Previewing Tuesday’s Atlanta Hawks at Miami Heat sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.
The Atlanta Hawks (6-17) visit the Miami Heat (17-6) Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET at AmericanAirlines Arena. We analyze the Hawks-Heat odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Both teams are coming off Sunday wins. The Hawks won at the Charlotte Hornets 122-107 with PG Trae Young leading the charge with 30 points and nine assists. They won two of three last week after enduring a 10-game losing streak.
The Heat, behind SG Tyler Herro’s 27 points and last-minute, go-ahead 3-pointer, beat the visiting Chicago Bulls 110-105 in overtime for a second consecutive win. Miami has won five of six, and 11 of 14.
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Hawks at Heat: Key injuries
Hawks
C Alex Len (flu) probable
PF John Collins suspension (eligible Dec. 23)
Heat
C Bam Adebayo (groin) questionable
PG Goran Dragic (groin) out
SF KZ Okpala (Achilles) questionable
SG Dion Waiters (illness) questionable
SF Justice Winslow (back) out
Hawks at Heat: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.
The Heat (-385) are 10-0 at home this season, explaining why they’re such a big ML favorite. Every $3.85 wagered profits only $1 on an outright win for Miami. One could bet $384.62 to win $100, but that’s just not “smart betting” – an NBA team is always one injury away from losing its advantage.
The Hawks (+290) offer nearly a 3-to-1 payoff where every $1 wagered would profit $2.90 (or $100 bet profits $290) if they win, but that’s not happening. Atlanta is 3-9 on the road. AVOID.
The HEAT (-9.5, +105) are the STRONGEST PLAY. Miami swept Atlanta in back-to-back games in late October by a combined 24 points (112-97 and 106-97), but the Hawks’ Young was injured in the second quarter of the first game and didn’t play the second game. The young point guard’s presence won’t make a difference here. Miami is the best home team against the spread at 8-2.
A slight lean to the OVER 218.5 (-105). Miami averages 111.0 points per game, while Atlanta averages 108.7 PPG. On the defensive end, Miami allows 105.5 PPG, while Atlanta allows 117.3 PPG.
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Johnny’s NBA record: 8-5. Strongest NBA plays: 4-2.
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After dropping 36 points and guiding the Clippers to a win against his former team, the Pacers, George made cryptic comments about Indiana.
LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: Two buzzer-beating game-winners, both within moments of each other, and a star return to face his former team headlined a busy Monday night of NBA action.
🔥 Paul George played just his second game in Indiana as an opponent last night, and he showed out, dropping 36 points, nine boards and five assists against his former club. George was booed and chanted at multiple times throughout the game, and he didn’t seem too happy about it. After the game,George told the media that Pacers fans are directing their anger at the wrong person, and the people who should be getting booed have been in Indiana longer than he was. He refused to expound on his comments beyond that, though he did say he might one day do a tell-all about his Indiana departure. Weird.
🏀 First, Derrick Rose drove the lane with fewer than five seconds remaining in a tie game between Detroit and New Orleans, andhit a beautiful spinning mid-range fadeaway jumper from the elbow as the clock expired. Then, minutes later, Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica hit a34-foot bomb against the Rockets to give Sacramento a huge road win. If we had to pick which game-winner was more impressive, we’d have to go with Bjelica’s considering his team was down by two at the time, and he shot it from a different area code.
🦌 We’d be remiss not to mention the Bucks won their 15th game in a row last night, beating the Magic 110-101 behind 32 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists from Giannis Antetokounmpo. That team looks unstoppable right now.
LOVE DISCUSSES POTENTIAL TRADE:Kevin Love spoke to ESPN about the latest rumors regarding the Cavs making him available for trade. He says nothing has changed, and that since he’s gotten to Cleveland, there have always been trade rumors hovering around his name, so this is no different. By his tone, though, it sounded like he doesn’t expect to be a Cavalier much longer.
BUTLER/HERRO LOVE: Four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler and rookie Tyler Herrohave a ton of respect for each other, particularly on Butler’s end towards the young buck. So much for the narrative about Butler being a terrible locker-room presence and too harsh towards young players, huh?
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Speaking of Butler,he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week yesterday after averaging 27.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game the week prior. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis won it for the West after putting up a 35.0/8.0/2.5 stat line over four games for the Lakers.
