NBA Futures
NBA: Suns eclipsed – better bet in second game?
2010-05-19
There is always a bit of the unknown when a NBA team has a long layoff, you can never be sure what it means, good or bad. The Orlando Magic appeared to be effected negatively with their extra time off against Boston, but the Lakers played refreshed and looked better than a Santa Monica sunset in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals versus Phoenix. Game 2 of the series comes tonight in L.A., and the hosts have been set up as 6.5-point favorites once again, according to Sportsbook.com.
Kobe Bryant was in “the zone” scoring 40 points on 23 shot attempts on Monday. Bryant appeared more than any other L.A. player to have benefitted from the down time. "My legs benefited a lot," Bryant said. "I was able to take some time off and just get stronger, get my legs stronger, body stronger."
However, Bryant wasn’t the only Lakers player that played rejuvenated and Phil Jackson’s squad proved just how challenging they are to defeat when they all committed to common goal.
Lamar Odom had 19 points and 19 boards (seven on offense) and was dialed in throughout.
Paul Gasol was 10 for 13 shooting, even converting on a couple of almost impossible buckets for a man his size. Derek Fisher was defensively possessed in staying with Steve Nash and though he had 13 assists, Fisher and his teammates limited the former MVP to 13 points on only 10 shots.
Two keys for Phoenix coming into the series were rebounding and bench strength. The Suns were outrebounded by eight and their reserves were outscored 44-35 in losing by 21.
"They played great, one of the best games I've seen them play in the playoffs this season," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "Kobe kind of controlled the whole game. I thought we could have withstood the game that he had ... but when he's making his jumper like that, there's not a whole lot you can do about it."
Phoenix is going to have to play much better defense as L.A. was fearless doing what they wanted offensively. The Suns are 31-13 ATS after allowing 105 points or more this season and if Kobe stays percolating, they must negate the rest of his teammates since you aren’t going to be on the winning side permitting 58 percent shooting.
Subtract Grant Hill and the other four Phoenix starters shot 59.5 percent, the issue was they generated only 42 attempts. If the Suns expect to tie series and move their spread record to 20-10 after one or more losses, the starters have to get more shots at the rim and Channing Frye and Jared Dudley can’t put up a combined 2 for 13 shooting night.
Sportsbook.com has Phoenix as 6.5-point underdogs, with the total leaping to 215. For those that use online sports betting it’s impossible to ignore the Lakers are 11-1 ATS after three or more consecutive Over’s and 17-6 against the spread in home games when playing only their second game in week. Coach Jackson’s club is 13-4 UNDER after a wipeout win by 20 points or more.
TNT will again have the coverage of Game 2 from LaLa-Land at 9:00 Eastern. The Suns are 14-4 UNDER after a game in which they allowed a shooting percentage of 55 percent or higher.
The StatFox Power Line shows Phoenix by 2, indicating a good chance for the Suns to bounce back.
Utah vs. Denver First round NBA Playoffs2010-04-23The season had not finished the way Denver anticipated it would. With two losses in the three games played, the first one to San Antonio while the next was to Phoenix in a blow-out. it was not so bad when the Nuggets lost against the Spurs, however when they lost against the Suns they rankings went all the way down to the 4th seed and that is in which direction the season rounded up in the conference last time. Now that the team has the home turf on their side and is playing against one of the toughest teams namely the Utah Jazz. The could be the toughest NBA game to bet on, when you are betting on basketball playoffs the 4 and 5 seeds are the hardest to figure out.
Carmelo Anthony’s dominant role has helped players on the team of Denver Nuggets increasingly ends up in flares and in arguments. It is supposed by experts of the game that the best thing that could have ever happened to Denver Nuggets was to get rid of Carmelo; however it was in his climax when the team decided to let go of him and then the team pulled up their socks and performed better.
Denver remained dominant on the boards at a 25+ per night with players like Nene along with Martin who gladly assisted till the end. In addition we had Aaron Affialo along with Lawson and not to forget Chris “the Birdman Anderson” teeming with Johan Petro chip in and help the team rise up to the occasion when players like Martin were nursing injuries who had to be away from 18 games overall. However he did come back quite early and surprised many a fans at the seasons end. This is what most sees as a boost that would help the Denver Nuggets in the games at the league. Now remember, we are talking of Utah and the boys are good if you know what I mean. They have been going great guns all season although they may have had 2 losses all over the season and now they need to evade from it since they are now going to play against Utah, however the score for the Nuggets are 34-7 on their own turf’s , so this is one interesting match I will surely wait for.
