NBA Betting Info. 3/29

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Preview: Charlotte At Philadelphia
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The race for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference figures to come down to the final games of the regular season, and the Charlotte Hornets are trying to remain in the scrum. The Hornets will try to string together back-to-back wins when they close out a four-game road trip at the NBA-worst Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
The Hornets lost at Detroit on Friday but bounced back the next night with a convincing win at Milwaukee, which began a 10-game closing stretch that includes only three opponents with current winning records. Charlotte gets the 76ers not once but twice and will host the second end of the home-and-home set on Friday as it tries to keep pace with the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks in the race for No. 3. Philadelphia is still trying to reach double digits in victories and finished out a four-game road trip with a 117-105 loss at Golden State in a game that featured the biggest disparity in winning percentage in the NBA this late in the season. The 76ers hung with the Warriors through at least one quarter and refused to go away completely down the stretch before falling.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Charlotte), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE HORNETS (42-31): Charlotte will get a better picture of where it stands after the Celtics, Heat and Hawks all play on Monday but should be just fine moving forward if it continues to play like it did on Saturday in Milwaukee. The Hornets shot 55.4 percent from the field while holding the Bucks to 44 percent in the 115-91 triumph, and Nicolas Batum led the way with 25 points. The Frenchman has gone for 20 or more points in five of the last eight games and is averaging 18.5 points in 15 games this month after slumping to 8.8 in January and 12.7 in February.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (9-65): Philadelphia is trying to develop its young talent but is getting strong play of late from veteran forward Carl Landry. The 32-year-old went for 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting on Sunday and has scored in double figures in three straight and four of the last five games. Landry is getting some extra time while the team deals with injuries to fellow big men Nerlens Noel (knee), Jahlil Okafor (knee), Jerami Grant (knee, quad) and Richaun Holmes (Achilles).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. 76ers SF Robert Covington is averaging 16.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in three games since returning from a concussion.
2. Hornets F Marvin Williams scored 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting on Saturday after totaling 18 points on 6-of-22 in his previous three games.
3. Charlotte took the first two meetings this season by an average of 22.5 points.
PREDICTION: Hornets 113, 76ers 99

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Preview: Oklahoma City At Detroit
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Where: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
The Oklahoma City Thunder possess the NBA’s longest current winning streak and look to stretch it to nine when they visit the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. The Thunder rolled to a 119-100 road win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday and have an average winning margin of 17.1 points during the streak.
Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook has been sensational in March and posted his seventh triple-double of the month with 26 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in Monday’s victory. Westbrook’s triple-double count is the most in a single month since former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan had seven in April, 1989. Detroit is 5-2 on a pivotal nine-game homestand – with both losses against the Atlanta Hawks – and is trying to cement its hold on the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons hold a 2 1/2-game lead over the Washington Wizards and the slumping Chicago Bulls with eight games left to play.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Oklahoma, FSN Detroit Plus
ABOUT THE THUNDER (52-22): Westbrook’s latest triple-double is his 16th of the season, the most by an NBA player since former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson had 17 during the 1988-89 campaign. “I think it’s something I never take for granted but I like winning,” Westbrook told reporters, “so regardless of what the numbers say I like to win the game and make sure my teammates feel good about themselves and figure it out from there.” Small forward Kevin Durant is on a superb run of his own as he scored 34 points against the Raptors for his 59th consecutive game of 20 or more points, the best streak since Lakers great Kobe Bryant had a 63-game streak during the 2005-06 season.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (39-35): Shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope struggled to nine points on 3-of-13 shooting in Saturday’s 112-95 loss to the Atlanta Hawks — one night after scoring 21 points in a victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Caldwell-Pope has topped 20 points on five occasions in March while continuing to be one of the league’s better defensive guards. “He’s now seen all the situations, so he can react to things better at both ends of the floor,” Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters. “He’s not surprised by something the offense is doing against him or something that the defense does against him. He’s not surprised as much, which allows him to be more solid and he’s a very consistent energy guy.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Thunder have won in each of their past five visits to Detroit.
2. Detroit PG Reggie Jackson – a former member of the Thunder – was just 4-of-16 shooting while scoring 15 points in the November matchup.
