Saturday's best NBA bets
Denver Nuggets at Dallas Mavericks
The Nuggets and Mavericks just faced each other in Denver on Wednesday, with Dallas prevailing 102-101. Denver was without its three best big men in Nene, Kenyon Martin, and Chris "Birdman" Andersen.
Dirk Nowitzki exploited his opponents' lack of size by going for 35 points and 12 rebounds. The Mavericks did not exactly dominate on the boards, but they at least managed to win the rebounding battle 45-39.
Nene could return this weekend, but Martin and Andersen (both out with knee injuries) are not coming back until early January and early December, respectively.
Little-used forward Gary Forbes not only started, but guarded Nowitzki and racked up 23 minutes of playing time. "He's outworked some guys in practice," Denver coach George Karl said of Forbes. "We knew we had to play somebody some minutes that probably would be unorthodox. He's earned it by his hard work and his commitment to practice and getting better."
The Nuggets are 2-10-1 ATS in their last 13 road games. They also have though task of playing two games in two days, as the L.A. Clippers paid a visit to Denver on Friday. Dallas, by contrast, has been resting since its win over Denver on Wednesday.
Pick: Mavericks
Memphis Grizzlies at Sacramento Kings
The young Kings are off to a solid 3-2 start and are fourth in the NBA in scoring at 107 points per game.
A big reason is second-year guard Tyreke Evans, who is averaging more than 20 points and five assists in four games (he missed one due to suspension, stemming for a high-speed foray down the interstate). Evans tweaked his ankle against the Lakers on Wednesday, but coach Paul Westphal said on Thursday that his electric guard will be fine.
The Grizzlies are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games. They are approaching the end of a four-game road trip that featured back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Lakers and Warriors and now back-to-back games against the Suns (on Friday) and the Kings.
Sacramento has not played since its Wednesday loss to the Lakers.
Pick: Kings
NBA Betting with the Weekend Dunks
By: Barry Daniels
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons were the only two NBA teams without a win entering weekend action.
The Hornets began the weekend with a perfect 4-0 spread record, with all four encounters dipping 'under' the closing total.
Monty Williams, who is in his first year as the head man in New Orleans, has his squad outscoring the opposition by almost seven points per game (100.5 to 93.8). Though the offense ranks just 17th in the league, the defense is fifth best.
New Orleans does have some injuries that bettors must check this weekend. Starting point guard Chris Paul is nursing a calf injury, while forward Peja Stojakovic is listed as "questionable" with an undisclosed ailment.
Paul is leading the Hornets in scoring (21.2 PPG), field goal percentage (51.9) and assists (9.0).
Saturday's game against Milwaukee will be the Hornets' second meeting against the Bucks already this season. The two clubs opened the campaign against each other on Oct.27, with the Hornets registering a 95-91 victory as three-point home favorites. The combined 186 points ducked 'under' the 189-point closing total.
David West led New Orleans with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Paul added 17 points and a game-high 16 assists. The Bucks had six players in double figures, led by Carlos Delfino (19). Andrew Bogut had 15 points and a game-high 15 rebounds in a losing effort.
The Hornets were out-rebounded (57-49), but won the assist battle (26-14). Milwaukee also had the advantage in the paint (42-34).
The New York Knicks entered weekend play as the only squad not to suffer a spread loss. Though the Knicks had split their first four games straight-up, they were 3-0-1 ATS.
The New Yorkers will host Washington on Friday before welcoming Philadelphia into Madison Square Garden for a Sunday matinee. The Knicks might still be without center Eddie Curry, who has missed four straight games with a hamstring injury.
The Hawks and Lakers were the only other teams besides the Hornets to enter weekend action without a straight-up loss.
Though Atlanta was 5-0 SU prior to a Friday game at Minnesota and a Sunday home contest versus Phoenix, the club was just 2-3 ATS. That number might be a bit misleading, considering the Hawks are outscoring their opponents by almost nine points per game (103.2 to 94.6).
Injuries may hamper Atlanta's hopes of extending that perfect straight-up ledger. Guards Maurice Evans (knee) and Jamal Crawford (toe) are both listed as "questionable," while forward Marvin Williams is "out" with a knee injury.
The Lakers brought a 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS mark into Friday's home game against Toronto. Phil Jackson's troops will then host Portland in a Sunday night affair at Staples Center.
Los Angeles is outscoring the opposition by 13 points per game thanks to an offense that is averaging a league-leading 113.8 points per game. The squad's defense ranks 15th, yielding 100.8 PPG.
Houston and Detroit entered weekend play as the league's only two winless squads, though the Pistons were 3-2 ATS compared to the Rockets' 1-3.
The Rockets will play back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday against the Spurs and Timberwolves, respectively. Houston is not having any problem putting points on the board. The club is averaging 107.8 PPG, which ranks third.
However, the Rockets are dead last in defense by allowing 114.5 points per contest.
Detroit is having problems on both sides of the court as it gets ready to host Charlotte on Friday and Golden State on Sunday. The Pistons are 25th in the league offensively (92.8 PPG) and 17th defensively (102.0 PPG).
Injuries are also a concern for the men from Motown. Starting guard Richard Hamilton has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, while reserve guard Wil Bynum (hamstring) is listed as "doubtful."
Jonas Jerebko, who was penciled in to be the club's starting power forward, won't be back in the lineup until at least March because of an Achilles heel injury.
The Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings have 'over/under' streaks on the line this weekend. The Nuggets have seen the 'under' cash in their first four games, while the 'over' is 5-0 in the Kings' first five outings.