NBA Today
SCOREBOARD
Monday, Dec. 29
Memphis at Minnesota (8 p.m. EST). The teams meet for the first time since a trade on draft night sent the rights to O.J. Mayo, the No. 3 pick and a Rookie of the Year favorite, from the Timberwolves to the Grizzlies for a package led by No. 5 pick Kevin Love.
STARS
Sunday
— Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets, scored 32 points after missing three games with a bruised right elbow, leading Denver to a 117-110 victory over the Knicks.
— Josh Howard, Mavericks, had 29 points, nine rebounds and a career-best seven assists, leading Dallas to a 98-76 victory over the Clippers
— LeBron James, Cavaliers, scored 33 points and Cleveland remained the league’s only unbeaten team on its own floor with a 93-86 win over the Heat.
— Kevin Garnett, Celtics, had 21 points and 11 rebounds and Boston rebounded from back-to-back losses in emphatic fashion, beating the Kings 108-63.
— Kobe Bryant, Lakers, scored 31 points and Los Angeles rolled for a 130-113 victory over Golden State.
SIT DOWN
Mavericks leading scorer Dirk Nowitzki was suspended for Dallas’ 98-76 win over the Clippers. He was given a one-game ban because he received a flagrant-2 foul and an automatic ejection in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s 97-88 loss at Utah. Nowitzki took a backward swing at Matt Harpring with a closed fist and hit him in the face, after he and the Jazz forward got tangled up under the basket.
STICK TO THE POOL
Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps was given a key to the city from mayor Kevin Johnson and a Kings jersey from team owner Gavin Maloof in the first half of Sacramento’s 108-63 loss to the Celtics. Phelps had a chance to win a car for a fan by hitting the rim from halfcourt, but his shot banged off the backboard. Phelps was given another opportunity in the second half, but failed again, shooting an airball and launching a shot over the backboard.
ROUT
Boston beat Sacramento 108-63 for one of the most lopsided wins in franchise history. The 45-point margin of victory matched the sixth biggest ever by the Celtics, who also beat the New York Knicks by that amount last season. The last time Boston had a bigger win was a 153-107 victory over the Baltimore Bullets in 1970.
JUST MOVE ON
The Kings reached lows in their 108-63 loss to the Celtics. They made just 19 field goals on 28 percent shooting, the fewest shots made by the Kings in the shot-clock era. And it was the most lopsided defeat for Sacramento since losing 153-91 to Golden State on Nov. 2, 1991, and the worst home loss in franchise history.
THE HARD WAY
For the second straight game, the Cavaliers had to come back late at Quicken Loans Arena to extend their home winning streak, which is now at 16 straight. Cleveland was down by nine points going into the fourth and trailed by eight before going on an 18-2 run and outscoring Miami 26-11 over the final eight minutes for a 93-86 win Sunday night.
SOLID RETURN
Denver’s Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points after missing three games with a bruised right elbow, leading the Nuggets to a 117-110 victory over the Knicks. It was only the third 30-point game this season for Anthony, who has been bothered by the elbow since he was originally hurt in a victory over Houston on Nov. 30.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Danny Granger led Indiana with 34 points in a 105-103 loss to New Orleans. Troy Murphy had 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Pacers, who lost their third straight game, all after having the lead.
SPEAKING
“You can tell the fans are into it. They don’t want us to lose all season. It’s the third quarter and they’re getting a little antsy, we can hear it.”— Cleveland’s LeBron James after the Cavaliers rallied for a 93-86 win to remain the league’s only unbeaten team at home, where they’re 16-0.
