Tuesday's Best NBA Bets
Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings
This matchup between California rivals is a toilet bowl game between two of the NBA’s worst teams. To fans, that means changing the channel. To bettors, though, basement battles mean value.
The Kings have just five wins on the year and have dropped five straight games heading into Tuesday. Sacramento is scoring under 92 points an outing and is just 1-4 ATS during this skid. Its most recent loss was a 102-93 defeat to the Houston Rockets – a game the Kings led, 81-79, going into the fourth quarter.
"The idea is to get wins, and we do not have whatever it takes to do that," head coach Paul Westphal told the Sacramento Bee. "We are not exhibiting whatever it takes to do that in the fourth quarters right now. It's discouraging for the fans and it's discouraging for the players."
The fingers are pointing at star point guard Tyreke Evans, who has run out of gas late in games this season. Evans, who won Rookie of the Year in 2009-10, is averaging under 16 points per game this month and has been slowed by a foot injury.
"Certainly there's concern," Westphal told reporters of Evans’ play. "Whether it's fatigue or soreness, whatever it is, we need to get our best players leading us in the fourth quarter."
Evans will have the daunting task of not only carrying his team offensively Tuesday, but also guarding Golden State sparkplug, Monta Ellis. Ellis is scoring 24.5 points per game this year and torched Sacramento for 39 points in his last game against the Kings on January 8, 2010.
Pick: Golden State
New Jersey Nets at Memphis Grizzlies
Things are starting to look up in the Garden State, with the Nets winning two of their last three games heading into Tuesday’s date with the Memphis Grizzlies.
New Jersey picked up an 89-82 win over the Atlanta Hawks, covering as a 3.5-point home underdog Sunday. The Nets outscored the Hawks 27-20 in the final quarter and got a huge boost from their reserves, who combined to score 30 points in the win.
"Our bench, really, all the guys coming off the bench," guard Devin Harris told the New York Post when asked what made the difference against Atlanta.
Recently acquired guard Sasha Vujacic led the charge off the bench with 10 points, while forward Troy Murphy added eight points and five rebounds off the pine.
"They had to put their starters back in against our second unit. That was the kind of energy, the kind of game they brought," said starting center Brook Lopez.
New Jersey and Memphis are 2-2 in their last four head-to-head meetings, however, the Nets have managed to cover in the three of those games.
Pick: New Jersey
NBA Betting Preview: Sixers travel to face Bulls
By: David Schwab
The Philadelphia 76ers will try and draw some inspiration from recent success of the Eagles and Flyers when they face the Chicago Bulls on the road this Tuesday night. Tip-off from United Center in Chicago is set for 5 p.m. (PT) and the game will be broadcast on NBA League Pass.
Philadelphia continues its long climb out of the basement of the Eastern Conference with an impressive seven wins in its last 10 games after starting the year with losses in 13 of its first 16 games. It is coming off a 93-81 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night as a 5½-point home favorite and a 97-89 upset over Orlando as a 6½-point road underdog on Saturday.
The 76ers are currently 11-16 straight up but have done well against the spread with an overall record of 18-8-1. They find themselves 11½ games behind Boston in the Atlantic Division and in eighth place in the conference.
Philadelphia has done an excellent job at spreading the ball around when it comes to scoring as all five starters are averaging double-figures led by Elton Brand’s 15.3 points per game. He also leads the team in rebounds with 8.3 per game while Jrue Holiday leads the team in assists with 6.6. The 76ers are shooting 45.3 percent from the floor and averaging 97 points per game. Their defense has been surprisingly good as they have been holding their opponents to 96.2 points per game.
Chicago also got off to a bit of a rocky start with a 9-8 record after its first 17 games, but seven wins in its last eight outings has helped open a 4 ½-game lead over Indiana in the Central Division standings. The Bulls are coming off an ugly 100-99 loss to the LA Clippers this past Saturday as a nine-point home favorite. It was their first loss of the year against a team with a losing record.
