Betting news, trends, odds and predictions for Saturday, March 24, 2018 from various handicappers and websites
Saturday’s NBA
76ers won five of last seven games with Minnesota; under is 6-3-1 in last ten series games. Wolves are 1-3 vs spread in last four visits to Philly. Minnesota won four of last six games; they’re 3-9 in last 12 games as road underdogs, 2-6 on road if they played night before. Over is 8-3 in their last 11 games. Philly won its last five games; they’re 13-3 in last 16 games as home favorites. Four of their last five games went over.
Home side won last six Chicago-Detroit games; Bulls are 1-4 vs spread in last five visits to the Motor City. Five of last seven series games stayed under. Chicago lost five of its last six games; they’re 2-9 in last 11 games as road underdogs, 1-3 on road if they played night before. Three of last four Bulls games went over. Pistons lost seven of their last ten games; they’re 4-3 in last seven games as home favorites. Under is 8-2 in their last ten games.
Road team won six of last seven Phoenix-Orlando games; Suns covered their last four visits to Orlando. Three of last four series games stayed under. Phoenix lost its last ten games (2-8 vs spread); they’re 1-4 in last five games as road underdogs. Under is 4-2 in their last six games. Magic lost eight of their last nine games; they’re 1-8 as home favorites this year. Under is 7-3 in their last ten games.
Home side won six of last seven Memphis-Laker games; LA is 0-4 vs spread in last four visits to Memphis. Over is 8-1-1 in last ten series games. Lakers lost their last four games; they’re 1-1 as road favorites this year. Four of their last five games stayed under. Memphis lost 22 of its last 23 games; they’re 3-7 vs spread in last ten games as home underdogs. Five of their last six games went over the total.
Rockets won seven of last nine games with New Orleans; under is 6-2 in last eight series games. Pelicans are 2-2 vs spread in last four visits to Houston. New Orleans won its last four games; they’re 7-3 in last ten games as road underdogs. Four of their last six games stayed under total. Rockets won their last seven games; they’re 4-7 in last 11 games as home favorites. Under is 7-2 in their last nine games.
Dallas/Charlotte split their last ten games; under is 6-4 in last ten series games. Hornets covered three of their last four visits to Dallas. Charlotte won its last two games after a 2-6 skid; over is 7-2 in their last nine games. Hornets are 6-3 as road favorites this season. Mavericks lost their last four games; they’re 3-5 in last eight games as home underdogs. Last four Dallas games went over the total.
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Game of the Night: Pelicans at Rockets – 8:05 PM EST
It’s been an eventful week for New Orleans (43-30 SU, 40-32-1 ATS), who has taken the court five times since last Saturday. The Pelicans are riding a four-game winning streak, while picking up three victories in a three-night span at Smoothie King Center.
Alvin Gentry’s squad knocked off the Mavericks on Tuesday, the Pacers in a make-up game on Wednesday, and outlasted the Lakers on Thursday. In the 128-125 triumph over Los Angeles, the Pelicans converted 48 two-point field goals, while MVP candidate Anthony Davis led the way with 33 points and nine rebounds. Guard Rajon Rondo put together one of his best games since joining New Orleans by scoring 24 points and dishing out 10 assists, while backcourt mate Jrue Holiday posted a 26-point effort on 12-of-16 shooting.
The Rockets (58-14 SU, 37-34-1 ATS) grabbed their seventh straight win on Thursday against the Pistons, but it wasn’t easy. Houston held off Detroit in overtime, 100-96, while the Pistons cashed as 10 ½-point underdogs. Point guard Chris Paul sat out with a hamstring strain, while James Harden struggled to reach the 21-point mark by hitting only 4-of-20 attempts from the floor and registered an 0-for-8 performance from three-point range.
Houston topped New Orleans last Saturday in the Big Easy, 107-101 road victory. The Pelicans covered for the third time in three meetings with the Rockets this season, but couldn’t hold down Harden, who led Houston with 32 points. New Orleans has lost nine of the past 10 meetings at Toyota Center since 2013, while four of the previous five matchups have finished UNDER the total.
All’s Well at Home
The 76ers (41-30 SU, 39-30-2 ATS) have picked up victories in 16 of their last 17 games at Wells Fargo Center since the calendar turned to 2018. Philadelphia is currently on a five-game hot streak after routing Charlotte, Memphis, and Orlando by double-digits each this week. The Sixers led the Magic by 30 points heading into the fourth quarter of Thursday’s 118-98 blowout to easily cash as eight-point favorites. Philadelphia improved to 9-1 the last 10 games in which it has exceeded the 100-point mark, while currently on a 4-1 OVER run.
