NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers lead 3-1)
Thursday, 9:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers  - 7 , Total  193.5

The Los Angeles Lakers will try and advance to the NBA Finals by eliminating the defending champion San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.  The Lakers are a perfect 7-0 at home in the playoffs this season and in their last 21 home playoff games are 18-3.  Since moving to Staples Center before the 1999-2000 season the Lakers have topped the 100 points mark in over half of their postseason home games.  The Lakers are not overconfident heading home though. “We’re confident, but we’re not relaxed at all. It’s going to be a battle in Game 5.” the Lakers’ Pau Gasol said, “We want to definitely take advantage of the opportunity we have to close them out and to move on.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Spurs on the Road.

The Lakers took control of the series by winning Game 5 in San Antonio on Tuesday as Kobe Bryant had 28 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles.  The Lakers led all the way but San Antonio had a chance at the end of the game but Brent Barry missed a last second shot. Tim Duncan led all scorers with 29 points and 17 rebounds.  The Spurs know they let a golden chance slip away. “Obviously losing at home, giving up 20+ points in second chance points, points off turnovers and losing by two.” Duncan said, “So all of that combined, when you put all of that together, it was a game that we really could have and really should have won.”

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers  - 8 , Total  193.5

Here are the NBA betting stats for Thursday’s game.  The Spurs are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 Conference Finals games. The Spurs are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as an underdog.

The Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Thursday games. The Lakers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games as a home favorite. The Lakers are 11-4-1 ATS in their last 16 games overall.

The Under is 6-0 in the Spurs last 6 vs. the Pacific. The Under is 4-0 in the Spurs last 4 games as a road underdog. The Under is 7-0 in the Spurs last 7 overall. The Under is 11-5 in the Spurs last 16 Thursday games.

The Under is 7-0 in the Lakers last 7 Thursday games. The Under is 4-0 in the Lakers last 4 overall. The Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Los Angeles between the two teams.

Pick: While it looks like the Lakers will win this one to my surprise, I cant count out the Spurs here or at least a cover with the high line. Spurs 4units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics (Series tied 2-2)
Wednesday, 8:35 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Celtics - 5.5 , Total 172.5

The Detroit Pistons got their must-win game on Monday as they won at home against the Boston Celtics to even the best of seven Eastern Conference Finals at two games each. Now the Boston Celtics are facing their must-win game on Wednesday in Game Five as they don’t want to go back to Detroit having to win a Game Six. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Celtics at Home.

The Pistons were led on Monday by forward Antonio McDyess who showed a lot of energy and desire. McDyess had 21 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Piston to the 94-75 win. “(McDyess) knows that you can’t take any of this for granted,” Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. “Some of our guys have been in six straight conference finals, which is an amazing achievement, but for some of our guys, this is the first time.” The Celtics need to find some of the energy that McDyess had or they may lose this series. “We don’t get this opportunity too much in our careers,” Celtics’ forward Paul Pierce said, “We have to go out and play like it’s our last, because you never know when this is going to happen again. … We have to find some way, somehow to get a win at home and bring that momentum back to Detroit.” Home court is no guarantee in this series as both teams have won on each other’s court. The Celtics shot just 32 percent on Monday night and none of the Big Three played well. They will need a big performance on Wednesday or they could face a road game at Detroit with their season on the line and that is not a pleasant thought for Boston.

SBG Global Current Line: Celtics - 6 , Total 173

Here are the NBA betting stats for Wednesday’s game. The Pistons are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Pistons are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 vs. the Atlantic. The Pistons are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games overall. The Pistons are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games as a road underdog.
The Pistons are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 Wednesday games. The Underdog is 12-5 ATS in the last 17 meetings between the two teams. The road team is 9-3 ATS in the last 12 meetings.

The Celtics are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 Wednesday games. The Celtics are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games as a home favorite. The Celtics are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games playing on 1 day of rest.

The Under is 5-1 in the Pistons last 6 overall. The Under is 11-3 in the Pistons last 14 road games. The Under is 19-7-1 in the Pistons last 27 playoff games as an underdog. The Under is 12-5 in the Pistons last 17 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Under is 43-19-1 in the Pistons last 63 games as a road underdog.

The Over is 4-1 in the Celtics last 5 Wednesday games. The Under is 19-8 in the Celtics last 27 vs. the Central. The Under is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings between the two teams and the Under is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings in Boston.

