Tuesday's NBA betting guide – Nets short favorites to keep home streak alive vs ...
Follow The Linemakers on Twitter
Paul Pierce has 33 points in 17 minutes over his last two first quarters.
Dwight Howard is expected to miss his fifth game of the Rockets' last seven when Houston visits the Brooklyn Nets as short underdogs Tuesday night.
The Rockets are 3-1 during the stretch without Howard, who is recovering from having a cyst removed from his ankle, but face a Nets team that has been nothing short of stellar at home. The Nets have won 13 straight home games, and they're on a 11-1 run against the spread at the Barclays Center.
This inter-conference battle between these two teams in the thick of their respective conference's playoff picture highlights TNT's NBA doubleheader. Later on the Turner network, it's the Portland Trail Blazers visiting the hapless L.A. Lakers. The only other game on Tuesday's pro basketball slate has the Dallas Mavericks - whose playoff position in the West is precarious - hosting the Golden State Warriors.
Here are a few notes on each of tonight's games:
Houston Rockets vs. Brooklyn Nets (-3, 209), 8 p.m. ET, TNT
The Nets (39-33 SU, 39-33 ATS) opened as 2.5-point favorites, with a total of 208, in Las Vegas on Monday, but were bet up to -3 later in the day.
Bettors can't be blamed for laying the short price here, as the only spreads Brooklyn has failed to cover at home since the beginning of February were in straight-up wins against Philadelphia and Charlotte. Their 13-game home win streak is the longest in the NBA this season.
But the Rockets (49-23 SU, 37-32-3 ATS) have beaten the Nets in 14 straight meetings. In their first meeting of the season, the Rockets won easily, 114-95 as 11-point favorites in Houston.
Tonight's matchup features an interesting contrast of strengths, as Brooklyn's been clamping down on defense while Houston has been lighting it up offensively. The Nets have allowed just 92.3 points per game on 43.7 percent shooting during a stretch in which they've held opponents under 100 points in 12 straight home games. Houston has averaged 116.3 per game over its last six.
Both teams, though, are trending OVER in a big way -- the last seven Nets games have gone OVER the total, and the Rockets have gone OVER in seven of their last eight.
Look for a big start from Paul Pierce, who has 33 points - on 10-for-10 shooting from the field, and 8-for 8-on 3-pointers - in 17 minutes over the last two first quarters.
Golden State Warriors at Dallas Mavericks (-4.5, 204), 8:35 p.m. ET
Dallas has been alternating wins and losses over its last seven games - all of which have been at home - and the inconsistency has to be a bit concerning for the Mavs, who are tied with the Suns and Grizzlies for the seventh through ninth spots in the West. The Mavs have covered just two of the seven spreads during the run and are 16-21-1 ATS at American Airlines Center this season.
For its part, Golden State has covered just three of its last 10 games.
There's a stark contrast in OVER/UNDER success between these teams. Dallas is 41-33 to the OVER, while Golden State - one of last season's best OVER bets - is 28-44-1 O/U this season.
Saturday's win over Sacramento broke a string of five straight OVERs for the Mavs.
This is the fourth meeting of the season between these teams. Golden State has won both games at home, while the Mavs won in Dallas back in November. UNDER cashed in all three games.
Portland Trail Blazers (-8, 222) at Los Angeles Lakers, 10:35 p.m. ET, TNT
Through the All-Star break, the Lakers (25-48 SU, 38-34-1 ATS) were the best underdogs in the NBA, with a 27-18 ATS mark in the role. Since then, though, they're just 6-10 ATS when getting points.
The Blazers' (48-27 SU, 41-34 ATS) streakiness continues - they've won three straight games after losing their three previous outings. Portland is 11-8 ATS as favorite on the road this season.
Both teams have been outstanding OVER bets, with the Lakers going OVER the total at a 41-30-2 clip, and the Blazers at 42-32-1. That's to be expected from teams ranking near the bottom of the points allowed per game metric. To be fair, Portland is 22nd in that category, while the Lakers are 29th, and offensively, Portland ranks fourth in the league in points per game and third in efficiency.
NBA betting info: Live odds | ATS standings
Information from AP/Stats was used in this story. Fantasy hoops: Win money at DraftStreet Sign up for The Linemakers' free newsletter and follow us on Twitter.
Follow The Linemakers on Twitter
Post a Comment for "Tuesday's NBA betting guide – Nets short favorites to keep home streak alive vs ..."