NBA Odds: Back-to-back shouldn’t stop Indiana Pacers from rolling
By Phil Watson
On a light NBA schedule Saturday, a back-to-back shouldn’t slow the Indiana Pacers as 6-point favorites on the road against the rudderless New York Knicks.
The first coach to be fired in the NBA this season ended up being David Fizdale on Friday. The New York Knicks made the move a day after the team was humiliated at home by the Denver Nuggets, losing 129-92.
It was the Knicks’ eighth loss in a row and their second in a row by a lopsided margin. New York had lost to the Milwaukee Bucks by 44 points on Monday.
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Fizdale was just 21-83 in his season and roughly a quarter with the Knicks. He had only made it 19 games into his second season with the Memphis Grizzlies before he was fired in November 2017 and now has a career record of 71-134. Veteran coach Mike Miller, 55, will get his first taste of NBA head coaching as he takes over as interim coach.
The Knicks now have the worst record in the NBA at 4-18 and will host the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. Indiana lost at Detroit on Friday and even on a back-to-back are six-point favorites to win on the back end of their road SEGABABA, according to information compiled courtesy of The Action Network.
Even with the loss to the Pistons, Indiana is 5-2 against the spread in its last seven games and 7-2 straight up over its last nine games. Conversely, New York is 1-4 ATS in its last five games and have lost five consecutive games SU at home. The Knicks are 0-3 ATS in December and have not covered in their last nine December games overall.
Indiana Pacers (minus 6) at New York Knicks
TV: Fox Sports Indiana, MSG Network
Tickets: Madison Square Garden, 7:30 p.m. Eastern
Records: Indiana 14-8 (11-9-2 ATS, 6-5 road ATS), New York 4-18 (10-12 ATS, 5-7 home ATS)
Availability report (as of 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday)
Indiana: Not submitted. At Detroit on Friday, the Pacers did not have Brian Bowen (two-way, G League), Naz Mitrou-Long (two-way, G League), Victor Oladipo (right knee rehab) or JaKarr Sampson (sore back).
New York: OUT–Kadeem Allen (two-way, G League), Reggie Bullock (cervical disc herniation), Ivan Rabb (two-way, G League).
As for the rest of the NBA slate on Saturday, here’s what to look for:
New Orleans Pelicans at Dallas Mavericks (minus 9)
TV: Fox Sports New Orleans, Fox Sports Southwest-Dallas
Tickets: American Airlines Center, 2 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. local)
Records: New Orleans 6-16 (9-12 ATS, 3-6 road ATS), Dallas 15-6 (13-8 ATS, 5-6 home ATS)
Availability report (as of 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday)
New Orleans: OUT–Zylan Cheatham (two-way, G League), Derrick Favors (personal), Josh Gray (two-way, G League), Darius Miller (right Achilles surgery), Zion Williamson (right knee scope).
Dallas: OUT–Antonius Cleveland (two-way, G League), Josh Reaves (two-way, G League); QUESTIONABLE–Dwight Powell (left forearm contusion).
Notable: Talk about two teams headed in opposite directions. The Dallas Mavericks are 9-1 ATS over its last 10 games and host a New Orleans Pelicans squad that is just 1-6 ATS in its last seven games. The Pelicans have also lost seven straight SU, while Dallas has won four in a row and nine of its last 10 SU.
These teams just met on Tuesday in New Orleans, with the Mavericks getting a 128-120 win as 6½-point favorites. At home, Dallas has covered five of its last six games, while the Pelicans are just have not covered in three straight road games since their 124-121 victory at Phoenix on Nov. 21.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers (minus 11½)
TV: Fox Sports Ohio, NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA TV
Tickets: Wells Fargo Center, 7:30 p.m. Eastern
Records: Cleveland 5-16 (8-11-2 ATS, 4-4-1 road ATS), Philadelphia 15-7 (10-12 ATS, 5-5 home ATS)
Availability report (as of 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday)
Cleveland: Not submitted. Friday against the Magic at home, the Cavaliers were without Tyler Cook (two-way, G League), Kevin Love (illness), Dean Wade (two-way, G League) and Dylan Windler (G League).
