Tuesday's Best NBA Bets
Denver Nuggets at Charlotte Bobcats (1.5, 202)
The Nuggets are riding a seven-game winning streak now after slipping by Memphis 108-107 on Sunday night, but they aren’t doing their supporters any favors. Denver was set as a 6-point favorite on Sunday and the club has covered only twice over its last 10 games with one push in the mix. However, George Karl has a little extra motivation on Tuesday night as he has a chance to join the NBA’s 1,000-win club.
"It's been an incredible run and I do appreciate all the good players and I appreciate my time here in Denver and I'm very humbled by my opportunity to win 1,000," Karl told reporters Sunday night. "But, I'd like to get out of the spotlight and get it over with and continue to try to build this team into the best team we could have in Denver."
Karl will have to chat with his team about its meltdown in the third quarter of Sunday’s game that also saw Carmelo Anthony pick up another technical for arguing a call. Anthony hit just four of his 20 shots from the floor and should bounce back with a better effort in this big game for Karl.
Pick: Nuggets
New Jersey Nets at Atlanta Hawks (-6.5, 186.5)
After the Nets suffered a 25-point loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, their fourth straight defeat, it’s getting hard for them to stay positive.
Devin Harris returned to the lineup after sitting out the last two with a left knee strain, but wasn’t satisfied with his play, finishing with seven points, three assists and four turnovers in 24 minutes
"Not where it usually is, but I'll get it back," Harris told reporters of his knee. "I felt fine. Obviously, I would have liked to have played a little bit better, but as far as injury-wise, I felt pretty good."
The Nets continue to fall asleep for quarters at a time and can’t recover when they snap out of it. Against the Celtics they were outscored 30-12 in the second session, including an 11-0 run to close out the second quarter.
“Just fight,” backup guard Jordan Farmar said. “That’s the one thing we have been doing consistently for the most part all season, so it’s disappointing to not bring what we’re capable of, and even if you go out, go out swinging.’’
They’ll need a lot better effort against Atlanta, which has won five of its last six heading into Monday’s date with Orlando. However, Atlanta is just 3-13 against the spread in its last 16 home games.
Pick: Nets
Rockets host Pistons in NBA betting battle
By: Barry Daniels
Two teams sitting in the basement of their respective divisions meet Tuesday when the Detroit Pistons begin a three-game road trip with a stop in Houston to play a Rockets squad that is hoping to have center Yao Ming back in the lineup.
Yao hasn’t played since November 10 when he strained a tendon in his left leg during a contest against Washington. However, the big center has targeted this game against the Pistons for a possible return to the lineup.
The Rockets lost that game against the Wizards and saw their record dip to 1-6 to begin the season with Yao in uniform. However, Rick Adelman’s troops have actually played better without their center by going 6-7 in the next 13 games.
Houston is coming off Saturday’s heartbreaking 119-116 overtime loss at Chicago when Bulls guard Derrick Rose sent the game into an extra session by hitting a shot at the buzzer.
Since the Rockets closed as seven-point road underdogs, they have now covered the spread in three straight games to improve their spread mark to 10-10.
Brad Miller scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to help the Rockets overcome a 14-point deficit. However, Miller missed a free throw with 10.7 seconds remaining to set up Rose's tying shot.
Kyle Lowry scored 16 points for the Rockets and hit several key baskets in the final minutes.
The Rockets have now scored 100 points or more in three straight outings to improve to sixth in the league offensively with a 105.7 PPG average. Unfortunately, the Rockets are yielding 106.8 points per game, which ranks 27th.
The Rockets return home six games under .500. But, after three wins last week in a five-game stretch of home games against the Thunder and Lakers and road games in Dallas, Memphis and Chicago, their next four opponents are below .500.
Three of those games are in Toyota Center, where the Rockets have a three-game winning streak. They are 4-4 both straight up and against the NBA spread at home, with the ‘under’ going 6-2. In fact, the ‘under’ is 12-4 in Houston’s last 16 home efforts dating to last season.
