NBA betting trends, odds and predictions for Wednesday, November 22nd, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NBA Knowledge
Home side won eight of last nine Wizard-Hornet games; Washington is 3-2 vs spread in last five visits here. Over is 5-2 in last seven series games. Wizards won five of their last seven games; they’re 5-1 vs spread as road underdogs. Last nine Washington games stayed under. Charlotte won three of its last four home games; they’re 5-0 as home favorites. Three of their last four games went over.
Cavaliers won six of last eight games with Brooklyn; under is 7-2 in last nine series games. Nets are 2-3 vs spread in last five visits to Ohio. Brooklyn lost seven of last ten games; they’re 4-3 as a road underdog- three of their last four games went over total. Cleveland won its last five games (3-2 vs spread); they’re 1-7 vs spread as a home favorite. Over is 7-3 in their last ten games.
Home side won last five Portland-Philly games; Trailblazers are 0-3 vs spread in last three visits to Philly. Three of last four series games stayed under. Portland won four of its last five games; they’re 0-1-1 as road underdogs. Blazers’ last eight games stayed under the total. 76ers won three of last four games; they’re 5-1 vs spread at home, 3-1 if favored. Over is 7-3 in their last 10 games.
Clippers won three of last four games with Atlanta; road team won four of last five series games. LA is 2-3 vs spread in last five visits here (over 4-1). Clippers lost their last nine games (1-8 vs spread); they’re 3-4 vs spread on road (0-0 as road favorite). Four of their last five games stayed under total. Hawks lost eight of their last ten games; they’re 3-2 as home underdogs. Over is 7-3 in their last ten games.
Toronto won its last eight games with the Knicks (6-2 vs spread); under is 3-1 in last four series games. Raptors are 2-2 vs spread in last four visits to Manhattan. Toronto won its last four games; they’re 6-3 vs spread on road, 1-1 as a road favorite. Over is 4-1 in their last five games on road. Knicks won six of their last nine games; they’re 9-2 vs spread at home, 4-2 as a home dog. Three of their last four games stayed under.
Boston won its last 16 games after an 0-2 start; they’re 5-1 as a road favorite. Three of their last four games went over total. Celtics won their last eight games with Miami (6-2 vs spread); under is 6-4 in last ten series games. Boston covered its last five visits to South Beach. Heat lost three of last four games; they’re 0-2 vs spread as a home underdog. Under is 7-3 in their last ten games.
Minnesota won its last two games with Orlando, after losing previous five; over is 6-3 in last nine series games. Magic covered their last four visits to the Twin Cities. Orlando lost its last five games; they’re 4-3-1 as a road underdog. Under is 7-3 in their last ten games. Timberwolves are 3-4 in their last seven games; they’re 3-3 as home favorites. Nine of last ten Minnesota games stayed under the total.
Warriors won/covered their last seven games with Oklahoma City; five of last six series games stayed under. Golden State is 3-2 vs spread in last five visits here. Warriors won nine of last ten games; they’re 4-5 vs spread as road favorites. Under is 5-2 in last seven games. Thunder won lat three games but they’re 3-6 in last nine games overall. OKC is 4-2-1 vs spread at home. Four of their last five games went over total.
Houston won its last four games with Denver, but Nuggets covered five of last seven. Over is 5-5 in last ten series games. Denver is 3-1 vs spread in last four visits here. Nuggets won seven of their last ten games; they’re 2-6 vs spread on road, 0-2 as a road underdog. Four of last five Denver games went over total. Rockets won eight of its last nine games; they’re 3-4 as a home favorite. Over is 7-3 in their last ten games.
Dallas won six of last nine games with Memphis; they’re 3-1 vs spread in last five visits to Beale Street. Over is 5-4-1 in last ten series games. Mavericks lost five of their last six games; they’re 2-5 vs spread as a road underdog. Under is 7-2 in their last nine games. Grizzlies lost their last five games; they’re 2-4 vs spread as a home favorite. Under is 4-2 in their last six games.
