The NBA season is still in its infancy, and putting too much stock in the current storylines holding court over the league would be premature at best. Yes, talking about Golden State going 72-10 is fun, but the reality of the situation is that we are barely 10 games into the basketball year, and one hot start doesn't mean much over the course of a long marathon of a season. There are still a lot of games to be played, and the bad teams can suddenly become good and the good ones bad.
However, our job as bettors is to identity trends and try to take advantage of them. And even though we are only 10 games in, let's take a closer look at NBA ATS records and go over the "bad" teams with good ATS record for the early part of the year and see if those trends can continue over the next few months.
Orlando Magic : 4-5 SU; 8-3 ATS: Orlando is sitting on a sub-.500 record, which is where the squad will probably stay over the course of the season. The team, however, is 7-2 as an ATS underdog and 4-1 at home as it scores over 100 points a game, which tends to be just enough to keep games close and cover spreads. Keep an eye on Orlando as an underdog throughout the season.
Utah Jazz : 5-5 SU; 7-3 ATS: Utah is coming off an impressive win over the Atlanta Hawks and seems to be a team filled with young talent that may be ready to make a playoff push. Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert are not household names, but they are talented players that will help their team cover spreads. Surprisingly, the Jazz are one of the best defensive teams in the league and have allowed the third-fewest points in the NBA.
New York Knicks : 5-6 SU; 7-4 ATS: two words: Kristaps Pozingis. New York may have hit the jackpot with a draft pick that was criticized all offseason. The rookie isn't the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki, but he does add another layer of talented to a thin Knicks roster. The team is currently 6-2 as an underdog and seem to finally be putting pieces together. Don't expect New York to set the NBA on fire, but Carmelo Anthony now has some help, and the Knicks' horrible image amongst the public and bettors could result in undervalued betting lines.
Charlotte Hornets : 5-5 SU; 6-3-1 ATS: Charlotte is on course to be a 40-win team, which in the Eastern Conference could get you a six seed. The team's strength, however, will be as an underdog that no one pays attention too. The squad is already 4-2-1 ATS in that role and covers those spreads by an average of 5.1 points per game. The Hornets employee a solid roster filled with "role players," and they also have potential all-stars in Nicolas Batum and Kemba Walker. Do got crazy on Charlotte, but also do not be turned off because the team is sitting in the bottom half of the standings.
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Read more articles by George Monroy
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