Betting news, trends, odds and predictions for Wednesday, March 28, 2018 from various handicappers and websites
Wednesday’s NBA
Home side won last seven Brooklyn-Orlando games; Nets are 2-2-1 vs spread in last five visits to the Magic Kingdom. Over is 5-1-1 in last seven series games. Nets lost six of their last eight games; they’re 0-1 as road favorites this year. Five of their last six games went over the total. Orlando lost eight of its last ten games; they’re 10-5 in last 15 games as home underdogs. Under is 7-3 in their last ten games.
Knicks lost their last three games with Philly; they’re 2-3 vs spread in last five games in this building. Under is 5-2 in last seven series games. New York lost seven of its last ten games; they’re 6-1 vs spread in last seven games overall. Under is 3-1-1 in their last five games. 76ers won their last seven games, covered last five; they’re 14-3 vs spread in last 17 games as home favorites. Over is 5-1-1 in their last seven games.
Cavaliers won their last eight games with the Hornets (6-1-1 vs spread); Cleveland covered four of last five visits to Charlotte. Seven of last nine series games went over. Cavaliers won five of their last six games; they’re 3-5 vs spread in last eight road games. Six of their last nine games went over total. Charlotte won its last three games; they’re 0-9 vs spread in last nine games as home underdogs. Over is 7-3 in their last ten games.
Minnesota won four of its last five games with Atlanta; last four series games stayed under the total. Hawks are 1-3 vs spread in last four visits to the Twin Cities. Atlanta lost nine of its last ten games; they’re 2-6 in last eight games as road underdogs. Three of their last four games stayed under. Timberwolves lost four of their last six games; they’re 10-3 in last 13 games as home favorites. Over is 7-3 in their last ten games.
Blazers won four of lat six games with Memphis; they’re 4-1-1 vs spread in last six visits here. four of last five series games stayed under the total. Portland won 15 of its last 17 games; they’re 7-5 as road favorites this season. Three of their last four games went over the total. Grizzlies lost 23 of their last 25 games; they’re 3-8 in last 11 games as home underdogs. Over is 5-3 in their last eight games.
Celtics won seven of last ten games with the Jazz; they’re 3-2 vs spread in last five visits to SLC. Four of last five series games went over total. Boston won its last four games, covered five of its last seven; they’re 12-2 as road underdogs. Five of their last six games stayed under. Jazz won 11 of their last 13 games; they’re 5-4 in last nine games as home favorites. Four of their last five games went over the total.
Clippers won their last seven games with Phoenix (6-1 vs spread); over is 5-3 in last eight series games. LA is 2-3 vs spread in last five visits to the desert. Clippers won three of their last four games; they’re 6-1 vs spread as road favorites. Clippers’ last three games stayed under the total.Suns lost their last 12 games; they’re 2-7 in last nine games as home underdogs. Last four Phoenix games stayed under.
Lakers lost eight of last ten games with Dallas; three of last four series games went over. Mavs are 3-2 vs spread in last five series games played here. Dallas lost five of its last six games; they’re 3-2 in last five games as road underdogs, 6-6 if they played night before. Four of their last five games went over. Lakers lost five of their last six games; they’re 6-5 as home favorites. Five of their last seven games stayed under.
New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Preview and Predictions 03-28-2018
27th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Philadelphia 76ers are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference as they try to lock up homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The surging Sixers will try to push their winning streak to eight straight when they host the lowly New York Knicks on Wednesday.
Philadelphia is occupying the No. 4 spot in the East but enters play on Tuesday one game behind the third-place Cleveland Cavaliers after dominating the Denver Nuggets in a 123-104 victory on Monday. The 76ers are 25-11 at home and will play seven of their last nine games against teams with losing records, beginning with the Knicks. New York is 21 games under .500 but is playing well on its road trip after stunning the Washington Wizards in a 101-97 win on Sunday and falling 137-128 in overtime at Charlotte on Monday. The Knicks are spending the rest of the season giving players a chance to earn a spot in the team's future, and guard Trey Burke is making the most of his opportunity.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), NBCS Philadelphia
ABOUT THE KNICKS (27-48): Burke scored a team-high 19 points in the win at Charlotte and exploded on Monday for a career-high 42 points on 19-of-31 shooting and 12 assists. "He's been playing great," New York coach Jeff Hornacek told reporters. "He's a hard guy to guard one-on-one. He seems to be able to get a shot off any time he wants. He played a great game." Burke, a 25-year-old former lottery pick who was plucked out of the G League by the Knicks in January, is averaging 23 points on 57.4 percent shooting over the past four games.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (43-30): Philadelphia is flush with young talent and got another promising youngster back in the lineup on Monday when No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz (shoulder) returned from a five-month absence. Fultz collected 10 points and eight assists in 14 minutes off the bench and is trying to get up to speed in time to be a factor off the bench in the postseason. "The way he was embraced by his teammates just reinforces what I think of our group and how close they really are," 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters of his team's reaction to Fultz's return. "And then he came out and he played. He showed signs of why he was the first player chosen."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Knicks C Enes Kanter recorded a double-double in each of the last five games.
