NBA betting news, trends, odds and predictions for Thursday, December, 14th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
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Thursday’s NBA
Pistons won three of last four games with Atlanta; they’re 2-3 vs spread in last five games here. Eight of last nine series games went over the total. Detroit lost its last seven games; they’re 9-5 vs spread on road, 1-1 as favorites. Pistons’ last seven games stayed under the total. Atlanta lost nine of its last 12 games; they’re 5-4 as home underdogs. Hawks’ last four games went over the total.
Home side won seven of last nine Knick-Net games; New York is 1-3 vs spread in last four trips to Brooklyn. Four of last six series games stayed under total. New York won three of its last four games; they’re 1-8 vs spread on road, 0-2 as favorites. Knicks’ last three games went over the total. Brooklyn won three of last four games; they’re 6-3 as home underdogs. Nets’ last five games stayed under the total.
Lakers lost last six games with Cleveland, but covered three of last four; they’re 3-1 vs spread in last four visits to Ohio. Last eight series games went over total. Lakers lost six of their last eight games; they’re 5-6 as road underdogs. Four of LA’s last five games stayed under total. Cavaliers won 15 of their last 16 games; they’re 2-5 vs spread in last seven, they’re 3-12 as home favorites. Four of their last five games stayed under.
Kings won three of last four games with Minnesota (over 3-1); road team won four of last five series games. Sacramento is 2-3 vs spread in last five visits here. Sacramento split its last ten games; they covered their last five tries as a road underdog. Three of their last four games stayed under total. Minnesota split its last 14 games; they’re 2-10 vs spread as home favorites. Five of their last seven games went over total.
Golden State won its last seven games with Dallas (5-2 vs spread, over 5-2); Dallas is 2-3 vs spread in its last five visits to Oakland. Mavericks lost three of last five games; they covered four of last five tries as a road underdog. Three of their last four games stayed under. Golden State won its last seven games; they’re 5-7 as home favorites. Four of their last five games stayed under the total.
armadillosports.com
Inside the Paint - Thursday
December 14, 2017
By Chris David
VegasInsider.com
The NBA has five games on tap for Thursday, including a double-header on TNT that will feature Cleveland and Golden State both laying healthy prices at home.
Let’s break down the action.
Check out more Odds & Props at Intertops.eu
Detroit (14-13 SU, 16-9-2 ATS) at Atlanta (6-21 SU, 14-12-1 ATS)
The first game on the board usually receives the most attention on any given day but I’d be a tad hesitant to buy into this matchup. The Pistons have been a complete mess recently, losers in seven straight and that skid comes after an impressive 14-6 spot. The offense has been disappointing, averaging 92.9 points per game during this span and that’s helped the ‘under’ cash in all seven games.
Detroit opened as a four-point road favorite on Tuesday against Atlanta, who limps into this matchup off back-to-back losses. The Hawks have covered their last four games but still remain a dicey team to back at home this season (3-9 SU, 6-6 ATS). As an underdog at Philips Arena, Atlanta is 0-8 straight up and 3-5 against the spread.
The Pistons have won three of the last four meetings against Hawks, which includes a 111-104 win this season on Nov. 10 as 7 ½-point home favorites.
Despite being in a funk, all of Detroit’s seven losses came against teams that are poised to make the playoffs. The loss on Tuesday to Denver was very poor, but expected from a Pistons team that is 8-12 against teams with winning records. Versus sub .500 clubs, Detroit is 6-1. While I wouldn’t run to the bank, you would certainly expect Detroit to get on track tonight. If you’re leaning Atlanta, the ‘over’ might be a better look. The Hawks have seen the high side cash in four straight plus in their six wins this season, they averaged 117.8 PPG.
New York (14-13 SU, 15-12 ATS) at Brooklyn (11-15 SU, 17-9 ATS)
This game was sent out pick ‘em and the early action jumped on the Nets, who were up to 1 ½-point home favorites as of Thursday morning over their crosstown rival. I expect the public to hop on New York and wouldn’t be surprised to see the Knicks laying points. New York (-2.5) just captured an exciting 113-109 home win over the Lakers on national television this past Tuesday and they managed to squeak out a cover too. Kristaps Porzingis (37 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks) went off in the win and he’s the real deal but his game hasn’t travelled well and that’s attributed to the worst road record in the league (1-8 SU, 2-7 ATS).
Brooklyn is far from a powerhouse but head coach Kenny Atkinson has made this tem very competitive despite losing key players in the offseason and to injury. The Nets own the second best record for bettors in the NBA behind the Boston Celtics and they own a respectable 4-2 record both SU and ATS when listed as favorites.
