Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Thursday 10/25/18
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons Preview and Predictions 10-25-2018 in NBA
NBA Previews 24th October 2018 by Gracenote
Cavaliers vs. Pistons Preview and Predictions
by Gracenote on 10/24/2018
Blake Griffin is coming off a career-best 50-point effort but his main focus is helping the Detroit Pistons improve to 4-0. The Pistons look for another solid effort from their star power forward when they host the winless Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
Griffin led the way in Tuesday's 133-132 overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers to become the first Detroit player to reach the 50-point mark since Richard Hamilton tallied 51 in a triple-overtime loss to the New York Knicks on Dec. 27, 2006, but he is ready to move on to the Cavaliers. "We've got to prepare," Griffin told reporters. "I'm very comfortable but I also know that this season is such a roller coaster that the quickest way to come out and get beat is to go into the next game thinking about this game." Cleveland is struggling in the wake of LeBron James' departure as a free agent and was routed 102-86 by the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday to start 0-4 for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign. "We've got to keep plugging away," Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said in his postgame press conference. "... We can't let it fester. The good thing about the NBA is we have another one (Thursday). We have to be ready to play. Detroit is playing at a high level right now and we have to be ready for it."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cleveland), FS Detroit
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (0-4): Lue is finding it much harder to coach an NBA team without James on the roster as Cleveland's four setbacks are by an average of 14.5 points. His squad was obliterated 38-17 in the third quarter by the Nets - who made 16-of-22 shots in the quarter - and Lue used four timeouts to try to stem the tide to no avail. "Anytime you lose, it's tough." Lue told reporters. "We have to keep learning from it. We can use a different rotation and use different combinations. We've got to continue to keep playing."
ABOUT THE PISTONS (3-0): Griffin, a five-time All-Star, appears primed to again be mentioned as one of the elite players in the NBA after three straight troublesome campaigns that included the Los Angeles Clippers dealing him to Detroit midway through last season. "The past two, three years, all I hear is how bad I am," Griffin told reporters. "And, you know, I've been hurt, had bad games. I haven't even played the way I have. But we've talked about it: This summer, being able to work out for the first time in three summers, is huge. Last three summers, I was fighting and working as hard as I could to get healthy to be able to play. This summer, I was able to really put time in and work on my game, on my body." Griffin is averaging 36.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Cavaliers went 3-1 against the Pistons last season.
2. Cleveland C Tristan Thompson scored two points on 1-of-10 shooting versus the Nets after being 12-of-15 shooting over the previous two games.
3. Detroit G Reggie Jackson scored 23 points against Philadelphia and is averaging 20 per game.
PREDICTION: Pistons 116, Cavaliers 89
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Portland Trail Blazers vs. Orlando Magic Preview and Predictions 10-25-2018 in NBA
NBA Previews 24th October 2018 by Gracenote
by Gracenote on 10/24/2018
The Portland Trail Blazers begin a four-game road trip with a visit to the improving Orlando Magic on Thursday. The Trail Blazers went 2-1 on a three-game homestand and now open a road excursion against an Orlando team coming off a road win at Boston.
Portland sees the trip as an opportunity to pick up wins as it plays the Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets after the stop in Orlando. "Going into this trip we look at all these games like they're winnable," star guard Damian Lillard told reporters. "If we go out there with the mentality that we've had so far, I think we'll be fine." The Magic are brimming with confidence after Monday's 93-90 victory over the Celtics, a game they never trailed while holding off Boston's late-game charge. "I think it's more of a team thing because we played so well," Orlando forward Jonathan Isaac told reporters, "and it shows us what we're capable of as a team when we play together and we're focused."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCS Northwest (Portland), FS Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (2-1): Portland dropped a 125-124 overtime decision to the Washington Wizards on Monday, a contest in which Lillard was a porous 7-of-21 shooting despite scoring 29 points and also contributing eight rebounds and eight assists. "I might be missing shots, but I'm always here for the game," Lillard told the media. "Sometimes it don't go. You've got to continue to be aggressive. Shots weren't falling." Center Jusuf Nurkic enjoyed a big game with 22 points and 18 rebounds - nine of his boards coming on the offensive end.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (2-2): First-round pick Mohamed Bamba played 19 scoreless minutes against Boston and is being brought along slowly by the coaching staff. The 7-footer, who was the sixth overall pick, is averaging 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, but has just five points on 2-of-11 shooting over the last three contests. "When people talk about him starting, he's not going to be ready this year physically to play 32 minutes. He's just not," Orlando coach Steve Clifford told reporters of the 20-year-old. "That's just not his body. Again, at his age and where he is physically, he's not capable of playing 30 minutes."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Trail Blazers won both of last season's meetings and have prevailed in four of the past five.
