NBA Betting Info. 1/14

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Preview: Cleveland At San Antonio

When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 14, 2016
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
The last time the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs squared off, it turned into one of the most memorable games of the 2014-15 regular season. The latest matchup is lining up as another stellar affair as Cleveland has won eight straight games while host San Antonio’s enters Thursday’s contest with nine consecutive wins and a 22-0 home mark.
Point guard Kyrie Irving scored a career-best 57 points and drained all seven of his 3-point attempts as the Cavaliers went into San Antonio and produced a 128-125 overtime victory last March. Irving is just rounding into form after surgery to repair a fractured kneecap suffered during June’s NBA Finals and scored 22 points as Cleveland produced a 110-107 overtime win at Dallas on Tuesday for its 14th victory in 16 contests. San Antonio continued its strong play with a 109-99 road win over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday that represents its 16th win in 17 games. The Spurs have won 31 consecutive home games dating back to last season while the Cavaliers are 4-0 on their current six-game road swing.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (27-9): Forward LeBron James scored 27 points in the victory over Dallas, and he has a simple explanation for why the team’s success rate has soared. “We’re finally whole,” James told reporters, referencing the recent return of Irving and guard Iman Shumpert from injuries. “It took us a long time to get whole and it’s paying dividends to our team and obviously we’re not going to win every game, but we want to go out, we want to play our type of game – and that’s defend at a high level.” Power forward Kevin Love is performing well and he has back-to-back double-doubles while averaging 11.4 rebounds over the past seven games.
ABOUT THE SPURS (34-6): San Antonio has recorded 16 double-digit victories at home but received a stern test in its last game at the AT&T Center. The Spurs held off the New York Knicks 100-99 last Friday as New York rallied over the final minutes and nearly pulled off the upset before Jose Calderon’s 3-point attempt bounced off the rim as time expired. A good sign in Tuesday’s victory over Detroit was the play of point guard Tony Parker, who erupted for a season-best 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting after averaging eight points on 9-of-29 shooting over his previous three outings.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Spurs defeated the Cavaliers 10 consecutive times prior to the Irving-led win last season.
2. San Antonio PF LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and 13 rebounds against Detroit for his fourth double-double in his last six games.
3. Cleveland G Mo Williams (thumb, personal reasons) could miss his sixth straight game.
PREDICTION: Spurs 107, Cavaliers 105

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Preview: Sacramento At Utah
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 14, 2016
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
The Sacramento Kings have been doing a lot of talking about how they are on the verge of becoming a playoff team. But the evidence is mounting against them as they face the Utah Jazz on Thursday—- the team that currently possesses the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Sacramento has missed the playoffs in each of the past nine seasons and the record dipped to eight games below .500 when it suffered a 109-97 home loss to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. The Kings trailed by 25 points entering the fourth quarter and standout center DeMarcus Cousins was among the discouraged players. “I think every guy in this locker room knows why we lost,” Cousins said afterward. “It wasn’t because they are the better team. Whatever the case may be — the only thing it was is that they played harder than us and with more energy at the beginning of the game.” The Jazz also lost Wednesday as they were outrebounded 54-38 while falling 99-85 to the Portland Trail Blazers.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE KINGS (15-23): Cousins continued his recent tear with 32 points and 12 rebounds against New Orleans for his fifth straight double-double and sixth in seven games. He is averaging 32.3 points — topping 30 five times — and 12.8 rebounds during the past six games as he attempts to keep Sacramento close to Utah and Portland in the battle for the final playoff spot. Point guard Rajon Rondo had 17 points and 10 assists against New Orleans and is averaging 13.7 assists in the past six games.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (17-21): The punishment Utah took on the boards against Portland is partially attributable to the continued absence of power forward Derrick Favors, who averages 16.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He sat out his 11th consecutive game because of back issues and coach Quin Snyder feels Favors is on the verge of returning. “A back is a tricky thing,” Snyder told reporters. “We just want to be smart about him not coming back too soon and making sure he’s 100 percent healthy.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cousins contributed 23 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as the Kings notched a 114-106 home win over the Jazz on Dec. 8.
2. Sacramento backup SG Marco Belinelli is just 15-of-46 shooting during the past four games.
3. Utah SF Gordon Hayward had 19 points and nine rebounds against Portland and is averaging 26 points in the past three games.
PREDICTION: Jazz 102, Kings 98

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Preview: L.A. Lakers At Golden State
When: 10:30 PM ET, Thursday, January 14, 2016
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
The Golden State Warriors attempt to rebound from a rare defeat when they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Golden State fell to 36-3 when it dropped a 112-110 decision to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday to halt a seven-game winning streak.
The Warriors rested standout forward Draymond Green and were outplayed by the Nuggets most of the night while suffering the rare loss. “For a championship team and for what we’re trying to accomplish, we didn’t play hard enough or smart enough for a majority of the game,” interim coach Luke Walton told reporters afterward. The Lakers halted a four-game losing streak with a 95-91 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. Kobe Bryant reinjured his Achilles’ tendon and departed the contest and is rated as questionable to play against the Warriors.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE LAKERS (9-31): Bryant also is dealing with an ailing right shoulder and the club would like to have him sit out a few games to rest both injuries but Bryant is resisting as he wants to play in his final visit to Oakland. “I think both of them are acting up a little bit,” Los Angeles coach Byron Scott told reporters of Bryant’s ailments. “It’s really just trying to calm them both down as much as possible, and it’s hard to do that when he’s playing.” Scott indicated that there will be an upcoming meeting between himself, Bryant, general manager Mitch Kupchak and trainer Gary Vitti to decide the best manner in which to keep Bryant healthy during the second half of his final campaign.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (36-3): Golden State badly missed the versatile Green on both ends of court during the loss to the Nuggets as nobody could slow down Denver forward Danilo Gallinari (28 points). Green, who has eight triple-doubles this season, is averaging 15.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists but his energy was also missing from the equation. “He has a very impactful skill set,” reigning MVP Stephen Curry said after scoring 38 points in the loss. “Offensively, it wasn’t an issue. Defensively, his versatility was something we missed.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Warriors defeated the Lakers twice this season by an average of 27.5 points and have won the past six home meetings in the series.
2. Golden State C Andrew Bogut is 11-of-13 from the field during the past two games.
3. Los Angeles backup F Brandon Bass (ankle) is doubtful after being injured against the Pelicans.
PREDICTION: Warriors 115, Lakers 94