NBA CAPSULES – EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE NBA

by JEFF ALLEN SPORTS

CLEVELAND (AP) – LeBron James scored 25 points as the Miami Heat overcame a 27-point deficit in the third quarter and won their 24th straight game, 98-95 over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night to extend the second-longest winning streak in NBA history.

The Heat are within nine games of matching the record of 33 consecutive wins held by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.

James and his teammates have insisted the record isn’t one of their goals, and for more than 30 minutes the defending champions seemed disinterested and on the verge of losing for the first time since Feb. 1. Miami trailed 67-40 with 7:44 left in the third quarter.

But behind the irrepressible James, who added 12 rebounds and 10 assists, the Heat inched closer to history by matching the biggest comeback in the NBA this season, according to STATS.

James had 14 points in the fourth as Miami completed its second straight comeback. The Heat rallied from 17 down – 13 in the fourth quarter – to beat Boston 105-103 Monday night and snap a tie with the 2007-08 Houston Rockets for the second-longest winning streak in NBA history.

Although the Cavs were missing All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Anderson Varejao – their top three scorers – they pushed Miami to the limit.

It wasn’t until James, playing his fourth game back in Cleveland since leaving as a free agent in 2010, made two free throws with 4.7 seconds left that Miami could relax a little. The Cavs had one last chance to tie it, but C.J. Miles was long with a 3-pointer in the final second, letting Miami off the hook.

GRIZZLIES 90, THUNDER 89, OT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Marc Gasol tipped in Zach Randolph’s miss with less than a second left in overtime, lifting the Grizzlies to the win.

In a game that had all the intensity of a playoff matchup, Jerryd Bayless connected from the top of the key for Memphis with 3.7 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 83. Bayless had 10 points in the fourth quarter.

After Gasol’s tip over Kevin Durant put the Grizzlies ahead, Russell Westbrook’s desperation shot from past halfcourt was off the mark and Memphis walked away with its 16th victory in 19 games.

Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with 24 points and Bayless had 20.

Durant led the Thunder with 32 points, including 15 in the third quarter.

KNICKS 106, MAGIC 94

NEW YORK (AP) – Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points to lead New York over Orlando after missing the previous three games with a knee injury.

J.R. Smith had 22 points for New York, still short-handed in the frontcourt but looking much better with Anthony back. The NBA’s second-leading scorer hadn’t played since leaving the Knicks’ road trip last week to have fluid drained from the back of his right knee.

He said he felt much better after the morning shootaround and moved much better, shooting 7 of 14 and grabbing eight rebounds.

The Knicks shot 53 percent and won their second straight after dropping the first four games of their five-game trip. All-Star center Tyson Chandler is expected to miss about a week with a bulging disk, and reserve forwards Amare Stoudemire, Rasheed Wallace and Kurt Thomas all could miss the rest of the regular season. But New York had no trouble despite using a small lineup that featured 6-foot-9 Kenyon Martin as the center.

Tobias Harris and Andrew Nicholson each scored 14 points for the Magic in their fifth straight loss. They played without center Nikola Vucevic because of an illness in the second night of a difficult back-to-back, after losing by 22 at Indiana on Tuesday.

New York beat Orlando for the sixth straight time and swept the season series for the first time since 1997-98.

HAWKS 98, BUCKS 90

ATLANTA (AP) – Jeff Teague scored 27 points and Al Horford had 26, taking control after a sluggish first quarter to lead Atlanta past Milwaukee.

Teague scored 11 points in the second quarter and a dozen more in the third as the Hawks pushed out to a 77-59 lead. Horford scored 10 points in the final period and finished with 15 rebounds, stepping up to help the Hawks hold off a Milwaukee comeback.

Led by Brandon Jennings with 21 points, the Bucks closed to 94-90. But Jennings missed a free throw that could have made it a one-possession game, then came up short on a tough jumper with Teague in his face. Josh Smith clinched it by making two free throws with 27.9 seconds left.

Smith also had a double-double, scoring just 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting but helping out with a season-high 16 rebounds. Devin Harris added 15 points.

