NBA News and Notes Wednesday 3/3

Memphis (30-30, 32-27-1 ATS) at New Orleans (31-30, 30-30-1 ATS)

Two Southwest Division rivals hoping to get back into the Western Conference playoff race hook up at New Orleans Arena, where the Hornets host the Grizzlies.

Memphis continued its recent inconsistent play with Monday’s 103-93 loss to the Blazers as a 1½-point home underdog. The Grizzlies have now alternated SU wins and losses in their last nine games, but shockingly they’ve won four straight road contests (4-0 ATS) during this stretch. In fact, the road team is a perfect 10-0 in Memphis’ last 10 outings (9-1 ATS). Once one of the top pointspread teams in the NBA, the Grizzlies have failed to cover in 10 of their last 16 games.

New Orleans has dropped four of its last five, including the last two to Southwest Division foes (108-100 loss at Dallas on Sunday, pushing as an eight-point road underdog; 106-92 home loss to San Antonio on Monday as a three-point home pup). Monday’s defeat to the Spurs snapped the Hornets’ three-game SU and ATS home winning streak. Still, they’re 4-2 SU and ATS in their last six at New Orleans Arena.

The Hornets have dominated this divisional rivalry, winning 12 of the last 13 meetings (7-5-1 ATS), including the last three in a row (2-1 ATS). However, both battles this season were nail-biters, with New Orleans prevailing 113-111 as a 3½-point home favorite on Jan. 20 and 109-102 in overtime as a 7½-point road underdog 10 days later. Neither squad has cashed in consecutive meetings in the last eight head-to-head matchups.

Memphis has failed to cover in four of its last five Western Conference contests and six of eight against opponents with a winning record, but it does carry a trio of 4-0 ATS streaks: on the road, on Wednesday and following a SU defeat. The Hornets are on ATS runs of 7-3-1 overall, 6-0-1 after a day off and 5-2 after a non-cover, but they’re also 1-4-1 ATS in their last six against Western Conference foes and 2-5 ATS in their last seven after a double-digit home loss.

The Grizzlies are on “over” runs of 12-5 on the road and 7-3 versus winning teams, while Memphis carries “over” trends of 13-6 overall, 7-3 in Western Conference games, 4-1 against the Southwest Division, 5-2 on Wednesday, 9-2 after a SU defeat and 6-1 following a non-cover. Finally, 13 of the last 16 meetings in this rivalry have hurdled the posted total, including seven of the last eight in the Big Easy.

ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER

Oklahoma City (36-23, 35-24 ATS) at Denver (39-21, 27-29-4 ATS)

The Thunder start a three-game Western Conference road trip with a stop at the Pepsi Center, where the Nuggets will try to put the brakes on a two-game slide in this Northwest Division clash.

Oklahoma City ripped off nine consecutive victories from Jan. 29-Feb. 21, then dropped consecutive games last week to Phoenix at home (104-102) and San Antonio on the road (95-87). But Kevin Durant and Co. have since gotten back on track with three straight home wins over the TWolves (109-92 as a 9½-point home favorite on Friday), Raptors (119-99 as an 8½-point home chalk on Sunday) and Kings (113-107 as a 10 ½-point favorite last night).

With Tuesday’s non-cover, Oklahoma City is now just 2-5 ATS in its last seven games, but it was favored in six of those contests.

Denver followed up Sunday’s 95-89 loss at the Lakers (pushing as a six-point underdog) with Monday’s 101-85 loss at Phoenix (falling way short as a 2½-point underdog). Prior to those two contests, the Nuggets had been held under 90 points just twice in their first 58 games. George Karl’s club is playing .500 ball since Feb. 3, going 6-6 SU (5-5-2 ATS).

Prior to losing at San Antonio last Wednesday, the Thunder had won five straight road games (3-2 ATS). For the season, they’re 17-12 SU and 19-10 ATS on the highway. Meanwhile, the Nuggets – who begin a three-game homestand tonight – have won 25 of 30 contests at the Pepsi Center, but they’re just 15-14-1 ATS.

