Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Friday 4/5/19
San Antonio is 3-5 in its last eight games (1-7 vs spread); they’re 3-5 vs spread in last eight road games. Under is 13-4 in their last 17 games. Washington lost seven of its last nine games; they’re 2-4 vs spread in last six home games. Three of their last four games went over. Home side won eight of last nine Spur-Wizard games; San Antonio is 2-3 vs spread in its last five visits to Washington. Five of last six series games went over.
Toronto won its last five games, covered last four; they’re 6-2 vs spread in last eight road games. Five of their last seven road games went over. Charlotte lost three of its last four games; they covered their last three home games. Last three Hornet games stayed under. Raptors won five of their last six games with the Hornets; they covered three of their last four visits to Charlotte. Six of last seven series games went over.
Hawks won five of their last seven games; since All-Star break, they’re 16-5 vs spread. Five of their last seven games went over. Orlando won eight of its last ten games; they covered four of their last five home games. Over is 5-1-1 in their last seven games. Magic won six of last eight games with Atlanta; four of last five series games played here went under the total. Hawks are 2-3 vs spread in last five visits to Orlando.
Knicks lost 15 of their last 17 games; they’re 2-4 vs spread in last six road games. Under is 10-5 in their last 15 games. Houston won six of its last seven games; they’re 3-0-1 vs spread in last four home games. Under is 14-3 in their last 17 games. Rockets won their last six games with New York, but Knicks covered three of last four. NY covered its last five visits to Houston. Six of last eight series games went over.
Boston won four of its last five games; they’re 2-3-1 vs spread in last six road games. Over is 9-4 in their last 13 games. Indiana won its last two games after a 1-7 skid; they’re 4-2 vs spread in last six home games. Three of their last four games went over. Celtics won seven of last ten games with the Pacers; they’re 3-2 vs spread in last five visits to Indiana. Six of last nine series games went over.
Miami is 3-4 in its last seven games; they’re 9-1 vs spread in last 10 road games. Six of their last seven games stayed under. Timberwolves lost eight of last 11 games, are 1-6 vs spread in last seven home games. Under is 7-3 in their last ten games. Road team won six of last seven Miami-Minnesota games; Heat covered their last four games in the Twin Cities. Four of last five series games went over.
Pistons lost five of their last seven games; they’re 4-1 vs spread in last five road games. Four of their last six road games went over. Oklahoma City lost seven of its last ten games; they’re 2-5 vs spread in last seven home games. Last six OKC games stayed under. Thunder won three of last four games with Detroit; eight of last nine series games stayed under the total. Pistons are 3-2 vs spread in last five visits to Oklahoma.
Grizzlies lost seven of their last ten games, are 2-4 vs spread in last six road games. Four of their last six games stayed under. Mavericks lost six of their last nine games, are 1-5 vs spread in last six home games. Six of their last seven games stayed under the total. Memphis/Dallas split their last ten games; last five series games stayed under. Grizzlies are 2-3 vs spread in their last five visits to Dallas.
Kings are 9-9 in their last 18 gams; they’re 3-4-1 vs spread in last eight road games. Six of their last nine games stayed under. Utah won six in row, 11 of last 12 games; they’re 3-7 vs spread in last ten home games. Five of their last six games stayed under. Jazz won seven of last eight games with Sacramento; five of last six series games went over total. Kings covered their last three visits to Salt Lake City.
New Orleans lost 11 of its last 13 games; they covered four of last five road games. Over is 7-4 in their last 11 games. Suns lost seven of their last eight games; they’re 1-6 vs spread in last seven home games. Three of their last four games went over. Pelicans won eight of their last nine games with Phoenix; they covered their last five trips to the desert. Four of last five series games went over.
Cavaliers lost six of their last seven games, are 3-4 vs spread in last seven road games. Over is 8-2 in their last ten games. Warriors won seven of their last nine games, are 4-3 vs spread in last seven home games. Under is 14-3 in their last 17 games. Golden State won its last eight games with Cleveland, covering six of last seven; Cavaliers are 2-2 vs spread in last four visits to Oakland. Over is 6-4 in last ten series games.
