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Wednesday’s Tip Sheet

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

Game of the Night: Warriors (-3, 234) at Blazers – 10:35 PM EST

The first half comes to a close for Golden State and Portland on Wednesday night as well as the final regular season meeting between these two Western Conference foes. The Warriors (41-15 SU, 24-31-1 ATS) crushed the Blazers (33-23 SU, 30-26 ATS) in the first matchup at Oracle Arena on November 23 as 1 ½-point favorites, 125-97. Portland broke its 13-game skid in Oakland in late December as the Blazers edged the Warriors, 110-109 in overtime as 8 ½-point underdogs.

The Blazers lost to the Warriors two nights later at Moda Center, 115-105 as five-point home underdogs. Damian Lillard led Portland with 40 points on 14-of-23 shooting from the floor, but the Warriors leaned on their terrific trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant, who combined for 82 points. Golden State picked up its first victory at Portland since eliminating the Blazers in the opening round of the 2017 playoffs as Terry Stotts’ squad grabbed both meetings at home last season.

Portland returns home following a pair of defeats at Dallas and Oklahoma City on a back-to-back set on Sunday and Monday. The Blazers went ice-cold in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Mavericks by scoring only nine points, but Portland couldn’t bounce back the next night. Oklahoma City beat Portland for the third time this season in a 120-111 victory as 4 ½-point favorites. Lillard paced Portland with 31 points, but backcourt mate C.J. McCollum was limited to 13 points on 5-of-20 shooting from the floor.

Golden State heads to the Pacific Northwest with no rest after rallying past Utah on Tuesday, 115-108, but the Warriors failed to cash as nine-point favorites. Curry, Thompson, and Durant posted a total of 74 points, while DeMarcus Cousins struggled from the floor by converting 4-of-17 shots for 12 points. The Warriors have won in six of seven tries on the second of a back-to-back this season, but have covered the spread only twice in this rest situation.

Climb the Mountain

It’s amazing to think that Sacramento can make the playoffs in the tough Western Conference, but the Kings (30-26 SU, 33-23 ATS) are currently the eighth seed heading into Wednesday’s action. Sacramento has already cashed its season win total of 26, while finishing off a six-game homestand with a sterling 5-1 mark. The Kings avenged a road loss at Phoenix by beating the Suns, 117-104 as 9 ½-point favorites on Sunday, led by rookie Marvin Bagley III’s 32 points off the bench.

Sacramento travels to Denver for its third matchup with the Nuggets (38-18 SU, 30-26 ATS) this season. Denver captured the first two meetings, including a 117-113 triumph at Golden 1 Center as 3 ½-point favorites on January 3. The Nuggets erased a 13-point halftime deficit as Jamal Murray led the comeback by scoring 36 points, while Nikola Jokic produced a double-double by posting 26 points and 13 rebounds.

Denver snapped a three-game skid in Monday’s 103-87 blowout of an unrested Miami squad as 8 ½-point favorites. The Nuggets allowed their fewest points since yielding 86 points to the Raptors on December 16, while Jokic and Malik Beasley each pumped in 23 points for Denver. Mike Malone’s team has won 18 consecutive games in the home favorite role, while covering 14 times in this stretch.

Central Command

Regardless of Wednesday’s result, the Bucks (42-14 SU, 33-20-3 ATS) will head into the All-Star break as the leaders of the Central division. Milwaukee improved to 14-0 off a loss this season as the Bucks pulled away from the Bulls on Monday, 112-99 to barely cash as 11 ½-point road favorites. The Bucks have won six consecutive games away from Fiserv Forum, while covering in each of those contests.

Milwaukee heads to Indiana for the third meeting with the Pacers (38-19 SU, 30-27 ATS) as the home team has won each of the first two matchups. Indiana dominated Milwaukee in its last hookup at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in mid-December, 113-97 as 1 ½-point underdogs. The Pacers limited the Bucks to 11-of-43 shooting from three-point range, while holding MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo to 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

The Pacers have caught fire of late by winning six in a row, including all four on their current homestand. Indiana’s defense has clamped down by limiting its last four opponents to 94 points or less, while cashing the UNDER in seven of the past eight games overall. The Pacers have thrived as a home underdog by posting a solid 4-1 SU/ATS mark with the lone loss coming last month to the Warriors in a 32-point setback.

On the Way to 18?

It seems like the Knicks (10-46 SU, 23-32-1 ATS) may not win another game this season. They probably will, but New York is in the midst of a 17-game losing streak, while last winning at Madison Square Garden on December 1 against Milwaukee in overtime. The Knicks haven’t won a home game in regulation since November 23 against New Orleans, while compiling a dreadful 3-13 ATS mark in their last 16 home contests.

The Knicks welcome in the unrested 76ers (36-21 SU, 27-30 ATS), who were tripped up at home by the Celtics last night. Philadelphia seeks the four-game season sweep of New York tonight, as the Sixers slid past the Knicks in their last matchup at MSG in mid-January, 108-105 as seven-point favorites. The 76ers have captured seven straight meetings with the Knicks since Christmas Day of 2017, but Philadelphia owns a 3-7 ATS record in the role of a road favorite this season.

String Two Together

The Rockets (33-23 SU, 26-29-1 ATS) finally broke through against the Mavericks by beating Dallas for the first time in three meetings this season on Monday. Houston travels to Minnesota for a playoff rematch with the Timberwolves (26-30 SU, 28-28 ATS) as the Rockets seek to avenge a 103-91 setback at Target Center in early December as two-point favorites.

Houston cashed as 11-point favorites on Monday, but the Rockets are 0-7 ATS the last seven games off an ATS victory since upsetting Golden State in overtime on January 3. The Rockets have performed better on the road lately by winning four of the past five away from Toyota Center, including three straight wins as a favorite at Sacramento, Phoenix, and New York.

The Wolves snapped a four-game skid by outlasting the Clippers on Monday, 130-120, as Minnesota scored its most points since dropping 132 in a rout of Sacramento in December. Seven Wolves scored in double-figures, led by Karl-Anthony Towns’ 24-point performance, while Derrick Rose chipped in 22 points off the bench. Minnesota has won and covered in its last six opportunities in the home underdog role, while limiting Houston to nine points in the fourth quarter in their last matchup two months ago.

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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