Chicago (2-2, 1-3 ATS) at Cleveland (3-2, 2-3 ATS)
The Bulls try again for their first road victory of the season, but it doesn’t figure to come easy as they travel to Quicken Loans Arena for a Midwest Division clash with the surging Cavaliers.
Chicago overcame a terrible first quarter against the Bucks on Tuesday, rallying from a 25-13 deficit to post an 83-81 victory. However, the Bulls never threatened to cover as an 8½-point home favorite, their third straight non-cover since opening the season with a 92-85 victory as a three-point home underdog. Going back to last year’s opening-round playoff series against Boston, Chicago has dropped five straight road games (2-3 ATS).
Cleveland tipped off the season with a 95-89 home loss to Boston as a five-point favorite, followed the next night by a shocking 101-91 setback at Toronto as a seven-point road chalk. Since then, however, LeBron James has guided his troops to three consecutive double-digit wins, including Tuesday’s 102-90 victory, barely cashing as an 11½-point home favorite. Since an 11-0 ATS run that spanned the end of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs, the Cavaliers have gone 12 straight games without consecutive spread-covers.
Cleveland took the season series from Chicago last year, going 3-1 SU and ATS, winning the first three games by an average of 16 ppg (3-0 ATS) before dropping a 102-93 overtime decision in Chicago as a 7½-point favorite. The host has won and covered the last four in a row and Cleveland is 9-2 SU and ATS in the last 11 clashes with the Bulls at Quicken Loans Arena. Finally, the SU winner has cashed in each of the last 25 series meetings in this rivalry going back to 2003.
The Bulls have failed to cover in five of six overall dating to last year’s playoff series against the Celtics, with all five non-covers coming against Eastern Conference teams. However, Chicago is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 on Thursday and 7-3 ATS in its last 10 against the Central Division.
Cleveland is 3-8-1 ATS in its last 12 games overall (2-8-1 ATS versus Eastern Conference foes), but otherwise the Cavaliers are on pointspread surges of 37-17 at home, 5-0 against Central Division rivals and 10-2-1 after a spread-cover.
The Bulls have topped the total in five of their last six road games, but the under is 6-2 in their last eight on Thursday and 3-1-1 in their last five divisional contests. Meanwhile, the over is 5-2 in Cleveland’s last seven at home and 5-0 in its last five on Thursday, but otherwise the Cavaliers are on “under” stretches of 4-0 overall, 12-4 against the Central Division and 9-3 after a SU win.
Finally, five of the last seven Bulls-Cavaliers battles have hurdled the posted total, including the last three in Cleveland.
ATS ADVANTAGE: CLEVELAND
San Antonio (2-1 SU and ATS) at Utah (1-3 SU and ATS)
The Spurs return to the court for the first time in five days as they travel to Salt Lake City for a battle with the slumping Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena.
San Antonio has been idle since Saturday’s 113-94 rout of Sacramento, cashing as a hefty 16½-point favorite. The Spurs posted a near-identical score in their first game (113-96 over New Orleans), but in their lone road contest, they fell 92-85 at Chicago as a three-point favorite. Going back to the regular season last spring, San Antonio has held 22 of 28 opponents to less than 100 points.
Utah’s week got off to a horrendous start, as it blew a halftime lead to the Rockets on Monday, losing 113-96 as an eight-point home chalk, then went to Dallas on Tuesday and got outscored 44-18 in the fourth quarter, falling 96-85 as a 6½-point underdog. The Jazz’s only victory this season came at home against the Clippers, a 111-98 win as a nine-point home favorite. Dating back to March 31, Utah has lost 14 of 17 SU and is 6-15 ATS in its last 21 (3-6 ATS at home).
The Spurs swept the three-game season-series from Utah last year and is 4-0 SU and ATS in the last four meetings. The home team has won seven of the last eight head-to-head clashes both SU and ATS, and the host has covered in 18 of the last 23 meetings, with the Jazz going 5-2 SU and ATS the last seven times they’ve entertained San Antonio. Additionally, the favorite is on a 21-7 ATS roll in this rivalry, and the SU winner is 20-0 ATS in the last 20 meetings going back to April 2005.
San Antonio is in ATS slumps of 1-4 on the road, 2-5 against Northwest Division teams, 0-4 after a SU win, 0-7 after a non-cover and 3-13-1 following a double-digit win. Utah’s negative pointspread trends including 6-15 overall, 4-10 at home, 0-4 against the Southwest Division and 6-14 versus the Western Conference. On the flip side, the Jazz are 4-1 ATS in their last five on Thursday and 5-1 ATS in their last six when playing after one day of rest.
