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Thursday Tips
February 16, 2011
The first half of the NBA season concludes on Thursday night with a pair of solid matchups as home teams with worse records are laying points. The Mavs play the second end of a back-to-back in Phoenix against the surging Suns, looking to close the gap in the Southwest Division. Meanwhile, the leaders of that division finish their nine-game Rodeo road swing in the Windy City against the best home team in the Eastern Conference.
Spurs at Bulls - 8:05 PM EST
San Antonio wasn't expected to be in line for a 70-win season in October, but Gregg Popovich's club owns a dazzling 46-9 record. The Spurs will likely fall short of that feat, as San Antonio needs 18 wins in its final 27 games to set a franchise record in victories, eclipsing the 63-19 mark in 2005-06. The Black and Silver looks to wrap up the trip at 7-2 SU/ATS as the Spurs invade the United Center to battle the Bulls.
Not only are do the Spurs have the top record in the NBA, but they also are the most profitable club at 34-19-2 ATS. Playing on the highway has benefited Spurs' backers by going 9-3 ATS the last 12 away contests, including blowout victories at Washington and New Jersey. For the exception of the 71-spot the Spurs put up in a loss at Philadelphia, San Antonio has topped the 100-point mark in five of the last six games on this trip.
The Bulls returned home from a successful 3-2 SU/ATS road swing with a 106-94 victory over the Bobcats on Tuesday, beating Charlotte for the first time in three meetings this season. Chicago is riding a 7-2 ATS run, while winning nine of its last 11 overall. The Bulls are an Eastern Conference-best 24-4 SU at home, as Tom Thibodeau's squad has compiled an 8-2-1 ATS mark the previous 11 games at the United Center after cashing against Charlotte as 9 ½-point 'chalk.'
The Spurs beat the Bulls back in November as part of Chicago's "Circus Road Trip" by a 103-94 count. San Antonio managed a cover as 6 ½-point favorites after trailing by 10 at halftime thanks to a 37-12 third quarter spurt. Coincidentally, the 37-spot put up in the third quarter equaled the 37 points scored in the first half by the Spurs in that win. Derrick Rose scored a game-high 33 points, as the Bulls played without Carlos Boozer, who missed the first 15 games with a hand injury. Tim Duncan played one of his better games of the season with 16 points and 18 rebounds, while the Spurs controlled the boards with a 50-42 advantage in the rebounding department.
Mavericks at Suns - 10:30 PM EST
Both these times are peaking at the right time as Phoenix looks to make a push towards the postseason against Dallas. The Suns have won seven of nine games following Tuesday's close-shave victory over the decimated Jazz, while the Mavs are rolling with an 11-2 run as Dallas is coming off Wednesday's home victory over Sacramento. Since the return of Dirk Nowitzki to the Mavs' lineup, Dallas is 13-4 SU and 10-7 ATS.
The Mavs rolled the hapless Kings last night, 116-100, to cover as 11-point home favorites. Dallas avoided a potential letdown spot by draining 13 three-pointers, including six from veteran point guard Jason Kidd. The Mavs head to the Valley for the first time this season as Dallas goes for its second victory this season over Phoenix. Steve Nash left early in the first quarter of the last meeting at the American Airlines Center on December 17 after colliding with Mavs' center Tyson Chandler for a loose ball. Dallas took advantage by outscoring Phoenix by 15 in the second quarter and never looked back in a 106-91 victory as seven-point 'chalk.'
The Suns are making a move up the Western Conference standings after winning seven of nine games, including victories over the Jazz twice, the Celtics, and Hornets. Phoenix failed to cover in the last two games against Sacramento and Utah, while getting shocked by the Kings on Sunday night as 9 ½-point favorites in a 113-108 loss. The Suns have dropped five of the last six meetings to the Mavericks, but only two of those games came in Phoenix (1-1).
Vegas Insider's Chris David points out that the Suns are starting to rise in the Valley, "The Suns have been two different teams this season, with the change coming after the big trade in late December. Phoenix has actually slowed it down and surprisingly it's winning with the new tempo. The club has posted a 12-5 SU and 11-6 ATS record in their last 17 and a lot of the success can be related to the play on the defensive side of the ball. In eight of the 12 wins over this span, opponents have been held to 102 points or less, which has helped the 'under' has gone 8-4 in the Suns' victories and you can start to see the oddsmakers lower the totals."
David explains further that the totals are dwindling down thanks to the Suns slowing things down, "Case in point is tonight's matchup against Dallas. The 'over/under' is hovering around 207 points and we haven't seen a number this low between the pair since the 2008 season. The pair met in Dallas in mid-December and the combined 197 points never threatened the closing number of 212 ½."
