Thursday's Tip Sheet
By Brad Young
Thursday’s NBA action features an intriguing pair of Game 6 matchups, pitting a pair of teams trying to advance to the next round on their opponents’ court. Both the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers advanced to last year’s NBA Finals, and now both teams have a chance to reach their respective conference finals with just one more win.
Boston, the second-seeded team in the Eastern Division, has had to rally past Orlando its last two games to reach this stage. Things looked bleak for the Celtics in both Game 4 and Game 5 before some late-game heroics put them on the brink of the next round. Boston is trying to defend its championship without the services of star forward Kevin Garnett.
Los Angeles, the top-seeded team in the Western Conference, appeared to be on autopilot during its Game 4 loss to Houston. However, the Lakers quickly righted the ship by blasting the Rockets in Game 5 to inch closer to the next round. Houston has showed plenty of heart in this series (until Game 5 that is) by competing without its two best players (Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady who are ‘out’ due to injuries).
Now let’s take a closer look at both Game 6 contests.
**Celtics at Magic**
-Stations Casinos opened Orlando as a 6 ½-point home ‘chalk’ over Boston, with the total listed at 190. The total has remained the same, but the line has shifted slightly to seven. ESPN will provide coverage of Thursday’s Game 6 beginning at 7:05 p.m. ET from Orlando’s Amway Arena.
-The series price has been taken down with the Celtics leading the Magic in this best-of-seven series, 3-2.
-Boston (69-25 straight up, 49-44 against the spread) has won the last two games in this series SU and ATS after Tuesday’s victory as a two-point home favorite, 92-88. The combined 180 points failed to topple the 192 ½-point closing total, enabling the ‘under’ to cash the second consecutive contest.
-The Celtics rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to capture Game 5. Orlando managed just one field goal the last 6:06 of the game. Boston outscored the Magic in the fourth quarter, 33-21.
-The Celtics outrebounded Orlando, 42-39, while shooting 42 percent (33-of-78) from the field and going 21-of-21 from the free-throw line. Guard Stephon Marbury stepped up with 12 points off the bench, while Glen Davis contributed 22 and seven rebounds and Paul Pierce added 19, nine and eight assists.
-Orlando connected at a 45-percent clip (36-of-80) from the field, and just 25 percent (6-of-24) from behind the arc. Power forward Rashard Lewis led the charge with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while Hedo Turkoglu added 18 and seven assists and Rafer Alston had 16 and six. Center Dwight Howard stepped up with 12 and 17 in a losing effort.
-Boston sports a 29-17 SU and 25-20 ATS road record, with the ‘under’ going a solid 28-18. The Celtics have been winning their road endeavors by an average score of 99-94. Boston is 2-6 SU and 4-4 ATS its last eight outings in Orlando after dropping Game 3 and winning Game 4.
-Orlando maintains a 35-11 SU and 25-11 ATS home record, with the ‘under’ going 29-16. The Magic have been winning their home games by an average score of 101-91.
**Lakers at Rockets**
-Stations Casinos installed Los Angeles as an eight-point road favorite over Houston, with the total set at 197. The total has remained unchanged, while the line has shifted slightly to 8 ½. ESPN will provide coverage of Thursday’s Game 6 at 9:35 p.m. ET from Houston’s Toyota Center.
-Los Angeles (72-20 SU, 48-44 ATS) took a 3-2 series lead by dishing out the ‘woodshed’ treatment to Houston in Tuesday’s Game 5 as a 12-point home ‘chalk,’ 118-78. The combined 196 points failed to eclipse the 199-point closing total, helping the ‘under’ cash the second consecutive contest.
-The Lakers outscored the Rockets by at least 11 points in the first three quarters, and entered halftime with a comfortable 64-39 advantage. Los Angeles recorded its first 40-point playoff victory since 1986 when the team throttled San Antonio in the first round.
