Betting news, trends, odds and predictions for Tuesday, April 10, 2018 from various handicappers and websites
Tuesday’s NBA games
Pacers won three of last four games with Charlotte; under is 4-2 in last six series games. Hornets are 0-3 vs spread in last three visits to Indiana. Charlotte lost five of its last six games; they’re 4-7 in last 11 games as road underdogs. Last three Hornet games went over the total. Pacers won seven of their last nine games; they’re 5-1 vs spread in last six home games. Four of their last six games went over.
76ers won last two games with Atlanta, after losing previous seven meetings; Sixers are 1-3 vs spread in last four visits to Atlanta. Six of last nine series games went over total. 76ers won their last 14 games; they covered five of last six games as road favorites. Five of their last seven games stayed under. Hawks are 3-2 in their last five games; they’re 2-5 in last seven games as a home underdog. Five of their last six games stayed under.
Wizards/Celtics split their last six meetings; Boston is 2-2 vs spread in last four games in this arena. Over is 8-2 in last ten series games. Celtics lost three of their last four games; they’re 12-5 as road underdogs this season. Four of their last five games went over. Washington lost eight of its last ten games; they’re 2-8 in last 10 tries as home favorites. Under is 6-3-1 in their last ten games.
Suns won their last four games with the Mavericks; they’re 4-2 vs spread in last six visits to Dallas. Six of last eight series games stayed under the total. Phoenix lost nine of its last 10 games; they’re 4-2 vs spread in last six games as road underdogs. Eight of their last 10 games stayed under total. Dallas lost six of its last seven games; they’re 7-8 as home favorites this season. Three of their last four games went over.
Jazz won their last two games with Golden State, after losing previous five series games; Warriors are 2-2 vs spread in last four visits to Utah. Last four series games went over total. Golden State is 4-5 in its last nine games; they’re 1-3 vs spread as an underdog this season. Under is 3-1 in their last four road games. Jazz won its last five games; they’re 1-4 vs spread in last five home games. Over is 8-1 in their last nine games.
Lakers lost eight of last ten games with Houston; over is 7-1 in last eight series games. Rockets covered three of last four series games played here. Houston won eight of its last ten games; they are 4-4 in last eight games as road favorites. Under is 7-2 in their last nine games. Lakers lost five of their last six games; they’re 1-4 in last five games as home underdogs. Three of their last four games went over.
Charlotte Hornets vs. Indiana Pacers Preview and Predictions 04-10-2018
9th April 2018 by Gracenote
The Indiana Pacers are finishing the regular season on a roll and look to post their eighth victory in the past 10 games when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. Indiana posted a 123-117 victory over the Hornets on Sunday in the front end of the back-to-back that concludes the regular season for both teams.
The Pacers recorded 70 first-half points in Sunday's victory in an effort in which the bench (72 points) outscored the starters (51). "Even though we won, I thought that we were flat for most of this game," Indiana coach Nate McMillan told reporters afterward. "We found a way to get some energy. I thought the bench came in and gave us a lot of energy and played well to help us get this win." The Hornets will miss the postseason for the second straight season and the club announced Sunday that former Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has been hired to a similar position overseeing the franchise's day-to-day operations. "He's a proven winner," Charlotte chairman Michael Jordan said in a press release. "Having won championships as both a player and an executive, we have confidence that Mitch is the right person to lead our basketball operations, build a winning culture and bring sustained success to our organization, for our fans and for the city of Charlotte."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Southeast Carolinas (Charlotte), FS Indiana
ABOUT THE HORNETS (35-46): Backup shooting guard Malik Monk is suddenly on a roll after scoring 22 points against the Pacers for his third consecutive 20-point outing. Monk, a first-round draft pick last June, is averaging 23 points during the stretch while making 12-of-27 3-pointers and he said he made the most of his bench-sitting time by observing All-Star teammate Kemba Walker. "I've been watching Kemba a lot when I was sitting on the bench so I've been learning everything he's been doing and I've been trying to do that when I stepped on the court," Monk told reporters.
