Tuesday's Best NBA Bets
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (-6.5, 193)
Jesus Shuttlesworth showed that he got game.
Ray Allen, of “He Got Game” fame, hit nine of 15 shots, scored a team-high 24 points, and buried his third three-pointer for the game-winner as Boston overcame New York 87-85 in the series opener on Sunday.
Despite not having Shaquille O’Neal (calf), the Celtics featured a lethal inside-outside combination. Complementing Allen’s long-range shooting, Kevin Garnett went for 15 points and 13 boards as the home team out-rebounded the Knicks 44 to 34. Point guard Rajon Rondo chipped in and crashed the glass for nine of his own.
Shaq is still listed as questionable and is not expected to return for Game 2 on Tuesday, but the visitors could be without Chauncey Billups. The veteran guard left Sunday’s showdown late in the fourth quarter due to a strained left knee. He is also listed as questionable.
“I'm in a lot of pain right now,” Billups told the New York Daily News afterward. “That's to be expected. If I can get out there and help any I'll be out there. We'll just have to see.”
Pick: Celtics
Portland Trail Blazers at Dallas Mavericks (-3.5, 183)
Dallas turned back the clock for a come-from-behind 89-81 home win in Game 1 on Saturday. Dirk Nowitzki scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in a furious fourth quarter and—more surprisingly—Jason Kidd drained six threes during a 24-point performance.
“I wasn't on the map,” Kidd told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I think Dirk said it best—they didn't have me penciled in for 24 points. I just felt I needed to be aggressive coming out. In this series I felt that I needed to look at the basket a little bit more.”
The Mavericks have now won five in a row dating back to the regular season and have covered the spread in all five of those contests.
Portland, meanwhile, got 27 points from LaMarcus Aldridge and 18 rebounds from Marcus Camby, but it continues to get nothing from Brandon Roy. After returning from double knee surgery in January, Roy averaged 8.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 21 regular-season games. He played 26 minutes in Game 1 and contributed a mere two points on 1-for-7 shooting.
Pick: Mavericks
What Bettors Need to Know: Knicks at Celtics
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (-7, 193)
THE STORY: The Celtics look to take a 2-0 lead over the Knicks in their best-of-7 playoff series Tuesday in Boston as New York is expected to be without Chauncey Billups. The Knicks starting point guard injured his left knee in the final minute of Game 1 on Sunday and did not practice Monday. The Celtics won the opener 87-85 when Ray Allen drained the winning 3-point basket with 11.6 seconds remaining. Boston trailed for most of the second quarter and all of the third before rallying from a 12-point second-half deficit. Carmelo Anthony missed a 3-pointer with two seconds left for the Knicks, who are 0-5 against the Celtics this season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TNT, Comcast Sports New England (Boston), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE CELTICS: Boston didn’t have Shaquille O’Neal (calf), but the Celtics had Jermaine O’Neal healthy and making a major impact. Jermaine O’Neal made all six of his field-goal attempts and had 12 points and four blocked shots. Allen had 24 points as Boston’s Big Three combined for 57 points. Paul Pierce scored 18 points, and Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Boston got the pace it prefers against the high-scoring Knicks and held New York’s offense to 34 points on 32.6 percent shooting in the second half. The Celtics received only eight points from the bench and will need more production from Glen Davis, who had two points on 1-of-8 shooting.
ABOUT THE KNICKS: Toney Douglas was being prepared Monday to start in place of Billups, who was in significant pain after Sunday's game. Anthony’s first playoff game as a Knick will be memorable for all the wrong reasons. He sat out nearly the entire first quarter after drawing two fouls in the first 1:28, made only 1-of-11 second-half shots and was called for an offensive foul with 21 seconds left prior to Allen’s decisive basket. He also missed New York’s last shot to complete a subpar 15-point performance. Amar’e Stoudemire was on his game with 28 points and 11 rebounds, though.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Allen made 9-of-15 shots, including three 3-pointers in Game 1. Anthony finished 5-of-18 from the field.
KEY STATISTIC: Boston held New York to 85 points, 21.5 below the Knicks’ season average.
LAST WORD: “Ray’s the hero with the shot. To me, Paul’s the hero with the pass. That’s a great example of not playing hero basketball. Just trusting what we drew up and he made the shot.” – Celtics coach Doc Rivers.