Lakers lost their last two games by 16-18 points; they covered three of last four games at Staples. Seven of their last nine games stayed under. Clippers won eight of their last ten games, are 3-1 vs spread in last four games at Staples. Eight of their last ten games went over. Clippers won eight of last ten games with the Lakers, covering seven of the 10 games. Under is 5-4-1 in last ten series games.
Portland won eight of its last nine games; they’re 11-3 vs spread in last 14 road games. Three of their last four games stayed under. Denver split its last eight games; they’re 1-4 vs spread in last five home games. Under is 20-2-2 in their last 24 games. Nuggets won their last five games with Portland; four of last six series games stayed under. Blazers are 2-2-1 vs spread in last five visits to Denver.
With 26 teams in action around the Association on this Friday, April 5, 2019, there is plenty of picks and markets to choose from, and the bettors will have a large homework to do. We bring you all need-to-know betting trends and notes to help you make the best wagers tonight.
Featured game: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers
The Lakers (35-43; 32-45-1 ATS) and the Clippers (47-32; 45-33-1 ATS) will meet one more time this season, and the Clippers lead the series 2-1, winning two times when they were officially listed as visitors at Staples Center. The Clippers are 7-2 straight up and 6-3 ATS in their last nine meetings with the Lakers, while the Clippers are 11-2 straight up and 8-5 ATS in the previous 13 H2H duels as hosts. The Clippers opened as 8.5-point favorites on this one with the Lakers at +315 money line odds.
The Lakers are 6-14 straight up and ATS in their last 20 outings. They are 2-11 straight up and 3-10 ATS in the last 13 games away from the home court, while the Lakers are 3-7 straight up and ATS in their previous ten encounters with the Western Conference. On the other side, the Clippers are 15-5 straight up and 13-6-1 ATS in their last 20 games overall. They are 10-2 straight up and 8-4 ATS in the last 12 outings at home, while the Clippers are 8-4 straight up and 9-3 ATS in their previous 12 meetings with the Western Conference.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic (39-40; 42-36-1 ATS) is holding the No. 8 seed in the East at the moment, just half a game ahead of Miami, so the victory over the Atlanta Hawks (29-50; 41-38 ATS) is a must. Orlando is 3-0 straight up and ATS against Atlanta this season and 9-4 straight up and 8-5 ATS in its previous 13 meetings with the Hawks. Also, the Magic is 5-1 straight up and 4-2 ATS in the last six head-to-head duels in Florida. Orlando opened as an 8.5-point favorite with the total at 226.5 points, and the under is 5-1 in the previous six H2H tilts at Amway Center.
The Magic is 8-2 straight up and 7-3 ATS in its last ten outings. Orlando is 8-0 straight up and 6-2 ATS in its last eight games on the home court and 5-3 straight up and ATS in its previous eight home encounters with the Southeast Division. The Hawks are 5-5 straight up and 7-3 ATS in their last ten outings. They are 2-5 straight up and 6-1 ATS in the last seven showings on the road, while the Hawks are 1-4 straight up and 2-3 ATS in their previous five road meetings with the Southeast Division.
Miami Heat vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Miami Heat (38-40; 42-35-1 ATS) is in a must-win situation, sitting at the 9th spot of the Eastern Conference table half a game behind the No. 8 seed. The Heat lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves (35-43; 37-41 ATS) 113-104 as 4-point favorites in their first meeting of the season, while Miami is 13-7 straight up and 13-6-1 in its last 20 encounters with the T-Wolves. Miami opened as a 2-point fave on this one with the total at 217.5 points, and the over is 4-1 in the previous five H2H duels.
