Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Tuesday 11/27/18
Tuesday’s NBA
Knicks won last three games, covered last four; NY is 4-8 on road, 6-5 as AU. Five of their last seven games went over. Detroit won six of its last eight games; they’re 6-3 at home, 2-4 as HF. Pistons’ last four games went over. Pistons won their last three games with New York, by 6-3-4 points; Knicks are 1-3 vs spread in last four visits to the Motor City. Last three series games went over the total.
Miami lost seven of its last nine games; they’re 4-5 on road, 2-2 vs spread as AF. Four of their last five games stayed under. Atlanta snapped a 10-game skid Sunday; they’re 3-7 at home, 3-6 as HU. Three of their last four games went over the total. Heat won five of last seven games with the Hawks; they’re 4-2 vs spread in last six visits here. Six of last nine series games stayed under.
Toronto won its last five games, scoring 124+ points in last three; Raptors are 8-2 on road, 3-3-1 as AF. Toronto’s last three games went over the total. Memphis lost its last two games after a 7-1 run; Grizzlies are 7-2 at home, 1-1 as HU. Under is 5-2 in their last seven home games. Raptors won eight of last ten games with the Grizzlies; they’re 3-1-1 vs spread in last five visits to Memphis. Seven of last nine Memphis games stayed under the total.
Pacers won four of their last six games; they’re 6-4 on road, 3-1 vs spread as AF. Indiana’s last four games went over total. Phoenix lost eight of its last ten games; they’re 3-6 at home, 5-4 as HU. Six of their last seven games went over. Indiana won five of its last six games with the Suns; they’re 2-3 vs spread in last five visits to the desert. Four of last five series games stayed under total.
Lakers won seven of last nine games; they’re 5-4 on road, 2-3 as AU. 10 of their last 12 games stayed under the total. Denver won/covered its last three games; they’re 8-3 at home, 6-4 as HF. Nuggets’ last four games stayed under. Home side won last seven Laker-Nugget games; Lakers are 0-4 vs spread in its last four trips to Denver. Over is 7-2-1 in last ten series games.
New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons Preview and Predictions 11-27-2018
The New York Knicks are starting to roll with a season-best three-game winning streak and a solid group of veterans stepping up to support the youngsters. The Knicks will try to make it four straight - three in a row on the road - when they visit the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.
New York earned wins at Boston and over the New Orleans Pelicans before beating the Memphis Grizzlies at their own game and dominating the glass to earn a 103-98 road win on Sunday. "The thing I'm most happy with is the way that we're taking punches and we keep coming and we're figuring out ways to win games now. Whether it's getting stops, a timely executed play, big shot from somebody," Fizdale told reporters. "This young team is starting to figure a couple things out." The Pistons are surging as well with wins in six of eight and knocked off Houston in overtime on Friday before pulling away from the Phoenix Suns late Sunday to kick off the six-game homestand with back-to-back victories. "We just finally executed our game plan in the fourth quarter," Detroit forward Blake Griffin told reporters. "We just didn't do a good job of executing as a team and then - when we turned it up a notch and actually executed - we did what we were supposed to do. It's a good lesson for us."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), FS Detroit LINE: Pistons -7
ABOUT THE KNICKS (7-14): New York is trying to find as many minutes as it can for its young players, but veteran center Enes Kanter keeps demanding a prominent spot in the rotation. Kanter, who at 26 is one of the oldest players on the roster, logged a season high-tying 41 minutes on Sunday and finished with 21 points along with 26 rebounds in the victory for his third-straight double-double. Fellow 26-year-old Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a team-high 22 points but was 6-of-16 from the floor and is 8-of-31 over the last two contests.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (10-7): Small forward Stanley Johnson scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 25 minutes off the bench on Sunday, but it is his defense that continues to draw raves from his teammates and coaches. "Stanley just physically put his will into the game and did a good job of staying in front of him, bodying him and not letting him come off clean with rhythm off pick and rolls," Detroit coach Dwane Casey told reporters of Johnson's effort against Phoenix star Devin Booker. "Even with that, it's tough. But Stanley's size and length did a much better job." Johnson will likely spend some time on Tuesday matched up against Hardaway while Kanter will have to deal with Pistons center Andre Drummond, who collected 19 points, 16 rebounds and five steals in Sunday's 118-107 triumph.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. New York SG Courtney Lee (neck) was cleared to participate in practice and could make his season debut soon.
2. Pistons PG Reggie Jackson is 5-of-22 from 3-point range over the last three games.
3. Detroit took all three meetings last season.
PREDICTION: Pistons 108, Knicks 102
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Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat Preview and Predictions 11-27-2018
Dwyane Wade no longer is a perennial all-star selection, but he has shown the ability to positively impact a game coming off the bench for the Miami Heat. The Heat host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, two days after the 36-year-old Wade scored 35 points in 34 minutes off the bench in his third game back following the birth of his child, but Miami needs more contributions as it has dropped seven of their past nine contests.
