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Sunday's Tip Sheet
Kevin Rogers
Game of the Night: Bucks at Spurs – 9:05 PM EST
Milwaukee (50-16 SU, 39-24-3 ATS) became the fastest team to 50 victories this season after rallying past Charlotte on Saturday, 131-114. The Bucks cashed as 12-point home favorites in spite of falling behind by eight points after the first quarter. Milwaukee lit up Charlotte for 76 points after halftime, led by Giannis Antetkounmpo’s 26 points, as the Bucks drilled 17 three-pointers in its 27th home triumph of the season.
The Spurs (37-29 SU, 35-30-1 ATS) are riding a four-game winning streak and currently sit in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. San Antonio held off Atlanta on Wednesday, 111-104 to not only cash as 5 ½-point road favorites, but also register its fifth consecutive UNDER. After getting torched by New York on February 24 in which the Spurs allowed 130 points, Gregg Popovich’s team has yielded 104 points or less in five straight contests, while entering tonight’s matchup on a seven-game hot streak at the AT&T Center.
The last time these teams hooked up at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee in late November, the Bucks escaped with a 135-129 triumph. San Antonio managed to cash as 9 ½-point underdogs as the two teams obliterated the total of 226 ½ by scoring over 60 points in each of the four quarters. The Spurs owned a seven-point advantage after three periods before the Bucks outscored San Antonio, 40-27 in the final 12 minutes. Antetoukounmpo paced the Bucks with 34 points and 18 rebounds to lead Milwaukee to its fourth straight victory over San Antonio since dropping nine in a row to the Spurs from 2012 through 2016.
Flying Away
The Rockets (40-25 SU, 30-33-2 ATS) have rebounded nicely from a slow start to grab control of the Southwest division. Houston seeks its eighth consecutive victory since blowing a 19-point lead to the Lakers in the first game following the All-Star break. The Rockets are coming off three straight impressive victories over three of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference, capped off by Friday’s 107-91 home blowout of the 76ers as 7 ½-point favorites.
Houston seeks the season split with Dallas (27-38 SU, 36-28-1 ATS) after capturing the last matchup at Toyota Center on February 11 in a 16-point rout. The Mavericks in a free-fall since stunning the Blazers with a late comeback on February 10 as Dallas has won only one of its past 10 contests. The lone victory came over Indiana on February 27 at home, while the Mavericks return to American Airlines Center off three consecutive road losses, but managed a backdoor cover in Friday’s defeat at Orlando.
Dallas rode a 7-0-1 ATS hot streak from January 21 through February 6, but Rick Carlisle’s squad has cashed in only three of the past 12 contests. Meanwhile, Houston has won seven of its last nine road affairs, but the Rockets have limped to a 1-5-1 ATS record in the past seven opportunities in the role of an away favorite.
Laying the Lumber
After getting embarrassed by the Celtics on Tuesday night in a 33-point rout at home, the Warriors (45-20 SU, 26-38-1 ATS) rebounded nicely on Friday by cruising past the Nuggets, 122-105 as 6 ½-point favorites. Not only did Golden State gain a game on Denver for the top spot in the Western Conference, but the Warriors’ offense came back to life by hitting 18 three-pointers, including nine treys from Klay Thompson in a 39-point effort. In the win, Golden State picked up only its second home cover since mid-January, while improving to 2-10 ATS in the past 12 contests.
The Warriors are heavy favorites tonight with the last-place Suns (15-52 SU, 30-37 ATS) invading Oracle Arena. Phoenix heads to the Bay Area with no rest after picking up a cover as 12-point underdogs in a 127-120 setback at Portland on Saturday night. In spite of Phoenix sitting at the bottom of the West, the Suns have played well of late by winning four of their past six games, while covering five times in this span.
Golden State has owned Phoenix over the years by winning 18 consecutive matchups, including all three battles this season. The Warriors cruised to victories in the first two matchups, but the Suns grabbed a cover as 16 ½-point home underdogs in a 117-107 defeat on February 8. Phoenix has compiled a 3-1 ATS record in its last four opportunities as a double-digit underdog, while Golden State has failed to cover in five of its past six chances when laying at least 10 points.
Basement Brawl
Both the Knicks and Timberwolves are sitting at the bottom of their respective divisions as they do battle at Target Center. Minnesota (31-35 SU, 33-33 ATS) rallied from a 14-point deficit on Saturday to edge Washington in an overtime thriller, 135-130, but the Wolves couldn’t cash as seven-point favorites. The Wolves actually took an eight-point lead late in overtime before Trevor Ariza’s three-pointer in the final seconds clinched a cover for Washington.
The Knicks (13-53 SU, 27-38-1 ATS) have lost five in a row since a modest two-game winning streak. New York also plays with no rest after suffering its 26th defeat at Madison Square Garden this season in a 102-94 setback to Sacramento. The Knicks were limited to less than 100 points for the second straight game, while hitting the UNDER in three consecutive contests.
Minnesota knocked off New York last month at MSG, 115-104 to cash as four-point road favorites. Derrick Rose scored 20 points off the bench for the Wolves, while Minnesota played without big man Karl-Anthony Towns. The former top pick is questionable for tonight’s contest after Towns suffered a knee injury late in regulation of last night’s victory.