Oklahoma City has cashed in seven straight meetings with the Nuggets, the first six as an underdog – including a 102-93 loss in Denver as a 10-point pup on Dec. 14. In the rematch on Dec. 29 in Oklahoma, the Thunder cruised 101-84 as a two-point favorite, holding the Nuggets to a season-low point total.

Also in this rivalry, the home team has won the last four meetings in a row, the first three of which were in Denver. The Thunder franchise has lost six straight games at the Pepsi Center (3-3 ATS).

Oklahoma City is on ATS runs of 15-6 on the road, 5-1 as an underdog (all on the road), 10-1 as a ‘dog of five to 10½ points, 7-0 as a road pup in that price range, 5-2 when playing on back-to-back nights and 11-2 versus winning teams. The only negative for the Thunder: They’ve failed to cash in five of six on Wednesday (including last week’s loss at San Antonio).

Denver is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 Wednesday contests and 36-14-2 ATS in its last 52 as a favorite of five to 10½ points, but it has failed to cover in its last four divisional battles (0-2-2 ATS)

The under is on runs of 6-1 for the Thunder in divisional games and 6-2 when Denver is playing on one day of rest. Conversely, Oklahoma City has topped the total in seven of nine against winning teams, five of seven when playing the second night of a back-to-back and 25 of 33 as a ‘dog of five to 10½ points, while the Nuggets sport “over” streaks of 6-2 at home (all as a favorite), 10-4 when laying points anywhere and 8-2 on Wednesday.

Finally, the over is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings between these rivals, including 4-1 in the last five in Denver.

ATS ADVANTAGE: OKLAHOMA CITY and OVER

NBA RoundUp For 3/3
By Dan Bebe

Warriors @ Magic - Orlando by 14.5 with a total of 214.5. My heavens, this is a terribly large spread. I can honestly say that I see zero reason to back a team laying almost 15 points. I apologize to those who want to throw their money at the superior club, but the possibilities for a back door are just too numerous. Believe me, I realize that the Warriors are barely fielding a team, but they were able to hang with the Heat, and even outscored Miami 28-24 in the 4th quarter when the weak, tired team with no bench SHOULD have been buckling. The key for Golden State is to make sure that whatever they do, they do NOT allow the opponent to slow the game. As long as both teams are running, and expending energy only on the offensive end, Golden State can usually muster enough to fight through. However, once the Warriors are forced to slow down and grind through screens, box out, rotate on defense, and all those fundamental basketball concepts that Don Nelson has scrapped for his globetrotters, then they're in trouble. Obviously, the Magic are better than the Heat. But the Warriors are actually 9-4 ATS on back-to-backs for the reasons stated above. They manage to get into an ugly game, and make the opponent play down to them, which also means the 2 bonus points on the spread because of the back-to-back are probably more points than the Warriors should actually get. There is line value with Golden State here, and I lean Warriors. I don't much care for the total, but if I had to take a side, I'd have to go Under, since the Magic, being one of the NBA's elite teams, draw public money on the side and the over, and that inherently means we're at least getting some value on the other side. And yes, the Magic beat the Warriors 126-118 in Oakland earlier this year with a posted mark of 222, so oddsmakers think Golden State might struggle to score against this big, strong opponent.

Sixers @ Hawks - Atlanta by 9 with a total of 198. The first thought in any game where a team is getting 9 points is to try to find a way to back that team, but I'm just not sure that any level of convincing can get me to embrace the Sixers. That's not to say I like the Hawks, because I certainly don't, but Philadelphia is not in any kind of "good" situational spot to deserve our money. Philadelphia is coming off a pathetic home effort against the Magic, and they've lost 6 of their last 8 games straight up. They've only covered 1 of the 5 losses, so they're just 3-5 ATS in that stretch, too. They host the Boston Celtics on Friday, so I don't know what level of motivation we're going to get in this one, especially considering these teams haven't faced one another since late November. Yes, Atlanta beat the living piss out of Philadelphia in the City of Brotherly Love back in that game, but can we legitimately claim that the Sixers are upset about it? I doubt it. Philly is playing without Elton Brand, so they're losing a strong interior presence, and the whole Allen Iverson fiasco has to be wearing on a team of mostly younger players. The Hawks are coming off a very strong rebounding effort against the banged-up Bulls, but can they really duplicate that tonight? No leans on the side for me. The total is interesting in that the Sixers can really try to push the pace, and this number, 198, is the exact same as the last time they met, over 3 months ago, which went under. I'm not convinced of either side, but with both teams playing some high scoring games, I actually like the Under, but only just a tad.