3. Oklahoma City is averaging 117.3 points during its eight-game winning streak with a low output of 111.
PREDICTION: Thunder 122, Pistons 115

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Preview: Houston At Cleveland
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
The Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from an embarrassing loss with an easy win and hope to finish strong as they try to lock up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers will try to avoid a letdown on Tuesday when they host the Houston Rockets, who are desperate for wins after dropping into the No. 8 spot in the West with a loss on Sunday.
Cleveland suffered a 104-95 loss at Brooklyn on Thursday but made some changes between games and looked like a different team in a 107-93 drubbing of the New York Knicks on Saturday. “(Saturday) before the game we talked about the last 10 games … focusing on better defensively, physicality and transition,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. “I think (the Knicks) only had two points in transition tonight. We have to keep taking steps forward defensively and tonight we did that.” The Rockets dropped a 104-101 decision at Indiana on Sunday and sit a half-game ahead of the ninth-place Dallas Mavericks in the West. The loss was the fourth in five games overall and the fourth straight on the road for Houston, which will play five of its final seven games at home after finishing up the two-game trip in Cleveland.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, ROOT (Houston), FSN Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (36-38): Houston has a favorable closing schedule with five straight against sub-.500 teams ending the regular season but has to get through Cleveland, Chicago and Oklahoma City before reaching that stretch. All-Star James Harden is doing his part and finished with 34 points, eight rebounds and eight assists on Sunday, but the Rockets went 7-of-33 from 3-point range in the loss. A strong finish could get Houston as high as sixth in the West but the focus is more on a three-team scrum for the seventh and eighth spots that includes Dallas and Utah.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (52-21): The win in New York was keyed by LeBron James and his 42nd career triple-double, and the star is taking his role as a distributor seriously. “I went with the mindset to play my game and getting guys involved is a part of the game,” James told reporters. “I had some good looks but I had some great-look passes for my guys. I am glad I was able to help my team.” James is bringing up his level of play as the regular season draws to a close and is averaging 31.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists in the last four games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cavaliers F Channing Frye is 1-of-14 from 3-point range in the last three games.
2. Rockets F Michael Beasley scored nine points in 22 minutes on Sunday, snapping a string of nine straight games in double figures.
3. Harden was held to 11 points on 2-of-10 shooting and committed eight turnovers when Houston suffered a 91-77 home loss to Cleveland on Jan. 15.
PREDICTION: Cavaliers 101, Rockets 95

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Inside the Paint – Tuesday
By Chris David
Favorites opened up the week with a 5-0 straight up mark on Sunday and the ‘chalk’ covered four of those games. That trend continued Monday with favorites posting an 8-2 SU record but the underdogs saved face at the betting counter with a 5-5 record against the spread. The ‘under’ went 7-3 last night and is 11-5 the past two days.
Tuesday’s card offers up six games on tap, which includes a nationally televised double-header on TNT that unfortunately is lacking any punch but that’s what happens late in the season with players resting and meaningless games.
Let’s handicap the card.
Brooklyn (21-52 SU, 37-35-1 ATS) at Orlando (30-43 SU, 40-32-1 ATS)
Speaking of meaningless, this matchup between the Magic (-6 ½) and Nets certainly fits that billing. After notching solid wins over Cleveland and Indiana last week, Brooklyn was humbled 110-99 last night in Miami as an 8 ½-point underdog. Orlando hasn’t played since Saturday when it snapped a six-game slide with a 111-89 win over Chicago as a seven-point home underdog. The Magic have gone 12-7 SU and 9-10 ATS as home favorites this season and that includes a 4-1 mark in their last five. Orlando has won all three (2-1 ATS) encounters against Brooklyn this season and the ‘under’ is 3-0 in those games. The Magic haven’t been healthy all season and the status of Nikola Vucevic and Victor Oladipo remains up in the air tonight. Make a note that Brooklyn is 2-10 SU and 6-6 ATS on zero days rest this season.
Charlotte (42-31 SU, 38-34-1 ATS) at Philadelphia (9-65 SU, 34-39-1 ATS)
The Hornets and 76ers wrap up their season series this week with a home-and-home set that starts tonight before the second meeting on Friday in Charlotte. The 76ers are double-digit underdogs (+11 ½) for this game and could be jetlagged after finishing up a four-game road trip that saw them go winless. The club did manage to go 3-1 ATS and the ‘under’ cashed in all four games. It’s hard to make a case for Philadelphia here based on a number of factoris, including talent, travel and form, plus Charlotte has been one of the hottest teams in the league since the All-Star break (15-5 SU, 12-8 ATS). The Hornets have beaten the 76ers by 20 and 25 already this season and I’d expect that number to be in this neighborhood on Tuesday. However, I might come back with Philly on Friday knowing Charlotte has key games versus the Cavs and Raptors on deck.
