Tuesday NBA Gameday
Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics hit the road to take on the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night. Here's a look at that matchup and three others in your NBA Gameday:
New Orleans Hornets at Orlando Magic
The Hornets are hanging tough in the West standings, and they'll continue their quest for first place in the conference when they play in Orlando on Tuesday. Chris Paul and company have won six of their past seven games (falling to Boston), and they're coming off a 118-111 win over Toronto on Sunday. Paul had 20 points and 16 assists that day.
The Magic have lost three of their past five contests, but with first place in their division and third place in the East basically locked up they don't have much to play for down the stretch. Orlando was last in action on Friday night, when they beat the Bucks 103-86. Dwight Howard picked up 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic in that victory.
Philadelphia 76ers at New Jersey Nets
The Sixers could end up finishing as high as fourth or fifth in the Eastern Conference standings thanks to a hot month of March. Philadelphia just played division-rival New Jersey back on March 22, and they pulled off a 91-87 win in that contest. Andre Iguodala was good for 28 points on the night, while Andre Miller contributed 21 points.
The Nets are trying to chase down the Hawks for the eighth and final playoff berth in the East, but they've hurt their chances with four losses over their past six games. New Jersey was beaten 110-104 at home by the Suns in their last game on Saturday, with Vince Carter tossing in 32 points in the defeat. Richard Jefferson picked up 20 points.
Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs
The Warriors are fighting with the Nuggets for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference, and one of those teams could be on the sidelines when the postseason begins despite a strong record. Golden State will get a tough test Tuesday, when they take on San Antonio. However, the Warriors did get past the Spurs 130-121 in January.
San Antonio won their seventh game in a row on Sunday, as they topped the Rockets 109-88. That hot stretch has kept the Spurs up with the Hornets and the Rockets in the Southwest Division standings. Tony Parker and Michael Finley each scored 22 points in the Spurs' win over Houston on Sunday, while Tim Duncan tossed in 13 points that day.
Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls
The Celtics lost just three times in the month of March (to the Jazz, Hornets, and Sixers), and it doesn't look like the Pistons are going to be able to catch them for top spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston embarrassed the Heat 88-62 on Sunday, with Leon Powe scoring a team-high 17 points in that win. Garnett was good for 12 points.
The Bulls have lost four of their past six games as they sit with the rest of the dregs in the lower half of the East's standings. Chicago, however, did manage to pick up a 114-111 win over the Bucks on Saturday, with Joakim Noah scoring 18 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in that contest. Larry Hughes poured in a team-high 19 points on that day.
New Orleans (50-22, 45-26-1 ATS) at Orlando (47-27, 45-27-2 ATS)
The Hornets resume their six-game, nine-day road trip in Orlando when they take on the playoff-bound Magic.
New Orleans beat Toronto 118-111 as a 2½-point favorite on Sunday to improve to 6-1 SU and ATS in its last seven games, with the only setback coming on Friday in Boston. Going back even further, the Hornets are on a 13-4 SU and ATS run, and the winner has covered the spread in each of New Orleans’ last 21 games.
Orlando has stumbled a bit over the last two weeks, going 2-3 SU and ATS, though the Magic did crush Milwaukee 103-86 as a nine-point road chalk in its most recent game on Friday. Going back to mid-February, Stan Van Gundy’s squad is on a 15-6 SU run, but it has followed a 10-3 ATS run by going just 3-4-1 ATS in its last seven.
The Magic scored a mild upset over the Hornets in New Orleans on Nov. 19, winning 95-88 as a one-point road underdog. That extended a noticeable trend in which the underdog has cashed in eight consecutive meetings between these squads. What’s more, the road team is 19-7 ATS in the last 26 meetings, with the Hornets cashing in five straight trips to Orlando.
New Orleans has been sensational on the road going back to last year, posting a 28-13-1 ATS mark in the last 42 as a visitor. The Hornets are on further positive ATS streaks of 35-16 overall, 37-18-2 versus the Eastern Conference, 13-5 against the Southeast Division and 5-0 on Tuesdays.
Orlando is on a 9-3-1 ATS roll at Amway Arena, though it has lost two of its last three outright on its home floor. The Magic are also 4-1 ATS in their last five Tuesday outings.