DENVER (20 - 11) at ATLANTA (19 - 10)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 2-2 against the spread versus DENVER over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 2-2 straight up against DENVER over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO (13 - 17) at NEW JERSEY (15 - 15)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 15-32 ATS (-20.2 Units) in road games first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 6-18 ATS (-13.8 Units) against Atlantic division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in home games in December games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 9-24 ATS (-17.4 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 4-16 ATS (-13.6 Units) in home games off an upset win as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 5-3 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
NEW JERSEY is 5-3 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX (16 - 12) at OKLAHOMA CITY (3 - 28)
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 180-227 ATS (-69.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 6-1 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 7-1 straight up against OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
8 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS (10 - 20) at MINNESOTA (5 - 24)
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 81-108 ATS (-37.8 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) in home games this season.
MINNESOTA is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) in home games first half of the season this season.
MINNESOTA is 5-16 ATS (-12.6 Units) in home games against Southwest division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 30-47 ATS (-21.7 Units) after allowing 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 5-2 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
MEMPHIS is 4-3 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON (5 - 23) at HOUSTON (20 - 11)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 4-1 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 5-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA (12 - 17) at UTAH (18 - 14)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
UTAH is 2-2 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 4-1 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
DENVER vs. ATLANTA
Denver is 5-12 ATS in its last 17 games when playing Atlanta
Denver is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
CHICAGO vs. NEW JERSEY
Chicago is 1-10 ATS in its last 11 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
Chicago is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
New Jersey is 12-6 ATS in its last 18 games when playing Chicago
New Jersey is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games when playing Chicago
ORLANDO vs. DETROIT
Orlando is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando's last 6 games when playing Detroit
Detroit is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Detroit is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
MEMPHIS vs. MINNESOTA
Memphis is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Memphis is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Minnesota is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Memphis
Minnesota is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Memphis
PHOENIX vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
Phoenix is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
Phoenix is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix
Oklahoma City is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix
WASHINGTON vs. HOUSTON
Washington is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Houston
Washington is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
Houston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
PHILADELPHIA vs. UTAH
Philadelphia is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Utah
Philadelphia is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Utah
Utah is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Utah's last 15 games
TORONTO vs. GOLDEN STATE
Toronto is 3-6-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Toronto is 7-17 SU in its last 24 games on the road
Golden State is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Golden State's last 14 games at home
Hot Teams
-- Hawks covered last three tries as home favorite. Nuggets won three of last four games, but covered one of last five as a road underdog.
-- Orlando is 10-3-1 vs spread on the road. Pistons won last three games, by 6-2-11 points, but covered one of their last seven home games.
-- Thunder covered six of their last eight games.
-- Rockets won nine of their last thirteen games.
Cold Teams
-- Bulls covered one of last five as a road underdog. Nets failed to cover last three tries as a home favorite.
-- Oklahoma City is 4-7-1 vs spread as home underdog. Suns lost their last four road games.
-- Grizzlies lost five of their last six games. Minnesota is 1-14 in its last fifteen games, but covered three of last four.
-- Wizards lost their last eight games (1-7 vs spread).
-- 76ers lost their last three games, by 1-19-4 points. Utah lost three of its last four games.
-- Warriors lost eight of their last ten games. Raptors lost six of their last eight games.
Back-to Back
-- Denver is 3-5 vs spread if they played the night before.
-- Suns are 1-3 vs spread when playing first of consecutive nights on the road.
-- Memphis is 0-3 vs spread on road if they play again the next night.
-- Washington is 1-2 vs spread if they play again the next night.
-- Golden State is 4-3 vs spread if they played the day/night before.
Totals
-- Four of last five Atlanta home games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Chicago road games went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Detroit games stayed under the total.
-- Last five Phoenix road games went over the total.
-- Five of last six Minnesota games went over the total.
-- Under is 8-1 in Washington's last nine road games; six of Houston's last seven games went over.
-- Five of 76ers' last six road games went over the total.
-- Three of last four Golden State games stayed under the total.
Denver (20-11, 17-13-1 ATS) at Atlanta (19-10, 17-12 ATS)
The Nuggets continue their four-game road swing Monday with a stop in Atlanta to face the red-hot Hawks.
