Betting news, trends, odds and predictions for Saturday, March 10, 2018 from various handicappers and websites
Saturday’s NBA
Hornets won three of last four games with Phoenix; last six series games went over the total. Suns are 2-2 vs spread in last four visits to Charlotte. Phoenix lost four in row, nine of last 10 games; they’re 3-6 vs spread in last nine games as road underdogs. Three of their last four games stayed under. Charlotte lost its last five games; they covered last five games as home favorites. Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.
Miami won six of last eight games with Washington (over 5-3). Wizards are 2-2 vs spread in last four visits to South Beach. Washington split its last eight games; they covered last five games as road underdogs. Five of their last six games stayed under total. Miami won five of its last seven games, covered four of last five games as a home favorite. Seven of their last ten games went over the total.
Thunder is 5-3 in its last eight games with the Spurs; four of last five series games stayed under the total. San Antonio is 3-3 vs spread in last six visits to Oklahoma. Spurs lost seven of their last nine games; they covered six of last eight tries as a road underdog. Seven of their last ten games went over total. OKC won six of its last nine games; they’re 1-4 vs spread in last five games as home favorites. Over is 6-2-1 in their last nine home games.
Dallas won three of its last four games with Memphis, which is 1-4 vs spread in its last five visits here. Under is 3-1-1 in last five series games. Grizzlies lost their last 16 games; they’re 13-11-1 as road underdogs. Five of their last six games stayed under the total. Mavericks lost seven of their last nine games; they’re 6-8 vs spread as home favorites. Six of their last eight games went over the total.
Clippers won their last eight games with Orlando (5-2-1 vs spread); Magic is 1-2-1 vs spread in last four series games played in Staples. Eight of last ten series games stayed under the total. Orlando lost nine of its last 11 games; they’re 9-4 vs spread in last 13 games as road underdogs. Six of their last seven games stayed under. Clippers won five of their last seven games; they’re 3-6 in last nine games as home favorites. Over is 7-2 in their last nine games.
Phoenix Suns vs. Charlotte Hornets Preview and Predictions 03-10-2018
9th March 2018 by Gracenote
Any hope the Charlotte Hornets had of making a run at a playoff spot is fading during a five-game slide that included four losses to teams ahead of them in the East. The Hornets will try to end the losing streak when they host the lowly Phoenix Suns on Saturday.
Charlotte fell to the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors during the current slide, but the crushing losses were the last two, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets at home by a total of 28 points. "I don't think our effort was there," Hornets All-Star guard Kemba Walker told reporters after Thursday's 125-111 loss to the Nets. "They brought it to us and we didn't respond defensively. It just wasn't there tonight." Charlotte allowed at least 125 points in three of the last five games but is going up against a Suns squad that dropped four straight and 14 of its last 15. Phoenix became the first team to be officially eliminated from playoff competition on Thursday while suffering a 115-87 setback at the Oklahoma City Thunder.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, FS Arizona (Phoenix), FS Southeast (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE SUNS (19-48): The bright spot for Phoenix continues to be shooting guard Devin Booker, who scored 30 points in Thursday's setback and is trying to find silver linings during the losing. "I mean, I like my life a lot," Booker told reporters. "I'm able to wake up and play the game of my dreams. Obviously being a competitor, I want to win ... but at the end of the day, we get a chance to play a sport we love." Booker was one of two players to reach double figures on Thursday (Tyson Chandler, 10) and is averaging 31.4 points in eight games since the All-Star break.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (28-38): Charlotte entered play on Friday 6 1/2 games behind the eighth-place Milwaukee Bucks in the East and is searching for answers. "It's been difficult. It hasn't ever been this way here," power forward Marvin Williams told the Charlotte Observer. "I remember, even going back to my first year here (the 33-48 season in 2014-15), we weren't very good, but we still competed, we still defended. We weren't the most talented, but we played hard. We didn't just play for ourselves, we played for each other and for coach. Right now, we're just not giving the effort we need to give." The Hornets allowed the 76ers to shoot 57.5 percent from the field on Tuesday and let the Nets go off at 51.1 percent on Thursday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hornets PG Michael Carter-Williams is scheduled to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
