NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Hornets won last two games, both at home; they lost three of last four on road, are 6-4 vs spread in last 10 road games- their last three games stayed under. Magic won last two games, are 4-10 vs spread in last 14 home games. Four of their last five home games went over total. Charlotte won its last six games with Orlando (5-1 vs spread); Hornets won/covered four of their last five visits here- four of those five games went over total.
Pacers lost its last four road games (0-4 vs spread); they’re 6-6 SU since All-Star break. Under is 12-3 in their last 15 games. Boston won four of last five games; they’re 4-0 vs spread in last four home games. Under is 12-1-2 in their last fifteen games. Celtics won three of last four games with Indiana; under is 7-1 in last eight series games. Pacers lost three of last four visits to Boston.
Detroit lost four of last five games; they’re 0-5 vs spread in last five road games. Six of their last seven games stayed under. Bulls lost eight of last ten games; they blew a 15-point lead in 4th quarter in Toronto last nite. Under is 8-3 in their last eleven games. Pistons won seven of last ten games with Chicago; teams split last four series games played here. Six of last eight series games stayed under.
Hawks lost their last four games; they’re 5-8 against the spread in last 13 road games. Four of their last five games stayed under total. Washington lost four of last five games; they’re 1-5 vs spread in last six home games. Over is 9-2 in their last eleven games. Wizards won three of their last four games with Atlanta (under 3-1). Hawks lost by 11-3 points in last two visits to Washington.
76ers are 4-9 in their last 13 games, but 16-3 vs spread in their last 19 games, covering last five games on foreign soil. Three of their last four games stayed under. OKC won five of last six games; they’re 10-3 vs spread in last 13 home games. Over is 8-4 in their last twelve games. Thunder won their last ten games with Philly but 76ers covered four of last five; Sixers lost three of last four visits here (1-3 vs spread). Seven of last eight series games stayed under.
Cleveland won three of its last four games; they’re 4-6 vs spread in last ten road tilts. Under is 11-4 in their last fifteen games. Nuggets won three of last four home games; they’re 8-3 vs spread in last 11 games overall. Under is 7-3 in their last ten games. Cavaliers won six of last seven games with Denver; Cavaliers won last three games here (2-0-1 vs spread). Under is 6-3-1 in last ten series games.
Milwaukee won nine of its last 11 games; they’re 6-4 vs spread in last ten road games. Under is 12-1-1 in their last 14 games. Sacramento lost 10 of last 12 games; they’re 2-4-1 vs spread in last seven home games. Under is 11-5 in their last sixteen games. Bucks-Kings split their last ten games; Milwaukee lost three of last five visits to Sacramento. Last eight series games went over total.
New York lost five of last six games; they’re 3-6 vs spread in last nine road games. Three of their last four games went over. Jazz lost their last three games, all on road; they’re 4-8 vs spread in last 12 home games. Three of last four Utah games stayed under. Knicks lost four of last five games with Utah; they lost by 5-21 points in last two visits here. Last four series games played here stayed under.
Armadillosports.com
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks both seem to have a grip on a playoff spot. The two will meet on Wednesday at 8PM ET in the nation’s capital.
The Hawks aren’t a flashy team by any means, but they’re balanced offensively. They have six players, including Paul Millsap, averaging double digits for points. Unfortunately for them, their All-Star is expected to miss Wednesday’s contest because of tightness in his knee. The Hawks may have to rely a little more on their tough defense, which is sixth in opponent field goal percentage.
They’ll have their hands full with the Wizards, who are fifth in points scored. John Wall (22.9 points, 10.8 assists per game) and Bradley Beal (23.1 points) are finally fulfilling their promise in the backcourt, but the Wizards’ defense still has some work to do; they’re 22nd in points allowed.
Atlanta is 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 meetings with the Wizards, who’ve won two of three games against the Hawks this season. Atlanta won the first meeting 114-99 at home in October, then the Wizards won 95-92 in Washington in November and then 112-86 in Atlanta in January.
Wednesday's NBA Essentials
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com
Game of the Night - Cleveland at Denver
After beating the Jazz in Kevin Love's return, the Cavs punted on being competitive against the Clippers and instead played all their regulars against the tanking Lakers, pulling out a comeback win. Up just 1.5 games on Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, Cleveland faces a challenging final few weeks of the regular season. Tonight's visit to Denver will be one of its final seven road games, with stops still left in Charlotte, San Antonio, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta and Miami after this one.