BOBCATS 107, RAPTORS 101

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Byron Mullens scored 25 points, Gerald Henderson had another solid all-around game and Charlotte beat Toronto to win consecutive games for the first time since mid-November.

Mullens scored 12 points in the fourth quarter. The reserve made his final eight free throws, including four with less than 13 seconds to go as Charlotte won its third straight at home.

Henderson scored 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting and added seven rebounds and five assists, continuing the best stretch of his four-year NBA career. He has scored at least 20 points in five of the last seven games.

Rudy Gay had 25 points and DeMar DeRozan added 19 points for the Raptors, who have lost seven of their last eight in Charlotte and fell to 9-25 on the road.

Ben Gordon finished with 16 points for the Bobcats and Josh McRoberts had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

NETS 113, MAVERICKS 96

DALLAS (AP) – Brook Lopez led Brooklyn with 38 points and Deron Williams had 31 in his first visit to Dallas since spurning his hometown team in free agency.

Williams scored 26 in the second half, repeatedly hitting shots and occasionally assisting on a basket by Lopez to prevent a Dallas rally in the fourth quarter.

Williams also hit a fadeaway jumper after a blocked shot by Lopez, running to his bench with a big smile after Dallas called timeout with the Nets up 97-88 midway through the fourth. The Mavericks didn’t get closer than six after that.

Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 16 points and had a team-high six rebounds, compared to 22 boards for Reggie Evans of the Nets, who outrebounded the Mavericks 45-34.

HORNETS 87, CELTICS 86

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Anthony Davis outreached Kevin Garnett and Jeff Green for a last-second tip-in, and the Hornets snapped a four-game skid.

Davis, who missed the morning shootaround with an illness, finished with nine points and eight rebounds. Ryan Anderson scored 21 points and Eric Gordon had 18 for the Hornets.

Paul Pierce scored 11 of his 28 points in the last six minutes to nearly lead Boston back from a nine-point deficit, but missed a jumper with 16 seconds left that could have put the Celtics up by three.

Garnett, returning from a two-game absence caused by a left thigh injury and the flu, had 20 points – not quite enough to prevent a second straight loss.

SPURS 104, WARRIORS 93

SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Tim Duncan had 25 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four blocks, leading San Antonio to the win.

Tiago Splitter added 17 points, Manu Ginobili had 16 points and seven assists and fellow reserve Nando De Colo had 10 points for San Antonio (52-16), which is second to Miami (53-14) for the league’s best record.

Stephen Curry had 24 points for Golden State (39-31), which remains sixth in the West. Harrison Barnes added 13 points, Jarrett Jack had 14, David Lee finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Duncan was 11 for 17 from the field. It was his 13th game of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds this season.

ROCKETS 100, JAZZ 93

HOUSTON (AP) – James Harden scored 29 points to help Houston improved its positioning in the Western Conference playoff race.

Jeremy Lin added 24 for the Rockets, who currently hold the No. 7 spot in the West. They lead the idle Los Angeles Lakers by 1 1/2 games and are three ahead of the sliding Jazz.

The Rockets led by 19 points after three quarters and withstood a late surge by the Jazz to hold on for the victory.

Utah has lost 10 of its last 13 games. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 27 points and Al Jefferson added 18 points and 11 rebounds.

NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND BETTING: MISSOURI VS. COLORADO STATE

by JEFF ALLEN SPORTS

Missouri looks to put last year’s stunning upset to 15^th-seeded Norfolk State to rest when it faces Colorado State in an NCAA Tournament 8-9 game on Thursday night.

Line: Missouri -3, Total: 142.5

ATS Information

The ninth-seeded Tigers didn’t match the 30 wins they put up entering the tournament a year ago, but they’re still a well-balanced veteran team. They have dropped two of their past three, SU, despite being favored each time, and were just 6-10 SU away from home on the season. And while Colorado State enters having won three of four SU, the Rams have failed to cover in their past three games and have lost five in a row SU (1-4 ATS) as an underdog.