The under is 7-1 in the last eight series meetings, with neither teams scoring more than 98 points in any of those eight contests. However, the over is 7-3-1 in the last 11 clashes at Amway Arena, 5-0 in New Orleans’ last five overall, 6-0 in its last six on the highway, 8-0-1 in its last nine against the Eastern Conference and 6-1-1 in its last eight on Tuesdays.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NEW ORLEANS and UNDER
Golden State (45-28, 33-40 ATS) at San Antonio (51-23, 34-38-2 ATS)
The Warriors continue their playoff push in a most difficult place, as they visit the streaking Spurs at the AT&T Center.
Golden State, which tips off a four-game Southwest Division road trip tonight, pulled away late on Sunday to knock off the Mavericks 114-104, covering as a five-point home chalk. The Warriors have cashed in three straight games and five of their last seven, but they’ve alternated SU wins and losses in their last 11 contests and haven’t won back-to-back games since a three-game winning streak in early March.
San Antonio rolls into this contest on a seven-game winning steak (6-1 ATS). The most impressive victory during the run came on Sunday at home, as the Spurs hammered the Rockets 109-88 as a 6½-point chalk.
Golden State has taken the first two meetings in this rivalry, both at home, prevailing 96-84 as a 2½-point favorite on Dec. 11 and 130-121 in overtime as a 1½-point chalk on Jan. 7. The host has won seven of the last eight in this series (6-2 ATS), and the favorite is 5-0 ATS in the last five. Finally, Golden State is just 1-7 ATS in its last eight trips to San Antonio.
The Spurs are 11-1 in their last 12 home games (6-5-1 ATS), including four straight wins (3-1 ATS) in the last four. Additionally, San Antonio is 4-1 ATS in its last five against the Western Conference and 4-0 ATS in its last four when playing on one day of rest.
Going back to New Year’s Eve, the Warriors have split their last 18 road games, but they’re 6-3 ATS in their last nine as a visitor. Also, Golden State is on ATS streaks of 4-1 against the West and 13-5 against the Southwest Division, but it is only 1-5 ATS in its last six on Tuesdays.
The over is 6-1 in the last seven series clashes overall and 4-1 in the last five battles at the AT&T Center. Also, the over is on streaks of 5-2 for San Antonio at home, 9-2 for the Warriors vs. the Southwest Division and 16-5-1 for the Warriors after a SU win. However, Golden State has stayed low in each of its last four road contests.
ATS ADVANTAGE: SAN ANTONIO and OVER
Denver (45-29, 40-34 ATS) at Phoenix (50-24, 35-36-3 ATS)
One night after a wild up-and-down affair in Phoenix, the Suns and Nuggets lace ‘em against each other once again, this time at the Pepsi Center in Denver in a key Western Conference clash
It was a tale of two halves in the desert on Monday night, as the Suns rallied from a 70-51 halftime hole and outscored Denver 81-47 over the final 24 minutes of action to secure a 132-117 victory and easily cover as a 5½-point home chalk. The Suns are on a 10-2 run, going 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12. Phoenix is playing on the road for the seventh time in its last nine games, going 4-2 in the previous six (2-3-1 ATS).
Denver had a five-game winning streak snapped with last night’s defeat, but despite the setback, George Karl’s club is 12-6 in its last 18 games and 11-4 ATS in its last 15 outings.
The home team is now on a 9-2 SU and ATS run in this rivalry, with the host taking the first three meetings this season. The last five head-to head clashes have been decided by margins of 15, 24, 17, 22 and 13 points, with the home club going 5-0 SU and ATS. In fact, the host has cashed in each of the last seven battles, and Phoenix is 1-4 ATS in its last five visits to the Pepsi Center.
Denver has been outstanding on its home floor this year, going 30-7 SU and 23-14 ATS. That includes an ongoing eight-game home winning streak (6-2 ATS). The Nuggets are also 5-2 ATS in their last seven against the Western Conference, but they’re just 1-6 ATS in their last seven against the Pacific Division and 1-4 ATS in their last five on Tuesdays.
The Suns are on ATS streaks of 7-0-1 against the West and 6-0 on Tuesdays, but they’re still only 5-9-1 ATS in their last 15 against the Northwest Division.
The under is 10-5 in Phoenix’s last 14 games against the Northwest Division. However, for Denver, the over is on streaks of 21-8 overall, 11-4 against the Western Conference, 9-4 when playing on back-to-back nights, 10-3 at home and 6-1 on Tuesdays. Also, each of the last five series meetings have topped the total, with the lowest-scoring of the bunch being a 233-point affair.
ATS ADVANTAGE: DENVER and OVER
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