-The Lakers won the rebounding battle, 49-42, and shot 51 percent (42-of-82) from the field and 46 percent (6-of-13) from 3-point land. Guard Kobe Bryant netted 26 points in three quarters of action, while Pau Gasol added 16 and 13 rebounds.
-Houston was limited to just 33 percent shooting (29-of-89) from the field, and 17 percent (5-of-29) from behind the arc. Only three players reached double digits in scoring, led by guard Aaron Brooks’ 14 points while Von Wafer added 13 and Luis Scola had 12 and 13 rebounds.
-Los Angeles is 31-14 SU and 25-20 ATS away from home, with the ‘under’ going 23-21. The Lakers have been winning those games by an average score of 105-100. Los Angeles is 5-3 SU and ATS the previous eight trips to Houston after splitting Games 3 and 4.
-Houston sports a 37-9 SU home ledger, while going just 22-23 ATS. The Rockets have been winning their home endeavors by an average score of 99-91, enabling the ‘under’ to go 26-19.
vegasinsider.com
Game of the day: Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic
By Matt Fargo
Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic (-7, 190)
Nightmare ending
Game 5 was a make-or-break game for both teams and it was the Magic who were in complete control. That was until the final five minutes of the game. Orlando had a 10-point cushion with 4:55 remaining but what got the Magic that big lead was abandoned the remainder of the game. They were running up the court, driving to the basket and shutting down the Celtics' shooters, but they failed to do those three things down the stretch.
"I thought that we were running out the clock. We would not push the ball up the floor," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters. "Four minutes. That's forever in an NBA game. I kept telling them we want to push the ball, but we didn't.”
Orlando could be going home with complete momentum and sitting one win away from the Eastern Conference finals. Instead, it is in a must-win spot just to get back to even and force a Game 7 back in Boston.
That last five minutes not only doomed the Magic Tuesday but could provide a big boost of confidence for the Celtics, who look to make it three straight wins and the end of the series.
Superman to the rescue?
Dwight Howard was non-existent in the final minutes of Game 5 and he has been a disappointment this entire series. He finished with only 12 points on 10 shots, the second game in this series that he was held to 12 points and the fourth time in the past five games he has been held to 17 points or fewer.
Howard is averaging only 16 points per game in this series which is 4.6 points less than his season average. That may not seem like a big variance but when you are talking playoffs, the stars need to step up. Howard didn’t call himself out after the loss but instead blamed the coaching staff.
“If you have a dominant offensive player, let him dominate,” Howard told reporters. “Coaches have to recognize what's working on the floor and stick to it.”
Howard has an advantage over the Celtics no matter who is on the floor so he needs to be more aggressive and take over. Getting him involved inside means more open looks from the outside. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu can certainly open things up even more with their shooting.
To the point
Point guard play is big in basketball and it isn’t isolated to just the college ranks. The point guard runs the show in the latter stages of the NBA games and Orlando is clearly at a disadvantage in this category. Rafer Alston was a significant pickup for the Magic after starting point guard Jameer Nelson was lost for the season. But he has been a liability in this series.
Before his injury, Nelson was averaging 16.7 ppg, shooting 50.3 percent from the floor, 45.3 percent from 3-point range and 88.7 percent from the free throw line. In his four games played in this series, Alston is averaging 9.0 ppg, shooting 29.5 percent from the floor, 16.7 percent from three-point range and 77.8 percent from the 3-point line.
Alston’s counterpart Rajon Rondo is averaging 14.2 ppg and, while he is not shooting very well, he is hitting clutch shots when needed. Rondo has had the upper hand but if Nelson were playing, things would be different.
“Jameer is by far our toughest basketball player,” Orlando general manager Otis Smith told the press. “You can't really replace that. He's the big little brother.”
Hopefully Alston has not heard this as his confidence cannot go much lower at this point.
NBA Today
SCOREBOARD
Thursday, May 14
Boston at Orlando (7 p.m. EDT). Boston tries to advance to an Eastern Conference finals matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. An Orlando victory forces the Celtics to go the distance in their first two series for the second straight year.
