Tag: OKC Thunder

NBA Playoffs & MLB Value Bets for Tuesday, April 16

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

* NBA PLAYOFFS *

[9:00 p.m. EST] Under 210 – San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets

The Spurs did their job and got the road win in Game 1, so they can basically take the night off for the sake of us bettors. After all, this is pretty much how a series goes if the underdog wins the opener on the road – The underdog usually gets rolled in Game 2 – See: Brooklyn Nets last night. And don’t let the score in that 76ers/Nets game fool you, because the Nuggets and Spurs simply don’t have that type of offensive firepower.

The best value play in this game is taking the under. Dating back to the regular season, 17 of San Antonio’s last 22 games have gone under the total, while Denver’s games also have a track record of not going over the total, suffering that fate in 22 of its last 32.

While it looks like the Spurs could very well get their doors blown off, SK has more confidence in this one going under the total. If you’re a fan of prop bets, taking the under of 101.5 points for the Spurs’ team total would also be a wise move.

[10:30 p.m. EST] Oklahoma City Thunder at Portland Trail Blazers (-114 ML)

The highest SK Trend Confidence (32%) on tonight’s NBA slate is Portland to win outright once again over OKC. Everyone figured the Thunder would easily win Game 1, considering they went 4-0 against the Trail Blazers during the regular season. Not to mention, Russell Westbrook has outplayed Damian Lillard in the head-to-head sense over the course of their careers.

However, the tide turned in the series opener, and that was with Portland not necessarily playing its best brand of basketball. Thankfully, the Trail Blazers had a 14-point lead at the end of the first quarter, and that allowed them to hold on for the five-point victory at the end.

OKC’s Westbrook (ankle) and Paul George (shoulder) are both a little banged up, and neither of them has completely dismissed the fact that these injuries will be an issue. If that truly is the case, the Thunder could be looking at an 0-2 hole heading back to OKC – and the SK Trend Confidence believes that will be the case.

* MLB REGULAR SEASON GAMES *

[7:10 p.m. EST] Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays (-250 ML/-1.5)
BAL: Dylan Bundy – R (0-1, 8.76 ERA)
TB: Tyler Glasnow – R (3-0, 0.53)

Betting MLB games like this one is usually what we look for – pitchers trending in opposite directions. Tyler Glasnow of the Rays is off to an amazing start, allowing only one run in 17 innings, while striking out 21 batters and walking three. On the other side, Dylan Bundy goes for the Orioles, and he has been absolutely horrendous, allowing 12 runs in 12.1 innings. Bundy has racked up 17 strikeouts so far but that has been nullified by a massive 1.78 WHIP.

The Rays currently have the best winning percentage in all of MLB and are showing no signs of slowing down. Especially with a fantastic matchup against Bundy on the horizon.

Tampa Bay on the moneyline has a nice SK Trend Confidence rating of 30%. But it might make more sense to bet the Rays on the 1.5-run line (SK Trend Confidence rating of 26%) so you don’t have to risk as much money.

* Final Score Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays: 8 – Baltimore Orioles: 1 *

[10:07 p.m. EST] Houston Astros (-160 ML) at Oakland Athletics
HOU: Collin McHugh – R (2-1, 2.65 ERA)
OAK: Marco Estrada – R (0-1, 4.87 ERA)

The Astros will be looking to win their 10th consecutive game when they meet the A’s and if history is any indication, that shouldn’t be a problem. Collin McHugh has gone 9-1 with a 2.73 ERA in 18 appearances (12 starts) against Oakland over the course of his career. Not only that, but Houston’s bullpen has been outstanding at the onset, ranking third in all of MLB with a 2.70 ERA. The A’s bullpen has been responsible for five of the team’s losses, including four blown saves.

Houston’s offense is usually deadly, and this year is no different as it leads MLB with a collective .280 batting average. The Astros’ 32% SK Trend Confidence rating is the highest of any team on the moneyline tonight.

