Betting news, trends, odds and predictions for Monday, February 26, 2018 from various handicappers and websites
Monday’s NBA
Raptors won six of last eight games with Detroit; three of last four series games stayed under the total. Pistons covered four of their last five visits to Canada. Detroit lost five of its last six games; they’re 2-7 vs spread in last nine games as road underdogs. Under is 3-1-2 in their last six games. Toronto won seven of last eight games; they’re 5-3 in last eight games as home favorites. Last four Raptor games went over.
Bulls won six of last eight games with the Nets; they covered three of last four visits to Brooklyn. Last four series games stayed under the total. Chicago lost eight of its last ten games; they’re 0-5 in last five games as road underdogs. Last three Chicago games went over the total. Brooklyn lost its last eight games; they’re 3-6 as home favorites. Nets’ last three games stayed under the total.
Celtics won their last four games with Memphis; over is 7-1 in last eight series games. Grizzlies covered once in their last four visits to Boston. Memphis lost its last nine games, covering once in last seven games; they’re 11-10-1 as road underdogs. Three of their last four games went over total. Boston split its last six games; they’re 2-8 vs spread in last ten games as home favorites. Over is 3-0-1 in their last four games.
Lakers won their last three games with Atlanta; they’re 2-3 vs spread in last five visits here. Four of last six series games stayed under total. Lakers won six of their last nine games; they’re 0-2 as road favorites this season. Over is 4-0-1 in their last five games. Atlanta lost five of its last six games overall; they’re 12-12 as home underdogs. Six of last eight Atlanta games stayed under the total.
Golden State won seven in a row against the Knicks but New York covered last three meetings; Warriors are 2-2 vs spread in last four visits here. Six of last eight series games stayed under the total. Golden State won five of its last six games; they covered once in their last six road games. Four of their last six games went over. Knicks lost nine of their last ten games; they’re 0-5 in last five tries as home underdogs. Over is 4-1 in their last five games.
Pelicans won their last four games with Phoenix; last three series games stayed under. Suns covered their last three visits to Bourbon Street. Phoenix lost its last nine games (3-6 vs spread); they’re 4-6 in last ten games as road underdogs. Three of their last four games stayed under the total. New Orleans won its last five games, last two in OT; they’re 2-8 in last ten games as home favorites. Six of their last eight games went over.
Thunder won five of last seven games with Orlando; six of last eight series games went over the total. Magic covered their last four visits to Oklahoma. Orlando lost its last five games; they covered seven of last eight tries as road underdogs. Over is 5-5 in their last ten games. Oklahoma City is 4-3 in its last seven games; they’re 4-8 in last 12 games as home favorites. Four of their last five games went over.
Dallas won last two games with Indiana after losing previous five; six of last eight series games went over. Pacers are 3-2 vs spread in last five visits to Dallas. Indiana won eight of last ten games; they’re 5-3 vs spread as road favorites. Three of their last four games stayed under total. Mavericks lost four in row, eight of last ten games; they’re 7-9 as home underdogs. Four of their last six games went over total.
Houston won its last three games with Utah; they’re 2-2 vs spread in last four visits here. Eight of last nine series games went over. Rockets won their last 12 games; they’re 7-3 in last ten games as road favorites. Five of last eight Houston games went over total. Jazz won 12 of its last 13 games; they’re 6-2 vs spread as home underdogs. Five of last seven Utah games stayed under the total.
Jimmy Butler (knee) is out here. Minnesota won seven of last ten games with Sacramento; they’re 3-1 vs spread in last four visits here. Five of last six series games went over the total. Timberwolves lost their last four road games; they’re 0-5 in last five tries as road favorites. Seven of their last eight games went over. Sacramento lost seven of its last ten games; they’re 1-6 in last seven games as home underdogs. Over is 4-1-1 in their last six games.