STARS
Wednesday
— Carmelo Anthony(notes) and Chauncey Billups(notes), Nuggets. Anthony scored 30 points and Billups had 28, 12 assists and seven rebounds as Denver beat Dallas 124-110 to wrap up their Western Conference semifinal series in five games.
— Dirk Nowitzki(notes), Mavericks, had 32 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for Dallas in the Game 5 loss to Denver. Nowitzki averaged 34.4 points in the series.
CONFERENCE FINALS, FINALLY
After their 124-110 win over Dallas, the Denver Nuggets are heading to their first Western Conference finals since 1985. They beat the Mavericks in five games. The Lakers or Rockets will be the opponent.
STATS
The Nuggets are winners of 16 straight games at the Pepsi Center, where no opponent has won since March 9. They beat Dallas 124-110 to clinch their second-round series and are 6-0 in the postseason at home. … Denver guard Chauncey Billups improved to 16-4 in closeout games in his career.
ALL-STARS
LeBron James(notes) was an unanimous selection to the All-NBA first team after leading the Cavaliers to a franchise-best regular-season record (66-16) and playoff sweeps of the Pistons and Hawks. James was put on the first team on every ballot of 122 writers and broadcasters who regularly cover the league. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant(notes) finished second in the voting, making the first team on 119 ballots, while center Dwight Howard(notes) of the Magic, guard Dwyane Wade(notes) of the Heat and forward Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks rounded out the first team.
CHUCK DALY
Hundreds of mourners paid tribute to Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly, including close friends Billy Cunningham and Rollie Massimino, players from his 1989 and 1990 Detroit Pistons teams that won NBA titles, and even Rick Carlisle — a former Daly assistant who served as a pallbearer even though his Dallas Mavericks faced playoff elimination later Wednesday. Daly died Saturday at 78.
JORDAN INTERESTED
Eddie Jordan expressed interest in the Philadelphia 76ers’ head coaching job and hopes to meet with team president Ed Stefanski by the end of the weekend. Jordan, who was fired by the Washington Wizards in November, already interviewed with the Sacramento Kings this week.
SPEAKING
“Missing this was not an option.”—Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle after attending mentor Chuck Daly’s funeral in Florida, then heading to Denver for Game 5 of Dallas’ series with the Nuggets.
“He’s a leader. He came on this team and he brought a businesslike attitude to our team. He brought a defensive mind-set we were looking for.”—Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony commenting on the contributions of teammate Chauncey Billups.
NBA PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(2) Boston (7-4 SU, 6-4-1 ATS) at (3) Orlando (5-4 SU, 3-6 ATS)
The Celtics head to Amway Arena in Orlando looking to close out the Magic in Game 6 of their best-of-7 Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Boston scored a 92-88 win on Tuesday at home, covering as a two-point favorite, after trailing by 14 with 8:49 to play and by 10 with 5:39 left. The Celtics used 17-3 run to close the game and grab their first lead in this series. Glen Davis scored 22 points in the victory, while former All-Star Stephon Marbury came up huge in the fourth quarter, when he scored all of his 12 points.
The Magic got 19 points from Rashard Lewis and 18 from Hedo Turkoglu in the defeat, but superstar center Dwight Howard had just 12 points to go along with 17 rebounds. Orlando failed to make a basket over the final 5:39.
Orlando has now dropped three of its last four SU and ATS and now returns home where it lost on a buzzer-beater in Game 4 on Sunday, falling 95-94 as a five-point chalk. The Magic are just 3-2 (2-3 ATS) at home in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Boston has now won two in a row for the first time since Games 2 and 3 of its first-round series against the Bulls. The Celtics are 2-3 (3-1-1 ATS) on the highway in the postseason.
Boston lost the final two regular-season clashes with Orlando, then dropped Game 1 of this series, but the Celtics have since rebounded to win three of the last four meetings SU and ATS. They’re also 2-2 (3-1 ATS) against the Magic in Florida since Jan. 22. However, the host is still 24-11 ATS in the last 35 matchups between these two.
