Wednesday's Tip Sheet
April 19, 2017
**Atlanta at Washington**
-- Washington took a 1-0 series advantage with Sunday’s 114-107 win over Atlanta as a 5.5-point home favorite. The 221 combined points went ‘over’ the 209.5-point total. After the Wizards raced out to a 23-12 advantage, the Hawks’ reserves sparked them to a lead that stretched out to eight in the second quarter. Trailing by three at intermission, Washington’s John Wall led a 38-28 blitz in the third quarter. The lead grew to as many as 15 in the final stanza, but Taurean’s Prince’s 3-pointer with 2:07 remaining trimmed the deficit to 108-103. The Wizards would respond with straight free throws to put the game on ice.
-- Wall was the catalyst in Game 1, producing 32 points, 14 assists and four rebounds on 12-of-24 shooting from the field. Bradley Beal added 22 points, three steals, three boards and three assists, while Markieff Morris recorded 21 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Six players scored in double figures, including Marcin Gortat (14 and 10 boards), Kelly Oubre (11) and Otto Porter Jr. (10).
-- Atlanta won the battle of the boards by a 48-42 margin and hit 32-of-39 FTs compared to 16-of-17 for Washington. However, the Wizards had a 28/12 assists-to-turnovers ratio, while Atlanta had 18 assists compared to 21 turnovers.
-- Dennis Schroder scored a team-best 25 points and had nine assists compared to merely two turnovers. Paul Millsap added 19 points, while Prince scored 14 points and pulled down six rebounds in his postseason debut. Kent Bazemore finished with 12 points and four assists, while Dwight Howard had seven points and 14 boards. Tim Hardaway Jr. struggled mightily, making just 2-of-11 attempts from the field and misfiring on all six launches from 3-point range. Although Mike Budenholzer declared him healthy, Thabo Sefolosha took a DNP – CD (did not play – coach’s decision).
-- As of late Tuesday afternoon, most betting shops had Washington (50-33 straight up, 43-39 against the spread) installed as a 5.5-point ‘chalk’ with a total of 211. The Hawks were +185 on the money line (risk $100 to win $185).
-- Scott Brooks’s squad is 31-11 SU and 24-18 ATS at home this year.
-- Wall averages team-bests in scoring (23.1 points per game), assists (10.7 APG) and steals (2.0 SPG). Beal scores at a 23.1 PPG clip as well. Morris (14.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG) gives Washington to the type of physical/nasty presence that’s so vital in the playoffs. He set the tone from an intensity level in Game 1.
-- Atlanta (43-40 SU, 39-44 ATS) owns a 20-22 SU record and a 22-20 ATS mark in its road assignments this season. The Hawks are 6-2 ATS with three outright victories in their last eight games as underdogs.
-- Since Atlanta won a 114-99 decision at home in late October, Washington has won four in a row in this rivalry. The Wizards are 3-1 ATS in those four contests. The ‘under’ had hit in three straight encounters until the series opener went ‘over’ the number.
-- The ‘under’ is 48-33-2 overall for the Hawks, 25-15-2 in their road outings. However, they’ve seen the ‘over’ go 4-2 in their last six contests.
-- The ‘over’ is 52-31 overall for the Wizards, 26-16 in their home games.
-- The updated series price at Sportsbook.ag is Washington -360 (risk $360 to win $100), with Atlanta as +280 underdogs.
-- Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern on NBA-TV.
**Oklahoma City at Houston**
-- Houston (56-27 SU, 43-40 ATS) took a 1-0 series lead by virtue of Sunday’s 118-87 win over OKC as a 7.5-point home favorite. The 205 combined points went ‘under’ the 227.5-point total. Just as he has throughout a career season, James Harden led the way with 37 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Patrick Beverley exploded for 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals. The University of Arkansas product buried 4-of-6 attempts from long distance. Clint Capela contributed 14 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a pair of assists without a turnover. Nene was also in double figures, scoring 15 points and grabbing five boards in 18-plus minutes of playing time from off the bench.
-- In the Game 1 setback, OKC lost the rebounding battle by a lopsided 56-41 margin. The Thunder shot 30-of-81 FGs (37.0%) and 9-of-29 (31.0%) from 3-point range. They committed 15 turnovers compared to just 19 assists.
-- Russell Westbrook had a horrific Game 1. He made merely 6-of-23 FGs and 3-of-11 from downtown, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, two steals. Westbrook coughed up nine turnovers. Andre Roberson contributed 18 points, eight boards, two steals and a pair of rejections. Jerami Grant was also in double figures with 10 points.
-- As of Tuesday night, most spots had Houston listed as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 224. Gamblers could take the Thunder to win outright for a +290 return (risk $100 to win $290).
-- Oklahoma City (47-36 SU, 45-37 ATS) owns a 19-23 record both SU and ATS on the road.
-- Totals have been an overall wash (41-41-1) for the Rockets, with the ‘over’ going 22-20 in their home games.
-- The ‘under’ is 45-37-1 overall for OKC, 25-16-1 in its road contests. The ‘under’ has cashed in five straight games, nine of the last 11 and 12 of the last 15.
-- Sportsbook.ag has the updated series price as Houston -950, leaving OKC at +635 on the comeback (risk $100 to win $635).