Miami is 6-4 straight up and 6-3-1 ATS in its last ten games overall. The Heat is 5-2 straight up and 6-1 ATS in its last seven showings on the road, while Miami is 3-1 straight up and 4-0 ATS in its previous four road meetings with the Western Conference. Minnesota is 3-8 straight up and ATS in its last 11 contests overall. The Timberwolves are 1-4 straight up and ATS in their last five games at home, while they are 3-9 straight up and ATS in the previous 12 outings as underdogs.
Boston Celtics vs. Indiana Pacers
The Boston Celtics (47-32; 36-41-2 ATS) and the Indiana Pacers (47-32; 39-39-1 ATS) are tied at the 4th spot of the Eastern Conference standings, so tonight’s clash could decide who will have the home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Celtics lead the series 2-1 with a couple of wins on the home court, opening as 1-point favorites on this one with the total at 215.0 points. Boston is 7-3 straight up in its last ten meetings with Indiana, while the Celtics are 4-1 straight up in the previous five H2H matchups in Indianapolis.
The Celtics are 4-1 straight up in their last five games overall and just 2-4 straight up in their previous six outings on the road. Boston is 4-4 straight up in its eight road meetings with the Central Division this season. The Pacers are just 3-7 straight up in their last ten contests overall, but they are 7-2 in the last nine showings on the home court. Also, the Pacers are 5-2 in their seven home meetings with the Atlantic Division this term.
Detroit Pistons vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder (45-33; 39-39 ATS) thrashed off the Detroit Pistons (39-39; 40-35-3 ATS) 110-83 as 2-point favorites in their first duel of the season. The Thunder opened as 10.5-point favorites here with so much on the table for both teams. Detroit is just one game ahead of the No. 9 seed in the East, while Oklahoma City is half a game ahead of San Antonio in the battle for the No. 7 seed in the West. OKC is 15-5 and 11-9 in its last 20 meetings with Detroit, and it is 8-2 straight up and 6-4 in the previous ten H2H matchups in Oklahoma.
The Pistons are 2-5 straight up and 4-2-1 ATS in their last seven outings. They are 1-7 straight up and 3-4-1 ATS in the last eight games on the road, while the Pistons are 2-6 straight up and 5-1-2 ATS in their previous eight road encounters with the Western Conference. However, Blake Griffin (knee) is questionable for tonight’s game, so check out his status before you lay the odds. On the other side, OKC is just 3-7 straight up and ATS in its last ten outings. The Thunder is 2-5 straight up and ATS in its last seven contests on the home court and 7-4 straight up and ATS in its previous 11 home matchups with the Eastern Conference.
Toronto Raptors vs. Charlotte Hornets
The Toronto Raptors (56-23; 35-43-1 ATS) and the Charlotte Hornets (36-42; 36-40-2 ATS) will lock horns for the third time this season, and the series is tied after a couple of games in Canada. The Raptors are 5-1 straight up and 4-2 ATS in their last six meetings with the Hornets who are 10-4 straight up and 9-5 ATS in the previous 14 H2H matchups in Charlotte. The Raptors opened as 5.5-point favorites with the Hornets at +185 money line odds.
Toronto is 5-0 straight up and 4-1 ATS in its last five games overall and 4-0 straight up and ATS in its last four outings on the road. Also, Toronto is 8-1 straight up and 5-4 ATS in its previous nine road contests versus the Southeast Division. On the other side, Charlotte is 5-3 straight up and 6-2 ATS in its last eight outings. The Hornets are 4-1 straight up and 3-2 ATS in their last five games on the home court, while they are 4-3 straight up and 3-4 ATS in the previous seven home matchups with the Atlantic Division.
Tony Mejia
Game of the Night - Portland at Denver (-6.5, 216), 10:35 ET, ESPN
Denver is closing in on its first Northwest Division title since 2010 and hasn’t won a series since ’09, so this has the makings of a special season if this group can finish strong. Of course, Game 79 is still early enough to become the beginning of the end.