Pick: Take the Celtics at home

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers lead 1-0)
Friday, 9:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers  - 6.5, Total  193

The San Antonio Spurs let a golden chance slip away in Game One against the Los Angeles Lakers as they blew a 20 point third quarter lead and lost 89-85.  “No one gives any excuse,” Spurs guard Tony Parker said, “We were in pretty good shape, had a great lead. We had a great chance to win the game and we just didn’t play well enough in the fourth quarter.” History is now not on the Spurs side. The Lakers are 52-7 when winning Game 1 in a best-of-seven series. The also have owned the Spurs in the postseason.  They have beaten them in seven of their previous 10 postseason matchups, including all three in the conference finals. Further history indicates that the Spurs are facing even more dismal numbers as Lakers’ head coach Phil Jackson is a perfect 40-0 when his teams win the opening game of a 7 game series. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers at Home.

Kobe Bryant scored all but two of his 27 points after halftime as the Spurs couldn’t slow him down.  Losing a 20 point lead could be difficult for the Spurs to bounce back from. “Obviously a difficult loss and we had a great opportunity. We didn’t take advantage of it. Hurts like hell.” Spurs head coach Greg Popovich said.  The Lakers are now 7-0 in the postseason at Staples Center and have won 13 straight games overall at home.  The Lakers don’t expect the Spurs to quit though. “We expect them to come back with renewed energy,” said coach Phil Jackson.  Kobe doesn’t believe the Spurs will be crushed by the loss. “I don’t think so,” said Kobe, “They’ve won four championships.”

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers  - 6.5, Total  192.5

Here are the NBA betting stats for Friday’s game. The Spurs are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 Conference Finals games. The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Friday games. The Spurs are 7-16 ATS in their last 23 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.

The Lakers are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games overall. The Lakers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a home favorite. The Lakers are 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 vs. the Southwest. The Lakers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Conference Finals games.

The Under is 4-0 in the Spurs last 4 overall. The Under is 4-1-1 in the Spurs last 6 games as a road underdog.

The Over is 11-4 in the Lakers last 15 Friday games. The Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings between the two teams.

Pick: Spurs +6.5 3units. I would say outright win here if Ginobli was healthy

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Game One)
Wednesday, 9:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers  - 6.5 , Total  197.5

The defending champion San Antonio Spurs survived against the New Orleans Hornets but to reach the NBA Finals they will have to go through the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant.  The Lakers have home court advantage in this series and that could prove important as Los Angeles is a perfect 6-0 at home in the playoffs and has won 12 straight overall at home. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers at Home.

“We’ve had our battles. We’ve had some great matchups,” the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant said. “It feels great to be back at that level, matching up with San Antonio.”  San Antonio and Los Angeles have combined to win 7 of the last 9 NBA titles. Although the Spurs are the defending champs, the Lakers are favored in this series.  “It’s always great to play against the Lakers,” San Antonio’s Tony Parker said, “Kobe’s at his best; they have a great team. It reminds me of my first couple of years in the league. Back to the rivalry. It will be great.”

The Lakers have not played since last Friday and are well rested while the Spurs had to play in New Orleans on Monday and had a rough trip just getting to Los Angeles.  The Spurs did not even practice on Tuesday. Lakers head coach Phil Jackson did not expect the Spurs lack of rest to be a factor.
“The NBA is a grueling marathon of a season,” he said. “They’ll be rested; they’ll be fine.”

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers  - 7, Total  196

Los Angeles has owned the Spurs in the post season going 7-3 against them all-time.  The last time they met in the Conference Finals was seven years ago when the Lakers swept the Spurs. The matchups in the series are intriguing with Spurs defensive expert Bruce Bowen guarding Kobe Bryant, Vladimir Radmanovic might be matched against Manu Ginobili, Lamar Odom against Fabricio Oberto, Pau Gasol against Tim Duncan with Derek Fisher guarding Tony Parker.

San Antonio is 6-0 at home and 2-4 on the road in this year’s playoffs. Tony Parker leads the Spurs in scoring in the playoffs at 23.7 points per game.  Manu Ginobili is averaging 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the postseason. Forward Tim Duncan is averaging 19.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. Head coach Gregg Popovich has an all-time record of 100-55 in the playoffs.

MVP Kobe Bryant is leading the Lakers in scoring at 33.3 points per game. Pau Gasol is averaging 20 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the postseason. Head coach Phil Jackson is 187-79 in the postseason.

