Sunday Night Tips
By Kevin Rogers
The Sunday night NBA card gives bettors an opportunity to place some final wagers before the weekend finishes with three games. Two of those contests will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, as the Hawks host the Spurs followed by the Blazers and Suns getting together in Phoenix.
Spurs (41-26 SU, 35-31-1 ATS) at Hawks (44-24 SU, 39-29 ATS)
San Antonio plays its third game this week on the road against a Southeast Division foe, heading to Atlanta to battle the Hawks. The Spurs stumbled in Orlando on Wednesday, falling to the Magic, 110-84 and snapping a four-game winning streak. San Antonio bounced back in a big way with a 147-116 dispatching of Golden State on Friday.
Mike Woodson's squad has won six of seven at home following Friday's overtime win against the Bobcats, but Atlanta is 2-5 ATS in this span. The 'over' has turned into a profitable play lately at Philips Arena, cashing in five of the last six games.
The Spurs have cleaned up against subpar competition recently, winning nine of eleven games with just three victories over teams above .500 (Suns, Grizzlies, and Heat). San Antonio is a solid 4-2 SU/ATS the last six games away from the AT&T Center following a 2-7 ATS run on the road through February.
The Hawks fell at San Antonio, 105-90 on January 27 as the Spurs cashed easily as three-point favorites. That victory by Gregg Popovich's team ended a three-game home skid at the time, the longest losing streak at the AT&T Center since January 2002. The Spurs have claimed nine of the last ten meetings in this series, including three consecutive wins in Atlanta.
Blazers (42-28 SU, 37-32-1 ATS) at Suns (43-26 SU, 40-29 ATS)
Portland and Phoenix hook up for the third time this season as the Suns look to top the Blazers for the first time. Both teams are coming off home victories on Friday in completely different fashion. The Suns took care of the Jazz for a third straight victory while the Blazers squeaked by the Wizards on a late Brandon Roy jumper.
The top eight teams in the Western Conference playoff race are pretty much set, with Houston and Memphis each 6 ½ games behind Portland for the eighth spot. The gap between the fifth and eighth position is 1 ½ games with the Suns and Blazers separated by that same margin.
The Blazers are riding a five-game winning streak, but each victory has come over teams that sit below the .500 mark. Portland owns a 6-3 ATS mark the last nine away from the Rose Garden, but has dropped the previous two as road underdogs at Chicago and Denver. Over this current 10-2 stretch, the Blazers have played two teams currently sitting in the top eight of their respective conference (Raptors twice and Nuggets).
Since falling at home to Portland prior to the All-Star Break, the Suns are 12-4 SU/ATS the last 16 contests, including a 9-2 SU and 8-3 ATS mark in the Valley. The offense has been on fire recently, tallying at least 100 points in 12 of the last 13 games. Phoenix finally topped Utah for the first time this season, 110-100, cashing as 5 ½-point home ‘chalk.’
The Suns will try to break through after the Blazers pulled off a pair of close victories in the first two meetings. Portland rallied from a 15-point deficit to shock Phoenix at the Rose Garden on December 17 as 1 ½-point favorites, 105-102. The Blazers followed up that win with an outright road underdog triumph on February 10 as 9 ½-point ‘dogs, 108-101. The victory by Portland snapped a nine-game skid in Phoenix dating back to January 2005.
What else to watch for:
The Wizards try to end a ten-game skid as Washington wraps up a four-game West Coast swing at Staples Center against the Lakers (9:30 PM EST). Flip Saunders’ club has finished ‘under’ the total in nine of the last 11 games, while failing to break 100 points during this losing streak. The Wizards have competed well in their last two losses, covering in defeats at Denver and Portland. The Lakers are 2-7-1 ATS the previous ten at home, while going 1-5 ATS as double-digit favorites at Staples.
Quickly looking ahead to Monday, there are ten games on the card including a pair of quality interconference tip-offs. The Spurs head from Atlanta to Oklahoma City, trying to beat the Thunder for a third time this season. Elsewhere, the Celtics conclude a three-game road trip in Utah, as Boston is 4-2 SU/ATS the last six meetings in Salt Lake City.
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