NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Odds and Predictions: Saturday, December 27 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/26/2014

Some people believe the NBA season doesn't really starts until Christmas Day even though teams have played more than a third of their regular-season games. If that's the case, what a season we are in for because you could make an argument that 12 teams could win the NBA title in my opinion. Certainly the field opened up a bit when Cleveland lost Anderson Varejao for the year. The Cavs remain +350 NBA title favorites at Sportsbook.ag, but I really don't think they should be.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Friday, December 26 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/25/2014

The Houston Rockets should send Detroit Pistons boss Stan Van Gundy a Christmas card. Van Gundy shockingly cut Josh Smith earlier this week. Yes, Smith is a maddening, overpaid player but he's still talented if harnessed. No team claimed him on waivers, which is no shock as that club would be on the hook for the $40 million or so left on his contract.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Thursday, December 25 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/24/2014

Get ready for some funky uniforms for the five NBA Christmas Day games as the league tries to sell even more gear. This season the biggest change to the Christmas Day uniforms are that instead of the last names on the back the players will be sporting their first names. Can you understand why that would be so smart from a marketing perspective? There are a lot of boys named John or Chris in the world but not nearly as many with last names of Wall or Paul, just to name two examples. At least no sleeves this year as the jerseys last Christmas looked like pajama tops.

Tracking the Wizards: NBA Picks and Handicapping for Washington Basketball
by Dave Schwab - 12/24/2014

Specialization can be a powerful handicapping tool when it comes to betting on the NBA given the theory that the more you know about a particular team, the better you will be able to predict its future results. Doc’s Sports tasked me to put this theory to the test by spending the entire NBA season focusing my handicapping efforts solely on the Washington Wizards, while releasing weekly free picks with the use of its Unit Betting System. The long-term goal of this endeavor is to earn a solid profit betting Wizards’ games this year.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Tuesday, December 23 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/22/2014

A busy schedule on Tuesday night in the NBA because the league goes dark for Christmas Eve before its showcase day of the regular season on Christmas. The most interesting matchup, perhaps, on Tuesday, looks like a total mismatch on paper. That would be Minnesota at Cleveland, but of course it's a chance for Kevin Love to face his former team and Andrew Wiggins to show the Cavaliers what perhaps they might have missed out on. Here's a look at every game on the schedule.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Saturday, December 20 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Doc's Sports - 12/19/2014

A huge trade in the NBA on Thursday night made the Western Conference even more ridiculously difficult and may have elevated the Dallas Mavericks into a true championship contender. The Mavs acquired Boston point guard Rajon Rondo for the seemingly low price of Brandan Wright, Jae Crowder, Jameer Nelson, a 2015 first-round pick and 2016 second-rounder. That's a steal as long as Rondo re-signs in Dallas, as he has indicated he would be likely to do.

NBA Handicapping: Betting and Dallas Mavericks Futures Odds Update after Rondo Trade
by Trevor Whenham - 12/19/2014

The NBA got a little bit more interesting on Thursday with news that Rajon Rondo, who seems to have been on the trading block for the last two years or more, has been dealt from Boston To Dallas in a deal that included five players and draft picks, including a protected first rounder from Dallas. Rondo has been an all-star four times, and whenever an all-star gets dealt we have to pay close attention as bettors — especially when he moves from a team that is clearly rebuilding to one that is hungry for another championship before their window slams shut.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Friday, December 19 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/18/2014

Don't be surprised if you see a trade by the end of Friday -- especially by Houston. I won't go into full detail, but essentially a player acquired by trade can't then be re-traded for two months. Dec. 19 is important then because two months after is Feb. 19. The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 20. The Rockets have an $8.4 million trade exception they want to use but then still have the option to potentially flip said player before the deadline.

Tracking the Wizards: NBA Picks and Handicapping for Washington Basketball
by Dave Schwab - 12/18/2014

The use of specific betting strategies such as specialization on a single NBA team can often times give you an edge against the sportsbooks when it comes to wagering on the games. To put this theory to the test, I am spending the entire season focusing my handicapping efforts solely on the Washington Wizards and releasing weekly free picks with the use of Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System. The long-term goal of this endeavor is to earn a solidprofit betting Wizards’ games this year.