The Celtics are just 4-11 ATS in their last 15 conference semifinal contests, but they are on positive ATS runs of 5-2 overall, 8-2-1 on the highway, 14-5 on Thursdays, 4-1-1 on the road against teams with a winning home record and 5-2 after getting a day off. Orlando is on ATS slides of 5-12 overall, 3-8 after a non-cover and 4-13 against the Atlantic Division, but it is 49-21-1 ATS in its last 71 after a straight-up loss and 6-1 ATS in its last seven Thursday contests.
The under is 6-2 in the last eight battles between these two squads, with the last two games in this series and three of the first five staying low. Meanwhile, Boston is on “over” streaks of 14-5 overall, 21-8 against Eastern Conference teams, 7-3 after getting one day off and 9-4 after a straight-up win. On the opposite side, it’s all been “unders” for the Magic, including 20-8 overall, 16-6 after getting one day off, 6-2 at home, 9-1 on Thursdays, 7-1 after a non-cover and 7-3 against Eastern Conference teams.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) L.A. Lakers (7-3 SU, 5-5 ATS) at (5) Houston (6-4, 5-5 ATS)
After destroying the Rockets in Game 5 in Los Angeles on Tuesday, the Lakers will try to close out their best-of-7 Western Conference semifinal series inside the Toyota Center in Houston.
Los Angeles jumped out to a double-digit lead early Tuesday and never looked back, scoring the 118-78 victory as a 12-point favorite. The Lakers held Houston to just 32.6 percent shooting and forced 18 turnovers. Kobe Bryant had 26 points in just three quarters of play for Los Angeles, leading a charge of seven Lakers who reached double-digits in points. Los Angeles shot 51.2 percent from the floor and outrebounded Houston, 49-42.
After looking great in Game 4 without star center Yao Ming, the Rockets looked completely lost without their big man on Tuesday, with only three players reaching double figures in scoring, led by point guard Aaron Brooks’ 14.
The Lakers are just 2-2 SU and ATS on the road in the postseason. Meanwhile, Houston has dropped three of the last four (SU and ATS) in this series and the Rockets struggled at the window lately, going 3-6 ATS in their last nine. They are 4-1 (2-3 ATS) so far in home playoff contests.
Los Angeles is 7-2 ATS in the nine meetings with the Rockets this season, with the chalk going 7-3 ATS in the last 10. Also, the Lakers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 visits to Houston, including a win and cover in Game 3. Finally, the winner has cashed in each of the last 11 head-to-head battles.
The Lakers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 Thursday games and 10-4-1 ATS in their last 15 conference semifinal contests, but otherwise Phil Jackson’s squad is on ATS slides of 1-5 after a straight-up win and 2-6 on the road against teams with a winning home record. Rick Adelman’s Rockets are just 5-12 ATS in their last 17 against Pacific Division squads and 2-6 ATS in their last eight after getting one day off, but they are on positive pointspread streaks of 7-3 at home, 21-7 after a non-cover and 28-9-3 on Thursdays.
Tuesday’s game narrowly stayed under the posted total, giving the under a 3-2 edge in this series and a 5-2 mark the last seven times these squads have faced off.
Los Angeles carries “under” streaks of 6-2 overall, 15-5 on Thursdays, 5-2 after getting one day off and 4-1 following a straight-up win. Houston also is on a host of “under” runs that include 7-2 overall, 6-1 at home, 7-2 against the Western conference, 6-2 after getting a day off and 11-5 when coming off a straight-up loss.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
NBA Playoffs
Celtics were down eight at half in Game 5, rallied to win; they were -12 in 5:50 Davis was off floor, but outscored Magic 21-10 from foul line, and now Howard is questioning Van Gundy's coaching at a critical time, after Celtics won last two games by combined total of five points. 6-24 shooting from arc hurt Orlando in Game 5 (they're 18-45 in two wins). Magic needs win to force Game 7 in Boston.
