NBA: Scorching Phoenix small underdogs in Houston
Behind their high-scoring, up-tempo offense, the Phoenix Suns have gotten off to a hot start. The Houston Rockets are showing they have no problem speeding up their offense as well. The Suns look to become the first NBA team to 10 wins Tuesday night when
2009-11-18
Behind their high-scoring, up-tempo offense, the Phoenix Suns have gotten off to a hot start. The Houston Rockets are showing they have no problem speeding up their offense as well. The Suns look to become the first NBA team to 10 wins Tuesday night when they visit the Rockets. Houston is a small favorite at Sportsbook.com, but over 80% of bettors are backing the underdogs at last check of the BETTING TRENDS page.
Phoenix (9-2, 6-5 ATS), which led the league in scoring last season, is off to another impressive start offensively. The Suns are the only team in the league to score 100 points in every game this season, and though they missed the playoffs last season, they enter Tuesday with the Western Conference’s best record.
Phoenix, which is averaging 110.4 points, is coming off a 101-100 win over Toronto as 7.5-point favorite on Sunday, bouncing back after suffering a 19-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Steve Nash was fouled while making a game-tying layup with 38.9 seconds remaining, then hit his free throw for the final score.
“We struggled a little bit offensively,” Nash, who finished with 23 points and nine assists, told the Suns’ official Web site. “There were a bunch of in-and-outs on shots I normally make. I can say the same for our team, in general. We weren’t flying offensively tonight, but luckily we found the strength to make the stops down the stretch.” Phoenix is 64-39 ATS off a home non-cover where the team won straight up as a favorite.
The Suns shot 50.8 percent in their first nine games but are shooting 40.1 percent in the last two. While Sunday wasn’t their best game offensively, Amare Stoudemire scored a season-high 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He went 2 of 15 against the Lakers to finish with a season-low eight points.
While much of the attention has been on their offense, the Suns were also pleased with their defensive effort against the Raptors. Phoenix had given up 113.3 points in the previous three games and it allowed 33 points in the opening quarter before settling down over the next three periods.
“A good win for us against a quality team,” coach Alvin Gentry said. “They present so many problems for you. I thought after the first quarter we were going to have to score 120 points to win.” It is noteworthy the Suns are 4-13 ATS in road games after allowing 100 points or more four straight games.
Gentry will need another good effort from his team Tuesday as Houston (6-4, 7-3 ATS) has averaged 105.2 points since scoring 87 in a season-opening loss at Portland.
The Rockets haven’t won as consistently as the Suns, but they beat the defending champion Lakers 101-91 on the road Sunday. Houston handed the Lakers their third loss of the season, holding them to 38.1 percent shooting and outrebounding them 60-38.
Aaron Brooks led all scorers with 33 points while Trevor Ariza, a former Laker who received his NBA championship ring before the victory, was held to nine points on 2-of-12 shooting.
“I knew tonight was going to be a tough night for me,” Ariza said. “I didn’t play as well, but my teammates played great. Aaron played big for us, and I’m just happy we got a win.”
Ariza, who has spent most of his career coming off the bench, has embraced his starting role with the Rockets, whose top scorers from last season - Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming - are both injured. Ariza is averaging 18.4 points, more than double his previous career high. With Ariza’s help, Houston has scored 100 points or more in nine straight games, the club’s longest streak since a 12-game run during the 1995-96 season. The Rockets are 3-1 at home this season and 4-0 ATS. In fact, dating back to last season, they have covered six in a row.
Sportsbook.com has the Rockets as two-point favorites with total of 220.5.Houston is 8-2 ATS in last 10 contests as a home favorite and has covered four in a row against teams with winning road record. In the past, the Rockets were looked at as a strong Under play, but with new up-tempo style are 5-0 OVER off a SU win.
Phoenix is only 16-30 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record and is 13-4 OVER in road games off a home win over the last two seasons.
Despite being one of the lower-scoring teams in the NBA with 98.4 points per game last season, Houston averaged 106.3 while winning two of three against Phoenix. The Suns scored 102.7 points per game in the series, covering the spread twice.
This Western Conference matchup is available in local markets starting at 8:30 Eastern.
The StatFox Power Line shows Houston by 6, perhaps indicating that bettors at Sportsbook are falling into a NBA oddsmakers’ trap.
