NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Hornets (Series tied 3-3)
Monday, 8:35 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Hornets  - 4 , Total  182

The San Antonio Spurs will try and accomplish something that not many teams have done in the NBA playoffs this season and that is pull off a road win.  The defending NBA champs have not won in New Orleans in the playoffs and have been blown out in each game.  They will hope to rely upon their experience in tonight’s Game 7.  The Hornets on the other hand will be hoping that home court and All-Stars Chris Paul and David West can carry them to victory. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Hornets at Home.

The Hornets have not lost at home in the playoffs and will have a big edge on Monday. “We knew it was going to be a long series, the type of team we’re dealing with,” said West, “The reason we fought out games throughout the regular season was to be able to have a Game 7 on your home floor. We’ve been able to do that, so we’ve got to take advantage of the opportunity we have.” Both teams have been dominant on their home floor in this series.  Now it all comes down to one game with the winner advancing to the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. “You’ve just got to be very focused, knowing that you can’t blink, that you can’t let the other team get on a run, get confident on a run,” said Manu Ginobili, “It’s going to be a really tense game with a lot of adrenaline. Fans are going to be going nuts. So it’s going to be a very fun game to play.”

SBG Global Current Line: Hornets  - 4.5, Total  182.5

The Spurs have never come back from a 2-0 deficit to win a playoff series in their history. “We’ll see if we thrive on pressure after Monday’s game. We still don’t know,” Ginobili said. “It’s a great test for both teams. A lot of pressure, as I said before, and we’re going to try to be the ones that respond to that pressure the best way.”

Here are the NBA betting stats for Monday’s game.  The Spurs are 5-16 ATS in their last 21 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as an underdog. The Spurs are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Monday games. The Spurs are 0-4 ATS in the last 4 meetings in New Orleans.

The Hornets are 22-7 ATS in their last 29 games as a home favorite. The Hornets are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 Monday games. The favorite is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams and the home team is 7-0 ATS in the last 7 meetings.

The Over is 4-0 in the Spurs last 4 Monday games. The Under is 18-8-1 in the Spurs last 27 vs. the Southwest. The Over is 9-4-1 in the Spurs last 14 playoff games as an underdog.

The Under is 5-2-1 in the Hornets last 8 vs. the Southwest. The Over is 18-8-3 in the Hornets last 29 games as a home favorite.

Pick: Going with the home team. Hornets -4 and over the total 3 units each

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
New Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (Hornets lead 2-0)
Thursday, 9:35 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Spurs  - 6.5, Total  183

The San Antonio Spurs face what is probably a must win game on Thursday against the New Orleans Hornets.  The Spurs were dominated in the first two games at New Orleans and now the series goes to San Antonio.  “They say you’re supposed to win all your home games. The series doesn’t start until the home team loses,” New Orleans’ Chris Paul said, “We understand their backs are against the wall right now but we’ve got to go in there and understand we really need to steal a game.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Spurs at Home.

The Hornets have shown they can beat the defending NBA Champs and now they will try and take a game in San Antonio.  The Spurs must take care of the ball better and get Tim Duncan more involved if they are to turn things around. “It sounds, like, easy, but we just have to play better,” Tony Parker said. “They just outplayed us the first two games and now we’re playing at home and we have to make more shots and play better defense.” The Spurs will need to play smarter and show that they are hungry to defend their title. So far in this series that has not happened.

SBG Global Current Line: Spurs  - 6.5, Total  183.5

Here are the NBA betting stats for Thursday’s game. The Hornets are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 vs. the Southwest. The Hornets are 43-20-1 ATS in their last 64 games overall. The Hornets are 21-10 ATS in their last 31 games as an underdog. The Hornets are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 Thursday games.

The Spurs are 14-3-2 ATS in their last 19 playoff games as a favorite. The Spurs are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 games as a home favorite. The Spurs are 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 games overall. The Spurs are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 Thursday games. The home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings between the two teams and the favorite is 9-4 ATS in the last 13 meetings.

The Under is 5-0-1 in the Hornets last 6 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 7-1-1 in the Hornets last 9 Conference Semifinals games. The Over is 5-1 in the Hornets last 6 Thursday games. The Under is 4-1 in the Hornets last 5 road games. The Over is 7-3 in the Hornets last 10 games as a road underdog.

The Over is 4-1 in the Spurs last 5 games as a favorite. The Over is 7-2-1 in the Spurs last 10 overall. The Under is 10-4 in the Spurs last 14 Thursday games. The Over is 12-5-1 in the Spurs last 18 Conference Semifinals games. The Over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings in San Antonio between the two teams.

