NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Handicapping: Teams Better Than Record Would Indicate
by T.O. Whenham - 1/21/2010

We're pretty much halfway through the NBA season. That means that it's a good time to take a step back and assess where we are at, and what we might be able to expect for the second half of the year. One thing I like to do at this time of year is to look for teams that are playing better than their record indicates.

24 Seconds Around the NBA
by Nolan Sinclair with Robert Ferringo - 1/19/2010

After a nice, full, healthy day of NBA basketball on Martin Luther King Jr. Day I feel like the pro league has turned the corner on the season. Most teams have already turned the halfway pole on their year. Teams are coming out of the “dog days of winter” and now they are really starting to look at where they are, where they want to be, and how they want to get there. The ballin’ and the bettin’ is about to step up a notch

The "Should Be" NBA All-Star Game Roster
by Nolan Sinclair - 1/19/2010

With the NBA All-Star Game coming up soon I feel it is my duty to inform all of you what the starting line-ups for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference should look like. Of course, because the fans vote the teams I’ve listed below won’t be near what the starting lineup will be on Sunday, Feb. 14 in Dallas at Cowboys Stadium.

NBA Handicapping: Road Success Doesn’t Equal Betting Success
by T.O. Whenham - 1/14/2010

I'm a fan of the NBA, but it's not a sport that I follow as closely as others, and I don't handicap it very often. When there are sports that I'm not avidly following I find that I like to have little rules in my mind that I can use to quickly get a sense of how a team is performing - a snapshot of where they are at.

NBA Handicapping: Effects of Gilbert Arenas Suspension
by T.O. Whenham - 1/14/2010

Gilbert Arenas is a talented basketball player. He's also a freaking idiot. By now you've heard all about Arenas' antics with guns, his gambling debts, and his suspension, so there isn't much to add on that front. What we do need to look at, though, is the betting impact of Arenas' long term suspension on the Washington Wizards.

NBA Studs and Duds Against the Spread
by T.O. Whenham - 1/13/2010

We are almost halfway through the NBA season, so this is a good time for us to assess which teams are standing out from a betting perspective, and which ones have been particularly frustrating. Here, then, are the teams that have been studs against the spread, those that have been duds, and the biggest surprise and disappointment.

Oklahoma City Thunder Among NBA’s Best ATS
by T.O. Whenham - 1/13/2010

The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the most pleasant surprises of the NBA season. We knew that they were going to be a team to watch in the coming years, but even the most optimistic fan has to admit that they are ahead of schedule right now. If the playoffs were to start today the Thunder would secure the No. 7 spot in the West.

NBA Handicapping: Hot or Cold Report
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 1/13/2010

For a 23-13 team the Spurs have had some struggles on the road. They are 6-7 away from the AT&T Center. But at closer look the Spurs are actually 5-2 ATS in their last seven road games. The Spurs are ready to embark on a short four-game road swing. Playing in San Antonio in the often-used AT&T Center the Spurs are used to getting on the road for these road trips. Last year in their longest road trip of the season the Spurs went 5-3 SU and 6-2 ATS.

24 Seconds Around the NBA
by Nolan Sinclair with Robert Ferringo - 1/6/2010

As many of you already know Gilbert Arenas has gotten himself into hot water with the NBA for his actions in a locker room tiff in which guns were involved. He has stated that the gun was for a “joke” to be played on a teammate. Wow! That Gilbert is one funny guy.

NBA Handicapping: Hot or Cold Report
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 12/29/2009

The NBA’s third best team against the spread (18-11 ATS) has the potential to get even hotter against the number as the new decade arrives. The Thunder have finally figured out how to play on the road as evidenced by their 117-113 win at Phoenix and their competitive three-point loss against the Lakers on the road as 10-point underdogs.

24 Seconds Around the NBA
by Nolan Sinclair (with Robert Ferringo) - 12/28/2009

We’re entering the dog days of the NBA schedule. The excitement of the season opening has completely worn off and there is nary a thought of postseason runs. Also, with the books more focused on the NFL, college football’s bowl season, and college basketball there is also a chance for some big NBA profits and finding the occasional weak NBA line.

NBA Handicapping: Hot or Cold Report
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 12/17/2009

With temperatures dropping around the country, the Hot or Not report gets a little colder, too. It is becoming easier and easier to find teams struggling to cover and harder and harder to find teams getting hot around this time of the year but here are two:

24 Seconds Around the NBA
by Nolan Sinclair (with Robert Ferringo) - 12/8/2009

The Bulls are looking to trade Tyrus Thomas and the New York Knicks are possible suitors. News is that Al Harrington would be involved. As a Knick fan I would hope that there is more to this discussion because the Knicks would be losing their best scoring option for a guy that has never lived up to his potential as the No. 4 overall draft pick.

Six Reasons To Be Optimistic About the Nets
by T.O. Whenham - 12/4/2009

Here's a controversial statement - the New Jersey Nets are an extremely bad team. Shocking, I know, but I stand behind it. They have leapt out of the gate with a whimper, setting an all-time record for futility by going 0-18 to start the season.

NBA Handicapping: Hot or Cold Report
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 12/3/2009

The NBA’s best team against the spread did a lot to shake off a few bandwagon jumpers this past week by losing three of four games. After an unexpected 11-2 start that caught everyone in the NBA off guard, Vegas wised up and started making the Hawks favorites regardless of who they were playing or were they were playing.

NBA Handicapping: Brandon Jennings Making Immediate Impact
by T.O. Whenham - 11/20/2009

So, imagine if this is what an NBA player did over a four-game stretch: he starts out with a 32-point, nine-assist outing, then posts 55 points, he bounces back from that showing with 25 points, eight assists and seven boards, and then finishes up with 19 points and eight assists. Not bad, right?

NBA Division Winner Predictions
by Hunter Price - 11/20/2009

We are now just about one month into the NBA season, and while it may seem early to start looking back at what has transpired this season, now is the time to look for real trends and adjust our thinking so that the oddsmakers don't catch us sleeping on some of their NBA lines.

NBA Handicapping: Hot or Cold Report
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 11/18/2009

The easiest schedule in the NBA thus far has resulted in records of 3-7 straight up and 5-5 against the spread. Golden State had to get off to a better start with a light early season slate but that did not happen and the blame falls squarely on the defense. It is ranked last in the league in points per game and three-point shooting defense and second to last in the game in field-goal shooting defense.

24 Seconds Around the NBA
by Robert Ferringo and Nolan Sinclair - 11/18/2009

Did any of you watch Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings score 55 against the Golden State Warriors? I did, and what was most impressive was that he didn’t score a point in the first quarter. I am sure you can do basic math and realize that he put up an average of just more than 18 points a quarter from that point on. Can you say “Rookie of the Year”? It’s early, but I think I can.

Byron Scott Fired from New Orleans Hornets
by T.O. Whenham - 11/12/2009

No league has a coaching revolving door that spins faster than the NBA, and this year it only took nine games for the door to start spinning. Byron Scott has been fired as the head coach of the New Orleans Hornets after his team limped out of the gate with a 3-6 start. General manager Jeff Bower will wear a second hat and take over as head coach of the team. Tim Floyd, the disgraced former coach of USC who just keeps getting jobs, will be Bower's top assistant.