Tuesday's Best NBA Bets
New York Knicks at Denver Nuggets
Carmelo Anthony has been linked to the New York Knicks in numerous trade rumors for months. At least the Knicks will get a first-hand look at what Anthony brings to the table on Tuesday.
‘Melo leads the Nuggets in just about every significant statistical category with 25 points, eight rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. Plus, he just helped the Nuggets hand the Lakers their first loss of the year with 32 points and 13 rebounds. After the game, Kobe Bryant had his own opinions about all the ‘Melo trade rumors.
"I think people are making too big of a deal out of it,'' Bryant said. “(Stuff) happens. He's still here. You got to continue to play. The day he gets traded then it will be a story.''
Considering the start Anthony has had to the year, it seems like that’s the approach he’s taking too. As long as he keeps doing that, it’s good news for Nuggets bettors.
Pick: Denver
Philadelphia 76ers at Cleveland Cavaliers
Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins is introducing rookie Evan Turner to the NBA just how he wants to – slowly.
The 22-year-old swing man is averaging 8.5 points and 2.1 assists per game and is playing a lot less than Washington’s John Wall as Philadelphia wants to make sure not to tire him out early.
"It's a big growth to step into the NBA and all of a sudden, you're on a road trip and you're playing in Oklahoma City Wednesday, and then you travel," Collins told reporters of Philadelphia’s recent schedule. "You got Dallas and you fly and get in late and you got to learn how to handle how to tell the difference from college, where you play every four days. It's a part of the growth experience and Evan will be fine."
Turner has started four straight games, looking really good in the first two and not so good in the final pair. That’s to be expected from the kid and there’s no point in rushing him along with this team. Philadelphia has dropped three straight and has just two wins on the year.
Expect to see a couple of struggling teams going bucket-for-bucket on Tuesday.
Pick: Over
NBA Odds: Improved Rockets host Bulls
By: Barry Daniels
The Chicago Bulls will begin a season-high seven-game road excursion Tuesday night with a stop in Houston to play the Rockets. Chicago enters the contest riding a three-game winning streak, with all three contests dipping ‘under’ the closing total.
Chicago won every outing on its recently completed three-game homestand, including Saturday’s 103-96 victory against Washington. But the Bulls failed to cover as 10-point favorites, lowering their NBA spread record to 4-3-1.
It was Chicago’s last home contest until Dec.1, as the circus invades United Center.
Derrick Rose collected 15 of his 24 points in the second half to lead the Bulls, while Joakim Noah added 21 points and nine rebounds. Luol Deng also played a big role in the Chicago victory by contributing 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
The Bulls forced 23 Washington turnovers, which lead to 18 points. Chicago also enjoyed a wide advantage at the charity stripe, making 26-of-34 foul shots compared to 4-of-8 for the visiting Wizards. The Bulls also out-rebounded the Wizards, 55-48, and held a 34-28 edge in points in the paint.
Coach Tom Thibodeau has his Bulls playing some tough defense lately, evidenced by his squad limiting the opposition to less than 100 points in each of the last five wins. As a result, the Bulls have moved up to 13th in the league defensively by allowing 100.4 points per game.
Chicago ranks sixth on offense thanks to its 105.0 points per game average. The club is fourth in field goal percentage (48.3 percent) and fourth in rebounding (44.5 RPG). Free throw shooting remains the Bulls’ lone offensive weakness. They are shooting just 71.8 percent from the charity stripe, which ranks a poor 25th.
Though the Houston Rockets started the current campaign with five straight losses, they have since captured three of their last four contests. That includes the last two games on a recently completed three-game road trip.
Improved defense has been the key to Houston’s improvement. That was evident during Sunday’s 104-96 victory at New York as a 2 ½-point road underdog. The combined 200 points ducked below the 213 ½-point closing total, marking Houston’s fourth consecutive ‘under’ game.
Kevin Martin scored 28 points and Luis Scola added 24 to lead a Houston club that is playing without starters Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks, both out with ankle injuries. Ming is listed as “questionable” for Tuesday game, while Brooks is not scheduled to return until next month.
The Rockets have now allowed less than 100 points in each of those last four outings. Unfortunately, they are still yielding an average of 107.1 points per game, which ranks a poor 28th in the league.
Putting the ball in the bucket has not been a problem so far for the Rockets. They rank fourth in the league on offense thanks to a 107.7 point per game average. That figure is a bit confusing considering the club is shooting just 44.6 percent from the field, which ranks 22nd.
Chicago swept the two-game season series against the Rockets last season, including a 104-97 victory as six-point underdogs in the lone game at Houston. The combined 201 points slithered above the 199-point closing total, enabling the ‘over’ to go 10-2 in the last 12 series meetings.
It is interesting to note that Chicago is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 road encounters dating to last season, while the Rockets are 8-21 ATS in their last 29 home outings.
The Bulls will continue their road swing through Texas with a Wednesday game in San Antonio and a Friday date in Dallas against the Mavs. The Rockets hit the road for the next two games starting with a Wednesday matchup at Oklahoma City.
NBA RoundUp for 11/16
by Dan Bebe
Philadelphia 76ers @ Cleveland Cavaliers with a total of N/A
I'll remind you all the beginning of these writeups that I'm fighting a miserable head-flu, and thanks to a nice cocktail of cold meds, antihistamines and an advil/tylenol pairing, my head's in a bit of a haze. So, with that in mind, we'll kind of "bullet-point" these writeups for the next couple days. Here, Philadelphia is on the 5th game of a long road trip, which would normally be a "down" game, but I feel like because of multiple days off between games, and coming off an ugly blowout defeat in San Antonio, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Sixers play a decent game. This is also a revenge spot for Philly, who fell to Cleveland, at home, about 10 days ago. The Cavs are coming off a loss to the Pacers, and are struggling with some injuries. Varejao's ribs, Mo's groin, Antawn's knees - you name it, it's banged up. Cleveland, to me, just doesn't have the firepower to run their up-tempo offense when guys are hurt, and I think we'll get a decent line on the Philly side. Lean to the SIXERS and the UNDER.
