Friday 11-30-18 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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Preview: Pelicans at Heat


The New Orleans Pelicans snapped a four-game losing streak last time out and look to begin improving on their poor road record when they visit the struggling Miami Heat on Friday night. The Pelicans built a 20-point halftime lead and cruised to a 125-104 victory over Washington at home Wednesday as Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday combined for 57 points and 22 rebounds.

“We had a hell of a game tonight,” Davis told reporters after registering 28 points and 15 boards Wednesday. “It was a good game to see how we like to play and get back to how we played earlier in the year.” Davis (27.1) leads four New Orleans players averaging at least 18 points while topping the team in rebounds (12.9) and looks to take advantage of the Heat, who have dropped eight of their last 10 contests and gave up an average of 120 points the last two games. Miami has given up 100 points through three quarters in back-to-back contests for the first time in its history and a late rally came up short in a 115-113 loss to Atlanta on Tuesday - its eighth loss in 13 games at home this season. “Right now, we’re between the hammer and the anvil,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. “This is the NBA. If you expect it just to be easy, you’ve been led down the wrong road. This is not what we would like but this is when you start to develop some character.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS New Orleans, FS Sun (Miami)

ABOUT THE PELICANS (11-11): Coach Alvin Gentry inserted Tim Frazier into the starting lineup Wednesday and the veteran point guard responded with season highs of 12 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, two steals and 37 minutes of playing time. “I thought Tim did a great job pushing the basketball,” Gentry told reporters. “It allowed Jrue to play off the basketball. It allowed (Holiday) an opportunity to do what he does best which is cutting and finding open spots.” Forward Nikola Mirotic averaged 21.3 points over the last three games to push his season mark to 19.2, and he contributes 10.5 rebounds per contest.

ABOUT THE HEAT (7-13): Josh Richardson leads the team in scoring (20.5), including 22.7 over his last three games, while backcourt mate Goran Dragic (16.3) is expected to miss his sixth straight contest with a knee injury. Veteran Dwyane Wade (15.2 points) followed up his 35-point effort against Toronto with 18 against Atlanta and center Hassan Whiteside recorded his 14th double-double of the season by scoring 11 and hauling in 10 rebounds. Second-year center Bam Adebayo is averaging 14 points and 12.7 rebounds over his last three games - almost double his season marks of 7.9 and 6.9, respectively.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. New Orleans G E’Twaun Moore is averaging 9.3 points in four games since scoring 30 against Philadelphia.

2. Miami SF Justise Winslow (knee contusion) is expected to play Friday.

3. The Pelicans won both meetings last season, including a 109-94 victory at Miami.

PREDICTION: Heat 106, Pelicans 102

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Preview: Rockets at Spurs

The Houston Rockets are one of the league's biggest disappointments and they will look to halt a four-game slide when they visit the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. Houston has allowed an average of 124 points during the skid and was lambasted 128-108 by the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.

Star guard James Harden isn't overly concerned about the porous stretch as he pointed out the team endured a four-game losing streak earlier in the season before winning eight of its next 10. "We've done it already," Harden told reporters after Wednesday's loss. "We went through a tough stretch, and then we regrouped and won five in a row - and we looked really good. We've just got to figure it out. We've got a lot of new guys, and it's only 20 games into the season. We've got 60 more to go." San Antonio is also coming off a forgettable outing as it scored nine second-quarter points while being walloped 128-89 by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. “I thought we looked a bit lethargic in a lot of ways,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters of Wednesday's defeat in the finale of a four-game road excursion. “Maybe part of it was the trip, but everybody has these trips. It’s no excuse.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston), KENS (San Antonio)

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (9-11): Harden recorded 25 points and season highs of 17 assists and 11 rebounds against the Mavericks for his first triple-double of the season and 36th in his career. But his productivity couldn't keep Houston in a game in which point guard Chris Paul (hamstring) missed his third straight contest and the bench got outscored 61-25. "Obviously, it's a problem," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters of the quality of the team's reserves. "It's something that I know that the front office tried to address. They're going to do the best they can. No blame going around - it's just the way it is."

ABOUT THE SPURS (10-11): The San Antonio starters combined for only 35 points while being routed by the Timberwolves with power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and shooting guard DeMar DeRozan leading the way with 10 apiece. DeRozan's output was a season low and he was greatly disturbed by the club's poor showing. “It seemed like we let them do whatever they wanted,” DeRozan told reporters afterward. “We just weren’t good at all. ... You don’t want to go out there and get embarrassed.”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Aldridge recorded 27 points and 10 rebounds as the Spurs posted a 96-89 home win over the Rockets on Nov. 10.

2. Houston swingman Gerald Green (ankle) could miss his third straight game.

3. Popovich revealed that C Pau Gasol (foot) - who will miss his 13th straight game - has a stress fracture and will be sidelined indefinitely.