Philadelphia: OUT–Jonah Bolden (G League), Joel Embiid (left hip contusion), Norvel Pelle (two-way, G League), Josh Richardson (right hamstring tightness), Marial Shayok (two-way, G League), Zhaire Smith (G League).
Notable: While the Cleveland Cavaliers have lost five straight games, nine of their last 10 and are just 2-9 ATS over their last 11 contests, the story lines against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday are two-fold: The Cavs are dealing with the fallout from a report in The Athletic Friday that coach John Beilein has already lost the squad (subscription requred).
The Sixers will be without All-NBA center Joel Embiid due to a bruised hip and are also without starting wing Josh Richardson, who will miss his fifth straight game since his hamstring tightened up against the Kings on Nov. 27. Philadelphia has only covered once in its last six games despite going 4-2 SU over that stretch. The 76ers crushed the Cavs in Cleveland 114-95 back on Nov. 17.
Phoenix Suns at Houston Rockets (minus 10)
TV: Fox Sports Arizona, AT&T SportsNet-Southwest
Tickets: Toyota Center, 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. local)
Records: Phoenix 10-11 (12-9 ATS, 6-3 road ATS), Houston 14-7 (11-10 ATS, 6-4 home ATS)
Availability report (as of 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday)
Phoenix: OUT–Deandre Ayton (league suspension), Jared Harper (two-way, G League), Jalen Lecque (G League); DOUBTFUL–Aron Baynes (strained left calf); PROBABLE–Ty Jerome (sprained right ankle).
Houston: OUT–Michael Frazier (two-way, G League), Eric Gordon (right knee arthroscopy), Gerald Green (left cuneiform fracture), Nene (left adductor strain).
Notable: After a good start, the Phoenix Suns have hit a rough patch going 3-7 SU and ATS over their last 10 games. The Houston Rockets, meanwhile, have been going well of late, with an 11-4 mark both SU and ATS over their last 15 games.
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The good news for the Rockets is they have beaten Phoenix 11 straight times; the bad news for Houston is that the Suns have covered in four of the last five meetings and are 3-3 ATS during their recent skid. The Rockets have covered four of their last five at home.
Memphis Grizzlies at Utah Jazz (minus 11½)
TV: Fox Sports Southeast-Memphis, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain
Tickets: Vivint Smart Home Arena, 10 p.m. Eastern (8 p.m. local)
Records: Memphis 6-15 (8-13 ATS, 3-5 road ATS), Utah 12-10 (8-14 ATS, 4-6 home ATS)
Availability report (as of 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday)
Memphis: OUT–Brandon Clarke (left oblique soreness), Andre Iguodala (not with team), Josh Jackson (G League), John Konchar (two-way, G League), Ja Morant (back soreness); DOUBTFUL–Kyle Anderson (right heel soreness); QUESTIONABLE–Dillon Brooks (right shoulder soreness).
Utah: OUT–Jarrell Brantley (two-way, G League), Miye Oni (G League), Nigel Williams-Goss (G League); QUESTIONABLE–Mike Conley (left hamstring tightness).
Notable: It’s been a grind for the Memphis Grizzlies of late, as they have lost eight of their last nine games and are just 3-6 ATS over that stretch. Of course, it hasn’t been much better for the Utah Jazz recently, as they’ve lost five of their last six and have covered just once in the last five games.
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Utah has been absolutely hammered in two of their last three games, losing by 20 at Toronto on Sunday and at home by 25 to the Lakers on Wednesday. In their loss at Philadelphia Monday, the Jazz trailed by as much as 26 before closing with a flurry to make the score appear respectable. Utah has also failed to cover in their last five games at home against Memphis.