Pick: 6.5 is just too many to give the Hornets. Hornets +6.5 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
Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Hornets (Hornets lead 3-1)
Tuesday, 7:05 pm Eastern - TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Hornets  - 6, Total 193

The New Orleans Hornets will try and put away the Dallas Mavericks as the teams meet in game #5 on Tuesday night.  The Mavericks are one game away from yet another first round failure.  Chris Paul dominated the Mavericks in the first two games of the series and it was David West that did the Mavericks in on Sunday.  He had 24 points while Peja Stojakovic added 19 points. “We’ve gotten them out of rhythm on the offensive end because of our defense … and that’s going to continue because we understand how important it is for us to play defense to win this series,” Hornets coach Byron Scott said. “We have a lot of confidence that we can win this series. Obviously right now, being up 3-1, we’ve put ourselves in a pretty good position to make sure that happens.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Hornets at Home.

Dallas could be playing their last game with their current roster.  Head coach Avery Johnson could be in trouble along with a lot of the veterans on the Dallas squad. “We’ve got to show some heart, compete until the end, never give up,” Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki said. Nowtizki is averaging 28 points per game in the series but other than Jason Terry not many other players have been helping including Jason Kidd who looks old and tired.

SBG Global Current Line: Hornets  - 6, Total 193

Here are the NBA betting stats for Tuesday’s game. The Mavericks are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 playoff games as an underdog. The Mavericks are 38-18-1 ATS in their last 57 vs. the Southwest. The Mavericks are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog. The Mavericks are 9-24 ATS in their last 33 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Mavericks are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games overall. The Mavericks are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Mavericks are 0-4 ATS in the last 4 meetings in New Orleans.

The Hornets are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 playoff games as a favorite. The Hornets are 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 Tuesday games. The Hornets are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Hornets are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games as a home favorite. The home team is 7-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings between the two teams. The favorite is 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings between the two teams.

The Over is 4-0 in the Mavericks last 4 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 11-1 in the Mavericks last 12 games as a road underdog.

The Over is 4-0 in the Hornets last 4 playoff games as a favorite. The Over is 17-6-2 in the Hornets last 25 games as a home favorite. The Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in New Orleans between the two teams.

Pick: As much as I would like to see this one continue the Mavs are old and will not hang with the Hornets. Hornets - 6 4units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
New Orleans Hornets at Dallas Mavericks (Hornets lead 2-0)
Friday, 8:05 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Mavericks  - 5 , Total 195

Chris Paul has led the New Orleans Hornets to two dominating wins over the Dallas Mavericks with the series now moving to Dallas for games three and four.  MVP candidate Paul is averaging 33.5 points per game and also dishing out 13.5 assists per game.  He is the first player in NBA history to have at least 30 points and 10 assists in his first two playoff games.  “It’s been too easy,” Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki said, “We’ve got to be a little more proactive on him and see if we can get the ball out of his hands some. If not, just move up on him and make it a little harder on him. We’ll see how that works.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Mavericks at Home.

Chris Paul doesn’t believe Dallas can do anything to stop him. “There’s only so many different things you can do in basketball,” he said. “Whatever they’re doing, we’ve adjusted to it. We’ve had 82 regular-season games to see what different teams try and that’s what it’s all about, making adjustments.”
The good news for Dallas is that they are a very good home team and New Orleans has not won in Dallas since 1998.  The Mavericks were 34-7 at home this season. “This is a totally different animal that we’re facing, totally different atmosphere and a whole lot more at stake,” Hornets coach Byron Scott said. “So right now, as far as we’re concerned, it’s 0-0 as far as playing them in their arena.”

SBG Global Current Line: Mavericks  - 5.5 , Total 196.5

Here are the NBA betting stats for Friday’s game.  The Hornets are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Hornets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. the Southwest. The Hornets are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 Friday games. The Hornets are 20-9 ATS in their last 29 games as an underdog. The Hornets are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 playoff games as an underdog. The Hornets are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog.
The Hornets are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Dallas.

The Mavericks are 4-1-2 ATS in their last 7 Friday games. The Mavericks are 37-17-1 ATS in their last 55 vs. the Southwest. The Mavericks are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games as a home favorite. The Mavericks are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Mavericks are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games. The favorite is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams and the home team is 6-0 ATS in the last 6 meetings.

The Over is 4-0 in the Hornets last 4 overall. The Over is 7-1 in the Hornets last 8 games as a road underdog. The Over is 4-1-1 in the Hornets last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Over is 8-3-1 in the Hornets last 12 Friday games. The Over is 5-2 in the Hornets last 7 vs. the Southwest.

The Over is 5-1 in the Mavericks last 6 vs. the Southwest. The Under is 8-2 in the Mavericks last 10 playoff games as a favorite. The Over is 4-1 in the Mavericks last 5 overall. The Under is 6-2 in the Mavericks last 8 games as a home favorite. The Under is 7-3-1 in the Mavericks last 11 Friday games.
The Under is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings in Dallas between the two teams.