ABOUT THE PACERS (48-33): Second-year forward Domantas Sabonis was the biggest hero of the bench players on Sunday as he recorded a career-best 30 points on 13-of-21 shooting and also collected eight rebounds and three steals. Sabonis was acquired along with standout guard Victor Oladipo in the offseason trade that sent Paul George to Oklahoma City and the 21-year-old is enjoying a solid campaign with averages of 11.7 points and 7.7 rebounds. "I love it here," Sabonis told reporters. "It's a great system. We have a great group of guys who believe in it and we all want to win so that's been working for us."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pacers are 2-1 against the Hornets this season, but Charlotte won the previous matchup in Indianapolis, 105-96 on Jan. 29.
2. Oladipo scored 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting in Sunday's win after having a season-low five points on 2-of-9 shooting two nights earlier against the Toronto Raptors.
3. Walker scored just 12 points in Sunday's game and is averaging 10.2 on 16-of-45 shooting over the past five games.
PREDICTION: Pacers 114, Hornets 106
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Atlanta Hawks Preview and Predictions 04-10-2018
9th April 2018 by Gracenote
The Philadelphia 76ers are the hottest team in the NBA and are on the verge of clinching the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers will go for their franchise-record 15th consecutive win when they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday in their final road game of the regular season.
Philadelphia, which won 10 games two seasons ago, clinched homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 109-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. "It's good stuff," 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters. "To win 50 games with two games remaining, to have 14 wins in a row, to secure a homecourt advantage, that is fantastic. At the end of the day, that is what is most true: our season to date has been exceptional." Philadelphia can clinch the No. 3 spot with wins in the last two games and is thriving despite being without All-Star center Joel Embiid (eye), who is not expected to play in the final two games of the regular season. The Hawks are fighting to finish above the Orlando Magic and out of the East basement and earned wins at Washington and Boston in the last two games.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia, FS Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (50-30): Embiid's absence is allowing rookie point guard Ben Simmons to step into the starring role, and he is averaging 14.7 points on 61.1 percent shooting, 10.9 assists and 10.1 rebounds during the winning streak. Simmons is trying to hold off Utah's Donovan Mitchell for the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award and believes that he should be the one on the top of the voting. "Who would I pick? Me, 100 percent," Simmons told ESPN. "I think I have been playing solid all year. If you look at the numbers, you will see. People who know the game know."
ABOUT THE HAWKS (24-57): Atlanta is trying to see what it has in its own young players and small forward Taurean Prince continues to make strides forward. The 24-year-old Baylor product exploded for 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting, including 7-of-8 from 3-point range, and added eight rebounds and five assists in Sunday's 112-106 win at Boston. Prince scored 20 or more points in each of the last three games and 10 of the last 15 games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hawks SG Malcolm Delaney underwent surgery on his left ankle Monday and is expected to be ready for training camp.
2. 76ers SG Marco Belinelli is averaging 19.2 points on 57.1 percent shooting over the last five games.
3. Philadelphia took the first two meetings this season, including a 101-91 win at Atlanta on March 30.
PREDICTION: 76ers 106, Hawks 100
Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards Preview and Predictions 04-10-2018
9th April 2018 by Gracenote
The Washington Wizards are lacking momentum entering the postseason and will look to end a four-game losing streak when they host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. Washington's troubles go back nearly six weeks as it has lost eight of its last 10 games and 13 of the past 19.
The Wizards' issues were on full display in Friday's 103-97 home loss to the lowly Atlanta Hawks, when they shot 40.2 percent from the field and coach Scott Brooks all but called his team selfish. "Nobody wanted to share the basketball," Brooks told reporters. "It's a simple game: you pass it to your teammate, you pass it because the game tells you. If you don't pass to your teammates, you're not going to end up getting good shots." Boston also lost to Atlanta in its most recent outing, blowing a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead on Sunday while suffering a 112-106 setback that represented its third loss in the past four games. "We just have to finish the game," backup center Greg Monroe told reporters. "I think from our side it was a sloppy game. We have to be better on the pick-and-roll, guarding the ball. They got too many easy layups at the rim so we got to be better."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, NBCS Boston
ABOUT THE CELTICS (54-26): Monroe is averaging 17.7 points over the past three games and even recorded the second triple-double of his eight-year career in Friday's victory over the Chicago Bulls. Boston sees the 6-foot-11 Monroe as a valuable contributor in the upcoming postseason as the inside game will be more important with star outside shooter Kyrie Irving (knee) done for the season. "We need him to play well," Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters of a player who averaged more than 15 points per game in five different seasons. "I think the biggest thing - obviously we're going into the playoffs with less people on our roster, and down some guys. The bench play is going to be huge for us."
