Cnotes National Basketball League february Picks/Trends/News !!

Preview: Cavaliers (34-12) at Pacers (25-22)
Date: February 01, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Suddenly, the Cleveland Cavaliers are off and running.


After an ugly start to the Tyronn Lue era, the Cavaliers have turned up the tempo and can win their fifth straight game Monday night when they visit the Indiana Pacers.


Lue was promoted to head coach after David Blatt was fired Jan. 22, and he immediately voiced his opinion that the Cavs (34-12) needed to play at a faster pace.


They started slow with a 96-83 loss to Chicago on Jan. 23 but have won four straight since - including Saturday's 117-103 statement win over San Antonio.


After finishing with single-digit fast break points in four of Blatt's final five games, Cleveland has at least 10 in all five with Lue while averaging 13.8 - up from 12.2 in 41 previous games.


The Cavaliers finished with 14 against the Spurs and led by as many as 20 points on the back end of back-to-back contests. LeBron James had 29 points and seven assists, while Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving chipped in 21 points apiece. Love grabbed 11 rebounds while Irving dished out six assists.


'The Big 3 came through for us,' Lue said. 'It gives us confidence to know that we can beat a great team like the San Antonio Spurs.'


The Cavs have won 15 of 18 games since Dec. 28 - including nine of 10 away from home.


An inability to beat the league's best teams, though, had clouded Cleveland all season. The Cavs entered Saturday's game 0-5 versus San Antonio, Golden State and Chicago - including a 132-98 drubbing at home by the Warriors on Jan. 18 that marked the beginning of the end for Blatt - but they scored the second most points this season against the Spurs - who lead the league by allowing only 91.2 points per game.


Indiana (25-22) has at times looked the part of contender in the Eastern Conference, but a slump of six losses in seven games from Jan. 13-26 has also left serious doubts.


The Pacers rebounded, though, with Thursday's 111-92 rout of Atlanta and Saturday's 109-105 overtime win over Denver to improve to 15-7 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Paul George totaled just 30 points between the two victories on 34.6 percent shooting, but 11-year veteran Monta Ellis picked up the slack with 25 points against the Hawks and a season-high 32 versus the Nuggets.


Ellis made 51.3 percent of his shots combined and 9 of 15 from 3-point range while adding 14 rebounds, 12 assists and eight steals. He battled soreness in his right knee through the early part of the season but has averaged 18.4 points in 10 games since his knee was drained Jan. 11.


"The last few games we've been playing as a team, a total team effort," Ellis told the team's official website. "We've been getting stops at the end when we have needed to. We need to continue that and keep playing together."


Ellis has averaged 25 points in his last 10 games against the Cavaliers.


A 101-97 loss at Cleveland on Nov. 8 was one of two Indiana losses during a 14-game stretch. It was Cleveland's second straight win in this series after losing 17 of the previous 20. James scored 29 points and Love had 22 along with a season-high 19 rebounds and three blocks.

Preview: Pistons (25-23) at Nets (12-36)
Date: February 01, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Andre Drummond's awful free-throw shooting hasn't been the problem for the Detroit Pistons. It's been his relative lack of rebounding, according to coach Stan Van Gundy.


The league's top rebounder as well as its worst foul shooter might be hitting the glass harder when the visiting Pistons try to avoid a third straight loss Monday night against the Brooklyn Nets.


Drummond averages 15.0 rebounds and is shooting 34.7 percent at the line. Opponents are fouling him with more regularity, and he has made 3 of 17 free throws in back-to-back defeats.


Van Gundy, though, is more annoyed at Drummond's 20 rebounds in those games, with 12 in Saturday's 111-107 defeat at Toronto. That effort came on the heels of Drummond being held to eight or fewer for the third time in four games in a 114-106 loss to Cleveland the night before.


'It starts with Andre's not dominating on the boards. He's just not,' Van Gundy said. 'He had eight last night (against Cleveland), he's not dominating on the boards and it starts there."


The coach believes the foul shooting is getting inside the first-time All-Star's head.


"His focus, everybody else's focus, has gone to free-throw shooting instead of to the fact that he needs to be a dominant rebounder," Van Gundy told the Pistons' official website. "I don't think his head's where it needs to be right now."


Detroit (25-23) was outrebounded 45-39 as it played Saturday without Ersan Ilyasova, who was out with a groin injury and is second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game. His replacement, Anthony Tolliver, grabbed two boards.


The Pistons are 22-10 when they outrebound opponents.


Another issue is Reggie Jackson averaging 14.0 points in the last two games, well below his season mark of 19.1.


Drummond will have to keep a body on Brook Lopez, who has four straight double-doubles for the Nets. Lopez has totaled 61 points, 22 rebounds and six blocks in his last two games, crediting teammates for his strong production.


"I think we've just been playing looser and looser as a group," Lopez said. "We're all kind of getting into a confident zone of playing together and trusting each other."


Brooklyn (12-36) has lost three straight and 13 of 15 after Saturday's 105-103 defeat at New Orleans. The Nets are 2-9 under interim coach Tony Brown.


The club is encouraged despite those woes, pointing to a victory over Oklahoma City last weekend that preceded close losses to Miami and the Pelicans.


"It seems like every game Brook and (Thaddeus Young) pretty much been a constant but we've had other guys step up and play big minutes and make big shots or just make big plays period," said forward Joe Johnson, the Eastern Conference's worst qualifying shooter at a career-low 39.4 percent.


The Nets have won three straight at home over the Pistons. The teams have split two overall meetings in 2015-16.

Preview: Grizzlies (28-20) at Pelicans (18-28)
Date: February 01, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Even though he was an All-Star three years ago, Jrue Holiday had become something of a forgotten man for the New Orleans Pelicans because of chronic leg injuries.


With improved health this season, Holiday is playing a key role in their turnaround.


The veteran point guard will try to keep rolling as New Orleans wraps up its homestand seeking a sixth victory in seven games Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.


Holiday averaged 17.7 points en route to his only All-Star appearance in 2012-13 with Philadelphia, but he's since been limited to 114 games in the past three seasons.


