Sunday's Best NBA Bets
Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks (-8, 218)
The wheels have come off for the Pacers.
Indiana has dropped six straight and eight of the past 10 overall. The culprit? A mediocre defense that also has seen the team go 2-8 ATS over that span. During this stretch, Indiana has coughed up at least 100 points in nine of those games. This is especially troubling for a team that is among the league leaders in field goal defense (44.7 percent).
"We are not focused on the little details, execution, not giving up easy baskets in transition and it leads to losses," said Pacers forward Danny Granger. "We are going to keep losing until we change it."
And the Knicks can’t wait to keep the Pacers coughing up easy baskets.
New York might struggle on defense as well, but is having little problem scoring the ball with Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. Overall, the Knicks have cracked the century mark in eight of their past 10 games. Stoudemire is coming off a strong performance against Dallas in which he dropped 36 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Anthony has topped his 25.3 points per game scoring average six times in the past 10 games.
"We'll have nights that they're unstoppable," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said.
Pick: New York
Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors (-6.5, 218.5)
Things might finally be turning around in Minnesota.
The Timberwolves have won two straight and are 3-0 ATS in their past thee. They are finally blending all their parts together while using a young, deep bench to supplement the play of stars Michael Beasley and Kevin Love, along with the emergence of center Darko Milicic.
"It's the end of the season," Milicic said. "We're kind of a struggling team. We're not going to make the playoffs. We're going to go home on April 13. It shows something about us that we're going out against teams fighting for playoff spots and we give them a good fight."
Love is a beast with his record 53-game double-double streak, and Beasley can score in bunches. But over the past three games, Milicic has helped give them an additional inside presence. He combined for 10 points, eight rebounds and five blocks in two games prior to a breakout 14-point, six-rebound, four-assist, two-block performance in a 122-101 win over Utah.
The Warriors, meanwhile, have dropped seven of their past 10 games overall and are just 4-6 ATS over that span. Golden State is coming off a 123-120 overtime win over the Magic that saw the team bury a fluky 21 three-pointers.
Another strong performance by Milicic is more likely than another 20-plus three-point performance from Golden State.
Pick: Minnesota
Orlando Magic at Phoenix Suns: What Bettors Need to Know
By David Chan
Orlando Magic at Phoenix Suns
The Magic and Suns are set for their second of two meeting this season on Sunday afternoon. If it’s not any better than their previous encounter, ABC is going to have a tough time pulling viewers away from the final conference tournament games of March Madness and the Selection Sunday shenanigans.
Back on November 18, Orlando dismantled the Suns 105-89 as a 10.5-point home favorite in a beat down that was far worse than the score suggests. The Magic led 31-15 after one quarter and 62-34 at the half before they let their opponents make it look somewhat respectable during a meaningless fourth.
Stan Van Gundy isn't happy with his team's efforts.
Jameer Nelson (15 points, 12 assists) and Dwight Howard (20 points, 12 rebounds) both had double-doubles despite playing fewer than 30 minutes apiece in the rout. The Suns, meanwhile, were without Steve Nash due to a groin injury.
In addition to the Suns missing their star point guard, that game came exactly one month to the day before Orlando and Phoenix hooked up for a blockbuster six-player trade that sent Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat and Mickael Pietrus to the Suns while Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark headed east.
Nash equilibrium
The Suns (33-30, 28-33-2 ATS) did not have Nash (15.7 ppg, 11.4 apg) for the first one and they likely won’t have him this time, either. The same groin injury reared its ugly head during Thursday’s 116-97 home loss to Denver.
"It's been bothering for a couple of weeks," Nash told the Arizona Republic afterward. "I thought we were getting better and then, for whatever reason, took a big step back. Frustrating and another obstacle but just got to try to work every day to get better.
Steve Nash is nursing a groin injury.
"This is the worst it's been. Definitely Sunday is in question, but we'll see how it goes. If I can improve in time, then I can play. But if not, I can't play the way I was moving on Thursday night. I just can't move. Too much pain and immobility."
Nash added that if he does miss any time, it will hopefully allow deadline-acquisition and backup point guard Aaron Brooks (10.9 ppg, 3.8 apg) to get comfortable in the offense.
Magic tricked
The Magic (41-25, 29-36-1 ATS) are reeling at the moment, having lost three of their last four games (0-4 ATS). They seemed to hit rock-bottom Thursday, when host Golden State stormed back from a 21-point deficit to stun Orlando 123-100 in overtime.
Outspoken head coach Stan Van Gundy was, not surprisingly, furious afterward.
"Right now, we're at a point where we will not play 48 minutes," he told Fox Sports Florida. "We will not. Our guys' focus isn't on changing."
