Utah Jazz visits Steve Nash, Suns
College basketball may have the hoops spotlight this weekend, but that doesn't mean the NBA is taking a vacation. Several key matchups take place the next few days, starting with a very possible playoff preview in Phoenix with Steve Nash and the Suns hosting the Utah Jazz. Phoenix has dropped its last three to Utah, dating to last season, and the Suns could stand to stop that skid with the Western Conference race so tight.
You gotta love the D-League. Those guys get paid next to nothing compared to their NBA counterparts, but look how much money they can give the rest of us: The Golden State Warriors are on a 5-0 ATS roll with a lineup that includes Anthony Tolliver and Reggie Williams. They combined for 52 points in Wednesday’s 131-121 victory over the New Orleans Hornets (+3).

And yet you may never hear from Tolliver and Williams again after this year. Remember the Miami Heat of two seasons ago? They ended the year 10-4 ATS on the hard work of D-Leaguers like Stephane Lasme (now with Maccabi Tel Aviv) and Kasib Powell (now with Trikala 2000 in Greece). Miami only won three of those 14 games straight up, but never has a team gone into the tank with so much fighting spirit. Golden State is wisely following the blueprint.
Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns
Friday, March 19 - 10 p.m. (ET)
There will be no free rides in the Western Conference playoffs this year. The Jazz (44-24 SU, 42-23-3 ATS) are 20-6 SU and 18-7-1 ATS over the past two months, while the Suns (42-26 SU, 39-39 ATS) are 16-4 SU and 15-5 ATS in their last 20 games. Nobody wants to face either of these teams in the first round, or any other round for that matter.
Good health is on their side for a change. The Suns have finally welcomed Leandro Barbosa (21.4 points per 40 minutes) back into the lineup after missing nearly two months following surgery on his wrist. That gives Phoenix its full arsenal of players and some welcome depth in the backcourt. The Jazz are only missing one player: Andrei Kirilenko (16.5 points, 6.3 rebonuds/40), who is day-to-day with a nagging calf strain.
Kirilenko has become something of the forgotten man in Utah. The Jazz have worked around his many injuries, compiling a 6-4 SU and ATS record during his sporadic absences. But Kirilenko (18.55 PER) is still a quality player at both ends of the floor and a considerable upgrade over C.J. Miles (10.67 PER) at small forward. The Suns will have more value against the betting odds Friday if AK-47 does indeed have to sit this one out. Otherwise, the Jazz have already beaten Phoenix both home and away this year, cashing in both times.
San Antonio Spurs at Atlanta Hawks
Sunday, March 21 - 8 p.m. (ET) ESPN
Uh-oh. The Spurs (40-26 SU, 34-31-1 ATS) are going on another one of their patented late-season tears, starting the month of March at 7-2 SU and 8-1 ATS. And they’re doing it without one of their star players. Tony Parker (20.9 points, 7.2 assists/40) is out until the playoffs and possibly longer with a broken right hand; however, George Hill (16.6 points, 3.8 assists/40) is picking up the slack in relief, and everyone else in the lineup is healthy, including the underappreciated Manu Ginobili (21.4 points, 6.8 assists/40). The Spurs are legitimate title contenders and a big value on the futures market at 20-1.
Compare that price to the Hawks (43-24 SU, 39-28 ATS) at 12-1. Yes, Atlanta has joined the elite level in the Eastern Conference, once again making big money in the shadow of LeBron James and Kevin Garnett. The Hawks are 24-15 ATS in the East, but they’re also 20-12 ATS versus losing teams. And as feisty as the Hawks have been in the playoffs the past two seasons, they were 1-8 SU and ATS on the road and got swept by James and the Cleveland Cavaliers last May. Without home-court advantage, how will Atlanta even make it into the NBA finals?
No such worries on Sunday. The Hawks will be at Philips Arena, where they’ve been pesky as ever at 26-7 SU and 20-13 ATS. San Antonio is having its own struggles on the road this year at 16-16 SU and 15-17 ATS, but the Spurs and their retooled lineup got paid in five of their six away games this month. And they did win their only other meeting with Atlanta this year, a 105-90 romp back in Texas with the Spurs laying three points.
Expect both teams to deliver the proverbial playoff-type atmosphere for this national broadcast on ESPN.
