NBA betting news, trends, odds and predictions for Friday, December 15th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
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Friday’s NBA
Pacers won seven of last eight games with Detroit; Pistons are 0-5 vs spread in last five visits here. Over is 5-5 in last ten series games. Pistons snapped a 7-game losing streak last nite; they’re 8-4 vs spread as road underdogs- their last eight games all stayed under the total. Indiana won four of its last five games; they’re 5-2 as home favorites. Three of their last four games stayed under total.
Miami won five of its last seven games with the Hornets; they’re 2-3 vs spread in their last five visits to Charlotte. Eight of their last ten games stayed under the total. Miami is 3-5 in its last eight games; they’re 6-4 vs spread as road underdogs. Under is 8-1-1 in their last ten games. Charlotte lost eight of its last ten games; they’re 7-3 as home favorites. Under is 6-3-1 in their last ten games.
Home side won seven of last eight Clipper-Wizard games; LA is 2-3 vs spread in last five trips here. Eight of last ten series games went over the total. Clippers won their last three games, by 1-5-11 points; they’re 3-6 as road underdogs. Over is 5-3 in their last eight games. Washington is 5-6 in its last 11 games; they’re 4-7 as home favorites. Six of their last seven games stayed under total.
Portland won three of last four games with Orlando; they’re 1-4 vs spread in last five visits to the Magic Kingdom. Four of last five series games stayed under. Portland lost five of its last six games; they’re 3-2-1 as road underdogs. Five of their last seven games stayed under total. Orlando lost 14 of its last 17 games; they’re 1-6 as home favorites. Four of their last six games stayed under the total.
Thunder won last 10 games with Philly, but 76ers covered four of last six; OKC is 0-3 vs spread in last three visits here. Under is 8-1 in last nine series games. Thunder won five of their last seven games; they’re 4-11 vs spread on road, 1-0 as road underdogs. Four of their last six games stayed under the total. Philadelphia lost four of its last five games; they’re 6-4 as home favorites. Five of their last seven games stayed under total.
Celtics won eight of their last ten games with Utah; three of last four series games went over total. Jazz is 0-3-2 vs spread in last five visits to Beantown. Utah lost its last four games, by 6-11-17-3 points; they’re 3-5 as road underdogs. Five of their last seven games went over total. Boston won 22 of last 25 games; they’re 8-3-2 vs spread as home favorites. Over is 6-4 in their last ten games.
Raptors won their last eight games with Brooklyn; under is 4-2 in last six series games. Nets are 3-2 vs spread in last five visits to Canada. Nets are 5-4 in their last nine games; they covered their last eight games as a road underdog. Five of their last six games stayed under the total. Toronto won seven of its last eight games; they’re 5-5 as home favorites. Five of their last seven games went over the total.
Bucks won three of last four games with Chicago; four of last six series games stayed under the total. Bulls are 3-2 vs spread in last five visits to Wisconsin. Chicago won its last four games, covered its last five; they’re 3-6-1 as road underdogs. Three of their last four games went over total. Milwaukee won six of its last eight games; they’re 6-5 as home favorites. Eight of their last ten games went over total.
Hawks won three of last four games with Memphis; they’re 3-2 vs spread in last five visits here. Six of last seven series games stayed under total. Atlanta lost six of its last eight games; they’re 7-2 vs spread in last nine games as a road dog. Four of their last five games went over the total. Memphis lost five in row, 16 of last 17 games; they’re 2-7 as home favorites. Under is 10-4 in their last 14 games.
Pelicans lost three of their last four games with Denver; they’re 2-2 vs spread in their last four games in this building. Over is 7-3 in last ten series games. New Orleans is 4-6 in its last ten games; they’re 5-4 vs spread as road underdogs. their last nine games went over the total. Denver lost four of its last six games; they’re 6-4 as home favorites. Four of their last six games went over.