2. Portland F Al-Farouq Aminu had 16 points and 15 rebounds against the Wizards for his first double-double of the season.
3. Orlando C Timofey Mozgov (knee) is expected to miss his fifth straight game.
PREDICTION: Trail Blazers 102, Magic 98
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Boston Celtics vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Preview and Predictions 10-25-2018 in NBA
NBA Previews 24th October 2018 by Gracenote
Celtics vs. Thunder Preview and Predictions
by Gracenote on 10/24/2018
Star point guard Russell Westbrook looked pretty solid in his season debut but there wasn't a victory attached to the performance. Westbrook looks to get the Oklahoma City Thunder into the win column for the first time this season when they host the Boston Celtics on Thursday.
Westbrook had 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in 35 minutes in Sunday's 131-120 loss to the Sacramento Kings in his first game since undergoing knee surgery on Sept. 12. "I thought Russell really played well," Thunder coach Billy Donovan told reporters. "I give him a lot of credit. He worked really hard the last five to six weeks to try to get himself ready. For him to come back, being out as long as he was and play like he did - I thought we were faster, I thought we got downhill more, I thought the ball was moving." The Celtics are beginning a stretch in which seven of nine games are on the road, and they also look to rebound from a disappointing 93-90 home loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday. "I thought we tried to move the ball and get better looks," Boston small forward Gordon Hayward told reporters. "We've gotta be able to get to the line a little bit better, get some stuff at the rim. But they were giving us the 3-ball and we just didn't have it."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, FS Oklahoma
ABOUT THE CELTICS (2-2): Boston recorded a season low in points against Orlando, but coach Brad Stevens praised the ball movement - odd with the team hoisting up 40 3-pointers and making just nine. But point guard Kyrie Irving wasn't dismayed over the low production in a game in which he shot well (22 points on 10-of-19 shooting). "Everyone can get a basket anytime they want," Irving told reporters. "Anybody can go get it. But if we do the little things and we commit to that, think of how special we could be."
ABOUT THE THUNDER (0-3): Westbrook said his right knee held up in his season debut but his mood was certainly testy after the double-digit home loss to the Kings. "I was OK," Westbrook told reporters. "It wasn't my best night, but I've got however many more games left to play, so I'm not worried. It was my first time. I just hate losing. Honestly, I don't really care to talk about how I played." Small forward Paul George scored 29 points against Sacramento and is averaging 25.3 points.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Celtics won both of last season's meetings after the Thunder won 10 of the previous 12 matchups.
2. Boston C Aron Baynes (hamstring) is listed as questionable and could miss his second straight game.
3. Oklahoma City G Alex Abrines (eye) is questionable after being injured against the Kings.
PREDICTION: Celtics 106, Thunder 103
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Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Preview and Predictions 10-25-2018 in NBA
NBA Previews 25th October 2018 by Gracenote
Nuggets vs. Lakers Preview and Predictions
by Gracenote on 10/25/2018
LeBron James finally has celebrated a victory as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, and he looks to lead his new team to another when the club hosts the unbeaten Denver Nuggets on Thursday. The Lakers lost the first three games of the James Era before rolling to a 131-113 win in Phoenix on Wednesday.
