Betting news, trends, odds and predictions for Thursday, March 29, 2018 from various handicappers and websites
Thursday’s NBA
Wizards won eight of last ten games with Detroit; over is 5-2 in last seven series games. Washington is 4-1 vs spread in its last five visits to the Motor City. Wizards lost three of their last four games; they’re 2-6 vs spread in last eight games, 1-3 in last four on road. Three of their last four games stayed under. Pistons won four of last five games; they covered last four games as a home favorite. Under is 6-3 in their last nine games.
Miami won three of last four games with Chicago; under is 5-2 in last seven series games. Bulls are 2-2 vs spread in last four visits to South Beach. Chicago lost its last six games (1-5 vs spread); they’re 2-11 in last 13 games as road underdogs. Over is 5-2 in their last seven games. Miami won four of its last six games; they’re 7-1 in last eight games as home favorites. Over is 5-3-1 in their last nine games.
Thunder won six of last nine games with the Spurs; OKC is 1-2 vs spread in last three visits to the Alamo. Five of last six series games stayed under. Oklahoma City won seven of its last nine games; they’re 0-2-1 vs spread in their last three games, all of which stayed under total. Spurs won their last six home games, covering last six games as home favorites. San Antonio’s last three games all went over.
Pacers won their last three games with the Kings; they’re 3-2 vs spread in last five visits here. Five of last six series games stayed under. Indiana won four of its last five games; they’re 7-4 as road favorites this season. Under is 8-2 in their last ten games. Sacramento lost four of its last five games; they’re 4-11 vs spread in last 15 games as home underdogs. Kings’ last four games stayed under the total.
Golden State won eight of last nine games with Milwaukee; Bucks are 5-3 vs spread in last eight. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Milwaukee is 3-4 in its last seven games; they’re 7-2 as a road favorite this season. Eight of their last nine games went over total. Warriors lost six of their last nine games- they have big injury issues, are 0-2 as home underdogs. Six of their last eight games stayed under total.
_______________________________
Washington Wizards vs. Detroit Pistons Preview and Predictions 03-29-2018
28th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Washington Wizards will learn prior to Thursday's game whether All-Star point guard John Wall be back on the floor. Wall missed the past two months after undergoing surgery on his left knee and he is listed as questionable for the contest against the host Detroit Pistons.
Wall participated in a 5-on-5 practice earlier this week and is moving closer to a return but a decision won't likely be made prior to Thursday's mid-day shootaround. "He's getting close," Wizards coach Scott Brooks told reporters on Wednesday. "The next thing is game (action). I know everybody's excited. He's definitely excited. He wants to get out there. He knows he has to continue to put the work in and we will all make the final decision." Washington is looking forward to getting Wall back as it sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference race with eight games remaining. The Pistons are still mathematically alive for a postseason spot but their chances aren't good as they trail the eighth-place Milwaukee Bucks by five games with eight left.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCS Washington, FS Detroit
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (41-33): Washington has relied more on its bench during Wall's absence and the reserves put up 61 points in Tuesday's 116-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs. "They trusted each other on offense to make the right simple plays, right reason, (unselfish) plays and it's always better when everyone is making some shots," shooting guard Bradley Beal said of the bench. "It just made it that much better." Veteran shooting guard Jodie Meeks recorded 13 points in 20 minutes off the bench for just his third double-digit outing in his past 15 appearances.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (34-40): Point guard Reggie Jackson stood out in his fourth game back from an ankle injury by scoring 20 points in 28 minutes during Monday's 112-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson joked afterward that he could barely breathe in the second half as he deals with improving his conditioning but he felt he was finally able to play without limitations. "I feel like my ankle's opened up a little more and gaining more explosion in trying to attack and take what the defense gives me," Jackson said afterward. "Trying to get downhill and find ways for my teammates to get open shots and, if they leave me open, continue attacking and try to get shots for myself as well."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Wizards are 3-0 against the Pistons this season and won the past four meetings.
2. Starting Washington Fs Markieff Morris (15 points, 7-of-7 shooting) and Otto Porter Jr. (14 points, 6-of-7) were a combined 13-of-14 shooting against the Spurs.
3. Detroit SF Stanley Johnson is averaging 3.5 points on 6-of-27 shooting over the past four games.
PREDICTION: Pistons 106, Wizards 103
Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat Preview and Predictions 03-29-2018
28th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Miami Heat expect to have center Hassan Whiteside back in the lineup when they host the struggling Chicago Bulls on Thursday. Whiteside missed the past nine games due to a hip flexor and he is expected to be cleared in the hours prior to tip-off.