PREDICTION: Rockets 110, Spurs 104

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Preview: Hawks at Thunder


A few days off helped Russell Westbrook find his shooting touch, and the Oklahoma City Thunder guard hopes to keep the hot hand going into Friday’s home contest against the Atlanta Hawks. Westbrook hit just 1-of-12 from 3-point range in Saturday’s loss to Denver, but after three days off he finished with 23 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists in the Thunder's 100-83 home win over Cleveland on Wednesday.

Westbrook shot 10-of-17 from the field and drained two of his five 3-point attempts in tying Jason Kidd for third on the all-time triple-double list at 107. “Good or bad nights, I do whatever I can, whatever my team needs at the time,” Westbrook told the media after Wednesday’s game. The Hawks have won just five times this season but two of those victories came this week - Sunday against Charlotte and Tuesday at Miami - but fell to the Hornets 108-94 on Wednesday. Rookie Trae Young scored 18 points in the loss for Atlanta, which shot just 34.4 percent from the field.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), FS Oklahoma

ABOUT THE HAWKS (5-17): Young averages 15.9 points per game, and has scored 17 or more in the past three games after failing to reach double figures in five of his previous six contests. Rookie Kevin Huerter shot 4-of-7 from 3-point range to score 12 points against the Hornets on Wednesday while starting in place of Kent Bazemore, who added eight points off the bench. Atlanta is last in the league in turnovers per game (17.7) and next-to-last in points allowed per game (117.8).

ABOUT THE THUNDER (13-7): Paul George leads Oklahoma City in scoring at 23.7 points per game, finishing with 18 on Wednesday, and ranks third in the NBA in steals per contest (2.2). Westbrook is having another fantastic season, averaging 23.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game, with three triple-doubles in his past four games. The Thunder rank fifth in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 104.4 points per game.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Atlanta G Justin Anderson scored 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field Wednesday in his fifth game of the season.

2. Former Atlanta G Dennis Schroder has averaged 17 points across his past five games for the Thunder, including a 32-point performance on 12-of-19 shooting from the field Nov. 21 against Golden State.

3. George shot 8-of-13 from the field Wednesday after going 16-for-42 in his previous two games.

PREDICTION: Thunder 118, Hawks 97

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Preview: Magic at Suns

The Orlando Magic look to end a disappointing trip through the Western Conference with a positive result when they visit the struggling Phoenix Suns on Friday night. The Magic earned a victory against the Los Angeles Lakers last Sunday, but have dropped the other three games on their trip after giving up 40 points in the third quarter of a 115-112 setback at Portland on Wednesday.

Orlando had won seven of nine before dropping a two-point decision at home against Eastern Conference-leading Toronto prior to the trip, but the Magic have given up 111.8 points per game on the first four legs of the trip and were outrebounded 57-41 at Portland. “We have to play with more physicality, especially on the rebounding,” Orlando center Nikola Vucevic told reporters. “We did a good job getting stops, we just didn’t get the rebound. We have to change that and play with a lot more intensity.” Phoenix might be a cure for the Magic’s ills after dropping six of the last seven, including a 115-99 setback against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday that gave it the worst record in the league at 4-17. Guard Devin Booker scored 23 in the loss and is averaging 28.2 over the last six contests for the Suns, who have given up at least 109 points in each of the last seven games.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Orlando), FS Arizona (Phoenix)

ABOUT THE MAGIC (10-12): Vucevic is averaging 24.3 points on the trip and leads the team at 20.8 overall while topping Orlando on the glass (11.1 per game) after scoring 20, grabbing eight boards and dishing out seven assists Wednesday. Guard Evan Fournier (15.3 points) has struggled on the trip, making just 15-of-47 from the field, and the Magic could be without forward Aaron Gordon (lower back tightness) for a second straight game. Former first-round pick Jonathan Isaac has picked up his production the last two games, averaging 15.5 points.

ABOUT THE SUNS (4-17): Booker averages a team-high 24.5 points and seven assists, but has not been as potent from 3-point range this season (31.7 percent) as he was in 2017-18 (38.3). Forward T.J. Warren (17.7 points) scored 40 combined the last two games and rookie center Deandre Ayton (16.4, 10.4 rebounds) looks to rebound after a rough outing against the Clippers when he managed four points on 1-of-4 shooting. Rookie point guard Elie Okobo recorded a season-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting and added four assists in Wednesday’s setback.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Phoenix F Josh Jackson is averaging 11 points on 16-of-31 shooting over the past four contests.

2. Orlando F Jarell Martin scored a season-high 10 points against Portland in 18 minutes.

3. The Suns recalled G De’Anthony Melton from Northern Arizona of the G League on Thursday.

PREDICTION: Magic 114, Suns 102

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Preview: Mavericks at Lakers

Nov 30, 2018

The streaking Dallas Mavericks aim to record their ninth win in the past 11 games when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. The Mavericks blew out the Houston Rockets 128-108 on Wednesday and have also defeated the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder during the hot stretch.

