Posts Tagged ‘playoffs’
NBA Finals Betting Preview Betus.com betting line – Orlando -2, 201 O/U Lakers lead series 2-1 The Orlando Magic needed some motivation from the home crowd to get their swagger back and that is exactly what happened in Game 3 Tuesday night. The Magic down 2 games answered back with a strong offensive performance and was able to post 108 points to beat the Lakers by 4 points. Orlando impressively knocked down 62% as a team from the field marking their best all around effort thus far throughout the playoffs. Los Angeles played a solid game, but just didn’t have the spark they needed to capture the victory. The Lakers also were very strong from the floor knocking down 51% as a team. Neither team had over 30 rebounds in the game just to put on emphasis on how well both teams were shooting Tuesday night. However, now Orlando has some confidence back on their side and is hunger to grab another victory this Thursday night at home to even up the series. Orlando really clicked in all aspects of their game Tuesday night. Dwight Howard was solid on the inside, despite not getting as many touches as expected. Rashard Lewis made some critical three point shots at important parts of the game. Lewis and Howard both had 21 points a piece to lead Orlando in scoring. However, Rafer Alston may have been the biggest difference maker on the floor in Game 3. Alston was consistently able to drive to the basket and make shots rattle in the cylinder. Alston finished with 20 points and also did a nice job of distributing the ball as well. Hedo Turkoglu added 18 points with a solid shooting effort going 7 of 12 from the floor meaning Orlando’s leading 4 combined for 80 points which is by far the best effort they have gotten from their starter in the NBA Finals. Perhaps it was the home crowd environment that sparked the strong play or it was simply Orlando had their back against the wall and could not afford another loss. Which ever it was, the Magic will need to do it again this Thursday night. Los Angeles looked very strong despite a terrific performance from Orlando. Despite the Magic hitting nearly every shot, the Lakers still had a legitimate shot to come out victorious. Can Orlando really play that well 3 more games or do the Lakers just need to continue playing strong like they have been? Kobe Bryant had another big night despite growing cold in the 2nd half. Still Bryant managed to put together 31 points by the time the buzzer had sounded. Pau Gasol had another strong performance with 23 points going 9 for 11 from the field. However, the Lakers simply did have enough in the tank in the end to overcome Orlando. Derek Fisher and Andrew Bynum both have uncharacteristically quiet nights as the two combined for only 13 points. The amazing observation from Game 3 is how well Orlando played and still how the Lakers could have won the ball game. Los Angeles matched Orlando’s intensity on the glass and shot the ball well. The Lakers had some foul concerns from the early on in the game and that could have taken some of the aggressiveness out of their defense. However, the Lakers still must do a better job at contending Orlando’s shots in Game 4. The Lakers will surprisingly be a two point underdog as many will jump on those odds. Pick – Lakers +2
Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic
Thursday, 9:00PM Eastern
Tags: 2009 NBA Finals, basketball, L.A Lakers, NBA Championship, Orlando Magic, playoffs
NBA Playoff Betting Preview Betus.com betting line- Denver -8.5, O/U 213.5 Denver leads series 3-1 The Denver Nuggets will have the chance to lock up the series when they host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 on Wednesday night. A win would secure Denver the right to play the winner of Houston/Los Angeles in the conference finals. The Dallas Mavericks avoided being swept in 4 games with an exciting 119-117 high scoring victory in Game 4. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with a blazing 44 points which prevented the Nuggets from sweeping the series. Denver will be trying to rebound on Wednesday night and avoid losing back to back games. The Nuggets have not lost back to back games since the beginning of March. Fortunately for the Nuggets they have a few trends that bode well heading into the contest. For starters, Denver has yet to lose a playoff game at home and they are also 2-0 against the Mavericks at home this season as well. The Nuggets will try to put together another solid home performance this Wednesday night and take down the series. Dating back to the end of the season, Denver has only been held to less than 100 points in 2 out of their last 25 games. One of the big reasons the Nuggets have performed so well over the last few weeks is that they have shot the ball very well. Denver high scoring offense has just been too much to handle for their opponents throughout the playoffs. Only did a huge night from Dirk Nowitzki finally result in the Nuggets defeat. Carmelo Anthony also had a huge performance in the lost draining 41 points. Anthony has been solid as ever averaging 