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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: Pacers at Thunder (-6, 216) – 8:05 PM EST

Two teams not playing their best basketball of late hook up in Oklahoma City in a critical game for playoff seeding. Indiana (45-29 SU, 37-37 ATS) snapped a four-game skid in Sunday’s 124-88 home blowout of Denver as 1 ½-point underdogs, aided by 35 points from Bojan Bogdanovic, as the swingman drilled five three-pointers. The Pacers improved to 10-2 the last 12 home contests, but Indiana has dropped eight consecutive games away from Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Oklahoma City (43-31 SU, 37-37 ATS) is skidding out of control at the wrong time as the Thunder are riding a 1-5 stretch since rallying past Brooklyn on March 13. The Thunder dropped three consecutive home games to the Warriors, Heat, and Raptors before beating Toronto on the second of a home-and-home last Friday, 116-109. The most recent defeat came at Memphis on Monday in a 115-103 setback as Russell Westbrook and Paul George combined to shoot 16-of-49 from the floor.

The Thunder have not been able to cash consistently at Chesapeake Energy Arena by posting a 1-7 ATS record the last eight opportunities at home. Oklahoma City is looking to avenge a 108-106 defeat at Indiana on March 14 as the Thunder squandered an 18-point third quarter lead. Wesley Matthews tipped in a miss at the buzzer to give Indiana its first win against Oklahoma City since February 2017, while the UNDER hit for the fourth straight time in the series.

Warriors at Grizzlies – 8:05 PM EST

For the sixth consecutive season, Golden State (50-23 SU, 30-42-1 ATS) has reached the 50-win plateau. The two-time defending champions rebounded from their worst loss of the season in a 35-point blowout to the Mavericks by beating Detroit on Sunday, 121-114. The Warriors failed to cash as 10-point favorites, but Stephen Curry returned to the lineup after a one-game absence to score 26 points, while Golden State shot a scorching 62% from the floor.

Golden State is making its first trip to Memphis since October 2017 as the last four matchups in this series have come at Oracle Arena. The Warriors captured the first two meetings with the Grizzlies (30-44 SU, 35-39 ATS) in Oakland by 16 and 17 points, while cashing each time as double-digit favorites. The last time Golden State invaded FedEx Forum 17 months ago, both Curry and Kevin Durant were ejected late in a 111-101 loss as 8 ½-point favorites.

The Grizzlies knocked off Durant’s former team in blowout fashion in Monday’s 115-103 triumph as 7 ½-point underdogs. Memphis improved to 5-1 the last six games at FedEx Forum, which includes victories over Western Conference heavyweights Houston, Utah, and Portland. The Grizzlies haven’t backed down in the role of an underdog by covering in nine of their last 10 opportunities, while going 10-1 ATS the last 11 as a home ‘dog.

Blazers at Bulls – 8:05 PM EST

Three teams embark on cross-country road trips late in the season as Portland (46-27 SU, 40-32-1 ATS) hits the road for four games, starting in Chicago. The Blazers have won seven of their last eight games, while sweeping a four-game homestand, capped off by a double-overtime victory over the Nets on Monday. Portland outlasted Brooklyn, 148-144, but lost big man Jusuf Nurkic to a gruesome leg injury which will sideline him for the rest of the season.

The Bulls (21-54 SU, 34-40-1 ATS) own a dreadful 9-28 record at United Center, which includes a 31-point drubbing at the hands of the Jazz on Saturday. Utah built a 70-36 halftime edge and never looked back as the Bulls played without leading scorer Zach LaVine, as he is sidelined with a thigh injury. Since the Bulls shocked the Thunder in early December, Chicago has lost six of its past seven home games against Western Conference opponents.

Portland has captured the past four matchups with Chicago dating back to December 2016, including a 124-112 home victory in January. All four of those games sailed OVER the total, as the Blazers scored exactly 124 points in each of the previous three meetings.

Wizards at Suns – 10:05 PM EST

Phoenix (17-58 SU, 34-41 ATS) begin a five-game homestand with the first three opponents all owning losing records. The Suns were rolled by the Jazz on Monday, 125-92 as 14-point underdogs, in spite of Devin Booker posting a 59-point performance. Booker finished 19-of-34 from the floor, including hitting five three-pointers and converting 16 free throws. In all three losses to Utah this season, the Suns were limited to 97 points or less and each game was decided by double-digits.

The Wizards (30-45 SU, 35-40 ATS) head to the Valley with no rest following Tuesday’s loss to the Lakers. Washington has performed well on the second end of a back-to-back this season by compiling a 9-5 SU and 11-3 ATS record, while going 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS in the last three opportunities on the road.

Six of the last seven meetings in the series have been claimed by the Wizards, including a 149-146 home triumph in three overtimes back in late December. Bradley Beal paced Washington with 40 points, while Thomas Bryant knocked down all 14 of his field goal attempts for 31 points. The Wizards have won three straight matchups in Phoenix, including a 109-99 victory in December 2017.

Lakers at Jazz – 10:35 PM EST

Utah (44-30 SU, 40-32-2 ATS) is taking advantage of a soft schedule down the stretch by winning seven of eight, while beating only one team owning a winning record (Brooklyn). The latest victory for the Jazz came in Monday’s 33-point rout of the Suns, marking the second straight win for Utah by at least 30 points. In each of the past eight wins for the Jazz, Utah has managed covers, including six ATS victories in this stretch as a favorite of eight points or more.

The Lakers (33-41 SU, 29-43-2 ATS) have dropped 20 of their last 27 games to fall out of playoff contention in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is 0-15 ATS in its past 15 losses as its last cover in a defeat came at Golden State in early February as a 14 ½-point underdog. The Lakers have been nearly an automatic UNDER play on no rest this season by cashing the UNDER in nine of 10 opportunities on the second of a back-to-back following Tuesday’s victory against Washington.

The home team has won each of the first two meetings as the Jazz cruised past the Lakers in Salt Lake City back in January, 113-95 as 8 ½-point favorites. Utah owns an 8-1 record in the last nine games against L.A. since the start of the 2016-17 season, while capturing the past seven matchups at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

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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