Minnesota (41-31 SU, 33-37-2 ATS) travels to Philadelphia with no rest following Friday’s 108-104 victory at New York. The Wolves lost 13 of their first 15 road games in 2018, but are 2-1 in their past three away from the Target Center after beating the Knicks. Minnesota has struggled as a road underdog of late by compiling a 2-6 ATS mark, while looking to avenge a six-point home overtime loss to Philadelphia back in mid-December.
Lake Slow Down
The Lakers (31-40 SU, 37-34 ATS) have turned into one of the streakier teams in the league the last two months. Los Angeles has put together three separate winning streaks of at least four games since January, but are riding a four-game skid following Thursday’s 128-125 setback at New Orleans. Luke Walton’s team blew an 11-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope lit up the Pelicans for 28 points on 8-of-11 shooting from downtown.
L.A. is in a rare road favorite role as they Lakers venture to Memphis to take on the reeling Grizzlies (19-53 SU, 29-41-2 ATS). Just when losing 22 of their last 23 games is a new low for the franchise, Memphis topped itself in a 61-point defeat at Charlotte on Thursday. Memphis has lost 17 consecutive road contests and it is highly likely that the Grizzlies will end the season with 23 straight setbacks on the highway as they face Minnesota twice, Utah, Portland, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City.
The Grizzlies have had some luck against the Lakers this season by capturing two of three meetings, including a 123-114 victory at FedEx Forum in mid-January. Los Angeles wasn’t a road favorite until January 31 at Orlando, but the Lakers have covered in each of their last two opportunities as away chalk against the Kings and Hawks.
The Buzz is Back
The Hornets (32-41 SU, 31-38-4 ATS) rallied from a 19-point halftime deficit to stun the Nets on Wednesday, 111-105, as Dwight Howard produced a 32-point, 30-rebound effort for Charlotte. The next night, Kemba Walker dropped 46 points in 28 minutes of a 140-79 demolition of the Grizzlies as eight-point favorites. Since a five-game winning streak in late February, the Hornets have stumbled to a 4-8 mark the last 12 contests, including a 2-6 record on the road.
Charlotte heads to Dallas to face a struggling Mavericks (22-50 SU, 37-34-1 ATS) squad. The Mavs have gone backwards of late by losing four straight, while allowing at least 114 points in each defeat. Dallas managed a backdoor cover as 8 ½-point underdogs on Thursday to Utah, 119-112 by outscoring the Jazz in the fourth quarter, 31-23. The Mavs seek the season sweep of the Hornets after upending Charlotte as a 6 ½-point road underdog in January, 115-110.
By Kevin Rogers
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Philadelphia 76ers Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018
24th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Philadelphia 76ers aim for their sixth consecutive victory when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. A win would carry extra importance as it would clinch the franchise's first winning season since 2004-05, when Hall-of-Famer Allen Iverson was its star player.
The 76ers, who rolled to a 118-98 victory over Orlando on Thursday, are also closing in on their first postseason berth since 2012 as they are 9 1/2 games in front of ninth-place Detroit with just 11 remaining. "After this game, I kind of have a new goal," All-Star center Joel Embiid told reporters on Thursday. "I want to get to 50 wins. If we can do that, that'd be great, so we got to keep pushing for that." Minnesota can relate to Philadelphia's .500 milestone as it registered a 108-104 victory over New York on Friday to clinch its first winning campaign since 2004-05. "We're trying to change things here," Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters. "We have to do it game by game, day by day and not skip over anything."
TV: 6 p.m. ET, FS North (Minnesota), NBCS Philadelphia
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (42-31): Minnesota is battling to make the playoffs for the first time since 2003-04 as it stands seventh in the Western Conference - two games ahead of ninth-place Denver with nine remaining. "We have a lot more work to do and we have a lot more games in front of us that are just as important," All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, who recorded 24 points and 13 rebounds on Friday for his NBA-leading 60th double-double of the season, told reporters. Taj Gibson is averaging 16.5 points on 11-of-16 shooting over his last two games after playing poorly in the previous two, when he averaged six points on 5-of-13 shooting.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (41-30): Philadelphia led by as many as 35 points while crushing Orlando and finished with a 32-10 advantage in fast-break points. "I feel like our defense set the stage where we could have (had) a launching pad to get out and go," coach Brett Brown told reporters. "It's hard to run after made baskets. It's easier to run after missed baskets." The huge margin allowed Brown to use Embiid for just 20 minutes - in which he recorded 17 points and nine rebounds - in the second end of a back-to-back set.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Embiid contributed 28 points, 12 rebounds and a career-best eight assists as the visiting 76ers notched a 118-112 overtime win over the Timberwolves on Dec. 12.