PROTEST DENIED:The Rockets’ protest over James Harden’s missed dunk was denied by the NBA, primarily because the league determined Houston had enough time in the fourth quarter and the two overtimes to overcome the mistake. Now, let’s hope we never have to hear about this story ever again.
A STERN WARNING: After his debacle of a tenure with Houston came to an end, Carmelo Anthony warned his buddy and fellow banana-boat team member Chris Paulto be wary of the Rockets. Turns out: He was right.
MORE REFEREE COMPLAINTS: The Wizards went public with their belief that their lone All-Star, Bradley Beal,isn’t getting a fair whistle this season. Beal himself referred to the way he’s officiated as “unacceptable”. For what it’s worth, Beal’s free-throw assist rate this year is 34 percent. In comparison, James Harden’s is 60.3. Maybe Beal has a point.
TWO BIG RETURNS:Gordon Hayward returned for the Celtics last night without limitations. He dropped 14 points in 26 minutes, going 7-for-10 from the floor and contributing five rebounds and four assists against the hapless Cleveland Cavaliers.
JAMEER OPENS UP: Jameer Nelson spent 10-plus seasons in Orlando, and one of the major storylines during his time was there was the Dwight Howard exit drama.He talked to us about that whole saga, and he did not hold back.
QUICK DEVELOPMENT: The 76ers probably didn’t expect Matisse Thybulle, a defense-first player, to be nailing 44.0 percent of his threes at this point in his career after being a 35.8 percent three-point shooter over four years in college.We broke down his excellent shooting start here.
And now we have what happened at the end of the Los Angeles Clippers’ win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night: Patrick Beverley and Derick Walton Jr. playing a game of Hot Potato with a basketball:
Patrick Beverley and Derrick Walton Jr. play a little hot potato to end the game 😂 pic.twitter.com/VmtPQofLPZ
There are wild endings to games and there are bonkers endings to games and that’s just what we got Monday night in Houston in the Kings-Rockets game.
Ever see five points get scored in the final second of the game, including a 3-pointer that won it at the buzzer?
Because that happened in Houston.
It started with Russell Westbrook taking it to the hole and scoring a big basket that gave the Rockets a two-point lead. Fans inside the Toyota Center went nuts, thinking their team had just won the game.
But then Sacramento came out of a time out and won the darn thing with a long 3-pointer from Nemanja Bjelica.
Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives our Top 10 candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. Which stars have stood out thus far?
Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives our Top 10 candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. This list highlights stars who are in the mix for the 2019-20 MVP award due to their impressive play.
Which stars have stood out? Here are our latest MVP rankings:
One of the most productive players in basketball, Karl-Anthony Towns is putting up insane numbers for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season, ranking 10th in points per game, ninth in rebounds per game and ninth in three-point percentage (minimum: 100 attempts) on the year. The advanced stats love Towns’ prowess as a scorer, as evidenced by Synergy Sports ranking the Wolves big as an excellent producer in five separate play-types: as a spot-up shooter, on put-backs, in isolation, coming off screens and as a cutter. Towns would rank higher on this list if his team hadn’t just lost four games in a row by a combined 44 points. Minnesota needs to get their star center some help.
Another star player putting up big numbers for a losing team, Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers have had a tough time getting on track this season, sitting at 9-15 through 24 games. It’s impossible to fault Lillard for that, however, considering how productive he’s been on the year. This season, the Blazers are 12.9 points per 100 possessions better with Lillard on the floor, proving how valuable he’s been to the team. The problem is, Portland completely falls apart during stints with Lillard on the pine, and that’s something that could cost the Blazers a shot at the playoffs. We’ll see if that affects the star floor general’s future with the team, though Lillard has stated multiple times how much he loves it in Portland.
The Boston Celtics are excelling as a team, so it’s tough to pick just one of their players to honor in these rankings, but when forced to choose, Kemba Walker was the clear choice. Walker has acclimated wonderfully to life on a winning team, putting up impressive numbers for Boston while proving to be a fantastic teammate, which could not be said about the All-Star point guard he replaced over the offseason. The Celtics only played twice last week, but they were both matchups against top playoff teams in their respective conferences, the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets. Boston battered both opponents by a combined 32 points with Walker leading the way, averaging 23.5 points and 5.0 assists on fiery 51.5/47.4/100.0 shooting splits.
