NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Friday, December 9th, 2016 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Orlando won three of last four games, covered five of last six on road; they’re 8-3 as a road underdog. Under is 9-4 in their last 13 games. Hornets won five of last seven games, are 1-6 vs spread in last seven home games. Over is 5-3-1 in their last nine games. Charlotte won five of last six games with Orlando; over is 6-2 in last eight series games. Magic lost by 8-14 points in last two visits here.
Miami lost its last three games; they’re 3-1-1 vs spread in last five road games, 6-3 as road underdogs. Over is 4-2-1 in their last seven games. Cleveland is 2-0 this week, 9-4 in its last 13 games; they’ve 4-6-1 as home favorites. Over is 7-1 in their last eight games. Home side won last seven Miami-Cleveland games; Heat lost last three visits here, by 20-26-10 points. Over is 3-1 in last four series games played here.
Toronto won six of its last seven games after beating Minnesota last night; they’re 6-3 on road (6-2-1 vs spread). Over is 11-3-1 in their last fifteen games. Celtics are 7-3 in last ten games but lost three of last four at home; they’re 3-6 vs spread at home. Over is 5-2 in their last seven games. Raptors won three of last four games with Boston; Toronto won three of last five visits here (under 3-2).
Atlanta lost seven of last eight games; they lost last five road games, are 2-6 as road underdogs. Under is 12-2 in their last 14 games. Bucks won five of last six games, are 7-4 vs spread in last 11 home games. Three of their last four games stayed under the total. Hawks won seven of last ten games with Milwaukee; under is 6-2 in last eight series games. Atlanta won three of last four visits here.
Pistons won six of last nine games, three of last four on road; they’re 4-9 on road, 0-2 as road favorites. Last three Detroit games stayed under total. Minnesota lost five of last six games, is 0-5 as a home underdog. Over is 4-2 in their last six games. Detroit won its last two games with Minnesota after losing previous eight series games. Under is 4-1 in last five series games played here. Pistons lost four of last five visits here (2-2-1 vs spread).
Houston won four in row, nine of last 11 games; they won/covered five of last six road games. Over is 6-1 in their last seven games. Thunder won/covered its last six games; they’re 9-4 vs spread at home. Over is 6-3 in their last nine home games. Home won eight of last ten Houston-Oklahoma City games; Rockets lost last three visits here, by 8-4-2 points- they covered last seven series games overall. Under is 4-2 in last six series games played here.
Indiana won four of its last six games; they’re 3-2 in their last five road games. Pacers are 1-3 as road favorites. Dallas lost 12 of its last 14 games; they’re 3-6 vs spread as home underdogs. Over is 5-3-1 in their last nine games. Pacers won their last five games with Dallas, winning four of last five visits here, last two by 11-7 points. Five of last six series games went over total.
New York won/covered eight of its last ten games; they’re 3-6 on road, 4-5 vs spread. Over is 5-2-1 in Knicks’ last eight games. Kings lost three of last four games; they’re 4-5 at home, 7-2 vs spread (3-1 as favorite, 4-1 as dog). Three of last four Sacramento games stayed under. Knicks lost four of last five games with Sacramento; they lost last two visits here by 6-2 points. Last three series games stayed under the total.
Phoenix lost five of last six games; they’re 3-10 on road, but 8-4 vs spread as a road underdog. Four of Suns’ last five games went over total. Lakers lost four in row, nine of last 12 games; they’re 1-2-1 as home favorites. Under is 5-2-1 in their last eight games. Lakers beat Phoenix by 11 at home last month, just their second win in last nine series games. Suns won three of last five visits here. Over is 6-2-1 in last nine series games.
Armadillosports.com
Friday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Underdogs cashed in four of six games on Thursday night in the NBA, including outright victories by the Grizzlies, 76ers, and Bulls. Chicago handed San Antonio its first road loss of the season following a 13-0 start on the highway, while Philadelphia pulled off its first away victory in 24 tries at New Orleans. Both Washington and Toronto rallied for home victories, while Golden State held off Utah as 11-point favorites in a seven-point road triumph.
Game of the Night – Rockets (-1, 224) at Thunder
Two of the most dynamic offensive talents in the league meet up in Oklahoma City for an expected shootout. Thunder guard Russell Westbrook has reeled off six consecutive triple-doubles, while leading Oklahoma City (14-8 SU, 12-10 ATS) to six straight wins. In Monday’s 102-99 victory at Atlanta, Westbrook scored 32 points, pulled down 13 rebounds, and dished out 12 assists to pick up his 12th triple-double of the season. The Thunder lost three straight at Chesapeake Energy Arena in mid-November, but have won five of their past six home games, while covering four times.