Cavaliers @ Nets - Cleveland by 10.5 with a total of 197. I really don't much like this match-up, as I feel like the Nets have zero home court advantage, but the line is just too many points to lay with any road team, ever. I really wish there was some strong angle on either side of this game that would point us towards a team with an edge, but there just isn't. Obviously, the team getting 10.5 points is the place you have to start; that's just common sense. However, a quick look at the Nets recent stretch of games shows that they're 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games, and 5-0-1 or a perfect 6-0 ATS in their last 6 road games, depending on what line you got. No, this doesn't tell us that the Nets are GOOD on the road! All it tells us is that the 2,500 fans that "pack" the Nets home arena on a nightly basis are not providing a home court advantage, so when the line swings 3 points to a neutral court, and 3 more points to the Nets abode, those are 6 points the Nets desperately need back. If we look at the last 3 home losses, by 10 to the Grizzlies, 9 to the Blazers and 4 to the Wizards, the Nets were underdogs of 6, 8 and 1 in those 3 games. That means they missed the cover by 4, 1 and 3 in those contests, which basically tells us that if the Nets are treated like they're playing at a neutral site, those 3 losses would be 1 win, 1 loss and 1 push - how's that for fun with numbers. And that's how it has to be. We have to assume that, for now, the Nets are 3 points outside the value at home, then compute from there. Against low and mid-tier teams, they're a great home fade, but against a marquee club like Cleveland, 1 to 2 of those 3 points are coming back because of public perception. Thus, I hate the sides in this game and have no lean. As for the total, though, books adjusted hard on the previous meeting, which saw a combined 201 points on a posted total of 189. I happen to believe the books overcompensated. Both teams shot over 50% in that game, and I don't think Jersey can pull that feat off again. I lean Under.

Bobcats @ Celtics - This line is OFF. This series has been absolutely, positively dominated by the Celtics so far this year, and they have beaten the Bobcats so thoroughly that I needed to check Charlotte's dental records to make sure it was actually them. Boston beat them 92-59 in Boston back in the season's first week, and then went into Charlotte in early December and beat 'em 108-90. So, the first point is that Charlotte is going to have some revenge. I know it was a while back, but you can't get trounced that hard by a team and not have some extra energy when you finally get a chance to tackle them again. I also happen to LIKE the fact that this game is being played in Boston, because the Celtics are sure to be a favorite, which means they not only need to win, but they need to win without needing a last second bucket. Boston is just 4-7 ATS on back-to-back situations, so they have not been strong, and a lot of that can be traced back to the fact that they score just 94.8 ppg in these spots, while averaging almost 99 ppg on the season, so those back-to-back, slow, clunkers are dragging that season average down quite a bit. Boston is 6-20 ATS at home, so that's not going to help the situation, and they're just 8-19 ATS against teams with a losing record, which the Bobcats just barely claim at 28-30. I simply have to lean to Charlotte. I also think Boston's methodical, somewhat boring pace in back-to-back games will force this one Under whatever low total we're dealt.