Prior to last week, the Toronto Raptors hadn’t lost back-to-back games all season long. Now, they’re sitting on a three-game losing streak, and it happens to coincide with a slump from Pascal Siakam. Toronto’s burgeoning star swingman averaged 18.3 points over three games last week, shooting 38.9 percent from the floor and a paltry 14.3 percent from three-point range. Regardless, after losing Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors are still exceeding expectations this year with a 15-7 record and a Top-5 league-wide ranking in net rating, and Siakam has been unquestionably the reason why, which explains why we still rank him favorably for MVP.
After not making the Top 10 of our rankings last week, Heat forward Jimmy Butler surges into the Top 6 this time around thanks to an insane four-game stretch in which Miami went 3-1 and Butler averaged 27.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.3 steals on 48.4/41.7/77.6 shooting splits. Butler earned Player of the Week honors in the East on Monday thanks to that impressive run. Despite shooting poorly on the season as a whole (43.2 FG%, 30.3 3PT%), Butler still ranks Top 7 in advanced metrics Value Over Replacement Player, Box Plus/Minus, Win Shares and Win Shares Per 48, which speaks to how incredibly valuable he’s been on both ends of the floor. Butler is one of just five players putting up a 20/6/6 stat line this season, and has Miami sitting preetty with a 17-6 and third in the Eastern Conference.
The reigning Player of the Week out of the West, Anthony Davis capped an impressive four-game week with a 50-point (20-of-29 shooting), 4-steal performance for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Davis has been spectacular all season long, making a strong case for Defensive Player of the Year while still ranking seventh in the league in scoring. In years past, there’s been a lot of preseason buzz about Davis turning the corner and becoming the best player in the league, and though that hasn’t happened quite yet, the 2019-20 version of Davis is the closest we’ve come to seeing it, with the Kentucky product playing the role of a legitimate two-way monster who is among the best scorers and fiercest rim-protectors in the league
Davis’ super teammate, LeBron James is also performing at an MVP level, which would explain why the Lakers are widely considered either the best, or second best, team in the league right now. The most impressive part of LeBron’s game is that although he looks like he’s playing in cruise control for the most part, he’s still producing at a ridiculous pace; James’ nonchalant nature of dominance has been downright scary in 2019-20. Per Synergy, the four-time MVP ranks as an excellent scorer out of the post, in spot-up situations, coming off screens and on put-backs. James turns 35 in a few weeks, and he’s still this good. Crazy.
Leading the league in scoring and nightly minutes played, James Harden is having yet another spectacular season for the Houston Rockets. While dropping a 50-spot against the San Antonio Spurs last Tuesday, Harden had a dunk called no-good by officials despite clearly going in, which you could argue cost Houston the game since the contest wound up going to double-overtime before San Antonio prevailed by two points. At the same time, you could also make the case that Harden’s (and Russell Westbrook’s) porous shooting that night were what ended up costing the Rockets the game. In fact, one troubling recent trend regarding the bearded superstar has been his shooting in general. Harden has made just 10 of his last 42 three-point attempts, good for a 23.8 three-point percentage, although he’s making up for it by averaging 16 free throws over his last three games while converting 93.8 percent.
At all of 20 years old, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has been one of the very best players in all of basketball this season, putting up otherworldly numbers on a nightly basis while leading Dallas to a 16-7 record and the league’s third-best net rating (+9.4). In Doncic’s rookie season, the Mavs’ net rating was No. 21 league-wide (-1.5) and the year prior to the Slovenian star’s arrival, it was No. 22 in the NBA (-2.9), which goes to show the absurd trajectory both Doncic and Dallas as a whole are on. The one slight criticism that can be made about Doncic recently is that he’s getting too emphatic with his in-game officiating complaints. That’s not to say referees can’t be criticized, but we don’t need another Chris Paul-type of star who becomes hard to watch due to constant complaining. Thankfully, Doncic admitted he’s been too animated with the officials, and that he’s going to try and tone it down moving forward. Good. We would also be remiss not to mention that Doncic recently brokeMichael Jordan’s record of most consecutive 20/5/5 games with 19 straight such games.