Holiday seemed to be easing his way to back into form, averaging 13.5 points in his first 37 games this season. However, something has clicked over the past three while he's gotten additional playing time as a result of Tyreke Evans' knee injury.


The reserve playmaker has averaged 27.7 points and 8.0 assists in that span. He scored 26 and hit a 15-footer with 1.3 seconds left in Saturday's 105-103 win over Brooklyn.


"If I'm not starting, I want to be in there at the end of games," Holiday said. "I've been in those type of situations a lot since I've been in the league. If I have the ball or not, it doesn't really matter but I do think I can bring something to the team."


Ryan Anderson contributed 24 points and hit five 3-pointers Saturday. He's averaged 26.3 while making 19 of 37 from beyond the arc in his last four games.


Anthony Davis missed his first 10 shots before rallying to finish with 20 points on 9 of 22 from the field. He added 16 rebounds after missing one game because of a concussion.


The Pelicans (18-28) have averaged 110.2 points and 44.1 percent from 3-point range during a 7-2 stretch. They'll try to close out a 6-1 homestand by avenging a 101-99 loss at Memphis on Jan. 18.


The Grizzlies are the only team to hold New Orleans to fewer than 100 points in its last nine games. They also limited the Pelicans to 6 of 19 from 3-point range and forced 15 turnovers.


Marc Gasol scored a career-high 38 points and had 13 rebounds in a 113-104 victory Dec. 1 in the most recent meeting in New Orleans.


The Grizzlies are also thriving offensively, averaging 105.3 points and hitting 40.9 percent from 3-point range during their 7-1 stretch. They have a chance to score at least 100 in regulation in nine straight games for the first time in franchise history.


'It's not always going to be like that,' Gasol said of his team's hot shooting.


Jeff Green continued his roll with 29 points and Gasol added 22 as Memphis shot 51.9 percent in Saturday's 121-117 win over Sacramento. Green, the subject of trade rumors, has averaged 26.7 points in his last three games.


Memphis (28-20) is focused on tightening things up defensively after allowing 40 fourth-quarter points and its second-highest total of the season Saturday.

Preview: Wizards (21-24) at Thunder (36-13)
Date: February 01, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

When they last faced each other in November, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost Kevin Durant and the Washington Wizards were blasted by coach Randy Wittman.


The Thunder certainly hope it doesn't happen again given how well their All-Star forward is playing, while Wittman will miss the next two games following his brother's death.


Two of the league's top point guards in Russell Westbrook and John Wall square off Monday night when Durant looks to stay hot and lead Oklahoma City to its seventh straight home win as well as seventh in a row there against Washington.


Durant has averaged 32.3 points on 55.7 percent shooting in six career home meetings with the Wizards. However, he went down with a leg injury that cost him six games in a 125-101 road victory in the first matchup Nov. 10.


Wittman questioned his team's toughness after it was outrebounded 53-41 and allowed the Thunder to shoot 15 for 23 from 3-point range in that contest. Washington hasn't been much better defensively of late, allowing an average of 110.7 points over a 2-5 stretch.


The Wizards let Houston make 17 for 35 (48.6 percent) from 3-point range but held a 45-37 rebounding advantage in ending a three-game skid with Saturday's 123-122 road win.


Wittman coached after his brother, Rick, died on Friday, but the team announced Sunday that assistant Don Newman will fill in while Wittman misses the next two games.


"It was key to get the first one (of a two-game trip). Now we have an opportunity to go get a win at OKC," said Wall, who finished with 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. "In the past, we've played well there. We just have to find a way to close it out."


Washington (21-24) has lost six in a row at Oklahoma City (36-13), though two of those defeats came in overtime. Wall has averaged 14.3 points on 30.4 percent shooting in his last six meetings overall and is shooting just 31.3 percent over his last four games.


Westbrook has totaled 54 points, 19 assists and 19 boards in his past two games in this series, including a triple-double with 22, 11 and 11 in November. The All-Star point guard had his sixth triple-double Saturday with 26, 14 and 10 in a 116-108 win over Houston.


'It's part of my job, man,' Westbrook said. 'Just trying to find guys, getting the ball where they can score, keep the pace up.'


Durant chipped in 33 points and 12 rebounds, leaving him with a 34.0 scoring average while pulling down 11.3 boards per contest over his last four games.


Oklahoma City has won 17 of its past 19 home games and its 25-5 record since Dec. 6 was percentage points behind Golden State (22-4) and San Antonio (22-4) entering Sunday.


The Thunder are averaging 109.6 points - second only to the Warriors - after scoring 123.3 per game while making 49.2 percent from 3-point range in their last three. Enes Kanter also has been a key contributor with 45 points and 20 rebounds over his past two.


"He's an opportunistic scorer," coach Billy Donovan said. "He gets offensive rebounds. He gets fouled. He runs the floor. He'll get a 15-foot jump shot. He's given us a really nice boost these last couple games."

Preview: Bulls (26-19) at Jazz (21-25)
Date: February 01, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

With a healthier lineup and Rodney Hood in top form, the Utah Jazz appear poised to build some momentum as they pursue a playoff berth.


The inconsistent Chicago Bulls don't seem ready to do the same after their latest effort, and coach Fred Hoiberg is questioning his team's ability to endure difficult times.


Utah (21-25) had Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert starting in the same game for the first time since its final contest in November in a 103-90 victory against Minnesota on Friday. Favors had 20 points and nine rebounds in his third game since returning from back spasms while Hood had a team-best 22 points.


"We've still got to work on a lot of stuff because I missed time, Rudy missed time. So there's still a lot of stuff we've got to work on," Favors said. "Overall, I think we're relieved that everybody's back healthy and we're going to try to make a push."


Hood, averaging 14.2 points, has topped 20 in each of his past three games and is averaging 22.8 in his last five.


"I've been pushing our team pretty hard, mentally as much as physically," coach Quin Snyder said. "I still feel like we've got to keep grinding because we've got guys back and we're trying to figure out who we are.