Spurs won seven of last nine games with Houston; they’re 4-1 vs spread in last five games in this building. Four of last six series games went over the total. San Antonio won eight of tis last ten games; they’re 3-2 as road underdogs. Five of their last seven games stayed under the total. Houston won its last 11 games; they’re 6-6 vs spread as home favorites. Three of their last four games went over total.
Friday's Tip Sheet
December 15, 2017
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Game of the Night: Spurs at Rockets – 9:35 PM EST
The top two teams not only in Texas but also in the Southwest division meet up at the Toyota Center for the first time this season. Houston (22-4 SU, 14-11-1 ATS) is riding an 11-game winning streak following Wednesday’s 108-96 victory over Charlotte as 12-point home favorites. Chris Paul paced the Rockets with 30 points and 11 assists, as Houston improved to an impressive 12-0 with the All-Star point guard in the lineup.
The Spurs (19-9 SU, 14-13-1 ATS) look to rebound after getting tripped up by another Lone Star State rival on Tuesday in a 95-89 setback at Dallas. Kawhi Leonard made his season debut after missing the first 27 games with a quad injury as last season’s MVP finalist scored 13 points in 16 minutes of action. Gregg Popovich’s squad moved to 11-2 this season to the UNDER on the road, while being held to less than 100 points for the 10th time away from AT&T Center this season.
San Antonio knocked out Houston in six games of the Western Conference semifinals last season, including the series clincher at the Toyota Center by 39 points. The Spurs captured four of five meetings at Houston, while posting a 7-3 mark against the Rockets in 10 matchups from the regular season and playoffs in 2016-17.
Great Expectations
The Thunder (13-14 SU, 9-18 ATS) ended a nine-game ATS slide in Wednesday’s 100-95 triumph over the Pacers in Paul George’s return to Indiana. OKC covered for the first time as a favorite since November 15 against Chicago, as the Thunder improved to 5-2 in the past seven games to creep closer to the .500 mark. The Thunder continue a three-game road trip in Philadelphia, seeking consecutive away victories for only the second time this season
The 76ers (14-13 SU, 16-10-1 ATS) put a halt to a four-game skid in Wednesday’s 118-112 overtime victory at Minnesota as five-point underdogs. Rookie standout Ben Simmons was limited to eight points in 40 minutes of action, but Joel Embiid registered a 28-point, 12-rebound effort to end a three-game losing streak against Western Conference opponents. Philadelphia has slipped to a 1-4 ATS record in its past five home contests, while looking for its first win over OKC since 2008, a span of 16 consecutive losses.
Sounds of Silence
Utah (13-15 SU, 15-13 ATS) was finally getting things on the right track following a six-game winning streak, capped off by a 116-69 blowout of Washington on December 4. The Jazz haven’t won since that rout as Quin Snyder’s club is riding a four-game skid, including a 103-100 setback at Chicago on Wednesday less than a month after destroying the Bulls by 30 points at home. Utah travels to Boston as the next six games for the Jazz come against playoff teams from last season (Celtics, Cavaliers, Rockets, Thunder twice, Spurs).
This was supposed to be the first time Gordon Hayward faced off against his former team, but the Celtics’ forward suffered a devastating leg injury in the season opener at Cleveland. Boston (24-6 SU, 20-8-2 ATS) hasn’t skipped a beat with Hayward sidelined as the Celtics are in control of the Atlantic division, while holding off Denver on Wednesday, 124-118 as six-point favorites. The C’s have owned the Jazz recently by winning eight of the last 10 meetings since 2012, including each of the past five matchups at TD Garden.
Central Clash
The Pistons (15-13 SU, 17-9-2 ATS) ended their seven-game losing streak in Thursday’s 105-91 triumph at Atlanta to easily cash as 4 ½-point favorites. Detroit heads to Indiana looking to improve on a 3-2 record with no rest, while splitting a pair of matchups with the Pacers this season as each squad has won at home. The Pistons own a solid 8-2-1 ATS mark as a road underdog, but one of those two defeats came at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in mid-November, 107-100 as 1 ½-point ‘dogs.
