Pacers at Hornets – 7:05 PM EST
The final four playoff positions in the Eastern Conference are up for grabs as Indiana and Charlotte are right in that mix. The Hornets (32-28 SU, 31-28-1 ATS) have gotten the best of the Pacers this season by beating Indiana twice on the road, including a 96-95 victory as 3 ½-point underdogs on February 26. In both losses, the Pacers were limited to 95 points, while Charlotte has allowed less than 100 points in eight of the past nine games. Charlotte has won eight of the last 10 contests, including three consecutive victories at Time Warner Cable Arena.
The Pacers (32-29 SU, 30-30-1 ATS) snapped a three-game losing streak in Wednesday’s 104-99 triumph at Milwaukee to cash as three-point favorites. Frank Vogel’s squad has cashed the ‘under’ in five of the last six road games, as Indiana is seeing its lowest road total since a 199 against Brooklyn on February 3 (the Pacers won 114-100). The Pacers own a 2-4-1 ATS record in its past seven games in the underdog role, with the only straight-up win coming at Oklahoma City in the first game after the All-Star break.
Blazers at Raptors – 7:05 PM EST
Portland (33-29 SU, 35-27 ATS) saw its three-game winning streak go up in flames in Wednesday’s 116-93 setback at Boston, as the Blazers scored less than 100 points for the first time in 10 games. Terry Stotts’ club has won 14 of its last 17 games in spite of Wednesday’s defeat, including six of the past seven contests away from the Moda Center. The Blazers continue to be a money-maker by posting an 8-3 ATS record the past 11 games, while going 6-3 ATS in the last nine instances as a road underdog since late December.
The Raptors (40-19 SU, 33-26 ATS) look to extend their hot streak at the Air Canada Center to 12 games after beating the Jazz on Wednesday, 104-94 as five-point favorites.Dwane Casey’s team has fared well in the ATS department during this 11-game home winning streak by compiling an 8-3 ATS record, as the three ATS defeats came as a favorite of eight points or more. Toronto goes for the season sweep of Portland following a 110-103 victory at the Moda Center last month, as the backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry andDeMar DeRozan outscored Portland’s pair of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, 59-48.
Wizards at Cavaliers – 8:05 PM EST
In spite of a disappointing start to the season, Washington (30-30 SU, 32-28 ATS) has climbed back to the .500 mark to get back in the Eastern Conference playoff mix. The Wizards have won four straight games, even though the competition can be questioned. Washington knocked off Philadelphia twice, Minnesota, and Cleveland without LeBron James in the lineup, asRandy Wittman’s club owns a 7-2 SU and 6-3 ATS record since the All-Star break. The Wizards have covered in all three matchups with the Cavs this season, including a 97-85 triumph at Quicken Loans Arena in December as nine-point ‘dogs.
Cleveland (42-17 SU, 25-31-3 ATS) continues a four-game homestand after rallying past Indiana on Monday, 100-96 as eight-point favorites. The Cavaliers have failed to cover the number in six of the past eight contests, while compiling a 4-7 ATS mark as a home favorite since Tyronn Lue took over as head coach on January 22. Following a 7-4 start to the ‘over’ in Lue’s first 11 games as coach, the Cavaliers have cashed the ‘under’ in five of the past seven contests, including a 3-1 mark to the ‘under’ in the last four home games.
Jazz at Grizzlies – 8:05 PM EST
Utah (28-32 SU, 28-32 ATS) played with plenty of momentum to close out the first half of the season, winning seven of eight games. However, Quin Snyder’s team is going backwards at the wrong time by losing six of eight games since the break, including five consecutive losses away from Salt Lake City. The most recent setback came at Toronto on Wednesday as the Jazz have been limited to fewer than 96 points in each of their past four losses. Utah owns a dreadful 1-8 ATS record the last nine games, including an 0-5 ATS mark on the highway in this stretch.
Memphis (36-24 SU, 31-28-1 ATS) continues to be undervalued since Marc Gasol’s season-ending foot injury. The Grizzlies have won 15 of their last 20 games, while posting a 9-2 record in its past 11 contests at FedEx Forum with the two losses coming in overtime to Dallas and Portland. Memphis got past Sacramento on Wednesday, 104-98 to improve to 5-2 ATS in the last seven games since the All-Star break. Utah captured each of the first two meetings with Memphis at home this season, while the Jazz have cashed in seven of the past eight matchups with the Grizzlies since 2014.
Hawks at Lakers – 10:35 PM EST
Following an overtime loss at Golden State on Tuesday, Atlanta (33-28 SU, 30-30-1 ATS) continues a five-game road swing in Los Angeles. The Hawks erased an 11-point halftime deficit against the short-handed Warriors as six players finished in double-figures of a 109-105 setback as 5 ½-point underdogs. Atlanta lost in overtime for the third time since the start of February, while its three-game ‘under’ streak came to an end on Wednesday. Mike Budenholzer’s team goes for the sweep of the Lakers after knocking off Los Angeles at Philips Arena in early December as 11-point favorites, 100-87.
It took 62 games for the Lakers (12-50 SU, 29-33 ATS) to reach the 50-loss mark this season as Los Angeles has dropped nine of its past 10 contests. After knocking off the Nets on Tuesday, the Lakers fell short at Denver on Wednesday, 117-107, while Kobe Bryant left the game with a shoulder injury and is questionable against Atlanta. The Lakers have profited at home since January by posting a 5-3 ATS ledger, but Los Angeles owns one home victory this season against a team that is currently above the .500 mark (Detroit, who sits at 31-30).