"It's a shame that kind of game is wasted on a loss," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra told the media after Sunday's 125-115 defeat at Toronto, in which Wade shot 13-of-22 from the field and 4-of-7 from 3-point range - setting a franchise record for most points in a game by a Miami reserve. Sunday also was notable for the Hawks, who snapped a 10-game losing streak with just their fourth victory of the season - a 124-123 home triumph over Charlotte. John Collins blocked a potential game-winning shot just before the buzzer to secure Atlanta's first victory since a 123-118 home win over the Heat on Nov. 3. "We'd been through 19 games, and it just wasn't working," Atlanta guard Kent Bazemore told reporters after scoring 20 points - including the game-winning basket - in a reserve role as rookie Kevin Huerter got the start. "Sacrifice yourself sometimes, and look, the basketball gods took care of me."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), FS Sun (Miami) LINE: Heat -7.5
ABOUT THE HAWKS (4-16): Atlanta has struggled at both ends of the court during the first quarter of the season, allowing a league-worst 118.6 points per contest while scoring 107.7 per game (21st) entering Monday. Rookie point guard Trae Young is tied for sixth in the NBA in assists at 7.7 per contest and leads the Hawks in scoring at 15.7 points per game, despite shooting 38.3 percent from the field. The Hawks got 16 points each from Taurean Prince and DeAndre Bembry Sunday while Collins led the way with 23.
ABOUT THE HEAT (7-12): Forward Bam Adebayo finished with a career-best 21 rebounds to go along with 16 points Sunday, and the second-year pro has 30 points and 34 boards in his past two games. Center Hassan Whiteside leads the NBA in blocked shots (54) and ranks second in rebounds per game (14.1) through Sunday. The Heat began Monday 20th in the league in points per game (108.4), and their 115 points Sunday represents their highest total since scoring 120 in a victory at Brooklyn on Nov. 14.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Atlanta is 1-9 on the road this season and are scoring just 105.6 points per game away from home.
2. Wade is six games shy of 1,000 for his career.
3. Miami G Josh Richardson leads the Heat in scoring at 20.4 points per game, and is 8-of-17 from 3-point range in his past two games.
PREDICTION: Heat 105, Hawks 98
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Toronto Raptors vs. Memphis Grizzlies Preview and Predictions 11-27-2018
Kawhi Leonard may not have been a leader for the San Antonio Spurs, but he is leading the Toronto Raptors to new heights. Leonard will try to guide the Raptors to a sixth consecutive victory and continue the best start in franchise history when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
Leonard's former coach, San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, made news over the weekend by suggesting that while Leonard was a talented player, he wasn't someone the team looked to for leadership. "I lead by example coming into practice every day," Leonard responded to reporters after collecting 29 points and 10 rebounds in a 125-115 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday. "Just going hard and coming into these games mentally focused. You can't see things once you're playing on the floor. Guys ask me questions about their matchup or if I see something on the floor, I'm telling guys, 'Go here, go there,' just motivating people, do you know what I mean?" The Grizzlies don't lack for veteran leadership with Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, but the two couldn't quite pull the team to a win down the stretch on Sunday. "The combination of (Conley) and Marc (Gasol) together is a stress on defenses, there is no doubt about that," Memphis coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters. "So, we depend on (Conley) down the stretch. We live and die with that."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One (Toronto), FS Southeast (Memphis) LINE: Raptors -4.5
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (17-4): Leonard is averaging 28 points and 10 rebounds in the last two games after sitting out to rest on the second night of a back-to-back Wednesday and is averaging 24.7 points and 8.5 boards in his first season with Toronto. Leonard is getting some help up front from power forward Pascal Siakam, who scored 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting on Sunday to go over 20 for the fifth time in the last 10 games. Siakam, who reached 20 points once in the first 11 contests, is shooting 63.1 percent from the floor while averaging 14.5 points and 6.7 rebounds.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (12-7): Memphis dropped its last two games but continues to be impressed with the development of rookie power forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who scored 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting while knocking down a career-best four 3-pointers in Sunday's 103-98 loss to the New York Knicks. Jackson, 19, is making his presence felt on the defensive end as well and matched a franchise rookie record with seven blocks on Sunday. "He was a monster on the defensive end," Bickerstaff told reporters. "All the shots that he blocked, the shots that he changed, they switched out to him with a small on him and he kept the small in front of him and ended up blocking his shot - those are the things we need to be able to see."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Grizzlies recorded a franchise-record 19 blocked shots on Sunday.