NBA
Monday, February 26
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Trend Report
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LA LAKERS @ ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Lakers's last 5 games
LA Lakers is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
MEMPHIS @ BOSTON
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games when playing Boston
Memphis is 15-4-1 ATS in its last 20 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Memphis
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Memphis
CHICAGO @ BROOKLYN
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Brooklyn
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing Brooklyn
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Brooklyn's last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Brooklyn's last 23 games at home
GOLDEN STATE @ NEW YORK
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York
Golden State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against New York
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 5 games
DETROIT @ TORONTO
Detroit is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Detroit's last 17 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Toronto is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
ORLANDO @ OKLAHOMA CITY
Orlando is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
Orlando is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Orlando
Oklahoma City is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
PHOENIX @ NEW ORLEANS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
Phoenix is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 16 of New Orleans's last 19 games at home
INDIANA @ DALLAS
Indiana is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Indiana is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Dallas's last 9 games at home
HOUSTON @ UTAH
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 5 games when playing Utah
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Utah's last 5 games when playing Houston
Utah is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games
MINNESOTA @ SACRAMENTO
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Minnesota's last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Sacramento's last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Sacramento is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
__________________
NBA
Long Sheet
Monday, February 26
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DETROIT (28 - 31) at TORONTO (41 - 17) - 2/26/2018, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in February games this season.
DETROIT is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in the second half of the season this season.
TORONTO is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 4-4 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 6-2 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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CHICAGO (20 - 39) at BROOKLYN (19 - 41) - 2/26/2018, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BROOKLYN is 28-45 ATS (-21.5 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 3 seasons.
BROOKLYN is 6-16 ATS (-11.6 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 4-3 against the spread versus BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 5-2 straight up against BROOKLYN over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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MEMPHIS (18 - 40) at BOSTON (42 - 19) - 2/26/2018, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MEMPHIS is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) against Atlantic division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 19-32 ATS (-16.2 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses this season.
BOSTON is 35-23 ATS (+9.7 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 24-44 ATS (-24.4 Units) in home games against Southwest division opponents since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 4-1 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 4-1 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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LA LAKERS (25 - 34) at ATLANTA (18 - 42) - 2/26/2018, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) in non-conference games this season.
LA LAKERS are 135-96 ATS (+29.4 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 3-2 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 3-2 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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GOLDEN STATE (46 - 14) at NEW YORK (24 - 37) - 2/26/2018, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) against Atlantic division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 12-23 ATS (-13.3 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 18-4 ATS (+13.6 Units) in home games after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
NEW YORK is 8-22 ATS (-16.2 Units) in February games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 3-2 against the spread versus GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 5-0 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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PHOENIX (18 - 43) at NEW ORLEANS (33 - 26) - 2/26/2018, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW ORLEANS is 5-4 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
NEW ORLEANS is 6-3 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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ORLANDO (18 - 41) at OKLAHOMA CITY (34 - 27) - 2/26/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 60-79 ATS (-26.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 10-22 ATS (-14.2 Units) in road games after allowing 115 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 24-36 ATS (-15.6 Units) in all games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 16-32 ATS (-19.2 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 220 over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 18-33 ATS (-18.3 Units) as a favorite this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 8-17 ATS (-10.7 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 4-1 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 3-2 straight up against ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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INDIANA (34 - 25) at DALLAS (18 - 42) - 2/26/2018, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 403-329 ATS (+41.1 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
DALLAS is 23-13 ATS (+8.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
INDIANA is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) as a favorite this season.
INDIANA is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
INDIANA is 3-2 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 3-2 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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HOUSTON (46 - 13) at UTAH (31 - 29) - 2/26/2018, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 46-28 ATS (+15.2 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) against Northwest division opponents this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 6-4 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 6-4 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
8 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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MINNESOTA (37 - 26) at SACRAMENTO (18 - 41) - 2/26/2018, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 363-426 ATS (-105.6 Units) in the second half of the season since 1996.
MINNESOTA is 11-22 ATS (-13.2 Units) after scoring 115 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 25-38 ATS (-16.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 6-4 against the spread versus SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 7-3 straight up against SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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Monday's Essentials
February 26, 2018
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com
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.Game of the Night - Houston at Utah, FS-Southwest, 9:05 ET
After successfully holding off Denver’s comeback attempt in the fourth quarter last night, the team with the NBA’s best record made a short trip to Salt Lake City for a date with the Jazz, continuing a stretch that appears to be the Rockets’ most challenging of the season.