Denver won the opening leg of their road trip with a 117-110 victory in New York, beating the Knicks as a 4 ½-point favorite on Sunday. The win snapped a three-game road losing streak (0-3 ATS) for the Nuggets but it was their second straight win overall after beating Philadelphia 105-101 as a 6 ½-point chalk on Friday.
The Hawks are flying high, winning seven of eight (6-2 ATS) and four in a row (3-1 ATS). Their offense soared on Saturday, dominating the Bulls 129-117 as nine-point favorites in Atlanta. Defensively, it was the first time in 16 games the Hawks gave up more than 100 points and they are giving up just 93.1 per game this season.
The home team took both series meetings last season (2-0 ATS) as Atlanta got a 104-93 win as a three-point favorite only to have the Nuggets return the favor eight days later with a 107-100 win as 5 ½-point favorites. The Hawks have gotten the cash in seven of the last 10 meetings and four of the last five in Atlanta, but Denver is 5-2 SU in the last seven.
Denver is on ATS slides of 2-5 overall, 1-4 on the second night of a back-to-back and 1-4 after a spread-cover, but the Nuggets are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 against the Eastern Conference. The Hawks are on ATS runs of 7-3 against the Western Conference, 4-1 overall, 4-1 at home and 7-0 against teams with a winning road record.
For Denver, the over is on streaks of 5-1 against the Eastern Conference, 8-3 after a straight-up win and 6-2 after a spread-cover. Conversely, Atlanta is on “under” runs of 10-2 overall, 5-1 at home, 5-0 against the Western Conference and 9-0 when playing on a day of rest.
ATS ADVANTAGE: ATLANTA
Orlando (24-6, 20-9-1 ATS) at Detroit (17-11, 12-16 ATS)
The streaking Magic will try to make it eight in a row when they travel to the Palace of Auburn Hills to take on the Pistons.
Orlando rolled to its seventh straight victory on Saturday, hammering the Timberwolves 118-94 as 9½-point favorites, running its ATS streaks to 14-2 in the last 16 and 10-0 in the last 10. The Magic have allowed more than 100 points just once during their seven-game win streak, and they’re giving up just 84.8 ppg and 37 percent shooting in the last five contests.
Detroit has rattled off three straight wins (1-2 ATS), including Saturday’s 87-76 triumph in Milwaukee as a six-point ‘dog. However, The Pistons are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 contests and 4-10 ATS at home this season.
These two haven’t met since the Pistons knocked the Magic out of the playoffs last May, going 4-1 in the series (3-2 ATS). Including the postseason, Detroit has won seven of the last 10 meetings against Orlando (5-5 ATS) and four of the last five played in Motown (3-2 ATS).
Orlando is 10-3-1 ATS in its 14 road games this season and 43-20-3 ATS in its last 66 on the highway. The Magic is on further ATS runs of 20-7-1 overall, 16-5-1 after a straight-up win, 9-0 after a spread-cover and 4-0 after a day of rest. Detroit has been a disaster at the betting window lately, recording ATS slumps of 1-4 overall, 1-6 at home, 0-5 after a day of rest and 2-5 after a spread-cover.
The under is on a host of streaks for Orlando, including 18-8 on the road, 21-15 after a straight-up win, 10-4 against the Eastern Conference, 10-4 against the Central Division and 5-2 overall. Detroit also is on “under” runs of 14-5 overall, 11-5 against Southeast Division squads. 6-1 after a straight-up win and 6-0 against teams with a winning road record. However, the over is 10-3 in the last 13 Pistons-Magic meetings in the Motor City.