Pistons @ Knicks - New York by 3.5 with a total of 204.5. This game has some interesting angles going on, and MOST of them point to the Knicks, but not necessarily all. The first angle is the obvious one, with the Knicks coming off an hideous performance in Cleveland, getting down by close to 40 points before finally losing that game 124-93. It doesn't get a whole lot uglier than that! You guys know how I feel about teams coming off huge losses, and this game fits that criteria in that it wasn't just a big loss, but it was a loss that a lot of people saw or heard about because it came against Lebron. It's a loss that makes the betting public lose all confidence in a team, and that's the kind I like. Another interesting angle is that the Pistons are on back-to-back yet AGAIN. They are playing just a ton of games these days, playing on the 23rd, 24th, 26th, 27th, 2nd and now the 3rd. That's 6 games in 9 days, basically the most brutal stretch of basketball that any team will play all season. We have seen lately, that the Pistons are not very strong on back-to-back spots, losing all 3 back-to-back games since the All Star Break, and failing to cover all 3. Two of those three have gone under the posted total, too, though Detroit is generally a fairly break even O/U team in back-to-back spots. The final angle favoring New York is that Detroit is coming off a tough game with the Celtics, and teams on back-to-back after playing high emotion games generally suffer a slight letdown. There is one angle favoring Detroit, though, and that's revenge. The Knicks are 2-1 against the Pistons this year, and if Detroit wants to split the season series, they need this road game. Still, I think New York gets it done, as I see the Knicks winning by 5-7. The total on this game is also higher than any previous posted total for these 2 teams this season, and higher than any final total, as well. This looks like another oddsmaker hint, and I lean Over.

Wizards @ Bucks - Milwaukee by 10 with a total of 193.5. I mostly steer clear of these double-digit spreads, as you guys have seen. There are just better values on the board. Still, we can at least take a look at the angles and trends and see if anything stands out as odd. These are two of the hottest teams that most folks didn't capitalize on. The Wizards ran off 6 straight covers, lost 2, but got back on the winning side with a nice road win over the lowly Nets. The Bucks have just been unbelievably good since mid-January, and I know I've used that phrasing quite often, but today I'm going to do the grunt work and find out exactly how amazing Milwaukee has been. Milwaukee is 17-3-1 in their last 21 games! Took me a minute, but I counted them up, and courtesy of that unreal ATS streak, the Bucks are 37-21 ATS on the season. Now, believe it or not, the Bucks are on double-revenge in this game. Washington beat Milwaukee twice back in December, though let's be fair, that was a vastly different Wizards team, so it's tough to call it revenge of any kind. Unfortunately, it's an angle like that one that makes it almost impossible for me to back the road team, here. Milwaukee actually has the motivational edge, but 10 is WAY too many points for the Bucks to be laying. They're playing great basketball, but they're not strong enough to be double-digit'ing teams. No leans on the side. The total intrigues me, as I think the Bucks actually prefer a slower game, if they can get their opponent to play that way. The Wizards are athletic, but they're not scorers, and I could really see this one being decided in the low 90's. I lean Under.

Grizzlies @ Hornets - New Orleans by 2 with a total of 203. Did you ever think we'd see the Hornets as a 2 point home favorite over the Grizzlies this year with Chris Paul on the shelf? I know I didn't, but here we are. The Hornets are playing better basketball than Memphis, dictating the tempo in almost every game they play, and clearly have more confidence than a Grizzlies team that is really struggling trying to make that leap into playoff contention. Interestingly, though, Memphis has been pretty tough on the road lately, while laying egg after egg at home. It's inexplicable, really, unless we argue that the Grizzlies get a little performance anxiety at home, lumping too much pressure on themselves to succeed and instead playing tight and confused. Then, they go on the road, play loose, and get the win. This is going to be a test, though, as the Grizzlies last 3 road wins have come against Jersey, Washington and New York, the true dregs of the NBA. On the other side, the Hornets have failed to cover 2 straight for the first time since February 3rd and 5th, and I wonder if they're tiring just a bit. Darren Collison is playing HUGE minutes these days, and they've done a great job of keeping their collective head above water with Paul out. It's really a wonder that New Orleans is 31-30; very impressive. In terms of meetings this year, the Hornets beat Memphis twice in the span of 10 days in late January. So, New Orleans has some ownage on Memphis, and I just wonder if the double-revenge is more important than the relative hotness of both teams. I think this is going to be a close game, which makes me hesitant to take a side, but I have to like Hornets to get another win over the Grizz. Also, believe it or not, I like the Under, since I think the Hornets might have tapped out on that "hey, we're a fast break team now" value on overs.

