SG Klay Thompson (20.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.4 APG). Thompson is averaging just 14.5 PPG over the past two contests and he is just 4-for-13 from the outside in those games. He is one of the best shooters in the league and it would take some pressure off of Curry if he can start knocking down some shots of his own.