NBA Betting Info. 2/28

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Re: NBA Betting Info. 2/28

Preview: Minnesota At Dallas
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 28, 2016
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
The Dallas Mavericks continue a home-heavy portion of the schedule when they welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to town on Sunday night. The Mavericks rallied from 23 points down to top Denver in overtime 122-116 on Friday to improve to 2-1 on their current six-game homestand.
Including the homestand, Dallas plays nine out of 10 games at American Airlines Center before it finishes the season with 10 of 16 contests on the road, making this stretch a critical one for a team clinging to a playoff spot in the Western Conference. “Every game going forward is gonna be the biggest game of the year,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters of his squad, which entered Saturday in sixth place in the West but just two games up on the ninth-place team. The Timberwolves got a pair of free throws from Andrew Wiggins with three seconds left to grab a 112-110 win at New Orleans on Saturday. It was the fifth win in nine games for Minnesota, a relatively solid stretch for a team that is two losses away from clinching its 11th straight losing season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV, FSN North (Minnesota), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (19-40): Karl-Anthony Towns registered 30 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday’s win while Zach LaVine finished with 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting. LaVine has been mixed into the starting lineup a bit more and continues to respond to that role, as he is now averaging 19.7 points while shooting 48 percent from 3-point distance in 10 starts. Wiggins has topped the 20-point mark in five of his last six games and has hit exactly 10 free throws in three of those affairs.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (31-28): Dallas was on its way to its seventh loss in nine games before it stormed back to overtake the Nuggets, and Carlisle’s decision to go with a small lineup – a setup he may employ going forward – was the catalyst. Raymond Felton essentially replaced center Zaza Pachulia and shined down the stretch, finishing with 16 points, six assists and a plus-30 rating. “Game to game, there’s obviously going to be some teams that it’s tough to match up against, but it’s something that we can definitely look to and we’ve had some success doing it,” forward Chandler Parsons – who spent much of the second half and overtime playing power forward and finished with 27 points – told the media of the small lineup.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Mavericks PF Dirk Nowitzki scored 29 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a victory over the Timberwolves on Jan. 10.
2. Towns owns 12 double-doubles in the span of 14 games.
3. Dallas has won five straight meetings overall and three in a row at home.
PREDICTION: Mavericks 113, Timberwolves 105

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Preview: Miami At New York
When: 7:30 PM ET, Sunday, February 28, 2016
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Joe Johnson can’t get into uniform fast enough for the depleted Miami Heat, who had 10 available players during a loss in Boston on Saturday and announced after the contest that they had signed the veteran guard. It is unclear if Johnson will be in uniform for his new team Sunday when the Heat visit the New York Knicks.
Miami is dealing with another health scare for star Chris Bosh, who has not played since the All-Star break, and is without guards Beno Udrih (foot) and Josh Richardson (shoulder). The Heat did not have enough weapons to stay with the Celtics down the stretch Saturday and managed only 19 fourth-quarter points in a 101-89 setback. The Knicks are coming off their third win in the last 16 games – a 108-95 triumph over Orlando on Friday – but had their top three scorers miss practice Saturday because of various lingering injuries. “A little banged up,” New York interim coach Kurt Rambis told reporters. “(Carmelo Anthony), Arron (Afflalo) and (Kristaps Porzingis) had some little things and got dismissed from practice just to deal with. We’ll see if it becomes problematic (Sunday).”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Miami), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE HEAT (32-26): Several teams were said to be in the mix to bring in Johnson after he was waived by the Brooklyn Nets this week, but he chose to join Miami after clearing waivers Saturday. “To put somebody on the floor that can shoot the ball, can score in different areas of the floor and make plays, just adds to what we’re trying to do,” Heat star Dwyane Wade told reporters Sunday. “Joe is a friend of mine. I tried to do my best to paint the picture that this is a good place to be, and the decision from there is his. Make sure he sees my name in his inbox a lot.” Johnson is averaging 11.8 points on 40.6 percent shooting — his lowest marks since the 2002-03 season.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (25-35): Anthony repeatedly reiterated his commitment to New York while hearing his name pop up in trade rumors prior to the deadline, and delivered 19 points, 11 rebounds and six assists Friday. The veteran star is leading the Knicks in points (21.4), rebounds (8.0) and assists (4.2), but New York does not look like a team that will compete for a postseason spot this spring. “Losing’s got to be hard. I’m sure that’s frustrating for (Anthony),” Rambis told reporters. “All players want to win a championship. All players want to get in the playoffs. That’s when it’s really fun. The regular season is a grind. Losing and not getting in the playoffs is frustrating for us all but probably more so for him.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Heat PG Goran Dragic is averaging 19.8 points in five games since the All-Star break.
2. Knicks PG Jose Calderon is averaging 17 points on 12-of-18 shooting in the last two games.
3. Miami took two of the first three meetings this season, including a 97-78 triumph in New York on Nov. 27.
PREDICTION: Heat 102, Knicks 96