The second star to keep an eye in Westbrook’s former teammate James Harden, who has helped lead Houston (15-7 SU, 15-7 ATS) to four consecutive victories and second place in the Southwest division behind San Antonio. Harden ranks fourth in the NBA in points per game (28.5), while Westbrook sits in second behind Pelicans’ center Anthony Davis at 31.0 ppg. Both Harden and Westbrook are 1-2 in the NBA in assists per game at a shade over 11 dimes dished out, so it’s hard to call them both ball-hogs.
The Rockets avenged an opening night loss to the Lakers by blasting Los Angeles on Wednesday at Toyota Center, 134-95 to easily cash as 13½-point favorites. Seven Rockets scored in double-figures, led by Eric Gordon’s 26 points off the bench, including eight three-pointers. Houston has played nearly twice as many road games as home games (14 to 8 ), but the Rockets have responded with a 9-5 road mark, including victories at San Antonio and Golden State.
Westbrook and the Thunder held off the Rockets in their first meeting of the season on November 16 in OKC, 105-103. Gordon drilled a meaningless three-pointer at the buzzer to give Houston the cover as 2½-point ‘dogs, as the two teams combined for 33 points in the fourth quarter to keep the game UNDER the total of 218. The Rockets have covered seven consecutive matchups with the Thunder, but Houston has lost its last three trips to Oklahoma City.
Last Stop
The Pacers (11-11 SU, 9-13 ATS) are finally healthy following numerous injuries, including forward Paul George missing seven games. George returned to the lineup for Indiana’s 111-102 victory over the Clippers as 11½-point underdogs this past Sunday, as the Pacers have won two of their last three contests. The most recent win came at Phoenix on Wednesday night, 109-94 as George scored 25 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. The Pacers have struggled off a win this season, going 2-8 SU/ATS in this situation.
Indiana heads to Dallas (4-17 SU, 8-13 ATS) to wrap up a five-game road swing as the Mavericks own the worst record in the Western Conference. Dallas has dropped two in a row since blowing out Chicago, as the Mavericks look to avenge an opening night overtime loss at Indiana, 130-121 as 5½-point road underdogs.
Atlantic Avenue
The top two teams in the Atlantic division meet in Boston as the Celtics host the Raptors. Boston (13-9 SU, 12-10 ATS) will likely be without leading scorer Isaiah Thomas for the second straight game due to a groin injury. The Celtics routed the Magic on Wednesday without Thomas, 117-87 to wrap up their three-game road trip at 2-1. Each of Boston’s last nine victories have come against teams that are currently at .500 or below, as the beat squad record-wise the Celtics have topped this season is the Hornets, who are 13-9.
The Raptors (15-7 SU, 15-6-1 ATS) have won seven of eight games after pulling away from the Timberwolves last night, 124-110 to cash as 9½-point favorites. Toronto has also cleaned up against subpar competition as its best win during this hot streak came at Houston on November 23. Out of the seven losses suffered by the Raptors this season, three defeats came to Cleveland, one to the Clippers, and one to Golden State. Toronto has cashed the OVER in all four opportunities with no rest, as the Raptors have scored at least 115 points in all four of those contests.
Something’s Gotta Give
The Suns and Lakers aren’t exactly competing for the Pacific division title as the two squads meet up at Staples Center for the second time this season. The first time around, Los Angeles pulled away from Phoenix on November 6 by a 119-108 count to cash as 3½-point home favorites. Both these teams are struggling at the moment as the Lakers have lost four straight, while the Suns have dropped five of six. Phoenix owns a solid 9-4 ATS mark as a single-digit underdog, while L.A. is 3-10-1 ATS in the past 13 games overall.
Head-to-head stats
The Hornets captured three of four meetings from the Magic last season as the two Southeast rivals hook up in Charlotte. Since January 2015, Charlotte owns a 5-1 SU record against Orlando, while covering four times.
The home team won all three matchups between the Cavaliers and Heat last season with Miami winning twice in South Florida. However, Friday’s contest is at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland as the Cavaliers have beaten the Heat the last three times at home by double-digits since 2015.
Milwaukee beat Atlanta two of three times last season, with both victories coming in overtime. The Hawks held off the Bucks in the first matchup this season, as Atlanta limited Milwaukee to nine points in the second quarter of a 107-100 victory.
Detroit swept Minnesota in the two-game season series in 2015-16, including a 96-86 triumph at Target Center last November. The Wolves are in a profitable rest spot as Minnesota is 3-1 SU and 4-0 ATS with no rest coming off last night’s loss at Toronto.
Sacramento grabbed four straight meetings with New York from 2014-16 before the Knicks beat the Kings at Madison Square Garden, 106-98 this past Sunday. Three of the last four meetings in Sacramento have been won by the Kings, but two of the victories came by two points or less with the other win coming in overtime.