NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Betting Advice: Philadelphia 76ers Possibly on the Upswing
by Trevor Whenham - 1/19/2016

The Philadelphia 76ers are a very bad basketball team. Don't let anything I say over the next 800 words or so distract you from that unavoidable fact. The truth is, though, that they aren't quite as bad lately as they were early in the season. They are 4-8 in their last 12 games - almost more impressive than Golden State's streak to start the season given how little they have to work with. So, how bad is this team? Why? And what does it all mean for bettors? Here are seven factors to consider when thinking about those three questions:

NBA Odds: Tuesday, January 19 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/18/2016

Sure, the Eastern Conference is much improved this season. But those playoffs are going to be a bore most likely as simply a cakewalk for the Cleveland Cavaliers. But how much fun is the Western Conference postseason going to be? The only three teams with at least 30 wins in the NBA are all in the West: Golden State, San Antonio and surging Oklahoma City, which has won 19 of 23 and outscored opponents by more than 11 points per game in that stretch.

NBA Betting Advice: Teams That Might be Tanking for Simmons
by Trevor Whenham - 1/14/2016

We have learned a lot so far in this college basketball season. Chief among them, though, is that LSU freshman Ben Simmons is good at basketball. Really, really good. He's averaging more than 20 points and 12 rebounds despite playing on a team so ordinary that opposing defenses can focus all of their attention on the freshman.

NBA Betting Trends: Hot and Cold Teams Against the Point Spread
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.

NBA Odds: Saturday, January 9 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/8/2016

Remember how good Lance Stephenson was with the Indiana Pacers two seasons ago? He was the league leader in triple-doubles and averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists in a breakout season. The Pacers have to be so glad that Stephenson took less money to leave in free agency after that season for Charlotte. Stephenson wasn't a fit at all with the Hornets, seeing his numbers drop to 8.2/4.5/3.9. He also was a locker-room cancer. Yet I loved the Clippers' low-risk/high-reward deal this past offseason that landed Stephenson for the low price of Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes.

NBA Odds: Friday, January 8, 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/7/2016

Just when you think you've seen it all in the NBA ... something new comes along. The Portland Trail Blazers aren't very good and probably weren't going to beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night regardless. But the Blazers' chances certainly diminished when the team was without second-leading scorer C.J. McCollum, a candidate for Most Improved Player in the league.

2016 NBA Championship Predictions with Futures Odds and Expert Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 1/7/2016

There are a lot of sports - like all of them - that are a lot more fun to make championship predictions for than the NBA is right now. The NFL playoffs are about to start, and I can make a solid argument for about nine or 10 teams to win it all if things go right for them.

NBA Odds: Thursday, January 7 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/6/2016

The Los Angeles Lakers chose Ohio State freshman guard D'Angelo Russell with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft. He has been pretty solid, averaging 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He's no Kristaps Porzingis, but that's another story. Coach Byron Scott has been bringing him Russell the bench. But the most impressive rookie on the Lakers of late has been Larry Nance Jr., the son of the former All-Star Dunk Contest winner. L.A. might have gotten a steal in Nance Jr. Scott said he should have been a lottery pick -- Nance went No. 27 overall -- and that's starting to look accurate.

NBA Betting Trends: Totals Report for Hot Over and Under Teams
by Aaron Smith - 1/5/2016

We're into 2016 now, and the NBA season isn't too far away from the midpoint. It seems as if the Eastern Conference as a whole has gotten better this year, while the Western Conference isn't quite as strong. As things stand right now, Houston and Utah would both be in the playoffs in the Western Conference with a losing record. The Eastern Conference would have no teams in the playoffs with a losing record. That is a script that has certainly flipped a lot since a couple years ago. Time will tell if that trend continues through the end of the season.

NBA Odds: Wednesday, January 6 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/5/2016

Things are going from bad to worse in Phoenix, which right now is the worst team in the NBA. The season was probably lost regardless when Eric Bledsoe was ruled out for the year, but the Suns also alienated one of their better players, forward Markieff Morris, this past offseason when they traded his twin brother to Detroit. Markieff has been sulking all year and wanting out. Other teams know this and are low-balling the Suns in trade offers.

NBA Odds: Tuesday, January 5 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/4/2016

If you are a Chicago Bulls fan, you have to be thinking: "Here we go again!" Of course I'm talking about an injury to Derrick Rose. He was to have an MRI on his right knee Monday. Rose doesn't think it's anything serious, but at this point you almost have to expect it will be. He tore the medial meniscus in that right knee in November 2013 and then re-tore it in February 2015. And of course he tore the ACL in his left knee in April 2012. Rose has missed Chicago's past three games, but with a hamstring issue.