This setback leaves them at 16-9 SU on the year and 15-9-1 ATS. Derrick Rose leads the team in scoring; averaging 24.3 points per game. He also leads the team in assists with 8.4. One huge area of concern for Chicago is the loss of its leading rebounder for the next two months. Joakim Noah, who was averaging 11.7 boards per game, is out with an injury to his right thumb so the team will look to Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng to help pick up the slack in his absence.
The Bulls’ 46.3 field goal average rank them 11th in the league and their 100.8 points per game rank them 13th but their 70 percent average from the free-throw line is one of the worst in the league. Defensively, they are giving up an average of 96.4 points per game, ranking them 10th overall.
Philadelphia is 8-4-1 ATS in its last 13 games on the road and 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in four of its last five games overall.
Chicago is 7-5-1 ATS in its last 13 home games and 5-2 ATS in its last seven games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of these last seven games.
Head-to-head, the Bulls have won four out of the last five games SU and is 3-2 ATS. Chicago has been a five- to six-point favorite in its last three home games of this series and would be a solid play if the line opens at less than that. Stick with Philadelphia to cover with the points if it ends up getting 5½ or more.
Tuesday NBA Tips
By Kevin Rogers
The Tuesday night NBA card is relatively light with just six games, but a handful of contests involve interesting storylines. The Lakers return home from their seven-game road trip to host the beat-up Bucks, while the Bulls look to bounce back against the Sixers. We'll start in Orlando as the new-look Magic take on the red-hot Mavericks.
Mavericks at Magic
Orlando made a series of moves over the weekend to acquire Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, and Hedo Turkoglu to stay in the elite of the Eastern Conference. The Magic has struggled recently with defeats in six of their last seven games as they battle a Mavs' squad that has lost one game since November 19.
Dallas continues its trip through the Sunshine State after Monday's contest at Miami. Rick Carlisle's club is 8-1 ATS on the road this season, including a 7-0 ATS mark when receiving points. The Mavericks have won 14 of 15 games, with the lone setback coming in a 103-99 defeat to the Bucks after blowing a 20-point lead last Monday. Dallas has dominated this series in central Florida with four consecutive road wins over Orlando, including a 95-85 victory last February as seven-point underdogs.
The Magic are still working out the kinks with Arenas, Richardson, and Turkoglu joining the lineup for Monday night's defeat in Atlanta. Orlando is 0-2 SU/ATS in its last two home games with losses to Philadelphia and Atlanta. The offense has seen its issues recently by scoring less than 100 points in six of the last seven games.
Thunder at Bobcats
Oklahoma City has been on fire of late with wins in six of their past seven contests as its starts a two-game road trip in Charlotte. The Bobcats will be without swingman Gerald Wallace for the third straight game as he nurses an ankle injury. Charlotte needs some kind of jolt as Larry Brown's team has dropped four of five games.
The Thunder had some issues covering numbers in early December, but has cashed in five of the previous six contests. Oklahoma City's five-game ATS winning streak was snapped in Sunday night's home loss to short-handed Phoenix, 113-110 as 9 ½-point favorites. Following a steady run of 'overs' the first two months, the Thunder is on a 5-2 'under' stretch, including three straight 'unders' on the road.
The Bobcats have performed better at home than on the road with a 6-6 mark at Time Warner Arena. Charlotte has seen more success recently with three victories in its last four home contests, while going 'under' the total in all four games. The home team has won six of the last seven matchups, while the Bobcats are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS against the Thunder in North Carolina.
Sixers at Bulls
Philadelphia started the season slow, but the Sixers have been pointspread gold over the last month by going 13-2 ATS since November 19. The Sixers will try to keep cashing for backers when they make the trip to Chicago to battle a Bulls' squad that looks to bounce back from a one-point loss to the dreadful Clippers.
The Sixers knocked off the under-manned Magic on Saturday night as 6 ½-point underdogs, the fourth straight road cover for Doug Collins' team. Philadelphia began the season at 3-13, but the Sixers have won eight of 11 to make a move up the Eastern Conference standings. The Sixers played plenty of games at home in this winning stretch, but now go on the road for seven games over a two-week span.