New York hammered Brooklyn 107-86 on Oct. 27 as a two-point home favorite and the ‘under’ (222 ½) cashed easily. The low side could be a look again tonight. The total opened 214 and dropped to 213 quickly. Brooklyn has watched the ‘under’ hit in five straight and seven of its last eight games. Plus, the Knicks are ranked 28th in scoring on the road (97.2 PPG) this season and that’s help produce a 5-3-1 ‘under’ record.
L.A. Lakers (10-16 SU, 12-14 ATS) at Cleveland (20-8 SU, 10-17-1 ATS)
While the Lakers entertained us on Tuesday, they still lost the game to the Knicks and they failed to cover the number which is what matters for us. If Los Angeles wins one of its next four games, I’d be more impressed but that’s doubtful considering it has the Cavs tonight before playing three in a row versus the Rockets and Warriors (twice).
Tonight could be their best shot to win, yet the Lakers (+10) will be facing a Cleveland team that has won 15 of its last 16 games. Keep in mind that the Cavaliers are just 7-9 ATS during this span and they haven’t been able to blow teams out this season.
Cleveland has gone 6-4 this season when favored by nine or more points, but it’s just 1-9 ATS in those games. The club has won five straight in this chalky role but failing to run weaker teams out of the gym could have bettors sitting on the sidelines. L.A. is 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS as a double-digit ‘dog this season.
Cleveland has won six straight meetings against Los Angeles but have only gone 3-3 ATS during this streak. Total bettors have watched the ‘over’ go 6-0 during this span.
TNT will provide coverage of this game at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Sacramento (9-18 SU, 12-12-3 ATS) at Minnesota (16-12 SU, 11-15-2 ATS)
Of the three double-digit favorites laying points on Thursday, Minnesota (-10) is the least deserving of the trio but the number is based on their opponent, Sacramento. The Kings haven’t been competitive on the road (4-11 SU, 5-7-3 ATS) but they have covered their last three away games when catching double digits and they even pulled off a huge upset at Golden State (110-106) on Nov. 27 albeit the Warriors were short-handed (Curry, Durant).
Minnesota hasn’t been a great wager (3-2 SU, 1-3-1 ATS) when laying 10-plus points this season. For whatever reason, the defensive effort hasn’t been there in these games (112.2 PPG). I’m not sure if that will matter for this game with Sacramento’s scoring offense (96.2 PPG) ranked last in the league.
For what it’s worth, the Kings got the better of the Timberwolves last season by taking three of the four encounters and that included a pair of wins at the Target Center. Make a note that in the 2015-16 season, Minnesota went 4-0 both SU and ATS versus Sacramento.
Will the trends revert back to the Wolves this season?
Similar to the Pistons, Minnesota has beaten up on weak teams, going 12-4 versus losing clubs. A lot of us watched the Wolves look sloppy on national television this past Tuesday as they dropped a 118-112 overtime decision at home to the 76ers. I would throw that outcome out the window and come back with Minnesota tonight despite its less than average record at the Target Center (9-5 SU, 4-9-1 ATS).
Why? Sacramento is off a win on Tuesday over Phoenix (99-92) and the Kings are 1-7 this season after a victory with five of the losses coming by double digits.
Dallas (8-20 SU, 13-14-1 ATS) at Golden State (22-6 SU, 13-15 ATS)
Golden State blasted Dallas 133-103 on Oct. 23 as a 13 ½-point road favorite and that’s been an ongoing theme in this series. Since the Warriors began their dominating run in 2014, they’ve gone 13-1 against Dallas and they’ve covered 11 of those victories.
Dallas hasn’t won at Golden State since 2012 and the oddsmakers aren’t giving them a shot on Thursday, opening the Warriors as 12-point home favorites. Golden State is currently on a seven-game winning streak (4-3 ATS) and it’s managed to do so with key players sitting out during this run and I believe head coach Steve Kerr will continue to rest guys as the season continues. Draymond Green (shoulder) is listed as ‘doubtful’ on Thursday for the Warriors.
Laying double digits with Golden State at home hasn’t been profitable (8-2 SU, 5-5 ATS) this season and they actually managed to lose twice to much inferior clubs (Kings, Pistons). The Mavericks fall into that group but they have looked better of late. After a 2-14 start, Dallas has gone 6-6 and more importantly its 9-2-1 versus the number over the last dozen games with the worst loss coming by seven points.
Grabbing the points with Dallas and backing the hot team at the betting counter seems like the better investment. However, it’s hard to ignore the road numbers (2-10 SU, 6-5-1 ATS) for the Mavericks plus they’ve gone 1-5 both SU and ATS when listed as double-digit ‘dogs. Golden State is off until next Monday so perhaps the Warriors show up and Kerr will reward them with a few extra days off.