2. Philadelphia F Ersan Ilyasova scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting against the Magic after five straight single-digit performances.
3. Minnesota PG Derrick Rose (ankle) did not play on Friday and will miss his second straight game.
PREDICTION: 76ers 114, Timberwolves 108
Phoenix Suns vs. Orlando Magic Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018
24th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Orlando Magic have dropped 15 of their last 18 games during another dismal season as they enter Saturday's matchup against the host Phoenix Suns. The campaign has been so dreadful for the Magic that speculation is running rampant that second-year coach Frank Vogel will be dismissed.
Orlando has been in a long funk since opening the season with an 8-4 record as it has won just 13 of its last 60 contests. The Magic were outplayed and outworked in Thursday's 118-98 loss to Philadelphia, and Vogel maintains that he isn't going to back off of his expectations no matter how tenuous his situation becomes. "Part of changing a losing culture is not giving in and not relenting in situations where the other team's kicking your butt," Vogel told reporters after his team trailed by as many as 35 points on Thursday. "So, to me, it was a good opportunity to challenge these guys and call something out that's been an issue for us." The Suns are sinking in even worse fashion with 10 straight losses and 25 in their last 27 games after Friday's 120-95 setback against Cleveland.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Arizona Plus, FS Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE SUNS (19-54): Devin Booker tested his injured right hand prior to Friday's contest before sitting out his third straight game. "Can't catch the ball. Can't throw a pass," interim coach Jay Triano said during his postgame press conference. "Hopefully, he'll be able to play (Saturday) night. We've got a lot of guys who are tired." TJ Warren (knee) also is questionable for Saturday's contest after sitting out each of the last two contests.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (21-51): Orlando recently re-signed Rodney Purvis to a second 10-day contract, and he was one of the few bright spots in the loss to the 76ers. Purvis scored 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting - going 3-for-5 from 3-point range - as he attempts to show the Magic he can be a contributor next season. "I was just trying to bring a lot of energy on the defensive end and create something on the offensive end," Purvis told reporters. "My teammates found me in good spots and I was able to make some shots."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. PF Aaron Gordon scored 22 points as the Magic posted a 128-112 road victory over the Suns on Nov. 10.
2. Phoenix PG Elfrid Payton will play against his former club for the first time since being dealt in early February after spending 3 1/2 seasons in Orlando.
3. Orlando rookie F Jonathan Isaac (left foot) hopes to return after sitting out Thursday, while SF Jonathon Simmons (wrist) likely will miss his third straight contest.
PREDICTION: Magic 112, Suns 109
Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018
24th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Detroit Pistons' playoff hopes are evaporating, but they will try to continue their pursuit of the final Eastern Conference postseason spot when they host the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. Detroit sits six games behind eighth-place Milwaukee, which defeated the Bulls on Friday, with just 10 contests remaining.
The Pistons fancied making a playoff charge after acquiring Blake Griffin from the Los Angeles Clippers, but they instead are fading with 14 losses in their last 19 games. "Whatever problems we have have not been because of him at all," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters of Griffin. "His attitude has been great, his play has been great, and when we get healthy and get the right people around him, this is going to be a good team." Chicago is well out of playoff contention and dropped a 118-105 decision to the Bucks on Friday for its fourth straight setback. The Bulls are just 9-26 on the road as they begin a four-game trek that includes stops in Houston, Miami and Orlando.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, FS Detroit Plus
ABOUT THE BULLS (24-48): Chicago could fail to reach the 30-win mark for the first time since going 23-59 in 2003-04, but Fred Hoiberg is continuing to coach as if a playoff spot is within reach. "With the way that our season is, the big picture, these guys are getting a great opportunity to play," Hoiberg told reporters. "You have to keep playing all the way to the final horn. I don't care what the score is. We have to try to play the right way." Rookie power forward Lauri Markkanen (back) is one of the building blocks, and he returned from a five-game absence to contribute nine points and six rebounds on Friday but won't make the trip to Detroit so he can rest his back.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (32-40): Rumblings suggesting Van Gundy could be let go after his fourth season with the franchise have started, but the 58-year-old remains bullish that the team is close to turning the corner. "I thought we made really good progress our first two years," Van Gundy told reporters. "We went .500 after Christmas our first year after a miserable start, and then 44 wins and a playoff team. And, quite honestly, we just haven't been able to build on that. There's a lot of reasons. Some of them within our control, some of them not within our control, and we just haven't been able to build on that these last two years." Two more defeats will give Van Gundy three losing seasons during his tenure in Detroit.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams split their first two meetings this season, and the fourth and final matchup is slated for April 11 in Chicago.