Mavs need this one bad and will get it at home Mavs -5 4units

NBA Playoff  Betting Preview
Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Hornets (Hornets Lead 1-0)
Tuesday, 7:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Hornets  - 3.5 , Total 193

The New Orleans Hornets showed the NBA that they are not to be taken lightly as they handled the Dallas Mavericks in the first game of their best of seven series on Saturday.  The Hornets will try and make it two straight on Tuesday.  Chris Paul had 35 points and 10 assists to lead New Orleans to the 104-92 win in game one.  SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Hornets at Home.

New Orleans played superb defense on Saturday in the second half as they held the Mavericks to just 40 points.  Dallas shot only 33 percent for the game. “I think they really do understand that defense does win championships,” said New Orleans head coach Byron Scott, “Defense has been our staple all season long.”  The Mavericks must find a way to contain MVP candidate Chris Paul or this series could be a short one.  They also must find other scoring options other than Dirk Nowitzki. “We need those guys to play as if Dirk’s not on the floor, but at the same time, we know we need him on the floor,” Johnson said, “More than anything, whatever changes we need to make, we need the ball to go in the basket more than 33 percent of the time. If the ball can go in the basket more than 33 percent of the time and we can get back to our normal production, then we think that will help our defense.”

SBG Global Current Line: Hornets  - 3.5 , Total 193.5

Game #2 is a huge one for both teams considering Dallas has a big home court edge. “Game 2 is the most important game of the series, because if you win that game you’re still in the driver’s seat. You’ve accomplished your goal, which is keep home-court advantage,” Scott said. “But if you lose it, now all the pressure’s on you, because they’re going home with a split; they have two games at home, so the momentum shifts.”

Here are the NBA betting stats for Tuesday’s game.  The Mavericks are 14-3 ATS in their last 17 playoff games as an underdog. The Mavericks are 37-16-1 ATS in their last 54 vs. the Southwest. The Mavericks are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Mavericks are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 Conference Quarterfinals games.

The Hornets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as a favorite. The Hornets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Hornets are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 games as a home favorite. The favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings between the two teams and the home team is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

The Over is 10-1 in the Mavericks last 11 games as a road underdog. The Under is 5-2 in the Mavericks last 7 overall.

The Over is 5-1 in the Hornets last 6 playoff games as a favorite. The Over is 16-6-2 in the Hornets last 24 games as a home favorite. The Over is 13-6-2 in the Hornets last 21 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Under is 11-4-1 in the last 16 meetings between the two teams.

Pick: Look for the Mavericks to even up the series tonight. 3units Mavs

NBA Betting Preview
Utah Jazz (51-26) at New Orleans Hornets (54-22)
Tuesday, 8:05 pm Eastern – NBA-TV

SBG Global Opening Line: Hornets - 4, Total 212

Two of the best teams in the NBA meet on Tuesday in New Orleans as the Hornets host the Jazz. The Jazz lead the season series 2-1 with two blowout wins in Salt Lake and a 12-point loss in New Orleans. Both teams lead their respective divisions and are fighting for playoff positioning. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Hornets at Home.

Utah and New Orleans have two of the best point guards in the league. The Jazz have Deron Williams while the Hornets have Chris Paul. Last season it was Williams getting more of the press as the Jazz went to the Western Conference Finals while this season Paul is being mentioned as an MVP candidate. Both players are in the top three in assists in the league and both are among the top three scoring point guards. Both teams have excellent power forwards in Carlos Boozer and David West while the centers can also score in Mehmet Okur and Tyson Chandler. Both teams also have outside shooters in Kyle Korver and Peja Stojakovic. The two teams are very evenly matched and the home court has proven the difference this season.

SBG Global Current Line: Hornets - 4.5, Total 210

Here are the NBA betting stats for Tuesday’s game. The Jazz are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 3 or more days of rest. The Jazz are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 vs. the Southwest. The Jazz are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Jazz are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog. The Jazz are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 vs. the Western Conference.

The Hornets are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 Tuesday games. The Hornets are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 vs. the Northwest. The Hornets are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games as a home favorite. The Hornets are 36-16-1 ATS in their last 53 games overall. The favorite is 4-0-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams. The home team is 6-1-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings.

The Under is 7-1-1 in Utah’s last 9 vs. the Southwest. The Over is 5-1 in Utah’s last 6 overall. The Over is 13-6-1 in Utah’s last 20 games as a road underdog.

The Over is 9-3-2 in the Hornets last 14 Tuesday games. The Over is 14-5-2 in the Hornets last 21 games as a home favorite. The Under is 10-4-1 in the Hornets last 15 vs. the Northwest. The Under is 4-1-1 in the last 6 meetings between the two teams.

Pick Under 210 3units