Spurs won six of last seven games with New Orleans, but Pelicans are 7-3 vs spread in last ten series games. San Antonio is 0-5 vs spread in last five visits to Bourbon Street. Under is 5-2-1 in last eight series games. Spurs won seven of their last nine games; they’re 1-6 vs spread on road, 0-2 as road underdogs. Three of their last four games stayed under total. Pelicans won six of last nine games; they’re 1-4 as home favorites. Over is 5-2 in their last seven games.
Bulls won their last three games with Utah; under is 9-1 in last ten series games. Chicago is 1-3 vs spread in last four visits to SLC. Bulls lost six of their last seven games; they’re 4-3-1 against spread as road underdogs. Three of their last four games went over total. Jazz lost eight of their last ten games; they’re 4-4 as a home favorite (0-4 in last four). Three of their last four games went over total.
Bucks won their last four games with Phoenix; road team won five of last seven series games. Milwaukee covered four of last five visits to the desert. Under is 5-1 in last six series games. Bucks lost four of their last five road games; they’re 3-4 vs spread on road, 1-0 as a road favorite. Five of their last six games stayed under. Suns are 3-2 in their last five games, 3-4 vs spread as a home underdog. Over is 5-2 in last seven Phoenix games.
Lakers lost eight of last ten games with Sacramento; last six series games stayed under total. LA is 2-3 vs spread in last five visits to the state capital. Lakers lost four of their last five road tilts; they’re 3-4 vs spread on road, all as an underdog (2-5 SU). Last four Laker road games stayed under the total. Sacramento lost five of its last six games; they’re 4-2 as home underdogs. Over is 6-4 in their last ten games.
Armadillosports.com
Warriors take on Thunder
By: Sam Chase
StatFox.com
On Wednesday, Kevin Durant returns to OKC for the first time since winning a ring.
The most anticipated game of the 2016-17 NBA regular season was probably when Kevin Durant first returned to Oklahoma City. He was greeted with boos and "cupcake" insults. It all probably bothered him quite a bit—he's known to be sensitive—but the whole spectacle read as a little sad when Golden State trounced the Thunder and went on to win a title with KD as its leading scorer. OKC is stocked with more talent this year, having acquired SFs Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to slot into its starting lineup alongside PG Russell Westbrook, but the new teammates are yet to gel, and the team's hanging around .500. The Warriors, meanwhile, are as deadly as ever, if perhaps not headed for the 70-win season that some predicted. Thunder fans still looking to see KD humbled in their arena are likely in for a disappointment when the Dubs come to town for a game on Wednesday night—partly because he's only considered questionable to take the court.
It's rare that the Warriors give a game their full effort and come away with a loss, but such was the case in Boston last Thursday. A 17-point third quarter lead was erased in the blink of an eye, and Golden State fell 92-88 to the red-hot Celtics. It was a startlingly slow night on offense for the Warriors, who entered the contest averaging nearly 120 PPG. The team bounced back for two straight wins soon after, though, beating Philadelphia and Brooklyn to round out a three-game trip to the Northeast. After being held to nine points against Boston, PG Stephen Curry scored 35 points against Philly and 39 against the Nets, with the latter performance being his season-high for points. He also had 11 rebounds, seven assists and six steals in that game. He also fouled out. With Durant sitting out, SG Klay Thompson stepped up to hit some big fourth quarter shots and led the Warriors to victory, scoring 23 points and snagging 10 boards. (The Nets guards didn't feel like boxing out, apparently.) KD, who is shooting 53.3% from the field on the year, was out with a left ankle sprain, and is considered day-to-day. He has an excellent game against Philadelphia, scoring 27 points on 11-of-20 shooting, despite only hitting 1 of 6 from three. SF Andre Iguodala stayed in his sixth man role for consistency's sake while Durant was out against Brooklyn; he and SF Omri Casspi, who started, each scored 12 points. PF Draymond Green figures to have some interesting banter when guarding George and Anthony.