College basketball may have the hoops spotlight this weekend, but that doesn't mean the NBA is taking a vacation. Several key matchups take place the next few days, starting with a very possible playoff preview in Phoenix with Steve Nash and the Suns hosting the Utah Jazz. Phoenix has dropped its last three to Utah, dating to last season, and the Suns could stand to stop that skid with the Western Conference race so tight.
You gotta love the D-League. Those guys get paid next to nothing compared to their NBA counterparts, but look how much money they can give the rest of us: The Golden State Warriors are on a 5-0 ATS roll with a lineup that includes Anthony Tolliver and Reggie Williams. They combined for 52 points in Wednesday’s 131-121 victory over the New Orleans Hornets (+3).

And yet you may never hear from Tolliver and Williams again after this year. Remember the Miami Heat of two seasons ago? They ended the year 10-4 ATS on the hard work of D-Leaguers like Stephane Lasme (now with Maccabi Tel Aviv) and Kasib Powell (now with Trikala 2000 in Greece). Miami only won three of those 14 games straight up, but never has a team gone into the tank with so much fighting spirit. Golden State is wisely following the blueprint.
Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns
Friday, March 19 - 10 p.m. (ET)
There will be no free rides in the Western Conference playoffs this year. The Jazz (44-24 SU, 42-23-3 ATS) are 20-6 SU and 18-7-1 ATS over the past two months, while the Suns (42-26 SU, 39-39 ATS) are 16-4 SU and 15-5 ATS in their last 20 games. Nobody wants to face either of these teams in the first round, or any other round for that matter.
Good health is on their side for a change. The Suns have finally welcomed Leandro Barbosa (21.4 points per 40 minutes) back into the lineup after missing nearly two months following surgery on his wrist. That gives Phoenix its full arsenal of players and some welcome depth in the backcourt. The Jazz are only missing one player: Andrei Kirilenko (16.5 points, 6.3 rebonuds/40), who is day-to-day with a nagging calf strain.
Kirilenko has become something of the forgotten man in Utah. The Jazz have worked around his many injuries, compiling a 6-4 SU and ATS record during his sporadic absences. But Kirilenko (18.55 PER) is still a quality player at both ends of the floor and a considerable upgrade over C.J. Miles (10.67 PER) at small forward. The Suns will have more value against the betting odds Friday if AK-47 does indeed have to sit this one out. Otherwise, the Jazz have already beaten Phoenix both home and away this year, cashing in both times.
San Antonio Spurs at Atlanta Hawks
Sunday, March 21 - 8 p.m. (ET) ESPN
Uh-oh. The Spurs (40-26 SU, 34-31-1 ATS) are going on another one of their patented late-season tears, starting the month of March at 7-2 SU and 8-1 ATS. And they’re doing it without one of their star players. Tony Parker (20.9 points, 7.2 assists/40) is out until the playoffs and possibly longer with a broken right hand; however, George Hill (16.6 points, 3.8 assists/40) is picking up the slack in relief, and everyone else in the lineup is healthy, including the underappreciated Manu Ginobili (21.4 points, 6.8 assists/40). The Spurs are legitimate title contenders and a big value on the futures market at 20-1.
Compare that price to the Hawks (43-24 SU, 39-28 ATS) at 12-1. Yes, Atlanta has joined the elite level in the Eastern Conference, once again making big money in the shadow of LeBron James and Kevin Garnett. The Hawks are 24-15 ATS in the East, but they’re also 20-12 ATS versus losing teams. And as feisty as the Hawks have been in the playoffs the past two seasons, they were 1-8 SU and ATS on the road and got swept by James and the Cleveland Cavaliers last May. Without home-court advantage, how will Atlanta even make it into the NBA finals?
No such worries on Sunday. The Hawks will be at Philips Arena, where they’ve been pesky as ever at 26-7 SU and 20-13 ATS. San Antonio is having its own struggles on the road this year at 16-16 SU and 15-17 ATS, but the Spurs and their retooled lineup got paid in five of their six away games this month. And they did win their only other meeting with Atlanta this year, a 105-90 romp back in Texas with the Spurs laying three points.
Expect both teams to deliver the proverbial playoff-type atmosphere for this national broadcast on ESPN.