2. 76ers SG Marco Belinelli is averaging 15.8 points on 60.4 percent shooting over the last four games.
3. Philadelphia took each of the first three meetings this season, including a 108-92 home win on Feb. 12.
PREDICTION: 76ers 120, Knicks 104
Brooklyn Nets vs. Orlando Magic Preview and Predictions 03-28-2018
27th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Brooklyn Nets are playing the best teams in the Eastern Conference tough, they just can't seem to figure out how to hold onto a third-quarter lead. The Nets will try to snap a three-game slide when they visit the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Brooklyn squandered a 23-point, second-half lead in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets last Wednesday, was up 14 at East-leading Toronto before falling on Friday and held a nine-point edge at home over Cleveland on Sunday before falling 121-114. "We had three turnovers down the stretch that kind of changed the game," Nets small forward DeMarre Carroll told reporters after the latest setback. "Good teams don't get loose toward the end of the game. We've got to learn that. We've got a young group, but we can't keep preaching the same thing." The Magic are lottery-bound but can draw even at 3-3 on a seven-game homestand with a win Wednesday after snapping a three-game slide by edging Phoenix 105-99 on Saturday. Orlando power forward Aaron Gordon recorded his second consecutive double-double in the win with 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting and 11 rebounds.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FS Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE NETS (23-51): Small forward Joe Harris is taking advantage of an opportunity at regular minutes with Brooklyn far out of the playoff chase and scored a career-high 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting, including 6-of-7 from 3-point range, in 27 minutes off the bench on Sunday. "We were moving the ball well, and I was able to get room-and-rhythm looks right off the git-go, knocked down my first couple and it just felt good after that," Harris told reporters. Harris is averaging 12.8 points on 61.5 percent shooting over the last five games.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (22-51): The rest of the season is just about development for the Magic, and Gordon taking some momentum into the offseason would be a plus. The 22-year-old has been limited to 50 games this season due to a series of injuries but showed off his all-around game while adding eight assists and three steals against Phoenix. "It's a mixture and a balance of scoring and passing," Gordon told reporters. "If I score, I draw attention from the defense. And once I draw attention, then I pass. Then, the defense tends to leave me (single-covered) when I'm passing and I can score more. It's a balance that I'm still working on as a young player, but my teammates are doing a great job of encouraging me."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Magic SF Jonathon Simmons (wrist) is expected to miss his fourth consecutive game.
2. Brooklyn PG D'Angelo Russell went 4-of-7 from 3-point range on Sunday after going 3-of-19 in his previous three games.
3. The home team took the last seven in the series, with Orlando earning a 125-121 home win on Oct. 24.
PREDICTION: Nets 116, Magic 114
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Charlotte Hornets Preview and Predictions 03-28-2018
28th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Cleveland Cavaliers' winning streak came to a crashing halt in Miami on Tuesday and they have little time to pick up the pieces before visiting the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. The Cavaliers had won five in a row while averaging 122.2 points before they shot 36.5 percent in an ugly 98-79 loss to the Heat, their lowest-scoring effort in exactly one year.