The Nuggets have beaten the Blazers twice already this season, so all they need to clinch the Northwest is to pick up a victory here or on Sunday in Portland to wrap things up since that would give them a head-to-head tiebreaker if the teams wound up even. They’re closing in on at least the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, guaranteeing they wouldn’t run into a Warriors team they’ve led for just seven minutes the last three times the teams have faced one another. Getting past the Rockets wouldn’t be easy, but that’s what makes getting homecourt advantage in that potential series so vital.
Everything could still fall apart if Denver continues to falter down the stretch, particularly if the new-look Blazers can successfully sweep this weekend home-and-home. It’s looking increasingly likely that Golden State will recapture the No.1 seed after losing it to Houston last season, while the Rockets enter Friday’s action ahead in the Southwest and up a half-game on Portland for the No. 3 seed. Things have played out this way in part due to the Nuggets’ disappointing finishing kick, which has seen them lose four of their last seven to hand conference supremacy back to the Warriors.
Despite getting healthier with Will Barton and Gary Harris returning to action after lengthy absences, Denver is just 15-11 since Feb. 4. Holding leads have been a problem, which has required Nikola Jokic to play hero late in games to help the team avoid choking away even more games than it has. The Nuggets are 11-15 ATS over the past two months and have had trouble getting baskets when they most need them. They were held to just 28 points in a 95-90 win over Washington before losing in Oakland and have scored 102 or fewer points in five of their last seven.
With back-to-back games against Portland followed by a trip to Utah, Denver has an opportunity to pick up some confidence by registering a quality win or two, but that’s where it really has to be careful here. Unlike the Warriors, Rockets, Jazz or Blazers, this team has very little postseason experience. Only Paul Millsap has played in truly significant games, so the Nuggets’ late-season slippage is troublesome as the playoffs approach.
A rough stretch over the next few days could foil the Nuggets’ entire season.
Denver does come off an impressive 113-85 rout of the Spurs to bounce back from their latest disappointing duel with Golden State, so that’s certainly a good sign going forward since it played one of its sharpest contests of 2018-19. The defense held San Antonio to 38 percent shooting in surrendering a season-low in points while the offense registered a season-best 41 assists.
The Trail Blazers are going to look much different than they did when they last came through town on Jan. 13. Denver got big plays in the final two minutes from Jokic and point guard Jamal Murray to win 116-113, overcoming 26 points from Damian Lillard. Shooting guard C.J. McCollum and center Jusuf Nurkic combined for 40 points in the loss, but neither will be a part of Friday’s matchup due to injuries. McCollum is still working his way back from a knee injury suffered a few weeks ago and will make the trip to Denver but won’t suit up. Nurkic suffered a horrific season-ending injury against Brooklyn on March 25, but Portland has managed to survive without two starters and has won 11 of its last 13.
Rodney Hood has filled in for McCollum and Enes Kanter is filling the center vacancy, so both newcomers have gained valuable reps with their new teammates that should serve them well in the playoffs. McCollum is getting closer to a return, but he won’t be rushed back. He’s led the Blazers in scoring against Denver, averaging 25.5 points over the two losses, while Lillard has struggled with his shot, coming in 14-for-37, including 5-for-18 from 3-point range. Jokic got the better of Nurkic in the most recent game, landing him in foul trouble while making 15 of 23 shots to finish with 40 points. Kanter isn’t known as a great defender, so he should have another big game as the team’s primary facilitator regardless of how Terry Stotts approaches coverage.
The Blazers will have Zach Collins in place behind Kanter to try and slow Jokic down and may have to dust off Meyers Leonard, who has been stuck in Stotts’ doghouse. Evan Turner has come up with consecutive triple-doubles off the bench and will be the x-factor here since a second unit’s ability to help the visitors hang in there in Denver’s altitude is so vital to winning there. At 32-7, Denver’s home record is second-best in the NBA behind Milwaukee (32-6). The Trail Blazers are 20-19 on the road.
Denver has won five straight against Portland, last losing in Nov. 2017. It has won four consecutive games at Pepsi Center against the Blazers, last losing in October of ’16. While the Nuggets have a tough game at the Jazz following this home-and-home, Portland closes with the Lakers and Kings, so running the table and finishing as high as No. 2 is certainly possible despite its injury woes.
