Sign In $
NBA

Tuesday’s Tip Sheet

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
4 minute read
ATS Rankings | Totals Report | Injuries

Game of the Night: Raptors (-4 ½, 223 ½) at Clippers – 10:35 PM EST

The Clippers (17-9 SU, 15-11 ATS) snapped a two-game losing streak in Monday’s 123-119 overtime triumph at Phoenix, but failed to cash as 9 ½-point favorites. The Suns took an early 10-point lead before the Clippers outscored Phoenix in the second quarter, 37-27. Phoenix rebounded to take an 11-point advantage in the fourth, but Los Angeles rallied again to force overtime. The Clippers beat the Suns for the second time in two weeks behind Tobias Harris’ 33 points and rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor.

Los Angeles has struggled to cover numbers of late by posting a 1-3 ATS mark in December, including poor offensive efforts in losses to Miami (98 points) and Memphis (86 points). The Clippers have been tremendous at home since losing the season opener at Staples Center to the Nuggets. Doc Rivers’ squad owns a 9-1 SU and 8-2 ATS mark in its last 10 home contests, although the nine-game winning streak at Staples was snapped by Miami on Saturday in a 121-98 setback as 9 ½-point favorites.

The Raptors (21-7 SU, 13-15 ATS) embark on a four-game west coast trip, which continues to Golden State (Wednesday), Portland (Friday), and Denver (Sunday). Toronto remains atop the Atlantic Division in spite of dropping back-to-back games to Brooklyn and Milwaukee. In Sunday’s home setback to the Bucks, the Raptors built an early lead but Milwaukee rallied back for a 104-99 triumph as 4 ½-point underdogs. Serge Ibaka led Toronto with 22 points, while Kawhi Leonard poured in 20 points, but Kyle Lowry was held scoreless in 33 minutes on 0-for-5 shooting from the floor (all three-point attempts).

Toronto has hit the UNDER in five consecutive games following a five-game OVER streak, as the Raptors have allowed 106 points or fewer in each of the past five contests. Nick Nurse’s club owns a 1-5 ATS mark in the last six games, including failing to cover on the road at Brooklyn and Cleveland.

Last season, the Clippers pulled off the two-game season sweep of the Raptors, including a 96-91 victory at Staples Center as a six-point underdog last December. Both matchups finished UNDER the total, while three of the last four meetings in Los Angeles have gone UNDER.

Blazers at Rockets (-6 ½, 221) – 8:00 PM EST

This series was owned by Houston (11-14 SU, 9-16 ATS) last season, as the Rockets pulled off a four-game sweep of Portland. However, the Blazers (15-11 SU, 13-13 ATS) rebounded in the first matchup this season by routing the Rockets at Toyota Center, 104-85 as 4 ½-point underdogs on October 30. James Harden sat out due to injury for Houston, who shot 32% from the floor and converted only 10-of-43 attempts from three-point range.

The Rockets won eight of 10 games to start November following a dreadful 1-5 start, but Houston has been grounded once again. Mike D’Antoni’s team has dropped seven of the last nine games, including getting swept on a three-game road trip at Minnesota, Utah, and Dallas. The Rockets led the Mavericks by eight points with three minutes remaining on Saturday, but Dallas outscored Houston, 13-2 to pick up a 107-104 win.

The Blazers begin a quick two-game road trip that continues to Memphis on Wednesday. Portland bounced back from a three-game skid to knock off Phoenix and Minnesota at the Moda Center, capped off by an eight-point win over the Wolves on Saturday. However, the Blazers need to fix their road woes, as Terry Stotts’ squad has lost six of the last eight away from Portland since handling Houston in late October.

Suns at Spurs (-12 ½, 218 ½) – 8:35 PM EST

San Antonio (13-14 SU, 13-13-1 ATS) is creeping back towards the .500 mark following a pair of double-digit home wins over the Lakers and Jazz. The Spurs improved to 9-4 at AT&T Center after cruising past Utah on Sunday, 110-97 to avenge a 34-point setback in Salt Lake City last Tuesday. DeMar DeRozan continues his solid debut season in San Antonio by scoring 26 points on Sunday, while Rudy Gay posted a double-double (23 points, 15 rebounds) to give the Spurs their third straight win in the role of a home underdog.

The Spurs own a 4-3 SU and 3-4 ATS mark as a home favorite this season, while laying their biggest number of the season tonight. San Antonio has split a pair of meetings with Phoenix as both matchups with decided by 20+ points. The Spurs ripped the Suns in Phoenix on Halloween night, 120-90, but the Suns picked up revenge in the next matchup in the Valley, 116-96 on November 14 as six-point underdogs.

Phoenix (4-23 SU, 9-18 ATS) is riding a nine-game skid following last night’s four-point overtime setback to the Clippers, but the Suns snapped an eight-game ATS slide by covering 9 ½ at home. The Suns have won only once away from Talking Stick Resort Arena in 13 tries with the lone victory coming at Milwaukee as 13 ½-point underdogs, 116-114 on November 23. Phoenix owns a 4-5 ATS ledger as a double-digit underdog, while going 0-3 SU and 1-2 ATS with no rest this season.

You can reach Kevin Rogers via e-mail at rogers@vegasinsider.com

Kevin Rogers can be followed on Twitter at virogers.

Nba News

VegasInsider Staff

VegasInsider Staff

More from VegasInsider Staff
•