TRENDS: The Knicks are 20-8-1 ATS in their last 29 road games against a team with a winning record and 28-12-2 in their last 42 games as underdogs.
The Celtics are 9-25-1 ATS in their last 35 games following a straight up win.
The under is 5-0 in Boston's last five games as a playoff favorite.
NY Knicks get second chance at Celtics
By: Michael Robinson
The New York Knicks blew their opening playoff game at the Boston Celtics on Sunday. They now must rebound both physically and mentally for Game 2 on Tuesday night.
Early odds have Boston as 6½-point favorites with a total of 193 points. Those numbers are affected by the injury to New York point guard Chauncey Billups (more below). TNT will have the coverage from TD Banknorth Garden beginning at 4 p.m. (PT).
The Knicks (42-41 straight-up, 47-34-2 against the spread) played a solid Game 1 and found themselves up 85-82 with 37 seconds left after a Toney Douglas three-pointer. The Celtics faithful were in a state of panic, but that’s when their team went to work.
Boston coach Doc Rivers diagrammed an in-bounds play for a Kevin Garnett dunk. New York’s Carmelo Anthony was then called for a questionable offensive foul before Boston’s Ray Allen hit a gigantic three-pointer. Anthony and the Knicks had one more chance to win, but he missed his own trey with one second left.
The 87-85 final failed to ‘cover’ the six-point spread. Boston is now 5-0 SU against the Knicks this year, but just 2-3 ATS. One of those wins and ‘covers’ was a meaningless final-day regular season game when both teams rested players.
The 172 combined points scored was the slow pace Boston wanted and went way ‘under’ the 197 point total. The ‘under’ is 16-4-1 in Boston’s last 21 games.
Game 1 left open a lot of questions for both teams. Anthony had 15 points while shooting just 5-of-18 from the field, 1-of-11 in the second half. Teammate Amare Stoudemire had 28 points (12-of-18 shooting), but didn’t take a shot in the final two minutes.
Coach Mike D’Antoni has to figure out how to get the ball to Stoudemire late in contests as the Celtics were denying him the ball. D’Antoni may have a bigger problem with Billups (knee strain) leaving late in the fourth quarter and listed as doubtful for Tuesday.
Douglas will be the starter if Billups can’t go. He started nine games this year, but this would be his first playoff start. Billips was just 3-of-11 from the field (10 points), but he’s capable of breaking out at any moment. Douglas starting would also weaken bench scoring.
The Celtics (57-26 SU, 38-43-2 ATS) are breathing a sigh of relief, but have their own worrying signs. Their bench got outscored 23-8, with Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic combining for just four points in 22 minutes. Those were the two additions from Oklahoma City in the Kendrick Perkins trade.
Stoudemire presents a real matchup problem for Garnett at this stage of his career. If Boston spends too much time focusing on him defensively, it will leave other players open. Anthony, Douglas and especially Landry Fields (no points last game) will have to take advantage.
Boston’s Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo combined to shoot just 36 percent from the field last game (43 total points). Allen (9-of-15, 24 points) was the only star to find his stroke, but all the starters must play well with the bench a big work-in-progress.
Center Shaquille O’Neal (calf) missed last game and is doubtful again for Tuesday. He really could be used although Jermaine O’Neal (6-of-6 shooting, 12 points) had a nice start in 23 minutes.
Glen Davis struggled as the backup center, just two points in 25 minutes. He always gives maximum effort defensively, but is height-challenged and isn’t a threat to block / alter shots like Shaq. He also isn’t a physical intimidator like Perkins.
New York can’t afford to fall behind 2-0 in this series. Game 3 won’t be until Friday which means an extra day of rest if Billups and Shaq are out as expected.
NBA Betting Preview: Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic
By: Brad Young
The first round of the NBA Playoffs saw a couple of notable upsets in the opening games, but now it’s time to see if the underdogs can continue cashing money-line tickets.
Atlanta (45-38 straight up, 38-45 against the spread) shocked Orlando (52-31 SU, 35-47-1 ATS) in Saturday’s opener, a year after getting swept out of the postseason and losing all four games to the Magic by a combined 101 points.