"Rodney's just asserting himself through those opportunities. ... It's good to see him playing like that."


The Jazz will seek a season-high third straight win when they face a Bulls team that's lost eight of 12. Chicago (26-20) hasn't strung together back-to-back victories since its season-best six-game win streak ended Jan. 7.


"We're trying to play our best ball up until the All-Star break," point guard Derrick Rose said. "Give ourselves a good taste in our mouth and when we come back, we come back with a sense of urgency, giving that effort every game."


The Bulls opened a season-high seven-game trip with a 114-91 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday but followed with a 120-93 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.


The Bulls let the Clippers shoot 53.6 percent, their highest by an opponent this season, and gave up 69 points in the second half.


They also didn't get many contributions at the other end of the floor besides their backcourt. Jimmy Butler and Rose scored a combined 43 points.


"I've been saying this all year. I hate to sound like a broken record. We're a really good team when things are going well. We can go out there and play with a swagger and a confidence, but we lose that when things aren't going well," Hoiberg said.


The Bulls have lost two of three to the Jazz after winning six straight matchups and were blown out 97-77 in the most recent meeting Jan. 7, 2015. They have won three of the last four visits to Utah.


Favors averaged 20.5 points on 56.3 percent shooting and 13.0 rebounds as the Jazz split their two matchups with Chicago last season.

Preview: Raptors (32-15) at Nuggets (18-30)
Date: February 01, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

The Toronto Raptors are riding a team-best winning streak, just wrapped up a perfect homestand and are solidifying themselves as a top Eastern Conference contender.


Still, coach Dwane Casey will continue to nitpick.


Casey was disappointed with the finish of his team's nearly two-week stay at home and cautioned that it could snowball into the Raptors' first loss in four weeks when they open a six-game road trip against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.


Toronto (32-15) never trailed and led by 20 in Saturday's 111-107 victory over Detroit, concluding a 7-0 homestand and pushing the longest current winning streak in the league to 11.


However, the Raptors' 98-78 advantage with less than six minutes left was cut to four by the buzzer. Five of their 16 turnovers came in the final 4:39, and they shot 36.8 percent in the last 12 minutes.


'This game is fleeting,' Casey said. 'You can win 11 in a row and also you can lose seven, eight in a row if you continue to play with the lack of focus we did in the fourth quarter. Hopefully we learn from it and continue to go. We have to learn from it.'


Toronto shot 49.5 percent through wins 3-8 on the streak - which started with four road victories - but has made 44.6 percent from the field in the last three. A disparity of 81 made free throws to opponents' 51 helped fill the gap.


The Raptors have held their last five opponents to 43.0 percent shooting and 92.8 points per game, but the Pistons scored 35 in the fourth quarter and hit 48.1 percent in that period - a stark contrast to the 42.6 mark they posted in the first 36 minutes.


'You give up 35 points, and turnovers and lack of focus, human nature letting human nature take over down the stretch is not winning basketball,' Casey said.


DeMar DeRozan scored 29 and has reached that mark five times during Toronto's run. He had at least 29 points six times in 36 games previously - including a 106-105 home loss to Denver on Dec. 3.


DeRozan scored 34 in that contest, but Denver's Will Barton had 22 off the bench and Danilo Gallinari added 21 to snap the Raptors' three-game winning streak in the series.


Gallinari has averaged 23.0 points in the last seven games but Denver (18-30) has lost five of them, including defeats in three of four at the Pepsi Center.


The Nuggets were close to winning back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 10-13 on Saturday against Indiana, but wilted down the stretch in a 109-105 overtime loss to close a 1-2 road trip.


Denver shot 37.5 percent and committed nine turnovers between the fourth quarter and OT.


"Yeah, poor, poor job. At the end of the day, that's my fault," coach Mike Malone said. "A team's ability to execute late under pressure starts with me as the head coach."


Toronto - winner of two straight in Denver following nine straight losses there - is averaging 26.0 points in the fourth quarter, among the top 10 marks in the league. Denver's 23.6 is one of the worst.

Preview: Bucks (20-29) at Kings (20-27)
Date: February 01, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

The promise of a season-high winning streak has disappeared during an agonizing slump for the Sacramento Kings. The story is a similar one for the Milwaukee Bucks.


Though they at least received some good news regarding DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings are in the midst of their longest losing streak since the opening two weeks of the season and will try to claw out of it when the skidding Bucks visit Monday night.


A week ago, Sacramento (20-27) was enjoying its first five-game winning streak since November 2014. But the Kings have since suffered four straight losses and are in danger of matching a season-high skid.


Opponents have averaged 119.0 points during Sacramento's slide after the Kings held them to 96.4 in the previous five games. They surrendered 36 points in the opening quarter and trailed by 22 before a late comeback fell short in Saturday's 121-117 loss to Memphis that closed a three-game trip.


'It was a classic case of we showed up too late,' said forward Rudy Gay, who scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. 'We showed up to the game at 8:30 (p.m.) instead of 7 when it started.'


The Kings also received an injury scare when Cousins exited late with a sprained left ankle. The All-Star had to be helped off the court, but X-rays came back negative. Cousins said he is able to walk on the ankle, though it's uncertain if he'll be available Monday.


Cousins scored 104 points against Indiana and Charlotte on Jan. 23 and 25 but shot 29 percent while averaging 20 points - seven below his average - on Sacramento's three-game trip. He missed a 129-118 win at Milwaukee on Nov. 25 with a lower back strain, but was still involved in an off-court heated exchange.


Following the game - which included Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd's ejection after knocking a ball out of an official's hands - Kings and Bucks players got into a verbal altercation in the Bradley Center tunnel. The interaction reportedly followed O.J. Mayo's challenge to Cousins to join him in the hallway at the game's conclusion.


On the court, Gay scored a season-high 36 points to snap Milwaukee's two-game winning streak in this series. The Bucks have taken five of seven meetings in Sacramento.


