NBA: Pre-Break TNT Twinbill (8:05 PM ET, TNT)
Excuse NBA viewers if they are unenthusiastic about tonight’s opening TNT tilt and more drawn to the nitecap
2008-02-14
Excuse NBA viewers if they are unenthusiastic about tonight’s opening TNT tilt and more drawn to the nitecap. Still, both games offer great wagering opportunities at Sportsbook as early Betting Trends action finds heavy leans to Miami & Phoenix.
Miami at Chicago sure looked better at the end of October then it does today. The second game is a case of “all hands on deck”, as Dallas tries to trade for Kidd and Phoenix wants to have its new “Diesel” start to roll.
Both games qualify bettors for the Beat the House promotion with wagers of $20 or more. See the PROMOTIONS page for details.
Newly acquired Shawn Marion of the Miami Heat (9-41, 18-31-1 ATS) is playing with the energy that was lacking from time to time in Phoenix, especially in the last month. The change of scenery has Marion averaging 19 points and 16 rebounds in his first two games and giving Dwayne Wade another competent NBA player to run with. Wade has seemed revitalized by the addition of Marion. After a five-game stretch in which he averaged just 16.6 points on 37.7 percent shooting, Wade has scored 24.0 and dished out 9.5 assists in his last two contests.
Both games stilled ended up being losses, thus at this point, Miami is still one of the worst teams in the NBA and has a long way to go. The Heat will try to bring a little, to frosty Chicago. Bookmaker.com has Miami listed as 3.5-point underdogs with a total of 191.5. Miami has been a treacherous wager no matter who they have played and are 4-16 ATS when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
The Bulls (20-31, 21-30 ATS) were expected to compete for a Central Division title; instead they are trying to stay out of last place. Discontent, injuries and bad shooting, you name it, this has occurred in the Windy City. Chicago players tuned out former coach Scott Skiles and he was jettisoned. Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Kirk Henrich, have all missed long stretches with one injury or another. Even before this trio was hurt, the Bulls players looked like they trying to make shots into the basket from the top of the Hancock Building, in being last in shooting percentage in the league almost all season.
Chicago has lost seven of 10 (6-4 ATS) for interim coach Jim Boylan, including the last two and are 7-17 ATS after playing two consecutive games as an underdog. Possibly the Bulls can exploit Miami, who is even worse in a similar trend with 2-12 ATS mark, after playing three consecutive games as an underdog this season.
Any self-help book will talk about living in the present and prepare for the future. Both Dallas (35-17, 22-28-2 ATS) and Phoenix (36-16, 23-27-2 ATS) are living examples of taking the first part of that thought process to heart. Dallas is trying to bring back _ason Kidd (He was known by this in Dallas, since he had no “J” i.e. jumpshot) to make a run at a title in the West. Devean George of all people is holding up the trade with a clause in his contract. George blocked the trade, unwilling to give up his "early Bird rights," a provision earned by being in his second year and on his second contract with the Mavericks.
"We're not trying to hold things up or be difficult, but just like teams make tough decisions all the time - about cutting players or making trades - they do what's best for their team, and it's my obligation to do what's best for Devean," his agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Wednesday night. George actually started last night for Dallas in trouncing of Portland 96-76, thou not lending much of hand is going 0-11 in 33 minutes. Gulp. The Mavericks easy win is not a precursor necessarily for better results, with 7-16-1 ATS record off a win.
Phoenix to working Shaquille O’Neal hard, looking to have him in Suns uniform right after the All-Star break. This is Steve Nash team and like Shaq, is not getting any younger. General Manager Steve Kerr understands this and made the deal for O’Neal. While the trade has received mixed reviews, in truth Phoenix probably needed a big man to advance to NBA finals. Even playing shorthanded, the Suns have the second best record in the Western Conference behind New Orleans and are 8-3-1 ATS playing against teams with winning records.
Dallas has won five of last seven games, including closing out Phoenix in 2006 playoffs. The Mavericks are 3-13 ATS in road games vs. teams with a winning percentage of at least .600, while the Suns have been colder then a pre-dawn desert morning with 2-9-1 ATS mark against teams like Dallas with losing road record.
The last two contests in the NBA before the break commence at 8:05 Eastern on TNT.
StatFox Power Line – Chicago by 11, Phoenix by 4
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