Toronto Raptors @ Washington Wizards with a total of N/A
There isn't a ton to take away from this game. Neither team is in a particularly interesting scheduling spot, good or bad, and neither team has a particularly strong motivational edge over the other. There isn't really any bad blood - just sort of two pretty weak teams, one with intense star power, and the other with, um, a guy named Demar. It's not really a look-ahead, it's not really a letdown. It's just...nothing...really. PASS on the side, tiny lean to OVER.
Atlanta Hawks @ Indiana Pacers (Pk) with a total of 204
This is a pretty strong opening line for the Pacers, though I'm not sure they have done quite enough to deserve it. I mean, I've been saying since day one that I like Indiana, and I think this team will continue to improve over the course of the year, but the Hawks are like a slightly more talented version of a similar team. They have a nice center, some solid athleticism, a good scorer, though I suppose Darren Collison is a better young PG than Mike Bibby (hah). However you slice it, this line is a Pick for a reason -- because it's going to come down to the team that makes a couple big plays. From a scheduling perspective, there isn't much to discuss - both teams are coming off wins, the Pacers on the road, and the Hawks at home, but both played against relatively weak competition. Just based on momentum, I lean to the PACERS, and NO LEAN on the total, as I just can't quite get a feel on whether the Hawks will try to run, too, or if one team will try to slow the other.
Portland Trailblazers @ Memphis Grizzlies with a total of N/A
This game is interesting, if a bit challenging to break down. The Blazers are suddenly just a 6-5 NBA team after getting off to a tremendous start, and the health of Andre Miller, Marcus Camby and Brandon Roy is at the forefront. This team is already dealing with their 2 missing centers (Vanilla Gorilla and Oden), so 3 more injuries just starts the "same old story." The Blazers are, however, a good team, and a good road team, and with proper motivation, they should have no issue competing with a Memphis team that doesn't play much defense. The Grizzlies come home for this one off a game in Orlando last night, so they're actually the more fatigued club, and depending on how that game in Orlando goes, we might very well have a nice situational angle on our hands. This isn't a rivalry game or any sort of revenge, but Portland is in danger of going 0-3 on this short road trip, and I have to believe they'll be giving max effort. Lean to the BLAZERS and to the UNDER.
Los Angeles Lakers @ Milwaukee Bucks with a total of N/A
The Bucks have, somewhat quietly, started to get things going. They've won 4 of their last 5 games, and covered 4 of 6 after starting the year very slowly. And, let's not forget, the Bucks seem to play the Lakers pretty tough on a yearly basis. I like Milwaukee, and some of the new pieces are starting to fit together, especially on defense. Milwaukee hasn't allowed 100 points in a regulation game all season long, and in their last 3 games, they've given up an average of just a shade over 80 points. The Lakers will score more than that simply because they're the Lakers, but Lamar Odom is dealing with a foot injury, and in my opinion, he has been a huge key to the Lakers' early success. Pau Gasol is going to be playing against one of the biggest opponents he's seen this year, so we'll see how that goes, but I expect a hotly contested game, where Kobe will have at least one shot to ruin Milwaukee's night. But Brandon Jennings can run circles around Derek Fisher, Bogut is strong enough to get his, and I love Milwaukee's depth, which should counter the Lakers' better bench. Lean to MILWAUKEE and the UNDER.
Chicago Bulls @ Houston Rockets (-1.5) with a total of 207
Houston comes home off a productive 2-1 road trip, but this is not going to be an easy game. The Rockets were only returning from a 3-game road trip, so I'm not sure it's a letdown spot, and Oklahoma City tomorrow isn't a true rival, so I don't know if it's really a look-ahead either, but Houston is pretty undersized, and I'm not sure they have the tricks to stop a loading team like Chicago. However, and I nearly put that in caps, the Bulls have a game tomorrow in San Antonio on the horizon, so we might get a nice angle for that game from the results of this one, and Houston is going right back out on the road, so this isn't a "settling in" sluggish spot for them. I actually think oddsmakers are relatively close on this one, since Houston is scoring the ball well, and Rick Adelman always has something up his sleeve. I do believe Chicago's star power will get them through, but I think it's close than people expect. The total of 207 is 100% a Houston number, since Chicago is going to win by forcing turnovers, scoring on the break, and making opponents work hard. That number screams Houston, which makes me want to pass all around, but in our once-daily gun to my head spot, I lean HOUSTON and the OVER.
New York Knicks @ Denver Nuggets (-8) with a total of 216.5
My oh my, how the world has turned on the Knicks. Lord knows Hook and I tried to tell folks they weren't going to be that good on the season preview podcast, but a couple early-season wins fueled a pro-Knicks fire that has officially been extinguished. I have to give credit to Mike on calling Ray Felton's uselessness in the D'Antoni offense. He's not the answer. He's a mild upgrade over Chris Duhon, and while his "okay" all-around game fit nicely into Charlotte's plans for a slow-it-down, half-court game, he's not fast enough to be a D'Antoni point guard, and doesn't pass or shoot well enough to be a star. Of course, as soon as we start saying things like this in the mainstream media, that's when the value is back on them. Knicks getting nearly double digits is a solid deal, especially with Denver flying back into their altitude off a run-n-gun game with Phoenix. Lean to KNICKS and the UNDER.