**Nets at Pacers**



-- New Jersey evened up its first round series at 1-1 Tuesday after drilling Indiana 90-75 as an eight-point home favorite. The Nets held an eight-point lead (44-36) at the break after busting open the game with a 29-17 spurt in the third quarter.



-- Nets’ guard Vince Carter bounced back strong with a 33-point performance on 12-of-20 shooting from the floor. Hitting 60 percent of his shots was a major improvement from Game 1, when Carter went 12-of-33 (36%) of his attempts.



-- Richard Jefferson had another strong outing with 21 points, while Jason Kidd added 13 assists and 11 rebounds. Nenad Krstic followed up his 22 points in Game 1 with a 20-spot in the second meeting.



-- Combine Vince’s hot hand and the Pacers poor shooting (35%) performance and you got yourself a double-digit setback. Indiana shot a solid 47 percent from the field in Game 1’s victory.



-- Indiana’s offense also took a hit prior to the opening tip, with shooting guard Peja Stojakovic (knee) deemed inactive. His status for Game 3 on Thursday is unknown at this time. Keep an eye on all of the injuries in our updated odds - notes section.

-- Pacers center Jermaine O’Neal had more fouls (5) than made field goals (3) in Tuesday’s loss, finishing with 12 points and six turnovers.



-- The Nets are 20-21 both straight up and against the spread on the road, while Indiana is 27-14 SU and 22-17 ATS at home.



-- New Jersey has dropped two straight games at Indiana, including a 102-90 setback on Nov. 11 as a five-point road underdog.



-- Oddsmakers have tabbed the Pacers as slim one-point home favorite for Game 3, with the total sitting at 174.



-- The Nets are 28-19 SU and 23-23 ATS when playing on one day of rest, while the Pacers are 21-23 SU and 20-22 ATS in the same situation.



-- The total in this series is the lowest number posted on all of the eight opening series and deservingly so. The Nets have seen the ‘under’ go 27-14 on the road, while the Pacers have also seen the ‘under’ post a 24-17 mark.



-- Game 4 of this series is scheduled for Saturday from Conseco Fieldhouse.



-- NBATV will offer national coverage of this contest at 7:30 p.m. EST.



**Heat at Bulls**



-- Miami opened up a commanding 2-0 lead Monday in its first round series by holding off Chicago 115-108 as a seven-point home favorite. The Heat led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, but couldn’t put the Bulls away.



-- Chicago earned most gamblers a push by outscoring Miami 32-20 in the fourth quarter. For the second consecutive game, the Bulls shot better than 50 percent from downtown, yet still lost.



-- Scott Skiles’ team has been burning the bucket from 3-point land in the first two games, hitting 21-of-30 (70%) bombs from beyond the arch. Again, they’re down 0-2.



-- Also, the Heat were without starting forward Udonis Haslem (suspension) and backup center Alonzo Mourning (calf). Zo was seen practicing hours before the game on the court, but still didn’t suit up. His status is unknown.



-- Pat Riley’s team was still productive throughout the game, with six players scoring double-figures, including all five starters. Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Williams both dropped 22 points a piece.



-- How about Shaq? Not much of a match in the paint against the Bulls’ frontcourt, but 13-of-15 (87%) from the charity stripe is unreal for the big fella.



-- Some folks might think Game 3’s number is a tad off, considering the Bulls are favored by one-point by most books. Assuming that the Heat are four points better than Chicago on a neutral court and seven points better at home. Then, shouldn’t Miami be a one-point favorite on the road?



-- The total has also jumped three points to 199 and could hit the 200-plateu by tip off. The ‘over’ has cashed in both of the first two meetings of this series.



-- First-half bettors saw Miami and the ‘over’ win in the first two games, while the second-half had Chicago and the ‘over’ cash tickets.



-- An extra travel day comes into play for both clubs tonight. Miami is a solid 12-4 SU and 7-9 ATS on two days rest, while Chicago is only 8-12 SU and 12-8 ATS.



-- These two teams will have two days off before meeting again at United Center on Sunday afternoon.



-- Tip off for this contest is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST, with TNT providing coverage.



**Clippers at Nuggets**



-- “A playoff series doesn’t get interesting until one team loses homecourt” at least that’s what the old adage says. Could be the case Thursday, when Denver faces Los Angeles in a crucial third game of their best-of-seven series.


Kenyon Martin won't be suting up for Denver Nuggets anytime soon.(AP Images)


-- Denver’s weakness entering this series has been its outside shooting and nothing has changed after two games. The Nuggets have shot 39 and 34 percent from the field en route to a 0-2 hole to the Clippers.



-- The Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony has struggled in the first two games, combining for 41 points on 34 percent shooting.



-- Los Angeles dominated Denver in Game 2 from the opening whistle, using a 32-point first quarter help build a 56-33 lead at the break. The Clippers played safe for the final 24 minutes, dropping the Nuggets 98-87 as a three-point home favorite.



-- Monday’s victory for the Clippers was the team’s fifth consecutive against the Nuggets. The team is 3-2 against the number in this spot.



-- The Clippers are 1-1 both SU and ATS in their two trips to Denver this season, which includes a 105-87 blowout triumph on Dec. 7.



-- Denver’s offense has been anemic, averaging 86.7 points per game in its six games. The team is 0-6 during this stretch, while the ‘under’ is on a 6-0 run.



-- Luckily, George Karl and his offense are at home for the next two games, where they’ve averaged 104 PPG. The ‘over’ is 25-15 in this venue.



-- Los Angeles is 20-21 SU and 22-18 ATS on the road this year. The ‘over’ is 22-18.



-- If you’re a Clippers’ backer, you have to be excited that you own a 2-0 lead and you’re not even playing good basketball. L.A. is just fortunate to not see Denver show up yet. Elton Brand has been the only consistent figure, posting 40 points, 19 boards and seven blocks in the series.



-- Oddsmakers continue to drop the total on this series. The ‘over/under’ was as high as 196 for Game 1 and has now opened at 191 for Game 3.



-- Denver has suspended Kenyon Martin because of conduct detrimental to the team. Martin had nine points in 27 minutes in Game 1 and was then held scoreless in Game 2. Don’t be surprised to see him gone for the series and perhaps out of Mile High come next season.



-- Los Angeles could be without center Chris Kaman (ankle) for Game 3.

-- The Clippers and Nuggets will square off again Saturday in Game 4 from Pepsi Center.



-- Tip off for this contest is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. EST, with TNT providing coverage.