2. Suns SG Josh Jackson (knee) and SF TJ Warren (back) are both questionable for Saturday.
3. Charlotte earned a 115-110 win at Phoenix on Feb. 4.
PREDICTION: Hornets 123, Suns 117
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Washington Wizards vs. Miami Heat Preview and Predictions 03-10-2018
10th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Washington Wizards look to knock off Miami for the second time in five nights when they visit the Heat on Saturday. All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal poured in 30 points on 12-of-16 shooting as the Wizards posted a 117-113 overtime triumph over the Heat at home on Tuesday.
Washington registered an impressive 116-97 road victory over New Orleans on Friday, ending the Pelicans' 10-game winning streak on a night the hosts were without injured All-Star power forward Anthony Davis. Beal only needed to score 16 points in the romp after averaging 25 over his previous three contests. The Heat have won five of their last seven games after recording a 108-99 triumph over Philadelphia on Thursday. Hassan Whiteside contributed 26 points and eight rebounds against the 76ers for his highest scoring output since a 27-point effort versus Milwaukee on Jan. 17.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Washington, FS Sun (Miami)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (38-28): Small forward Otto Porter Jr. was a game-time decision Friday due to hip pain, but he was cleared to play and scored 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting while also collecting seven rebounds. Porter has scored in double digits in each of his last 19 games, and coach Scott Brooks was impressed with his tenacity in fighting through the soreness. "One thing about Otto, he does whatever it takes," Brooks told reporters after Friday's win. "It's good to have him back. He's a big part and he's playing some of the best basketball of his career."
ABOUT THE HEAT (35-31): Dwyane Wade has been playing solid basketball over the last six games, registering three 20-point performances while averaging 18.8 during the stretch. The 36-year-old shooting guard recorded 22 points and six assists in the loss to the Wizards and has been putting up the productive numbers despite playing fewer than 30 minutes in all six contests. "Now I kind of know my minutes, I kind of know what to expect, for the most part," Wade told reporters. "I'm comfortable with it. I definitely have felt better going down the stretch."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Heat have won six of the last eight meetings despite this week's loss in Washington.
2. Washington SF Kelly Oubre Jr. is just 18-of-59 shooting over his last five games.
3. Miami All-Star PG Goran Dragic scored just seven points on 3-of-13 shooting in the win over Philadelphia.
PREDICTION: Heat 105, Wizards 102
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Memphis Grizzlies vs. Dallas Mavericks Preview and Predictions 03-10-2018
10th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Memphis Grizzlies haven't won since Jan. 29, and they look to halt their 16-game losing streak when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. Memphis also struggles mightily on the road as it has dropped its last 13 games away from home and 24 of its past 26.
The Grizzlies shot just 37.3 percent and scored 20 or fewer points in three of the four quarters in Friday's 95-78 home loss to Utah. Memphis' season has been a disaster since losing point guard Mike Conley Jr. early on, and its current skid is the worst since the franchise relocated from Vancouver for the 2001-02 campaign. Dallas is coming off a solid 118-107 victory over Denver that marked only its fourth triumph in the last 18 games. Rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. recorded 18 points and a career-best 11 assists for his fifth double-double of the campaign.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Memphis), FS Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (18-47): Second-round pick Dillon Brooks fell two points shy of his third consecutive 20-point effort as he continues to flash his potential. Brooks is averaging 22.7 points during the three-game stretch - he recorded a season-best 29 against Chicago on Wednesday - and beginning to show that he might be a fixture at small forward. "Anytime you stack one on top of the other, it is a sign of growth for a guy who puts in the work like he does," coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters. "It's great to see it pay off for him."