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (42-38): Shooting guard Bradley Beal scored 32 points and was the only Washington starter to score more than 10 against the Hawks. Point guard John Wall sat out to rest his surgically repaired knee - he has played three games since returning - while too many of his teammates were looking tried and worn out. "It's playoff time, we can't be fatigued," small forward Otto Porter Jr. told reporters. "We've been playing all year, and it's playoffs. You have to step it up this next week. We have one more week to get ready."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Wizards are 2-1 against the Celtics this season but it was Boston that won in the earlier meeting at Washington - 110-104 in overtime on Feb. 8.
2. Boston PG Terry Rozier is 8-of-26 shooting over the past three games.
3. Washington backup C Ian Mahinmi (concussion) will likely miss his second straight game.
PREDICTION: Wizards 113, Celtics 108
Phoenix Suns vs. Dallas Mavericks Preview and Predictions 04-10-2018
9th April 2018 by Gracenote
The Dallas Mavericks failed to earn a win on their final road trip of the season but have one game remaining in the regular season to get to 25 victories. The Mavericks will try to hit that mark when they host the Western Conference-worst Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
Dallas fell at Orlando, Detroit and Philadelphia on its final road trip but felt like it put in a good effort on Sunday against a playoff-bound 76ers squad. "I thought we played pretty well," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. "This is a very hard team to play. And defensively, they're very persistent, so it's not super easy to get shots, so it was a tough game. Playing these guys today was very similar to a playoff atmosphere. A wild building, they're going for their 14th in a row, they're trying to clinch a high (playoff) seed. This is great simulation for what playoff basketball is going to be like for us in the future." The Suns are playing for the future as well and already clinched the worst record in the NBA and the most ping pong balls in the NBA draft lottery. Phoenix is trying to find enough healthy bodies to finish out the season and is missing some of its biggest pieces heading into the season finale.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS Arizona (Phoenix), FS Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE SUNS (20-61): Phoenix has been without leading scorer Devin Booker (24.9 points) for the last 11 games and does not expect to have him on Tuesday, and second-leading scorer TJ Warren (19.6) is out with a knee injury. "I was hoping by now they would be back," interim coach Jay Triano told reporters. "Booker has tried on numerous occasions to practice and get minutes in and all of a sudden it gets jammed to the point where he has to pull himself out of practice so obviously he can't play in a game." Third-leading scorer Josh Jackson took the absence of Booker and Warren as an opportunity to get more minutes and averaged 24.8 points over four games before sitting out Sunday's 117-100 loss to the Golden State Warriors with a quad contusion.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (24-57): Dallas is playing out the string as well but continues to get solid production from some of the pieces it will build around in the future. Rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. is battling through knee soreness that has him questionable for Tuesday but logged 40 minutes on Sunday and finished with 20 points and 11 assists. The 20-year-old North Carolina State product was coming off a poor performance in Detroit in which he struggled to seven points on 2-of-12 shooting.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Suns SG Troy Daniels (ankle) left Sunday's game and is questionable for Tuesday.
2. Mavericks SF Dorian Finney-Smith is averaging 5.5 points but scored in double figures in each of the last three games.
