Thursday's Best NBA Bet
Charlotte Bobcats at New York Knicks (-3, 197)
At first glance, the NBA’s lone Thursday game appears to be a stinker. But diehard league fans will tell you that the Bobcats and Knicks are two of the hotter teams in the Association.
Charlotte is 5-2 over its last seven games and 6-2 against the spread over its last eight contests. Larry Brown’s club is stinging together tough wins without a healthy starting center (Tyson Chandler) and starting forward Boris Diaw sleepwalking.
Stephen Jackson and Flip Murray are giving the Bobcats what they’ve been missing for years (crunch-time killers), and Gerald Wallace is doing everything but cleaning the team’s towels.
The versatile swing player made it his goal to lead the league in rebounds this season, a lofty aspiration for the 6-foot-7 forward. He’s averaging a career-high 11.8 boards per game in 2009-10.
“Gerald has always been an effective rebounder for his size, but he’s taken it to another level,” coach Brown told Fanhouse.com last week. “He’s improved not just his rebounding, but in every phase of the game.”
The Bobcats have won all three of their games against the Knicks this season. Look for the club to improve to 4-0.
Pick: Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats vs. New York Knicks
The Charlotte Bobcats and the New York Knicks will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at Madison Square Garden.
Gerald Wallace had 32 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bobcats past the Bulls 114-108 on Tuesday night.
Charlotte couldn't cover as 6.5-point home favorites, while the teams played OVER the 186.5-point total listed by oddsmakers.
The Knicks defeated Indiana 132-89 as a 9.5-point favorite on Sunday. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (208.5).
David Lee scored 22 points to go along with 16 rebounds for the Knicks and Wilson Chandler netted 23 points in the win.
Current streak:
Charlotte has won 3 straight games.
New York has won 2 straight games.
Team records:
Charlotte: 15-18 SU, 21-12 ATS
New York: 14-20 SU, 17-17 ATS
Charlotte most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Memphis are 2-8
After playing Chicago are 5-5
After a win are 5-5
New York most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Houston are 2-8
After playing Indiana are 3-7
After a win are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
Charlotte is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New York
Charlotte is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Charlotte is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Charlotte is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New York's last 9 games at home
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Charlotte
New York is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New York's last 11 games
Next up:
Charlotte home to Memphis, Saturday, January 9
New York at Houston, Saturday, January 9
CHARLOTTE (15 - 18) at NEW YORK (14 - 20)
Top Trends for this game.
CHARLOTTE is 21-12 ATS (+7.8 Units) in all games this season.
CHARLOTTE is 46-30 ATS (+13.0 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
CHARLOTTE is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
CHARLOTTE is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.
CHARLOTTE is 34-17 ATS (+15.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHARLOTTE is 7-3 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 5-5 straight up against CHARLOTTE over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
CHARLOTTE vs. NEW YORK
Charlotte is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Charlotte is 3-20 SU in its last 23 games on the road
New York is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New York's last 11 games
Hot Teams
-- Knicks are 10-5 in last 15 games, are 7-4 vs spread in last 11 at home. Bobcats won four of their last five games, covered nine of 12.
Cold Teams
-- None
Totals
-- Knicks' last four games all went over the total.
Tips and Trends
Charlotte Bobcats at New York Knicks
Bobcats: The Bobcats have won 3 straight games SU in route to a 15-18 SU record. 14 of their 18 losses have come on the road, as they are only 3-14 SU away from home. Their road woes might be changing though, as they've won their past 2 road contests, both as underdogs. The Bobcats are 11-6 ATS away from home, quite a stark contrast than their SU record. Charlotte has scored at least 103 PTS in 3 of their last 4 games. This offensive spurt is significant considering the Bobcats have the 4th worst offense in basketball, averaging 92 PPG. F Stephen Jackson is one of 3 Bobcats that are averaging double digits in PTS. Jackson has been hot of late, averaging 28 PPG over his past 4 games. Charlotte is allowing the 2nd fewest PTS in the NBA at 93 PPG. Charlotte has only allowed 7 teams to score 100 PTS or more against them in regulation.
Charlotte is 6-1 ATS last 7 games as a road underdog.
Over is 7-3 last 10 games as an underdog.
Key Injuries - C Tyson Chandler (foot) is out.
PROJECTED SCORE: 100 (Side of the Day)
Knicks (-3.5, O/U 197): New York will be looking to tie the season series tonight, as these two teams have already played 3 times this season. 13 PTS separate these 2 teams over their first 3 contests. The Knicks have won 6 of their past 9 games SU to sit at 14-20 SU for the season. The Knicks are 8-10 SU and 9-9 ATS at home this season. New York is 4-5 ATS as the listed favorite this season. The Knicks are coming off an impressive 41 point win at home over the Pacers. F David Lee leads 6 Knicks players that are averaging double digits in PTS, with nearly 19 PPG along with 11 RPG. Lee has been especially hot over his past 5 home games, averaging more than 20 PPG with nearly 16 RPG. New York averages 101.9 PPG, which ranks them 9th in the NBA. The Knicks have changed their identity of late, focusing on defense. New York has held 12 of their past 14 opponents to less than 100 points.
Knicks are 5-11 ATS last 16 games as a home favorite.
Under is 8-1 last 9 home games.
Key Injuries - None.
PROJECTED SCORE: 97