During the regular season, the teams split four games with each team winning their home games. Here are the betting stats for Wednesday’s game.  The Spurs are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Conference Finals games. The Spurs are 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 vs. the Pacific. The Spurs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 playoff games as an underdog. The Spurs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games.

The Lakers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 3 or more days of rest. The Lakers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a home favorite.
The Lakers are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games overall.  The Lakers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as a favorite. The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 NBA betting Conference Finals games. The Lakers are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 vs. the Southwest. The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.

The Under is 4-1 in the Spurs last 5 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Over is 4-1 in the Spurs last 5 Conference Finals games. The Over is 5-2 in the Spurs last 7 vs. the Pacific. The Under is 5-2-1 in the Spurs last 8 overall.
The Under is 7-3 in the Spurs last 10 Wednesday games. The Under is 13-6-1 in the Spurs last 20 games as an underdog.

The Over is 4-1 in the Lakers last 5 overall. The Over is 6-2 in the Lakers last 8 Conference Finals games. The Over is 5-2 in the Lakers last 7 games as a home favorite. The Over is 12-5 in the last 17 meetings in Los Angeles between the two teams.

Pick: Hard to go against the Spurs in any game, they are built for the post-season. After seven games it may take 1 for them to get there legs back so look for the Lakers to win this one. Lakers -6.5 2units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
New Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (Hornets lead 3-2)
Thursday, 9:05 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Spurs – 7.5 , Total  184.5

The San Antonio Spurs will hope that the trend of home teams winning in the playoffs continues for at least one more game on Thursday as they host the New Orleans Hornets.  The Spurs trail three games to two and must win to send the series back to New Orleans for a Game Seven. The Hornets know that they have a chance to end the series on Thursday. “The best opportunity for us is really tomorrow (Thursday). We’ve got to look at it that way,” Hornets coach Byron Scott said. “We’ve got a chance to close out the defending champions. Obviously we know it’s going to be a very, very tough game to do that, especially in San Antonio.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Spurs at Home.

The series has been dominated by the home team.  The Hornets routed the Spurs in the first two games in New Orleans, were blown out at San Antonio in Games 3 and 4 and then routed the Spurs in Game Five back in New Orleans.  If the trend continues in this series then the Spurs should play well on Thursday. “The bottom line is that the better team wins in a seven-game series,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I’ve always said that. So whoever wins the series it will be because they’re the better team.”

The Hornets will try and reverse the trend in this series and take the momentum of the Game Five win into Thursday’s game.  “That’s something we’re going to talk about probably all day and before the game tomorrow,” New Orleans guard Chris Paul said. “When you make shots and stuff like that, it helps a lot, but we just got to find some way somehow.” It was David West that led the Hornets in Game 5.  He had 38 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots.  The Hornets are not relaxing knowing that Game 7 would be back in New Orleans. “We can’t relax and say, ‘All right, we’ll wait to beat them when we come back here,”‘ Paul said. “We need to win tomorrow (Thursday).”

SBG Global Current Line: Spurs - 7, Total  184

None of the games in this series have been close.  The home team has won by blowout margins each time.  The Spurs will try and use that home court advantage to extend the series. “We know their backs are against the wall and they’re going to come at us with everything they got,” Scott said.

The Spurs have never won back-to-back NBA titles.  They could already be considered a dynasty though with four titles in the last 10 years.  To continue their quest for a title this season they must win on Thursday.

Here are the NBA betting stats for Thursday’s game.  The Hornets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Hornets are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 vs. the Western Conference. The Hornets are 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 playoff games as an underdog. The Hornets are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as a road underdog. The Hornets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Hornets are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 Thursday games.

The Spurs are 15-3-2 ATS in their last 20 playoff games as a favorite. The
Spurs are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a home favorite. The Spurs are 7-15-1 ATS in their last 23 vs. the Southwest. The Spurs are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 Thursday games. The Spurs are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Spurs are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings between the two teams and the home team is 6-0 ATS in the last 6 meetings.

The Under is 6-1 in the Hornets last 7 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Over is 6-1 in the Hornets last 7 Thursday games. The Under is 5-1-1 in the Hornets last 7 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 8-2-1 in the Hornets last 11 Conference Semifinals games. The Over is 8-3 in the Hornets last 11 games as a road underdog.