* Final Score Prediction: Houston Astros: 6 – Oakland Athletics: 4 *

NBA Betting Preview for Wednesday, March 27

Welcome back for another night of NBA action! Before we get to tonight’s slate of five games, let’s take a look at how Spread Knowledge did last night:

✅ Under 227 in Houston/Milwaukee
✅ LA Clippers moneyline over Minnesota
✅ Over 233.5 in Washington/LA Lakers
❌ Houston moneyline over Milwaukee
❌ Under 226.5 in Sacramento/Dallas

Don’t forget, tomorrow is MLB Opening Day, so be on the lookout for that betting preview!

NBA Betting Preview for Wednesday, March 27

[8:05 p.m. EST] Portland Trail Blazers (-8.5/-294 ML) at Chicago Bulls – Total: 216.5

The Portland Trail Blazers were dealt a massive blow in Monday’s double-overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets, losing center Jusuf Nurkic for the season to a horrific leg injury – not to mention, C.J. McCollum is already on the shelf with a knee injury. While their championship aspirations have likely capsized, the Trail Blazers should still handle the Chicago Bulls with relative ease tonight. Our system thinks Portland, winners in seven of its last eight games, rally around one another to get the win on the moneyline over Chicago, which has lost nine of its last 12.

* Update: Chicago will be without its four best players tonight – Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter.

[8:05 p.m. EST] Golden State Warriors (-11/-650 ML) at Memphis Grizzlies – Total: 219.5

Who the heck is this Memphis Grizzlies team trying to make a name for themselves down the stretch? After another season of disappointment, Memphis is 5-1 outright in its last six home games, with wins against current playoff teams – Portland, Utah, Orlando, Houston, OKC. The system’s lean, however, lies in the total going under in this game. That’s probably because Golden State Warriors’ games have had that fate in 13 of their last 15. This is usually the time of the year that Golden State goes through the motions, and The Grindhouse has always presented a stiff challenge for this team over the years.

[8:05 p.m. EST] Indiana Pacers (+6.5/+231 ML) at Oklahoma City Thunder – Total: 217

The Indiana Pacers have slowly been losing their hold on home-court advantage for the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, losing four of their last five games. Meanwhile, Boston Celtics are just 1.5 games behind them for the four-seed, so it would behoove the Pacers to get their act together before the postseason starts in a little more than two weeks. The OKC Thunder have been equally as dreadful down the stretch, losing five of their last six games. Indy did get a narrow 108-106 win over OKC two weeks ago, and our system likes the Pacers to do so once again tonight on the road.

[10:05 p.m. EST] Washington Wizards (-3.5/-128 ML) at Phoenix Suns – Total: 231

The Washington Wizards played last night, so our system feels like they won’t have enough left in the tank to put up enough points tonight. And that’s interesting, considering the Phoenix Suns have the NBA’s second-worst defensive efficiency – the Wizards are no better themselves, sporting the fourth-worst defensive efficiency. The Suns will be missing Josh Jackson, Tyler Johnson and T.J. Warren tonight, so the scoring could be a lot harder to come by at that end of the floor. That, combined with the Wizards playing their second game in as many nights, has the system liking the under.

[10:35 p.m. EST] Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz (-15/-1200 ML) – Total: 217.5

We had the under in the last Utah Jazz game, but absolutely bizarre circumstances from the Phoenix Suns (thanks guys!) prohibited us from getting the win on that bet. That’s alright, now the Jazz owes us one tonight. The Los Angeles Lakers played (and won) last night, but the key here is the absence of LeBron James. He won’t be playing certain games down the stretch, particularly on the back-end of back-to-backs, and that’ll certainly make this Lakers team a shell of themselves on the road in such a hostile Salt Lake City environment. Utah is in “all-business” mode heading towards the postseason, with a 7-1 record over its last eight games. Our system likes the under in this game, so expect the Jazz to hold the Lakers down with relative ease.