Milwaukee (20-29) won three consecutive games Jan. 15-19 but has since lost four of five, including three straight away from home. It's struggled to score, averaging 96.8 points in the last six games.


Leading scorer Khris Middleton went 2 for 13 and had nine points in Friday's 107-103 loss to Miami. Jerryd Bayless didn't score in 24 minutes.


Milwaukee turned the ball over 21 times, 14 while falling behind 55-48 in the first half.


"We've just got to take care of the ball," said forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who paced the Bucks with 28 points. "If we do that, we're just going to improve and close games like that we might win."


Antetokounmpo and Middleton each scored 21 against Sacramento in November.

Preview: Mavericks (27-22) at Hawks (27-21)
Date: February 01, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The Dallas Mavericks managed to win without Dirk Nowitzki in the lineup. The Atlanta Hawks couldn't snap out of their recent struggles even with Paul Millsap on the floor.


The Mavericks will seek to add to those woes Monday night by sending the Hawks to a season-worst losing streak.


Nowitzki was rested for the first of back-to-back games Sunday and the first of five contests in seven days for Dallas (28-22). Deron Williams scored 27 points - three shy of matching his season high - in a 91-78 victory against Phoenix.


"I think everyone knows when Dirk is out we have to step up a little bit when it comes to scoring," Williams said.


Millsap was considered probable for the Hawks' visit to Miami on Sunday because of a sprained left ankle suffered in a 111-92 defeat in Indiana on Thursday. He matched Al Horford for the team high with 17 points but Atlanta shot 38.6 percent in a 105-87 defeat.


The Hawks (27-22) have dropped five of six and three in a row. They haven't lost four straight since last year's Eastern Conference finals sweep to Cleveland and haven't done so in the regular season since a six-game skid March 21-29, 2014.


"We're trying to find ourselves right now and there isn't really much going our way," forward Kent Bazemore said. "It is just a tough time right now. We just got to stick with it. It's just not our time right now, and we got to deal with it."


Millsap had a team-best 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 98-95 win in Dallas on Dec. 9, Atlanta's fourth straight in the series. Williams led the Mavericks with 18 points despite missing 12 of 20 shots and Nowitzki was held to 13 points on 6-of-20 shooting as Dallas connected at 36.0 percent.


The only worse shooting performance for the Mavericks this season was 35.8 percent in a 112-83 drubbing in San Antonio on Jan. 17.


"We feel like we let one slip against Atlanta last time," swingman Wesley Matthews said. "It was a lax game. It didn't seem like anyone wanted it, and they outlasted us at the end.


"We have to come in with energy and outplay a good team."


Atlanta is shooting a combined 40.1 percent in its last three games and connected at 41.8 in an 85-83 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. The Hawks won their previous three games on their own floor and seven of their prior eight.


Atlanta has shot a combined 24.0 percent from 3-point range in its last two games. Kyle Korver has gone 1 for 9 from beyond the arc and 2 of 15 overall, including an 0-for-6 performance Sunday.


Korver went 1 for 6 from 3-point range while scoring eight points in the win over Dallas in December. The Hawks have won their past two home matchups against the Mavericks and easily handled them 104-87 in the most recent Feb. 25.


Nowitzki has averaged 12.3 points while shooting 37.7 percent in his team's four-game skid against Atlanta and has gone 2 of 13 from 3-point range.


Matthews is averaging 17.3 points in his last three matchups with the Hawks but has been held to single digits in his last four games, including seven points on 2-of-12 shooting Sunday.

Preview: Magic (20-25) at Spurs (39-8)
Date: February 01, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

The San Antonio Spurs have lost two of their last three games without Tim Duncan. They should like their chances at evening that out Monday night.


With Duncan ruled out, the Spurs attempt to extend their franchise-record home winning streak and make it nine consecutive victories over the Orlando Magic.


San Antonio (39-8) has built an 11 1/2-game lead on second-place Memphis in the Southwest Division, so losing two of three isn't putting its status as the leader in jeopardy. The stretch, however, does raise questions about the Spurs' playoff future with road losses against Golden State and Cleveland - potential opponents in the Western Conference and NBA Finals.


It's also come without Duncan, who has missed four of the last five games with a sore right knee. The 39-year-old center averages 8.9 points and 7.5 rebounds but is a presence defensively for the Spurs, who yield a league-low 91.2 points per game.


San Antonio's two worst defensive efforts of the season have come without Duncan, surrendering 120 points to the Warriors last Monday and falling 117-103 to the Cavaliers on Saturday.


"It's one of those games where our defense just wasn't there," guard Tony Parker said Saturday. "We made too many mistakes and against a good team you can't do that."


That hasn't been an issue at home, nor has anything else. The Spurs have won all 25 games there as part of a 34-game streak that dates to last season.


San Antonio seems poised to add another victory since it's won eight straight overall against Orlando and six in a row at home, dating to a loss on Jan. 11, 2009.


The Spurs won 110-103 over the Magic in the most recent home matchup Feb. 4. Duncan led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Kawhi Leonard scored 18 and added five boards, five assists and four steals.


Leonard is looking to build on his 24 points from Saturday, but he averages just 11.5 in six meetings with Orlando.


Tony Parker has averaged 27.2 points over his last six home matchups.


The Magic went 2-12 in January but ended the month by erasing a 14-point deficit en route to a 119-114 win over Boston on Sunday, salvaging a split of the home-and-home set. They haven't won consecutive games since Dec. 28 and 30.


"When you scramble and hustle and play hard, usually good things happen," coach Scott Skiles said. "We've struggled so much recently that I'm just happy for the guys to battle and get one coming from behind."


Orlando is averaging 89.9 points while losing seven of its last eight on the road.


Winning in San Antonio likely will require a big effort from Nikola Vucevic, who is averaging 20.0 points and 12.3 rebounds over the past three meetings with the Spurs. Vucevic, however, enters this matchup with an average of 14.6 points on 39.6 percent shooting over the last seven games.


Evan Fournier scored 24 points in Sunday's win after he was limited to 11.5 on 36.8 percent from the field over the previous six contests.


