Southeast Division Preview (Mar. 8)

Miami will look to win a seventeenth straight game Friday night as Philadelphia travels to South Beach. The showdown headlines a busy night in the Southeast Division. Read on for our preview of all five games taking place in the division tonight.

Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat

Miami’s winning streak – currently at 16 games – may well outlast the current ‘Harlem Shake’ craze.

Miami (45-14, 27-3 home) will look to run its win streak to 17 with a visit from the Sixers, a side the Heat demolished 114-90 in the City of Brotherly Love on Feb. 23.

Philadelphia (23-37, 6-21 road) has had a rough season and things haven’t looked like improving any time soon. Doug Collins’ side has lost three straight and 10 of the last 11. The side hasn’t won away from Wells Fargo Center since a win over the Lakers on New Year’s Day, a streak that now runs to 11 games. The Sixers began the season 5-0 against teams from the Southeast Division, but have dropped the last four.

Miami meanwhile has won 21 of the last 23 games and has strung together 12 straight home wins and 17 from the last 18. The Heat is tied with Denver for the best home record in the NBA. Eric Spoelstra’s side has also had an easy time of it against the Atlantic Division, compiling an 8-3 record against the Division’s five sides. That includes a 4-1 record at American Airlines Arena.

Miami enters the game as a 14-point favorite.

The Heat is 31-28-0 ATS this season with a 15-15-0 ATS record at home and a 28-28-0 record as the favorite.

Philadelphia is 27-33-0 ATS this year, going 11-16-0 ATS on the road and 15-21-0 ATS as the underdog.

The total opened at 196. Both Miami (30-29-0) and Philadelphia (31-29-0) have narrowly favored the over this season.

Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics

The Hawks and Celtics have already split a pair of games in A-Town this season. The two will face-off for the first of two in Bean Town on Friday night.

Atlanta (34-26, 15-16 road) defeated Philadelphia 107-96 on Wednesday to snap a three-game losing streak. Prior to that streak, the Hawks had won six of seven. The Hawks’ inconsistency translates to road play also. The side has lost three straight away from Philips Arena, having won five straight before. This is a side that needs to find stability if it’s to get anything from this year’s playoffs.

Boston (33-27, 21-9 home) has won four straight and five of the last six. Astoundingly the Celtics are 13-4 since Rajon Rondo went down for the season, and have won eight straight at TD Garden during that period. This is a tough team to beat at home.

Accordingly, the Hawks enter the game as underdogs with the spread at five points.

Atlanta is 28-30-2 ATS this season, with a 17-14-0 ATS record on the road and an 11-12-0 ATS record when playing as the underdog.

Boston is 28-29-3 ATS this season and has gone 16-13-1 ATS at home and 17-17-10 ATS as the favorite.

The total opened at 193. Atlanta (30-29-1) has narrowly favored the over while Boston (29-30-1) has favored the under. There’s little to choose between here though.

Washington Wizards at Brooklyn Nets

With a Friday night trip to Brooklyn on the agenda, the Wizards will look for a rare road win.

Losers of three of the last four, Washington (19-40, 5-23 road) will look to upset the Nets at Barclays Center on Friday night. The Wizards defeated the Nets 89-74 in Washington on Feb. 8, tying the season series between the two sides at 1-1 with two to play.

In order for Randy Wittman’s side to pick up the win, it’ll need to buck an awful road record. Only the Bobcats have a worse record away from home, and the Wizards have lost six of the last eight away from the Verizon Center.

Brooklyn (35-26, 20-13 home) has generally fared much better at home but the Nets may be ripe for the taking. P.J. Carlisemo’s side has dropped three straight and six of the last nine at home. The side has dropped four of the last six all told.

The Nets can look to a 4-1 home record against Southeast Division opponents though, while the Wizards are 1-3 against Atlantic Division opponents on the road and 4-7 all told.

The Nets enter the game as favorites, with the spread at 5.5.

Washington is 35-23-1 ATS this season, a record that (as we’ve said before) is the best in the league. The side is 17-10-1 ATS on the road and 32-16-1 ATS when considered the underdog.

Brooklyn is 27-32-2 ATS this season, with a disappointing 12-19-2 ATS record at home and a 14-16-2 ATS record when playing as the favorite.

The total opened at 184. Both Washington (21-37-0) and Brooklyn (26-35-0) have heavily favored the under this season, something bettors may like to keep in mind.

Indiana Pacers at Orlando Magic

Both Indiana (38-23, 13-16 road) and Orlando (17-45, 9-23 home) will look to rebound from tough Wednesday night losses on Friday. The Magic came within a point of ending Miami’s long winning streak while Indiana came up two points short of Boston.

Orlando’s woes have been well reported around these parts, and although the side has only won three games out of the last 22, the side has somehow managed to put a little more separation between itself and the Bobcats. That’s about all the Magic has to play for now.

Indiana meanwhile is embroiled in a battle with New York for the No. 2 playoff seed. The Pacers have won seven of the last nine, including three straight on the road and will look at Friday’s game as a golden opportunity to score a victory. Orlando, however, will be quick to recall a 97-86 victory over the Pacers back on Jan. 16.

Orlando enters the game as a nine-point underdog.

The Magic is 28-34-0 ATS this season with a horrific 10-22-0 ATS record at home. However, the team is 26-23-0 ATS when playing as the underdog.

Indiana is 34-27-0 ATS all told this season, with a 15-14-0 ATS record on the road and an impressive 25-14-0 ATS record as the favorite.

The total opened at 188.5. Orlando (34-28-2) has been involved in more games that have gone over than under while Indiana (26-35-0) has favored the under.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Charlotte Bobcats

With Oklahoma City in town, Byron Mullens and the Charlotte Bobcats can expect a few more spectators than usual.

Last in the league and sporting the worst home record in the NBA, Charlotte (13-48, 7-23 home) will attempt to upset defending Western Conference champion, Oklahoma City (45-16, 18-12 road) on Friday night.

The Thunder arrives in second place out West with the fourth best road record in the league. Charlotte residents will likely show up in their droves for this one, but certainly not because of the Bobcats.

Charlotte has lost eight straight and nine of the last 10. The side has also dropped four straight and five of six at home. Oklahoma City has won three straight and six of seven, as well as a pair on the road. Scott Brooks’ side escaped Manhattan with a 95-94 win over the Knicks on Thursday night.

Charlotte is a huge underdog heading into this one, with the spread opening at 14 points.

The Bobcats are a miserable 20-41-0 ATS this season, another record which has the side last in the league. The team has gone 9-21-0 ATS at home and 19-36-0 ATS as underdogs. Like everything else relating to Charlotte this season, that makes for some painful reading.

Oklahoma City is 35-23-3 ATS this season, with a 14-14-2 ATS record on the road and a 34-22-0 ATS record as the favorite.

The Thunder trounced the Bobcats in Oklahoma City on No. 26, finishing the game 114-69 winners.