Kevin Rogers
Game of the Night: Bucks at Spurs – 9:05 PM EST
Milwaukee (50-16 SU, 39-24-3 ATS) became the fastest team to 50 victories this season after rallying past Charlotte on Saturday, 131-114. The Bucks cashed as 12-point home favorites in spite of falling behind by eight points after the first quarter. Milwaukee lit up Charlotte for 76 points after halftime, led by Giannis Antetkounmpo’s 26 points, as the Bucks drilled 17 three-pointers in its 27th home triumph of the season.
The Spurs (37-29 SU, 35-30-1 ATS) are riding a four-game winning streak and currently sit in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. San Antonio held off Atlanta on Wednesday, 111-104 to not only cash as 5 ½-point road favorites, but also register its fifth consecutive UNDER. After getting torched by New York on February 24 in which the Spurs allowed 130 points, Gregg Popovich’s team has yielded 104 points or less in five straight contests, while entering tonight’s matchup on a seven-game hot streak at the AT&T Center.
The last time these teams hooked up at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee in late November, the Bucks escaped with a 135-129 triumph. San Antonio managed to cash as 9 ½-point underdogs as the two teams obliterated the total of 226 ½ by scoring over 60 points in each of the four quarters. The Spurs owned a seven-point advantage after three periods before the Bucks outscored San Antonio, 40-27 in the final 12 minutes. Antetoukounmpo paced the Bucks with 34 points and 18 rebounds to lead Milwaukee to its fourth straight victory over San Antonio since dropping nine in a row to the Spurs from 2012 through 2016.
Flying Away
The Rockets (40-25 SU, 30-33-2 ATS) have rebounded nicely from a slow start to grab control of the Southwest division. Houston seeks its eighth consecutive victory since blowing a 19-point lead to the Lakers in the first game following the All-Star break. The Rockets are coming off three straight impressive victories over three of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference, capped off by Friday’s 107-91 home blowout of the 76ers as 7 ½-point favorites.
Houston seeks the season split with Dallas (27-38 SU, 36-28-1 ATS) after capturing the last matchup at Toyota Center on February 11 in a 16-point rout. The Mavericks in a free-fall since stunning the Blazers with a late comeback on February 10 as Dallas has won only one of its past 10 contests. The lone victory came over Indiana on February 27 at home, while the Mavericks return to American Airlines Center off three consecutive road losses, but managed a backdoor cover in Friday’s defeat at Orlando.
Dallas rode a 7-0-1 ATS hot streak from January 21 through February 6, but Rick Carlisle’s squad has cashed in only three of the past 12 contests. Meanwhile, Houston has won seven of its last nine road affairs, but the Rockets have limped to a 1-5-1 ATS record in the past seven opportunities in the role of an away favorite.
Laying the Lumber
After getting embarrassed by the Celtics on Tuesday night in a 33-point rout at home, the Warriors (45-20 SU, 26-38-1 ATS) rebounded nicely on Friday by cruising past the Nuggets, 122-105 as 6 ½-point favorites. Not only did Golden State gain a game on Denver for the top spot in the Western Conference, but the Warriors’ offense came back to life by hitting 18 three-pointers, including nine treys from Klay Thompson in a 39-point effort. In the win, Golden State picked up only its second home cover since mid-January, while improving to 2-10 ATS in the past 12 contests.
The Warriors are heavy favorites tonight with the last-place Suns (15-52 SU, 30-37 ATS) invading Oracle Arena. Phoenix heads to the Bay Area with no rest after picking up a cover as 12-point underdogs in a 127-120 setback at Portland on Saturday night. In spite of Phoenix sitting at the bottom of the West, the Suns have played well of late by winning four of their past six games, while covering five times in this span.
Golden State has owned Phoenix over the years by winning 18 consecutive matchups, including all three battles this season. The Warriors cruised to victories in the first two matchups, but the Suns grabbed a cover as 16 ½-point home underdogs in a 117-107 defeat on February 8. Phoenix has compiled a 3-1 ATS record in its last four opportunities as a double-digit underdog, while Golden State has failed to cover in five of its past six chances when laying at least 10 points.
Basement Brawl
Both the Knicks and Timberwolves are sitting at the bottom of their respective divisions as they do battle at Target Center. Minnesota (31-35 SU, 33-33 ATS) rallied from a 14-point deficit on Saturday to edge Washington in an overtime thriller, 135-130, but the Wolves couldn’t cash as seven-point favorites. The Wolves actually took an eight-point lead late in overtime before Trevor Ariza’s three-pointer in the final seconds clinched a cover for Washington.
The Knicks (13-53 SU, 27-38-1 ATS) have lost five in a row since a modest two-game winning streak. New York also plays with no rest after suffering its 26th defeat at Madison Square Garden this season in a 102-94 setback to Sacramento. The Knicks were limited to less than 100 points for the second straight game, while hitting the UNDER in three consecutive contests.
Minnesota knocked off New York last month at MSG, 115-104 to cash as four-point road favorites. Derrick Rose scored 20 points off the bench for the Wolves, while Minnesota played without big man Karl-Anthony Towns. The former top pick is questionable for tonight’s contest after Towns suffered a knee injury late in regulation of last night’s victory.
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