Tag: Ricky Rubio

Phoenix Suns at Toronto Raptors odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Friday’s Suns-Raptors sports betting odds, with NBA matchup analysis and picks.

The Toronto Raptors (40-15) and Phoenix Suns (22-33) return to action for the first time since the All-Star Break Friday night. The Raptors host the Suns, tipping off Friday night at ScotiaBank Arena at 7:30 p.m. ET.

We analyze the Suns-Raptors 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.

Suns at Raptor: Key injuries

Suns

  • F Frank Kaminsky (knee) out
  • C Deandre Ayton (ankle) probable
  • C Aron Baynes (hip) probable
  • G Ellie Okobo (ankle) probable
  • F Dario Saric (ankle) probable

Raptors

  • C Marc Gasol (hamstring) out
  • C Dewan Hernandez (ankle) out
  • F Patrick McCaw (illness) doubtful
  • G Norman Powell (finger) doubtful

Suns at Raptors: 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 Friday at 9:52 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Suns 114, Raptors 112

Moneyline (ML)

Toronto is the favorite in this game at -334. They are a very good 21-7 at home this season, but the Suns (+260) have been solid on the road, going 11-15 overall. The Raptors have won seven straight at home and the Suns have lost four in a row on the road, but Phoenix is finally healthy. They will have everyone available except for Frank Kaminsky. Phoenix is 8-11 as a road underdog. This is going to be a surprise. Phoenix tends to play up on the road against solid competition.

Fully healthy, expect an upset win by the SUNS at +260. They will get the win and give you a big payout.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on the Suns returns a profit of $26.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The Raptors are favored at home at -7.5 (-110). The Raptors are 17-11 ATS at home this season, while the Suns have been tough opponents on the road, going 14-12 ATS. When underdogs on the road, they are 11-8 ATS.

Again, with the Suns finally healthy, expect them to go toe-to-toe with the Raptors, who are shorthanded in the frontcourt. Take the Suns to cover at +7.5 (110).

Over/Under (O/U)

The total is set at 226.5 points. Both teams average 112 points per game. The total is high. Suns’ games have gone Under in three of the final four games before the break. Raptors’ games have gone Over in five of six and seven of nine. However, the two teams will hit right near their average and come up just short of the total. Take the UNDER (+100).

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @senorjessroot and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Charlotte Hornets at Phoenix Suns odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Charlotte Hornets at Phoenix Suns matchup, with NBA betting odds, picks and best bets.

The Charlotte Hornets (15-26) head to the Grand Canyon State to play the Phoenix Suns (15-23) at Talking Stick Resort Arena for an 8 p.m. ET tip-off. We analyze Hornets-Suns odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGVIxK0x7i8&w=560&h=315]

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Hornets at Suns: Key injuries

Suns

  • PF Frank Kaminsky (knee) out

Hornets at Suns: 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 12:45 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Hornets 114, Suns 107

Moneyline (ML)

Doesn’t it feel like the Hornets are an East Coast version of the Suns or vice versa? Comparable records and every player is going against someone of a similar NBA-ilk: Devonte’ Graham–Devin Booker, Miles Bridges–Kelly Oubre Jr., and P.J. Washington–Deandre Ayton are legitimately compelling matchups. Because of the similarity in the talent of the rosters, both mostly healthy and on equal rest, let’s place a smaller wager on the HORNETS (+300) for the outright win as well as the spread.

New to sports betting? A $35 wager on Hornets +300 returns a profit of $115.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The Hornets are 8-3 ATS in road games against teams below .500. Also, Charlotte is 5-7 ATS when laying eight or more points but 2-0 ATS, and straight up, when spotted at least 8 points against a below .500 team. The Suns laying 8.5 points in this matchup is downright disrespectful as they are 1-5 ATS in their last six games as favorites. Don’t expect them to get some home cooking with the refs tonight, either. The combined home team ATS record of the assigned referees is 31-51 on the season. Also, I am taking a glass half full approach with BetMGM’s line pricing; their Suns’ (-8.5, -106) line compared to HORNETS +8.5 (-115) number is them trying to persuade bettors toward the worse side.

HAMMER HORNETS (+8.5, -115). New to sports betting? A $115 wager on the Hornets to stay within 8 points in a loss or win outright returns a profit of $100.

Over/Under (O/U)

I LEAN OVER 217.5 (-129) but don’t love, or even like, the total because of the juice, it being a curiously low total for two below-average defensive teams and us backing the slow-paced Hornets team (ranked last in Pace). What leans me to the Over is their combined Over/Under record of 43-36, and the Over is 9-1 in the last 10 Hornets-Suns games.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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New York Knicks at Phoenix Suns odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Friday’s New York Knicks at Phoenix Suns sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The New York Knicks (10-24) head to the Grand Canyon State to play the Phoenix Suns (13-21) at Talking Stick Resort Arena at 9 p.m. ET Friday. We analyze the Knicks-Suns 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.