Missouri couldn’t quite duplicate last season’s success despite a move from the Big 12 to the weaker SEC. After shooting 39.8% behind the arc a year ago, the team shot just 34.0% this season. And after featuring a deep rotation of scorers on the perimeter in 2011-12, they couldn’t find a consistent outside threat this season. PG Phil Pressey (11.6 PPG, 7.1 APG) has struggled to shoot all year (37.6% FG, 31.6% threes), especially on the road (36.1% FG, 27.5% threes). The Tigers did feature a more conventional frontcourt this season though, with PF Laurence Bowers (14.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG) coming off a redshirt year and C Alex Oriakhi (11.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) transferring from Connecticut. Slashing wing Keion Bell (11.1 PPG, 52.8% FG), a transfer from Pepperdine, had some moments in February (five 20-point performances in nine games that month) but really cooled off since then, going for a total of seven points on 2-for-10 FG and 0-for-5 from three over two SEC Tournament games. And head coach Frank Haith has just one NCAA Tournament win in his eight seasons as a head coach with both Missouri and Miami-FL.

Colorado State is arguably the best rebounding team in the tournament, finishing second in the nation in offensive rebounding rate and first in keeping opponents off the offensive glass. Unlike a lot of mid-major programs, the Rams have an elite big man in Colton Iverson (14.7 PPG on 60% FG, 9.8 RPG), a 6-foot-10, 260-pound transfer from Minnesota who had 24 points and 16 boards in the Mountain West Tournament semifinal loss at UNLV. The Rams are efficient offensively thanks to the second chance points, but like Missouri CSU doesn’t shoot well from the perimeter, hitting just 33.2% of its threes on the season. Senior combo guard Wes Eikmeier (12.7 PPG) led the team in shot attempts for a second straight season, but made just 37.6% FG. He managed to get to the line with regularity over his past three games, where he’s an excellent free-throw shooter (90.2% on the season, 21-for-22 in past 3 games). That allowed him to score 17.0 PPG despite making just 31.7% FG.

Source: Statfox

BIG TEN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT – CHAMPIONSHIP: WISCONSIN VS. OHIO STATE

by JEFF ALLEN SPORTS

Two of the best defensive teams in the country will play for the Big Ten Championship on Sunday when No. 10 Ohio State battles No. 22 Wisconsin.

Line: Ohio State -1, Total: 117

The Badgers defense has been outstanding in this tournament so far, holding both No. 6 Michigan (75.2 PPG) and No. 2 Indiana (80.8 PPG) to less than 60 points. Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s erratic offense has been solid in the two victories with 68.0 PPG on 44.3% FG and 15-of-40 threes (38%). The Buckeyes have also clamped down on teams all season, especially lately where they have limited opponents to a paltry 54.1 PPG during their current seven-game SU win streak (6-1 ATS). This stellar defense has been vital, as the offense has reached 70 points just once in the past six games. These schools are meeting for the third time this season, splitting the first two contests with each team winning in its home building. OSU took the first meeting on Jan. 29 by a 58-49 score, but Wisconsin returned the favor with a 71-49 blowout in Madison. Since 2006, these schools have split 16 meetings evenly (8-8 SU) with Ohio State holding a slight 9-7 ATS advantage during this stretch.

Wisconsin has struggled outside of Madison this season with a record of 8-7 SU (5-9-1 ATS), but the team has played well since the start of February with a 9-3 SU (7-4-1 ATS) mark. The Badgers have gotten contributions from all their key players during their Big Ten Tournament run. PF Ryan Evans has 14.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 5.0 APG and 2.0 BPG in the two victories, while SG Ben Brust has 13.0 PPG (6-of-12 threes) and 5.5 PPG in Chicago. C Jared Berggren has 9.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 2.5 BPG, making all four of his shots in Saturday’s victory, and SF Sam Dekker bounced back from an 0-for-4 day against Michigan with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting versus Indiana. All four players have also been heard from in the season series with Ohio State, as Brust had 15 points (6-of-11 FG) and 11 rebounds in the Feb. 17 win, and Evans had nine points and five boards in that victory, which was a huge improvement from his 1-for-10 shooting night in Columbus on Jan. 29. Berggren performed well in both games with 11 points and nine boards in the road loss, and 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in the home win. Decker had just five points at OSU, but chipped in 13 points in the most recent meeting.

