Tag: Los Angeles Clippers

NBA Playoffs Value Bets for Thursday, April 18

By: Al Walsh – Follow him on Twitter @14AdotWalsh

NBA Playoffs

[8:10 p.m. EST] Over 228 – Philadelphia 76ers at Brooklyn Nets

If you haven’t been near a TV set this past week, let me fill you in – these two teams don’t like each other. Not only that, but the Brooklyn crowd will be going absolutely bonkers for its first home playoff game since 2015, which actually seems a lot longer than that. Add in the mix of Philly fans that are likely to make the trip down I-95 to Barclays Center, and we’re looking at one of the more electric atmospheres for any first-round matchup.

So, what does it all mean? Excitement, and plenty of it. In fact, four of the six meetings (regular season and playoffs) between these two teams have resulted in the total going over. Looking deeper into it, both teams scored at least 110 points in those four games and at least 123 in three of the six.

The Nets know the only way they’re beating the 76ers is by outscoring them… duh. But most of Brooklyn’s best defensive efforts held Philly to a high total throughout the year. The only time one of these teams didn’t reach 100 was back in the first meeting on Nov. 4 when the 76ers lost 122-97.

All in all, these teams are going to score, and you don’t want to be the stick in the mud that takes the under in this one.

[9:10 p.m. EST] Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs (-4, -174 ML)

This series has been sort awkward, in that Games 1 and 2 weren’t really close until the fourth quarter. The Spurs lost their way late in that last game but completed the mission by taking back homecourt advantage in the best-of-seven battle. If it weren’t for a magical second-half performance from Jamal Murray in Game 2, San Antonio would be looking to put Denver in a deep 0-3 hole.

The Spurs have shown they are more than capable of handling their counterparts in this series. With the scene shifting back to AT&T Center, look for San Antonio to capitalize on the strides they’ve made so far. After all, the Spurs went 32-9 at AT&T Center this season and the Nuggets haven’t won there since March 2012.

If bettors needed a reminder, the Spurs had the second-best odds (OKC was first) of any underdog to win a first-round series, and that has now changed after the Thunder fell in an 0-2 hole. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, San Antonio now has the best odds (+122) of all underdogs to win a first-round series. I’m no mathematician, but that’s a pretty good indication of an upset going down.

The second-highest SK Trend Confidence of tonight’s NBA slate is the Spurs on the moneyline. However, the four-point spread shouldn’t be that tough to hit either, but you’ll be laying more money out to do so.

[10:40 p.m. EST] Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers (+8.5/+300 ML)

The almighty Warriors couldn’t possibly lose two straight first-round games to the Clippers, could they? Well, according to our Value Picks section, the Clippers on the moneyline has the highest SK Trend Confidence of the NBA slate. Reason being, you only have to lay $100 in order to bring back $300 in return.

It’s not totally out of the question either, consider Los Angeles did pull the major upset in Game 2 after being down 31 points, and now have the momentum coming into Game 3. Fans around the globe will certainly tune in to see how Golden State comes out in this game, and there could be some bumps in the road as they learn to cope without DeMarcus Cousins. Granted, the Warriors have had plenty of success without him before, but this is a scrappy and well-coached Clippers team that has a ton of pesky competitors on their side.

Golden State seems to have no answer in this series for Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrel, who have been excellent as always off the bench. And, of course, we can’t forget the impact Patrick Beverley has had in pestering Kevin Durant whenever possible.

The Warriors might eventually win this series, but the SK system sees a few trends that’ll ultimately make that goal a little tougher to reach — starting tonight. If the moneyline seems too risky, going with the Clippers +8.5 could end up being more ideal for bettors. After all, 95% of the public’s money is on the Warriors, and most know that running the opposite way of the public has worked plenty of times before.

NBA Betting Value Picks for Wednesday, April 10

By: Al Walsh – Follow him on Twitter @14AdotWalsh

It has all come down to the final night of the NBA season. Eight of the games on tonight’s slate have some level of implications on the playoff picture in each conference. There’s nothing left to do but sit back and have a fun night watching these matchups.

Let’s take a look at which games have plenty of value in the betting trends tonight…

[8:10 p.m. EST] Orlando Magic at Charlotte Hornets (-4) – Total: 219.5

The Hornets need a win and Pistons’ loss in order to clinch the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. And it’s a lot easier said than done, considering the Pistons will be facing the Knicks, who own the worst record in the NBA. None of the three games in this Charlotte-Orlando season series have been nail-biters, with the winning margin coming by an average of 31.7 points – the Hornets have the 2-1 edge over the Magic this season.

Considering the Hornets need this game in order to have a chance of making the playoffs, we should see them have another successful performance tonight. In fact, Charlotte has gone 9-2 against the spread in its last 11 games.