Don Best's Real-Time Odds shows Orlando as an 8½-point home ‘chalk’ over Atlanta, while the total opened at 182½ before moving to 18 ½. NBA-TV will provide coverage of Tuesday’s Game 2 beginning at 4:35 p.m. PT from Amway Center.
The Hawks triumphed in Game 1 as an 8½-point road underdog, 103-93, while the combined 196 points eclipsed the 180 ½-point closing total. The ‘under’ had cashed the previous six meetings between these squads, and is now 19-7 the last 26 encounters.
Atlanta took control of the contest by outscoring Orlando in the second quarter, 38-29, and never trailed the rest of the game. The Hawks led by as many as 18 points at one time, and finished the contest with advantages in assists, 19-15, and turnovers forced, 18-9. Those 18 turnovers directly led to 21 points.
Atlanta shot a robust 51 percent (38-of-74) from the field, and 43 percent (6-of-14) from behind the arc. During one stretch of the second and third quarters, the Hawks shot a blistering 18-of-24 from the field.
Shooting guard Joe Johnson paced the offense with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists, while guard Jamal Crawford added 23. Center Al Horford contributed 16 points and six boards, while power forward Josh Smith had 15 and eight.
Orlando grabbed more rebounds than the Hawks, 40-29, and scored more points in the paint, 48-36. The Magic finished the game by shooting 45 percent (34-of-75) from the field, and 27 percent (6-of-22) from 3-point land.
Center Dwight Howard led all scorers with 46 points and 19 rebounds, becoming the first NBA player with at least 45 points and 15 boards to lose a playoff game since Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon in 1987. Guard Jameer Nelson netted 27 points in the loss, while no other Orlando player reached double digits.
The Magic are just 10-13 when Howard takes 16 shots or more from the field. When the 25-year-old shoots 10 times or less from the field, Orlando maintains a 17-3 ledger. Howard was 16-of-23 from the field in Saturday’s setback, and 14-of-22 from the free-throw line.
Atlanta has seen the ‘under’ go 8-3 its last 11 games overall, and the ‘under’ is also 11-5 the previous 16 road endeavors. Orlando dropped to 2-8 ATS its past 10 home games.
Neither team is reporting any injuries heading into Tuesday’s Game 2.
Tuesday Playoff Tips
By Kevin Rogers
The first round of the playoffs continues Tuesday night with a trio of games as two of the home teams look to go up 2-0. The Hawks pulled off the lone upset on Saturday night as Atlanta tries to steal Game 2 over a stunned Orlando squad. We'll start in Boston as the Knicks will be down their veteran point guard while attempting to split the series at a game apiece.
Knicks at Celtics
Boston stole the series opener, 87-85, thanks to Ray Allen's go-ahead three-pointer in the final seconds. The Celtics failed to cover as six-point favorites, but the defending Eastern Conference champions picked up their fifth win in five tries against the Knicks this season. The trade for Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups from Denver was supposed to put the Knicks over the top, but Anthony converted just one of 11 shots from the floor in the second half, while Billups left the game in the final minute with a strained left knee.
Billups is listed as 'doubtful' for Tuesday's Game 2, which likely opens the door for Toney Douglas to start at point guard for the Knicks. New York has fared well as a road underdog since the blockbuster trade with Denver at the All-Star break by compiling a 7-2 ATS mark following the cover in Game 1. When Billups was out with a quad injury in early March, the Knicks managed a 2-1 ATS mark when getting points on the road, including outright wins at Atlanta and Memphis.
The Knicks blew a 12-point halftime lead in the series opener, but the second half comeback was keyed by Allen and Jermaine O'Neal, who combined to shoot 15 for 21 from the field. Amare Stoudemire paced the Knicks with 28 points and 11 rebounds, but Anthony and Billups tallied just 25 points between them, while going 8 for 29 from the floor. The Knicks almost pulled out the victory despite shooting 42% from the field, as New York got outrebounded, 44-34.
Over the last 21 games, the Celtics have cashed the 'under' 16 times, including Sunday's Game 1 of 197. Adjustments have been made as Tuesday's total is down to 193, as the Knicks are riding a nice 5-1 'under' streak the last six games. Since getting tripped up by the Clippers in early March, the Celtics are 6-3 ATS the previous nine contests at TD Garden.
