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Thursday’s Tip Sheet

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

Game of the Night: Thunder at Spurs – 8:05 PM EST

San Antonio (43-32 SU, 39-34-2 ATS) is red-hot at home by winning seven consecutive games at AT&T Center. However, the Spurs look to bounce back from a two-game skid following road defeats at Milwaukee and Washington this week. In Tuesday’s contest in D.C., the Spurs led by three points after one quarter, but trailed by 14 points at halftime and lost to the Wizards, 116-106 as two-point favorites. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge suffered a left knee contusion in the loss and is questionable for Thursday.

The Thunder (44-31 SU, 31-43-1 ATS) rolled off six consecutive victories prior to dropping two of the last three games. Oklahoma City squandered a late six-point lead in a 100-99 setback at Boston last Tuesday, while falling at home to Portland on Sunday, 108-105 as four-point favorites. Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 23 points, but Paul George and Carmelo Anthony misfired on all 12 of their attempts from three-point range.

History would tell us that the Spurs and Thunder are on a collision course to meet in the postseason. These two squads hooked up in 2012, 2014, and 2016 in the playoffs, so if this even year trend continues, OKC will look to knock out San Antonio for the third time in the last seven seasons. It’s possible these teams can meet in the opening round as OKC enters Thursday’s action one game ahead of New Orleans and San Antonio for the fourth playoff position.

The Thunder will be seeking the key series victory with a win tonight as Billy Donovan’s team has captured two of the first three matchups. San Antonio defeated Oklahoma City in mid-November as 1 ½-point home underdogs, 104-101, but the Thunder bounced back with a pair of home victories, including a 104-94 triumph as four-point favorites in March.

Welcome Back, KD

The beat-up Warriors (54-20 SU, 31-42-1 ATS) will be getting back a pair of their stars tonight as Kevin Durant and Draymond Green are expected to return to the lineup. Durant has missed the previous six games with a rib injury, while Green has sat out the last three contests. Golden State is fresh off back-to-back home losses to Utah and Indiana, while posting only 11 fourth quarter points in Tuesday’s 92-81 setback to the Pacers.

The Bucks (39-35 SU, 29-40-5 ATS) travel to the Bay Area off a 105-98 defeat to the Clippers on Monday to tip off their four-game western swing. Milwaukee’s modest two-game winning streak came to an end in spite of Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring a game-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Milwaukee is looking to avoid consecutive road losses for the first time since November, while trying to avenge a 108-94 home loss to Golden State in January.

Motor City Sweep?

The Wizards (41-33 SU, 34-39-1 ATS) have had their way with the Pistons this season by winning all three matchups. Following a pair of home victories in November and December, Washington rallied past Detroit at Little Caesars Arena, 122-112 in mid-January to improve to 5-1 in the series since the start of last season.

Washington ended a three-game slide on Tuesday in a 116-106 home underdog victory over San Antonio. The Wizards shot 54% from the floor as seven players finished in double-figures, although guard Bradley Beal was limited to seven points in the win. Although the Wizards covered on Tuesday, Scott Brooks’ club owns a 3-8-1 ATS mark the last 11 games, including an 0-3 ATS ledger in the past three away from Capital One Arena.

The Pistons (34-40 SU, 35-37-2 ATS) are running out of time to catch the Bucks for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Detroit sits five games out of the final playoff position with eight games remaining, although the Pistons are coming off consecutive home victories over the Bulls and Lakers. Stan Van Gundy’s squad has performed well against the number recently by posting an 8-2 ATS mark the last 10 games, while covering five straight at Little Caesars Arena.

Packing it In

The race for the worst record in the NBA is heating up down the stretch as plenty of teams aren’t putting their best foot forward. Chicago (24-50 SU, 37-36-1 ATS) won’t finish with the worst mark in the league, but the Bulls are in full-tank mode by losing 14 of their last 18 games, while dropping five straight by double-digits.

The Bulls are heavy ‘dogs against the Heat (40-35 SU, 38-31-6 ATS), who are coming off a 98-79 blowout of the Cavaliers on Tuesday. Miami moved to 10-1 in the last 11 home games, including eight covers in the favorite role. Center Hassan Whiteside is expected back in the Heat lineup after missing the last eight games with a hip injury (5-3 SU, 4-3-1 ATS). Miami has failed to cover in three meetings with Chicago this season, as the Bulls won the last matchup, 119-111 in January.

Setting the Pace

Philadelphia and Indiana are battling it out for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference as the 76ers have won eight straight games. However, the Pacers (44-31 SU, 43-32 ATS) are right behind with three consecutive victories, coming off Tuesday’s 11-point triumph over the Warriors. Victor Oladipo paced Indiana with 24 points, as the Pacers cashed the UNDER for the fourth time in the last five games.

Indiana continues its four-game road swing in Sacramento as the Kings (24-51 SU, 35-37-3 ATS) look to snap a two-game skid. Sacramento fell apart in the second half of Sunday’s loss to Boston, while the Kings dropped a 103-97 decision to the Mavericks on Tuesday to finish UNDER the total for the fourth straight game. The Kings have won three consecutive games off back-to-back losses, while owning a 7-2 record in their last nine in the underdog role.

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

Kevin Rogers can be followed on Twitter at virogers.

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