Mavericks, Magic top Friday NBA matchup
The Mavericks hope to adjust to their new roster alignment sooner rather than later with the Western Conference race so tightly contested. Adding Caron Butler to the mix has shifted Jason Terry back to his usual sixth man role, and Dallas will need Butler to make a quick adaptation to his new mates. The Mavs may not need Butler on Friday night, however, with the way Dirk Nowitzki has dominated the Magic.
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone and it certainly provided its share of big-name player movement.
Tracy McGrady is on his way to New York after the Knicks made a three-way deal with the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings. The Rockets acquired Kevin Martin, among others, while the Kings picked up three players including Carl Landry.
Amare Stoudemire is staying put in Phoenix for the second straight year after he was rumored to be headed to Cleveland earlier in the week. The Cavaliers went in the direction of Antawn Jamison instead, likely because they didn’t have to give up promising young forward J.J. Hickson to get Jamison from Washington.
It’ll be interesting to see how an inside combination of Shaquille O’Neal and Jamison does on the defensive end in Cleveland. Regardless of the immediate impact, Jamison’s acquisition is sure to give the current futures odds a shake.
Earlier this week, I outlined Caron Butler’s move to the Dallas Mavericks, and it’s safe to say it’s still a work in progress. Bettors can get a close-up look at Butler with his new team when the Mavericks take on the Orlando Magic this weekend.
Dallas at Orlando (-6, 201)
Friday – 8 PM ET, ESPN
One of the worst wagers in the league, the Mavericks are the underdogs against the Magic, a team they’ve dominated in recent years.
Dallas has won five of their last six SU (3-3 ATS) against Orlando, including a 105-95 victory at Amway Arena as 7½-point pups last February.
Much of the Mavs’ success is due to Dirk Nowitzki’s abuse of Rashard Lewis or anyone else the Magic throw at him: Nowitzki is averaging 26.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in his last three games in Orlando – all Dallas wins.
Butler has also performed well against the Magic lately, albeit as a member of the Wizards. Butler put up 27 points per game in Washington’s two wins against Orlando earlier this season, so he’s no stranger to torching the Magic’s perimeter players.
The Mavs certainly need Butler to find his stride. Dallas is 1-1 SU and against the number since bringing him in along with Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson earlier in the week. Butler is averaging only 14.0 PPG on 10-of-32 shooting in two games since donning the Mavericks jersey.
At 22-32 ATS (33-21 SU), Dallas has been awful at the window this season. But most of those losses against the spread have come at home. On the road, the Mavs are a respectable 16-13 ATS and 17-12 SU, making them the sharp play on Friday night against a team they’ve handled recently.
If Dallas does grab the cash, it’ll be its first two-game ATS win streak since it covered easily as three-point chalk in its 113-92 win at Indiana on November 27.
Utah at Portland
Sunday – 10:30 PM ET, ESPN
In case you missed it, the Trail Blazers traded for Marcus Camby this week.
While the mainstream media was focused on T-Mac, Amare, and Jamison, Camby-to-Portland was the most important deal for bettors because of the impact it’ll have on the Blazers.
Portland’s been essentially playing without a center since Joel Przybilla went down with a knee injury on December 22. Juwan Howard is listed as Portland’s center in the boxscore, but don’t get me started on that waste of space.
On top of their dearth of ability in the middle, the Blazers have stayed afloat in the Western Conference playoff race with Brandon Roy out for the last month because of a hamstring injury. Roy was listed as questionable for Portland’s game on Friday night against Boston, so make sure to check the injury report before laying down on the matchup.
Camby is expected to be the lineup on Friday night, but if he’s not, he should be on the floor at the Rose Garden against Utah. Still among the NBA’s most effective big men, Camby ranked 11th among centers with an 18.57 PER heading into the weekend.
The Jazz were 9-2-1 ATS (12-1 SU) in their last 13 games before battling with Golden State on Friday night to improve to an impressive 32-18-1 ATS (34-19 SU) this season.
Utah has had its way with Portland, winning all three contests this season both SU and against the number. That includes a 106-95 win as 2½-point faves at the Rose Garden on January 27, when the Jazz led by as much as 26 points.