February 16, 2011
The first half of the NBA season concludes on Thursday night with a pair of solid matchups as home teams with worse records are laying points. The Mavs play the second end of a back-to-back in Phoenix against the surging Suns, looking to close the gap in the Southwest Division. Meanwhile, the leaders of that division finish their nine-game Rodeo road swing in the Windy City against the best home team in the Eastern Conference.
Spurs at Bulls - 8:05 PM EST
San Antonio wasn't expected to be in line for a 70-win season in October, but Gregg Popovich's club owns a dazzling 46-9 record. The Spurs will likely fall short of that feat, as San Antonio needs 18 wins in its final 27 games to set a franchise record in victories, eclipsing the 63-19 mark in 2005-06. The Black and Silver looks to wrap up the trip at 7-2 SU/ATS as the Spurs invade the United Center to battle the Bulls.
Not only are do the Spurs have the top record in the NBA, but they also are the most profitable club at 34-19-2 ATS. Playing on the highway has benefited Spurs' backers by going 9-3 ATS the last 12 away contests, including blowout victories at Washington and New Jersey. For the exception of the 71-spot the Spurs put up in a loss at Philadelphia, San Antonio has topped the 100-point mark in five of the last six games on this trip.
The Bulls returned home from a successful 3-2 SU/ATS road swing with a 106-94 victory over the Bobcats on Tuesday, beating Charlotte for the first time in three meetings this season. Chicago is riding a 7-2 ATS run, while winning nine of its last 11 overall. The Bulls are an Eastern Conference-best 24-4 SU at home, as Tom Thibodeau's squad has compiled an 8-2-1 ATS mark the previous 11 games at the United Center after cashing against Charlotte as 9 ½-point 'chalk.'
The Spurs beat the Bulls back in November as part of Chicago's "Circus Road Trip" by a 103-94 count. San Antonio managed a cover as 6 ½-point favorites after trailing by 10 at halftime thanks to a 37-12 third quarter spurt. Coincidentally, the 37-spot put up in the third quarter equaled the 37 points scored in the first half by the Spurs in that win. Derrick Rose scored a game-high 33 points, as the Bulls played without Carlos Boozer, who missed the first 15 games with a hand injury. Tim Duncan played one of his better games of the season with 16 points and 18 rebounds, while the Spurs controlled the boards with a 50-42 advantage in the rebounding department.
Mavericks at Suns - 10:30 PM EST
Both these times are peaking at the right time as Phoenix looks to make a push towards the postseason against Dallas. The Suns have won seven of nine games following Tuesday's close-shave victory over the decimated Jazz, while the Mavs are rolling with an 11-2 run as Dallas is coming off Wednesday's home victory over Sacramento. Since the return of Dirk Nowitzki to the Mavs' lineup, Dallas is 13-4 SU and 10-7 ATS.
The Mavs rolled the hapless Kings last night, 116-100, to cover as 11-point home favorites. Dallas avoided a potential letdown spot by draining 13 three-pointers, including six from veteran point guard Jason Kidd. The Mavs head to the Valley for the first time this season as Dallas goes for its second victory this season over Phoenix. Steve Nash left early in the first quarter of the last meeting at the American Airlines Center on December 17 after colliding with Mavs' center Tyson Chandler for a loose ball. Dallas took advantage by outscoring Phoenix by 15 in the second quarter and never looked back in a 106-91 victory as seven-point 'chalk.'
The Suns are making a move up the Western Conference standings after winning seven of nine games, including victories over the Jazz twice, the Celtics, and Hornets. Phoenix failed to cover in the last two games against Sacramento and Utah, while getting shocked by the Kings on Sunday night as 9 ½-point favorites in a 113-108 loss. The Suns have dropped five of the last six meetings to the Mavericks, but only two of those games came in Phoenix (1-1).
Vegas Insider's Chris David points out that the Suns are starting to rise in the Valley, "The Suns have been two different teams this season, with the change coming after the big trade in late December. Phoenix has actually slowed it down and surprisingly it's winning with the new tempo. The club has posted a 12-5 SU and 11-6 ATS record in their last 17 and a lot of the success can be related to the play on the defensive side of the ball. In eight of the 12 wins over this span, opponents have been held to 102 points or less, which has helped the 'under' has gone 8-4 in the Suns' victories and you can start to see the oddsmakers lower the totals."
David explains further that the totals are dwindling down thanks to the Suns slowing things down, "Case in point is tonight's matchup against Dallas. The 'over/under' is hovering around 207 points and we haven't seen a number this low between the pair since the 2008 season. The pair met in Dallas in mid-December and the combined 197 points never threatened the closing number of 212 ½."
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