"We missed shots early, missed shots early and we allowed their pressure to take us out of some of the stuff we wanted to do," assistant coach Larry Drew - who continues to fill in for the ailing Tyronn Lue - told reporters. "When we got down it just became just too big of a deficit." Cleveland, which plays five of its final seven games at home after finishing up in Charlotte, is a half-game ahead of Philadelphia in the race for third place in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets are on the verge of being eliminated from playoff contention but refuse to go quietly into the offseason and have averaged 122.5 points during a four-game winning streak. Kemba Walker scored 11 of his 31 points in overtime as Charlotte got past the New York Knicks 137-128 on Monday, pulling the team to within one victory of matching its longest winning streak of the season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBATV, FS Ohio (Cleveland), FS Southeast (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (44-30): Kevin Love managed one point in seven minutes before he was knocked from Tuesday's loss due to an elbow by Miami's Jordan Mickey, which loosened a tooth. Love also exhibited some concussion-like symptoms and will be re-evaluated in the morning before it is determined whether he will continue the trip to Charlotte. LeBron James was limited to 18 points - his lowest total since Feb. 23 - at Miami and he missed all four of his 3-point tries as Cleveland finished with a season-low four makes from beyond the arc in 26 attempts.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (34-41): Charlotte is six games out of a playoff spot with seven to play and the writing is on the wall, which frustrates someone like Walker, who is in his seventh season with the Hornets and has appeared in just 11 playoff games. "At this point, I want to win. I want to be in the playoffs," Walker told the Charlotte Observer. "I'm tired of not being in the playoffs. ... I hate watching them on TV. I've been there twice in seven years, and it's just not fun (watching)." The two-time All-Star is doing all he can to keep Charlotte's slim hopes alive and is averaging 31.3 points during the winning streak.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cavaliers C Tristan Thompson is averaging 11 rebounds in 16 minutes in three games since returning from an ankle injury.
2. Hornets C Dwight Howard has 2,037 career blocked shots, tied with Kevin Garnett for 17th on the NBA's all-time list.
3. Cleveland won each of the last eight meetings, including three straight at Charlotte.
PREDICTION: Cavaliers 108, Hornets 106
Atlanta Hawks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Preview and Predictions 03-28-2018
27th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Minnesota Timberwolves are trying to lock up a spot in the Western Conference playoffs for the first time since 2004 but will need to stop losing to teams at the bottom of the standings. The Timberwolves will try to avoid a third overall loss and their second straight to a losing team when they host the East-worst Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
Minnesota is in the No. 8 spot in the West, and trying to hold off the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers, after dropping a 101-93 decision at home to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. "We have to have a collective will to bounce back (Wednesday)," Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters on Tuesday. "You just have to keep coming. When you fall short of something you want, you have to pick yourself up and keep going until we get it done. I believe we will get it done." Minnesota will play four of its last seven games against teams with losing records but also faces Denver twice and the Utah Jazz, who are just ahead in seventh place. The Hawks are playing the finale of a six-game road trip and dropped the last three, capped by a 118-99 setback at Houston on Sunday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), FS North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (21-53): Atlanta did stun one West playoff contender with a 99-94 victory at Utah earlier in its trip but failed to turn the same trick in losses at Golden State and Houston. The Hawks are getting some solid individual performances and watched Taurean Prince work his way out of a shooting slump by scoring 28 points on 11-of-18 from the floor against the Rockets. Second-year point guard Isaiah Taylor added a career-high 26 points in 32 minutes on Sunday while starting in place of Dennis Schroder (ankle).
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (42-33): Minnesota is 6-7 in 13 games since All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler went down with a knee injury, but Monday's loss was particularly crushing "This is the worst loss," point guard Jeff Teague told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "By far. This was a must-win for us. Every game down the stretch is a must-win. And against a team -- not taking anything from them -- they're not playing for anything right now." Teague scored 25 points in the loss but power forward Nemanja Bjelica, who is starting in place of Butler, went scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Schroder missed two of the last three games and was already ruled out for Wednesday.
2. Timberwolves SF Andrew Wiggins is 3-of-15 from 3-point range over the last three games.
3. Atlanta knocked off Minnesota at home 105-100 on Jan. 29.
PREDICTION: Timberwolves 115, Hawks 100
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Memphis Grizzlies Preview and Predictions 03-28-2018
28th March 2018 by Gracenote
The red-hot Portland Trail Blazers look to continue their winning ways against one of the worst teams in the NBA when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. The Trail Blazers, who are third in the Western Conference standings, will be seeking their 16th victory in 18 games against a team that possesses the second-worst record in the league.