26.7 points throughout the post-season. Chauncey Billups has also been giving solid effort along with Carmelo averaging over 20 points per game. Add JR Smith to the picture and Denver’s best 3 scorers are responsible for nearly 60 points per game. If things are to take any major turns in this series, Denver will either have to get very cold in terms of shooting or Dallas will have to step up with some defense. Denver was among one of the hottest teams in the league heading into the post-season and so far their momentum has yet to take any major hits as they are just one game away from playing for the right to this year’s NBA Finals. The Mavericks entered the playoffs as fairly large underdogs taking on San Antonio in the first round. After some media scrutiny and predictions that Dallas would get blown away, the Mavericks were out to prove they belonged and beat up on the Spurs in 5 games. However, the Mavericks have simply been over-matched in their series with the Nuggets. Dallas finally put together a big scoring performance in Game 4 that saved the series, but they will have to find away to score a lot of points again in Denver. The team must give some help and not place all the weight on Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk has averaged a stout 26 points throughout his stint in the playoffs, but has not gotten the help needed against the Nuggets. Josh Howard and Jason Terry have both been solid, but not spectacular. Howard has been hampered with an ankle injury early in Game 2 as he should be returning to full strength. Terry has not been as big of factor as the Mavericks would have hoped, but still is averaging 14.5 points per game. One of these two guys needs to have a really big night to help the Mavericks take down the Nuggets in Denver this Wednesday night. Pick – Denver -8.5
Dallas Mavericks at Denver Nuggets
Wednesday, 9:00PM Eastern
Tags: Conference Semi-Finals, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, nba, playoffs
NLDS – Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs (Game 2) SBG Global Opening Line: Cubs - 160 , Total TBA  A pivotal Game 2 takes place on Thursday night as the Chicago Cubs host the Los Angeles Dodgers in their National League Divisional Series. Chicago will be going with Carlos Zambrano while the Dodgers counter with Chad Billingsley. SBG Global reports that early MLB betting has the public taking Cubs at Home. The media hype will be all about Zambrano in this game but Billingsley has been solid for Los Angeles. He led the club in wins with 16, strikeouts with 201 and was 3-0 in September. He’s 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA this year against the Cubs and 1-1 against them with a 3.60 ERA overall. Zambrano is 7-2 with a 3.77 ERA at home this season but he has been up and down in recent starts. He threw a no-hitter against Houston and then got shelled by St. Louis in his next start. He is 0-0 with a 3.09 ERA in two previous National League Division Series starts.  Here are the MLB betting stats for Thursday’s game. The Dodgers are 4-1 in their last 5 vs. The National League Central. The Dodgers are 19-8 in their last 27 overall. The Dodgers are 6-14 in their last 20 road games vs. a right-handed starter. The Dodgers are 4-1 in Billingsley’s last 5 starts. The Dodgers are 2-5 in Billingsley’s last 7 road starts.  The Cubs are 22-9 in their last 31 vs. National League West. The Cubs are 54-23 in their last 77 home games. The Cubs are 39-18 in their last 57 home games vs. a right-handed starter. The Cubs are 8-3 in Zambrano’s last 11 starts. SBG Global Current Line: Cubs - 160 , Total TBA The Under is 5-2 in the Dodgers last 7 road games vs. a right-handed starter. The Over is 4-0-1 in Billingsley’s last 5 starts overall. The Over is 4-1-1 in Billingsley’s last 6 road starts.  The Under is 9-3-1 in the Cubs last 13 home games vs. a right-handed starter. The Over is 5-2 in the Cubs last 7 overall. The Over is 7-3 in the Cubs last 10 playoff games. The Over is 5-1 in Zambrano’s last 6 home starts. The Over is 9-2 in Zambrano’s last 11 starts overall. The Under is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings between the two teams.  Pick: Over 3 out of 5 units
Thursday, 9:35 pm Eastern – TBS
Tags: baseball, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, mlb, MLB Picks, NLDS, playoffs
