Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Thursday 12/27/18
Celtics won 10 of their last 13 games; they’re 4-1 vs spread in last five road games. Celtics’ last seven games went over the total. Houston won seven of its last eight games; they’re 6-0-1 vs spread in last seven home games. Under is 8-2-1 in their last 11 games. Rockets won seven of last ten games with Boston, but Celtics covered last four series games. Boston is 3-2 vs spread in its last five visits to Houston. Nine of last ten series games went under the total.
Knicks lost 10 of their last 11 games; they’re 2-4-1 vs spread in last seven road games. Over is 5-2 in their last seven road games. Milwaukee won seven of its last nine games; they’re 2-4-1 vs spread in last seven home games. Nine of their last 11 games stayed under. Bucks won seven of last eight games with New York; they beat the Knicks 109-95 (-9.5) Tuesday. NY is 3-1-1 vs spread in last five visits to Milwaukee. Four of last five series games went over the total.
Lebron James is out for the Lakers, who are 0-5 vs spread in game following their last five wins. LA is 4-7 vs spread in last 11 road games. Lakers’ last four games all stayed under. Sacramento is 2-5 vs spread this year if they played night before; Kings covered five of their last six home tilts. Over is 6-2-1 in their last nine home games. Lakers/Kings split their last 10 meetings; LA is 3-2 vs spread in its last five visits to the state capitol. Under is 8-1-1 in last ten series games.
Trailblazers are 3-5 in their last eight games; they’re 0-9 vs spread in last nine road games. Three of last four Portland games stayed under. Golden State is 2-10 vs spread in its last dozen home games; Warriors are 4-3 SU in their last seven games. Six of their last nine games stayed under. Warriors won eight of last ten games with Portland; five of last six series games went over total. Blazers are 3-2 vs spread in their last five visits to Oakland.
76ers are 3-4 in their last seven games; they’re 2-4 vs spread in last six road games. Four of their last five games went over. Utah won three of its last four games; they’re 5-1 vs spread in last six home games. Last seven Jazz games stayed under the total. Sixers won their last three games with the Jazz; Philly is 2-2 vs spread in their last four visits to Salt Lake City. Eight of last ten series games stayed under.
NBA
Thursday, December 27
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Trend Report
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New York Knicks
New York is 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games
New York is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
New York is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
New York is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 5 games on the road
New York is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Milwaukee
New York is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 5 games when playing Milwaukee
New York is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 8 of New York's last 11 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Milwaukee's last 11 games
Milwaukee is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Milwaukee is 18-3 SU in its last 21 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games at home
Milwaukee is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing New York
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games when playing New York
Milwaukee is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against New York
Milwaukee is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against New York
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Milwaukee's last 11 games when playing at home against New York
Boston Celtics
Boston is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games
Boston is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Boston's last 7 games
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 7-14 ATS in its last 21 games on the road
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games on the road
Boston is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Houston
Boston is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Boston's last 12 games when playing Houston
Boston is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston's last 8 games when playing on the road against Houston
Houston Rockets
Houston is 6-1-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Houston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Houston is 6-0-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Houston is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Boston
Houston is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Houston's last 12 games when playing Boston
Houston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Houston's last 8 games when playing at home against Boston
Los Angeles Lakers
LA Lakers is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Lakers's last 5 games
LA Lakers is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
LA Lakers is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Sacramento
LA Lakers is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Sacramento
LA Lakers is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games when playing Sacramento
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of LA Lakers's last 11 games when playing Sacramento
LA Lakers is 17-8 ATS in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
LA Lakers is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
Sacramento Kings
Sacramento is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Sacramento's last 8 games
Sacramento is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Sacramento is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Sacramento's last 5 games at home
Sacramento is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing LA Lakers
Sacramento is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games when playing LA Lakers
Sacramento is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Sacramento's last 11 games when playing LA Lakers
Sacramento is 8-17 ATS in its last 25 games when playing at home against LA Lakers
Sacramento is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against LA Lakers
Portland Trail Blazers
Portland is 5-13 ATS in its last 18 games
Portland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Portland's last 11 games
Portland is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Portland is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Portland's last 5 games on the road
Portland is 2-12 SU in its last 14 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Portland's last 6 games when playing Golden State
Portland is 7-18 ATS in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Golden State
Portland is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Portland's last 16 games when playing on the road against Golden State
Golden State Warriors
Golden State is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games
Golden State is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Golden State's last 9 games
Golden State is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Golden State is 18-4 SU in its last 22 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Golden State's last 6 games at home
Golden State is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games when playing Portland
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Golden State's last 6 games when playing Portland
Golden State is 18-7 ATS in its last 25 games when playing at home against Portland
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Portland
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Golden State's last 16 games when playing at home against Portland
Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games
Philadelphia is 5-14 ATS in its last 19 games on the road
Philadelphia is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 7 games on the road
Philadelphia is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Utah
Philadelphia is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing Utah
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Philadelphia's last 10 games when playing Utah
Philadelphia is 7-16-1 ATS in its last 24 games when playing on the road against Utah
Philadelphia is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Utah
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing on the road against Utah
Utah Jazz
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Utah's last 5 games
Utah is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Utah is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Utah's last 5 games at home
Utah is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
Utah is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Utah's last 10 games when playing Philadelphia
Utah is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
Utah is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah's last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
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NBA
Long Sheet
Thursday, December 27
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BOSTON (20 - 13) at HOUSTON (18 - 15) - 12/27/2018, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 77-53 ATS (+18.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 65-47 ATS (+13.3 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 41-27 ATS (+11.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 47-34 ATS (+9.6 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 51-33 ATS (+14.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 4-0 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 2-2 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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NEW YORK (9 - 26) at MILWAUKEE (23 - 10) - 12/27/2018, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 22-11 ATS (+9.9 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 413-484 ATS (-119.4 Units) in home games since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 139-180 ATS (-59.0 Units) after a win by 10 points or more since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 14-29 ATS (-17.9 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 6-4 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
MILWAUKEE is 8-2 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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LA LAKERS (20 - 14) at SACRAMENTO (18 - 16) - 12/27/2018, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SACRAMENTO is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 220 this season.