The Warriors and Magic combined for an NBA-record 36 3-pointers in the shootout. Golden State hit 21 to Orlando’s 15.
Speaking of three-balls, J.J. Redick suffered a strained abdomen prior to the game and is not looking good for Sunday. He is listed as doubtful and is not expected to return during the Magic’s road trip, which includes games with the Lakers and Bucks next week.
Facing former team
The trio of former Magic men had this to say in interviews with the Suns website about going up against Orlando:
Carter - “When you’re playing for a playoff spot, it has more to do with what you need to do more than what it says on their jersey.”
Gortat - “A lot of people are saying that there’s going to be competition between me and Dwight or between Vince and J-Rich. But at the end of the day, it’s all about winning the game.”
Pietrus - “I’ve been traded before so it’s just another game. I’m just trying to win the next game.”
Trending topics
The Magic are 0-4 ATS in their last four overall and 1-4 ATS in their last five against the Western Conference.
The Suns are 1-5 ATS in their last six home games.
The under is 12-4 in Orlando’s last 16 overall, but the over is 5-2 in Phoenix’s last seven overall.
The home team and the favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings between the two teams. The Magic are 5-1 ATS in the last six encounters overall and 4-1 ATS in the last five in Phoenix.
Orlando Magic visit Suns on NBA betting slate
By: Stephen Nover
Steve Nash just turned 37 and the Phoenix Suns great point guard is in physical pain.
The Orlando Magic are in mental anguish having blown a 21-point lead in their last game, an overtime road loss to Golden State this past Friday night.
Nash may have to sit out when the Suns host the Magic Sunday at 12:30 p.m. PT with ABC televising.
Phoenix is 18-9 in its last 27 games, but could be missing Nash. He played only 10 minutes in the second half of the Suns’ loss in their last game this past Thursday at home to Denver bothered by an irritated bone in his groin area.
The Suns lost 116-97 as four-point favorites with the combined 213 points falling ‘under’ the 216 ½-point total. It was the first time in 13 tries Denver defeated the Suns in Phoenix.
Nash had trouble keeping up with speedy Denver point guard Ty Lawson, who had 20 points and 11 assists. Nash scored only seven points with seven assists and six turnovers, his worst stat line in 2½ months.
Nash’s injury is so painful he may have to sit out a couple of games starting with this matchup. Nash didn’t practice Friday. He rehabilitated the same injury in November, missing two games back then.
Backup point guard Aaron Brooks is in line for extended minutes if Nash can’t go. Brooks played well for Houston last season when he started all 82 games. He’s had a lost and injury-filled season this year.
Brooks has been with the Suns for just two weeks and still is learning the system and new teammates. Rookie Zabian Dowdell is Phoenix’s other point guard.
The Suns already are without Channing Frye, who is out at least two more weeks with a dislocated right shoulder. Frye, a 6-foot-11 forward with a 3-point shooting touch, has missed the last two games. He had scored at least 13 points in 11 of his last 14 games before suffering the injury.
Phoenix’s loss to Denver snapped a season-best string of 11 consecutive games of scoring at least 100 points. The Suns are 7-15-2 ATS in their next game after not covering.
Vince Carter is averaging a career-low 14.2 points per game. He averaged 30.5 points, though, in two previous games before being held to six points against the Nuggets making only two-of-11 shots from the field.
Orlando opened its five-game road trip sneaking past Sacramento this past Wednesday, 106-102, failing to cover as 10-point favorites.
The Magic didn’t play well against Golden State this past Friday and it caught up to them with a 123-120 overtime loss as 4 ½-point favorites. The combined 243 points went ‘over’ the 208-point total. The teams combined for 202 points during regulation.
Jason Richardson scored 30 points and Jameer Nelson had 24 in the loss. Richardson has been red-hot making 18 of 30 three-point shots in his last three games.
The Magic played without backup shooting guard J.J. Redick, who pulled a muscle in his lower abdomen during a workout the day of the game.
Orlando has failed to cover in five of its last six games, including the past four. The Magic are 23-10-1 ATS in their last 34 games versus Pacific Division foes.
The ‘under’ has cashed in 12 of the Magic’s last 16 games The ‘over’ has cashed in five of Phoenix’s last seven games.
Orlando won the first meeting between the two clubs, 105-89, on Nov. 18 as 10½-point home ‘chalk.’ The combined 194 points went ‘under’ the 204½-point total.
The Suns were playing for the fourth time in five days when they lost to the Magic and also were without Nash, who was nursing a groin injury. Dwight Howard paced Orlando with 20 points and 12 rebounds.