NBA Knowledge
Wednesday's hot teams
-- Washington won its last five games (8-5 HU).
-- Hawks won five of their last six games (4-1 last 5AF).
-- Celtics won four of last six home games (1-3-1HU).
-- Toronto won seven of its last eight games (2-4 last 6AF).
-- Detroit won its last three games (14-3-1 last 18HF).
-- Chicago won four of its last five games (3-1 last 4HF).
-- Cleveland won six of its last eight games (3-5 last 8HF).
-- Jazz won five of their last six games (4-11 last 15AU).
-- Spurs won six of their last seven games (3-4-1 last 8HF).
-- Miami won three of its last four games (4-7 last 11AU).
-- Warriors won eight of their last nine games (4-1 last 5HF).
Cold teams
-- Magic lost eight of their last ten games (3-1 last 4AU).
-- Knicks lost four of their last five games (0-4 last 4AU).
-- Milwaukee lost three of its last four games (4-1 last 5AU).
-- Kings lost eight of their last ten games (3-1-1 last 5AU).
-- Minnesota lost five of its last seven games (4-9HF).
-- Rockets lost four of their last six games (1-6 last 7HF).
-- Nuggets lost four of last five games (5-1 last 6HF).
-- 76ers lost their last six games (3-5 last 8AU).
-- Lakers lost four of their last five games (4-1 last 5AU).
-- Phoenix lost five of its last seven games (3-7 last 10HF).
-- Clippers lost four of their last five games (1-3 last 4AU).
-- Dallas lost seven of its last nine games (2-4 last 6AU).
-- Portland is 3-7 in its last ten games (11-2 last 13HF).
Series records
-- Hawks won four of last five games with Washington.
-- Raptors won seven of last nine games with Boston.
-- Pistons won last four games with Orlando.
-- Knicks lost four of last five games with Chicago.
-- Cavaliers won three of last four games with Milwaukee.
-- Kings won four of last six games with Minnesota.
-- Rockets won six of last eight games with Utah.
-- Heat lost their last six games with San Antonio.
-- 76ers won three of last four games with Denver.
-- Lakers lost six of their last seven games with Phoenix.
-- Clippers lost their last five games with Golden State.
-- Mavericks won four of last five games with Portland.
Totals
-- Seven of last ten Atlanta-Washington games went over.
-- Last four Toronto games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last eight Orlando games stayed under total.
-- Nine of last ten New York games stayed under.
-- Eight of last ten Cleveland-Milwaukee games went over.
-- Five of last seven Sacramento games stayed under total.
-- Last five Utah games stayed under the total.
-- Last seven Miami games went over the total.
-- Five of last six Denver games went over the total.
-- Six of last eight Laker games stayed under the total.
-- Last three Clipper games went over the total.
-- Eight of last nine Portland games went over the total.
Back/backs
-- Houston is 2-7 vs spread last nine times they played night before.
-- Miami covered five of last six if they played night before.
-- Lakers are 8-6 vs spread if they played night before.
Game of the Day: Clippers at Warriors
Covers.com
Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors (-10, 225.5)
The Golden State Warriors are back home after a tough three-game road trip and still have the NBA’s single-season wins record in sight. The Warriors will try to draw a step closer and stay undefeated at home when they host the rival Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Golden State suffered just its seventh loss of the season in San Antonio on Saturday and had more trouble than it would have liked in a 109-104 win at Minnesota to close out the 2-1 trip on Monday. Presumptive MVP Stephen Curry has looked almost human in the last two games, going a combined 3-of-21 from 3-point range, but made up for the shooting slump with 11 assists on Monday as Draymond Green shouldered more of the scoring load. The Clippers are going through a slump at the wrong time with losses in four of their last five games but still sit comfortably in the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is playing the finale of a five-game road trip at Golden State after falling 109-105 at the injury-depleted New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
LINE HISTORY: The Warriors opened as ten-point faves at home against the Clippers. The total hit the board at a lofty 225.5.