All-Star Damian Lillard poured in 41 points in Tuesday's 107-103 victory at New Orleans, but he will miss the game against Memphis due to the birth of his son. "You always hear about him with the great players, but I've seen him at a crazy different level," Trail Blazers swingman Evan Turner told reporters after Lillard's latest stellar performance. "In situations like this, in must-wins and things, he always steps up. It's unreal." Memphis is coming off a rare high note as it stunned Minnesota 101-93 on Monday for just its second victory in 25 games, but center Marc Gasol wasn't all that impressed. "I don't know how you can be happy with 19 or 20 wins," Gasol told reporters. "Now it's next game, this game is over. It's how you carry it on for the next home game against the Blazers and how you build on it. Because if you think it's that bad, this game doesn't mean anything."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Northwest (Portland), FS Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (46-28): Portland is seeking its eighth consecutive road victory and looking for CJ McCollum to bounce back from a dreadful performance against the Pelicans in which he scored seven points on 3-of-19 shooting. Jusuf Nurkic played well against New Orleans, recording 21 points and 10 rebounds while also standing out on the defensive end by matching his season best of four blocked shots. Not having Lillard will hurt as the three-time All-Star has scored 20 or more points in 19 straight games, the longest stretch by a Portland player since Clyde Drexler did it in 27 consecutive contests during the 1987-88 campaign.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (20-54): Leading scorer Tyreke Evans (personal reasons) has missed the last two games, and Wayne Selden took advantage of the opportunity to play more by scoring 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting against the Timberwolves. The 20-point effort was just the third of the season for Selden, who has scored 16 or more in five of his last six games. "Our biggest thing is coming out and playing hard every night and competing," Selden told reporters after Monday's strong outing. "Playing unselfish, I think. If we do that every night, we have a good chance. It's just getting the little things, I feel like."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Gasol averaged 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and three blocks as the Grizzlies split this season's first two meetings with the Trail Blazers.
2. Portland SF Maurice Harkless (left knee) was a late scratch against New Orleans, and the team announced he will undergo arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday.
3. The victory over Minnesota marked the first time Memphis has won in 22 games without Evans in the lineup this season.
PREDICTION: Trail Blazers 112, Grizzlies 105
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Boston Celtics vs. Utah Jazz Preview and Predictions 03-28-2018
27th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Utah Jazz are in seventh place in the Western Conference and are winners of 11 of their last 13 after pulling away from the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. The Jazz will try to continue picking off injury-plagued teams in second place of their respective conferences when they host the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
Utah will play five of its final eight games at home starting on Wednesday and is trying to move up in the standings while entering play on Tuesday 1 1/2 games behind the fourth-place Oklahoma City Thunder. The matchup with Boston lost some of its luster when Gordon Hayward, who left the Jazz to sign a max deal with the Celtics in free agency last summer, went down for the season with an ankle injury in the opening game, but Utah is having no trouble winning without its former franchise player. Hayward isn't the only major injury suffered by a key player for Boston, which is without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving for the rest of the regular season after he underwent knee surgery late last week. The Celtics are trying to keep their sights on first place in the East despite losing Irving and are winners of their last four games to keep the first-place Toronto Raptors within shouting distance.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, NBCS Boston, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (51-23): Utah's Donovan Mitchell is thought to be the main contender to Philadelphia's Ben Simmons in the Rookie of the Year race, but Boston's Jayson Tatum is enjoying a special rookie season as well. Tatum scored a team-high 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting in Monday's 102-94 win at Phoenix and is averaging 18.8 points on 56.9 percent shooting over the last five contests. Celtics point guard Terry Rozier is taking advantage of Irving's absence and is averaging 17.2 points in March, including a 33-point outburst in a win at Sacramento on Sunday.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (42-32): Mitchell scored at least 21 points in each of the last six games and is getting support on the inside from center Rudy Gobert. The 25-year-old Frenchman collected 17 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks in Sunday's win at Golden State and is averaging 15.6 points on 63.9 percent shooting and 11.7 rebounds over the last 27 games -- a stretch during which Utah is 23-4. That stretch began a few games after Gobert returned from a sprained PCL and bruised tibia suffered at Boston on Dec. 15.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Jazz SF Jae Crowder scored in double figures in five of the last seven games.
2. Celtics PF Marcus Morris (ankle) left Monday's game and is day-to-day.
3. Utah earned a 107-95 win at Boston on Dec. 15 to snap a three-game losing streak in the series.
PREDICTION: Jazz 99, Celtics 95
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns Preview and Predictions 03-28-2018
28th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Los Angeles Clippers look to finish off a four-game season sweep of Phoenix on Wednesday as well as defeat the host Suns for the eighth consecutive time in a contest pivotal for their postseason aspirations. Los Angeles trails the eighth-place Minnesota Timberwolves by 1 1/2 games in the battle for the final Western Conference playoff spot with eight games remaining.
