NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Futures Odds Updated after LeBron James joins Cavaliers
by Trevor Whenham - 7/11/2014

Needless to say, things have changed just a little bit in the NBA futures market in the last few hours. When LeBron James rocked the foundation of the league with his announcement that he was returning home, the Cavaliers immediately and predictably became the favorites to win the title. The Heat, meanwhile, are no longer favorites — not by any means. So, how have all the changes shifted the search for value in the futures market? Let’s take a look (odds are from Bovada):

NBA Handicapping: Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James
by Trevor Whenham - 7/11/2014

In what is unquestionably the biggest NBA story since the last time he made a decision, LeBron James’ choice to return to Cleveland for, presumably, the rest of his career, has rocked the league this morning. When he first opted out of his contract in Miami, anything other than a return to South Beach seemed like a pipe dream. Now here we are — suddenly the Cavaliers are the most popular team in the league, and Miami is a sad afterthought.

Handicapping the Miami Heat Post-LeBron
by Trevor Whenham - 7/11/2014

Few times in sports history have we seen a team self destruct so dramatically and unexpectedly as the Miami Heat have. A month ago few would ever have imagined that they would have been anything other than the Big 3 plus a shuffled group of support players when this next season started. Even when the players all opted out, it just seemed like the next step in a plan for world domination.

Betting Questions Raised by Big 3 from Miami Heat and Free Agency
by Trevor Whenham - 7/9/2014

TV doesn’t provide much in the way of new drama during the summer. Luckily, then, the NBA is providing a world-class soap opera to keep us entertained during the long rerun season. The Carmelo Anthony saga seemed like it would be a world-class thrill ride, but it was soon completely eclipsed by what has gone on in Miami. LeBron James opted out of his contract. Seemingly the rest of the team followed suit.

NBA Rookie of the Year Odds with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/1/2014

Now that the NBA Draft is over and we know where the next generation of young stars will be playing, it’s a good time to look for value in NBA Rookie of the Year futures with some picks and predictions on the candidates (odds are from Bovada):

2014 NBA Draft Grades: Best and Worst Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 7/1/2014

Now that the NBA Draft is in the rearview mirror, the job for bettors is to look at what happened. Which teams got better in the short term — are more attractive to bet on now than they were a week ago? Which first-round picks, from a betting perspective, are just a disaster? Here’s a look at five in each category (odds to win the Rookie of the Year are from Bovada):

NBA Draft Props Odds with Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 6/24/2014

It seems to have taken forever to get here, but we are now just hours away from the NBA Draft. This is a wide-open draft in many ways because it is so deep and intriguing up top. There may not be many sure-fire superstars, but there is a stunning amount of potential. This could be an all-time great draft or a totally forgettable one depending on how things turn out. As we get ready for the draft, here are five players who are the most relevant for bettors to pay attention to:

Carmelo Anthony Prop Odds: What Team will Melo Play for Next Season?
by Trevor Whenham - 6/24/2014

The first chapter in what has turned into a truly fascinating NBA free agency season came to be when, after much deliberation, Carmelo Anthony officially informed the Knicks that he was opting out of his contract to become a free agent. Now he is available to any team, and he will be highly valued. He would have been the most valued free agent except for what came next — LeBron James opted out of his deal as well.

2015 NBA Championship Odds with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 6/20/2014

The Spurs have won yet another NBA title, so it is a good time to look ahead to what might happen next year. The next season is still months away, but Bovada has already posted NBA championship futures. Let’s take a look at some odds to win the NBA Finals with picks and predictions.

2014 NBA Draft Odds and Betting: Who Will Go No. 1?
by George Monroy - 6/11/2014

The 2014 NBA Draft was being talked about before any of the top prospects had even stepped foot on a college basketball court. Andrew Wiggins was supposed to be the next superstar in the league, while Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon were hailed as the second coming of this player or that player. And while each one of those assessment could still come true, a lot has changed since the basketball world was first introduced to these players.