Who would have believed a year ago, in the midst of his record-breaking season that brought him to heights of usage never before seen, Westbrook would be the third-leading scorer on the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017-18. While the situation last season was untenable—Westbrook took way too many shots and his teammates' best talents were subjugated—at least the team had a winning record. The additions of George and Anthony cost the team depth without bringing in much diversity of skills, as the two small forwards do similar things on the court. George is the far better player overall, averaging a league-best 2.4 steals per game entering Monday night's game against the Pelicans. Melo is yet to do away with some of his worst stat-chasing tendencies, and anyone looking for "Team USA Melo" is going to need a time machine. That said, the potential for these two to work alongside Westbrook is far beyond what we've seen thus far, and the team ought to improve as the season goes on. After a three-game winning streak, there was an abrupt halt in optimism on Friday night, when the Thunder fumbled a 23-point lead and lost to the Spurs by three. While he had nine rebounds and assists each, Westbrook's 5-of-22 shooting from the floor was ultimately the team's undoing. C Stephen Adams was strong, scoring 16 points and grabbing eight rebounds. SG Andre Roberson, while an elite defender, is a total liability on offense—he scored two points on two shots in 25 minutes against the Spurs. SF Jerami Grant (9.1 PPG) is the biggest contributor off of a shallow bench.
Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Game of the Night: Warriors at Thunder
Old teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook meet up for the first time this season as Golden State concludes its four-game road trip at Oklahoma City. The Warriors (13-4 SU, 7-10 ATS) have failed to cover on this swing in spite of coming off high-scoring victories at Philadelphia and Brooklyn on a back-to-back. In fact, Golden State has gone 0-4 ATS since a 6-0 ATS run, but Steve Kerr’s squad has won nine times in this stretch with the only loss coming at red-hot Boston last Thursday.
The Thunder (7-9 SU, 7-9 ATS) suffered its fifth consecutive road loss in Monday’s 114-107 setback at New Orleans as three-point favorites. Oklahoma City led 17-2 early before New Orleans rallied back as Westbrook posted a triple-double (22 points, 16 rebounds, 12 assists) in spite of the Thunder falling to 0-7 SU/ATS on the road this season to Western Conference opponents. At home, OKC has won two of three games against the West, although those victories have come against below .500 teams (Clippers and Mavericks).
In Durant’s first season with the Warriors, Golden State pulled off the four-game season sweep of Oklahoma City, as all four victories came by double-digits. Since OKC jumped out to a 3-1 series lead over Golden State in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, the Warriors have won seven consecutive meetings with the Thunder, including each of the past three visits to Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Shooting for Seventeen
The Celtics (16-2 SU, 15-2-1 ATS) began the season at 0-2 and things looked bleak following Gordon Hayward’s gruesome leg injury. However, Boston has figured out how to put things together and not lose since by posting an incredible 16-game winning streak, while covering 14 times in this stretch. The most recent triumph came in Monday’s 110-102 overtime victory at Dallas to barely cash as 6 ½-point favorites. Boston improved to 9-1 ATS away from TD Garden thanks to 47 points on 16-of-22 shooting from guard Kyrie Irving, while overcoming a double-digit deficit for the third straight game.
Boston heads to Miami for the second time this season as the Celtics edged the Heat in the first matchup last month, 96-90. Miami (7-9 SU, 5-9-2 ATS) looks to rebound from a 25-point home loss to Indiana on Sunday as 5 ½-point favorites, its third setback in the past four games. The Heat have failed to cash one ticket at American Airlines Arena this season by going 0-6-2 ATS, while dropping eight straight meetings with the Celtics since 2015.
Roll the Ball Out
The Rockets and Nuggets can light up the scoreboard on any given night as the two Western Conference squads meet up at Toyota Center. Houston (13-4 SU, 10-7 ATS) swept the four-game series from Denver last season, but the Nuggets covered in both losses at Toyota Center. The Rockets return home following a pair of road blowouts over the Suns and Grizzlies, while winning eight of their past nine games overall.