CBB: ESPN Big Name Doubleheader
As part of its 24-hour marathon of college basketball on Tuesday, ESPN offers a primetime doubleheader featuring four of the biggest names in college basketball. Gonzaga squares off with Michigan State in the opener, and Memphis travels to St. Louis to take on the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks. It should be an exciting twin-bill to officially tip-off a season of big games. Sportsbook.com has both the Spartans and Jayhawks favored by 11-points in their respective contests.
8:00E Gonzaga vs Michigan State (-11)
For the first time in years, Gonzaga doesn’t look like a Top 15 team with its frontcourt wiped out. Versatile guard Matt Bouldin is the one remaining stud, with Steven Gray and Demetri Goodson solid backcourt companions. The Bulldogs are 4-12 ATS against teams with winning record, though seldom as an underdog. What does second-ranked Michigan State do for encore after being national runner-up last spring? How about find ways to improve with a deep and talent-laden roster under coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans are 11-3-1 ATS off a blowout win by 20 or more.
Michigan State brings three starters back for 2009-10, but G Raymar Morgan is listed as questionable for this contest due to an ankle injury. The StatFox Power Ratings show that Michigan State should be a 6-point favorite, and the 11-point spread may be a bit overinflated. Follow the BETTING TRENDS page throughout the day to see if your colleagues agree with that assessment.
10:00E Memphis vs Kansas (-11)
How quickly the mighty reload. Less than two years removed from national championship, Kansas is a nearly unanimous preseason No.1. The talent is deep and the addition of guard Xavier Henry gives coach Bill Self a wing player that can go inside or out, something missing a season ago. Kansas is on 27-9-1 ATS run overall. Senior G Doneal Mack is the only player back for Memphis with more than 10 starts, as they start a new era with Josh Pastner now as coach. A falloff is expected but how much is to be determined. The Tigers are 6-2 ATS in their last eight non-conference clashes.
Memphis is big in name and has recruited very well in recent years, including this past spring, so don’t expect a major fall off. Most publications still expect the Tigers to compete for the Conference USA crown again. Kansas has played its best basketball of late against good teams, boasting a 19-6 ATS mark in its L25 versus teams with a winning record.
It should be a great night of college hoops on the tube. Sportsbook.com will of course house all the betting action for you, including lines and totals on both of these key clashes.
2009-11-18
Behind their high-scoring, up-tempo offense, the Phoenix Suns have gotten off to a hot start. The Houston Rockets are showing they have no problem speeding up their offense as well. The Suns look to become the first NBA team to 10 wins Tuesday night when they visit the Rockets. Houston is a small favorite at Sportsbook.com, but over 80% of bettors are backing the underdogs at last check of the BETTING TRENDS page.
Phoenix (9-2, 6-5 ATS), which led the league in scoring last season, is off to another impressive start offensively. The Suns are the only team in the league to score 100 points in every game this season, and though they missed the playoffs last season, they enter Tuesday with the Western Conference’s best record.
Phoenix, which is averaging 110.4 points, is coming off a 101-100 win over Toronto as 7.5-point favorite on Sunday, bouncing back after suffering a 19-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Steve Nash was fouled while making a game-tying layup with 38.9 seconds remaining, then hit his free throw for the final score.
“We struggled a little bit offensively,” Nash, who finished with 23 points and nine assists, told the Suns’ official Web site. “There were a bunch of in-and-outs on shots I normally make. I can say the same for our team, in general. We weren’t flying offensively tonight, but luckily we found the strength to make the stops down the stretch.” Phoenix is 64-39 ATS off a home non-cover where the team won straight up as a favorite.
The Suns shot 50.8 percent in their first nine games but are shooting 40.1 percent in the last two. While Sunday wasn’t their best game offensively, Amare Stoudemire scored a season-high 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He went 2 of 15 against the Lakers to finish with a season-low eight points.
While much of the attention has been on their offense, the Suns were also pleased with their defensive effort against the Raptors. Phoenix had given up 113.3 points in the previous three games and it allowed 33 points in the opening quarter before settling down over the next three periods.
“A good win for us against a quality team,” coach Alvin Gentry said. “They present so many problems for you. I thought after the first quarter we were going to have to score 120 points to win.” It is noteworthy the Suns are 4-13 ATS in road games after allowing 100 points or more four straight games.