2. Detroit was just 6-for-38 from 3-point range in Thursday's 100-96 overtime loss to Houston.
3. Chicago PG Cameron Payne (ankle) was injured while recording 17 points and six assists on Friday, and he underwent X-rays but said "everything was fine" after the contest.
PREDICTION: Pistons 105, Bulls 99
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Memphis Grizzlies Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018
23rd March 2018 by Gracenote
The Memphis Grizzlies suffered through several embarrassing losses this season, but none was as bad as the thumping they were issued at Charlotte on Thursday. The Grizzlies will try to put that terrible performance behind them and find a better effort when they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
Memphis, which is fighting to avoid the worst record in the NBA, suffered the largest margin of defeat in franchise history and the sixth largest in NBA history with a 140-79 setback against the Hornets. "It's got to be from everybody, not just one or two guys," Grizzlies guard Tyreke Evans told reporters. "They were out there just laughing. It was embarrassing, the whole thing. We've got to just wash this one away and just come back next game and be ready to play." The Lakers are enduring their own losing streak but are at least putting up more of a fight. "We're not losing because we're not making shots," Los Angeles coach Luke Walton told reporters after a 128-125 loss at New Orleans on Thursday. "The ball is moving, we're playing at a good pace. The reason we lost was we didn't play any defense for the majority of the game."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles), FS Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE LAKERS (31-40): Los Angeles allowed 80 points in the paint in Thursday's loss, but the focus after the game was still on rookie Lonzo Ball's poor shooting. The 20-year-old went 2-of-15 from the floor and 1-of-12 from beyond the arc in the loss and is 7-of-48 from 3-point range over the last seven contests. "The shots I'm getting, I like them, been hitting them my whole life," Ball, who went unguarded on several of his 3-point attempts on Thursday, told reporters. "A little frustrated they're not going in, though."
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (19-53): Memphis did not play center Marc Gasol (rest) on Thursday and is without point guard Mike Conley (heel), leaving plenty of minutes for younger players. "Every game for these guys and for all of us is an audition," interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters. "It's a matter of being able to prove that you belong. To me, the end results and the scores, that stuff is going to be what it is. But every team in the NBA is going to go back and they're going to watch these films. They're going to key in on each individual and see in tough situation, what did they do? There's two options, you fight or you run. And tonight we ran from the fight." Second-year shooting guard Wayne Selden led the team with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting off the bench.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Lakers PF Julius Randle scored at least 20 points in each of the last six games and recorded five double-doubles in that span.
2. Grizzlies PG Andrew Harrison (wrist) sat out Thursday and is day-to-day.
3. Memphis took two of the first three meetings this season, including a 123-114 home win on Jan. 15.
PREDICTION: Lakers 120, Grizzlies 99
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Houston Rockets Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018
23rd March 2018 by Gracenote
The New Orleans Pelicans aren't making it look easy, but they continue to find the win column. The Pelicans are in for a challenge when they try to push their winning streak to five straight on Saturday against the host Houston Rockets, who are winners of seven straight and own the best record in the NBA.