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (20-45): Backup center Nerlens Noel collected a season-best 14 rebounds in Tuesday's victory over Denver, but the club is holding him out against Memphis due to injury management. Noel played in four consecutive contests after returning from a 42-game absence due to surgery on his left thumb, and Dallas wants to avoid another setback while also getting a long look to decide whether or not the 23-year-old can be a contributor next season. "I don't expect these last 15-16 games to really be too much of a challenge of staying together and preparing," Noel told reporters. "I'm just blessed regardless of what goes on, and I continue to just work hard and follow the path."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Mavericks have won three of their last four meetings with the Grizzlies.
2. Tyreke Evans (rib) will miss his ninth straight game for the Grizzlies, who are 0-16 this season when he sits out.
3. Dallas SG Wesley Matthews (hip) will return from a two-game absence.
PREDICTION: Mavericks 98, Grizzlies 91
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San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Preview and Predictions 03-10-2018
9th March 2018 by Gracenote
The San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder are separated by percentage points in the Western Conference standings and entered play on Friday just as close to third place as they were to 10th. The teams will at least try to gain some separation from each other when the Thunder host the Spurs on Saturday.
Oklahoma City has not beaten a team with a winning record since earning a 125-105 win at Golden State on Feb. 6 but bounced back from consecutive losses to the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets by drubbing the lowly Phoenix Suns 115-87 on Thursday. "I thought we did a good job of just being aggressive," Thunder All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook told reporters. "We made them shoot tough shots, using our size, our length, and defending at a high rate." San Antonio dropped seven of its last 10 games and squandered a late lead in a 110-107 loss at Golden State on Thursday. "We lost the game," Spurs point guard Tony Parker told reporters. "Not good enough. I think we just have to learn from our mistakes at some point. Down the stretch, we have to execute better. It's like 10 games, 12 games that we've lost like that now."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE SPURS (37-28): San Antonio is trying to stay in the race in the West despite a host of injuries, most recently to center Pau Gasol. The veteran sat out Thursday with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder and is questionable for Saturday while Kawhi Leonard, who is ramping up his rehab and is expected to return by the end of the month, looms as a potential piece that could swing the postseason race. Meanwhile, the team will continue to lean on All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who delivered 30 points and 17 rebounds in Thursday's setback.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (38-29): Oklahoma City's defense began to suffer when shooting guard Andre Roberson went down with a season-ending injury at the end of January, but the acquisition of Corey Brewer is helping to ease the loss. Brewer joined the starting lineup on Thursday and contributed 17 points in 28 minutes. "There's a bounce to him all the time. He brings energy," Thunder coach Billy Donovan told reporters of Brewer. "I'm not comparing him and Andre in any way personality-wise or player-wise, but the one thing I will compare them, they both have a pop and a bounce to them where they play the game where they find the ball. They find it and are able to make plays."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Thunder C Steven Adams is 14-of-17 from the floor over the last two games.
2. Spurs SF Kyle Anderson recorded five steals in each of the last two contests.
3. The home team took each of the first two meetings this season, with Oklahoma City grabbing a 90-87 victory in its arena on Dec. 3.
PREDICTION: Thunder 106, Spurs 103
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Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Clippers Preview and Predictions 03-10-2018
10th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Los Angeles Clippers take aim at defeating Orlando for the ninth consecutive time when they host the Magic on Saturday. The Clippers have won the previous eight meetings by an average of 14.1 points, including a 106-95 victory at Orlando on Dec. 13.
Los Angeles has won 12 of its past 17 games and will be looking to avoid a letdown after recording a solid 116-102 home victory over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. "We can't lose to the Magic because that just erases everything we did (Friday night)," Clippers guard Austin Rivers said after the victory. "We can't go .500 right now. That's not going to cut it. We need to win these games back-to-back. (This) was a huge game and we can feel good for the next hour or two, but we've got to move on." The Magic have lost 10 of their last 12 games and Friday's 94-88 loss to the Sacramento Kings dropped them to 0-3 on a five-game road swing. Orlando is without its top two scorers in power forward Aaron Gordon (concussion) and small forward Evan Fournier (sprained MCL in his left knee).