Since losing badly at Wisconsin on Feb. 17, Ohio State hasn’t dropped a single game, winning its seven straight contests by an average score of 67 to 54, with the only non-cover during this run coming in a 10-point win at 10.5-point underdog Northwestern. The Buckeyes are 9-5 SU (8-6 ATS) in non-home games this season, but have gone 6-2 SU in their past eight road/neutral games. PF Deshaun Thomas has been a scoring machine with 14+ points in each of his past 13 games, averaging 19.0 PPG during this stretch, and 17.5 PPG in the Big Ten Tournament. This run started with 25 points against Wisconsin on Jan. 29 and continued with 18 points in Madison on Feb. 17. PG Aaron Craft is coming off a sensational effort in Saturday’s semifinal win with 20 points (9-of-13 FG), nine assists, four steals and just two turnovers. He also had a strong game at home versus the Badgers (13 points, seven rebounds), but made just 2-of-9 shots for four points at Wisconsin last month. SG Lenzelle Smith Jr. continues to misfire this month with just 5.3 PPG on 9-of-30 FG (1-of-8 threes) in the three games. He hasn’t done much against the Badgers this season either, scoring only 5.5 PPG on 4-of-8 shooting. SF Sam Thompson hadn’t scored in double-digits in any of his team’s five straight wins before exploding on Friday for a career-best 19 points on 8-of-9 FG (3-of-4 threes). He followed that up with eight points on Saturday. Although he was held scoreless (0-for-1 FG) in the win over the Badgers, he contributed 10 points on 5-of-7 FG in the February defeat.

Source: Statfox

KOBE-LESS LAKERS TRAVEL TO INDIANA ON FRIDAY

by TYLER WOGALTER

Last Meeting: The Pacers defeated the Lakers 79-77 in Los Angeles on 11/27/12

Line: Pacers -9.5, Total: 190

The Lakers’ last game on Wednesday ended with two losses, a 96-92 defeat to the Hawks and the loss of Kobe Bryant to a sprained left ankle, possibly for the duration of the year. Bryant is listed as being out indefinitely, meaning he will not be playing in Indiana against the Pacers on Friday at 7:00 ET. Prior to Wednesday, the Lake Show had won 6 of their last 7 games and pushed their record to over .500 on the season. Meanwhile, the Pacers have established themselves as a force in the Eastern Conference. While no team in the league can seemingly touch the Miami Heat, the Pacers appear to be the frontrunners to give them a challenge in the postseason.

Currently, the Pacers are sitting in the 2^nd spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and are one game up on the Knicks. While not impossible, it seems unlikely that Indiana will be able to overtake Miami for the top spot as they are 9 ½ game behind with 18 games remaining. The Lakers have fought their way to the 8^th seed in the West, but will have to keep up their winning ways if they want a chance to upset the Spurs or Thunder in the first round. Los Angeles is only a half-game ahead of Utah for the final spot in the postseason.

Betting Information

Indiana is 40-24 straight up and 36-28 against the spread on the season. At home, the Pacers are 26-7 SU and 20-13 ATS. Against the total, Indiana is 35-29 Under and are averaging 94.2 PPG.

Los Angeles has a record of 34-32 SU and 27-39 ATS. While playing on the road, the Lakers are 12-21 both SU and ATS. Against the total, Los Angeles is 34-31 Over on the year and are putting up 102.4 PPG.

Injuries

Kobe wasn’t the only Laker who sprained an ankle against the Hawks on Wednesday. Earl Clark is listed as day-to-day, but is expected to play on Friday in Indiana. Clark is averaging 7.9 PPG and 6 RPG on the season.

What to watch for

This game features two of the top five rebounding teams in the league, with the Pacers averaging a league high 45.6 RPG and the Lakers grabbing 44.6 RPG, good for 4^th in the league. Look for both teams to play aggressive near the hoop and battle for each bound.

Pacers forward Paul George has emerged as one of the best young players in the game. In only his third season in the league, George is putting up 17.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 4 APG. Look for George to score at will and dominate this game with a double-double.

Over the past four games, Steve Nash has upped his scoring and is averaging 15 PPG. The Lakers will certainly need some added offense with the Black Mamba out of service. Nash is scoring 12.4 PPG and 6.7 APG on the year.

