Detroit At Chicago
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 31, 2013
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Detroit, WGN (Chicago)
PREDICTION: Bulls 95, Pistons 88

Oddsmakers currently have the Bulls listed as 9-point favorites versus the Pistons, while the game’s total is sitting at 187.

Detroit coach Lawrence Frank called his team’s performance Friday against Toronto “embarrassing,” pointing particularly to a third quarter in which the Pistons were outscored 36-15. It wasn’t all bad for Detroit, though, as rookie Andre Drummond returned after missing 22 games because of a stress fracture in his lower back and scored 17 points in 19 minutes. The Pistons could be without another one of their solid young players, though, with guard Brandon Knight listed as doubtful after injuring his ankle against the Raptors.

Detroit lost its last outing, a 99-82 result against the Raptors on March 29. The Pistons failed to cover in that game as a 1.5-point favorite, while the 181 combined points took the game UNDER the total.

Team record: 24-49 SU, 32-41 ATS
Current streak: lost 2 straight games.

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of last 5 games
is 5-12 ATS in its last 17 games
is 4-17-1 ATS in its last 22 games when playing Chicago

When playing on Sunday are 2-8
Before playing Toronto are 2-8
After playing Toronto are 5-5
After a loss are 1-9

The Bulls have held their own with some of their top players sidelined – Marco Belinelli (strained abdominal muscle), Richard Hamilton (back spasms) and Joakim Noah (foot) all sat out Saturday – but they missed having their stars down the stretch against Dallas, as the Mavericks overcame a 12-point deficit in the final four minutes. “This was a tough loss,” guard Kirk Hinrich told reporters. “We just didn’t finish it out.” Noah and Belinelli could return against the Pistons.

Chicago lost its last outing, a 100-98 result against the Mavericks on March 30. The Bulls covered in that game as a 5.5-point underdog, while the 198 combined points took the game OVER the total.

Team record: 39-32 SU, 33-38 ATS

is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
is 17-4-1 ATS in its last 22 games when playing Detroit

When playing on Sunday are 4-6
Before playing Washington are 7-3
After playing Dallas are 7-3
After a loss are 6-4

The post Detroit Pistons vs. Chicago Bulls Free Betting Pick & Matchup appeared first on IdealCapper.

Charlotte At Boston
When: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, March 16, 2013
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Charlotte), Comcast SportsNet New England (Boston)
PREDICTION: Celtics 98, Bobcats 81

Oddsmakers currently have the Celtics listed as 14-point favorites versus the Bobcats, while the game’s total is sitting at 190.

Charlotte looked like something much better than the team with the worst record in the NBA on Tuesday, getting a career-high 35 points from Gerald Henderson and a double-double from Josh McRoberts while holding Boston to 28 second-half points in the easy win. Whatever was working in that game went away at the start of a two-game trip on Friday. The Bobcats were outscored 23-10 in the fourth quarter and shot 32.5 percent in the 92-78 loss at Toronto. The bright spots were again Henderson (22 points) and McRoberts (10 and nine rebounds), two players who are getting long looks in the final weeks of the regular season as the team evaluates the roster.

In their last action, Charlotte was a 92-78 loser on the road against the Raptors. They failed to cover the 12.5-point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (170) was profitable news for UNDER bettors.

Charlotte:
Team record: 14-51 SU, 21-44 ATS

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of last 14 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of last 22 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston

When playing on Saturday are 3-7
Before playing Washington are 2-8
After playing Toronto are 3-7
After a loss are 1-9

Boston is 23-9 at home, 12-20 on the road and would love to jump up into the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference to get at least one round of home-court advantage in the playoffs. The Celtics are sitting in seventh place, 2 1/2 games shy of No. 4 Brooklyn and 3 1/2 behind the third-place New York Knicks. Pierce scored 19 points and Rajon Rondo recorded a triple-double to lead the way in a 100-89 home win over the Bobcats on Jan. 14. Boston was finishing up a stretch of 10 road games in 13 contests on Tuesday and looked weary from all the travel. Pierce got the night off to rest and Kevin Garnett played just over 20 minutes. The Celtics showed more life on Wednesday, getting 20 points from Jeff Green and 15 from Pierce in the 112-88 victory.

Last time out for Boston, they were a 112-88 winner as they battled the Raptors at home. The Celtics covered in the match as a 5-point favorite, while 200 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors.