Victor Oladipo had 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds in a 103-91 loss to the Spurs on April 1. However, he's shot 30.6 percent and averaged 11.3 points over the last four.

NBA ATS


NBA > (505) DALLAS@ (506) ATLANTA | 2016-02-01 20:00:00 - 2016-02-01 20:00:00
Play AGAINST DALLAS against the spread in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season
The record is 1 Wins and 14 Losses for the last two seasons (-14.4 units)


NBA > (511) ORLANDO@ (512) SAN ANTONIO | 2016-02-01 20:30:00 - 2016-02-01 20:30:00
Play ON SAN ANTONIO against the spread in All games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 18 Wins and 5 Losses for the this season (+12.5 units)


NBA > (511) ORLANDO@ (512) SAN ANTONIO | 2016-02-01 20:30:00 - 2016-02-01 20:30:00
Play ON SAN ANTONIO against the spread in All games after a non-conference game
The record is 16 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+11.6 units)


NBA > (505) DALLAS@ (506) ATLANTA | 2016-02-01 20:00:00 - 2016-02-01 20:00:00
Play AGAINST DALLAS against the spread in Road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season
The record is 3 Wins and 15 Losses for the last two seasons (-13.5 units)


NBA > (509) WASHINGTON@ (510) OKLAHOMA CITY | 2016-02-01 20:00:00 - 2016-02-01 20:00:00
Play AGAINST OKLAHOMA CITY against the spread in All games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 6 Wins and 18 Losses for the this season (-13.8 units)


----------------------


NBA MONEYLINE


NBA > (507) MEMPHIS@ (508) NEW ORLEANS | 2016-02-01 20:00:00 - 2016-02-01 20:00:00
Play ON MEMPHIS using money line in All games after playing 3 consecutive home games
The record is 13 Wins and 1 Losses for the last two seasons (+14.05 units)


NBA > (515) TORONTO@ (516) DENVER | 2016-02-01 21:00:00 - 2016-02-01 21:00:00
Play AGAINST DENVER using money line in Home games after playing 3 consecutive road games
The record is 3 Wins and 10 Losses for the last three seasons (-18.95 units)


NBA > (511) ORLANDO@ (512) SAN ANTONIO | 2016-02-01 20:30:00 - 2016-02-01 20:30:00
Play ON SAN ANTONIO using money line in All games against Southeast division opponents
The record is 24 Wins and 4 Losses for the last three seasons (+19.7 units)


NBA > (515) TORONTO@ (516) DENVER | 2016-02-01 21:00:00 - 2016-02-01 21:00:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO using money line in Road games revenging a home loss vs opponent
The record is 1 Wins and 11 Losses for the last two seasons (-13.6 units)


NBA > (505) DALLAS@ (506) ATLANTA | 2016-02-01 20:00:00 - 2016-02-01 20:00:00
Play ON DALLAS using money line in All games in a road game where where the total is between 200 and 204.5 points
The record is 14 Wins and 3 Losses for the last two seasons (+14.05 units)


NBA > (513) CHICAGO@ (514) UTAH | 2016-02-01 21:00:00 - 2016-02-01 21:00:00
Play AGAINST CHICAGO using money line in All games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 36 Wins and 24 Losses for the last two seasons (-42 units)


NBA > (503) DETROIT@ (504) BROOKLYN | 2016-02-01 19:30:00 - 2016-02-01 19:30:00
Play AGAINST BROOKLYN using money line in Home games after 3 or more consecutive losses
The record is 4 Wins and 12 Losses for the last two seasons (-15.3 units)


NBA > (501) CLEVELAND@ (502) INDIANA | 2016-02-01 19:00:00 - 2016-02-01 19:00:00
Play ON CLEVELAND using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season
The record is 24 Wins and 9 Losses for the last two seasons (+15.8 units)

NBA > (509) WASHINGTON@ (510) OKLAHOMA CITY | 2016-02-01 20:00:00 - 2016-02-01 20:00:00
Play ON OKLAHOMA CITY using money line in Home games when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season
The record is 37 Wins and 5 Losses for the since 1992 (+26.8 units)

NBA > (509) WASHINGTON@ (510) OKLAHOMA CITY | 2016-02-01 20:00:00 - 2016-02-01 20:00:00
Play ON WASHINGTON using money line in Road games after scoring 105 points or more
The record is 22 Wins and 12 Losses for the last three seasons (+19.2 units)


---------------------


NBA FIRST HALF


NBA > (511) ORLANDO@ (512) SAN ANTONIO | 2016-02-01 20:30:00 - 2016-02-01 20:30:00
Play ON SAN ANTONIO ?>in the first halfin All games after a non-conference game
The record is 35 Wins and 14 Losses for the last two seasons (+19.6 units)

NBA > (517) MILWAUKEE@ (518) SACRAMENTO | 2016-02-01 22:00:00 - 2016-02-01 22:00:00
Play AGAINST MILWAUKEE ?>in the first halfin Road games after allowing 105 points or more
The record is 2 Wins and 12 Losses for the this season (-11.2 units)


NBA > (501) CLEVELAND@ (502) INDIANA | 2016-02-01 19:00:00 - 2016-02-01 19:00:00
Play AGAINST INDIANA ?>in the first halfin All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season
The record is 20 Wins and 45 Losses for the last three seasons (-29.5 units)


NBA > (511) ORLANDO@ (512) SAN ANTONIO | 2016-02-01 20:30:00 - 2016-02-01 20:30:00
Play ON SAN ANTONIO ?>in the first halfin All games second half of the season
The record is 28 Wins and 11 Losses for the last two seasons (+15.9 units)


----------------------


NBA TOTALS


NBA > (513) CHICAGO@ (514) UTAH | 2016-02-01 21:00:00 - 2016-02-01 21:00:00
Play UNDER UTAH on the totalin All games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season
The record is 15 Overs and 49 Unders for the last three seasons (+32.5 units)