The Mavericks hope to adjust to their new roster alignment sooner rather than later with the Western Conference race so tightly contested. Adding Caron Butler to the mix has shifted Jason Terry back to his usual sixth man role, and Dallas will need Butler to make a quick adaptation to his new mates. The Mavs may not need Butler on Friday night, however, with the way Dirk Nowitzki has dominated the Magic.
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone and it certainly provided its share of big-name player movement.
Tracy McGrady is on his way to New York after the Knicks made a three-way deal with the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings. The Rockets acquired Kevin Martin, among others, while the Kings picked up three players including Carl Landry.
Amare Stoudemire is staying put in Phoenix for the second straight year after he was rumored to be headed to Cleveland earlier in the week. The Cavaliers went in the direction of Antawn Jamison instead, likely because they didn’t have to give up promising young forward J.J. Hickson to get Jamison from Washington.
It’ll be interesting to see how an inside combination of Shaquille O’Neal and Jamison does on the defensive end in Cleveland. Regardless of the immediate impact, Jamison’s acquisition is sure to give the current futures odds a shake.
Earlier this week, I outlined Caron Butler’s move to the Dallas Mavericks, and it’s safe to say it’s still a work in progress. Bettors can get a close-up look at Butler with his new team when the Mavericks take on the Orlando Magic this weekend.
Dallas at Orlando (-6, 201)
Friday – 8 PM ET, ESPN
One of the worst wagers in the league, the Mavericks are the underdogs against the Magic, a team they’ve dominated in recent years.
Dallas has won five of their last six SU (3-3 ATS) against Orlando, including a 105-95 victory at Amway Arena as 7½-point pups last February.
Much of the Mavs’ success is due to Dirk Nowitzki’s abuse of Rashard Lewis or anyone else the Magic throw at him: Nowitzki is averaging 26.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in his last three games in Orlando – all Dallas wins.
Butler has also performed well against the Magic lately, albeit as a member of the Wizards. Butler put up 27 points per game in Washington’s two wins against Orlando earlier this season, so he’s no stranger to torching the Magic’s perimeter players.
The Mavs certainly need Butler to find his stride. Dallas is 1-1 SU and against the number since bringing him in along with Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson earlier in the week. Butler is averaging only 14.0 PPG on 10-of-32 shooting in two games since donning the Mavericks jersey.
At 22-32 ATS (33-21 SU), Dallas has been awful at the window this season. But most of those losses against the spread have come at home. On the road, the Mavs are a respectable 16-13 ATS and 17-12 SU, making them the sharp play on Friday night against a team they’ve handled recently.
If Dallas does grab the cash, it’ll be its first two-game ATS win streak since it covered easily as three-point chalk in its 113-92 win at Indiana on November 27.
Utah at Portland
Sunday – 10:30 PM ET, ESPN
In case you missed it, the Trail Blazers traded for Marcus Camby this week.
While the mainstream media was focused on T-Mac, Amare, and Jamison, Camby-to-Portland was the most important deal for bettors because of the impact it’ll have on the Blazers.
Portland’s been essentially playing without a center since Joel Przybilla went down with a knee injury on December 22. Juwan Howard is listed as Portland’s center in the boxscore, but don’t get me started on that waste of space.
On top of their dearth of ability in the middle, the Blazers have stayed afloat in the Western Conference playoff race with Brandon Roy out for the last month because of a hamstring injury. Roy was listed as questionable for Portland’s game on Friday night against Boston, so make sure to check the injury report before laying down on the matchup.
Camby is expected to be the lineup on Friday night, but if he’s not, he should be on the floor at the Rose Garden against Utah. Still among the NBA’s most effective big men, Camby ranked 11th among centers with an 18.57 PER heading into the weekend.
The Jazz were 9-2-1 ATS (12-1 SU) in their last 13 games before battling with Golden State on Friday night to improve to an impressive 32-18-1 ATS (34-19 SU) this season.
Utah has had its way with Portland, winning all three contests this season both SU and against the number. That includes a 106-95 win as 2½-point faves at the Rose Garden on January 27, when the Jazz led by as much as 26 points.