Boston:
Team record: 35-29 SU, 30-31-3 ATS

is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Charlotte
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of last 5 games when playing Charlotte
is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games

When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing Miami are 5-5
After playing Toronto are 7-3
After a win are 6-4

The post Charlotte Bobcats vs. Boston Celtics Free Betting Pick & Matchup appeared first on IdealCapper.

Irving, who has dealt with several injuries during his brief NBA career, sprained his shoulder Sunday night in a loss to Toronto. He collided with Raptors rookie forward Jonas Valanciunas while trying to drive the baseline. Irving stayed in the game, but was taken out after he was unable to raise his left arm while shooting free throws.

The Cavaliers said an MRI revealed a left AC (acromioclavicular) sprain. He is projected to miss 3 to 4 weeks, but the Cavs have just 19 games left this season, so it’s possible Irving will not play again.

Cavs coach Byron Scott would not speculate if Irving’s season is over.

“We’ll have to wait until it’s completely healed and then just go from there,” Scott said after Monday’s practice.

Irving has already missed 14 games this season with a broken index finger and hyperextended knee. He broke his right hand last summer when he punched a padded wall during a practice in Las Vegas. He missed 14 games last season — four with a concussion and 10 with a sprained right shoulder — when he was chosen the league’s top rookie.

Irving played with a broken jaw earlier this season, wearing a protective mask.

Despite the injuries, Scott doesn’t believe his young star is fragile.

“He’s still very young and his body hasn’t fully developed,” Scott said. “I’m just not that concerned about it, to be honest with you,” Scott said. “All the injuries that he has gotten have been legitimate injuries. It’s not something that keeps recurring over and over again.”

Irving played just 11 games as a freshman at Duke because of a toe injury.

The post Kyrie Irving out 3-4 weeks appeared first on IdealCapper.

He was expected to be in the lineup Monday night against the New York Knicks. The Spanish-born point guard had been unable to play for his new team because of unresolved visa issues.

Detroit acquired Calderon from Toronto as part of a three-team trade last Wednesday that included the Pistons trading Tayshaun Prince to Memphis and the Grizzlies dealing Rudy Gay to the Raptors. Calderon couldn’t play for the Pistons on Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers or Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The post Jose Calderon OK’d for Monday debut appeared first on IdealCapper.

Gasol was a substitute Thursday after missing five games with a concussion. Earl Clark started at power forward in Gasol’s place in the Lakers’ 99-90 loss to the Miami Heat.

D’Antoni initially framed the lineup shift as a decision based on Gasol’s conditioning and said on Thursday the Spaniard would “probably” return to the starting lineup Sunday when the Lakers begin a three-game road trip in Toronto.

The coach changed his tune a bit on Friday when discussing Gasol’s role.

“My job is to put the best team on the floor,” D’Antoni said after admitting that he had not yet decided if Gasol or Clark would start against the Raptors. “If I feel like (starting Gasol is) the best way to go, then we’ll go that way. If I don’t, it’s nothing personal. It’s just that I got to do what I think is right. I think every player has to accept what is right, whether they like it or not. So, that’s the bottom line.

“Now, does he deserve to start? Yeah, he does. He’s been here a long time and probably that will happen, but if it doesn’t, then you know what? You got to go on. You got to contribute. You got teammates to think about. You got the Lakers to think about. You got to do whatever is best for the Lakers. Whether we agree or not, then that’s something else, we can agree to disagree. My job is to try to get the best team on the floor all the time and make it work. That doesn’t mean I’m not including him. I just mean, that’s my job.”

Gasol, who helped the Lakers win back-to-back championships alongside Kobe Bryant, stated why he should continue to remain with the first unit.

“I’ve never come off the bench in my career,” Gasol said. “(Thursday) was my first game off the bench with the Lakers, maybe a couple other games due to injuries, but that’s it. I’ve been a starter my entire career. I’ve been a star starter my entire career, so I want to continue to be a star starter.”

Gasol was in the starting lineup for the first 345 games he played with the Lakers before coming off the bench against Miami. The 12-year veteran has started 815 of the 822 games he’s played in his career.

When Gasol started the first 25 games he played in this season, he was a far cry from the “star starter” he’s been in the past. Gasol is averaging career lows in points per game (12.2) and field goal percentage (42.0 percent) this season.

D’Antoni told reporters that who starts is inconsequential.