NBA > (517) MILWAUKEE@ (518) SACRAMENTO | 2016-02-01 22:00:00 - 2016-02-01 22:00:00
Play OVER MILWAUKEE on the totalin Road games when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season
The record is 16 Overs and 2 Unders for the last three seasons (+13.8 units)


NBA > (511) ORLANDO@ (512) SAN ANTONIO | 2016-02-01 20:30:00 - 2016-02-01 20:30:00
Play UNDER SAN ANTONIO on the totalin All games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 28 Overs and 62 Unders for the last two seasons (+31.2 units)


NBA > (505) DALLAS@ (506) ATLANTA | 2016-02-01 20:00:00 - 2016-02-01 20:00:00
Play UNDER ATLANTA on the totalin All games against Southwest division opponents
The record is 5 Overs and 22 Unders for the last three seasons (+16.5 units)


NBA > (501) CLEVELAND@ (502) INDIANA | 2016-02-01 19:00:00 - 2016-02-01 19:00:00
Play UNDER INDIANA on the totalin All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game
The record is 8 Overs and 23 Unders for the this season (+14.2 units)

NBA > (505) DALLAS@ (506) ATLANTA | 2016-02-01 20:00:00 - 2016-02-01 20:00:00
Play UNDER ATLANTA on the totalin All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game
The record is 37 Overs and 79 Unders for the last three seasons (+38.3 units)

NBA > (511) ORLANDO@ (512) SAN ANTONIO | 2016-02-01 20:30:00 - 2016-02-01 20:30:00
Play UNDER SAN ANTONIO on the totalin All games when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season
The record is 3 Overs and 16 Unders for the last two seasons (+12.7 units)


NBA > (501) CLEVELAND@ (502) INDIANA | 2016-02-01 19:00:00 - 2016-02-01 19:00:00
Play UNDER INDIANA on the totalin All games after a non-conference game
The record is 24 Overs and 56 Unders for the last three seasons (+29.6 units)


NBA > (507) MEMPHIS@ (508) NEW ORLEANS | 2016-02-01 20:00:00 - 2016-02-01 20:00:00
Play OVER NEW ORLEANS on the totalin Home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game
The record is 14 Overs and 3 Unders for the this season (+10.7 units)

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack


Six of the best minor league prospects for the Arizona Diamondbacks........


3) Braden Shipley, P-- Arizona traded its best two prospects to Atlanta.


4) Archie Bradley, P-- Was 2-3, 5.80 in eight MLB starts last year.


5) Brandon Drury 2B/3B-- Hit .214 in 54 big league ABs last year.


10) Peter O'Brien C/OF-- Knocked in 107 runs in AAA last summer.


11) Gabby Guerrero, OF-- Vladimir Guerrero's nephew struggled in AA LY.


18) Zach Godley, P-- Went 5-1, 3-19, in six MLB starts last year.


**********


Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend......


13) In the last 20 years, there have been 19 individual seasons where a player scored 24+ ppg with 7+ assists a game; of those 19, the only player not to make it to the All-Star Game? Damion Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers.


12) This is how big a rebuilding job Chris Mullin has at St John's; when Villanova was at Madison Square Garden yesterday, they were a 20-point road favorite. I chart teams in 23 different conferences; no one else has been a 20-point home dog this year.


11) St John's/Knicks both had home games at MSG Sunday; Clippers/Lakers both had games in Staples Center; would be interesting to know how many fans paid to see both games. Thats a good day, two NBA games in the same building.


10) Someone said on TV this weekend that when the Selection Committee looks at Syracuse for the NCAA tournament, they'll catch a break by playing much better since Jm Boeheim came back from his suspension. This seems asinine- its not like Boeheim was out with an illness, he missed nine games because his progam broke rules.


Why should Syracuse get the benefit of the doubt because their program cheated?


9) How does Johnny Manziel not have his own reality show?


8) Someone did an anonymous poll of NBA players/coaches, as far as who the best and worst referees are: According tot his survey, the best thee are:


Danny Crawford-Joey Crawford (not related)-Marty McCutchen
Worst three refs: Scott Foster (by wide margin), Lauren Holtkamp, Marc Davis


7) NHL owners must be happy with their business; commissioner Gary Bettman had his contract extended thru 2022 this weekend.


6) Phoenix Suns fired coach Jeff Hornacek last night; it won't help. Phoenix has a bad team and its best player is out for the year. Good players win games.


Brooklyn Nets are 2-9 since changing coaches; Cleveland Cavaliers are 4-1- they were winning before they changed coaches. Will be interesting to see where David Blatt surfaces, whether it is the NBA, college or even a television job. If he did NBA games on TV, how critical would he be?


5) Tom Thibodeau got fired by the Bulls LY after going 255-139 in five seasons, but only 23-28 in playoff games; well, under Fred Hoiberg this year, Chicago is 26-20 and treading water in the East- they're 4-7 in their last eleven games. Not an improvement.


4) NBA banned sideline cameras at midcourt this weekend, a safety issue for refs and players; actually, Lebron James tripped over one last week and tweaked his ankle. If George Amundson had tripped on a cmaera, they'd probably still be there.


3) Tennessee-Virginia Tech are playing football at Bristol Motor Speedway next September, in front of a crowd expected to be around 160,000.


2) Its getting tough to listen to Dick Vitale on TV these days; only reason I stuck with the audio of the Oklahoma-LSU game Saturday was because Brent Musberger was working with him, and I enjoy his work. Vitale has his shtick, and seems to have been thrown off his game by Jay Bilas getting the #1 game on Saturdays now. ESPN's roster of college basketball analysts has taken a hit the last few years.


