THE SPORTS ADVISORS
NBA
San Antonio (32-17, 22-26-1 ATS) at Toronto (27-22, 27-21-1 ATS)
The Spurs look to get back in the win column when they head north of the border to take on the Raptors inside the Air Canada Centre.
After losing the first two on their season-long nine-game road trip (0-2 ATS), San Antonio won four straight (3-1 ATS) before falling 98-90 in Boston on Sunday as 2?-point favorites. The East Coast road trip ends Wednesday in Cleveland before the Spurs get six days off for the All-Star break.
With yesterday?s loss to the Celtics Gregg Popovich?s squad fell to 12-12 on the road (9-15 ATS). Also, the Spurs enter this contest just 2-8 ATS when playing on back-to-back nights.
The Raptors are also on the second night of a back-to-back after last night?s 105-82 rout at Minnesota as six-point road chalk. Toronto has alternated SU and ATS wins and losses in its last seven games, but it has lost consecutive home games to the Lakers and Clippers. Still the Raptors are 6-2 ATS in their last eight inside the Air Canada Centre.
San Antonio has won five of the last six (3-3 ATS) against the Raptors with the only loss coming in December when Toronto prevailed 83-73 in Texas as seven-point ?dogs.
The Spurs are on ATS skids of 6-14 overall, 4-10 on the highway and 3-8 against the Eastern Conference.
Conversely, the Raptors are on ATS runs of 4-0 in Monday games, 6-2 against teams with a winning record and 7-1 against the Southwest Division. However, they?re just 2-4 ATS in their last six in back-to-back situations.
The under is 12-4 in San Antonio?s last 16 on the road, 21-8 in its last 29 overall and 8-2 in its last 10 on Mondays. Meanwhile, Toronto barely stayed under the total in Sunday?s game at Minnesota, snapping a 5-0 ?over? streak. Still, the Raptors have topped the total in six of eight at home and five of six when playing on back-to-back nights.
ATS ADVANTAGE: TORONTO
Portland (28-22, 27-23 ATS) at Houston (30-20, 26-23-1 ATS)
The Rockets hope to extend their six-game winning streak when they welcome the Blazers to the Toyota Center in Houston.
Houston improved to 11-1 in its last 12 (8-4 ATS) with Saturday?s 108-89 rout of Atlanta as a 9?-point favorite. It was the third straight home win and cover for the Rockets since a 97-89 loss to the Jazz on Jan. 27.
Portland is just 3-6 in its last nine (1-8 ATS), including dropping two straight on this short four-game road trip. First, the Blazers fell 91-82 in Detroit on Friday but cashed as 11?-point ?dogs, then they lost in Indiana 101-93 on Saturday as a 5?-point chalk. Second-year guard Brandon Roy missed both games because of a death in the family.
Houston has won three straight against Portland (1-2 ATS), including two meetings this season. In November, the Rockets prevailed 89-80 at home but failed to cash as 11?-point favorites, then they went to Portland on Jan. 25 and got an 89-79 win as two-point ?dogs. Portland is 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings overall and 9-4-1 ATS in its last 14 trips to the Toyota Center.
The SU winner is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 head-to-head clashes, and the underdog is 6-1 ATS (4-3 SU) in the last seven.
The Blazers are just 5-16 ATS in their last 21 games on Monday, while the Rockets are just 4-10 in their last 14 Monday tip-offs.
In addition to its current 1-8 ATS slump, Portland is 1-5 ATS in its last six when playing on one day of rest. However, the Blazers are on ATS streaks of 11-5 against the Western Conference and 7-3 when facing Southwest Division foes.
The under is 6-1 in the last seven series matchups (3-0 in Houston), and 6-2 in the Rockets? last eight against Western Conference competition. The under is also on runs for Portland of 19-7 against the Western Conference, 15-6 on one day of rest and 10-4 following a SU loss.
ATS ADVANTAGE: HOUSTON and UNDER