SACRAMENTO is 69-50 ATS (+14.0 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
SACRAMENTO is 14-6 ATS (+7.4 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
LA LAKERS are 33-20 ATS (+11.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 5-4 against the spread versus SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 5-4 straight up against SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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PORTLAND (19 - 15) at GOLDEN STATE (23 - 12) - 12/27/2018, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 59-76 ATS (-24.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) against Northwest division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 32-47 ATS (-19.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 14-25 ATS (-13.5 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 6-6 against the spread versus PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 10-2 straight up against PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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PHILADELPHIA (22 - 13) at UTAH (17 - 18) - 12/27/2018, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UTAH is 37-23 ATS (+11.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 118-90 ATS (+19.0 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 42-25 ATS (+14.5 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 53-35 ATS (+14.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 58-34 ATS (+20.6 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 3-2 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA is 3-2 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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Inside the Paint - Thursday
Chris David
After watching favorites go 3-2 both straight up and against the spread on Christmas, we saw the ‘chalk’ push ahead last night with a 9-1 record on the hardwood last night. A couple underdogs did manage to salvage covers which left the favorites overall number standing at 7-3 ATS. Wednesday was a solid night for ‘over’ bettors as the high side went 7-3, which was a nice turnaround after the holiday ‘under’ trend continued this season with a 3-2 mark.
Thursday’s card will feature nine of the 10 teams that played on Christmas, which includes a solid non-conference double-header on TNT.
Boston (20-13 SU, 17-16 ATS) at Houston (18-15 SU, 15-17-1 ATS)
The Rockets opened as one-point home favorites but as of Tuesday morning, the game was ‘OFF’ the board due to the ‘questionable’ status of James Harden (calf). The All-Star scored 41 points on Tuesday as Houston dropped Oklahoma City 113-109 as a one-point home underdog. The Rockets were playing without Chris Paul (hamstring) for the second consecutive game and they improved to 2-5 without him in the lineup this season. Continuing to post wins without Paul won’t be as easy, especially against a Boston team that’s coming together.
After a 10-10- start, the Celtics have gone 10-3 and that includes their 121-114 Christmas Day win and miracle cover at home against the 76ers in overtime as five-point favorites. Kyrie Irving forced the extra session with a late bucket before they outscored Philly 13-6 in OT. Boston hasn’t been as strong on the road this season (9-8 SU, 7-10 ATS) but it enters this game with a 5-2 record both SU and ATS in its last seven away games.
Houston started the season 0-4 at the Toyota Center but has gone 11-1 since then and more importantly, the club has posted an impressive 9-2-1 ATS during this run while the ‘over’ has gone 8-4.
The pair have split all four of their recent encounters over the last two seasons and the home team came out on top in every game but the Celtics went 4-0 ATS during this span as three of the games were decided by three points or less. Total bettors should note that this series has watched the ‘under’ go 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.
TNT will provide national coverage of this game at 8:05 p.m. ET.
New York (9-26 SU, 16-18-1 ATS) at Milwaukee (23-10 SU, 17-15-1 ATS)
This is a quick home-and-home set as the Bucks dropped the Knicks 109-95 on Christmas as 9 ½-point road favorites. Including that win, Milwaukee is now 8-2 in its last 10 encounters against New York and that includes a 2-1 record this season. The pair met in Wisconsin on Oct. 22 and the Bucks captured a 124-113 win as 10 ½-point home favorites. New York (5-14 SU, 10-9 ATS) has surprisingly won more road games this season but it hasn’t fared well away recently. The Knicks are 1-6 (3-4 ATS) in their last seven and the lone win came at Charlotte, who blew a big lead in that game.