“Starting does not matter,” D’Antoni said. “Starting does not matter, so, that’s kind of a moot point. Now, the last 10 minutes of the game or eight minutes of a game, that matters.”

Gasol had 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting along with four rebounds and four assists against the Heat. He played just 25 minutes, but was on the court for all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter.

“I think the finishing is more important,” Gasol agreed. “I think the best players should finish off games. That’s just the way it’s got to be. When the game is on the line, you want to be on the floor. That’s more important.”

Still, Gasol did not sound comfortable relinquishing his starting spot.

“I guess,” Gasol said when asked if he would accept coming off the bench but still playing the lion’s share of the minutes at power forward. “There’s ways to work it out if it’s absolutely necessary or mandatory.”

One Lakers big man who is clearly entrenched in the starting lineup is Dwight Howard.

While Howard’s spot with the first five won’t change, former Laker Robert Horry would like the center’s demeanor to. Horry, now an analyst for Time Warner Cable SportsNet, told ESPNLA 710 radio’s “Max & Marcellus Show” this week that Howard needs to be “more focused” and needs to drop his all-smiles act.

What does D’Antoni think of the criticism?

“One, I don’t think about it,” D’Antoni said. “Two, I don’t think it’s fair. Three, that’s cool, it makes nice talk and stuff but everybody is his own personality. If you want him to be something else, he’s not going to be that.

“So, he’s productive. He’s the three-time defensive player of the year. He’s been to the Finals. Can he make some more steps? Yeah. He can get better. He’s working hard every day. But, don’t beat up somebody because he’s a fun-loving kind of guy and then beat up on the guy that’s snarly and has a bad a scowl on his face. He is who he is. He’s a good person and that’s all you can go from. Somebody may like it, somebody may not, but that’s the way it is.”

Horry’s comments only provided more material for Howard to joke about. When Howard approached a pack of reporters on Friday he announced, “Nobody better smile, Robert Horry said not to,” before sitting down to answer questions.

The post Pau Gasol may come off bench appeared first on IdealCapper.

Miami At Orlando
When: 5:00 PM ET, Monday, December 31, 2012
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Prediction: Heat 105, Magic 88.

Oddsmakers currently have the Heat listed as 9½-point favorites versus the Magic, while the game’s total is sitting at 193½.

Dwyane Wade returned from a one-game suspension in time for the game in Milwaukee and scored 24 points, but it was not enough. LeBron James added 26 points, but no one else had more than 12 and the Heat were outscored by 21 in the fourth quarter. Miami has struggled at times on the defensive end but appeared to have everything come together on the winning streak, during which opponents managed an average of 89.5 points. But that defense has taken a hit in the last two games, with lowly Detroit shooting 58.1 percent in a 109-99 loss and the Bucks exploding in the fourth quarter on Saturday.

Miami lost its last outing, a 104-85 result against the Bucks on December 29. The Heat failed to cover in that game as a 4.5-point favorite, while the 189 combined points took the game UNDER the total.

Davis was joined on the sidelines by starting point guard Jameer Nelson (hip) and his backup, E’Twuan Moore (elbow), on Saturday. None of the three practiced on Sunday, and Nelson and Moore will be game-time decisions for Monday’s contest. Davis is expected to miss at least another two weeks. The upside to the injuries has been increased playing time for rookies Andrew Nicholson and Moe Harkless. Nicholson went for a career-high 22 points in the loss on Saturday after moving into the starting lineup for just the second time.

Last time out for Orlando, they were a 123-88 loser as they battled the Raptors at home. The Magic failed to cover in the match as a 3-point favorite, while 211 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors.

Miami:
Team record: 20-8 SU, 15-13 ATS
Current streak: lost 2 straight games.

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of last 5 games
is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of last 7 games when playing on the road against Orlando
is 8-16-1 ATS in its last 25 games when playing Orlando

When playing on Monday are 5-5
Before playing Dallas are 6-4
After playing Milwaukee are 9-1
After a loss are 7-3

Orlando:
Team record: 12-18 SU, 15-15 ATS
Current streak: lost 5 straight games.

is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Miami
The total has gone OVER in 4 of last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of last 5 games at home
is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing Miami

When playing on Monday are 6-4
Before playing Chicago are 8-2
After playing Toronto are 3-7
After a loss are 3-7

The post Miami Heat vs. Orlando Magic Free Basketball Pick & Matchup appeared first on IdealCapper.