The Pistons snapped a four-game losing skid Sunday by dumping the slumping Cleveland Cavaliers, 102-92. Detroit covered as a five-point home favorite to improve its spread mark to 13-8 this season.
Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 27 points, his best outing in two weeks. Rodney Stuckey had 25 points, a season-high 11 assists and six rebounds in perhaps his best all-around showing of the season. Tayshaun Prince continued his hot scoring by adding 20 points.
Detroit out-rebounded the Cavs, 44-38, marking the first time the Pistons had more boards than the opposition in the last six games. Nevertheless, John Kuester’s squad is last in the NBA in rebounding, hauling down a meager 38.7 boards per game.
The Pistons are 26th on offense (94.6 PPG) and 16th on defense (100.1 PPG), for a minus-6 point differential.
Though the Pistons are a dismal 2-9 SU in their first 11 road dates, they are a respectable 7-4 against the spread. In fact, the Pistons are a nifty 12-4 ATS in their last 16 road contests dating to last season. Nine of Detroit’s first 11 road encounters this season have dipped ‘under’ the closing total.
Though the Pistons have dropped three of their last four meetings against Houston, they are a fine 12-5-1 ATS in their last 18 series meetings with the Rockets. The ‘under’ is 6-2 in the last eight series matchups in Houston.
Detroit continues its three-game road excursion Wednesday with a stop in New Orleans to play the Hornets. The Rockets travel to Milwaukee for a Friday night matchup against the Bucks.
NBA Betting Preview: Denver Nuggets at Charlotte Bobcats
By Jeff Mattingly
Denver slipped by the Memphis 108-107 on Sunday at the Pepsi Center and received another off night by All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony, scoring just 13 points on a season-low 20 percent shooting. The team was also fortunate to hold onto its 15-point halftime lead, allowing the Grizzlies to outscore them 30-14 in the third quarter. "We've had a bad habit on this home stretch about getting big leads and losing them," said guard Arron Afflalo. "So, we have to do a much better job of maintaing our focus and maintaining our lead." Denver is 13-6 overall on the season, but just 3-5 on the road, including an 0-2 mark versus the Eastern Conference.
The Nuggets are 3-3 all-time on the road against the Bobcats and have won three of the last four meetings overall. With the win versus Memphis on December 5, Denver has won a season-best seven consecutive games overall. The team also improved to 12-2 overall on the season when scoring 100-plus points in game. Denver has posted a 15-23 record away from home since last year, averaging a respectable 102.1 points per game over the 38-game stretch, but allowing 104.1 points a contest in the process.
Charlotte will be glad to be home tonight after suffering 109-91 loss at Philadelphia on Saturday, dropping its fifth consecutive game on the road. "No disrespect and I love my teammates, but I think everybody was more focused on doing their job last year," said forward Gerald Wallace. "We've got to find a way to get some of that intensity back." The Bobcats shot 42.9 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from the three-point line compared to 51.9 from the field and 52.4 from beyond the arc for the 76ers. The squad is 2-6 ATS as an underdog this year.
The Bobcats are having trouble figuring out a regular rotation of eight-or-nine guys and head coach Larry Brown says its showing up on the court. "I don't think anybody has stepped up where you just know," said Brown. "When you're losing, everybody thinks he should play. I don't blame them for thinking that." Wallace figures to play the biggest role in this home game, averaging 24.5 points in his last four home meetings with Denver.
Bettors will be interested in laying the Nuggets due to their 2-12-2 ATS mark versus the Eastern Conference, while the Bobcats are 1-3-2 ATS as a home underdog.
NBA Betting Preview: Phoenix Suns at Portland Trail Blazers
By Jeff Mattingly
Phoenix is aiming for its longest winning streak of the season and point guard Steve Nash has been instrumental in the team’s recent success. The two-time MVP enjoyed a perfect shooting night in the team’s 125-108 win over Washington last time out and many teammates are just glad to be around him. “Nash is the reason I came here,” said Hakim Warrick. “It makes it easy playing with Steve. All you have to do is roll to the basket and he’ll find you.” The Suns are 11-9 overall and 8-5 against the Western Conference. Phoenix is 5-5 ATS on the road this year and 49-50 ATS away from the Valley of the Sun the past three campaigns.