The Over is 4-1 in the Spurs last 5 games as a home favorite. The Over is 4-1 in the Spurs last 5 Thursday games. The Over is 7-2 in the Spurs last 9 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. The Over is 8-3-1 in the Spurs last 12 overall. The Over is 13-6-1 in the Spurs last 20 Conference Semifinals games. The Under is 17-8-1 in the Spurs last 26 vs. the Southwest. The Over is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings in San Antonio between the two teams.

Pick: Despite the trend of Home teams winning and covering, Look for the Hornets to buck the trend and win outright or keep it very close. Hornets +7.5 4units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers (Celtics lead 2-1)
Monday, 8:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Cavaliers  - 2.5, Total  182

The Boston Celtics haven’t been able to win on the road in the playoffs and if that continues on Monday night their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers will be tied.  The Celtics lost game three 108-84 on Saturday as they were blown out early and never recovered. “We can’t spot a team 15-20 points and try to dig ourselves out of it,” Boston’s Kevin Garnett said. “We talked about that in the locker room that we need to play with the same urgency like we have at home. We can definitely play better, and we will.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Cavaliers at Home.

The Celtics were the NBA’s best road team in the regular season so it is somewhat of a mystery as to why they are struggling in the playoffs.  The Celtics were the NBA’s best defensive team in the regular season but have had trouble on the road in the playoffs.  They gave up an average of 101 points per game to the Hawks on the road and then gave up 108 points to Cleveland on Saturday.  The Celtics shut down LeBron James again but couldn’t stop the rest of the Cavaliers on Saturday.  Joe Smith and Delonte West had big games as did most of the rest of the Cavaliers.  They picked up the slack for James who has struggled in this series. “That’s why it’s a team game,” West said. “That’s why you have teammates you trust. … We’re a unit. In this locker room we don’t separate ourselves and put that separation between LeBron and ourselves as a team. I think y’all more so do that. But here in this locker room, he brings the attitude. He brings the attitude like we’re all in this together. And I think it’s good to have his back for a change since he has ours so many nights.”

SBG Global Current Line: Cavaliers  - 2,  Total  181

Here are the NBA betting stats for Monday’s game.  The Celtics are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 Monday games. The Celtics are 40-15 ATS in their last 55 games as a road underdog. The Celtics are 24-10 ATS in their last 34 games overall. The Celtics are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 playoff games as an underdog. The Celtics are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Conference Semifinals games. The Celtics are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings in Cleveland. The underdog is 7-2-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings between the two teams.

The Cavaliers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 playoff games as a favorite. The Cavaliers are 25-10 ATS in their last 35 Monday games.

The Over is 4-0 in the Celtics last 4 road games. The Under is 15-5 in the Celtics last 20 Monday games. The Over is 7-3 in the Celtics last 10 playoff games as an underdog.

The Under is 12-2 in the Cavaliers last 14 Conference Semifinals games.
The Under is 13-4 in the Cavaliers last 17 games as a home favorite. The Under is 11-4 in the Cavaliers last 15 overall.

Pick: Cavs -2 3units. Hard to back a team that hasnt won on the road yet in the playoffs.

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Lakers
Wednesday, 10:35 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers  - 7, Total  209

The Los Angeles Lakers will look to continue their perfect record in the 2008 NBA playoffs as they host the Utah Jazz in game two of their best of seven series on Wednesday. The Lakers dispatched of the Denver Nuggets in round one in a four game sweep and took the first game against the Jazz in this series.  The key for the Lakers was their 16-point advantage at the free throw line in the 109-98 game one victory. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers at Home.

The Lakers actually blew most of a 19 point lead before hitting their last eight free throws to win by 11 points.  The Lakers went 38-46 from the line while the Jazz went 20-32.  The Jazz were physical in game one and the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, who won the league MVP award on Tuesday, said he expects that to continue. “I’m sure it will; it’s playoff basketball,” he said. “Utah plays physical anyway. Those guys, they play hard. They’re not talking, they just play hard. We’ve just got to do a better job getting to their bodies.”  The referees called a lot of fouls in game one and that definitely helped Los Angeles.  “They play a very physical game, let the referees make a decision on what’s a foul and what isn’t,” Los Angeles head coach Phil Jackson said. “They scrum, they get in the lane, they’re after the ball, they’re pushing and shoving. It’s not our style. We are going to play the kind of game we have to play. Just be more resilient, that’s all.” Kobe hit 21 of 23 free throws in the series opener.