The Spurs carry “over” trends of 4-1 overall, 4-0 against the Western Conference and 8-3-1 versus the Northwest Division, but four of their last five roadies have stayed low. Utah is on “over” stretches of 13-6 overall and 4-1 against the Southwest Division, but the under is 13-4 in Utah’s last 17 at home and 4-1 in its last five on Thursday. Lastly, the last four Jazz-Spurs contests have gone over the posted total.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UTAH and OVER
Thursday's Tip Sheet
By Chris David
Now that the pro baseball season has finally concluded, gamblers can continue their focus on football plus add their extra time to the hardwood, in particular the NBA. The handle on pro hoops doesn’t pale in comparison to the gridiron but this writer believes that the sport is beatable and the books are happy that the action doesn’t get too heavy.
For tonight, the NBA offers up its weekly TNT double-header and this week’s pair will feature some quality conference tests. Chicago meets Cleveland in the first battle before Utah welcomes San Antonio in the late-night tip.
Let’s break ‘em down!
Chicago at Cleveland - 8:05 p.m. EST
Chicago (2-2 straight up, 1-3 against the spread) made some noise last year in the playoffs by putting a scare in Boston. While it’s still early to tell if the Bulls can repeat the success they showed in postseason, the pattern seems constant. Chicago is 2-0 at home this year but 0-2 on the road and the defeats away from home have been ugly. The Bulls lost to Miami by eight and Boston by 28, both playoff teams.
Vinny Del Negro’s team will get tested again Thursday when it visits Cleveland (3-2 SU, 2-3 ATS). The Cavaliers started the season with losses to Boston (95-89) and Toronto (101-91) but have rebounded with three consecutive victories albeit against weaker teams (Minnesota, Charlotte, Washington). Cleveland did won all three by double digits which produced a 2-1 ATS mark.
The Cavaliers have been tabbed 11-point home favorites against the Bulls. Last year, Cleveland took three of four from Chicago both SU and ATS, including a pair of double-digit wins (25, 14) at Quicken Loans Arena. The ‘over’ went 3-1.
The offseason loss of shooting guard Ben Gordon is already showing up on the court and in the stats for Chicago. Through the first four games, the number of 3-point attempts is down and the number of makes beyond the stripe is down too. The Bulls are shooting 22 percent from downtown with John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich the only true threats.
We mention the outside shooting woes because it’s helped total bettors. Chicago has now become an ‘under’ team and the results are 3-1 through the first four. Will it continue for 82 games? Still early but if you don’t have a post-up offensive player and the shooters are inconsistent, all signs would say so.
The total for this battle is hovering around 187 points and it should be noted the four of Cleveland’s five games this year have gone ‘under’ the number and the lone ‘over’ ticket barely hit by one point.
San Antonio at Utah – 10:35 p.m. EST
Utah (1-3 SU, 1-3 ATS) is hoping to get back on the right track tonight when San Antonio (2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS) visits EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz have dropped three of their first four, and the last defeat against Dallas on Tuesday was embarrassing. Utah held a 13-point (67-52) lead over the Mavericks entering the final quarter but was outscored 44-18 in the last stanza. Dallas wound up capturing a 96-85 decision and even managed to cover as a six-point favorite.
Playing in Salt Lake City should help Utah’s confidence tonight, considering its success at home over the past seasons. The Jazz stand at 1-1 both SU and ATS at home this year and the one victory came against the L.A. Clippers.
Despite the past success, the Jazz are listed as home underdogs for this game tonight. San Antonio has only played one game on the road this year and it lost on Oct. 29 to Chicago 92-85, which aired on TNT too.
Looking back at the previous encounters, the Spurs have had Utah’s number recently. They’ve won and covered four in a row, including a three-game sweep last year. Two of the three games were decided by six points while the other was a 25-point blowout, but the Jazz were without point guard Deron Williams for the lopsided setback. The Spurs were also without their point guard, Tony Parker, for that game too.
All three games last season easily cashed ‘over’ tickets and it appears that the books have made some adjustments based on those results. The highest total last year was listed at 193 and tonight’s number is sitting at 202.
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Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
The fans at Quicken Loans Arena will be treated to a game between the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers when they take their seats on Thursday.
Luol Deng had 24 points and 20 rebounds to lift the Bulls past the Bucks 83-81 on Tuesday night.