INJURY REPORT:
Clippers - SF J. Green (Probable Wednesday, head) PF B. Griffin (Late March, quadricep)
Warriors - C A. Bogut (Questionable Wednesday, toe) SF A. Iguodala (Early April, ankle)
POWER RANKINGS: Clippers (-7.9) - Warriors (-15.1) + home court (-3) = Thunder -10.2
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (43-26, 32-34-3 ATS, 30-39 O/U): Los Angeles has dropped six of its last nine games and the first five of those losses came against playoff teams until the letdown at New Orleans. “I just think our spirit isn’t great right now,” Redick said. “We’ve just got to be more together and fight more. You can talk about Xs and Os all you want, but as a player, you can feel it when your spirit isn’t right.” The Clippers have allowed an average of 110 points in their last five games and are still awaiting the return of star forward Blake Griffin (quad/hand/suspension).
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (63-7, 39-29-2 ATS, 40-29-1 O/U): Curry went 6-of-17 from the floor at Minnesota but Green was an efficient 10-of-13 as Golden State played its second straight game without center Andrew Bogut (toe). “He missed a lot of shots he normally makes and over the course of an 82-game season, that’s going to happen,” Green told reporters of Curry. “And it hasn’t happened much for him, so it’s unbelievable for everybody, but it happens. It’s our job to pick him up.” The Warriors need to go 10-2 over the final 12 games to break the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ record of 72 wins and could use Bogut, fellow center Festus Ezeli (knee) and forward Andre Iguodala (ankle) back.
TRENDS:
* Clippers are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Warriors are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 vs. NBA Pacific.
* Under is 6-1 in Clippers last 7 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Under is 5-1 in Warriors last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
CONSENSUS: The early consensus numbers are split right down the middle on the point spread and the public is pounding the over at a rigorous 80 percent pace.
Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Tuesday Review
Favorites: 3-1 straight-up, 1-3 against the spread
Biggest underdog to win outright: Lakers (+3½) 107-100 over the Grizzlies
Totals: 2-2 to the ‘under’
Highest total on board: 226½, Thunder beat Rockets, 111-107
Lowest total on board: 202½, Lakers beat Grizzlies, 107-100
Clippers at Warriors (-9½, 225½)
Golden State (63-7 SU, 39-29-2 ATS) continues to march towards history as the Warriors sit 10 wins away from breaking the Bulls’ 1995-96 record of 72 victories in a season. Steve Kerr’s club goes for the four-game sweep of the rival Clippers as Golden State has beaten Los Angeles three times this season, all by seven points or fewer. The Clippers grabbed a late cover as four-point underdogs in the last matchup at Staples Center on February 20, outscoring the Warriors by seven points in the second half of a 115-112 setback.
The Warriors return home following a 2-1 road swing, which included an 87-79 defeat at San Antonio on Saturday night. Stephen Curry put together his worst shooting performance of the season by converting only 1-of-12 shots from three-point range, while the Warriors misfired on 27-of-36 attempts from long distance. Golden State finished up its trip by holding off a feisty Minnesota squad on Monday, 109-104 to pick up its eighth victory in its past nine games, while finishing ‘under’ the total for the third time in four contests.
The Clippers (43-26 SU, 32-34-3 ATS) have gone backwards of late, losing five of their past seven games, while trying to close out this five-game road swing with a victory. Los Angeles owns a 1-3 SU/ATS record through the first four contests, including back-to-back defeats at Memphis and New Orleans as heavy favorites. Is there value in Los Angeles as a road underdog? Doc Rivers’ squad has put together a 2-5 SU/ATS mark in the last seven opportunities as an away ‘dog since January, but covered in its only visit to Oakland this season in a 112-108 loss as 7½-point underdogs in early November.
Hawks (-1, 209) at Wizards
The three top teams in the Southeast division all have won 41 games so far as Atlanta (41-30 SU, 37-33-1 ATS) looks to start a new winning streak after getting tripped up by Washington on Monday. The Wizards topped the Hawks at Philips Arena, 117-102 as 6½-point underdogs to end Atlanta’s five-game hot streak, as the Washington backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal combined to score 52 points. Washington snapped a four-game losing skid to Atlanta dating back to last season’s playoffs, as the Wizards extended its winning streak to five.