The Bulls were stunned by their old coach Vinny Del Negro and the Clippers at home on Saturday, but Chicago has still won seven of its past eight games. The Central Division leaders are 7-3 since Carlos Boozer's return to the lineup, but the Bulls will be adjusting to life without Joakim Noah, who is out indefinitely with a thumb injury. Chicago played to many 'overs' the first seven weeks of the season, but that trend has changed as the Bulls are riding a 5-2 'under' streak the last seven games.
Bucks at Lakers
Los Angeles returns home from a successful 6-1 road swing as the Lakers entertain the Bucks, who played Monday night in Portland. Phil Jackson's club not only won games, but covered in convincing fashion over the last four contests by winning those games by double-digits.
The Lakers are just 3-6 ATS the last nine games at Staples Center (not including the non-cover over the Clippers), while going 2-3 ATS this season when laying double-digits at home. L.A.'s defense stepped up on the road trip by limiting six of its seven opponents to less than 100 points. The Lakers will be going for the season sweep of the Bucks after knocking off Milwaukee at the Bradley Center on November 16 by a 118-107 count.
The Bucks will be without point guard Brandon Jennings, who is out at least a month with a broken foot. Milwaukee is playing better after a slow start, but the Bucks still have to make up some ground on Chicago in the Central. Three of Milwaukee's last four games have cashed the 'over,' while covering at San Antonio and Dallas as substantial underdogs last week.
vegasinsider.com
NBA RoundUp for 12/21
by Dan Bebe
Dallas Mavericks @ Orlando Magic (-4) with a total of 190
This game is pretty heavily reliant on the outcome of a few games yesterday. I desperately want to see how Orlando's new guys fit in in their Monday night game in Atlanta, and Dallas is heading into down off a tough game with the Heat...let's add more to this one shortly. And now we've seen yesterday's play out, and the Mavs once again dominated on the road. They put the road blocks in front of the hottest team in the NBA, the Heat, and now they head to a discombobulated Orlando team, looking to "pull a Utah" and sweep the Florida swing. Both teams are playing back-to-backs, and I really fail to see how the Mavs slow down a ton. Looking at the minutes from last night, Dwight Howard played 42 minutes in the Magic loss at Atlanta, and all 5 Orlando starters played over 30 minutes. The Mavs, a deeper team, budgeted minutes better, and are also playing some tremendous basketball. Even if they lose, it seems like Dallas won't fall behind by more than 5-6 points, and late in the game they have great free throw shooters and solid 3-point guns to close games. How can I not? Lean to the MAVS and the UNDER.
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Charlotte Bobcats with a total of N/A
The Thunder started to get a little high and mighty, then Phoenix rolled into town and shot 58%. Thing is, the team had been talking a big game about playing defense, but when you look at their recent opponents, the big-time defensive efforts came against the Cavaliers and Kings, two teams that can't score to save their lives, especially on the road. Charlotte definitely has trouble scorin, but they're a better home team than road, and the Thunder's home/road splits aren't that severe. I'm pretty curious to see where this one opens up, though I figure it'll be in the 5-point neighborhood. I must say, given the Thunder's team-wide issues on defense, and the fact that Charlotte's home losses have largely come against the best teams in the NBA, this one might end up closer than people think. The Thunder only lost to the Suns by 3 points, but got significantly outplayed and only free throws kept it close. The Bobcats are probably a bit better defensively than Phoenix, and though they aren't nearly as competent on offense, they remain a decent play at home. I prefer to take Charlotte to beat bad teams at home and cover 3-5 point spreads, but if they're catching 5-6 in this one, I might be tempted. Lean to BOBCATS and the OVER.