Gentry will need another good effort from his team Tuesday as Houston (6-4, 7-3 ATS) has averaged 105.2 points since scoring 87 in a season-opening loss at Portland.
The Rockets haven’t won as consistently as the Suns, but they beat the defending champion Lakers 101-91 on the road Sunday. Houston handed the Lakers their third loss of the season, holding them to 38.1 percent shooting and outrebounding them 60-38.
Aaron Brooks led all scorers with 33 points while Trevor Ariza, a former Laker who received his NBA championship ring before the victory, was held to nine points on 2-of-12 shooting.
“I knew tonight was going to be a tough night for me,” Ariza said. “I didn’t play as well, but my teammates played great. Aaron played big for us, and I’m just happy we got a win.”
Ariza, who has spent most of his career coming off the bench, has embraced his starting role with the Rockets, whose top scorers from last season - Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming - are both injured. Ariza is averaging 18.4 points, more than double his previous career high. With Ariza’s help, Houston has scored 100 points or more in nine straight games, the club’s longest streak since a 12-game run during the 1995-96 season. The Rockets are 3-1 at home this season and 4-0 ATS. In fact, dating back to last season, they have covered six in a row.
Sportsbook.com has the Rockets as two-point favorites with total of 220.5.Houston is 8-2 ATS in last 10 contests as a home favorite and has covered four in a row against teams with winning road record. In the past, the Rockets were looked at as a strong Under play, but with new up-tempo style are 5-0 OVER off a SU win.
Phoenix is only 16-30 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record and is 13-4 OVER in road games off a home win over the last two seasons.
Despite being one of the lower-scoring teams in the NBA with 98.4 points per game last season, Houston averaged 106.3 while winning two of three against Phoenix. The Suns scored 102.7 points per game in the series, covering the spread twice.
This Western Conference matchup is available in local markets starting at 8:30 Eastern.
The StatFox Power Line shows Houston by 6, perhaps indicating that bettors at Sportsbook are falling into a NBA oddsmakers’ trap.
CBB: ESPN Big Name Doubleheader
As part of its 24-hour marathon of college basketball on Tuesday, ESPN offers a primetime doubleheader featuring four of the biggest names in college basketball. Gonzaga squares off with Michigan State in the opener, and Memphis travels to St. Louis to take on the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks. It should be an exciting twin-bill to officially tip-off a season of big games. Sportsbook.com has both the Spartans and Jayhawks favored by 11-points in their respective contests.
8:00E Gonzaga vs Michigan State (-11)
For the first time in years, Gonzaga doesn’t look like a Top 15 team with its frontcourt wiped out. Versatile guard Matt Bouldin is the one remaining stud, with Steven Gray and Demetri Goodson solid backcourt companions. The Bulldogs are 4-12 ATS against teams with winning record, though seldom as an underdog. What does second-ranked Michigan State do for encore after being national runner-up last spring? How about find ways to improve with a deep and talent-laden roster under coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans are 11-3-1 ATS off a blowout win by 20 or more.
Michigan State brings three starters back for 2009-10, but G Raymar Morgan is listed as questionable for this contest due to an ankle injury. The StatFox Power Ratings show that Michigan State should be a 6-point favorite, and the 11-point spread may be a bit overinflated. Follow the BETTING TRENDS page throughout the day to see if your colleagues agree with that assessment.
10:00E Memphis vs Kansas (-11)
How quickly the mighty reload. Less than two years removed from national championship, Kansas is a nearly unanimous preseason No.1. The talent is deep and the addition of guard Xavier Henry gives coach Bill Self a wing player that can go inside or out, something missing a season ago. Kansas is on 27-9-1 ATS run overall. Senior G Doneal Mack is the only player back for Memphis with more than 10 starts, as they start a new era with Josh Pastner now as coach. A falloff is expected but how much is to be determined. The Tigers are 6-2 ATS in their last eight non-conference clashes.
Memphis is big in name and has recruited very well in recent years, including this past spring, so don’t expect a major fall off. Most publications still expect the Tigers to compete for the Conference USA crown again. Kansas has played its best basketball of late against good teams, boasting a 19-6 ATS mark in its L25 versus teams with a winning record.
It should be a great night of college hoops on the tube. Sportsbook.com will of course house all the betting action for you, including lines and totals on both of these key clashes.
NBA: Scorching Phoenix small underdogs in Houston News