The pick

Even though the Lakers have played much better in the second half of the season, I don’t like their chances on the road without Kobe Bryant. Not many teams come away with a victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and I don’t believe a banged up Lakers squad can pull out a win in Indiana. With the Pacers playing at such a high level, this game could get out of control early if the Lake Show can’t get motivated without #24 on the floor. Look for this to be a physical game down low, the total to go Under and for the Pacers to cover, 96-83.

Source: ESPN

DAILY FREE PICK: KNICKS VS. TRAILBLAZERS

by ODDSFATHER STAFF

Both of these teams have lost and failed to cover in back to back games. Last game the Knicks were destroyed by Denver 117-94 while the Trailblazers recently lost to Memphis 102-97.

ATS Info

The Knicks are 38-24 straight up, 30-31-1 against the spread and 31-29-2 Under on the year. On the road the Knicks are 16-14 SU, 13-16-1 ATS and 15-13-2 Under.

The Trailblazers are 29-34 SU, 30-31-2 ATS and 35-28 Over on the year. At home they’re 20-11 SU, 17-12-2 ATS and 17-14 Over.

Amar’e Stoudemire had surgery this week and is out for the next 6 to 8 weeks. The Knicks also have Tyson Chandler more than likely on the bench after getting hurt in the last game Despite these injuries, the Knicks minus a couple of their best players are still as good or better than the Trailblazers at this point in the season.

Free Pick: Knicks +6

THE MAVS TRY TO STAY IN THE PLAYOFF HUNT AS THEY PLAY THE SPURS

by JEFF ALLEN SPORTS

The red-hot Mavericks try to avoid a season sweep from a Tony Parker-less Spurs team on Thursday night when they make the short trip to AT&T Center.

Line: San Antonio -9.5, Total: 206 (Track Line Movements)

Dallas has won four straight games (3-1 ATS), including the first three contests of its road trip that concludes on Thursday. The Mavs have scored 100+ points in all four victories, averaging 107.3 PPG on 50.4% FG (42% threes) during the win surge. San Antonio has been wildly inconsistent since its star point guard Parker suffered a knee injury on March 1. After winning three in a row, the Spurs lost by 30 at home to Portland, beat Oklahoma City by 12 and then got crushed by 24 points in Minnesota in their most recent game on Tuesday. San Antonio has dominated this series in the past three seasons with a 9-2 ATS mark (8-3 SU) including 4-1 (SU and ATS) against the Mavs at home. This includes a 3-0 (SU and ATS) record this season with the Spurs winning 129-91 in the lone meeting in San Antonio on Dec. 23, and then prevailing in Dallas by 25 points on Dec. 30 and by six points on Jan. 25. But the last time the Mavs were swept in this season series was 15 years ago, way back in 1997-98.

Dallas continues to produce big offensive numbers with 101.4 PPG (7th in NBA) on 45.7% FG (10th in league) and 37.1% threes (8th in NBA). But its defense ranks 4th-worst in the league with 102.3 PPG allowed despite respectable numbers of giving up just 44.4% FG and 36.1% threes. Much of this has to do with a soft interior that ranks 3rd-worst in the NBA with a minus-3.3 RPG margin. However, the team has made a bigger commitment on the boards recently, outrebounding its past two opponents by +9.0 RPG. PF Dirk Nowitzki (16.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG) has been red-hot during the team’s season-high-tying win streak with 17.3 PPG (52% FG) and 8.0 RPG in the four games. However, Nowitzki has been subpar in the season series with a mere 10.3 PPG and 5.0 RPG in the three meetings with the Spurs. SG Vince Carter (13.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG) has also played outstanding recently with six straight double-figure scoring games in March (17.2 PPG on 57% FG), which includes 22.5 PPG (8-of-11 threes) in his past two contests. Carter has 14.3 PPG on 53% FG in three meetings with San Antonio this season. SG O.J. Mayo (17.2 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.7 RPG) has been quiet in the season series (9.7 PPG on 38% FG), but has a well-rounded 15.3 PPG, 5.3 APG and 4.0 RPG in March. PG Darren Collison (12.2 PPG, 5.3 APG) has shot lights-out against the Spurs this season (15.3 PPG on 63% FG), but has struggled to score during the four-game win streak with a mere 8.8 PPG on 10-of-32 shooting (31%). The Mavs could be without SF Shawn Marion (11.7 PPG, 7.9 RPG), who has missed three straight games with a contusion in his left calf. Marion has been dreadful against the Spurs though, making just 3-of-16 shots in the season series.