Rockets defended Bryant so well last game here he didn't take one foul shot while going 7-17 from floor; we'll see what gritty Houston team has left in tank after 118-78 pasting at Staples Tuesday, when Rocket guards hit just 8-26 from floor. None of LA's seven playoff wins are by single digit margins, but they're just 2-2 on road so far in playoffs.
Tough choices for bettors in pair of Game 6's
By Doug Upstone
The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers proved their mettle in Game 5's in different ways. Boston showed the true heart of a champion in overcoming 14-point deficit to oust Orlando 92-88. The Lakers on the other hand reeked with determination and easily buried an out-classed and undermanned Houston club. What will Game 6 provide, lets take a look inside.
The Orlando Magic is quickly becoming the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals of playoff basketball. The ‘Stros and Nats lead the majors in blown saves with 10 and the Magic keep coming up more empty than a group of guys leaving Hooters on Church Street in downtown Orlando at closing.
It is evident Orlando is the better team without Kevin Garnett playing for Boston, yet this Celtics team keeps fighting, clawing and scratching to win, which is a testament to the players and coach Doc Rivers. The Celtics are a team Al Davis would love, “Just win baby” and they manage to just so as compared to the Raiders. Boston makes one more trip South and is 8-2-1 ATS on the road.
Dwight Howard was right and wrong to call out his coach Stan Van Gundy about touches in the fourth quarter. He was wrong in the sense you don't do that after losing a game you clearly had in the bag and let escape, down 3-2 in postseason. He is right that this has been a continual pattern for Orlando in the playoffs, blowing big leads, sometimes winning and sometimes not.
Looking into the issue deeper, here is what is uncovered. If Howard, aka “Superman” is such a dynamic offensive threat, why don't his own players trust him in the last five minutes of the game? NBA players might not be the sharpest lot off the court, but they understand the game. Are Orlando players too concerned that Howard will make a turnover with the ball at crunch time? Does Howard really work to get the ball, spreading himself out to demand it? Finally, some believe Howard in the best center in the NBA right now, which by my calculations in similar to being heavyweight boxing champion, doesn't mean much.
Let's not forget, Howard is a rebounding and dunking machine, but his post moves couldn't fill a Dunkin Donuts Yahoo sports minute.
Oddsmakers at Betmania.com see an angry Orlando club looking to square the series at 3-3 and have made them the largest favorite of the series at 6.5-points, with total of 190. The Magic are 12-4 ATS off a road loss this season and are 7-1 UNDER off a spread loss.
Van Gundy received deserved criticism for playing J.J. Redick 29 minutes in Game 5, especially when he had only one basket.
Boston is 17-4 ATS after a win by six points or less this season and is 14-6 UNDER after consecutive wins. The C's don't win last contest without Stephon Marbury, can he deliver again?
The L.A. Lakers finally showed why they are best wager to win the NBA title. The Los Angeles Zen Master would never sink to such low depths of using simple math to motivate his team, but the Lakers are NBA champions if they understand 12 x 4 = 48.
Los Angeles showed they are capable of playing all 48 minutes, though in Game 5 they really didn't need to. They shot over 51 percent, manufactured countless steals and actually showed toughness with Lamar Odom battling through bad back to play 19 minutes.
The Lakers are 31-14 (24-20-1 ATS) as visitors and if they come to play, should win this contest to close out series. It is all about steely resolve and Phil Jackson's Lakers' teams are 11-1 ATS in road games after leading in their previous game by 20 or more points at the half.
Houston is on the receiving end of eight-points with total of 197. The Rockets have no chance to win if they can't contain Lakers and not let them sniff the century mark. Houston is 15-4 ATS revenging a loss where team scored less than 85 points and it comes as no surprise the average total score in those contests is 186.9. Rick Adelman's club is 13-4 UNDER after allowing 105 points or more this season, but that included the big man in the middle.
The coverage turns over to ESPN on Thursday starting at 7 Eastern and the series leaders either closeout or head back home for Game 7 finale.