After defeating Minnesota at home coming out of the All-Star break, Houston won in Denver on Sunday, will play in Utah tonight and then squares off against the Clippers in L.A. on Wednesday. They’ll have a few days off before hosting Boston on March 3 and then hit the road for four more, stopping in Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, Toronto and Dallas. In all, the Rockets are navigating a 15-game stretch where 13 of the opponents are currently above .500, playing 10 of the games on the road.
They’re just at the beginning of the run and have managed to not only win the first few games, but cover them as well. Last night’s 119-114 win got dicey since the Nuggets were able to make it a one-possession game in the final minute, but Joe Johnson and Chris Paul nailed clutch free-throws to hold off Denver and simultaneously cover a spread that closed at -4.5.
Will Houston succumb to fatigue at some point? It’s likely that the franchise-record 22-game run they made a decade ago is safe, but the Rockets do have a lot going for them suggesting they can carry this success into March.
Despite not making a conventional move at the trade deadline, they got stronger earlier this month by adding waived veterans Johnson and Brandan Wright, both of whom got minutes in last night’s win in Denver. Trevor Ariza returned from a lengthy absence, which cuts into the minutes of wings P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute, but keeps that frontcourt rotation fresh since Ryan Anderson, Nene and Tarik Black are all capable.
Eric Gordon hasn’t even played the last two games due to illness, so getting him back probably pushes Houston past Golden State as the deepest team in the league. It remains to be seen whether that will help combat fatigue as they try and come through this stretch in position to remain ahead of the Warriors for homecourt advantage in the Western Conference. The Rockets entered Monday’s action one half-game up in the race for the West’s top seed, even with the defending champs at a league-best 46 wins.
An argument can be made that of all the challenges that await between now and when the schedule eases back up in late March, tonight’s visit to Utah might be the toughest. For starters, it comes on the second night of a back-to-back. It was no picnic having to play in Denver’s altitude, and it appeared the team felt the strain down the stretch. The Nuggets won the fourth quarter 35-27 and would’ve likely ended Houston’s run if it hadn’t been for Harden’s brilliance.
The MVP favorite finished with 41 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, but did play a team-high 37 minutes. Will he feel the effects tonight in Salt Lake City? The Rockets have won five of eight on the second night of back-to-backs, though one of the losses came against the Warriors with Harden sidelined. Still, he’s shot just 41.4 percent in those games and went 6-for-19 against the Kings the last time he had to work on consecutive evenings.
There’s also the fact that the Jazz are blistering hot themselves, although a 100-81 Friday night home loss to Portland was a bit of a buzzkill. The setback ended Utah’s 11-game winning streak, so it remains to be seen whether hitting the pause button for the All-Star break killed off its groove. A win over the Mavs on Saturday night was rather sloppy, although prized rookie Donovan Mitchell continues to show no signs of wearing down, scoring 25 points.
The slam dunk champ might finally hit the wall in February, but he’s been getting stronger as the season has gone along and is 8-for-18 from 3-point range coming out of the break. Considering he went in on a 13-for-40 slump, if he’s rediscovered his stroke from the perimeter, Ben Simmons’ Rookie of the Year aspirations could play victim. Mitchell is indefensible if he’s got his jump shot working, and has Ricky Rubio back in the fold to play table-setter.
The Spanish point guard is still working his way back from a hip injury with just two games under his belt, but had averaged 27.7 points over the three games prior to getting hurt. If Rubio can get back to that level, Utah has plenty of ammunition to chase down Jimmy Butler-less Minnesota in the Northwest Division. Although the Jazz are currently bringing up the rear, they’re only 4.5 games back of first place entering tonight. They could make a statement by pulling off a home upset.
