NBA Betting Trends: Hot and Cold Teams Against the Point Spread 1/13/2016

by Aaron Smith - 1/13/2016

Are the Warriors going to beat the Bulls 72-10 record? It was a silly question to many at the start of the season. However, at 36-2 on the year now, the Warriors have a lot of people believing. Many books are now offering a prop bet on whether the Warriors will beat the 72-10 record of the Bulls. At most books, Golden State to win 73 games or more is now right about even money. It's something to keep your eye on as the season moves along.

Doc's Sports has done an NBA ATS Hot and Cold report in the past, and we'll be doing it again this year. We'll highlight the Top 5 hot teams and the Bottom 5 cold teams in each article. This will allow people to see which teams are streaking and which teams are slumping. In a league that is unquestionably a momentum-driven league, that can be extremely important. This report will be offered on a bi-weekly basis throughout the NBA regular season. The statistics listed for this article are for all games played December 23 through January 12.

Top Five Hot Teams

1. Los Angeles Clippers (7-2 ATS) Blake Griffin is out with a quad injury, and the Clippers are 6-1 ATS in his absence. So the Clippers must be better without Griffin, right?! Of course not! Los Angeles has been shooting much better from long range in recent games, and they have piled up some impressive offensive numbers. Starting next week, the Clippers go on a tough road trip that begins in Cleveland and ends in Atlanta.

2. New York Knicks (8-3 ATS) New York has been playing some great basketball of late. After a solid start, the Knicks slipped and most assumed that it would be more of the same old Knicks. However, they have played their best basketball of the year in the past couple weeks. New York is 18-11 ATS so far this year when playing as an underdog. They currently sit one game out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

3. San Antonio Spurs (8-3 ATS) This team just keeps taking care of business. San Antonio has been amazing all year, and I think they are the biggest threat to Golden State this year. The Spurs are an aging team, but betting against them on no rest has been a major losing strategy so far this year. The Spurs are 7-0 ATS in their last seven on zero days of rest. The Spurs are first in the NBA in field goal percentage at 49.2 percent for the year.

4. Washington Wizards (7-3 ATS) This is a really tough team to figure out. I'm not going to pretend to have a good handle on the Wizards. Washington clearly has more talent than a lot of the teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference, but they have struggled for much of the year. Washington has been a good team to bet after a loss. The Wizards are 13-6 ATS in their 19 games following a loss this year. Have they turned the corner for good? Only time will tell here.

5. Los Angeles Lakers (8-4 ATS) When putting the numbers together for this article, this is the one that stood out to me the most. The Lakers on the hot side of the report? It's true, though. Los Angeles has played much better in the last few weeks. The Lakers have won only nine games all year, but they have won four of their last eight. The schedule gets very tough in the next few days. I'm not optimistic that the Lakers will keep playing well.

Top Five Cold Teams

1. Charlotte Hornets (2-8 ATS) Charlotte lost Al Jefferson to an injury, and since then they have gone 1-5 ATS. Jefferson may not be the tremendous player he was a few years ago, but the Hornets need that inside presence to help take pressure off Kemba Walker. Charlotte has been particularly bad this year when playing on zero days rest. They are 1-5 ATS in that situation.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (3-8 ATS) Oklahoma City is only 15-24 ATS so far this season. The Thunder have played well, but they haven't met expectations. The jury is still out on Billy Donovan as an NBA coach, and I'm not sure it will be fair to judge him on his first season. Oklahoma City has slacked off a bit on defense in the past month, and that's the primary reason they haven't been covering the number very often. Four of their next five games are at home.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves (3-8 ATS) The Minnesota Timberwolves seem to always have young talent, but they never improve much as a team from year to year. It has to be frustrating for fans of this franchise. Minnesota is rarely favored, but when they are it's likely a good time to look to fade them. Minnesota is 2-9 ATS this year when they are favored.

4. Orlando Magic (3-7 ATS) Orlando has made bettors a lot of money for the year as a whole (22-15-1 ATS). This is a case of the oddsmakers finally catching up to a team that kept covering as an underdog. Additionally, Elfrid Payton has been banged up lately, and he is a real catalyst for the team in the backcourt. I still believe there will be good chances throughout the season to back the Magic when they are an underdog, especially on their home floor.

5. Phoenix Suns (3-7 ATS) Nothing is going right in Phoenix this season. Team chemistry seems to be a major issue. Now, Eric Bledsoe is done for the season with an injury. Phoenix is dead last in the NBA in field goal percentage defense, and it is tough to numbers when you are that bad on the defensive end. Phoenix is 4-10 ATS when playing against an Eastern Conference team this season.

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