NBA Betting Breakdown – Saturday 4 Play
BetUS NBA Basketball Sports Betting Matchup:
Charlotte Bobcats (13-23 SU, 20-16 ATS) at Washington Wizards (7-27 SU, 15-19 ATS)
Verizon Center, Washington DC — 7 PM ET
(Records good through Thursday games)
Here are some of the NBA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* WASH has won 12 of the last 17 meetings SU
* Four of the last five meetings have gone OVER the total
* CHAR has covered five of the last seven meetings as the road team
* WASH has won six of the last eight meetings SU as the home team
* Five of the last seven meetings in Washington have gone OVER the total
This is payback for Washington, which fell to the Bobcats by an 80-72 score on December 23. In that game, Caron Butler scored 31 points for the Wizards while his teammates combined for 41. Undoubtedly more balance will be in the offing for Washington here, but this is not the kind of team you want to lay points with, as the guys from D.C. are just 1-6 ATS as a favorite. Meanwhile, Charlotte is a solid 10-5 ATS as a road underdog entering Friday’s play. There is somebody in Charlotte making smart player moves. We say “somebody” because in that bizarre situation, Larry Brown doesn’t talk very much to the owner or to Michael Jordan, but somehow he’s starting to put together the roster he is looking for, with the addition of Raja Bell and Boris Diaw, who can play some defense, while Jason Richardson, who doesn’t defend well, was jettisoned.
Our PREDICTION: CHARLOTTE BY 3
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BetUS NBA Basketball Sports Betting Matchup:
New York Knicks (13-21 SU, 18-16 ATS) at Houston Rockets (22-15 SU, 17-20 ATS)
Toyota Center, Houston — 8:30 PM ET
(Records good through Thursday games)
Here are some of the NBA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* HOU has won nine of the last ten meetings SU
* HOU has covered three last three meetings
* NY has covered three of the last four meetings as the road team
* HOU has won four of the last five meetings SU as the home team
The Knicks are doing the job on the road against the points lately (8-2 ATS last 10). The Rockets are banged up, with Tracy McGrady dealing with his knee injury, while Ron Artest has an ankle problem that he came back from the other night. Shane Battier has missed some games recently with a foot injury. Houston has turned to 40-something center Dikembe Mutombo for help. The Rockets are just 5-10 ATS as a home favorite, and they are going to be at something of a scheduling disadvantage, as they are coming off a five-game road trip, which concluded at Oklahoma City on Friday night.
Our PREDICTION: HOUSTON BY 4
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BetUS NBA Basketball Sports Betting Matchup:
Detroit Pistons (21-12 SU, 15-18 ATS) at Utah Jazz (21-15 SU, 20-16 ATS)
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City — 9 PM ET
(Records good through Thursday games)
Here are some of the NBA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* UTAH has won the last seven meetings SU
* UTAH has covered nine of the last ten meetings
* The last six meetings have gone OVER the total
* UTAH has won the last five meetings SU as the home team
* UTAH has covered four of the last five meetings as the home team
Detroit has been doing a good job on defense of late, holding five of its last six opponents to 87 points or less before Friday’s game at Denver, although the addition of Allen Iverson brings a different character to this team, creating more opportunity for Rodney Stuckey to play the point. Neither of those guys are a sufficient substitute for Chauncey Billups when it comes to running the club on the floor. The Pistons are really put at a disadvantage by the NBA schedule-maker here; they come off their game with the up-tempo Nuggets on Friday night and go back to high altitude without rest, going up against Utah, which is fresh, having not played since Wednesday. Utah is going to be battling for that final playoff spot in the ultra-competitive West; right now they are more stable in the lineup, save for Carlos Boozer, who won’t be back for a while. Utah has covered nine of the last ten meetings.
Our PREDICTION: UTAH BY 12
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BetUS NBA Basketball Sports Betting Matchup:
Milwaukee Bucks (17-20 SU, 24-12-1 ATS) at Minnesota Timberwolves (10-25 SU, 17-18 ATS)
Target Center, Minneapolis — 8 PM ET
(Records good through Thursday games)
Here are some of the NBA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* MIL has won four of the last five meetings SU
* MINN has won four of the last five meetings SU as the home team
* MIN has covered three of the last four meetings as the home team
Minnesota hasn’t fared well as a home dog (3-9 ATS), but there is a scheduling edge for the T-Wolves here, as they had the night off on Friday while Milwaukee played at home against New Jersey. The Bucks are attacking the .500 mark, and Andrew Bogut, who has given the Bucks mixed results since he was selected #1 in the draft, is shooting almost 56% with 10.6 rebounds, and both those figures are among the best in the league. Unfortunately for the Bucks, he is suffering from back spasms, and won’t be 100%. After wallowing around without direction under Kevin McHale, the Wolves are suddenly hot, winning four straight games and covering six in a row.
