Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Thursday 12/13/18
Thursday’s games
Houston won its last five games (4-0-1 vs spread); they’re 2-6 vs spread in last eight road games. Under is 5-2-1 in their last eight road games. Miami won six of its last nine games; they’re 2-6 vs spread in last eight home games. Six of their last nine games stayed under. Rockets are 5-3 in their last eight games with the Heat; they’re 2-3 vs spread in their last five visits to Miami. Under is 5-3 in last eight series games.
Dallas lost its last three games; they’re 0-4 vs spread in last four road games. Under is 7-3 in their last ten games. Clippers lost six of their last seven games (0-6-1 vs spread); they’re 0-3 vs spread in last three home games. Five of their last seven games stayed under the total. Home side won last six Dallas-Clipper games; Mavericks are 2-2-1 vs spread in their last five road games. Under is 6-4 in last ten series games.
Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat Preview and Predictions 2018-12-20
The Houston Rockets appear to have found their identity after a choppy start to the season. Houston has matched a season best with five consecutive wins entering Thursday's road contest against the Miami Heat and made an NBA record 26 3-pointers in Wednesday's 136-118 victory over the Washington Wizards.
James Harden drained six 3-pointers, Chris Paul buried five and Eric Gordon along with Gerald Green each made four in Houston's record-setting performance against the Wizards. Michael Carter-Williams hit No. 26 with 30.3 seconds left to surpass the mark set by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who made 25 against the Atlanta Hawks on March 3, 2017. The Heat have won back-to-back games and six of their past nine as they climb back from a slow start. Miami was dealt a blow Wednesday when point guard Goran Dragic underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and is expected to be sidelined two months.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (16-14): Houston was three games below .500 at the 25-game mark but has turned around its fortunes quickly, capped by the stellar shooting performance against Washington. "We've had games where we hit a lot of 3s," Paul told reporters after the victory. "I had no clue we had that many until the fans started chanting 'three' every time we had the ball." The game against Miami is the lone road game during a six-game stretch and the Rockets are just 7-9 in away contests.
ABOUT THE HEAT (13-16): Dragic has been able to play in only 14 of 29 games due to his troublesome right knee and an earlier absence after getting the knee drained didn't clear up the issues. Dragic, who is averaging 15.3 points and 4.9 assists, missed the past three games before undergoing the procedure. "We feel good about the fact that there's a solution now," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "It was frustrating for him and all parties, trying to figure out what was going on. Goran is as dedicated as anybody, so he was around the building doing treatment around the clock. It just wasn't responding the way he wanted it to. He pushed it all the way until he realized that it wouldn't get better, and we went with this solution."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Rockets' victory in Miami last season was just their second in the past nine visits.
2. Heat SGs Josh Richardson (hip) and Tyler Johnson (migraine) are probable for Thursday's game, while SF Justise Winslow (ankle) is questionable.
3. Houston F James Ennis (hamstring) is slated to miss his fifth straight game.
PREDICTION: Heat 115, Rockets 111
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Dallas Mavericks vs. LA Clippers Preview and Predictions 2018-12-20
The Los Angeles Clippers seek to end a season-worst four-game losing streak when they host the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. The Clippers have dropped seven of nine games after being one of the league's biggest surprises while jumping off to a 15-6 start.
The Mavericks also were exceeding expectations by winning 12 of 15 games but have followed that stretch up with three straight setbacks, including Tuesday's 126-118 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Forward Harrison Barnes matched his season high of 30 points against Denver while star rookie forward Luka Doncic registered 23 points and a season-best 12 assists for his third career double-double. The Clippers allowed a season worst for points in Monday's 131-127 home setback against the Portland Trail Blazers and have allowed an average of 121.5 points over their past six games. "We have to start at the defensive end, picking up our physicality and letting that fuel our offense," Los Angeles forward Tobias Harris told reporters. "We kind of just have to be a little bit more locked in. It also does help when we get better starts offensively to really get that feel and get ourselves that confidence."
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (15-14): Center DeAndre Jordan returns to Staples Center as a visiting player for the first time against the Clippers, of whom he spent his first 10 NBA seasons. Jordan recorded 16 points and 23 rebounds - the latter a season high he has since matched - as Dallas recorded a 114-110 home win over Los Angeles on Dec. 2. The 30-year-old is averaging 11 points and 13.8 rebounds and has 25 double-digit rebounding efforts along with 18 double-doubles.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (17-13): Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers is mystified over his team's recent struggles but he asserted that lineup changes aren't needed. One player under the microscope is shooting guard Avery Bradley, who has gone scoreless in two of the past four games and been in single digits in five of the last seven. "We're looking at everything, guys," Rivers told reporters. "... It's just convenient when you lose, 'Let's go back to something else.' Probably why I don't do it, because I think the numbers will bear out."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Clippers have won the past three home meetings with the Mavericks.
2. Dallas PG Dennis Smith Jr. (wrist) is expected to sit out for the seventh time in eight games.
3. Los Angeles G Lou Williams (hamstring) is slated to miss his fifth consecutive game but could return later this week.
PREDICTION: Clippers 111, Mavericks 109
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NBA
Long Sheet
Thursday, December 20
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HOUSTON (16 - 14) at MIAMI (13 - 16) - 12/20/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 64-44 ATS (+15.6 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
MIAMI is 9-20 ATS (-13.0 Units) in home games in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 3-1 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI is 2-2 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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DALLAS (15 - 14) at LA CLIPPERS (17 - 13) - 12/20/2018, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 422-343 ATS (+44.7 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
DALLAS is 508-432 ATS (+32.8 Units) in road games since 1996.
DALLAS is 83-55 ATS (+22.5 Units) in road games in December games since 1996.
DALLAS is 39-22 ATS (+14.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 5-2 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 4-4 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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NBA
Thursday, December 20
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Trend Report
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Houston Rockets
Houston is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Miami
Houston is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Houston's last 16 games
Houston is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Houston is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Houston is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Miami
Miami Heat
Miami is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Miami is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games
Miami is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Miami is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games at home
Miami is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Houston
Miami is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Houston
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Dallas is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games
Dallas is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Dallas is 2-16 SU in its last 18 games on the road
Dallas is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing LA Clippers
Dallas is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games when playing LA Clippers
Dallas is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
Dallas is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
LA Clippers is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
LA Clippers is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
LA Clippers is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games at home
LA Clippers is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
LA Clippers is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of LA Clippers's last 8 games at home
LA Clippers is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Dallas
LA Clippers is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games when playing Dallas
LA Clippers is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Clippers's last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas
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