New Jersey Nets @ Memphis Grizzlies (-8) with a total of 187.5
The Grizzlies are actually playing some solid basketball against everyone not named Houston. They have covered every game in the month of December except the two contests with the Rockets. So it goes with the Grizz. New Jersey has played decent basketball the last 3 games, or so, but they continue to have all kinds of issues scoring, and unless they can hold an opponent to around 90 points, they're in big trouble, and even then it's questionable. Memphis has really ramped up its team defense, and are really, really rebounding the ball well at home. If you toss out the Houston games, the Grizzlies are one of the teams that has overachieved against the number all month long, and the oddsmakers are just starting to catch up. The Nets, meanwhile, are playing solid defense at home, but continue to have issues scoring enough to keep up on the road. And Memphis's outstanding team rebounding could be disastrous for New Jersey, a team that desperately needs to limit second chance opportunities since they, themselves, can't really score. This number might look large, but I think it's pretty close to accurate, and given the Nets road woes and the Grizzlies hot play, I lean to MEMPHIS and the UNDER.
Philadelphia 76ers @ Chicago Bulls (-6) with a total of 190.5
Is this line just a huge adjustment for Joakim Noah's injury, the Sixers recent hot play, or both? This is a pretty darn short spread for a Sixers road game, but Philadelphia has done nothing to make us doubt their recent play. The Sixers have covered 11 of 12, only failing to do so against the suddenly surging Lakers. The Bulls, meanwhile, seemed to feel the distinct lack of a defensive presence inside with Noah out, and the Clippers shot 51% against Chicago in a stunning road upset. So, is something wrong with the Bulls? I doubt it. I happen to think Chicago is going to be fine, and I think this line might be a hair overadjusted from the two factors listed above. Does that mean I'm hopping on Chicago at the short number? Absolutely not, since Philadelphia's incredible run of success makes them dangerous on every night, and we'll start fading Philly when they get overrated. I don't think we've seen the end of the line adjustments for the Sixers, though, which means it's not time to step in front of that train. Side is SPOT ON, and slight lean to UNDER.
Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings with a total of N/A
A Northern California battle that will make your hairs stand on end...or might make you nauseous. Either way, it might be one of the better spots to lay our money on this card. The Warriors are bottoming out, now dealing with injuries to their big men at just about every spot, and also trying to fight through a Steph Curry injury. This is also the second night of a back-to-back, but there's almost no travel, and the Kings are, well, the Kings. Sacramento covers about one game every week, they have absolutely nothing going on, offensively, and if that's not bad enough, they stink on defense! The Kings are, far and away, the worst team in the NBA, and I'm not sure there's any number oddsmakers can put out for this team that makes much sense. They have covered a few games at home, but those have come against opponents in letdown spots or dealing with massive injury issues. Here, they're likely going to be asked to win the game to cover (or close to it), and I just can't see Sacramento out-scoring the Warriors in the 4th quarter of a tight game. Oh, and the Kings can't rebound that well, either, normally a stat where I'd imagine they'd have the edge over the generally undersized Warriors. Lean to GOLDEN STATE and the UNDER.
Milwaukee Bucks @ Los Angeles Lakers with a total of N/A
I know the Lakers are rolling, and our buddy Sink's system says to keep playing them, but a few key angles are telling me not to. First, this is the Lakers first home game off a 7-game road trip (though the first game was a "road" contest against the Clippers). This is a huge sluggish spot for LA, especially against a Milwaukee team that they clubbed on the road in an earlier road trip. Second, the line is going to be inflated an extra 2 points with the Bucks on a back-to-back. Milwaukee has shown time and again that they're not really bothered by playing in back-to-back spots. They haven't been as tremendous this year as they were last season, but much closer to 50-50, so those 2 points might be about right, but they're certainly not too few, if that makes sense. Plus, the Lakers host Miami on Christmas Day in their next game, and this is a big-time look-ahead. The Bucks, on the flip side, have one more game before the Christmas holiday, a road game in Sacramento. This is a bad situational spot for LA, and though they could very easily win by 30, I think there's a 55% chance Milwaukee comes to play and makes LA work for it. Lean to the BUCKOS and the UNDER.