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers  - 6.5, Total  209.5

Utah will try and do a better job of getting the ball inside. “I think we can do a good job of getting the ball inside a little bit more,” Utah’s Carlos Boozer said, “I think we settled for jump shots at times. We’re stronger than them. They’re longer than we are, but we have some guys that like to get in there and bang around a little big and move some bodies and try to get the ball, which is going to be the key for us in this series. We need to continue to go inside and make them work inside.”

The Jazz may have been a bit weary in game one on Sunday but now will have had the same rest as the Lakers for game two on Wednesday. The Lakers are the only unbeaten team in the playoffs. “Every game is Game 7. That’s been our approach,” Kobe Bryant said. “I think with each win, we get more confident. Utah is a much bigger challenge for us than the first round. I think Game 3 in Denver, we played well. Other than that, we’ve been playing in spurts. We haven’t put together a complete game. I think that’s good news.”

The Jazz don’t intend to panic after one loss. “It’s a seven-game series,” Utah’s Deron Williams said. “We’ve lost one game. We’ve just got to stay poised and try to get this next one. We want to try to get back to where we were. We don’t want to go back to Salt Lake down 0-2. We’ve been in that situation before and it’s not pretty.”

Here are the NBA betting stats for Wednesday’s game. The Jazz are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 Wednesday games. The Jazz are 8-17 ATS in their last 25 games playing on 2 days of rest. The Jazz are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 playoff games as an underdog. The Jazz are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Jazz are 0-5 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Los Angeles.

The Lakers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 Conference Semifinals games. The Lakers are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite. The Lakers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 vs. the Northwest. The Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as a favorite. The Lakers are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Lakers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite. The Lakers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games playing on 2 days of rest. The home team is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings between the two teams and the favorite is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings.

The Under is 4-0 in Utah’s last 4 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 4-1 in Utah’s last 5 Wednesday games. The Over is 20-7 in Utah’s last 27 vs. the  Pacific. The Under is 5-2 in Utah’s last 7 overall.

The Under is 4-0 in the Lakers last 4 vs. the Northwest. The Under is 7-0 in the Lakers last 7 games playing on 2 days of rest. The Under is 4-0 in the Lakers last 4 overall. The Under is 7-2 in the Lakers last 9 Wednesday games. The Under is 5-2 in the Lakers last 7 playoff games as a favorite. The Over is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings in Los Angeles between the two teams.

Pick: Jazz +7 3units.. To many points here.

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic (Pistons lead 2-0)
Wednesday, 8:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Magic  - 3.5, Total  185.5

The Orlando Magic couldn’t quite pull off the upset in game two against the Detroit Pistons on Monday but they know it can be done.  They just need to avoid making mistakes and not panic.  They had their moments in Monday’s 100-93 loss at Detroit but could not handle the pressure late in the game. “We made some bad decisions and some tough shots down the stretch, and got away from playing the way that we had played when things were going well,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.  The Magic head home knowing they must win game #3 to get back in the series. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Magic at Home.

The Magic just could not avoid turning the ball over in game two and it cost them the game.  They had 19 turnovers on Monday. “When you turn the ball over you aren’t giving yourself a chance, and we just have to do the little things like that, as well as not letting them get the offensive rebounds,” Orlando guard Jameer Nelson said. “There are just some things that we need to take care of. We have great competitors in this locker room that compete really hard, and we just turned the ball over.”  The Magic has lost nine straight playoff games to Detroit going back to 2003. Magic All-Star Dwight Howard had 22 points and 18 rebounds on Monday but it wasn’t enough.

The Pistons are happy they won their two home games but believe they can play better. “I thought we could have played a lot better. I thought that when had them down, we had a big lead, we didn’t kind of step on them,” Pistons guard Richard Hamilton said, “We went away from what got us there. I think we’ll do better next game.”

SBG Global Current Line: Magic  - 3.5, Total  186

Here are the NBA betting stats for Wednesday’s game.  The Pistons are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. the Southeast. The Pistons are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Pistons are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 Conference Semifinals games. The Pistons are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 playoff games as an underdog. The Pistons are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 Wednesday games. The

Pistons are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog. The Pistons are 10-3 ATS in the last 13 meetings in Orlando.

The Magic are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Wednesday games. The Magic are 13-5-1 ATS in their last 19 games as a home favorite. The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.

The Under is 4-0 in the Pistons last 4 road games. The Under is 6-1 in the Pistons last 7 vs. the Southeast. The Under is 20-8-1 in the Pistons last 29 playoff games as an underdog. The Under is 9-4 in the Pistons last 13 Conference Semifinals games.