Wolves @ Mavericks - Dallas by 13.5 with a total of 201.5. This isn't a particularly good or bad spot for either team, which means what class? That's right - start with the huge dog, and see if there are any good reasons to switch over to the fave. Well, Minnesota is coming off getting clobbered in Oklahoma City, then getting clobbered again at home by the Blazers. So, I'm hesitant to back Minnesota, since they happen to be a pretty streaky team, usually winning and losing in bunches. After an ATS win, the Wolves are 17-14 ATS, and after a loss they are 13-16 ATS, indications that the Wolves' value tends to fluctuate in small waves depending on how hot they are. And right now, unfortunately, they're in a funk. The strong defense from both the Thunder and Blazers have worn down the Wolves, and with Minnesota in a 4 in 5 nights spot, they never got the car started. Now, they got 3 days of rest to catch up on some sleep, but that hasn't really changed much for the Wolves this year. They're just 2-3 ATS on 3+ nights of rest, and again I turn to the note that they play in waves, and when they're down, you're playing with fire trying to predict when they get it turned around. Final note here is that Minnesota actually beat Dallas outright here in Dallas back on February 5th atoning for a home loss to the Mavs way back in November. Let's be frank, 13.5 points is too many to lay, so we're not playing the Mavs, but with the Wolves in a deep slump, I'm not sure we can back Minnesota either, especially with Al Jefferson suspended for a DUI. Once again guys, no real lean on the side. The total of just 201 is intriguing, as Dallas has been playing much better defense, the Wolves are struggling to score, and despite the last meeting hitting 225 on a posted mark of 205, this total came out lower. I lean Under.

Kings @ Rockets - This line is OFF. I honestly can't believe oddsmakers are unwilling to put a line out on a game because of Trevor Ariza, but whatever. Houston is coming off killing the Bosh-less, and hapless, Toronto Raptors, and after this game with the Kings, they go out for 3 road games. Houston is in a decent spot, in that they're relatively well-rested, but at the same time, they're just not that good of a team. They got smaller, believe it or not, in that trade for Kevin Martin, and while wins over San Antonio and Toronto might look somewhat impressive, I am far from convinced that the Rockets should be taken seriously. In addition, the Kings have been rock solid ATS against Houston, going 8-1 ATS over the last 3 years against the Rockets. Maybe it's the Rick Adelman factor, and the guys in Sacramento know what to expect, but Sacramento just gears up to play Houston tough, and to me, they're a very tough trigger to pull. Sacramento, on the other hand, actually looks like a decent ATS play right now. They played like complete and utter manure for about 2 solid months, but I strongly believe dumping Kevin Martin on their opponent in this one was the best move they could have possibly made. Picking up Carl Landry was nice, as well, as his odd-size skills make him a very tough guard. He should probably be a 6th man, but Sactown takes what Sactown can get. Unfortunately, the Kings are a miserable 4-9 ATS on back-to-backs, so this is definitely a fatigue spot, especially coming off a hard-fought 6-point loss (and cover) in Oklahoma. I think Sacramento will be getting a nice chunk of points, so I do lean in their direction, but there's almost no chance I back a team running at less than 33% covers on back-to-backs. This one has the chance to be pretty high-scoring, as Houston will always try to run, and I think the exes on both sides are going to try to get theirs - I lean slightly to the Over.

Thunder @ Nuggets - Denver by 6 with a total of 207. This line doesn't make a ton of sense to me. The Thunder are on a back-to-back and traveling into altitude (albeit, not from the West Coast, so they might actually get a half-decent night of rest), yet the Nuggets are just 6 point favorites. Very rarely do we see a situation where the marquee team appears to be the value, and if this was a road game, I'd be extra suspicious, but I wonder if the Thunder have truly "arrived." Could it be that the Nuggets are only 1 point better than the Thunder on a neutral court? Something feels odd about this one. These teams have played twice this season, with both home teams taking care of business. That being said, the Nuggets played two ugly, ugly games, and still managed to come away with a home win somehow. Both teams get to the foul line and make their free throws, so no huge advantage there, though the Nuggets might get to the line just a little more often. I suppose this line is a little more attractive than usual because Denver is coming off losses to both the Lakers and Suns, but they are a completely different team at home than on the road, and while the Thunder are rolling along to the tune of 3 straight wins (2 blowouts in there), I wonder if oddsmakers are underestimating how tough this spot is going to be for the Thunder. I hate to say it, but I lean to the Nuggets at home. More than the Nuggets, though, I like the Over. The Nuggets are coming off a 35-point under in Phoenix, so the public is going to be disenchanted with the Over, at least a little more than usual. The real reason this total looks so interesting, though, is that the posted mark of 207 is actually 12 and 22 points higher than the two previous actual totals in this series. What's the line doing so high? That's right, the oddsmaker hint returns.

