Basketball Stats Check
Wilt Chamberlain is our hero. “The Stilt” is responsible for two of the most famous stats in basketball history: 100, and 20,000. While the second number is not official, Chamberlain’s 100 points in a game (on Mar. 2, 1962, for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks) remains the gold standard in the NBA. This was truly a different era in sports; before the Knicks and Warriors took the court in Hershey, the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Colts played an exhibition basketball game.
NBA
New Jersey at San Antonio
X-rays on Nets point guard Devin Harris turned up negative after he was checked out for a possible rib injury. Harris was benched during Saturday’s 105-85 loss to the visiting Celtics (-6.5), the team’s fourth loss in five games.
Orlando at Miami
Miami’s second-leading scorer is coming off the bench. Michael Beasley has 526 points so far in his rookie season; only Dwyane Wade (1,154 points at press time) has more for Miami. Beasley is also second to Wade with 19.6 points per 36 minutes.
Dallas at Boston
The Mavs are 2-0 SU and ATS since trading DeSagana Diop to the Bobcats for Matt Carroll and Ryan Hollins. Carroll has played poorly over the last couple of years, but Hollins (14.50 PER) is an improvement over Diop (8.97 PER) on a team with big needs in the paint.
NBA odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.
Phoenix at Atlanta
Phoenix is 8-22-1 ATS in its last 31 games. The Suns are 17-14 SU during that span and 10-6 (3-10-1 ATS) since picking up Jason Richardson from Charlotte. Richardson is one of seven Phoenix players scoring at least 10 points per game – but Shaquille O’Neal is the only regular whose production has increased this season.
Houston at Detroit
The under is 22-8-1 in Detroit’s last 31 games. The Pistons are No. 21 in the league in offensive efficiency at 102.6 points per 100 possessions. They also run one of the slowest paces in the league at 90.0 possessions per game.
NCAAB
Maryland at Duke
The typical Duke lineup is 2.2 inches taller per person than the average opponent, led by the big backcourt of 6-foot-5 Jon Scheyer and 6-foot-4 Gerald Henderson. Maryland is 0.4 inches shorter than the average basketball team.
UConn at Notre Dame
The Huskies have allowed a ratio of free-throw attempts to field-goal attempts of 18.8 percent, nearly half of the national average of 36.3 percent. UConn also gets to the line 49.4 percent of the time, which ranks sixth in Division I.
Baylor at Oklahoma
The under is 9-1 in Oklahoma’s last 10 conference games. The Sooners are No. 22 in the nation in effective FG% allowed at 43.6 percent, and sixth against 2-point shot attempts at 39.3 percent.
College Basketball lines in the Bodog Sportsbook.
UCLA at Washington
The Bruins offense has its shot blocked just 4.4 percent of the time. That’s the lowest rate in Division I, well below the national average of 9.0 percent. Washington’s defense is ranked No. 193 in Division I with a block percentage of just 8.0 percent.
Louisville at Syracuse
Louisville is 36-15-2 ATS in its last 53 conference games. The Cardinals program has thrived since hiring Rick Pitino in 2001. They made the move from C-USA to the Big East in 2005 after reaching the Final Four; they missed the Tournament the following year, but returned in 2007 and 2008.