The Suns have won 12 of the last 17 regular season meetings against the Trail Blazers and 16 of the last 23 including the playoffs. Phoenix has opened the month of December 3-0 for the first time since the 2007-08 season. The 2009-10 squad didn’t win its fourth December game until its 10th contest of the month on December 19. Offensively, the team is rolling right along, scoring 100 or more points in a season-high eight-straight games. Part of that success can be directly attributed to a bench that has scored 23 or more points in all 20 games this season.
Portland hopes to duplicate its season-opening effort against the Suns and capture a second-straight win over its Western rival. The Blazers recently ended a six-game losing streak with a 100-91 win over the Clippers, ending the team’s longest string of defeats since the end of the 2005-06 season. Head coach Nate McMillan has definitely pinpointed the squad’s lack of offense as a major concern heading into to tonight’s contest. “Our shooting percentage is way down and that’s been especially so in the fourth quarter,” he commented. “Our go-to guys, their numbers are down in the fourth quarter.” Portland’s offensive unit may wake up in tonight’s meeting, scoring 100-plus points in 21 of the last 23 regular season games in the series. Portland is 8-9 ATS on the year.
The Trail Blazers have won five of the past six regular season meetings with the Suns and used a 31-11 fourth quarter to kick off the season with a 106-92 home win in both team’s season opener. Each of Portland’s nine wins have come when holding opponents under 100 points and the Trail Blazers are 0-6 when allowing 100 points or more. This is a key statistic in tonight’s matchup in facing the league’s No. 1-ranked offensive unit.
Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Suns are 5-1-1 ATS versus the Western Conference, while the Blazers are 4-10-1 ATS following a straight-up win.
Tips and Trends
Golden St. Warriors at Dallas Mavericks
WARRIORS: Golden St. lost 3 of 4 meetings against the Mavericks last year, so they would love to reverse that trend tonight and send a message for the rest of the season. The Warriors started the year off solidly, but they've since lost 8 of their last 10 games. Golden St. is 8-12 SU and 9-10-1 ATS overall this year. The Warriors are 6-6-1 ATS as the listed underdog this year. G Monta Ellis is leading this high powered offense with 25.2 PPG this season, 4th best in the NBA. PG Stephen Curry is the backcourt mate of Ellis, and he's averaging 21.2 PPG himself. F David Lee is averaging a double double this season, 14.6 PPG and 10 RPG. The Warriors are 16-6-1 ATS in their last 23 games following a SU loss. Golden St. is 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games overall. The Warriors are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game. The Warriors are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 days rest. Golden St. is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Tuesday games overall.
Warriors are 2-5 ATS last 7 road games against a team with a home winning percentage greater than .600%.
Under is 8-2 last 10 games following a SU loss.
Key Injuries - F Rodney Carney (foot) is questionable.
Projected Score: 91
MAVERICKS: (-9.5, o/u 203.5) Dallas is the hottest team in the NBA, as they are currently on a 9 game winning streak. The Mavericks are 16-4 SU this year, with San Antonio being the only team with a better record in the NBA. Dallas continues to win with their defense, as they've held 8 of their past 10 opponents to 95 PTS or less. For the season, the Mavericks are allowing just 92.2 PPG, 3rd fewest in the NBA. Dallas has actually played better on the road than at home this year, as they are just 8-3 SU at home. F Dirk Nowitzki has been amazing this season, as he's averaging nearly 25 PPG while shooting better than 55% from the field. F Caron Butler is averaging 13.7 PPG and 4.1 RPG this year in addition to his strong defensive mentality. The Mavericks are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. Dallas is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against the NBA Pacific. The Mavericks are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games against a team with a losing SU record. The Mavericks are 18-7-1 ATS in their last 26 games playing on 2 days rest. Dallas is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 Tuesday games.
Mavericks are 6-1 ATS last 7 games following a SU win.
Under is 16-5 last 21 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
Key Injuries - None Reported.
Projected Score: 102 (UNDER-Total of the Day)