Chicago (36-37 SU, 30-43 ATS) at Indiana (39-34 SU, 37-36 ATS)
The Pacers opened as seven-point home favorites over the Bulls and I thought this line was a tad inflated. I know Chicago is in horrible form right now, four straight losses, but it still has the talent to win in this spot and I’m not exactly sold on Indiana. The Pacers are 3-3 SU and 2-4 ATS in their last six games and two of those wins came against the 76ers and Pelicans. Indiana has dropped two of three to Chicago this season, both losses on the road and by a combined three points. In the home win, Indiana pulled away for a 104-92 victory and have won six of the last seven home encounters against Chicago. It’s hard to argue for the Bulls, who have dropped 11 of 12 on the road but backing Indiana as a home favorite (20-8 SU, 14-14 ATS) doesn’t jump off the page either. The ‘under’ (203) could be a good look knowing both clubs could shorten this game late since it has playoff implications and none of the first three outcomes between the pair this season eclipsed tonight’s number.
Oklahoma City (52-22 SU, 33-39-2 ATS) at Detroit (39-35 SU, 37-34-3 ATS)
I’m not a big fan of Oklahoma City and I’ve knocked them around for being a bully and they are. However, the Thunder made me take a second look at them last night when they hammered a good Toronto team 119-110 as three-point road favorites. OKC has won eight straight games and more importantly, they’ve covered six of them for bettors.
The club heads to Detroit on Tuesday and the Thunder are currently listed as a 2 ½-point road favorite. That number right there tells you that the Pistons are worth a look, especially when you know that OKC has gone 6-6 both SU and ATS on no rest this season. Detroit saw its five-game winning streak snapped on Saturday as it was humbled 112-95 at home to Atlanta. The Pistons are in the middle of a playoff hunt and if Stan Van Gundy’s team ever needed a big win, it starts tonight at the Palace. Detroit has gone 8-5 SU and 7-4-1 ATS at home this season versus foes from the West, which includes a win over Golden State to boot.
Houston (36-38 SU, 32-42 ATS) at Cleveland (52-21 SU, 32-39-2 ATS)
The Cavaliers are listed as 1 ½-point home favorites over the Rockets and the short price is due to LeBron James sitting out for Cleveland. As much heat as he takes, he’s only missed three games this season and the clubs is 1-2 but the lone victory came by one point. Cleveland dropped Houston 91-77 on Jan. 5 as a two-point road underdog, which snapped a six-game losing streak to the Rockets. With Toronto losing on Monday, the Cavaliers are now three games ahead of them for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Rockets are barely holding onto the eighth seed in the West and have struggled recently, losing four of five games. The offense has been inconsistent (100.8 PPG) during this skid, which has led to a 4-1 ‘under’ mark. Knowing the Cavs have averaged 94 PPG without James in the lineup, a lean to the low side (214) could be warranted tonight.
Washington (36-37 SU, 37-36 ATS) at Golden State (66-7 SU, 38-32-2 ATS)
The Wizards began their five-game West Coast trip Sunday with a wire-to-wire 101-88 victory over the Lakers. Winning on Tuesday certainly won’t be easy as Washington meets Golden State as a 13 ½-point road underdog. As most know, Golden State is gunning for historical records and they’ve already busted one earlier this season by winning 53 straight games at home. Washington is listed as an 8/1 underdog (Bet $100 to win $800) on the money-line and that’s not a sound investment, especially for a team that has gone 4-7 SU and 5-8 ATS versus non-conference foes on the road. All but two of those opponents racked 107 points or more and that weak defensive effort helped the ‘over’ go 9-2 in those games. Should we expect less from Golden State? The team total for the Warriors (119 ½) might be a better play considering the Warriors are just 1-4 ATS in their last five games despite a 4-1 record. Plus, they’ve averaged 112 PPG in 13 home games versus teams from the East this season.