2. Raptors C Jonas Valanciunas recorded a double-double in two of the last three contests.
3. Toronto took both meetings last season and five of the last six in the series.
PREDICTION: Raptors 111, Grizzlies 103
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Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Preview and Predictions 11-27-2018
The Denver Nuggets pulled themselves out of a funk and are rolling along again with wins in three straight. The Nuggets will try to make it four in a row on Tuesday when they host a Los Angeles Lakers squad making a brief stop on the road before an extended home stretch.
Denver struggled through a stretch of six losses in seven games but picked up the defensive intensity over the last three contests, capped by a 105-98 victory at Oklahoma City on Saturday in which it held the Thunder to 35.9 percent shooting. The Nuggets are making a one-game stop at home to play the Lakers before heading back out for a five-game trip that includes stops at Portland and Toronto. Los Angeles would be working on a nine-game winning streak right now if it could find its way around the Magic, who knocked off the Lakers 130-117 in Orlando on Nov. 17 before coming to Los Angeles and earning a 108-104 triumph on Sunday. "Disappointing loss," Lakers coach Luke Walton told reporters after Sunday's setback. "We gotta get back to valuing the basketball. I thought we played well enough in the first half to have a good-sized lead ... we had 14 turnovers at the half."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBATV, Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles), Altitude (Denver) LINE: Nuggets -3.5
ABOUT THE LAKERS (11-8): The Lakers finished with 18 turnovers in Sunday's setback and superstar forward LeBron James addressed the reasons. "Some of them are being too unselfish, including myself," James told reporters. "I'm making some passes where I have a small window, seeing guys where I should probably hold onto it. A lot of (the turnovers) are unforced. Some of them are attack turnovers. We've got to do a better job of that. We haven't taken care of the ball the last two games." James totaled 11 turnovers in the last two contests and is averaging 3.5 while trying to mold his new team into a playoff contender.
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (13-7): Denver small forward Torrey Craig stepped into the starting lineup in place of injured guard Gary Harris on Saturday and made an immediate impact on the defensive end against Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook. "Torrey Craig was sensational tonight," Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters. "I love the fact that he took on the challenge of guarding one of the more unguardable guys in the NBA. As I just told the team, we had every reason to make an excuse for tonight's game. Three games in four nights, back-to-back, Gary's not playing. I said, 'We don't make excuses, we find ways.'" Craig grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds while collecting eight points, two blocks and a steal in the victory.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Lakers PG Lonzo Ball grabbed double-digit rebounds in each of the last two games.
2. Harris (ankle) left Friday's win over Orlando before getting Saturday off and is day-to-day.
3. James recorded 28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a 121-114 home win over Denver on Oct. 25.
PREDICTION: Nuggets 110, Lakers 106
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Indiana Pacers vs. Phoenix Suns Preview and Predictions 11-27-2018
The Indiana Pacers are fresh off their largest margin of victory this season and look to follow it up with another strong showing when they visit the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. The Pacers lambasted the host Utah Jazz 121-88 on Monday and the 33-point whipping marked their fifth victory by 20 or more points this season.
Star guard Victor Oladipo (knee) will miss his fifth consecutive game but he wasn't needed against the Jazz as seven Indiana players scored a dozen or more points. "It was just a good, professional win by this group," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said during his postgame availability. "They were just about business from the start." The Suns are back home after a 1-3 road trip that included a surprise win over the Milwaukee Bucks before ending with a 118-107 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. "I think we competed," Phoenix coach Igor Kokoskov told reporters. "I can't say that effort wasn't there. The energy was there. We tried to keep that momentum going. I think we just ran out of gas."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Indiana, FS Arizona LINE: Pacers -2.5
ABOUT THE PACERS (12-8): Backup small forward Doug McDermott scored a season-best 21 points against Utah as he aims to put a lackluster start behind him. "They were headhunting me so I had to take advantage of that," McDermott said in a postgame interview in reference to his teammates looking to get him the ball. "We put in a couple new plays to get me moving a little more and I thought it really worked. Obviously, I was aggressive from the start and that is what I have to do every game." McMillan joked "we were looking for him" and he emphasized getting the ball to McDermott and forward Bojan Bogdanovic (eight straight games of 15 or more points) needs to become a priority.
ABOUT THE SUNS (4-15): Rookie center Deandre Ayton scored a season-best 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting against Detroit and is shooting a stellar 62.4 percent from the field. Ayton also collected 12 rebounds against Detroit for his second double-double in three games and 11th of the season. Star guard Devin Booker scored 37 against the Pistons while tallying 35 or more for the fourth this season and he is tied for 10th in the NBA with a 24.9 average.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pacers won both meetings last season and have prevailed in five of the past six matchups.
2. Indiana PG Darren Collison recorded a season-high 11 assists and matched a season best of four steals against the Jazz.
3. Phoenix F Richaun Holmes has scored in double digits in four straight games and is averaging 11.5 points while making 20-of-27 shots during the stretch.
PREDICTION: Pacers 111, Suns 103
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