NBA Odds: Saturday, January 2 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/1/2016

So we have learned that the Golden State Warriors are quite vulnerable without MVP Steph Curry. They were blown out without Curry on Wednesday in Dallas and then opened as underdogs for the first time this season the next night in Houston. Golden State bounced back with a 114-110 win over the dysfunctional Rockets again without Curry. The team might get great news Saturday and not just on Curry possibly playing: the return of Coach Steve Kerr.

NBA Odds: Friday, January 1, 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/31/2015

With tongue firmly planted in cheek, the most important game of New Year's Day in the NBA probably is Philadelphia at the Los Angeles Lakers. Toilet Bowl 2! They are clearly the two worst teams in the NBA, but the winner of this one, especially if it's the Sixers, could hold a crucial tiebreaker for the most ping-pong balls in the 2016 draft lottery. Also be aware that Philly owns the Lakers' 2016 first-rounder if it's outside the Top 3.

NBA Odds: Thursday, December 31 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/30/2015

I don't recommend backing the Phoenix Suns much the rest of the season. In Tuesday's Opening Line Report, I touched on the fact that Coach Jeff Hornacek is in trouble after he was forced to fire two assistants. At least then, Hornacek was expecting his best player, guard Eric Bledsoe, back after six weeks due to a torn meniscus.

NBA Odds: Wednesday, December 30 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/29/2015

Very plugged-in NBA reporter Howard Beck wrote around Christmas on how the Los Angeles Clippers are the most hated team in the NBA -- not so much by fans as they are incredibly entertaining but inside the league because they are considered complainers and floppers. And one of the main guys mentioned is Blake Griffin. So perhaps there might have been a few golf claps around the Association when it was announced Griffin would miss at least two weeks with a partially torn quad tendon.

NBA Odds: Tuesday, December 29 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/28/2015

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that the next NBA head coach likely to be fired was Memphis' Dave Joerger. He made a lineup change that seems to have spurred the team a bit, so Joerger might be safe for now. The new leader in the clubhouse is Phoenix's Jeff Hornacek. His team embarrassingly lost at home to the 76ers on Saturday and now the club's best player, guard Eric Bledsoe, is out indefinitely with a torn meniscus in his left knee.

NBA Odds: Friday, December 25 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/24/2015

I'm of the opinion that Christmas is the best day of the NBA regular season, hands down. And I also think it's when the Association should start the season as it did during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign. That way, you are clear of the college football regular season completely and near the end of the NFL's. And you could extend the NBA playoffs into late July, early August when the NFL training camps open.

NBA Betting Trends: Hot and Cold Teams Against the Point Spread
by Aaron Smith - 12/24/2015

While many have focused on the negatives, there have been some really nice surprises early in the NBA season as well. Charlotte sitting at 15-12 thus far is a big surprise to me. The Hornets have been a laughing stock in the past few seasons. How about the Orlando Magic at 16-12? Scott Skiles continues to do a great job with this young team. Detroit is at 17-12 on the year as well. Most expected them to be bad after Greg Monroe moved to Milwaukee. All three of these teams are the in the weaker Eastern Conference, but they have still outperformed expectations by a wide margin in the first couple months.

NBA Odds: Wednesday, December 23 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/22/2015

Maybe it's a good thing that the Chicago Bulls have three days off ahead of their Christmas Day game in Oklahoma City. Things aren't right with that team right now as Chicago is on a three-game losing streak -- no excuse for losing at home to Brooklyn on Monday -- and Jimmy Butler is already calling out rookie head coach Fred Hoiberg for not being hard enough on the guys. So basically calling him out for not being Tom Thibodeau, who was roundly criticized for riding his guys too hard. I have a feeling that if Hoiberg was given the chance over again, he would have stayed at Iowa State this year, a national title contender, and waited for a different NBA gig.

NBA Handicapping: Best and Worst Betting Teams after a Loss
by George Monroy - 12/22/2015

The NBA season can turn into a grind, particularly in the dog days of December and January when all eyes are focused on the football world. However, finding teams that display a bit of grit in the face of adversity can be a great way to make a profit before the season picks up steam in February and March. Let's take a closer look at the best and worst NBA ATS teams after a loss and figure out the smartest way to wager on each squad.