The Nuggets (10-7 SU, 7-10 ATS) won its first road game since October 29 as Denver knocked off Sacramento, 114-98 on Monday as five-point favorites. Paul Millsap sat out with a wrist injury as the Nuggets’ forward will have surgery and miss at least three months. Denver has struggled in the underdog role this season by going 1-3 SU/ATS, while putting together a 3-5 SU and 3-6 ATS record away from Pepsi Center.
Quick Change
Ten days ago, the Cavaliers (10-7 SU, 6-10-1 ATS) sat below the .500 mark, but Cleveland has rebounded with five consecutive victories. The Cavs are fresh off their biggest blowout of the season, a 116-88 rout of the Pistons on Monday as 1½-point favorites, as Tyronn Lue’s squad posted 73 points in the first half. Cleveland returns to Quicken Loans Arena to face Brooklyn, looking to avenge a 112-107 setback at Barclays Center on October 25 as 7½-point favorites.
The Nets (6-10 SU, 9-7 ATS) have actually been a solid team to back on the highway of late by compiling a 3-1 ATS record in their last four road games. Brooklyn heads to Cleveland off consecutive covers, while cashing as 11½-point underdogs against Golden State on Sunday, 118-111. In the last three visits to Cleveland, the Nets have been listed as 17, 16 ½, and 17-point underdogs, but opened as 11-point ‘dogs on Wednesday.
Buzz Thrill
The Hornets (7-9 SU, 7-8-1 ATS) have built a nice home-court advantage by winning six of their eight games at Spectrum Center this season. Charlotte pulled away from Minnesota on Monday, 118-102 to easily cash as 2 ½-point favorites, as the Hornets seek their second three-game winning streak of the season on Wednesday against Washington. The Hornets struggled against the Wizards last season by dropping three of four matchups against their division rivals, but the lone victory came in Charlotte.
The up-and-down season continues for the Wizards (10-7 SU, 9-8 ATS), who snapped a two-game skid in Monday’s 99-88 triumph at Milwaukee. Washington has finished UNDER the total in nine consecutive contests, while allowing seven of those opponents to 96 points or less. The Wizards have performed well on the highway recently by winning four of their past five away from Capital One Arena, while owning a strong 5-1 ATS mark as a road underdog this season.
Head-to-Head Matchups
The 76ers continue a six-game homestand as the Blazers invade Philadelphia. Since a 1-2 ATS start, the Sixers have covered 11 of their past 13 games, while cashing in each of the past four matchups with Portland. The Blazers have hit the UNDER in eight straight games, while winning four of five overall.
It’s been a rough go for the Clippers, who look to snap a nine-game losing streak as Los Angeles travels to Atlanta. The Hawks have lost six of their past seven contests, while going 0-2 ATS since a 5-1 ATS run. Los Angeles swept Atlanta last season, while winning in each of the past two visits to Philips Arena.
Toronto has owned New York the last few seasons by capturing eight straight meetings, including a 107-84 blowout last Saturday at Air Canada Center. The Raptors seek their fifth straight win at Madison Square Garden dating back to February 2016, as Toronto is riding a 5-0 SU/ATS hot streak. The Knicks have cashed in seven consecutive home games, while winning six times in this stretch.
The two teams sitting under .500 in the Southwest division hook up in Memphis as the Grizzlies host the Mavericks. Dallas dropped a heartbreaker to Boston in overtime on Monday as one of its three victories this season came against Memphis at home on October 25. The Grizzlies look to snap a five-game losing streak, while not winning yet on their current four-game homestand (0-3 SU/ATS).
Orlando is also suffering through a five-game skid, as the Magic embark on a four-game road trip that begins in Minnesota. The Wolves have also stumbled of late by losing in a back-to-back set against Detroit and Charlotte, but Minnesota pulled off the two-game sweep of Orlando last season.
The Spurs have taken six of the last seven meetings with the Pelicans as San Antonio heads to New Orleans. However, the Spurs have failed to cover in five straight road contests, while the Pelicans have struggled as a home favorite this season at 1-4 ATS.
