NBA Weekend Matchups Recap: Points & Drama Steal Headlines
NBA Refs Admit to Game Altering Mistake
Lakers Loss Talk of the Weekend
The LA Lakers received a public apology from the NBA referee’s after a missed call on the final play of regulation cost them a road win against one of their fiercest rivals. Let’s dive into our NBA Weekend Matchups Recap and see what went down across the league.
LeBron James was left pleading with officials after a missed call that ended regulation ended with the Lakers dropping another game in OT. The Celtics stole a 125-121 win and while the Lakers did cover the 7.5-point spread their fans and Moneyline bettors were left furious at how the game ended.
Like everyone else, referees make mistakes. We made one at the end of last night’s game and that is gut-wrenching for us. This play will weigh heavily and cause sleepless nights as we strive to be the best referees we can be.https://t.co/WyN8QVuTOl
— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) January 29, 2023
The Lakers have now been involved in four games over the past month where the Last 2-Minutes (L2M) report has highlighted missed calls or incorrect calls against them that could have resulted in different outcomes.
Overtime also spelt disaster for Under bettors, who drove this market down in a big way in the lead up to tip-off. The opening number of 237.5 points was quickly driven down to 233.0 points over the course of the day and while it looked like an easy win for the sharp market the Unders was dealt a cruel blow in a high-scoring OT affair.
Overs Bettors the Weekend Winners
The Lakers-Celtics were one of nine games that went Over the full game total on the weekend, with just six games staying Under the closing number.
The Brooklyn Nets were on of those teams to go Over their total as they secured a big 122-115 win over the New York Knicks. Kyrie Irving was scintillating down the stretch as the Nets continued their dominance in the battle of New York, improving to 9-0 in their last nine meetings against their cross-city rivals.
Brooklyn closed as just 1.0-point favorites but the Knicks inability to perform down the stretch once again proved their downfall.
Joel Embiid put on a show in his battle with Nikola Jokic as the Philadelphia 76ers scored a big time 126-119 win over the Denver Nuggets. The Sixers were 3.0-point favorites but needed a big second-half showing to overcome a strong start from the Western Conferences’ number one team.
This game also cleared the closing total of 231.5 points with ease as Philadelphia continues to climb up the NBA standings in the East.
The LA Clippers went 1-1 over the weekend, but were impressive 120-113 winners over the Atlanta Hawks on the front end of their back-to-back as they continue to impress with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the floor.
The win over the Hawks again sailed over the closing total and made it five straight wins for the team as they moved into the top four spots in the West. Coach Ty Lue then rested his superstar duo in Cleveland as they fell 122-99 as 10.5-point underdogs against a Cavaliers team that welcomed back Donovan Mitchell.
The market continues to perform at a very consistent basis across totals, with Overs hitting at 51.3% on the full season. That said, non-OT games are only going Over the closing number in 48.9% of fixtures.
The Best of the Rest
The Minnesota Timberwolves continue to show signs of figuring things out as they recorded a 117-110 home win over the Sacramento Kings.
The Timberwolves opened as 3.0-point underdogs but closed at +1.5 once it was confirmed that Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert would both be available. Minnesota’s defense did an impressive job in slowing down one of the league’s most high-octane offensive units as they helped keep this total well Under the 238.0 point number.
These teams meet again tomorrow in the same arena and the market has already flipped to instilling the in-form Timberwolves as home favorites for that one.
The Milwaukee Bucks continue to show that they are again a formidable force when fully healthy as they comfortably dispatched of an undermanned New Orleans Pelicans team 135-110.
The Bucks closed as 10.5-point home favorites after Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum were both ruled out on a tough back-to-back spot for the Pelicans. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 50 points and 13 rebounds in just 30 minutes as Milwaukee’s offensive explosion helped carry this one Over the 229.5 point total.
That loss meant the Pelicans went 0-2 straight up and ATS over the weekend after they were beaten 113-103 at home by the Washington Wizards.
The Memphis Grizzlies returned home to snap their recent skid with a much needed 112-100 win over the Indiana Pacers. A slow start certainly had the home fans feeling anxious but a dominant second half effort saw them completely shut down a Pacers offense that continues to struggle without the services of Tyrese Haliburton.
The Grizzlies are now 0-4 on full game Over/Unders since losing Steven Adams to injury as they struggle to create the same second chance scoring opportunities without the services of the league’s leading offensive rebounder.
That’s all for our NBA Weekend Matchups Recap. Be sure to check back for more previews, analysis and NBA scores and matchups.
Follow us on Twitter