ATS ADVANTAGE: ORLANDO and UNDER
Gametimepicks.com
Monday's Research
By Indiancowboy
Denver vs. Atlanta
Roughly 58% are favoring the Nuggets here as the Hawks are laying 5. These two teams have not met this year and Denver is on their east coast road trip currently. They have defeated Philadelphia by 4 and NY by 7 in that process. This team played against the Knicks last night and has flown down south to play the Hawks at home tonight. Atlanta has actually quietly covered 7 of 9. What is interesting about these covers is that they have come late in the game as Atlanta has turned on its jets late. This is including defeating Chicago at home by double-digits as they were laying 9 and they were actually behind at several points throughout the game. A lean on the over here.
Orlando vs. Detroit
Orlando is simply one of the hottest teams in the league as well as ATS wise. The Pistons surprisingly defeated the Bucks on the road and now return home to play the Magic. Detroit beat this team back on May 10th and May 13th. The Magic have covered their last 10 contests or more and their last series of road wins are as follows: Note, they have won their last 9 of 10 SU.
@ Minny (won by 24, covere)
@ GS (won by 11, covered)
@ Utah (won by 9, covered)
@ Phoenix (lost by 1, but still covered)
@ Portland (won by 1, covered - got revenge from earlier season loss as well)
@ Clippers (won by 7, covered)
The Pistons are just 3-7 ATS of late. But, they did show up suprisingly at Milwaukee, why not here too? A lean on the hot Magic given what they have accomplished so far despite being the public favorite.
Chicago vs. New Jersey
Chicago is actually playing much better as they are just struggling late in ballgames. In fact, if you are looking for ML play, this could be it right here. I have always said the 5.5 line is the best line for taking a dog to win outright as it typically means the dog should be very active. The Bulls osplayed well against the Hawks and Heat and just fell late in the fourth quarter. In both those games, the Bulls were down 3 when going into the fourth against the Hawks and tied with the Heat going into the fourth. Ironically, they ended up not only losing both of those games, but both those covers as well. But, Jersey has revenge from a tough loss they suffered on the road at Chicago earlier this year. A lean on the over here as both teams have plenty of incentive to come out and rebound/revenge.
Memphis vs. Minny
Give Memphis a lot of credit here as they went on the road to play SA very well and lost in OT. Just before that game, they defeated Indiana in a big come back at home. The Twolves had come off a big win against the Knicks only to come back home and lose by 24 to the Magic in a game where they were actually in it at halftime. So, you have Memphis coming off a tough OT loss playing well and Minny coming off one of its toughest losses of the year at home after having beat the Knicks on the road - while being at home. This game should go back and forth, a small lean on Memphis.
Washington vs. Houston
Houston beat this team by 12 on the road last time. Washington comes off a rare win and cover at home against OKC. They are playing better and they have covered two straight. They won that game without Butler and will likely be missing his services tonight as well. Houston defeated Utah without McGrady who is listed as probable for this game. Houston has missed their last three covers. Washington has a little bit of revenge here, but with no Butler, this team is missing a key component of their offense outside of their home base.
Philadelphia vs. Utah
Utah despite all its injuries is still playing well. What else would you expect from a Jerry Sloan coached team. However, over 78% are favoring Utah which is always scary. Philly comes off a tough loss at Denver in a game they very well could have won outright. Philly has covered 4 of their last 6 quietly and Utah did win nicely over Dallas at home despite being banged up as Williams, AK, Brewer and Koufos are getting it done for this team despite no Boozer, Millsap or Okur. Imagine how good this team will be when these guys come back. They will be incredibly deep - about 10 deep or so which will make them into an even more defensive team. Tough to go with any teams backed by nearly 80% of the public here and the Sixers haven't been playing all that bad nearly defeating the Nuggs on the road in their last game.
Toronto vs. Golden State
Toronto beat this team in overtime in their last contest. GS has actually been playing well, after all, they defeated the Celtics at home which even the Hawks haven't done this year. Toronto had won against the Clippers and Kings and fell short against the Blazers on the road losing by 13. Jackson and Crawford are back for this team and Maggattee is still listed as questionable. I don't think it's all that impossible to think that a team that defeated the Celtics at home is not capable of defeating the Raptors at home.