During this strong stretch for Washington (35-35 SU, 36-34 ATS), Randy Wittman’s club has managed to reach the .500 mark and get within 1½ games of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Washington allowed over 100 points for the first time in five contests on Monday, as the Wizards have cashed the ‘under’ in four of five games during this winning streak. The Wizards have taken back home-court advantage at the Verizon Center after a sluggish start by winning eight of nine home games since the All-Star break.
The Hawks have performed well on the highway recently by posting a 5-2 SU and 6-1 ATS mark in the past seven games away from Philips Arena, including victories over the Pistons, Bulls, and Clippers. Atlanta is visiting D.C. for the first time since eliminating Washington in Game 6 of the second round of last season’s playoffs, 94-91 as 2½-point underdogs.
Raptors at Celtics
Toronto (48-21 SU, 38-31 ATS) can basically put away Boston and creep closer to an Atlantic division crown with a victory at TD Garden. The Raptors have won each of the first three meetings with the Celtics this season, including a 105-91 home triumph last Friday night as 1½-point favorites. Dwane Casey’s team has eclipsed the 105-point mark in all three wins over the Celtics, while winning seven of the past nine matchups against their division rivals dating back to 2014.
The Raptors embark on a three-game road trip that continues to Houston and New Orleans, as Toronto has won four straight games. During this hot streak, the ‘under’ has cashed four times, while the Raptors are coming off a 105-100 victory on Sunday against the Magic, but didn’t cover as 9½-point favorites. Toronto has played 12 of 17 games since the All-Star break at home, as the Raps own a 3-2 SU/ATS record in its past five contests away from the Air Canada Center.
The Celtics (41-30 SU, 38-32-1 ATS) have taken care of business at home with a 24-12 record, but have struggled against the upper-tier teams in the league at TD Garden. Boston has lost to Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Golden State, San Antonio, and Cleveland at home this season, while also dropping a 113-103 decision to Toronto in the second game of the season in late October. Since losing to the Pistons at home in early January, the Celtics have won 15 of their last 17 contests at TD Garden.
Heat at Spurs (-11½, 195)
Miami finished off San Antonio to capture its second straight title in 2013, but the Spurs have won eight of the last nine matchups between these teams. The Heat (41-29 SU, 37-32-1 ATS) plays with no rest after knocking off a decimated New Orleans squad on Tuesday, 113-99 to cash as 10-point road favorites. Miami continues to score plenty of points as the ‘over’ hit for the seventh straight time last night, while the Heat improved to 9-3 SU and 7-5 ATS since acquiring shooting guard Joe Johnson at the end of February.
The Spurs (59-11 SU, 41-29 ATS) suffered an uncharacteristic meltdown in Monday’s 91-88 setback at Charlotte by blowing an early 23-point lead. San Antonio is seeking its fifth season of at least 60 wins under Gregg Popovich, as the Spurs have yet to suffer a loss at the AT&T Center this season by going 35-0. The Spurs have struggled of late to cover numbers by putting together a 3-7 ATS mark in the past 10 games overall, including a 1-4 ATS ledger as a home favorite of at least eight points in this span.
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Toronto at Boston
Toronto Raptors inching closer to a franchise best 50 win campaign carry a 48-21 (38-31 ATS) record into Boston (41-30, 38-32-1 ATS) looking to sweep the season series. The Toronto offense clicking on all cylinders the past month scoring a league second best 111.2 points per 100 possessions have put up an impressive 13-3 run (9-7 ATS) over the span topped only by Warriors (14-2, 8-7-1 ATS), Spurs (13-2, 7-8 ATS).
Division matchups are always tough. However, in this case, the numbers add up well enough to conclude Raptors are the right choice.
Raptors have won all three meetings this season, have won/covered three of last four on C's hardwood. Additionally, Raptors have been money in the bank of late facing a division opponent. In the last fifteen vs an Atlantic rival the Raptors have compiled a profitable 11-4 record against the betting line including a sparkling 6-0 ATS on enemy hardwood.