Milwaukee has swept Phoenix in each of the past two seasons, including a 137-112 blowout in the Valley last season. The Bucks start a four-game Western swing, but are 0-3 ATS in their last three tries in the favorite role. The Suns are seeking their first three-game winning streak of the season after beating the Lakers and Bulls.
The Bulls won a pair of low-scoring affairs against the Jazz last season, as Chicago heads to Utah with no rest. Utah returns home following a 1-3 road swing, as the Jazz have lost four of their past five games in Salt Lake City.
The Kings are 1-5 since beating the Thunder and 76ers at home as the Lakers travel north on I-5 to face Sacramento. Los Angeles has lost two of three times on the road with no rest, while splitting four games with Sacramento last season.
NBA Pick 'n' Roll: Wednesday's Picks and Analysis
Covers.com
Brooklyn Nets at Cleveland Cavaliers (-11, 228.5)
It might be called the clinched fist that turned the Cavaliers’ season around. The Cavs were floundering after the first week of November with a 4-6 straight up record, but then LeBron James took to Instagram and posted the famous Arthur clinched fist meme. Cleveland is 6-1 straight up 4-2-1 against the spread since post.
James and Co. will be looking for revenge against the Nets too. Brooklyn won outright as a 7.5-point home underdog against the Cavaliers back in October. The spread might be a little too bloated though. The Cavs are 0-3 against the spread as double-digit chalk this season.
Pick: Nets +11
Los Angeles Clippers at Atlanta Hawks (+3.5, 209)
Doc Rivers should get his resume ready if he hasn’t already. The Clippers head coach has overseen a sinking ship in Los Angeles. After starting the season 4-0 the Clippers have won just one of their last 11 games.
They’re riding a nine-game losing streak with just one ATS cover during the cold spell. LA’s been outscored by 37 points in its last two games which came against mediocre Eastern Conference clubs.
“When you lose nine games in a row, you’re in a losing streak, you start feeling sorry for yourself when things don’t go right,” Rivers told the LA Times. “You can’t do that…. I’ve got to do a better job. The players have to do a better job.”
Pick: Hawks +3.5
Yesterday’s picks: 1-0
Season record 33-37
Total Streaks
*The under is 9-0 in the Wizards’ last nine games overall.
*The under is 8-0 in the Trail Blazers’ last eight overall.
*The over is 5-0 in the Hawks’ last five home games.
*The over is 4-0 in the Celtics’ last four road games.
*The under is 7-2 in the Mavericks’ last nine games.
*The under is 9-1 in the Timberwolves’ last 10 overall.
*The under is 5-1 in the Bucks’ last six overall.
Injury to Watch
Warriors forward Kevin Durant is questionable to play Wednesday night against his former team the Oklahoma City Thunder because of an ankle injury. Durant missed Sunday’s game against the Nets and the Dubs won but failed to cover the spread.
The Nuggets are also rolling out a new starting lineup because Paul Millsap will be out for the next couple months after the All-Star power forward underwent surgery on his left wrist.
Ref to Watch
The Chicago Bulls are 0-10 against the spread in their last 10 games worked by NBA referee Justin Van Duyne. He’s part of the three-man crew working tonight’s Bulls-Jazz game. Chicago is a 8.5-point road underdog.
Trends
*The Cavaliers are 6-19-2 ATS in their last 27 home games.
*The Wizards are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games.
*The Trail Blazers are 3-8-2 ATS in their last 13 games overall.
*The Clippers are 1-8 ATS in their last nine games overall.
*The Celtics are 20-5-1 ATS in their last 26 games overall.
*The Heat are 2-12-2 ATS in their last 16 home games.
*The Knicks are 7-0 ATS in their last seven home games.
*The Grizzlies are 0-5 ATS in their last five games overall.
*The Spurs are 0-5 ATS in their last five road games.
*The Warriors are 7-0 ATS in the last seven games against the Thunder.
Consensus
Almost 80 percent of players expect the Celtics to cover again tonight against the Miami Heat as 3-point road chalk.