Whiteside put in the practice time on Wednesday but admitted he has some concerns after missing the past three weeks. "It's not pain. It just makes it tough to lift your leg up, but it's no pain," Whiteside told reporters. "I'm hoping for the best. It might be some limitations once I come back regardless, just to get me into the flow of things." Chicago is fading the wrong directions with six straight losses by an average of 20.5 points. "You can see who's going to try to compete through it and fight through tough times," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters. "... I have to get us better and get us to continue to play through the tough times more than we're doing right now."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), FS Sun (Miami)
ABOUT THE BULLS (24-50): Rookie power forward Lauri Markkanen displayed he is moving forward after his recent back issues and he tallied 22 points in 28 minutes during Tuesday's 118-86 loss to the Houston Rockets. But Chicago didn't have many other bright spots to boast about as it committed 19 turnovers and went 8-of-37 from 3-point range while being no match for the powerful Rockets. "It teaches you lessons for the long haul," forward Bobby Portis said afterward. "Obviously we got beat bad, but you can look back on this in a couple of years when we're the team that does it. We're taking our whooping and hopefully we'll learn from it."
ABOUT THE HEAT (40-35): Whiteside's interior presence has been missed but Miami went 5-4 without him, topped by Tuesday's 98-79 rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Miami stands seventh in the Eastern Conference and is 5 1/2 games clear of the ninth-place Detroit Pistons, and the schedule is favorable with the Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, back-to-back with the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks lined up for the next five games. Kelly Olynyk played well during Whitehead's absence and is averaging 17.4 points over the past seven games after scoring a team-best 19 against the Cavaliers.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Heat are 2-1 against the Bulls this season and won seven of the past 10 meetings.
2. Chicago SG Justin Holiday is averaging 4.8 points on 11-of-46 shooting over the last six contests.
3. Miami is 24-6 this season when holding opponents under 100 points.
PREDICTION: Heat 114, Bulls 90
klahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs Preview and Predictions 03-29-2018
28th March 2018 by Gracenote
The San Antonio Spurs might be without All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. Aldridge is listed as questionable after suffering a bruised left knee during Tuesday's 116-106 loss to the Washington Wizards.
Aldridge underwent an MRI exam Wednesday and appears to have avoided a serious injury, which should soothe veteran guard Manu Ginobili, who was highly concerned after Tuesday's setback. "Considering the way he's been playing and our recent success in those games, we are at the point where if LaMarcus gets a cough, a cold, we are in deep trouble," Ginobili told reporters. "Hopefully, it's not serious because it's going to be really tough to score without him and we have tough games against teams that need to win. We really need him." Oklahoma City has its own issues to worry about as its odds of finishing third in the Western Conference diminished greatly with Sunday's 108-105 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. "Yeah, of course we wanted to have a better record at this point in the season with the team that we have," power forward Carmelo Anthony told reporters on Wednesday, "but our expectation was to be the best team we could be with the understanding we have the opportunity to do something great. And we have an opportunity to make a run in these playoffs and potentially play for a championship."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE THUNDER (43-32): Oklahoma City is at the front of the list of seven teams fighting for the final five playoff spots in the West and Anthony is counting on being part of the playoffs for the first time since 2013. "We'll be there. We'll be there," Anthony said. "I think we're confident enough to know that we'll be there. Where? We'll see when that time comes, but I believe we'll be there. It's something we planned on doing when we put this team together." Anthony will look to emerge from a shooting slump that has seen him average six points on 5-of-21 shooting over the past two games while scoring in single digits in three of the past five contests.
ABOUT THE SPURS (44-31): San Antonio is just 2-5 this season without Aldridge, who averaged 32.4 points with four 30-point outings during a spectacular seven-game run before being injured during Tuesday's contest. The Spurs retooled their offensive around Aldridge with star small forward Kawhi Leonard sidelined due to his quadriceps injury, and Aldridge delivered with a 23.1 average that is just shy of his career-best 23.4 with Portland in 2014-15. Forward Rudy Gay (11.1 average) could be in line for a bigger role against the Thunder but he has reached the 20-point mark just four times all season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Thunder have dropped five straight regular-season visits to San Antonio.