ALDS – Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay Rays (Game 1) SBG Global Opening Line: Rays – 185 , Total 8.5 Over – 125  The Tampa Bay Rays face the Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of their American League Division Series on Thursday afternoon. The Sox come into the game having won three must-win games in a row just to make the playoffs while Tampa has been resting at home. Now Chicago must piece together a pitching rotation while Tampa is set, starting with their best pitcher, James Shields on Thursday. SBG Global reports that early MLB betting has the public taking Rays at Home.  This series is all about contrasts. The Rays are the fourth-youngest team ever in postseason history while the White Sox are full of veterans. Tampa has the better pitching and hitting while the White Sox have more power. Tampa has a solid bullpen while the White Sox pen has been a mess for the last couple of months. The question in this series will be whether or not the White Sox can get enough quality pitching to stay in games. Their pitching staff is not rested and overall they may not have the depth to stay with Tampa.  Here are the MLB betting stats for Thursday’s game. The White Sox are 6-0 in their last 6 playoff road games. The White Sox are 11-1 in their last 12 playoff games. The White Sox are 5-16 in their last 21 road games vs. a right-handed starter. The White Sox are 7-23 in their last 30 games on field turf. The White Sox are 1-4 in their last 5 vs. the American League East. The White Sox are 1-4 in their last 5 road games. The White Sox are 1-7 in their last 8 Thursday games. The White Sox are 1-4 in Vazquez’s last 5 starts. The White Sox are 1-10 in Vazquez’s last 11 starts vs. the American League East. The White Sox are 2-5 in Vazquez’s last 7 starts vs. Rays. The White Sox are 1-5 in the last 6 meetings between the two teams.  The Rays are 40-11 in their last 51 home games vs. a right-handed starter. The Rays are 53-17 in their last 70 home games. The Rays are 38-18 in their last 56 games vs. a right-handed starter. The Rays are 1-4 in their last 5 vs. the American League Central. The Rays are 21-7 in Shields’ last 28 home starts. The Rays are 7-3 in Shields’ last 10 starts vs. the American League Central. SBG Global Current Line: Rays – 180 , Total 8.5 Under -115  The Over is 5-1 in the White Sox last 6 playoff games. The Under is 21-7-2 in the White Sox last 30 vs. the American League East. The Under is 6-1 in Vazquez’s last 7 starts vs. the American League East. The Under is 5-2 in Vazquez’s last 7 starts vs. the Rays.  The Over is 5-1 in the Rays last 6 overall. The Over is 7-2 in the Rays last 9 vs. the American League Central. The Over is 20-6 in the Rays last 26 games vs. a right-handed starter. The Over is 16-5 in the Rays last 21 home games. The Over is 4-1 in Shields’ last 5 home starts. The Over is 4-1 in Shields’ last 5 starts vs. the American League Central. The Under is 21-5 in the last 26 meetings between the two teams in Tampa Bay.  Pick Rays 2 units out of 5 units
Thursday, 2:35 pm Eastern – TBS
Tags: ALDS, baseball, Chicago White Sox, mlb, MLB Picks, playoffs, Tampa Bay Rays
NBA Playoff Betting Preview SBG Global Opening Line: Wizards – 4, Total 187.5 The Washington Wizards finally stopped talking and started playing on Wednesday and it resulted in a win on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers. If Washington can win at home on Friday they would force a game 7 back in Cleveland on Sunday. “We just said, ‘It’s time to stop all the talking.’ A lot of guys were trying to defend themselves as far as this and that. But it wasn’t working,” Washington’s Antawn Jamison said, “We said: ‘the ultimate change around is for us to just be quiet and find a way to come back from 3-1 and win the series.’ I think they finally got it.” The Wizards were without guard Gilbert Arenas on Wednesday but they may be better off without him. They played more as a team and Caron Butler ended up hitting the winning shot in the 88-87 win. “Caron wants an opportunity to lead a team,” guard Roger Mason Jr. said. “He willed us to that victory yesterday. His personality was on the floor, and I think it’s good for us.” Butler had 32 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the Game five victory. Butler outplayed Cleveland’s LeBron James on Wednesday as James missed what would have been the winning shot. The Cavaliers will try and get some help for LeBron on Friday. James is averaging 30.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists in the series. SBG Global Current Line: Wizards – 4, Total 187.5 Here are the NBA betting stats for Friday’s game. The Cavaliers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Cavaliers are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 playoff games as an underdog. The Cavaliers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 Friday games. The Wizards are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games. The Wizards are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 Friday games. The Wizards are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Under is 4-0 in the Cavaliers last 4 Friday games. The Under is 5-1 in the Cavaliers last 6 games as an underdog. The Under is 9-2 in the Cavaliers last 11 overall. The Under is 14-4 in the Cavaliers last 18 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 14-3 in the Wizards last 17 home games. The Over is 4-1 in the Wizards last 5 Friday games. The Over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings in Washington between the two teams. Pick: Should be another close game, be safe and take the over 3 units
Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards (Cavs lead 3-2)
Friday, 7:05 pm Eastern – ESPN 2
SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Cavaliers on the Road.