[8:10 p.m. EST] Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks (+9.5) – Total: 206.5

Alright, the table has been set for the Pistons tonight – win and they’re in. However, this team just exerted a ton of energy in a miraculous comeback win over the Grizzlies at home last night, and now have to bring that same level of intensity on the road. Granted, the Knicks have the NBA’s worst record and there’s no chance they’ll relinquish that fate at the end of the night. There’s a good chance, though, that they come out with a fiery effort in the final game of the season. In essence, this is a playoff-like game for the Knicks.

Detroit just isn’t playing its best basketball heading down the stretch and 9.5 points seems like a wishful number to hit on the road, especially for a team that hasn’t covered the spread in five consecutive games and could be without Blake Griffin. I do think the Pistons get the win tonight, but it certainly won’t be by double-digits on the back-end of a back-to-back.

[10:40 p.m. EST] Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers (-6.5) – Total: 225

The Clippers could avoid a first-round matchup with the almighty Warriors by winning tonight’s game against the Jazz, and the 6.5-point spread looks a lot easier to hit with Utah sitting all of its key players.

It’s an interesting scenario too because the Spurs and Thunder games matter a lot to the Clippers’ fate. San Antonio and OKC will tip off its respective games at 8:10 p.m. EST, two-and-a-half hours before Los Angeles takes the floor. According to ESPN… If the Spurs lose and Clippers win, LA grabs the No. 7 seed. If the Thunder lose, and Spurs and Clippers win, LA would get the No. 7 seed in that scenario as well. If all three teams win, or the Clippers lose, LA would get the No. 8. It’s all very simple, you see? Yikes!

With the Clippers essentially playing the Jazz D-squad, look for them to roll in this game.

NBA Betting Preview for Friday, April 5

By Al Walsh – Follow him on Twitter @14AdotWalsh

Get ready for another exciting night of NBA hoops! The Spread Knowledge top value plays of the night are listed below. However, because they are such heavy favorites on the moneyline, we’re only advising you to take them as an extra caveat to add to your parlays:

  • Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers (-667 ML)
  • New York Knicks at Houston Rockets (-2500 ML)

[7:10 p.m. EST] Under 226.5 – Atlanta Hawks (+342 ML) at Orlando Magic

There’s no getting around it, but the Orlando Magic need to win, as they currently sit in the final spot of the Eastern Conference playoff race. This is the final time that Orlando will have a regular season game on its home court, so the level of importance doesn’t even need to be described.

However, the SK value system loves the moneyline number on the Atlanta Hawks, who have been quite pesky down the stretch with outright wins over the 76ers (twice), Bucks and Jazz. Hawks point guard Trae Young is still trying to make one last heroic attempt at winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award and he can certainly make life difficult on the Magic defense.

While it is true that Orlando hit four straight overs, 216 has been the highest total over that stretch. Granted, Atlanta’s NBA-leading pace and lackluster defense are the reasons we see a 226.5 total tonight, but that just lends more optimism that the Hawks come in and pull off the upset win. In fact, two of the three Hawks-Magic matchups have gone under tonight’s total.

[8:10 p.m. EST] Under 213 – Boston Celtics at Indiana Pacers

These two teams just faced off last Friday and now they’ll do battle once again. The term “battle” is an understatement, as they both have the same record and find themselves jockeying for homecourt advantage in their eventual first-round playoff matchup. The Boston Celtics do hold the head-to-head tiebreaker but a win for the Indiana Pacers would be monumental here.

The one lean the SK value system has is Under 213 points in the game, mainly because of the importance of defense in this matchup, as Indiana ranks third in defensive efficiency and Boston ranks sixth. Not to mention, the two teams just saw each other and will likely have their best defensive efforts on deck.

[10:10 p.m. EST] New Orleans Pelicans (-130) at Phoenix Suns

The SK value system has quite the knack for pointing out these late-season NBA games that have absolutely no meaning whatsoever in the standings. However, the amount of key players the Phoenix Suns are missing is just too large to ignore. Granted, the New Orleans Pelicans will be missing Anthony Davis but that seems like a blip on the radar, consider the Suns are missing Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton and T.J. Warren.

Look for the Pelicans B-team to get the win over the Suns C-team.

[10:40 p.m. EST] Portland Trail Blazers (+236 ML) at Denver Nuggets

In what would be a dazzling upset win, the SK value system loves the Portland Trail Blazers to go on the road and get the outright W over the Denver Nuggets. The Trail Blazers have won 11 of their 13 games while the Nuggets have been a very Jekyll-and-Hyde sort of team, going 3-4 over the last seven. Denver has won each of the previous two meetings versus Portland this season by a combined four points. Not to mention, these two teams will face each other in their next game on Sunday – time for the Trail Blazers to get busy and even the score.