Knicks at Suns: Key injuries

Knicks

  • SF Elfrid Payton (personal) questionable
  • PG Dennis Smith Jr. (oblique) questionable

Suns

  • PG Ricky Rubio (hip) probable
  • PF Frank Kaminsky (knee) doubtful

Knicks at Suns: 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 Friday at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Knicks 117, Suns 113

Moneyline (ML)

People are stuck on the early season horribleness of the Knicks (BetMGM oddsmakers included) and haven’t adjusted their power rankings on them since firing former head coach David Fizdale, and replacing him with interim bench boss Mike Miller Dec. 6. Under Miller, the Knicks have markedly improved, going 6-6 outright and 8-4 against the spread.

The Knicks have improved drastically in points per game, opponent’s PPG, field-goal percentage, margin of victory, opponent’s 3-point percentage, defensive rating, offensive rating, defensive rebounding percentage, and then I stopped tracking them. Point is, the Knicks were awful under Fizdale and they are respectable under Miller (through 12 games).

If you like an underdog to cover then there has to be a chance they win outright. Making a smaller wager on the moneyline, but a bigger bet on the spread, is a gambling angle I’ll take to maximize return on investment when betting underdogs. For example, place 30-50% of your total wager on the KNICKS (+225) because we’re going to take the Knicks with the points, as well.

New to sports betting? A $50 bet on the Knicks to win returns a profit of $112.50.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Let’s back the Knicks in this matchup because they have recent success in their betting position compared to the Suns. To elaborate, the Knicks are 4-2 when they are 5-7-point underdogs, whereas the Suns have a 0-2 record as 5-7-point favorites. Also, the Knicks are 9-7 as road dogs and the Suns are 5-5 as home favorites.

Recent trends also give the Knicks a slight edge: They are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games while the Suns are 5-4-1. Combining these factors, and the moneyline handicap above, there is a ton of line value in the number. HAMMER the KNICKS (+6.5, -110).

New to sports betting? A $110 bet on the Knicks to lose by 6 or fewer points or win outright returns a profit of $100.

Over/under (O/U)

Neither team plays good defense. The Suns rank 19th in opponents’ PPG and defensive rating while the Knicks rank 17th in opponents’ PPG and 21st in defensive rating. Also, the Suns have the most Overs when playing at home in the NBA (12-5 Over/Under record).

Furthermore, I expect some revenge motivation from Knicks PF Marcus Morris who played for the Suns from 2012-2015. Morris has played above his averages in eight games he’s played against the Suns—16.5 PPG, .536 field-goal percentage and .452 3-point percentage (career averages: 11.9 PPG, .431 FG% and .367 3-point%). Finally, the Suns’ 20-14 Over/Under record (12-5 at home) has me leaning toward a tiny wager on OVER 224.5 (-121).

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Lakers look to bounce back as they visit impressive Suns squad

Following Tuesday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, the Los Angeles Lakers look for a quality road win on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns.

The Los Angeles Lakers were finally reminded what it feels like to lose on Sunday night and the right shoulder of Anthony Davis started to bother him a little bit more, but life in the Western Conference often means getting to leave a loss behind to face a challenge of even greater difficulty. Tuesday night, the Lakers will get that chance as they visit a surprisingly strong Phoenix Suns squad.

After nine games, the Suns have a 6-3 record and are in 6th place in the Western Conference. And they’ve done with two-way excellence that hasn’t been found from most teams in the league through the first three weeks of the season. According to Cleaning The Glass, which eliminates garbage time, the Suns have the 8th ranked defense and the 4th ranked offense in the league so far.

The biggest change of all started with the hiring of head coach Monty Williams, but the Suns front office is also reaping the benefits of offseason moves like their trade for center Aron Baynes and signing free agent point guard Ricky Rubio. Kelly Oubre Jr., who they traded for last season from the Wizards, is having an excellent start to his season as well. The added help has led to Devin Booker’s best all-around start as a pro, as he looks primed for his first All-Star berth.

Off the bench, Frank Kaminsky, Tyler Johnson and Mikal Bridges all create plenty of problems for their opponents. To avoid a result like Sunday, the Lakers bench must play better than they did against Toronto against a strong Suns second unit.

Tuesday night won’t be easy for the Lakers and Anthony Davis may still be dealing with some pain in his shoulder. But sometimes that dose of reality is what you need to see a contender show you who they are.

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Kyrie Irving’s lack of free throws vs. Suns problematic

Kyrie Irving took a lot of the blame for what went wrong in the Brooklyn Nets loss to the Phoenix Suns.

One thing Kyrie Irving has done well with to start 2019-20 is getting to the free-throw line. He hasn’t always excelled at creating contact on shots or drives, but this is also a result of his ability to elude contact — something he usually does better than anyone.

Entering Sunday’s game, Irving was averaging 7.3 free throws per game. He’s never even averaged five attempts per game over the course of the season.

Then, against the Suns, Irving did not earn one trip to the line. It’s the first time he’s failed to do so with the Nets. Last year, as a member of the Boston Celtics, Irving didn’t take at least one free throw in a game 13 times.

And his lack of free throw attempts impacted the Nets beyond his point total. Irving explained to reporters in Phoenix:

I don’t think I shot one free throw tonight. That’s just a telltale sign of how aggressive I am not in the game. You know, getting downhill and really just setting a precedent of really slowing the game down and really getting it to my spots. So, a lot of the accountability falls on me.