The Spurs offense continues to roll with 104.4 PPG (4th in NBA) on 48.7% FG (2nd in league) and 38.0% threes (4th in NBA). Defensively, San Antonio is also better than most, allowing 96.3 PPG (11th in league) on 44.0% FG (8th in NBA) and 33.7% threes (4th in league). The Spurs have been nearly impossible to beat at AT&T Center this season, where they are 26-4 SU (17-11-2 ATS), including a 22-2 SU mark in the past 24 home tilts. Their poor showing in Minnesota on Tuesday had a lot to do with the absence of big men PF Tim Duncan (16.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG) and SF Kawhi Leonard (11.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG), who were left home as they deal with sore knees. Both players are listed as questionable for Thursday. Without the two starting forwards against the Wolves, the Spurs shot 35.4% FG and turned the ball over 17 times. SG Manu Ginobili (12.4 PPG, 4.5 APG) must play better for the Spurs to win, as he has shot a paltry 33% FG (3-for-15 threes) in his past three games. Ginobili has also been off the mark against Dallas this season with just 8.7 PPG on 44% FG, but has added 5.0 APG in the season series. SG Danny Green (10.7 PPG) has been outstanding versus the Mavs though, with 14.7 PPG on 62% FG. He’s also shot 52% FG and 52% threes in the month of March. C Tiago Splitter (10.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG) had a huge night in Monday’s win over Oklahoma City with 21 points (9-of-11 FG) and 10 rebounds, but was held to four points on 1-of-10 shooting in Tuesday’s defeat. He’s been solid versus Dallas this season though, with 10.3 PPG (53% FG) and 8.3 RPG in the three meetings.

Source: Statfox

ATLANTA HAWKS SOARING OVER THE LAKES OF LOS ANGELES

by KYLE ROESLER

Just ten days ago these two playoff contenders faced off, in what proved to be a nail biting finish. The Lakers defeated the Hawks by a score of 99-98 in the Staple Center. This time around the Hawks will stay in their nest as the Los Angeles Lakers flock to Atlanta.

The Lakers made some off season moves and acquired superstars, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, leading many to believe the dominance of the Lakers would continue, but thus far it is anything but. The Lakers have a straight up record of 34-31, which is shocking to the gambling world. The team is led by all-star Kobe Bryant, who is averaging 27.7 points a game and a 5.8 assist. The big man, Dwight Howard, has pulled down 12.3 rebounds and shoots 57.4%  from the field. Steve Nash has been able to aid the Lakers in their recent success by averaging 6.8 assist and 12.4 points a game. The Lakers are currently sitting in the last spot of the playoff race with a current win streak of 4.

The Hawks (34-29) have been soaring low as of lately, losing 5 of their last 6 games. The Hawks are currently tied for sixth in the Eastern conference playoff standings with Boston. The Hawks are led by Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Jeff Teague. Josh Smith is Atlanta’s do it all man as he averages 17.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.9 blocks a games. As Smith puts on a show,  Al Horford wastes no time scoring for the Hawks as he averages 17.4 points and 10.1 rebounds a game. Jeff Teague should be duly noted for his ability to amplify his teams potential by averaging 7 assists a game. The Hawks have been struggling, but with the Lakers meeting them at their end, maybe the Hawks will be able to set course once again.

Betting Information
The last time these two teams played each other the spread was set at +4.5 in favor of the Lakers, as the final outcome was 99-98. The over/under was set at 206.5 with the end result in under 197. Both teams record against the total are relatively even, which makes betting on this game difficult. With the playoffs approaching, be expecting both teams to come out swinging and the match up resulting in a close score.
This match the spread is set +1 in favor of Atlanta and a over/ under of 204.