NBA Betting
CHICAGO BULLS at LOS ANGELES LAKERS
2011-12-22
Tip-off: Sunday, 5:00 p.m. EST
Line: Los Angeles -2, Total: 187.5
Two of the NBA’s title favorites meet up in Los Angeles when the Lakers host Chicago for the teams’ season opener on Christmas Day.
The Lakers are a team in flux. After missing out on Chris Paul, they seem to have taken a step backwards heading into the season. They sent valuable role player Lamar Odom to Dallas in exchange for a trade exception that should help them down the line, but won’t help them in this opener. And with C Andrew Bynum suspended, Odom would have come in handy in this game. Chicago comes in at full strength, and even added veteran SG Richard Hamilton, who looked sharp in preseason play. Considering the Bulls were 25-16 ATS on the road during the regular season last year, and the Lakers were just 15-26 ATS at home (16-30 ATS including the postseason) a year ago, CHICAGO is the pick.
The Lakers have some work to do to make up for the loss of Odom. PF Pau Gasol (18.8 PPG, 10.2 RPG), coming off a brutal postseason that landed him on the trade block, will have to handle the likes of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer inside. Gasol also might have to take on a more significant offensive role with Kobe Bryant (25.3 PPG) suffering from a torn ligament in his wrist.
The young Bulls should have plenty of energy for this one, and their defense (tops in the NBA in defensive efficiency last year) should carry them against Los Angeles. While reigning MVP PG Derrick Rose (25.0 PPG) seemed to fade a bit down the stretch, he should thrive against a Lakers team that, with Bynum out, has no one to protect the basket. Noah (10.4 RPG) and Boozer (17.5 PPG, 9.6 RPG) figure to control the interior, and SF Luol Deng (17.4 PPG) is capable of containing Bryant. The arrival of Hamilton (14.1 PPG with Detroit) just makes their second unit that much better.
NBA: Denver visits Dallas (8:30 PM ET, Altitude)2009-03-27Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony said the team’s last win may have been its biggest of the season. Another road victory over a Western Conference playoff contender with less than three weeks left in the season would likely go near the top of that list. The Nuggets try for their seventh win in eight games and the first season series sweep of the Dallas Mavericks in franchise history Friday night.
Anthony scored 29 points to lead Denver (46-26, 39-32-1 ATS) to a 101-88 win at New Orleans on Wednesday night. Chauncey Billups added 26 points, hitting four of his five 3-pointers in the second half to help the Nuggets pull away and claim their best record through 72 games since joining the NBA and raising their road record to 19-18 and 20-17 ATS.
Anthony said it could have been Denver’s most significant win of the season, and coach George Karl said he took particular satisfaction in his club performing so well on the road against a fellow playoff contender.
“What happens at the end of the season is your home games become double the pressure because you can’t lose at home,” said Karl, whose club has won six of seven after dropping eight of its previous 11. “When you steal one (on the road) against like, New Orleans, it’s a double-weighted hammer.”
The Northwest Division-leading Nuggets can deliver another blow to a playoff hopeful by defeating the Mavericks (43-28, 35-36 ATS). Four games separate eighth-place Dallas from second-place San Antonio in the tightly bunched West standings.
The Nuggets have won their first three meetings (2-1 ATS), including four in a row, with the Mavericks and are in position to sweep the season series for the first time since the Dallas franchise began play in 1980. Denver last won four games in a season against Dallas in 1994-95, when they took four of five. The Nuggets are 4-1 ATS off a double digit triumph.
The Mavericks went four days between games before returning to the court Wednesday night to rout Golden State 128-106. Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points and went 8-for-12 from the field, and Jason Terry scored 26 while hitting 10 of 15 shots despite suffering a jammed wrist in practice Tuesday.
“I thought, all things considered, we handled (the layoff) well,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We had two good days of practice. They weren’t long practices but they were hard and guys worked.”
The Mavericks recorded their highest point total of the season and second-highest field-goal percentage by shooting 58.5 percent against the Warriors. On the other end of the court, however, they know they’ll need a better performance to slow down the Nuggets.
“Offensively, we had a pretty good night,” Nowitzki said. “Defensively, we had some letdowns. We definitely have to be better defensively as the competition gets better.” Dallas is 7-2 ATS if their opponent scored 100 or more points in last game.
Denver, averaging 103.5 points this season, has scored 101.7 in its three wins over Dallas despite being held to 42.2 percent shooting in those games. Anthony has played against the Mavs twice, averaging 25.5 points but shooting 40.5 percent (15-for-37).
Nowitzki has averaged 31.3 points and 11.3 rebounds against the Nuggets this season. He had 44 points and 14 boards while shooting 15-for-26 in the last meeting, a 99-97 road defeat Jan. 13. Billups gave Denver that win with two free throws with 2.2 seconds left after a controversial foul call on Terry.
Sportsbook.com has Dallas as 4.5-point favorite with total of 208 on this crucial Western Conference conflict. Denver is just 4-9 ATS off one day of rest and 8-0 UNDER if opposing team has win percentage of 60 percent or higher. Covering success has not been kind to the Mavericks, who are 3-9 against the spread following an ATS win and 13-3 OVER in last 16 home games.
Denver will miss center Nene as he completes a two-game suspension for head-butting an opponent and making contact with an official during a loss in Phoenix on Monday night. He’s averaging 17.0 points in the three meetings with the Mavericks in 2008-09.
The Nuggets earlier win in Big D was a rare occurrence, since they are 4-20 and 10-14 ATS there since 1996. The underdog in this matchup has covered five of last six and this contest can be seen in local markets starting at 8:30 Eastern.