The Pacers (16-12 SU, 17-11 ATS) put together a furious rally against Oklahoma City on Wednesday after trailing by double-digits, but fell short in a 100-95 loss to see their four-game winning streak snapped. Indiana’s six-game homestand finishes up tonight as the Pacers seek a 4-0 record at home against Central division foes. Nate McMillan’s squad has won all seven games this season when listed in the home favorite role, while covering six times.
Clipper Comeback
Following a 4-0 start to the season, the Clippers (11-15 SU, 12-14 ATS) dropped 15 of their next 19 games and Blake Griffin suffered a knee injury that will keep sidelined indefinitely. However, Los Angeles has suddenly won three straight games, as this hot streak began in last Saturday’s 113-112 triumph over Washington as two-point underdogs. Now, the Clippers and Wizards hook up for the second time in less than a week, this time at Capital One Arena where Los Angeles has dropped two of the past three visits.
The Wizards (15-13 SU, 14-14 ATS) returned home from a five-game road swing to hold off the Grizzlies on Wednesday, 93-87 as 7 ½-point favorites. John Wall returned to the Washington lineup after missing nine games with a knee injury as the All-Star guard scored 13 points, but the Wizards own a 3-7 ATS home record when Wall is active. Since November 17, Washington has slipped to a 1-5 ATS mark as a favorite, including a 1-4 ATS ledger this season at home against Western Conference foes.
Unbelievea-Bulls
Don’t look now, but Chicago (7-20 SU, 14-12-1 ATS) is surging. Granted, the Bulls aren’t a threat for the postseason, but Fred Hoiberg’s club has won four straight games, while covering in each of their past five. Chicago took care of Utah as home underdogs on Wednesday to sweep a three-game homestand with all three victories coming in the ‘dog role. The Bulls make the short trip to Milwaukee, as Chicago dropped three of four meetings to its Central division rival last season.
The Bucks (15-11 SU, 10-12-4 ATS) look to rebound following Wednesday’s seven-point setback at New Orleans, as Jason Kidd’s squad has won seven of their past eight contests at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee has won and covered in each of its previous three opportunities off a road loss, while the Bucks are laying their biggest number to the Bulls tonight (8) since being listed as a seven-point favorite back in November 2002.
Fast Break
-- Miami and Charlotte meet for the second time this month after the Heat rallied past the Hornets two weeks ago, 105-100. The Heat have captured five of the past seven matchups, while the Hornets have lost four of their previous five home games overall.
-- The Blazers rallied from a 16-point deficit in Wednesday’s win at Miami as Portland makes the short trip to Orlando. Portland defeated Orlando at the Moda Center last month, 99-94, but the Blazers have lost four of their past five visits to Amway Center. The Magic has failed to cover in five straight games, while dropping three in a row overall.
-- The Nets head north of the border following a seven-point home loss to the Knicks on Thursday. Brooklyn lost all four matchups with Toronto last season, while going 0-8 SU and 2-6 ATS in the past eight meetings. The Raptors are riding a 7-1 run, but return home from a four-game road trip after edging Phoenix on Wednesday.
-- Atlanta and Memphis have been perennial playoff teams over the last five years, but the two teams have combined for just 14 wins this season. The Grizzlies have lost 15 of their past 16 games, including 11 of their previous 12 at FedEx Forum. The road team won each matchup last season, while the Hawks own a dreadful 0-6 record with no rest following Thursday’s home defeat to the Pistons.
-- New Orleans and Denver have split a pair of high-scoring games this season with the Pelicans knocking off the Nuggets nine days ago, 123-114. The Nuggets are back at home following a six-game road swing, as Denver posted a 2-4 SU and 2-3-1 ATS mark. New Orleans has compiled an impressive 7-3 ATS record in its previous 10 away contests, including consecutive covers as underdogs at Houston and Portland.