Houston was installed as a 2.5-point favorite, which marks on the 10th time all season that the Jazz will be getting points at home. Utah is 7-2 in those games, straight up and against the spread. The Rockets were one of the teams that managed to hold serve, winning 112-101 on Dec. 7. They’re looking for a 4-0 sweep of a team it may very well run into in the first round of the playoffs, and have won all three meetings thus far by double-digits. Each game also went over the posted total, but the teams haven’t seen each other since Dec. 18. We’ll see if the Jazz have improved enough to make a dent this time around.
Detroit at Toronto, FS-Detroit, 7:35
Outside of the night’s featured matchup, this is not a particularly attractive 10-game NBA card despite the volume. Since the Jazz are currently 10th in the Western Conference standings, there are no matchups between teams that both would qualify for the playoffs if they were to start today.
The only other game that’s even remotely close involves the East-leading Raptors, who would face No. 8-seed Miami. Detroit is running ninth and heavily invested in closing the gap to reach the postseason after acquiring Blake Griffin prior to the trade deadline.
After going on a run upon acquiring the five-time All-Star, Detroit has dropped five of six, which includes Sunday’s 114-98 loss in Charlotte that dropped the team to just 0-2 on the road since acquiring Griffin. Because they had a stretch of 13 home games in 15 dates between Jan. 19-Feb. 23, the Pistons now face a large portion of the next few weeks on the road, playing 13 of 16 outside their fancy new downtown arena. The Pistons haven’t covered a game in any of their last seven outings, winning just twice outright.
Detroit plays Toronto twice more this season, so finding a way to be productive tonight will likely be crucial to the team’s playoff aspirations. They just announced that point guard Reggie Jackson is in the closing stage of his rehab, beginning and shooting drills, but he’s still probably another week away. With important games against the Raptors, Bucks, Heat and Cavs on tap over the next 10 days, the Pistons are going to need Ish Smith and Jameer Nelson to hold down the fort to keep the season from really getting away from them.
We’ll see how they respond in a desperate situation in Toronto, but it doesn’t bode well that they’ve lost on the second of a back-to-back in blowout fashion the last two times they’ve taken the floor, although only one of those instances came with Griffin on board.
The Raptors lost to open play after All-Star, falling 122-119 in OT against Milwaukee. They’ve only lost consecutive games twice since December 1 and have covered six of their last eight.
Injury Report
Golden State star Stephen Curry is expected to make his lone appaearance at Madison Square Garden this season despite not flying with the team to New York. He didn't practice in Manhattan on Sunday night but is expected to be in the mix come game-time against the Knicks. Rookie forward Jordan Bell may also return from an ankle injury after missing the past few weeks.
Minnesota got "good" news regarding Jimmy Butler this weekend since he's expected to return from knee surgery before the playoffs, but won the first game without him at home against the Bulls 122-104 on Saturday night. Nemanja Bjelica has moved into the starting lineup, while Jamal Crawford is now likley in line for more touches and minutes off the bench. Sacramento has been better at home of late and has rookie point guard De'Aaron Fox back from a bout with conjunctivitis.
The Bulls will be visiitng Brooklyn in one of only two meetings featuring two definite non-playoff teams, so we'll see whether their matchup turns into a tank-fest. It's already rumored that Chicago guard Zach LaVine may get the night off. The Nets will be healthier than they've been all month since Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (groin) and Caris LeVert (knee) are set to rejoin the rotation for the first time in weeks.
Memphis won't have Tyreke Evans available due to a rib injury sufferend late last week that's likely to cost him significant time. The Grizzlies have already ruled out wings Wayne Selden and Chandler Parsons once again, so we'll see whether fatigue becomes a factor in Boston. The Celtics list center Aron Baynes as questionable due to an elbow issue, though his absence has allowed German rookie Daniel Theis to flourish in an enhanced role.
Lonzo Ball should play for the Lakers in Atlanta after resting on the second night of a back-to-back following his return to action on Friday night. The Hawks have ruled out backup point guard Malcolm Delaney (knee), which could be problematic since starter Dennis Schroder has been dealing with a back issue.