None of those games will be easy, and there are even four back-to-backs remaining, so not letting this one slip away is important. The Cavs are 6-7 since Feb. 25, which includes losing five of eight on the road. This current stretch they're in has them playing six of seven in opposing arenas, so how they fare over the next week will dictate how much room for error they have between now and January.
A lack of practice time was considered a culprit when the Cavs lost six of eight in January as they struggled to successfully blend Kyle Korver into the mix upon his acquisition from Atlanta, so the past few days have been a blessing in trying to get Love back up to speed. For just the second time since the All-Star break, the Cavs have had two days between games. They spent them out in L.A., working out at UCLA, Love's alma mater, before flying into Denver yesterday.
Cleveland is 12-2 with multiple days of rest between games, so it will be interesting to see how they respond here. Love scored 21 points and grabbed 15 boards in just 26 minutes against the Lakers on Sunday night, coming up with his first double-double since Feb. 9. The Cavs went 7-6 as he recovered from a knee injury and although he'll likely not play in this week's back-to-back and is probably still on a minutes restriction that won't let him play more than 25-30 minutes, he's already proven he'll give this group a significant boost they badly needed.
Korver has been out since March 9 with a foot injury, but was a participant in practice on Tuesday and is likely to return. He shot 59 percent from 3-point range in February after settling in some and should be the x-factor the team envisioned he'd become going forward so long as there are no setbacks.
Having a few days off also allowed Deron Williams (thumb), Iman Shumpert (knee) and Tristan Thompson (mouth) opportunities to heal up, so it will be interesting to see how Cleveland responds now that it is working its way back to full strength. James will likely take another game or two off, but has worked his way into the MVP conversation. Despite the tremendous runs Russell Westbrook and James Harden have enjoyed, James has put together career-highs in rebounds (8.4) and assists (8.8 ) and authored one of his most efficient seasons. A strong finish would definitely make him a factor in the final vote.
Denver is coming off perhaps its most frustrating loss of the season, falling 125-124 after a botched late offensive possession that helped Harden secure a game-winning layup in the final seconds. They're still up on Portland for the final Western Conference playoff spot, but have been working short-handed without key forwards Danilo Gallinari (knee) and Wilson Chandler (groin), who could return for this game.
The Nuggets are viewing this one as a game they need to have, not only because they don't want the Rockets loss to linger, but because they're down to just four games among their remaining 12. Cleveland beat Denver 125-109 on Feb. 11, getting 27 points a piece from James and Irving. Gallinari was absent, and the team had yet to acquire Mason Plumlee, who has become a key member of the rotation. Nikola Jokic led the way with 27.
Cleveland hasn't lost in Denver since James returned to the franchise and has won four of five there. The Cavs are 6-1 in their last seven meetings against the Nuggets and registered their highest scoring output in the series since 1990 last month. They scored 124 in the final meeting of the 2015-16 season.
Injury Concerns
Charlotte has won consecutive games and is making one last push to try and salvage a season that has gotten a way from them, so it's a relief to see Michael Kidd-Gilchrist set to play after he left Monday's over Atlanta with an ankle injury. The Hornets are in Orlando to play their only road game in a six-game stretch, so it's now or never for them.
Andre Drummond left Detroit's loss to Brooklyn with 13 points and 17 rebounds, so he wasn't on the floor for Brook Lopez's game-winner, limping off with a knee injury. He's expected to play in Chicago, where it's unlikely he'll see the other Lopez, Robin, who is expected to be suspended after fighting with Serge Ibaka in Tuesday's OT loss against Toronto.
The Kings have been without all three of their veteran wings of late, but should get a couple of them back for tonight's home date with Milwaukee. Buddy Hield has gotten major minutes, while Malachi Richardson has unfortunately been banged up. Ben McLemore hadn't been part of the rotation before paternity leave, but will be available tonight. Arron Afflalo (personal) and Tyreke Evans (knee) have also been out, so McLemore could be in for some minutes if they remain sidelined.