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Orlando), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE MAGIC (20-46): Orlando used its 20th different lineup combination Friday when it tallied only 36 first-half points while scoring fewer than 90 points for the second time in three games. Swingman Jonathon Simmons played the go-to scoring role and delivered 25 points and six assists to break out of a funk in which he averaged seven points over the previous four games. First-round draft pick Jonathan Isaac made his third start of the season and had only six points on 2-of-8 shooting and he will likely remain in a starting role until Gordon is cleared.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (35-29): Center DeAndre Jordan dominated the interior with 20 points and 23 rebounds against the Cavaliers and he has three 20-rebound efforts this month while averaging 16.5 points and 19.5 rebounds in four games. "Just trying to take advantage of the game anyway I can and try to take what they give me," Jordan explained in a postgame interview. "Just trying to be aggressive." Jordan wasn't the only one taking advantage of Cleveland's inside issues as backup power forward Montrezl Harrell had 20 points on 8-of-13 for his third outing of 20 or more points in the past five contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Magic last defeated the Clippers 98-90 on Nov. 6, 2013.
2. Los Angeles PF Tobias Harris scored 23 points against Cleveland to top 20 for the seventh time in the past nine games.
3. Orlando PG D.J. Augustin (ankle) was nearly held out against the Kings before recording 12 points and seven assists in 28 minutes.
PREDICTION: Clippers 111, Magic 105
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NBA
Saturday, March 10
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Trend Report
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PHOENIX @ CHARLOTTE
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing Charlotte
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Phoenix's last 7 games when playing on the road against Charlotte
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Charlotte's last 5 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Charlotte's last 7 games when playing at home against Phoenix
WASHINGTON @ MIAMI
Washington is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Miami's last 7 games when playing at home against Washington
Miami is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
MEMPHIS @ DALLAS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games at home
Dallas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Memphis
SAN ANTONIO @ OKLAHOMA CITY
San Antonio is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
San Antonio is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games when playing San Antonio
ORLANDO @ LA CLIPPERS
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Orlando's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Orlando's last 6 games on the road
LA Clippers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Orlando
LA Clippers is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Orlando
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NBA
Long Sheet
Saturday, March 10
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PHOENIX (19 - 48) at CHARLOTTE (28 - 38) - 3/10/2018, 5:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 3-2 against the spread versus CHARLOTTE over the last 3 seasons
CHARLOTTE is 3-2 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
5 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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WASHINGTON (38 - 28) at MIAMI (35 - 31) - 3/10/2018, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 6-4 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI is 7-4 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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SAN ANTONIO (37 - 28) at OKLAHOMA CITY (38 - 29) - 3/10/2018, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 22-8 ATS (+13.2 Units) in home games on Saturday games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 1036-908 ATS (+37.2 Units) in all games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 187-145 ATS (+27.5 Units) in March games since 1996.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 26-40 ATS (-18.0 Units) in all games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 20-35 ATS (-18.5 Units) as a favorite this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 10-20 ATS (-12.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 9-6 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 8-7 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
10 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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MEMPHIS (18 - 47) at DALLAS (20 - 45) - 3/10/2018, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MEMPHIS is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses this season.
DALLAS is 251-202 ATS (+28.8 Units) vs. division opponents since 1996.
DALLAS is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 8-3 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 7-4 straight up against MEMPHIS 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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ORLANDO (20 - 46) at LA CLIPPERS (35 - 29) - 3/10/2018, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 63-82 ATS (-27.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 9-22 ATS (-15.2 Units) on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 22-37 ATS (-18.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 36-27 ATS (+6.3 Units) in all games this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 21-8 ATS (+12.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 166-208 ATS (-62.8 Units) in home games in the second half of the season since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
LA CLIPPERS is 2-2 against the spread versus ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 5-0 straight up against ORLANDO 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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