The ‘under’ is 18-3 over Denver’s last 21 games since action resumed after the All-Star break. The number here (216) is in the neighborhood of where it resided in the first two encounters (214, 217) between these teams.
Best of the Rest
Boston at Indiana, 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN: The Celtics may have ruined the Heat’s hopes of making the playoffs by sweeping a home-and-home from them and put themselves in position to claim homecourt advantage in a 4-5 series between these two that will start up in roughly 8-9 days. Indiana can still finish ahead of Boston by winning here and gaining a split of the four matchups this season but are hoping to have point guard Darren Collison and shooting guard Wes Matthews back in the starting backcourt after both returned to practice on Thursday. Both will be game-time decisions here and would be replaced by Cory Joseph and Tyreke Evans if they can’t go. Al Horford should continue to play through knee soreness and comes off his second career triple-double in Boston’s 110-105 win in Miami on Wednesday. Neither Marcus Morris (knee) and Jaylen Brown (back) participated in South Florida and aren’t expected to play here, leaving more touches for Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward. Kyrie Irving won the most recent meeting between the teams on March 29, clinching a 114-112 victory on a layup with 0.5 left to close out a 30-point night. Bojan Bogdanovic led Indy with 27 points. The Pacers had lost four straight home games against the Celtics before winning 102-101 back on Nov. 3. They last won consecutive home games against Boston back in ’15-’16.
Detroit at Oklahoma City, 8:05 p.m. ET: The availability of Blake Griffin will decide just how competitive the Pistons can be in Oklahoma City. Considering how much Detroit’s All-Star loves playing in his home state, we’ll know this sore knee is a bigger issue than Detroit is letting on if he doesn’t suit up. The Pistons have been lost without him this week, dropping a pair of games against Indiana while looking atrocious on the offensive end without their primary catalyst to play through. They’re 1-5 without him this season. Expect word of his availability to come prior to warm-ups, making this a late call, handicapping-wise. One angle to potentially jump on is a low score considering the ‘under’ is 13-6-1 over OKC’s last 20 games due to its inconsistent shooting, although the 119 points it managed in Tuesday’s rout of the Lakers was its largest output since March 7. The Thunder are seventh in the West and may be satisfied with slotting in against a likely matchup with Denver by finishing seventh, but still must finish ahead of the Spurs so they’ll be all in here. Despite this week’s struggles, Detroit’s grasp on the No. 6 seed has been strengthened by other results. Oklahoma City won in Detroit 110-83 on Dec. 3.
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Friday, 5 April 2019 • 05:05 PM
537 NEW YORK @ 538 HOUSTON
Play on HOUSTON using the money line in All games when the total is greater than or equal to 220
The record is 59 Wins and 22 for the last two seasons (+39.15 units)
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Friday, 5 April 2019 • 07:35 PM
553 LA LAKERS @ 554 LA CLIPPERS
Play on LA CLIPPERS using the money line in All games on Friday nights
The record is 12 Wins and 1 this season (+12 units)
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Friday, 5 April 2019 • 05:05 PM
541 MIAMI @ 542 MINNESOTA
Play on MIAMI in the first half in All games in non-conference games
The record is 23 Wins and 6 for the last two seasons (+16.4 units)
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Friday, 5 April 2019 • 06:05 PM
547 SACRAMENTO @ 548 UTAH
Play on SACRAMENTO in the first half in All games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season
The record is 18 Wins and 4 for the last two seasons (+13.6 units)
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Friday, 5 April 2019 • 07:35 PM
555 PORTLAND @ 556 DENVER
Play on PORTLAND in the first half in All games after allowing 90 points or less
The record is 12 Wins and 1 for the last two seasons (+10.9 units)
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Friday, 5 April 2019 • 05:05 PM
539 BOSTON @ 540 INDIANA
Play on INDIANA against the spread in All games in April games
The record is 19 Wins and 4 for the last three seasons (+14.6 units)
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