1) Carolina Panthers are ninth team to get to the Super Bowl with either zero or one loss; the other eight teams went 5-3 in their Super Bowls.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS




CLE at IND 07:00 PM


IND +5.0




DET at BK 07:30 PM


DET -7.0




WAS at OKC 08:00 PM


WAS +10.0




DAL at ATL 08:00 PM


ATL -6.0 BEST BET




MEM at NO 08:00 PM


NO -2.5 BEST BET




ORL at SA 08:30 PM


SA -15.5




TOR at DEN 09:00 PM


TOR -5.0




CHI at UTA 09:00 PM


UTA -5.0 BEST BET




MIL at SAC 10:00 PM


SAC -1.5

Preview: Celtics (27-22) at Knicks (23-27)
Date: February 02, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The Boston Celtics saw Kristaps Porzingis at his best the last time they faced the New York Knicks, although the rookie hasn't been close to that level lately.


Porzingis and the Knicks have lost five of six entering Tuesday night's home matchup against a Celtics team that just had a five-game win streak snapped.


These Atlantic Division rivals have split two meetings, with each winning at home. New York's 120-114 victory Jan. 12 featured Porzingis scoring 26 points in 26 minutes before he fouled out.


The rookie is averaging 13.0 points on 36.5 percent shooting in his last six games. He scored 14 points in 20 minutes in Sunday's 116-95 home loss to Golden State, picking up two fouls in the first 90 seconds before he sat for the remainder of a scoreless first quarter.


"This is going to be a learning experience for me, just to make those quick two fouls and then sit out and then later on try not to foul again and not really be able to play hard defensively since you don't want to get fouled out," he said. "It's just things that I gotta learn."


The Knicks (23-27) need him on the floor to provide offensive support to Carmelo Anthony, who had 24 points and 10 rebounds. The lack of playing time for Porzingis was magnified since the starting backcourt of Arron Afflalo and Langston Galloway combined for 14 points on 5-of-25 shooting.


"You just never know where it's coming from," Anthony said of getting scoring help. "We've been kinda successful when not knowing where our second scorer was gonna come from. Some games, there's a third and fourth scorer. Tonight, we just couldn't find it."


Galloway made his third straight start in place of Jose Calderon, who is day to day with a strained right groin.


The Knicks will be challenged to stop one of the league's most explosive guards in Isaiah Thomas, who has totaled 55 points and 14 assists in the first two meetings. Thomas is averaging 26.0 points in his last eight road games.


Boston (27-22) seeks to bounce back after Sunday's 119-114 loss at Orlando ended its longest win streak of the season. Marcus Smart matched a career high with 26 points and Thomas scored 23.


The Celtics allowed the Magic to shoot 53.7 percent after limiting opponents to 41.6 percent in the previous five games.


"Especially to the caliber that we like to play, it definitely got let down," Smart said. "Those guys were getting offensive rebounds, tip dunks, tip-backs and kicking it out for open 3s."


Jae Crowder was held to five points on 2-of-8 shooting after averaging 14.8 in his previous four games. Crowder suffered a leg injury Sunday, although he said it wouldn't prevent him from facing the Knicks.


Crowder has 39 points in the season series.


Boston has outscored New York 34-14 in points off turnovers this season. The Celtics average 19.2 points in that department to rank among the league's best while the Knicks are last at 12.6.

Preview: Heat (27-21) at Rockets (25-25)
Date: February 02, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

A couple of old stars have turned back the clock to help the Miami Heat rise to the top of the Southeast Division. Now they hope to get healthier with Hassan Whiteside's potential return.


That certainly doesn't bode well for the suddenly struggling Houston Rockets, who didn't have much of an answer for the 7-foot center in a blowout defeat in November.


With Whiteside expected to be a game-time decision, Dwyane Wade and Amar'e Stoudemire may have to step up again Tuesday night when the Heat open a three-game road swing looking to extend their longest winning streak since LeBron James departed for Cleveland.


The 34-year-old Wade was named Eastern Conference player of the week after averaging 24.0 points on 50.0 percent shooting with 7.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks during a four-game run that has Miami (27-21) percentage points ahead of Atlanta atop the division.


The 33-year-old Stoudemire only played in 12 of the first 40 games before getting pressed into action when Whiteside went down with a strained left hip. He's responded by averaging 9.3 points on 59.5 percent shooting and pulling down 7.5 rebounds over the past six.


Chris Bosh led the way with 18 points, while Wade and Luol Deng added 17 as the Heat moved past the Hawks with Sunday's 105-87 home win over the defending division champs. Stoudemire had season highs of 13 points and 12 boards for his first double-double since Dec. 7, 2014 with New York.


'Amar'e can be who he was in his 20's in short bursts if we're all smart about it and control the minutes,' coach Erik Spoelstra said. 'That's the hardest thing for me to do.'


Since averaging 80.3 points in a season-high four-game skid, Miami has scored 100.8 in its last four. It has been more aggressive, getting to the free-throw line 58 times in the past two.


The Heat could get Whiteside back as they go for their first five-game run since winning eight in a row Feb. 11-March 3, 2014. He's expected to test his hip in shootaround after sitting out the past five.


Whiteside took advantage of Dwight Howard's absence in the first meeting with Houston, finishing with 25 points, 15 rebounds, three steals and two blocks in a 109-89 home win Nov. 1.


Howard hopes to make a difference this time, though he may have to overcome the referees as well as a nagging shoulder injury. The Rockets (25-25) recently petitioned to the league office in an effort to get the four technical fouls Howard received in getting ejected twice last weekend rescinded.


'These referees need to be held accountable for letting people attack Dwight and be that physical with him,' interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. 'And dirty. It's not physical."


Following a 9-3 stretch last month, the Rockets are trying to avoid a season high-tying fourth consecutive defeat. James Harden attempted to pick them up with 40 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and four steals in Saturday's 123-122 home loss to Washington.


The four-time All-Star has averaged 30.6 points while hitting 23 of 49 (46.9 percent) from 3-point range to go along with 9.3 boards and 8.6 assists over his last seven games. Miami, however, limited him to 16 points on 2-of-15 shooting - 0 for 10 from 3 - in the first meeting.


The Heat won't have guard Tyler Johnson for at least two months due to an injured rotator cuff.

Preview: Timberwolves (14-35) at Lakers (9-41)
Date: February 02, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

With their teams rebuilding and their bodies betraying them, both Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett have seen better days.