The Lakers allowed a whopping average of 131.7 points while losing their first three contests and James was happy to see the team's work pay off with a victory. "It feels great to win, period," James said during his postgame media session. "But it feels good to know that what we've been doing in training camp and the first few games helped us continue to get better, and we want to continue that moving forward." Denver is looking for its first 5-0 start since the 2009-10 campaign, when Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups were its star players. The Nuggets held each of their first three opponents below 100 points before the defense wasn't as tight in Tuesday's 126-112 win over Sacramento.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT, Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (4-0): Denver is trying to get veteran power forward Paul Millsap clicking, and he recorded 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting against the Kings to raise his average to 11.3. The four-time All-Star missed 6-of-7 shots in two of his first three games, but finding his shooting stroke would prevent opponents from collapsing on star center Nikola Jokic (23.3 points, 10.5 rebounds)."It's good to see Paul Millsap kind of get going," coach Michael Malone told reporters. "He went at his matchup. He scored. If he can get into an offensive rhythm and find some confidence, it's going to help us out a lot."
ABOUT THE LAKERS (1-3): Swingman Lance Stephenson failed to reach double digits in any of the first three games but broke out against the Suns with 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. "I want to win, that's what got me going," Stephenson said in a postgame television interview. "My job is to play aggressive defense and play unselfish. And get the win." Center JaVale McGee also gave the team a big effort as he scored in double figures for the fourth straight game, recording 20 points while also blocking four shots.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Lakers have won three straight home games against the Nuggets.
2. Los Angeles PG Rajon Rondo will serve the final contest of his three-game suspension and SF Brandon Ingram will sit out the third of his four-game ban for their actions in Saturday's contest against Houston.
3. Denver SG Gary Harris, who is averaging 21 points, is 19-for-32 from the field over his last two games.
PREDICTION: Nuggets 109, Lakers 104
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October 25, 2018
By Chris David
The 2018 NBA regular season is nine days old and bettors are certainly watching a different game with less dunks and a ridiculous amount of 3-pointers. Through yesterday’s action, 20 of the 30 teams are averaging 30-plus attempts from 3-point land compared to just 10 last season. The number of fouls being called is up as well, from 19.9 to 23.1 per team a game and that certainly has helped the scoring boost.
The oddsmakers have done a nice job of adjusting their totals and we’ve already started to see the numbers balance out. The ‘over’ was hitting at a 69 percent (27-12) clip through last Sunday but the ‘under’ has posted a 13-10 mark the last three days and that includes a 7-4 record to the low side on Wednesday.
Even though favorites have gone 42-20 straight up this season, underdogs have gone 32-30 against the spread.
Thursday’s card has four games on tap, including a nationally televised double-header on TNT.
Cleveland (0-4 SU, 1-3 ATS) at Detroit (3-0 SU, 1-2 ATS)
The post-LeBron James era in Cleveland hasn’t started out well as the Cavaliers have lost their first four games of the season. The latest setback occurred last night as the Cavs dropped a 102-86 decision to the Nets as three-point home favorites.
Cleveland will now be playing on no rest Thursday and the oddsmakers have the club listed as a seven-point road underdog at Detroit. Most books have pushed the number to Pistons (-8) as of Thursday morning. While the Cavs are winless, the Pistons have started with a perfect 3-0 mark but the three victories came by a combined six points.
On Tuesday, Detroit captured a 133-132 overtime win over Philadelphia as a one-point underdog. Blake Griffin led the pace for the Pistons with 50 points, which included a game-wining layup and free throw. While the number on the Pistons might seem a tad inflated, they’ve won seven straight games (5-2 ATS) when listed as home favorites going back to last season.
Cleveland went 3-1 both SU and ATS against Detroit last season but those numbers were with LeBron and should definitely be taken lightly.
Portland (2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS) at Orlando (2-2 SU, 3-1 ATS)
After beginning the season with a 2-1 record at the Moda Center, the Trail Blazers (-3) begin a four-game road trip as favorites against Orlando on Thursday. Portland was a solid bet in this role last season, going 12-5 SU and 10-7 ATS when laying points on the road. Total bettors should note that the ‘under’ went 13-4 in those games.