When John along with Karl Malone lead the entourage years ago they made the Utah Jazz an interesting team that wanted to be watched by many basketball enthusiasts across the nation. Now look at the additions that we have when we have Carlos along with Deron, who’ve taken the places of John Stockton along with Karl Malone, hence making the Utah gang and the game of Utah Basketball interesting all over again. In addition to add more zing to the team of talented players get in Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko and you’ve got yourself a basketball volcanic eruption in the making. These two in a two months have played 19 games, of which they have been successful at winning 17 with only losing out to Nuggets and Lakers, beating Miami, San Antonio, Phoenix, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Denver and Portland and Dallas twice. Please do bear in mind that all these teams are now in the run on the playoffs of Denver and Dallas and Cleveland, are sure shot match players who might take the cup.
Utah as a team may not be able to kick butt the other teams without these four players on the floor; however, we have C.J. Miles and Paul Millsap together scoring 20 points in each game while Millsap played against Kirilenko, in block department. Utah had one more path to complete before the road to the NBA Finals was made easy for them and this would have been for the first time after they lost consecutively against the Bulls in 1996-97 and 1997-98, however since then they have learnt a lesson and opted for Ronnie Brewer during the early season to Memphis.
Well finally it is shown that since 83 and 84 up until 2003, there have been over 20 constant seasons where Utah has been in the playoffs previous to going down the ground for three years and they had to bounce back with in their fourth successive play-off berth. After getting worse each year Utah and its members of the team looks set to retrieve their winning in the playoffs with hopes of doing something that both Malone and Stockton could not have done… win it all. So we have to wait and watch for the giants to show their prowess this time. Bet on the Utah Jazz or the Denver Nuggets at www.sportsbook.com where everybody bets!
NBA: The Lake Show favored in Windy City2009-12-16The Los Angeles Lakers longest road trip of the season thus far couldn’t get off to much of a worse start for Kobe Bryant. A visit to the United Center might provide him with the chance to bounce back. Bryant and the Western Conference-leading Lakers visit the struggling Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, trying to rebound from their first loss in 12 games. L.A. is a 10-point road favorite and less than 5% of bettors at Sportsbook.com think the Bulls can even stay within that number.
Bryant began this five-game road trip after suffering a broken index finger in a home win against Miami on Friday. The finger - and a stomach bug - appeared to significantly affect him in a 102-94 loss at Utah as two-point underdogs on Saturday. Bryant finished with a season-low 16 points on 7-of-24 shooting.
Bryant, who is averaging 27.8 points, left without speaking to the media afterward. He was getting IV fluids before the game and at halftime. “I think it was just energy-wise for him,” coach Phil Jackson said. “He’d figure out a way to go at it if he had the energy, but I just don’t think he had the energy.”
The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak by the Lakers (18-4, 10-12 ATS), who despite having all five starters finish in double figures, failed to reach 100 points for the fifth time and giving them their fourth spread loss in last six games.
Pau Gasol scored 16 points and had his second consecutive 20-rebound game. “I’m just staying active and pursuing the ball,” he said. “I don’t get that many looks offensively so I need to hit the boards to get some points, otherwise I only get like five shots a game.” The Lakers are 25-12 ATS after failing to cover two of their last three against the spread since last season.
While it was a tough start to the road trip for the Lakers, the remaining games are far less difficult. All four opponents have losing records, and Chicago (8-14, 5-15-2 ATS) has lost 10 of 12. Los Angeles is 10-0 (6-4 ATS) against teams with sub-.500 records.
The Lakers have won five straight over the Bulls (4-1 ATS), including their last two at Chicago. Bryant in particular has enjoyed playing at the United Center, averaging 26.6 points in his last eight games. Bryant scored 21 points in a 108-93 win at home over Chicago on Nov. 19, which began the Bulls’ current slide.