All you need to do is read the above stats recap to understand why we ranked Giannis Antetokounmpo at No. 1 of our MVP rankings for the second week running. If Antetokounmpo maintains the pace he’s on, he’ll become just the third player in league history to post a 30/13/5 stat line for an entire season, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor on the illustrious list. Giannis’ impact is far from empty, too, as the Milwaukee Bucks are 20-3 and have the NBA’s No. 1 net rating at +12.9. The league’s second-best team in net rating, the Lakers, are just at a +9.4. As far as Antetokounmpo’s recent form is concerned, the Greek Freak had a marquee matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers and their super wing duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on Friday. Antetokounmpo responded by scoring 27 points, securing 11 rebounds and holding Leonard to 17 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Outrageous averages and elite team success give Giannis the nod for No. 1 in our rankings.
You can follow Frank Urbina on Twitter: @FrankUrbina_.
Previewing Monday’s Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets
The Memphis Grizzlies (6-16) visit the Golden State Warriors (5-19) Monday for a 10:30 p.m. ET tip-off at Chase Center. We analyze the Grizzlies-Warriors odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM.
Grizzlies at Warriors: Key injuries
Grizzlies
SF Kyle Anderson(heel) doubtful
PG Ja Morant (back) probable
SF Brandon Clarke (hip) out
Warriors
PG Stephen Curry (hand) out
SG Jacob Evans (hip) questionable
SG Damion Lee (hand) probable
Grizzlies at Warriors: Odds, lines, picks, and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 2:20 p.m. ET.
The Grizzlies have lost nine of their last 10 games and are 3-6 on the road this season. The Warriors are 2-7 at home but did win their last game there, beating the Chicago Bulls 104-90 Nov. 27 before embarking on a 1-4 road trip. Back GOLDEN STATE(-143) as a slight home favorite.
New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Golden State to win outright would profit $6.99. Every $1.43 bet on a Warriors win profits $1 if they do so.
The Warriors rank 23rd in the league with a 4-5 ATS home mark, but come in 0.9 points per game below the cover line. The Grizzlies are 3-6 ATS on the road, while performing 2.2 points below projection.
Slightly lean toward GOLDEN STATE (-2.5, -115) to win by 3 or more points. The number came down from 3.5 points earlier in the day. A winning wager would deliver an $8.70 profit on a $10 bet.
The projected total is 217.5 (Over: -125, Under: +105). Both teams allow more than the league average in points per game: Golden State allows 114.0, while Memphis gives up 117.0. The Warriors rank 19th at 100.31 possessions per game and the Grizzlies are sixth at 103.58. Memphis can push the pace just enough that backing the OVER is a worthy play.
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Philadelphia 76ers rookie wing Matisse Thybulle was drafted for his defensive prowess but has also improved on the offensive side as well.
Philadelphia 76ers rookie wing Matisse Thybulle was drafted for his defensive prowess but has also improved on the offensive side as well.
Thybulle was electrifying during a victory against the defending-champion Toronto Raptors, hitting five three-pointers on December 8. The rookie ended the night with a career-high 20 points.
After 23 games, the first-year player is shooting 44.0 percent from three-point range. That is currently quite a bit better than league average (35.7 percent) in the NBA. Despite the fact that the college three-point line is shorter than the professional distance, that mark is also better than he ever shot in the NCAA.
Matisse Thybulle has been shooting 57.1% from deep over his last 6 games and entered tonight shooting 40.5% from deep on the season. This game, he’s 5/7 from deep. The kid can shoot the ball. #Sixers
The 23-year-old has never been a player who has been able to create his own shot from the perimeter. During his four-year college tenure at the University of Washington, per Hoop-Math, over 90 percent of his successful shots from beyond the arc were assisted.
This season, all of the 22 three-pointers he has made have come off an assist. That means he relies on his teammates for his outside attempts, used mostly as a spot-up finisher for Philadelphia.
Especially considering how much attention is required by opposing defenses for Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, there are often open shooters waiting on the perimeter.
For example, watch how much space Thybulle has as Simmons drives to the basket. While he may have been able to continue for a contested shot near the rim, he instead finds Thybulle for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer.
As such, it is no surprise that the rookie is averaging 5.8 three-point attempts per 36 minutes when playing alongside Simmons but just 2.6 per 36 when he has not been on the court with the point forward.
More than two-thirds (68.1 percent) of his connected three-pointers have hit while sharing the floor with Simmons — who has actually assisted on nearly half (45.5 percent) of his long-distance makes. Watch one of them during the victory over Toronto:
Thybulle is averaging 1.16 points per possession (75th percentile) as a spot-up shooter for the Sixers. The wing is shooting 18-for-36 (50.0 percent) on these looks.