StatFox Power Line – Dallas by 2
NBA: Top NBA Weekend Power Trends2009-01-19For the second straight Friday night, following last week’s Cleveland win over Boston, ESPN brings us the highlight game on this week’s schedule, as the Lakers host the Magic. That game is part of a great doubleheader on the World Wide Leader in Sports which tips off yet another weekend of great betting opportunities in the NBA. Let’s take a look at some of the action on tap for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as well as some of the Top StatFox Power Trends that you can put to use.
Friday’s action on ESPN tips off with the Hornets visiting the Cavaliers. Cleveland remains unbeaten at home this season with a 19-0 SU & 15-4 ATS record, but Lebron & Co. can’t afford to rest on New Orleans. In fact, with a four game west coast road trip next on the docket, beginning against the Lakers on Monday, this could be a treacherous spot for the hosts. The Hornets have a recent history of playing well both on the road and against the East, plus, they knocked off the Cavaliers at home by 12 points back in November. The second half of the ESPN doubleheader figures to be a barnburner, as the Lakers open up a two-game homestand that matches them with two of the East’s top teams. They already knocked off Boston on Christmas, and they will look to do the same to Orlando on Friday and Cleveland on Monday. Keep in mind though that the Magic are the league’s best team on the road at 15-5 SU & ATS, and also boast a 16-4 SU & ATS mark vs. the West.
On Saturday you’ll find nine different games to choose from, including continuations of the road trips for New Orleans and Orlando. After taking on Cleveland and L.A. on Friday night respectively, it doesn’t get much easier for either team on Saturday. The Hornets go to Detroit, where the Pistons will be looking to make amends for a Tuesday night home loss to Charlotte. New Orleans was blown out by 21 in MoTown in their most recent visit last March. The Magic fly to Denver to take on the Nuggets, a team still adjusting to life without Carmelo Anthony. For those who like head-to-head series tidbits, note that the home team in this intraconference series is on an incredible 11-0 SU & 10-0-1 ATS run dating back to ’03. Elsewhere on Saturday, two teams battling for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West go at it when Utah visits Dallas.
The Sunday board is a light one, as the NBA has rightfully given way to the NFL’s conference championship games. Still, there are two different games with various betting opportunities to choose from. Before the football even begins, the Phoenix-Toronto game, with a tip-off of 12:35 PM ET, figures to conclude. The Raptors have found their home court situation to be anything but advantageous this season, as they are just 8-11 SU & 6-13 ATS in Toronto. The Suns have taken advantage of road opportunities when laying the points, going 10-1 SU & 6-5 ATS as a road chalk. The other Sunday contest starts at 7:05 PM ET in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder host the Heat. Heading into the weekend, OKC had been playing very well, going 14-3 ATS in their prior 17 games. Miami continues to struggle in the favorites role, 6-11 ATS in ’08-09.
Be sure to note Monday’s holiday schedule, as games tip off at 1:05 PM ET as part of the Martin Luther King Day celebration, with three games on TNT.
Take a look at some of the Top StatFox Power Trends available for this weekend’s big NBA betting board:
Friday, 1/16/2009
(809) UTAH vs. (810) MEMPHIS
MEMPHIS is 1-14 ATS (-14.4 Units) when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%) over L2 seasons. The average score was MEMPHIS 98.7, OPPONENT 112.1 - (Rating = 4*)
(811) NEW ORLEANS vs. (812) CLEVELAND
NEW ORLEANS is 33-19 UNDER (+12.1 Units) vs good teams outscoring opponents by 3+ PPG over the last 2 seasons. The average score was NEW ORLEANS 96.1, OPPONENT 96.4 - (Rating = 1*)
(817) ORLANDO vs. (818) LA LAKERS
ORLANDO is 10-0 ATS (+10 Units) versus up-tempo teams averaging 83 or more shots/game this season. The average score was ORLANDO 107.6, OPPONENT 94.1 - (Rating = 4*)
(819) ATLANTA vs. (820) GOLDEN STATE
GOLDEN STATE is 3-15 ATS (-13.5 Units) vs poor pressure defensive teams - forcing <=14 TOs/game this season. The average score was GOLDEN STATE 103.4, OPPONENT 113.6 - (Rating = 3*)
Saturday, 1/17/2009
(501) BOSTON vs. (502) NEW JERSEY
BOSTON is 18-4 ATS (+13.6 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons. The average score was BOSTON 104.1, OPPONENT 91.2 - (Rating = 3*)
(501) BOSTON vs. (502) NEW JERSEY
Lawrence Frank is 13-33 ATS (-23.3 Units) against top-level teams (Win Pct. > 70%) as coach of NEW JERSEY. The average score was Frank 86.1, OPPONENT 96.9 - (Rating = 2*)
(513) ORLANDO vs. (514) DENVER
DENVER is 17-5 ATS (+11.5 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons. The average score was DENVER 112.9, OPPONENT 99.8 - (Rating = 2*)
(517) MILWAUKEE vs. (518) LA CLIPPERS
LA CLIPPERS are 4-20 ATS (-18 Units) revenging a road loss vs opponent of 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons. The average score was LA CLIPPERS 88.7, OPPONENT 101.5 - (Rating = 3*)
Sunday, 1/18/2009
(801) PHOENIX vs. (802) TORONTO
PHOENIX is 40-25 OVER (+12.5 Units) versus teams who make 6 or more 3PT shots/game over the last 2 seasons. The average score was PHOENIX 109.1, OPPONENT 107 - (Rating = 1*)
(803) MIAMI vs. (804) OKLAHOMA CITY
MIAMI is 9-25 ATS (-18.5 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons. The average score was MIAMI 96.8, OPPONENT 97.5 - (Rating = 2*)