Chicago couldn't cover as 9-point home favorites, while the teams played UNDER the 192-point total listed by sportsbooks.
LeBron James had 27 points, eight rebounds, and six assists to lead the Cavaliers past the Wizards 102-90 on Tuesday night.
Cleveland covered as 11.5-point home favorites, while the game played UNDER the 197.5-point total set by sportsbooks.
Current streak:
Cleveland has won 3 straight games.
Team records:
Chicago: 2-2 SU, 1-3 ATS
Cleveland: 3-2 SU, 2-3 ATS
Chicago most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
Before playing Charlotte are 6-4
After playing Milwaukee are 4-6
After a win are 4-6
Cleveland most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing New York are 8-2
After playing Washington are 6-4
After a win are 7-3
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Chicago is 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games at home
Cleveland is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games when playing at home against Chicago
Cleveland is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games
Next up:
Chicago home to Charlotte, Saturday, November 7
Cleveland at New York, Friday, November 6
San Antonio Spurs vs. Utah Jazz
The San Antonio Spurs and the Utah Jazz will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at EnergySolutions Arena.
Tony Parker poured in 24 points and dished out seven assists on Saturday, leading the Spurs to a 113-94 victory over the Kings. The Spurs covered the 16-point spread, and the combined score made it OVER the posted total of 201.
Richard Jefferson added 21 points for the Spurs, and George Hill had 18 in the win.
Deron Williams dropped 22 points for Utah in its 96-85 loss to Dallas on Tuesday night.
Dallas covered as 6-point home favorites, while the teams played UNDER the 203-point total posted by sportsbooks.
Current streak:
Utah has lost 2 straight games.
Team records:
San Antonio: 2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS
Utah: 1-3 SU, 1-3 ATS
San Antonio most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing Portland are 7-3
After playing Sacramento are 9-1
After a win are 4-6
Utah most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 9-1
Before playing Sacramento are 8-2
After playing Dallas are 4-6
After a loss are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Antonio's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio's last 5 games
San Antonio is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Utah
San Antonio is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Utah
Utah is 18-4 SU in its last 22 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Utah's last 5 games when playing San Antonio
Utah is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against San Antonio
Utah is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against San Antonio
Next up:
San Antonio at Portland, Friday, November 6
Utah home to Sacramento, Saturday, November 7
Tips and Trends
San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz
Spurs (-2, O/U 201): San Antonio has enjoyed great success against Utah, winning 29 of the past 35 meetings, including winning and covering the last four. The Spurs, though, have failed to cover five of the last seven times they’ve played in Salt Lake City. San Antonio catches a scheduling break. This is the Spurs’ first game since Saturday giving Tim Duncan extra rest. Utah is playing for the third time in four days. Duncan had 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists when the Spurs posted their first win in Utah since 2006 during last season. The Spurs have strengthened their depth adding Antonio McDyess and drafting rookie DeJuan Blair. McDyess returned to practice on Monday after missing the Spurs’ 113-94 victory over Sacramento last Saturday because of a head cold. He’s expected to play tonight. The Spurs are 0-7 against the spread after scoring 100 or more points in their previous game.
The Spurs are 0-7 ATS after covering the number in their previous game.
The road team is 5-18 against the number in the last 23 meetings between the two clubs.
Key Injuries - Forward Antonio McDyess (cold) is probable
PROJECTED SCORE: 101
Jazz: Utah is off to its worst start in seven seasons at 1-3 straight-up and against the spread. The Jazz blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead on Tuesday in a 96-85 road loss to Dallas. The Jazz were outscored by 17 points in the final 10-plus minutes on Monday in a 113-96 defeat to Houston. The Jazz are giving up an average of 105.2 points, which ranks them among the bottom eight teams in defense. Two-time All-Star forward Carlos Boozer is 19-for-54 (35 percent) shooting from the floor this season. Point guard Deron Williams is playing well, though, averaging 22.3 points and 8.8 assists. Williams averaged 22 points and 11.5 assists against San Antonio last season. The Jazz have covered only four of their past 14 home games. They are 5-16 against the spread in their last 21 games versus a team with a winning record.
Utah is 6-15 ATS in its last 21 games.
The Under has cashed in 13 of Utah’s last 17 home contests.
Key Injuries - Guard Kyle Korver (knee) is out.
Forward C.J. Miles (thumb) is out.
PROJECTED SCORE: 99 (UNDER - Total of the Day)