During his tenure for the Washington Huskies, he was just 178-for-471 (37.8 percent) on spot-up possessions. He ranked below the 50th percentile in both his junior and senior campaigns.
You can see the progress he has made shooting off the catch and as a spot-up shooter below:
Overall, Philadelphia currently ranks fourth-best among all NBA teams in spot-up efficiency this season. Thybulle has both been a beneficiary and also played a big role in the team’s success in these opportunities.
Before the draft, that is exactly what Jonathan Wasserman projected for the wing (via Bleacher Report):
“Optimizing Thybulle means surrounding him with scorers and playmakers so he can receive open catch-and-shoot looks and play to his strengths as a spot-up threat and defensive ace.”
Thybulle has found a role and a niché in the offense for the Sixers and will have even more trust from his teammates and coaches get more used to his style.
Previewing Monday’s Los Angeles Clippers at Indiana Pacers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.
The Los Angeles Clippers (17-7) visit the Indiana Pacers (15-8) Monday at 7 p.m. ET at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. We analyze the Clippers-Pacers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.
Clippers at Pacers: Key injuries
Clippers
SF Kawhi Leonard (rest) doubtful
PF Patrick Patterson (back) questionable
SF Rodney McGruder (hamstring) questionable
SG Landry Shamet (ankle) questionable
Pacers
PG Malcolm Brogdon (hand) questionable
SG Victor Oladipo (knee) out
SF JaKarr Sampson (back) questionable
Clippers at Pacers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 10:15 a.m. ET.
The Clippers are coming off a 135-119 road win over the Washington Wizards Friday, while the Pacers last played Saturday in a 104-103 road victory over the New York Knicks. The Pacers now return home from a five-game road swing. They have a 9-2 record as hosts and the Clippers are just 4-6 away from home.
Take the PACERS (-110) as they have the rest and home advantages, and Leonard is expected to sit out for the Clips. Both teams were 8-2 over their last 10 games. The Pacers have the edge on defense with an average of 104.5 points per game allowed while the Clippers allow 108.7 PPG. Los Angeles scores 115.3 PPG to 109.2 PPG for Indiana.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Pacers to win outright as home underdogs returns a profit of $9.09.
Stick with the moneyline and the outright victory for Indiana rather than taking a smaller payout with the -120 odds for the Pacers to cover the spread of +1.5 and stay within one point in a loss or win outright.
The Clippers are 13-11 against the spread overall and 3-7 ATS on the road. The Pacers are 12-10 ATS overall and 6-4 at home.
The Clippers rank seventh in the NBA with a pace of 103.57 possessions per game but they’re on the second half of a back-to-back and Leonard is expected to take the night off.
The Pacers rank just 23rd by pace at 99.40 possessions per game and will happily play in a slower, lower-scoring contest. Take the UNDER 218.5 (-125).
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Oklahoma City Thunder legend Chris Paul just helped his team win a game in the last few days by complaining to referees that Timberwolves forward Jordan Bell had his jersey untucked and that should be a delay of game.
The Thunder eventually won thanks in part to the technical foul that resulted from that second delay of game call in that contest.
On Sunday, it happened again with a call he might have helped get on his old friend, Carmelo Anthony.
In the Thunder’s 108-96 win over the Blazers, Anthony clapped his hands loudly after no foul was called on a play late in the second quarter. Paul turned around, mid-dribble, to point at Anthony. BOOM, technical foul.
What’s funny about this is that Paul and the Thunder was whistled for a pair of delay-of-game infractions, resulting on a technical foul and a free throw for the Blazers. Paul was caught on mics yelling “You’re trying to prove a point” and “You’re going to be on SportsCenter tonight!” (WARNING: There’s some NSFW langauge in there):
Here is the first delay of game when Chris Paul enters.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan said after the game that (per ESPN) “the explanation was they stepped on the floor with their sweats on,” which really does sound to me like the referees were proving a point after Paul pointed out the jersey violation days earlier. Here’s what Paul said:
“What you think?” Paul said. “What you think? [Brian Forte] got me. I learned something, too. That you can’t have your shooting shirt and your pants on when you’re checking in. They said if I’d had just one of them on — so you learn something new. They got me.”