NBA Handicapping: Are the Golden State Warriors a Real Contender?
by George Monroy - 12/17/2014

Golden State Warriors rookie head coach Steve Kerr recently had to quiet the media talk about his team possibly reaching the Chicago Bulls’ hallowed 72-10 record set my Michael Jordan and company during the mid 1990s by stating that matching the mark might be impossible because there were 10 games where “Michael decided we weren’t going to lose”. Kerr did state, however, that the media should come back and talk to him if Golden State could start the year with a 43-3 record like those Bulls did back in 1996.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Thursday, December 18 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/17/2014

I almost didn't miss weeknight college football this week because the NBA had such great matchups. There was Golden State at Memphis on Tuesday, then the Grizzlies at Spurs on Wednesday. No offense to Memphis, however, but the Grizzlies aren't all that exciting. Thursday's TNT late game between Oklahoma City and Golden State should be terrific television between high-scoring teams and two of the league's premier players.

NBA Betting Trends: Hot and Cold Teams Against the Point Spread
by Aaron Smith - 12/16/2014

It's time for the third edition of the NBA Hot and Cold Report here at Doc's Sports. The Golden State Warriors haven't lost a game since the last time we brought this report to you. In fact, the Warriors are on a remarkable 16-game winning streak. The other big news in the NBA in the past week was Kobe Bryant passing Michael Jordan for third on the NBA All-Time Scoring Leaders list. He hasn't passed Jordan on most people's list of best players in NBA history, but Bryant has certainly been a great one.

10 Most Important Players to NBA Odds and Their Value
by Doc's Sports - 12/16/2014

Anyone who loves to wager on the NBA is probably already familiar with Doc’s Sports’ expert handicapper Raphael Esparza’s tremendous success in his selection packages for this sport with a winning record in seven of the past eight seasons.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Wednesday, December 17 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/16/2014

I liked Milwaukee's Jabari Parker to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award before this season began, but his chances of doing so likely will be determined by the results of an MRI on Tuesday. He has a knee injury, and at least X-rays were negative. That often doesn't mean much, however. Parker was hurt in Monday's win over Phoenix, and the team is hoping it’s just a minor sprain and he misses a few games. Here's a look at every game on Wednesday's schedule, with Nets-Raptors and Rockets-Nuggets on ESPN and available for live betting at WagerWeb.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Tuesday, December 16 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/15/2014

What more do the Golden State Warriors have to do to become the Western Conference betting favorites at Sportsbook.ag? Golden State enters a huge matchup in Memphis on a 16-game winning streak yet still remains the +300 second-favorite to win the conference title behind San Antonio (+250). I mean, I get that books list prices mainly on what will draw the most action, but come on! That Warriors-Grizzlies games is on ESPN As is Thunder-Kings. Here's a look at every matchup.

NBA Handicapping: Betting the Sacramento Kings After Mike Malone Firing
by Trevor Whenham - 12/15/2014

Sunday night certainly wasn’t boring in the NBA as news broke late in the evening that the Sacramento Kings had fired head coach Mike Malone partway through his second season with the team. The team had dropped eight of their last 10 games and had lost an especially embarrassing game at home to the Pistons on Saturday in what appeared to be the final straw. Few coaching changes in the NBA are shocking anymore, but this one caught people by surprise because the recent struggles coincided with DeMarcus Cousins, the team’s best player, missing the last nine games with viral meningitis.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Saturday, December 13 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/12/2014

It's the most depressing Saturday since August from a sports betting perspective this week as the college football regular season has concluded -- well, you still have Army-Navy if that's your thing. The good news is that the NBA can partially fill the void with a 2 p.m. ET tip between Golden State and Dallas, which should be a great, high-scoring game. The Warriors look like the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls right now -- that historic team also started 19-2. Here's a look at every game on Saturday's schedule.

NBA Handicapping: Betting Breakdown for Portland Trail Blazers
by Trevor Whenham - 12/12/2014

There is a huge logjam atop the Western Conference in the NBA — seven teams have better than a gaudy .700 record. The Portland Trail Blazers are tied for third in the conference, and they have a huge seven-game lead in the pathetic Northwest Division. It has been a solid start for the Blazers, and they are building on a pretty decent playoff run last year.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Friday, December 12 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/11/2014

Busy schedule on Friday night with 12 games on the NBA schedule. WagerWeb is offering live betting on the two ESPN games: Portland at Chicago and L.A. Lakers at San Antonio. Doesn't it bother you that the Lakers are on national TV so much? Were the television executives not aware of how bad that team was going to be this season? I guess it's still entertaining to see Kobe Bryant shoot 30 times a game and make about 10 of them. Here is a look at every game on the schedule with several key injuries to monitor.

NBA Western Conference Betting Odds with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 12/11/2014

The depth of the NBA’s Western Conference right now is just ridiculous. The seventh-place team in the conference, Dallas, has a winning percentage of .708 — 17-7. By contrast, Miami sits seventh in the East at .455. Last year, Dallas’ current win percentage would have been good enough for third in the West at the end of the season, and it would have run away with the East.