Pacers @ Blazers - Portland by 9 with a total of 201.5. This is a bad spot for Indiana, and potentially a worse spot for Portland. We may be looking at a lesser of two evils situation. The Pacers are playing a back-to-back, and are 8-8 ATS in such spots, but at 26-32 are still one of the weakest ATS plays in the East. They are coming off getting blown out by the Lakers, falling behind by as many as 30 before losing by the eventual margin of 23 points. There's something to be said for Indiana getting crushed on the first half of this back-to-back, though. It creates some positive line value, as this will likely shift to Portland by 9.5 before we really get an idea of which side people are betting just based on Indiana's performance in LA last night. Also, the Pacers are 4-1 ATS when the back-to-backs are both on the road, kind of a weird stat and not one I can truly explain with such a small sample size. Portland beat Indiana by 11 back in December in the Midwest, so I'm not sure it's a revenge spot, truly, but certainly this isn't a team the Blazers are going to take all that seriously, especially in this trademark "first game home" spot. The Blazers are coming home off a wildly successful 4-1 road trip (SU and ATS), but those 5 road games came in the span of 7 days. That seems like it should have drained the life out of Portland, but it didn't, somehow. Unfortunately for Portland, it always catches up eventually, and when a team gets home off a long road trip and settles back into family life, that's when a little nap can quickly turn into a 2-day mental lapse. This is a bad spot for Portland, who plays Denver in their next game, and I lean Pacers. This total might look pretty high, but the Blazers broke 100 in all 5 road games, and I see no reason why they won't do it again against the Pacers pathetic defense. I suppose my concern is that Portland tries to slow things down at home -- they are very much an "under" team at home, and an "over" team on the road, so I wouldn't go nuts with this total. I happen to think it's pretty accurate, especially if the Pacers lay down offensively. No lean on the total.

Suns @ Clippers - Phoenix by 3.5 with a total of 211. Phoenix has really been one of those teams that the Clippers just can't solve. I know, laugh it up, but it's true. The Clippers have intermittent success against most of the NBA, stealing a win here and there, and while they have found ways to barely cover a few times against Phoenix, the Suns 10-1 straight up run against the Clips is pretty close to total domination. But what about ATS? Well, this year, the teams have met 3 times and the Suns have won all 3 straight up, covering the 2 home games, but missing the cover on the road by a single point. The interesting part about the 3 previous meetings, though, is that there was NO defense, at all. The first game was a Phoenix 109-107 road win on October 28, long before anyone had developed any real offensive rhythm or continuity. Hell Phoenix took just 80 shots in that game, but both teams shot over 50%. The next meeting took place on Christmas, and the Suns took that one 124-93, shooting 54% from the field. The third meeting was last week, and the Clippers came to Phoenix and lost 125-112, with the Suns shooting 57% and the Clippers right around 48%. I find it extremely interesting that that game cleared the posted total of 209 by 18 points and books only adjusted by 2. Something tells me this posted total is pretty accurate, and I actually lean to the Under. On the side, it's a tough one. Phoenix is certainly the "easy" play, but they're coming off a huge home win over the Nuggets and host Utah tomorrow. This is the classic sandwich game, and I wouldn't be surprised if Phoenix won by 2 or 3 and failed to cover. I lean Clip show.

Trend Report - Wednesday
By Ed Meyer

Wizards at Bucks – The Wizards are 7-0 ATS (16.9 ppg) since December 03, 2004 on the road with at least one day of rest after a win as a favorite when their opponent is off an overtime game. The Bucks are 7-0 ATS (9.7 ppg) since January 02, 2001 with two or more days of rest off a loss that broke at least a four-game winning streak.