Milwaukee is listed as a 14 ½-point home favorite for Thursday’s match and if the Bucks hit from distance, this number could easily be covered. On Tuesday, they were just 6-of-32 (19%) from 3-point land and they still won by 14 points on the road. The Bucks have gone 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS as double-digit home favorites this season. This will be the first game of a six-game road trip for New York while Milwaukee is beginning a five-game homestand at the Fiserv Forum.
L.A. Lakers (20-14 SU, 14-19-1 ATS) at Sacramento (18-16 SU, 21-12-1 ATS)
Tough game to handicap as the Los Angles Lakers will be playing without LeBron James (groin) tonight after he was injured on Christmas. Despite going down, the team pushed ahead and dropped Golden State 127-101 as a nine-point road underdog on Tuesday. Will the club step up again on Thursday?
Los Angeles dropped Sacramento 101-86 as a 5 ½-point road favorite on Nov. 10 and the ‘under’ (237) was never in doubt. For the rematch, the Kings opened as 3 ½-point home favorites and they’ll be playing with no rest after losing a 127-118 decision to the Clippers at the Staples Center on Wednesday. Sacramento won its first two games of the season on zero days rest but has since dropped five straight back-to-back situations. Two of the losses during this skid came at home and that included the aforementioned loss to the Lakers.
While the rest angle could have you backing off the Kings, they certainly deserve a look as favorites. Sacramento has gone 5-0 both SU and ATS when laying points this season, surprisingly four of those results occurred on the road.
The total on the game opened 229 ½ and was pushed up quickly to 231. The Lakers enter the game on a 4-0 ‘under’ streak but Sacramento has been the best ‘over’ (23-11) team in the NBA and it brings a 7-1 lean to the high side into tonight’s game. Be aware that the total results (8-8) for Sacramento have been even at the Golden 1 Center this season.
Portland (19-15 SU, 16-18 ATS) at Golden State (23-12 SU, 14-21 ATS)
The Trail Blazers lost by 24 points (117-96) at the Jazz on Christmas while the Warriors were embarrassed on the holiday at home to the Lakers by 26 (127-102). Can you really trust either team in the rebound spot? Golden State opened as a nine-point favorite and it’s burned bettors recently with a 1-7 ATS skid and despite owning a 15-4 record at home, they’ve only covered eight (8-11 ATS) of those victories. Over the past few seasons, backing Golden State off a loss was a great money-maker but they’re just 4-7 ATS after a setback in 2018.
The book is out on Portland, who is great at home (13-5 SU, 11-7 ATS) and weak on the road (6-10 SU, 5-11 ATS) and lately they’ve been awful away from the Moda Center. Including the loss on Tuesday at Utah, the Trail Blazers have gone 1-7 both SU and ATS in their last eight road games and the losses came by an average of 18.7 PPG. Among teams with a winning record, Portland has the lowest point differential (+0.1) in the league.
The two clubs just met at Oracle Arena on Nov. 23 and Golden State throttled Portland 125-97 as a one-point home favorite. The line was short for this matchup because the Warriors didn’t have Stephen Curry in the lineup and it was mired in a four-game losing skid. Including that setback, the Trail Blazers have dropped 13 straight games in the Bay Area and they haven’t been great for bettors (4-9 ATS) during this span either. Golden State will travel to Portland on Saturday night and it has dropped its last two trips to Oregon.
Philadelphia (22-13 SU, 16-19 ATS) at Utah (17-18 SU, 17-17-1 ATS)
The late-night portion of the TNT double-header (10:35 p.m. ET) takes place from Salt Lake City and it’s a nice matchup. The Jazz opened as a five-point home favorite and they’ve won and covered three of their last four games.
We’re starting to see the Utah defense finally take shape and the club is allowing 96.8 PPG in its last seven games, which has led to a 7-0 ‘under’ mark. Make a note that the Jazz have faced some quality opponents during this stretch, which includes the Rockets, Warriors, Thunder and Blazers twice.
Philadelphia is definitely considered in that class but bettors backing them are probably still pissed that the 76ers couldn’t cover in their 121-114 overtime loss at Boston on Christmas as a five-point road underdog. With that loss, the 76ers dropped to 7-9 against teams with winning records and they’re now 4-7 this season as underdogs. Keep in mind that Philadelphia has never covered a game as an underdog that it hasn’t won so the money-line (+184) could be a better option tonight.
Also, confidence should be high for the club knowing that the 76ers have won and covered their last three meetings against the Jazz, which includes a 113-107 win on Nov. 16 as a 2 ½-point home favorite. Lastly, Philadelphia has gone 5-2 versus the Western Conference this season however all five wins came at home and the losses were on the road. Utah has gone 2-2 at home versus clubs from the East this season.
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