The victory against Houston was Dallas' second road win in 10 chances this season and confidence of the squad is beginning to soar. "If we play our best basketball we can beat anybody," Mavericks guard J.J. Barea told reporters after Wednesday's victory. "We're getting better, we're playing hard and we're being more aggressive on defense. We just got to keep learning every day and keep staying together and see what happens." The Lakers snapped a two-game slide with a 104-96 home win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday as forward LeBron James scored 38 points, including 12 of the team's final 15. "Just looking to make plays," James said in a postgame television interview. "That's what they brought me here for, to close out games in the fourth quarter and that's what my teammates look for me to do late in the game."

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Dallas), Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles)

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (10-9): Part of Dallas' improvement - the squad won 24 games all last season - can be tied to 19-year-old forward Luka Doncic, who scored 20 points against the Rockets for his 10th 20-point effort of the campaign. The third overall pick has scored in double digits in every game while averaging 19.1 points and 6.5 rebounds, and didn't get dismayed when the Mavericks stumbled 2-7 out of the gate. "We just needed time," Doncic told reporters. "From the beginning I said I wanted to go to the playoffs and we're doing a great job."

ABOUT THE LAKERS (12-9): James made 15-of-27 shots against Indiana in his third-highest scoring output of the season, which follows a season low of 14 in Tuesday's 117-85 blowout loss against the Denver Nuggets. James indicated he was pleased with the defensive effort that saw the Pacers shoot 37.2 percent but one concern was seeing a first-quarter lead of 38-15 dwindle to six points by halftime. Point guard Lonzo Ball played after injuring his ankle against the Nuggets and had two points on 1-of-6 shooting in 34 minutes but collected eight rebounds.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Lakers have won four of the past five meetings - including a 114-113 overtime victory on Oct. 31 - after the Mavericks won the previous 14 encounters.

2. Los Angeles SF Brandon Ingram scored 14 points against the Pacers for his 12th straight double-digit outing.

3. Dallas backup G Devin Harris established season bests of 20 points and five 3-pointers against the Rockets and is averaging 15.7 points over the past three contests.

PREDICTION: Lakers 111, Mavericks 107

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Preview: Nuggets at Trail Blazers


Damian Lillard made a franchise-record 10 3-pointers in his last game and figures to receive plenty of attention from Denver defenders when the Portland Trail Blazers host the Nuggets on Friday. Lillard scored 41 points in Wednesday's 115-112 victory over the Orlando Magic to help the Trail Blazers halt a three-game slide.

Lillard was 10-of-15 from 3-point range after going 14-of-52 over the previous six games as his marksmanship highlighted his fourth 40-point outing of the season. "It felt good," Lillard told reporters about breaking out of his funk. "I'd been struggling kind of shooting from 3 and I shoot a lot of them after practice, sometimes before practice, I'm shooting and shooting. I knew eventually I would get hot and start making them." Denver is beginning a five-game road trip and is riding a four-game winning streak after Wednesday's 117-85 whipping of the Los Angeles Lakers. "I thought we came out and just took it to them," Nuggets power forward Paul Millsap told reporters of the franchise's largest winning margin (32 points) against the Lakers. "Our halfcourt defense was tremendous. We were not allowing them to get any shots. We could have done a little better job of shutting them down in the paint but overall I think we did a really good job of coming in and establishing what we wanted to do, and paying attention to the game plan."

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Altitude (Denver), NBCS Northwest (Portland)

ABOUT THE NUGGETS (14-7): Denver limited Los Angeles to 39.1 percent from the field and 5-of-35 from 3-point range and has held its last three opponents to an average of 90 points. "That's our identity," Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters. "For us to be 21 games in and us to still be defending at the level we're defending at says a lot. It speaks to the mind and the commitment and the fact that our guys realize regardless of the offense, when we defend, we're a team that can beat anybody." Millsap had 20 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season while guards Jamal Murray and Malik Beasley each scored 20, with Beasley's effort representing a career high.

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (13-8): Backup guard Nik Stauskas also had a hot hand from outside against Orlando by matching his season best of five 3-pointers while scoring 18 points. "Once you see a couple shots go in, just start getting a little more comfortable, a little more confident," Stauskas told reporters. "It helps me get good looks. (Wednesday) was a day where I happened to be open a number of times." Stauskas has scored in double digits six times this season, topped by a career best-tying 24 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 18.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Nuggets have won the past three meetings.

2. Denver SG Gary Harris (ankle) is questionable after missing the previous two games.

3. Portland C Jusuf Nurkic - who formerly played for the Nuggets - had 16 points and 13 rebounds against Orlando for his 11th double-double of the campaign.

PREDICTION: Trail Blazers 107, Nuggets 103

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