Head-head Trends
The Celtics and Pacers may wind up meeting in a playoff series, although the Pacers are hoping to end the season successfully enough to grab the No. 6 seed and avoid Cleveland and Boston. The Celtics have won five of the last eight in the series, with the under 7-1 in those games. Boston is up 2-0 this season, winning in November and December as a 1.5-point road favorite.
The Wizards have a five-game lead on Atlanta in the Southeast Division with just a dozen left to play, so they'll look to improve on a 27-10 home record against a potential playoff opponent. Paul Millsap will remain out with a knee injury which has contributed to the Hawks' four-game losing streak. Washington lost the season opener in Atlanta but has won the last two meetings.
Oklahoma City had its five-game winning streak snapped by Golden State on Monday, but have an opportunity to get back on track against a team they've beaten 15 consecutive times. The 76ers last beat OKC on Nov. 15, 2008 in one of the franchise's first games at the Thunder. Philadelphia has never won in Oklahoma City, last winning a road game in this series back on New Year's Eve of 2007, when the Supersonics played their final season in Seattle.
Utah will look to sweep the Knicks for the second time in three years, improving to 5-1 in the last six meetings against New York. The Jazz are just 15-18 against the number at home, while the Knicks are 17-19 ATS in road games.
Wednesday's Best Bet
By Sportsbook.ag
Atlanta vs. Washington
Sportsbook.ag Odds: Washington (-7); Total set at 214.5
The Atlanta Hawks enter tonight's action desperate to get off this recent slide as they've lost four in a row, the last three of which have been by double digits. This stretch of poor play has Atlanta in danger of losing the 5th spot in the Eastern Conference, a position that seemed all but given to them when the playoffs do arrive.
But with the 6th, 7th, and 8th seeds now just 2.5 games or less behind the Hawks, those teams are starting to smell blood in the water if Atlanta doesn't turn this around soon.
Doing so tonight won't be easy against a Wizards team who is fighting for their own playoff seeding in the East, but with Washington having lost four of their last five, can the Hawks break their slump against another slumping team?
Washington fell 110-102 to Boston the other night in a scoreline that is much more flattering then how the game actually played out. Boston entered the 4th quarter that night with a 17-point lead over the Wizards and basically cruised to the finish line.
It was a very disappointing effort by Washington in a game that was essentially a battle for 2nd in the East, but it was basically par for the course for the Wizards and their recent play as they've gone 1-4 SU and 0-5 ATS over their last five games.
That run comes after a trip out west that saw them win their first four games (two in OT), and with non-playoff teams like the T-Wolves, Mavericks, Bulls, and Hornets all beating them since then, you've got to question if Washington isn't just looking ahead to finishing the regular season as quickly as possible and getting into the playoffs.
Statistically, and in the standings, the Wizards are the much better team tonight, but recent form can play a big role in NBA betting and the Wizards recent play suggests that laying seven points with them is an awfully steep price to pay.
At the same time, taking those seven points with Atlanta isn't an easy decision for bettors to make with the Hawks having lost four in a row and getting blown out in the majority of them.
Their defensive play continues to be the biggest culprit of this poor run and that's not exactly best for business tonight considering the Wizards own the 5th best offense (points per game) in the NBA. Washington is also 2-1 SU and ATS against Atlanta this year, with the most recent victory being a 112-86 blowout in Atlanta at the end of January.
However, that was back when the Wizards were on quite the tear and although current form isn't in the Hawks favor either tonight, desperation to halt this losing streak and maintain their playoff seeding has to kick in rather soon. Whether or not it happens tonight and they pull off the outright win remains to be seen, but maybe it starts with being competitive for the full 48 minutes, meaning that grabbing the points is the way to go here.
Atlanta does have a tendency to step up their play away from home against strong teams as they are 6-2 ATS in their last eight on the road against an opponent that's won at least 60% of their home contests. At the same time, Washington has preferred to either have extra rest of no rest lately as they are 3-12-1 ATS after just a single day off, and on a 1-5-1 ATS run against an opponent that allowed 100+ last time out.
Atlanta's defense may not be playing well, but it's not like Washington's defense has either and if Atlanta can knock down some shots early and establish a nice rhythm, this game should end up staying well within the seven points offered on the spread.