Bobcats at Celtics – The Bobcats are 7-0-1 ATS (8.9 ppg) since November 04, 2005 with at most one day of rest off a loss in which they led by led by double digits at the half. The Bobcats are 0-6 ATS (-5.8 ppg) since November 20, 2009 after a game in which they were whistled for fewer than 15 personal fouls.

Suns at Clippers – The Suns are 8-0 ATS (4.5 ppg) since January 15, 2007 after winning the previous matchup in which Steve Nash shot worse than 33% from the field. The Clippers are 0-6 ATS (-8.4 ppg) since January 25, 2007 at home after a win in which they blocked at least 10 shots.

76ers at Hawks – The 76ers are 9-0 ATS (8.2 ppg) since November 14, 2009 on the road after a game in which their opponent shot at least ten three-pointers and made at least half of them. The 76ers are 7-0-1 ATS (7.6 ppg) since April 15, 2007 on the road after a double digit home loss in which they allowed at least 50% from the field. The Hawks are 11-0 ATS (11.3 ppg) since April 10, 2004 after playing on the road against the Bulls. The Hawks are 10-0-1 ATS (6.7 ppg) since February 25, 2009 when facing a team they beat in their previous same-season match-up and they have a revenge game next next.

Grizzlies at Hornets – The Grizzlies are 9-0-1 ATS (7.0 ppg) since November 03, 2006 with at most one day of rest off a home loss in which they led by 10+ points. The Grizzlies are 7-0 ATS (9.1 ppg) since January 31, 2001 on the road with at least one day of rest after a game at home in which they has more than 10 refereed turnovers.

Pistons at Knicks – The Knicks are 0-7 ATS (-17.5 ppg) since December 30, 2009 with at most one day of rest after a game in which they had an assist to turnover ratio of at least two.

Warriors at Magic – The Magic are 0-7 ATS (-9.2 ppg) since April 01, 2009 when they won and covered as a favorite in each of their last two games. The Magic are 6-0 ATS (6.3 ppg) since March 31, 1996 at home with at most one day of rest after a double digit road win in which their DPS was at least plus 15 points.

Timberwolves at Mavericks – The Timberwolves are 7-0 ATS (8.1 ppg) since January 07, 2006 on the road versus the Mavericks. The Mavericks are 0-8-1 ATS (-10.9 ppg) since November 23, 2007 with at least one day of rest after a road win in which the percentage of their baskets that were assisted was at least ten percentage points lower than their season-to-date average. The Mavericks are 0-7 ATS (-10.5 ppg) since April 13, 2006 when seeking revenge for a home loss in which they allowed at least 50% shooting from the field.

Cavaliers at Nets – The Cavaliers are 7-0 ATS (10.1 ppg) since December 06, 2008 on the road with at most one day of rest after a double digit win in which they scored less than 15% of their points from the free throw line. The Nets are 0-9 ATS (-12.1 ppg) since November 04, 2009 at home after a loss in which they shot less than 40% from the field. The League is 8-0 ATS (8.6 ppg) since November 14, 2008 at home with two or more days of rest off a loss as a home dog in which they led by 10+ points.

Thunder at Nuggets – The Thunder are 5-0-1 ATS (4.3 ppg) since January 02, 2009 versus the Nuggets. The Nuggets are 6-0 ATS (11.5 ppg) since February 27, 2009 when seeking revenge for a double-digit road loss.

Kings at Rockets – The Kings are 0-5 ATS (-9.3 ppg) since January 15, 2010 on the road when facing a team they lost to in their previous same-season match-up. The Rockets are 0-7 ATS (-8.9 ppg) since April 08, 2003 at home after a game at home in which they had at least ten more assists than in the game before. The Rockets are 0-7 ATS (-11.2 ppg) since November 09, 2008 with at most one day of rest off a win in which they never trailed.

Pacers at Trailblazers – The Pacers are 8-0 ATS (10.6 ppg) since January 23, 2002 on the road when seeking revenge for a loss as a dog in which fewer than 50% of their baskets were assisted. The Trailblazers are 0-7 ATS (-8.0 ppg) since December 20, 2002 with at least one day of rest off a win as an away favorite in which they trailed by 10+ points.