The Clippers, who have won 13 of their past 20 road games, thrived at home Tuesday by notching a crucial 105-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The terrain is tough down the stretch with Los Angeles playing three teams it trails by 2 1/2 games or fewer in the West in New Orleans, San Antonio and Utah and another against Denver, which is a half-game behind the Clippers. Phoenix has struggled mightily all season and has dropped its last 12 games and 27 of the past 29. Standout shooting guard Devin Booker (hand) didn't practice Tuesday and will likely miss his sixth straight game.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), FS Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (40-34): Guard Austin Rivers scored 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter Tuesday after being chewed out at the end of the third quarter by injured Patrick Beverley and assistant coach Sam Cassell. "I felt like the whole game I wasn't in the right spirit," Rivers said in a postgame television interview. "I wasn't in attack mode. I didn't want to let my teammates down. I would have been real frustrated if we had lost this game, knowing that I didn't give them anything. We need every win to get to the playoffs." Rivers' final-quarter splurge was timely with shooting guard Lou Williams struggling to 16 points on 5-of-16 shooting along with matching a season worst of seven turnovers.
ABOUT THE SUNS (19-56): Not only will Phoenix be without its leading scorer in Booker (24.9) but small forward TJ Warren (knee) is also an unlikely participant after he also missed Tuesday's practice. Warren ranks second on the club with a 19.6 average and that leaves rookie swingman Josh Jackson (12.4) as the team's most potent offensive player with the top two scorers out. Jackson has been up to the task by averaging 20.7 points over the past seven games, topped by a season-best 36-point outing against the Golden State Warriors on March 17.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Clippers have won 16 of the past 18 meetings.
2. Los Angeles PG Milos Teodosic (plantar fasciitis) departed the game against the Bucks and will undergo an MRI exam Wednesday.
3. Phoenix SG Troy Daniels is averaging 17.2 points and made 21 3-pointers during the five games Booker has missed.
PREDICTION: Clippers 122, Suns 107
Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers Preview and Predictions 03-28-2018
28th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Los Angeles Lakers expect to have second-year forward Brandon Ingram back in the lineup when they host the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. Ingram has missed the past 12 games with a groin injury but he returned to practice Tuesday and was upgraded to questionable on the injury report.
The Lakers are 5-7 since Ingram went down March 1 in Miami after compiling a 16-8 mark over the previous 24 games. "Having him back is going to mean a lot for us," point guard Lonzo Ball said after Monday's 112-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons. "Make sure he's comfortable and after that we definitely can use him." Dallas halted a five-game slide by posting a 103-97 victory over the Sacramento Kings to improve a lackluster road record to 9-27. "We played loose out there, we had fun, we moved the ball and we got defensive stops," backup small forward Doug McDermott told reporters after contributing 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Dallas), Spectrum Sports Net (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (23-51): Longtime face of the franchise Dirk Nowitzki insisted once again Tuesday that he will return for a 21st season and then endured his third straight subpar performance. Nowitzki, who is battling tendinitis in his left knee, had five points on 2-of-9 shooting in 20 minutes against the Kings and is averaging 4.3 points on 6-of-24 shooting during the three-game stretch. The 12-time All-Star turns 40 in June and the Mavericks hold a team option on the two-year, $10 million contract he signed prior to this season.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (32-41): Ball has come two rebounds short of a triple-double in each of the past two games and coach Luke Walton was thrilled with the rookie's shooting when he went 7-of-8 from the field while recording 15 points and 11 assists against Detroit. "He was under control all game," Walton told reporters. "The ones he was hitting were good shots, which I think kind of shows how much he has worked on his game. They were shots he wasn't even shooting earlier in the year." Ball has back-to-back double-digit outings after averaging 6.2 points on porous 14-of-67 shooting over a six-game stretch.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Lakers are 2-1 against the Mavericks this season after losing the previous 14 meetings.
2. Dallas PF Dwight Powell (knee) is expected to play after sitting out Tuesday.
3. Los Angeles G Isaiah Thomas (hip) will miss his third consecutive contest.
PREDICTION: Lakers 120, Mavericks 112