The Celtics are listed as seven-point favorites, while the total is set at 193, as the game will be televised nationally on TNT.
Hawks at Magic
Orlando was delivered a huge blow in the series opener as the Magic's offense disappeared past Dwight Howard in a 103-93 setback. Howard put up a playoff career-high 46 points, but Atlanta used balanced scoring by shooting 51% from the floor to beat the Magic for the fourth straight time. What's even more impressive is Atlanta snapping a six-game skid entering the playoffs, as it's tough to know which Hawks' team you'll see on a nightly basis.
The Hawks did also exorcise last season's playoff demons against the Magic when Orlando pulled off a four-game sweep in the second round with four blowouts of Atlanta. The Magic held the Hawks to under 100 points in all four games of that series, as Atlanta rebounded with five-players putting up double-figures in Saturday's series opener. The 'over' of 180 ½ was never in doubt, the first time the 'under' hasn't cashed between these two teams in seven meetings.
Orlando went on a nice ATS run down the stretch with four consecutive covers to close out the regular season, but the Magic are just 5-16 ATS the last 21 games. To make matters worse, Stan Van Gundy's club is 1-8 ATS the previous nine opportunities when laying points at home. The Magic have had problems all season scoring against the Magic by getting held to 93 points or less in all five matchups.
After being listed as 8½-point favorites in Game 1, the oddsmakers aren't ready to change things as the Magic are laying the same amount of points in Game 2. The total is set at 183½ at most outfits, while the game can be seen on NBA TV.
Blazers at Mavericks
Dallas was the lone favorite to cover on Saturday night with an 89-81 triumph as five-point 'chalk.' The Mavs won despite shooting 41% from the floor, but Dirk Nowitzki scored a game-high 28 points and Jason Kidd chipped in 24 points to give Dallas its third series opening win in four tries. Meanwhile, the Blazers hit just two of 16 shots from three-point range and needed to rely on Dallas native LaMarcus Aldridge for 27 points, but that wasn't enough for Portland.
The home team improved to 5-0 in this season's series, while the Blazers were limited to less than 100 points in all three losses at American Airlines Center. Portland has won two of its last nine games away from the Rose Garden, including five losses to playoff teams (including the Game 1 defeat at Dallas). Granted, the Blazers picked up a victory at San Antonio on March 28, but the Spurs played without Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili as Portland pulled out an eight-point win.
Since losing four straight games, the Mavs have won five consecutive contests, including four in a row at home. Dallas is helping out backers with a 9-3 ATS mark the previous 12 games as a favorite, while putting together a 5-2 ATS ledger the last seven games as home 'chalk.' Portland owns plenty of players that can score, but the Blazers are 6-2 to the 'under' the last eight games, while getting held to less than 100 points in five of the previous six contests.
The Mavericks are listed as 3½-point favorites in Game 2, while the total is set at 183. The game will be televised nationally on TNT, as Portland tries to get back on track and looks to advance to the second round for the first time since 2000.
vegasinsider.com
NBA Playoff Preview
Billups' strained knee is huge concern for NY squad that led in last 0:15 Sunday, but couldn't finish; Shawne Williams was only Knicks sub with a plus rating in Game 1, so if Billups can't go, that really hurts. Boston is 5-0 against the Knicks this season (2-3 vs spread), winning in this gym by 4-10-2 points; three of the five games went over total. Celtics are just 7-7 in their last 14 games, 3-6-1 in last ten games as a favorite.
Howard/Nelson took 41 of Magic's 75 shots in Game 1; other Orlando players were dismal 8-34 from floor. Atlanta shot 51.4% in upset win at Orlando; they turned ball over only nine times (+9), but were -10 on boards. Hawks won last four games against the Magic and covered last five in series, with four of five staying under total. Magic is 6-13 vs spread in last 19 games as a favorite.
Anytime Jason Kidd goes 6-10 from arc and other side is 2-16, Dallas is going to win. Mavericks won/covered their last five games overall- they covered eight of last ten as a favorite. Home side won all five Portland-Dallas games, with three of five going over total, and Blazers covering four of five games. Portland lost its three visits here by 5-3-8 points. Mavericks had 25-9 scoring advantage from foul line in Game 1.