NBA Betting Preview for Wednesday, April 3

NBA Betting Preview for Wednesday, April 3, 2019

[7:05 p.m. EST] Over 226 – Chicago Bulls at Washington Wizards

Both teams are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, so we should see a very fun and loose style of play from the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards tonight. After all, both teams (CHI: 26th, WAS: 27th) rank in the bottom-five of the NBA in defensive efficiency. The last two times these teams played the totals were 259 and 246, so the SK value system likes there to be more of the same this evening.

[8:10 p.m. EST] Charlotte Hornets at New Orleans Pelicans (+145 ML)

The Charlotte Hornets are still mathematically alive in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but the proverbial heart was ripped out of the chest multiple times already on this current West coast trip. SK’s value system loves the Hornets’ suffering to continue, especially with Cody Zeller and Marvin Williams officially ruled out. Charlotte’s key to suffering has been its defense, which has allowed an average of 125.7 points per game during this current road trip. Not to mention, the Hornets are 2-6 in their last eight road games, with one of those wins coming in Toronto on a bizarre half-court shot from Jeremy Lamb at the buzzer.

[10:40 p.m. EST] Under 229 – Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Clippers (-115 ML)

The SK value system has a nice double-play to cap off the evening, giving the advantage to the LA Clippers and the total going under 229 points. The Houston Rockets just put up a nice performance in Sacramento last night so there could be some level of fatigue for them here in the final month of the regular season. While the Rockets want to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, the Clippers are trying to jump up a few spots and possibly sneak into the No. 4 seed for home-court advantage in the first round. The Clippers have won each of their two meetings against the Rockets this season.

There’s plenty of motivation for Houston and LA to get the win, so we should see a valiant effort on the defensive end from both sides. After all, 16 of the Rockets’ last 21 games have gone under the total and they do run the NBA’s fifth-slowest tempo. On the back-end of a back-to-back, they could very well take even more time on their possessions.

NBA and NCAAM Betting Preview for Thursday, March 28

Over the next few days, Spread Knowledge will combine the two levels of hoops into one article. It’s all about time consumption in these trying times, folks. The NBA usually only has a few games on the Thursday night schedule but, for whatever reason, they’re trying to go head-to-head against the NCAA Tournament. And this sucks because the NBA game has some excellent matchups tonight with playoff positioning at the forefront. Nonetheless, it’s a great night to make a butt groove in your favorite seat in the house.

Let’s take a look at the top hoops picks from the Spread Knowledge system this evening…

NBA BETTING PREVIEW

[8:05 p.m. EST] Los Angeles Clippers (-9/+342 ML) at Milwaukee Bucks

It’s definitely a longshot but there’s some nice value in taking the LA Clippers, who have won 11 of their last 12 games. The Milwaukee Bucks have won four of their last five, but find themselves in a peculiar spot heading into the NBA Playoffs. Milwaukee owns a four-game lead for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but injuries to Malcolm Brogdon, Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic may force Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer to be somewhat judicious with the minutes of his key players. Giannis Antetokounmpo has already stated that he wants no part of this limitation, but it’s important to remember that the playoffs are what really matters here. The Clippers are safely in the playoffs, but they’re not too far away from grabbing home-court advantage for the first round. You could make the argument that LA has more at stake tonight and a nine-point spread is somewhat disrespectful to a team as talented as this.

The Spread Knowledge system likes LA on the moneyline, but you could also take the easier route and bet them at +9.

[8:05 p.m. EST] Under 217 – Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets (-208)

The Houston Rockets have defeated the Denver Nuggets in nine of their last 10 meetings, and the Spread Knowledge system likes them to make it 10 of 11. Houston still has an outside chance of getting the two-seed in the Western Conference, but it’ll need a bit of a collapse from Denver down the stretch – and that doesn’t seem likely at this point. Still, the Rockets are clamoring to get that three-seed and avoid the Golden State Warriors before the Western Conference Finals.

Not only does the SK system like the Rockets in this game tonight, but it is also quite fond of the under on the total. And for good reason, as Houston games have gone under the total in 11 of the last 13 while Denver games have suffered the same fate in 16 of its last 19.

NCAAM BETTING PREVIEW

[7:29 p.m. EST] Tennessee (-2/-149 ML) vs. Purdue – played in Louisville, KY

We’re at the point in the college basketball season where everyone has put together a mini-winning streak, so we have to rely on the numbers and matchups. This is where the Tennessee Volunteers should excel, as they have the advantage in point differential and field goal percentage. Not only that, but Tennessee is just a more athletic team than the Purdue Boilermakers, who have lost in the Sweet 16 round in each of their last two seasons. The Spread Knowledge system endears the Vols on the moneyline in this one, but you could risk less money if you take them with the two-point spread.