2. Oklahoma City C Steven Adams is averaging 19.8 points and 10.2 rebounds over the past five games.
3. San Antonio PG Tony Parker is averaging just 2.4 points on 4-of-17 shooting over the last five contests.
PREDICTION: Spurs 97, Thunder 96
Indiana Pacers vs. Sacramento Kings Preview and Predictions 03-29-2018
28th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Indiana Pacers took advantage of the injury-depleted Golden State Warriors to win the opener of their West Coast trip 92-81 on Tuesday, keeping them neck-and-neck in the race for homecourt advantage on the Eastern Conference. The Pacers will try to earn their fourth straight victory when they continue the trip by visiting the lowly Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
Tuesday's win marked the beginning of an eight-game stretch to close the regular season in which Indiana will play six on the road, with visits to playoff hopefuls Denver and the Los Angeles Clippers rounding out the current trip. The Warriors were playing without all four of their All-Stars but still held a nine-point lead over the Pacers at the half on Tuesday before Indiana clamped down on the defensive end. "We just stayed with it," Pacers head coach Nate McMillan told reporters. "They were doing some good things the first half, our defense picked up and we tried to keep them in front. We started to rebound the basketball and get out and execute on the offensive end of the floor. It's a 48-minute game and we just stayed with it and found a way to get this game." The Kings dropped three of the first four on their six-game homestand and are coming off a 103-97 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FS Indiana, NBCS California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE PACERS (44-31): Indiana's offensive struggles at Golden State did not extend to All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, who scored 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting and added six rebounds and six assists. Oladipo scored 20 or more points in four of the last five games and recorded a pair of steals on Tuesday to run his streak of games with at least one theft to 58. Oladipo is getting some help during the current winning streak from small forward Bojan Bagdanovic, who is averaging 21 points on 58.1 percent shooting over the last three contests.
ABOUT THE KINGS (24-51): Sacramento is 29th in the NBA in scoring at an average of 99.4 points and failed to reach 100 in five of the last six contests. The Kings, who have been strategically resting veterans in the second half to get younger players more time, went with one of their young lineups on Tuesday and watched power forward Skal Labissiere lead the team with 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Fellow Kentucky product Willie Cauley-Stein added 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the loss after going 5-of-19 from the floor over the previous two contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pacers PF/C Domantas Sabonis (ankle) returned from a six-game absence on Tuesday and scored seven points on 3-of-3 shooting in 24 minutes off the bench.
2. Sacramento PF Zach Randolph (illness) missed the last three games but could return Thursday.
3. Indiana took each of the last three meetings, including a 101-83 home win on Oct. 31.
PREDICTION: Pacers 109, Kings 96
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Golden State Warriors Preview and Predictions 03-29-2018
28th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Golden State Warriors plan to have at least one of their All-Stars back in the lineup when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. The Warriors were without Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in each of the last two games and suffered rare back-to-back losses.
While Curry (knee) is expected to be out through the first round of the playoffs and Thompson is still making his way back from a broken hand, Durant, who sat out the last six games, lobbied to return to the lineup on Tuesday and is expected to play on Thursday. "We're just trying to be smart," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "When (Durant) feels like he's ready to go, we're going to give him two extra days until the next game just to be really safe. I mean, the last thing we want is for anybody to reinjure something or have something linger, so we're going to be extra cautious with everybody." The Bucks would probably prefer to give Durant and the others an extra day of rest as they try to crawl out of the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee dropped three of its last five games, including a 105-98 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in the opener of the four-game road trip on Tuesday, and sits a half-game behind the seventh-place Miami Heat.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT, NBCS Bay Area (Golden State)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (39-35): Milwaukee is five games ahead of the ninth-place Detroit Pistons in the East, but coach Joe Prunty isn't taking anything for granted. "We're not in the playoffs," Prunty told reporters after the loss to the Clippers. "We have to play better and we have to win games and then we'll get into the playoffs. I looked at the standings a day or two ago -- we weren't in. We're not in right now, right? So, we're not in. I'm worried about how we're playing. ... We've got to play better and the rest of it takes care of itself." The Bucks committed 17 turnovers at Los Angeles, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Eric Bledsoe combining for 10.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (54-20): Golden State still leads the NBA in scoring at an average of 114 points but failed to reach even 95 points in four of the six games Durant missed, including a 92-81 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. Green sat out the last three games with a pelvic contusion and an illness, but he is back at practice and also could return on Thursday. The Warriors placed just three scorers in double figures during Tuesday's loss, led by shooting guard Nick Young's 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bucks C Thon Maker (groin) sat out Tuesday and is day-to-day.
2. Warriors PG Quinn Cook scored in double figures in each of the last seven games.
3. Golden State took the last four in the series, including a 108-94 win at Milwaukee on Jan. 12.
PREDICTION: Warriors 109, Bucks 103