Tags: Cavaliers, Cleveland, Cleveland Cavaliers, nba, nba betting, playoffs, sports, sports betting, Washington, Washington Wizards, Wizards
NBA Playoff Betting Preview SBG Global Opening Line: Jazz – 7.5, Total 180.5 The Utah Jazz realize that they had better take care of business and close out the Houston Rockets on Friday or they will face a game 7 back in Houston on Sunday. The Jazz seemed to have the series totally in hand after winning the first two games in Houston but have now lost two of the past three games. “We have home-court advantage right now and we don’t want to lose it. We need to treat it really like Game 7,” Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko said. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Jazz at Home. The Rockets routed the Jazz in Game five 95-69 and now it is Houston that has the confidence. “They’re just playing better and better every game. That’s where we’ve got to be concerned,” Utah guard Deron Williams said. “After those first two losses, it seems like they’re a different team – a more determined team.” The Jazz were horrible on Tuesday, committing 18 turnovers and they scored the fewest points they have all season. SBG Global Current Line: Jazz – 7.5, Total 180 Utah was 37-4 during the regular season at home but one of those losses was to Houston and they also lost game three at home to the Rockets. Utah knows they must win on Friday. “This is going to be their best shot. They really think they have to win this game,” Houston coach Rick Adelman said. The Rockets will look for another big effort from Tracy McGrady who had 29 points on Tuesday. “We’ve stayed confident. When we were down 3-1, we were confident. We never lose our confidence. We feel that we can win in that building,” McGrady said. Here are the NBA betting stats for Friday’s game. The Rockets are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games. The Rockets are 35-17 ATS in their last 52 Friday games. The Rockets are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Rockets are 4-9 ATS in the last 13 meetings between the two teams. The underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings. The Jazz are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Friday games. The Jazz are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 playoff games as a favorite. The Jazz are 37-15-1 ATS in their last 53 home games. The Jazz are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Jazz are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games overall. The Under is 5-1 in the Rockets last 6 overall. The Under is 13-3 in the Rockets last 16 vs. the Northwest. The Under is 4-1 in the Rockets last 5 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Under is 4-1 in Utah’s last 5 vs. the Southwest. The Under is 4-1 in Utah’s last 5 overall. The Over is 7-3 in Utah’s last 10 games as a favorite. The Under is 11-5 in the last 16 meetings in Utah between the two teams. Pick Utah -7.5 3units.. Jazz get it done at home
Houston Rockets at Utah Jazz (Jazz lead 3-2)
Friday, 10:35 pm Eastern – ESPN
Tags: gambling, Houston, Houston Rockets, jazz, nba, nba plaoffs, playoffs, rockets, sports, sports betting, Utah, Utah Jazz
NBA Betting Preview SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers – 3 , Total 228 The Los Angeles Lakers have dominated the Denver Nuggets in each of their first three games in their best of seven series and will try and close out the Nuggets on Monday. Saturday’s 102-84 defeat for Denver was just about as bad as things could get as Carmelo Anthony called the entire team out for quitting. Most of the starters for Denver didn’t play in the fourth quarter and they were not happy about it. “I have to coach the game,” Denver head coach George Karl said. “There’s no personal thing there. I wanted to try a different look. If the game would had gotten back in hand, I would have put him (Iverson) back in the game. In some ways I’m happy he’s angry because he wants to play and that’s fantastic.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers on the Road. The Lakers have completely controlled the Nuggets this season going a perfect 6-0 against them. Denver needs to find a way to at least get some respect back on Monday. “Right now, we’ve just got to play with pride and forget about Xs and Os,” Denver’s Eduardo Najera said. “Forget about the triangle. Forget about guarding Kobe. Forget about everything.” The Lakers expect to see a focused Denver team on Monday. “Close-out games are always very, very tough,” Kobe Bryant said. “They play loose and they tend to fight a lot more. It’s going to be tough.” SBG Global Current Line: Lakers -4.5 , Total 225.5 Here are the NBA betting stats for Monday’s game. The Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Lakers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Lakers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 Monday games. The Nuggets are 17-8 ATS in their last 25 home games. The Nuggets are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as a home underdog. The Nuggets are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 vs. the Pacific. The Nuggets are 3-14 ATS in their last 17 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Under is 5-2 in the Lakers last 7 road games. The Under is 12-5 in the Lakers last 17 Monday games. The Under is 9-1 in the Nuggets last 10 games as a home underdog. The Under is 14-3 in the Nuggets last 17 playoff games as an underdog. The Under is 18-4 in the Nuggets last 22 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Take the Lakers, Nuggets have given up! 5units top play
Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets (Lakers lead 3-0)
Monday, 10:35 pm Eastern – TNT
The Lakers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games as a road favorite. The Lakers are 20-7-1 ATS in their last 28 road games. The Lakers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 vs. the Northwest. The Lakers are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Denver.
Over is 15-7 in the Nuggets last 22 home games. The Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.
Tags: Denver Nuggets, gambling, Los Angeles lakers, nba, nba betting, playoffs, sports, sports betting