Chicago shot a season-low 32.6 percent in a 106-80 loss to Boston on Saturday. Derrick Rose finished with a team-high 19 points, but scored only eight in the second half when the Bulls were outscored 52-34 by the Eastern Conference leaders.
Chicago had snapped a four-game losing streak in its previous game with an overtime win over Golden State. Its last five losses, though, the Bulls have been outscored by an average of 21.8 points while scoring only 85.8 per game and they are easily the best play against team in the NBA this season with only five covers in 22 games. The Bulls are 1-8 ATS revenging a loss this season, losing by miserable 20.3 points per try.
The Bulls’ struggles have led to mounting pressure on coach Vinny Del Negro.
“We just have to keep playing hard,” Luol Deng said. “I don’t know what else to tell you.”
Part of the problem has been their struggles beyond the arc. They were 1 of 9 on Saturday and are shooting 29.5 percent overall from 3-point range - one of the worst in the NBA. John Salmons, who shot 41.5 percent from 3-point range in 2008-09, is shooting only 32.7 percent this season. He scored a season-low four points on Saturday, but did make 3 of 5 from beyond the arc and finished with 18 points against the Lakers last month.
After Tuesday, Chicago, who is 6-4 and 2-6-2 ATS on home court, has three more games on its season-long six-game homestand—two against teams with losing records.
Sportsbook.com has the Lakers as 10-point favorites with total of 193.5. L.A. is 27-14 ATS in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last three seasons and 15-3 UNDER off a road loss. The Bulls are 1-10 ATS after playing a game as an underdog and 8-1 UNDER versus good shooting teams making 46 percent or more of their shots this season.
This matchup can be seen coast to coast on WGN starting at 8:00 Eastern. The StatFox Power Line shows Lakers by 15
NBA: Will Orlando and Houston Profit at Home?2009-05-08Two NBA series are tied at a game a piece and will switch venues for Game 3 of the series. Both Orlando and Houston were surprising opening game winners and both were beaten rather decidedly, at least by the final score of the last contest. Both teams gave the thumbs up in earning a split and will play before the home folks looking to maintain edge they enjoyed by winning on the road. The third game of a series tends to be the most critical; this should be no different Friday night. Be sure to check the latest info for both contests by visiting the LIVE ODDS, BETTING TRENDS, and TEAM STATISTICS pages.
Boston at Orlando 7:00 E ESPN
Being an Orlando Magic fan or financial supporter is not easy these days, as it’s become fairly certain, what you are going to get from game to game is unnerving. Since April’s Fools Day appropriately enough, Orlando is 9-8 with a peeked 6-11 spread record. Apologists will talk about lack of incentive, but wouldn’t having home court advantage in this series been worth the fight?
The Philadelphia series was way more challenging than expected, with Orlando players either going thru the motions or more generous than Mickey Mouse handing out treats, as the Magic blew one lead after another.
Orlando has won two of last three games with Dwight Howard not making an offensive impact. He sat out last game in Sixers series due to suspension and has had 16 and 12 points versus a depleted Boston frontline. Howard is not known as a great ball-handler or typically inspired passer. In Game 2 he led the Magic with five turnovers and the only even remotely comfortable looking passes he made were to a teammate’s right in front of him.
Orlando is 34-10 and 24-20 ATS at the Amway Arena and 9-1 ATS on its home floor after a loss by 10 or more points. The Magic will have to bring the passion they lacked in last encounter, as assuredly Boston will bring be mentally ready just like they were in exact same circumstance in last series against Chicago, where they routed the Bulls 107-86 as four point underdogs.
Coach Stan Van Gundy by game time will have talked about the importance of controlling Rajon Rondo, who had triple-double. The Celtics are 12-2 ATS off a home win scoring 110 or more points this season and have vets like Paul Pierce and Ray Allen well-versed in dealing with these exact situations. Van Gundy might have rookie guard Courtney Lee back, who is recovering from a fractured sinus and the rest of the team should be more comfortable at home.
Orlando is a 4.5-point favorite according to Sportsbook.com, with total of 189. The Magic are 26-6 ATS off a road loss and 14-5 UNDER off consecutive road games. Boston is 15-4 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points over the last two seasons and 12-3 UNDER in road games after a blowout win by 15 points or more.
The road team has covered four of last five meetings.