-- TNT will have the broadcast at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
**Portland at Golden State**
-- As of Tuesday night, most books had Golden St. (68-15 SU, 40-40-3 ATS) listed as a 13.5-point favorite with a total of 219.5. The Trail Blazers had 10/1 odds to win outright at The Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, but there were a few offshores that were offering a 13/1 payout. The line opened at 15 but moved down to 13.5 on Tuesday when Kevin Durant was declared ‘questionable’ for Game 2 due to a calf injury.
-- Steve Kerr’s team captured a 121-109 win in Sunday’s Game 1 at Oracle Arena in Oakland. The 230 combined points hopped ‘over’ the 219.5-point tally. Bettors on the Trail Blazers cashed tickets catching 15 points. The Warriors used a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter to pull away in a tight game that was tied going into the final stanza. Reserve point guard Ian Clark scored seven points in the crucial surge.
-- Kerr remarked to the media afterward, “It was, to me, the perfect way to win in Game 1. You get a real taste for what you’re up against. You see how good they are, but you’re able to overcome everything and still get the win. So, I like it.”
-- Durant was the catalyst with 32 points and 11 rebounds. Steph Curry produced 29 points, five rebounds and four assists. Draymond Green was terrific, tallying 19 points, 12 boards, five blocked shots, three steals and a 9/1 assists-to-turnovers ratio. Klay Thompson (15) and Clark (12) also scored in double figures, but Thompson buried only 1-of-6 from distance.
-- Portland’s electric guards had it right in the thick of the Game 1 fight through three quarters. C.J. McCollum was nothing short of sensational, scoring 41 points and grabbing eight rebounds. The fourth-year shooting guard out of Lehigh drained 16-of-28 shots, including 4-of-6 from 3-point land. Damian Lillard finished with 34 points (12-26 FGs), five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Evan Turner added 12 points, 10 boards and four assists compared to only one turnover, while Maurice Harkless had 11 points.
-- Golden St. is 37-5 SU at home this year, 21-19-3 ATS.
-- Portland (41-42 SU, 41-42 ATS) has struggled on the road, losing 26 of 42 games while going 19-23 ATS. The Trail Blazers have taken the cash in four consecutive games as double-digit underdogs, winning outright twice.
-- Durant (calf) and Shaun Livingston (hand/sprained index finger on shooting hand) are both listed as ‘questionable.’ Durant is averaging 25.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. Livingston averaged 5.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 76 regular-season games.
-- The ‘under’ is 50-33 overall for the Warriors, 22-20 in their home games.
-- The ‘over’ is 45-37-1 overall for Portland, 23-19 in its road assignments.
-- The ‘over’ is 6-2 in the last eight head-to-head meetings between these Western Conference rivals.
-- Golden St. exceeded its NBA-best 115.9 PPG average in Game 1. The Warriors also pace The Association in field-goal percentage (49.5%), field-goal defense (43.5%) and defending the 3-point line (32.4%).
-- Since losing Game 3 at Portland in last year’s West semifinals, the Warriors have won five in a row over Portland. However, the Trail Blazers have covered the number in the last three encounters.
-- Tip-off is slated for 10:35 p.m. Eastern on TNT.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
-- The underdogs and the ‘over’ were the winning plays in Tuesday’s two early games in the NBA Playoffs. This space has covered Toronto guard Kyle Lowry’s postseason struggles quite often in this space around this time of year. However, Lowry got it done in Game 2 with the Raptors staring at a 2-0 deficit. His stepback jumper with 8.9 seconds remaining extended his team’s lead to four in a 106-100 win. The Bucks covered the number again as eight-point underdogs, while the 206 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 194-point total.
-- After going 2-of-11 from the field in the series opener, Lowry scored 22 points, dished out five assists, grabbed four rebounds and made three steals. DeMar DeRozan finished with 23 points and seven boards, while Serge Ibaka contributed 16 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and six assists compared to just one turnover.
-- Chicago had to win its regular-season finale to earn the East’s No. 8 seed just ahead of Miami. One week later, the Bulls are headed back home with a 2-0 series advantage on the top-seeded Boston. And Game 2 wasn’t even close. Fred Hoiberg’s team got downright greedy and then some, coasting to a 111-97 win as a seven-point underdog. Chicago hooked up money-line backers with an outstanding +290 payout. The Bulls led by as many as 19 in the fourth quarter.
-- Chicago veteran PG Rajon Rondo nearly recorded a triple-double in Game 2. The mercurial Rondo, who played two years of college ball at Kentucky during Tubby Smith’s tenure, produced 11 points, 14 assists nine rebounds and five steals. Jimmy Butler stuffed the box score with 22 points, eight boards, eight assists, four steals and two blocked shots. Dwyane Wade finished with 22 points on 9-of-16 FGs, draining 3-of-4 launches from downtown.
-- Boston All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas was scheduled to fly to Seattle to be with his family following Game 2. Thomas’s 22-year-old sister Chyna was killed this past weekend in a one-car automobile accident. Thomas had 33 points in Game 1 and finished Game 2 with 20. Brad Stevens has indicated that the team will join Thomas in Washington for the funeral services, which are expected to be between now and Friday's Game 3 in the Windy City.