The Under is 6-1 in Orlando’s last 7 vs. the Central. The Over is 4-1 in Orlando’s last 5 playoff games as a favorite. The Under is 7-3 in Orlando’s last 10 games as a favorite. The Over is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings between the two teams.

Pick: Pistons +3.5 3units.

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Hornets (Game One)
Saturday, 10:00 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Hornets  - 3.5 , Total  183.5

The New Orleans Hornets will face the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in game one of the best of seven Western Conference semifinals on Saturday night.  The Hornets took out the Dallas Mavericks easily in the first round while the Spurs dispatched of the Phoenix Suns in five games in their opening series. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Spurs on the Road.

The matchup in this series should be intriguing as the Spurs are the league’s oldest and most experienced team with 11 players in their 30s. They have star players in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.  New Orleans has eight players who are under the age of 30.  Their stars are league MVP candidate Chris Paul and David West.  The two teams look very evenly matched in this series.  They finished the season with identical 56-26 records and they split their four head-to-head meetings.  The reason New Orleans got the higher seed was based on their superior conference record but that was only by one game.

SBG Global Current Line: Hornets  - 3, Total  183.5

The matchups in this series should be excellent.  It will be Chris Paul against Tony Parker in the backcourt.  At the small forward it is Peja Stojakovic against Bruce Bowen and at power forward it is David West against Tim Duncan. Those three matchups are the key to the series.  The one advantage New Orleans may have is off the bench. Jannero Pargo was excellent in the first round against Dallas and Julian Wright also played well.  Technically Ginobili comes off the bench for San Antonio but that is only for appearance.  He is a starter and one of the Spurs most important players.

Here are the NBA betting stats for Saturday’s game.  The Spurs are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 games playing on 3 or more days of rest. The Spurs are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games as an underdog. The Spurs are 5-13 ATS in their last 18 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Saturday games. The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in New Orleans. The road team is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings between the two teams.

The Hornets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 playoff games as a favorite. The
Hornets are 21-7 ATS in their last 28 home games. The Hornets are 44-16-2 ATS in their last 62 Saturday games. The Hornets are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 Conference Semifinals games.

The Over is 6-2 in the Spurs last 8 overall. The Under is 16-6 in the Spurs last 22 vs. the Southwest. The Over is 8-3 in the Spurs last 11 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 11-5 in the Spurs last 16 Conference Semifinals games.

The Over is 6-1 in the Hornets last 7 Conference Semifinals games. The Over is 17-7-2 in the Hornets last 26 games as a home favorite. The Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.

Pick: Hornets -3.5 4units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Detroit Pistons at Philadelphia 76ers (Pistons lead 3-2)
Thursday, 8:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Pistons  - 5, Total 178

The Philadelphia 76ers will try and force a game seven in their series against the Detroit Pistons with a win on Thursday night. It may not be easy considering the 76ers have not played well in the last two games.  They collapsed in game #4 and were routed in game five. “I’ve believed in my players the whole season long and I’m not going to not believe in them now,” Philadelphia head coach Maurice Cheeks said. “We’ve done it before and we’ve been able to come back.”
SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Pistons on the Road.

Detroit does not want to let up and give the 76ers any hope. “You want to take care of things as quickly as possibly, because it can change quickly,” Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. “We’ve put together three solid halves, and we need to keep that up.” The winner of this series will face the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

SBG Global Current Line: Pistons  - 5.5, Total 178

Here are the NBA betting stats for Thursday’s game. The Pistons are 17-7-3 ATS in their last 27 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Pistons are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games as a road favorite. The Pistons are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 Thursday games. The Pistons are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings in Philadelphia. The favorite is 15-7-1 ATS in the last 23 meetings between the two teams.

The 76ers are 6-13-3 ATS in their last 22 Conference Quarterfinals games. The 76ers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 Thursday games. The 76ers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games. The 76ers are 5-14-1 ATS in their last 20 playoff games as an underdog.

The Under is 6-0 in the Pistons last 6 games as a road favorite. The Under is 14-4 in the Pistons last 18 vs. the Eastern Conference. The Under is 12-5 in the Pistons last 17 overall. The Over is 9-4 in the Pistons last 13 Conference Quarterfinals games.

The Under is 4-0 in the 76ers last 4 home games. The Under is 6-1 in the 76ers last 7 games as a home underdog. The Under is 5-2 in the 76ers last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games.

Pick: Pistons to take the series here in game 6 3units