Orlando will enter this game with confidence after upsetting Boston 93-90 on Monday as an 11-point road underdog. Including this game, the Magic have been listed as an underdog in every matchup this season and they haven’t been able to win back-to-back games yet. Through four games, the defense has carried them in the wins (96.5 PPG) but has been missing in the losses (118 PPG).
The Trail Blazers swept the Magic last season and that included a 95-88 win as a 4 ½-point road favorite last December in Orlando. The ‘under’ has cashed in five of the last six encounters between the pair.
I’ve often identified Portland as a bully team and its 25-7 record against teams below .500 certainly helps that status. The Blazers went 18-12 last season versus the East and that includes an 8-7 record on the road. Meanwhile, Orlando was 10-20 vs. the West but seven of the wins came at home.
Boston (2-2 SU, 1-3 ATS) at Oklahoma City (0-3 SU, 1-2 ATS)
Oddsmakers sent out winless Oklahoma City as a 1 ½-point road favorite and I thought that line was a tad confusing. The number is now Boston -1 at most betting shops as of this morning.
The Celtics owned the third best road record (28-13 ATS) in the league last season but they haven’t looked like the same team, despite being healthy this season. Boston was stunned by Orlando 93-90 on Monday as an 11-point home favorite. The offense (99.8 PPG) is ranked last in the league and they can’t buy a shot from 3-point land (31.2%). Fortunately for coach Brad Stevens, the defense is ranked first (98.5 PPG).
The Thunder were run out of their own building on Sunday as they dropped a 131-120 decision to the Kings as an 11-point home favorite. Russell Westbrook made his debut for OKC and he put up solid numbers (32 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists) but he did miss six free throws. Similar to Boston, the Thunder have struggled from distance as well and the team is ranked last in shooting (23.9%).
Boston got the better of OKC last season, winning and covering both meetings. The ‘under’ went 2-0 as the Celtics held the Thunder to 99 and 94 points.
The total on this game opened 209 and was pushed up to 212 ½, which is the lowest number on the board. The Celtics (3-1) and Thunder (2-1) have both leaned to the ‘under’ so far.
Tip-off is set for 8:05 p.m. ET and TNT will provide national coverage.
Denver (4-0 SU, 4-0 ATS) at L.A. Lakers (1-3 SU, 1-3 ATS)
The Nuggets just missed out on the playoffs last season but they’re showing everybody that they should be in the mix again next April. Denver remains unbeaten through four games on the hardwood and at the betting counter.
Monday’s wire-to-wire 126-112 win over Sacramento helped the club sweep their three-game homestand. While beating the Kings and Suns was expected, a 100-98 victory over the Warriors last Sunday from the Pepsi Center was very impressive.
Oddsmakers opened Denver as a 3 ½-point road favorite over Los Angeles, who will be looking to win its first home game of the season on Thursday. The Lakers earned their first win of the season last night with a 131-113 victory over the Suns as 5 ½-point road favorites. The ‘over’ connected and the high side is a perfect 4-0 for the Purple and Gold.
It’s still early in the season but Denver is currently ranked second in scoring defense (99.8 PPG) and that’s helped the ‘under’ go 3-1. While the Nuggets have been strong defensively, the Lakers enter this game with the worst defense (127 PPG) in the league.
Tonight’s total is hovering between 237 and 238 points. One factor that could have you leaning low is the 3-point shooting percentages for the Lakers (30.2%) and Nuggets (29.8%), ranked 27th and 28th respectively.
Denver has only played one road game, which occurred at Thursday’s venue. The club defeated the Clippers 107-98 on opening night as 2 ½-point road favorites. The Lakers have gone 0-2 at the Staples Center, dropping decisions to the Rockets and Spurs.
Different faces on these squads but the recent meetings have watched the ‘over’ cash in eight of the last 10 encounters and the home team has won and covered the last six matchups.
Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo remain ‘out’ for the Lakers due to serving suspensions.
TNT will provide national coverage of this game at 10:35 p.m. ET