Anthony Davis' late MVP push is keeping New Orleans in the top eight of the Western Conference, and it outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers 128-125 on Thursday to head into play on Friday in the No. 4 spot, 3 1/2 games in front of the ninth-place Denver Nuggets. "It feels good, but we can celebrate tonight," Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday told reporters after the win. "We got a still tough schedule to go. Pretty sure we moved up (in the standings), but we got, what, nine games left. We've got to keep on winning games and get to where we want to get so that we can have some advantage in the playoffs." The Rockets are inching toward locking up the No. 1 spot in the West and are winners of 24 of their last 25 after MVP frontrunner James Harden scored 10 of his 21 points in overtime of a 100-96 win over Detroit on Thursday. Houston will play seven of its final 10 games at home, where it owns a 28-6 record.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBATV, FS New Orleans, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)
ABOUT THE PELICANS (43-30): New Orleans is thriving through a rough stretch of schedule that had it play five games in six days and had enough energy left on Thursday to outscore the Lakers 31-17 in the fourth quarter. "Mentally tough. Mentally tough," Davis told reporters. "Just had to grind it out. It was one of those games where you got a grind out a team who was making a lot of shots, playing very well. Five (games) in six (nights), so it was just one of them games we just tried to fight through the fatigue -- physically and mentally -- and just try to pull this one out." The Pelicans, who began that stretch with a 107-101 home loss to Houston last Saturday, don't get any breaks with games against Portland, Cleveland and Oklahoma City next week.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (58-14): Harden struggled to 2-of-16 from the floor in regulation on Thursday before finding his stroke in overtime. "It's always tough getting home from a long road trip, but we found a way to win," Harden told reporters. "Defensively we were pretty active. They only had 96 points, which is good in overtime. Offensively, we couldn't get it going. It's going to be like that sometimes, so, find ways to win games." Harden went 0-of-8 from 3-point range in the win, marking the first time this season that he failed to make at least one 3-point attempt.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Rockets will reportedly release PF Brandan Wright, who played in only one game for the team after being bought out by Memphis.
2. New Orleans SF E'Twaun Moore is 16-of-25 from the floor over the last two games.
3. Houston took three of the last four in the series, including a 130-123 home win on Dec. 11.
PREDICTION: Rockets 122, Pelicans 119
Charlotte Hornets vs. Dallas Mavericks Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018
23rd March 2018 by Gracenote
The Charlotte Hornets might be out of the playoff race, but that doesn't mean they've quit. The Hornets will try to put together a third consecutive historic performance when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.
Center Dwight Howard became the eighth player in NBA history to record a 30-30 game when he posted 32 points and 30 rebounds in a 111-105 win at Brooklyn on Wednesday, and Charlotte went out on Thursday in the second night of a back-to-back and posted the largest margin of victory in franchise history with a 140-79 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies behind a record performance by Kemba Walker. "Two nights in a row," Hornets coach Steve Clifford told reporters. "It was fun to me to watch what Dwight did last night and then what Kemba did tonight. Just fun to watch and deserving for both guys. So, it's a good night for the Hornets and we'll go to Dallas and see if we can continue to play well." The Mavericks are losers of four in a row and dropped the opener of a two-game homestand 119-112 to the Utah Jazz on Thursday. "Shot-making was our deodorant tonight, because defensive we weren't getting much done," Dallas Rick Carlisle told reporters after the latest setback. "It's a dangerous game to play and we're just going to have to do better defensively."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Charlotte), FS Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (32-41): Walker needed just 28 minutes to score 46 points on Thursday and made a franchise-record 10 3-pointers while going 13-of-18 from the field, 10-of-14 from beyond the arc and 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. "I think he's grown in every area, just because of how he is," Clifford told reporters of Walker. "It's not just his skills -- where he's made obviously great strides -- but he's a student of the NBA. ... He's always been extremely team-oriented, he's a great presence in the locker room, you know because of his work, because of his commitment to the game, to the team. And it's been I think just the way you want it to be, it's been every year it gets better and better. Obviously, we're just fortunate to have him here." Howard didn't get a chance to follow up his historic performance while serving a one-game suspension on Thursday for reaching 16 technical fouls.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (22-50): Dallas is trying to stay out of the Western Conference basement while getting a good look at some younger players as the season winds down, but the most promising of those youngsters, rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr., missed the last two games with a sprained left ankle. Smith plans on returning to the lineup on Saturday, where he will be joined with newcomer Aaron Harrison. The Mavericks signed the former Kentucky standout guard to a 10-day contract on Thursday and he scored six points in 20 minutes off the bench in his team debut.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Mavericks PG J.J. Barea went 5-of-7 from 3-point range while starting in place of Smith on Thursday.
2. Hornets SG Nicolas Batum (Achilles) is expected to miss his fourth straight game.
3. The road team took four of the last five in the series, with Dallas grabbing a 115-111 victory at Charlotte on Jan. 10.
PREDICTION: Hornets 112, Mavericks 103