3. Phoenix took the last four meetings, including two at Dallas.
PREDICTION: Mavericks 108, Suns 95
Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz Preview and Predictions 04-10-2018
9th April 2018 by Gracenote
The Utah Jazz punched their ticket to the postseason with a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday but are still waiting for the seedings to shake themselves out. The Jazz will try to lock up homecourt advantage in the first round when they host the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
Utah finishes up at third-place Portland on Wednesday and is coming into the postseason as hot as any team in the NBA after going 28-5 over its last 33 games to surge from nine games under .500 to the top half of the West playoff bracket. "I think we had the potential to play like that all year," swingman Joe Ingles told ESPN.com. "We were missing guys all year. It has really only been this last stretch, kind of since Rudy (Gobert) got back, that we had the majority of our whole team healthy. And it takes time to get rhythm playing together. We had a reasonably big turnaround from the previous years of players and you got a guy drafted playing 35 minutes a game. It takes time getting used to playing with guys." The Warriors are locked into the No. 2 spot and are just trying to get themselves healthy and back in rhythm before heading to the postseason. Golden State looked more like themselves in a 117-100 win at Phoenix on Sunday that snapped a two-game slide.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBCS Bay Area (Golden State), AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (58-23): Golden State is still missing All-Star point guard Stephen Curry (knee) but can survive his absence in the first round of the playoffs if Klay Thompson plays like he did on Sunday. The All-Star shooting guard scored 22 of his 34 points in the first quarter and even had the Phoenix fans on his side. "That was fun to watch," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "He had the arena pretty excited. Every time he went up for a shot after that first few, you could hear the anticipation of the crowd. Yeah, he had it rolling."
ABOUT THE JAZZ (47-33): Utah began its surge forward shortly after Gobert returned from a knee injury, and he is averaging 14.5 points and 11.5 rebounds over the last 33 games. "Making the playoffs, it means a lot to us," Gobert told reporters. "We always knew we could do it. We went through the offseason and training camp and we worked hard as a team and organization to get to this point. We're excited, but it's only the beginning." Gobert is getting plenty of help from rookie guard Donovan Mitchell, who led the way in the clinching win with 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Warriors SF Andre Iguodala (knee) sat out five of the last six games and is not expected to play on Tuesday.
2. Jazz PF Derrick Favors collected 10 points and 13 rebounds on Sunday for his first double-double since Feb. 14.
3. Utah took the last two in the series, including a 110-91 win at Golden State on March 25.
PREDICTION: Jazz 119, Warriors 113
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Preview and Predictions 04-10-2018
9th April 2018 by Gracenote
The NBA-best Houston Rockets are coming off a rare defeat as they enter Tuesday's road game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Houston, which owns a league-best 64-16 record, fell for just the third time in its past 33 games when it suffered a 108-102 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.
Nobody associated with the Rockets was too dejected over the setback as Oklahoma City is fighting for a playoff spot and Houston is just trying to maintain its performance heading into the postseason. "We're good. We're in a great place right now," All-Star guard James Harden told reporters. "We have two more games to close it out and be ready for the playoffs." The Lakers are skidding toward the finish and Sunday's 112-97 setback against the Utah Jazz marked their 10th loss in the past 13 games. Small forward Brandon Ingram (concussion) will miss his fifth consecutive game while rookie point guard Lonzo Ball (sidelined six straight games with a knee injury) and forward Kyle Kuzma (sat out Saturday due to an ankle ailment) are questionable performers.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston), Spectrum Sports Net (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (64-16): Houston may opt to rest some players over the final two games of the season but coach Mike D'Antoni indicates he's more apt to let the player make the call as opposed to the coaching staff. "Most guys want to play," D'Antoni told reporters. "If somebody needs a break, we'll give him one, but we'll be very careful about how much we play." Harden, who leads the NBA with a 30.6 scoring average, doesn't like sitting out, so a minutes' reduction could be in store for him should the Rockets be winning or losing by a significant margin.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (34-46): Rookie guard Josh Hart has been receiving increased playing time with Ball sidelined and he put together back-to-back 20-point outings after scoring 25 against the Jazz. Hart is averaging 13.7 points and 7.5 rebounds in six games since returning from a broken hand and is displaying he can be counted on as a member of the playing rotation next season. "Throughout the season, every time he gets the opportunity to play big minutes or have a bigger role, he has been pretty good for us," Los Angeles coach Luke Walton told reporters. "He is one of our best finishers, he is one of our best rebounders and he can push it in transition."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Rockets are 2-1 against the Lakers this season and won 13 of the past 16 meetings.
2. Houston G Eric Gordon and F Ryan Anderson are each expected to miss their third straight games due to ankle injuries.
3. Los Angeles rookie G Tyler Ennis scored a season-best 22 points against Utah and is averaging 12.5 points over the past four contests.
PREDICTION: Rockets 123, Lakers 115