NBA Finals Betting Trends and Game-by-Game Results
by George Monroy - 6/4/2014

The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs are set to meet in the NBA Finals for the second straight year. The series may not be the biggest matchup the 2014 playoffs could have produced—a Heat versus Oklahoma City Thunder finals, with the league’s two best players, would have taken that honor—but it certainly is the best possible matchup. Miami, while it may not be as good as last year’s team, is still a juggernaut, particularly with LeBron James at the peak of his powers.

2014 NBA Finals Series Odds and Prop Bet Predictions
by George Monroy - 6/3/2014

The NBA Finals are set after both the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs dispatched their Conference Finals opponents in six games. The 2014 playoffs began with nearly every top-seeded team on the verge of being upset in the first round. At one point, a Portland Trail Blazers versus Washington Wizards finals matchup was a reasonable possibility. However, order was restored in the second and third rounds, and now we have the matchup that most people expecting from the very beginning.

Sports Betting Insights: Wagering Tips for the NBA Finals
by Dave Schwab - 5/28/2014

This year’s NBA playoffs are rapidly headed to the best-of-seven championship series, which is slated to begin sometime next week. While we still do not know which two teams will meet in this year’s NBA Finals, there are a few betting tips to keep in mind when the championship series does get underway.

Betting with The Prop Machine and Free Tuesday Pick
by Doc's Sports - 5/27/2014

The NBA playoffs are closing in on the start of the championship series while MLB is getting ready to close out the second month of the regular season. Each and every day the oddsmakers continue to provide golden opportunities to cash in on all the games with the release of various player prop bets that are tied to all the action.

NBA Odds: Conference Finals Game 1s Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/16/2014

The cream usually does rise to the top, especially in the NBA where it's just so rare to have a big playoff upset. After a wild first two rounds of the postseason, where it looked like we might have several lower seeds advance, we are left with what was expected all along: Chalk. Top-seeded Indiana against No. 2 Miami in the East and No. 1 San Antonio against No. 2 Oklahoma City in the West. Chalk may be boring sometimes, but these are the best possible matchups.

NBA Playoffs Betting: Taking a Closer Look at the Over and Under Stats
by George Monroy - 5/16/2014

The Conference Finals of the NBA playoffs are finally set after both the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder closed out their respective series with impressive road victories during Game 6. Oklahoma City needed a come-from-behind effort where the team trailed by as much as 16 points, while Indiana jumped out to an early lead and never let it go.

NBA Odds: Thursday, May 15, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/14/2014

I was half right in the Game 5s between Indiana-Washington and Oklahoma City-LA Clippers. I expected the Pacers-Wizards game to be an easy cover -- just not for Washington. As for Thunder-Clippers, which had one of the craziest playoff endings ever, I predicted an OKC victory but believed it would go down to the wire and took the points. Now both road teams face must wins on Thursday to force a Game 7 back at the higher-seeded club.

Possible 2014 NBA Finals Matchups Odds and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/13/2014

With the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs sprinting out to 3-1 leads in their second-round series, both squads are once again the favorites to meet in the NBA Finals for a second straight year. However, the matchup is far from a sure thing as both teams will face a tough conference finals opponent (if they are able to advance). The Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder are only gaining experience and toughness with each game they play, while the Indiana Pacers may have already turned a corner after a difficult first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks.

NBA Odds: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/13/2014

I'm not going to bury the lead here. I fully expect Eastern Conference favorite Miami and Western Conference favorite San Antonio finish off their conference semifinals foes at home on Wednesday night and advance. This is one of those times I hope I'm wrong because I'd like every series to go seven games just as a basketball fan, but I don't see that happening here. Maybe Clippers-Thunder will go seven, but that's likely it.

NBA Odds: Tuesday, May 13, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/12/2014

Suddenly all looks right in Pacer-land as Indiana can finish off Washington in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday night and then get a few extra days rest, at a minimum, than the Heat-Nets series winner would have in a conference finals matchup. Indiana's East title odds have shrunk to +220, with Miami still the sizable favorite at -260 on Sportsbook.ag.