Garnett will likely miss the final meeting between the future Hall of Famers when Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night attempting to avoid a franchise-worst 11th consecutive loss.


With the 39-year-old Garnett expected to sit out a fifth straight game with an ailing right knee, the historical relevance of this matchup of Western Conference cellar-dwellers will be solely focused on Los Angeles (9-41), which matched the Magic Johnson-coached 1993-94 squad's club record of 10 straight losses with Sunday's 101-82 defeat to visiting Charlotte.


The retiring Bryant delivered one of the better performances of his final season by scoring 23 points in 23 minutes, a small consolation in a game in which the Lakers shot 33.8 percent and were outrebounded 59-42.


Last in the NBA in field goal percentage (41.1) and 28th in scoring (95.8 points per game), Los Angeles has failed to even reach those benchmarks during the skid. The Lakers have averaged 92.2 points and shot 40.8 percent since a 95-91 win over New Orleans on Jan. 12.


"Sometimes, you've got to go to the bottom of the pool, man, and figure it out," Bryant said. "We're almost there, gasping for air.'


Bryant's status is uncertain as well, with the 37-year-old listed as questionable with a shoulder injury that sidelined him two of the previous three games.


He and Garnett were teammates in nine All-Star Games from 1998-2007 and faced one another four times in the playoffs, including two NBA Finals. The Lakers bested Garnett's Celtics in seven games in 2010 to avenge a six-game loss to Boston in 2008.


Neither aging superstar appears headed to this year's postseason with the Lakers last in the West and Minnesota (14-35) tied with Phoenix for 13th. Both have spent much of their injury-plagued seasons serving as mentors to their future successors in the top two picks in the 2015 draft, Garnett to Karl-Anthony Towns and Bryant to D'Angelo Russell.


Towns leads all rookies with 25 double-doubles and has notched one in each of Minnesota's four consecutive losses, with the 20-year-old following Friday's season-high 32-point, 12-rebound effort at Utah with 21 and 13 in Sunday's 96-93 defeat at Portland.


'It's nice to lead the league in double-doubles for rookies, but I'd rather lead with wins,' he said. 'I'm not too happy about that."


Second-year guard Zach LaVine is on a productive run as well, averaging 22.3 points during the losing streak and recording a season-high 35 in Wednesday's 126-123 loss to Golden State.


Russell's transition hasn't gone as smoothly and he's struggled of late, shooting 31.8 percent and averaging 7.0 points off the bench in his last three.


The 19-year-old did score 23 points, and fellow youngster Julius Randle had 20 with 12 rebounds in a Dec. 9 matchup at Minnesota, though the Lakers couldn't overcome Kevin Martin's 37 points and Towns' 26 and 14 rebounds in a 123-122 overtime loss.


Martin, who'll miss a fifth straight game with an injured right wrist, had 23 points and Ricky Rubio amassed 28 and 14 assists in Minnesota's 112-111 victory at Staples Center in the Oct. 28 opener.

Preview: Raptors (32-16) at Suns (14-35)
Date: February 02, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

Jeff Hornacek wasn't responsible for the multiple injuries or the combative personality of Markieff Morris. What ultimately concerned Phoenix Suns management was the fact his message no longer resonated with players.


The team's rapid decline cost Hornacek his job, leaving interim coach Earl Watson to lead a battered group hoping to make the most of a lost season.


One of the Suns' rare victories came against the Toronto Raptors, who visit Tuesday night for Watson's debut looking to hand the Suns a 20th loss in their last 22 games.


General manager Ryan McDonough and owner Robert Sarver had high hopes in Hornacek's third season after he went 48-34 in 2013-14 before slipping to 39-43 last season. But despite signing Tyson Chandler in the offseason and having an explosive backcourt of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, the Suns (14-35) failed to live up to expectations.


Chandler is averaging what would be a career worst of 5.7 points, and his 8.4 rebounds would be his fewest since 2009-10. Bledsoe is done after suffering a season-ending right knee injury in an embarrassing loss to NBA-worst Philadelphia on Dec. 26.


Knight has missed the last six games with a groin strain and is expected to be out until after the All-Star break, and the situation with Morris remains contentious.


Morris, upset when the Suns traded his twin Marcus to Detroit in the offseason, has made it clear he's unhappy in Phoenix and was suspended two games after throwing a towel at Hornacek in the fourth quarter of a loss to Denver on Dec. 23.


Management fired assistants Jerry Sichting and Mike Longabardi on Dec. 28 while deciding to give Hornacek another chance. Watson was promoted from the club's NBA Developmental League team that same day to assist Hornacek.


Although the odds seemingly were stacked against Hornacek, McDonough finally saw enough after Sunday's 91-78 loss to Dallas - the Suns' 14th straight on the road. Hornacek was fired after their conversation, and Watson was named interim coach Monday.


"This definitely has been a tough season, but I feel like there has to be some positives that come out of this," Chandler said.


Watson is only 36 years old and played the last of his 13 NBA seasons with Portland in '13-14. He's the latest in a line of recently retired players to try his hand at coaching, but whether he'll succeed and earn the job full-time remains to be seen.


Phoenix ranks last in the league in field-goal percentage defense at 47.3 and has lost by an average of 15.8 points during a four-game losing streak.


Watson's debut, though, comes against a Raptors team Phoenix has beaten in four of the last five meetings, including a 107-102 victory in Toronto on Nov. 29.


The Atlantic Division-leading Raptors (32-16) were the league's hottest team prior to Monday, but they began a six-game trip by snapping their 11-game winning streak with a 112-93 loss to Denver.


DeMar DeRozan, who scored 29 points in the first meeting with the Suns, finished with 24, but Kyle Lowry was held to 10 and went 3 of 12 from the field. Lowry averaged 23.5 points over his previous four.


"You can describe it any way you want to," coach Dwane Casey said. "That was a stinker. That was one of our worst performances of the year. We played like we were playing in mud. We stunk."


James Johnson left in the second quarter because of a sprained left ankle and his status for this contest is unclear.