NBA: Betting on NBA Teams that Can Not Lose2009-03-09The term “must-win” is an overused and overrated angle in betting sports. For a team to face a “must-win scenario”, odds are they underperformed earlier, putting themselves in a difficult predicament. Well, with just over a month left in the NBA season, games will be picking up importance, especially for those teams hovering on the edge of playoffs or not. Three such teams are in action on Monday night. Take a look at these GAME MATCHUPS before hitting the confirm button on your wagers.
Three teams are looking to advance their position to start another week of NBA action and though the upside certainly has its advantages, the downside can work against these teams rather quickly if they aren’t careful. With the regular season conclusion just over five weeks away, this trio of professional basketball teams can not take anything for granted or their season could end up finishing the same day as the Los Angeles Clippers.
Over the weekend, the Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks to move into the eighth and final spot for the Eastern Conference. Chicago is two games clear in the loss column over Milwaukee, but has played three fewer games than their division rivals to the north, which could work for or against them, depending on how they play.
The Bulls (31-31-1 ATS) have made two major trades in the last two seasons to give themselves a chance to make the playoffs. The most important move wasn’t a trade; it was adding a rose to the roster, top pick Derrick Rose. The former Memphis star has not disappointed, ranking second among rookies with 16.6 points per game and first with 6.3 assists a contest. He has been a key component to the Bulls 7-1-1 ATS record against teams with winning records.
At 29-34, Da Bulls margin of error is thinner than shaved ham at the grocery store. This has been especially true on the road, with Chicago 10-23 (15-17-1 ATS) and losers of four straight (0-4 ATS). One or two slipups too many, and the Bulls could be chasing Milwaukee, New Jersey or even Charlotte for last playoff position.
Miami (33-29, 28-34 ATS) will play host to Chicago, off their loss at Cleveland. The Heat is one loss behind Atlanta for the all important fourth seed and first round home court advantage. Miami has been remarkably consistent, just not always in a good way. The Heat have not lost three or more in a row since the middle of December, however they have won three straight just once since 2009 became official. This could make them vulnerable to Detroit or Philadelphia, should they cluster a group of wins together and potentially tumble all the way to seventh slot in the East. The Heat has had their way with the Central Division with 10-4 ATS record.
Sportsbook.com has opened Miami as five-point favorites, with a total of 205. Sports bettors are best advised to look for factors other than angles to determine the winner on the side or total. The Heat have been boiled with 6-16 ATS record in home games off a road loss by 10 points or more and are 13-3 UNDER in a home game where the total is 200 to 209.5. Chicago on the other hand is 0-9 ATS in road games off a home win scoring 110 or more points, like they did against Milwaukee and are 13-4 OVER revenging a same season loss, which they suffered back on Feb. 12.
WGN will have the coverage starting at 7:30 Eastern.
The Portland Trailblazers are of course located in the Western Time Zone and can only dream about playing in the Eastern Conference. Portland has a 39-23 record (30-31-1 ATS) and would all but have the number four position locked up in the postseason, if they were in the other conference. Instead, they are in a group of four teams with 23 losses in the Western Conference and are only two games ahead of No. 8 Dallas, which for all intents and purposes, they would draw tonight’s opponent, the Lakers.
The Blazers have won seven of last 10 and are working on an 11-game winning streak (8-3 ATS) at the Rose Garden. "That's going to be a great test for us," Portland center Joel Przybilla said. "The Lakers will come in here ready. We've won a lot in a row at home. They're going to know that. That'll spark them. And you know how Kobe (Bryant) is. He's always looking for ways to get self-motivated."
The motivation shouldn’t be hard to find for Kobe and company, as they have lost six straight games in Portland, the last five as favorites of 4.5 or more points. The Blazers though, have been vengeful bunch at home. They lost at the Staples Center on Jan. 4 100-86 and are 8-0 ATS at home revenging a same season loss this year.
They are listed as two-point home underdogs and are 3-1 SU and ATS in that role this year. The Lakers will carry plenty of animosity and are 12-4 ATS versus teams outscoring opponents by three or more points a game.
This Western conflict starts at 10 Eastern and neither Portland, Chicago nor Miami can make too many mistakes the rest of the way.
StatFox Power Line – Miami by 1, Portland a Pick