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Monday’s Tip Sheet

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

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

The contrasting home and road records for Dallas (17-18 SU, 22-13 ATS) is astonishing through two months. The Mavericks own a terrific 15-3 record at American Airlines Center, but have lost 15 of 17 contests away from Big “D.” Two of those home victories came against Oklahoma City, including a 105-103 triumph on Sunday as 2 ½-point underdogs.

Dallas built an 11-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Oklahoma City rallied back with a 24-11 run to grab a 101-95 advantage with two minutes remaining. The Thunder crashed in the final two minutes by getting outscored, 10-2, even though Dallas converted only two field goals. Russell Westbrook put together one of his worst offensive games of the season by going 4-of-22 from the floor, including failing to hit a three-pointer in eight attempts, while scoring nine points.

The Thunder (22-13 SU, 19-16 ATS) wrapped up their three-game road swing at 1-2 SU/ATS, while falling to 4-8 ATS the past 12 opportunities in the favorite role. Oklahoma City returns home for only one game prior to a two-game road swing to face the Lakers on Wednesday and Blazers on Friday. The Mavericks embark on a four-game trip looking to extend its ATS hot streak to six games, but Dallas owns an 0-7 road record in December.

Dialing It Up

The Celtics and Spurs hook up for the first time this season as both squads are coming off road victories. Boston (21-14 SU, 18-17 ATS) rallied from a 17-point deficit to stun Memphis on Saturday, 112-103, as the Celtics outscored the Grizzlies, 55-37 in the second half. Kyrie Irving paced the Celtics with 26 points and 13 assists as Boston cashed the OVER for the fifth straight game and the eighth time in nine contests.

San Antonio (20-17 SU, 21-15-1 ATS) starts a three-game homestand where the Spurs have been nearly automatic over the last month. The Spurs have won eight of their past nine games at AT&T Center, while covering 10 of their past 12 overall, including in Saturday’s 122-111 triumph over the Clippers as three-point underdogs.

The Spurs have won six consecutive home matchups with the Celtics dating back to 2012, while two of the last three meetings in San Antonio have been decided by three points.

Elsewhere in the Lone Star State

Things can change quickly in a month as Memphis was sitting atop the Southwest division, while Houston was hanging out at the bottom following a slow start. The Rockets (20-15 SU, 17-17-1 ATS) are back atop the Southwest after winning nine of its past 10 games since a three-game slide, while holding off the Pelicans on Saturday, 108-104 to cash as 3 ½-point favorites. Houston looks to wrap up December with a perfect 9-0 record at Toyota Center, which includes recent victories over San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Boston.

The Grizzlies (18-17 SU, 17-18 ATS) have dropped eight of their last 11 contests, which includes four defeats at FedEx Forum. Memphis threw away a big lead in Saturday’s setback to Boston, but the Grizzlies eclipsed the 100-point mark for only the second time in the past 11 games. The Grizzlies have dropped three consecutive meetings with the Rockets since last season, including a 105-97 defeat to Houston at FedEx Forum in mid-December.

Not So Easy

Since starting 10-7, the Pelicans (16-21 SU, 15-22 ATS) own a dreadful 6-14 record in the last 20 games, while mired in a 1-6 SU/ATS slump the past seven contests. The previous three losses for New Orleans have come by five points or less, including Saturday’s four-point defeat to Houston. The Pelicans have covered once at Smoothie King Center in the favorite role since the start of December, while posting a 1-4 ATS record in the last five opportunities as home chalk.

New Orleans welcomes in Minnesota (17-19 SU, 19-17 ATS) for the final home game of 2018, looking to avenge a 108-100 defeat at Target Center on November 14. The Wolves have rolled on the road recently by capturing three straight on the highway, including Sunday’s 113-104 triumph at Miami as four-point underdogs. Minnesota is playing with no rest for the fourth time this season, owning a 1-2 SU/ATS record in this role, while the Wolves have cashed seven consecutive OVERS since December 17.

Strive for 25

The Warriors (24-13 SU, 15-22 ATS) are seeking to become the first Western Conference team to reach 25 victories on the season with a win at Phoenix tonight. Golden State bounced back from an overtime loss to Portland to beat the Blazers on the second end of a back-to-back on Saturday, 115-105. The Warriors grabbed only their second cover in the last 10 games as the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant all topped the 25-point mark.

The Suns (9-28 SU, 17-20 ATS) rallied late to pick up a miracle cover against the Nuggets on Saturday in a 122-118 defeat as 4 ½-point underdogs. In spite of the loss, Phoenix improved to 8-1 ATS the last nine games, while grabbing its fourth cover in the past five home contests. The Suns have dropped 16 consecutive meetings with the Warriors since 2015, as Golden State has cashed in six of the past seven matchups.

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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