[9:39 p.m. EST] Michigan (-1.5/-135 ML) vs. Texas Tech – played in Anaheim, CA

The Michigan Wolverines have been just fine… you know, as long as they’re not playing their rival Michigan State Spartans. In fact, the Wolverines are 8-3 in their last 11 games, with the only three losses coming to those pesky Spartans. Speaking of pesky, that’s exactly what Michigan will be facing in the Texas Tech Red Raiders tonight, who are a mirror image of the tough defensive-minded unit – in terms of adjusted defensive efficiency, Texas Tech is No. 1 and Michigan is No. 2. This is probably why the spread is so low (in favor of Michigan by 1.5 points), but nonetheless, the Spread Knowledge system is in favor of Michigan, who has plenty of experience in playing these high-profile games over the last few seasons.

[9:57 p.m. EST] Oregon (+8.5/+330 ML) vs. Virginia – played in Louisville, KY

These Oregon Ducks are on one helluva run right now, winning 10 straight games en route to landing here in the Sweet 16 against the Virginia Cavaliers. We all know UVA’s stigma – defense, defense, defense, and the Ducks will have to overcome one of the toughest units in the country in order to move on to the Elite 8. It is interesting, though, as Oregon has scored at least 70 points in 10 of its last 11 games, while UVA hasn’t allowed 70 points in each of its last 12 games. Something has to give, and the Spread Knowledge system is quacking in jubilation, going with the Ducks for the upset tonight!

DON’T FORGET ABOUT MLB!!!

We unleashed the MLB portion of the SK Product today and it already produced a win on the over in the Baltimore Orioles-New York Yankees game — depending on what your total was. Some had it at 8.5, some had it at 9. If not, it was a push — no loss of money there.

NBA Preview for Tuesday, March 26

We’ve got a 10-game slate on the NBA docket with many of the teams still fighting for playoff positioning. The most crucial game of the night takes place down in the Sunshine State as the Miami Heat will host the Orlando Magic in a matchup of teams sitting in the eighth and ninth place of the Eastern Conference. If you’re looking for pure entertainment, look no further than the battle of MVP candidates in the Houston Rockets-Milwaukee Bucks game. Later on, in the Mile High City, the Detroit Pistons will look to hold onto their playoff lives as they’ll face the Denver Nuggets.

Let’s take a look at what the Spread Knowledge system likes tonight…

(8:00 p.m. EST) Houston Rockets (+4/+148 ML) at Milwaukee Bucks – Total: 227

We’ll have a matchup of MVP hopefuls tonight as James Harden and the Houston Rockets hit the road to face Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks on TNT. The Rockets have been rolling, winning 14 of their last 16 games, while the Bucks have been somewhat middling over their last 10 games. Part of the reason for that is that Milwaukee’s depth taking some big hits lately with injuries to Malcolm Brogdon, Nikola Mirotic and Pau Gasol. Because of that, our system likes Houston to grab the win tonight with the total going under. The Rockets are tied for the league’s fourth-slowest pace, so that should help limit what the Bucks do on offense.

(8:00 p.m. EST) Los Angeles Clippers (-2/-128 ML) at Minnesota Timberwolves – Total: 230

The Los Angeles Clippers, winners in 10 of their last 11, hit the road to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have already been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. With the season-ending injury to Jusuf Nurkic, a few of these teams in the Western Conference might be able to leapfrog the Portland Trail Blazers for that coveted four-seed to get home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers have a golden opportunity tonight against a T-Wolves team that has lost five of their last six games. Our system likes LA to get the win on the moneyline.

(8:30 p.m. EST) Sacramento Kings (-1.5/-122 ML) at Dallas Mavericks – Total: 226.5

This game between the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks won’t move the needle on the NBA Playoffs. However, our system likes the under on tonight’s game as these two teams just played each other five days ago. There should be plenty of familiarities here, and that could be a key for the Mavs slowing down Kings’ point guard De’Aaron Fox. The Kings’ last three games have gone under the total, while the Mavs’ last two games have had the same fate.

(10:30 p.m. EST) Washington Wizards (+2/+114 ML) at Los Angeles Lakers – Total: 233.5

While the Washington Wizards are still “mathematically alive” we all know the deal – they’re not making the playoffs. Speaking of not making the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers will continue their ways of going through the motion, just as they have all season. Granted, the 233.5 total is quite large, but we shouldn’t expect either team to put any effort in on the defensive end tonight. Our system likes the over with the Lakers allowing at least 106 points in every game since Jan. 29.