NBA Handicapping Articles

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, May 2, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/1/2017

With the Los Angeles Clippers being eliminated in Game 7 at home by the Utah Jazz on Sunday, it marks the end of the career of lock first-ballot Hall of Famer Paul Pierce. The long-time Celtic wasn't much of a factor in the series at age 39 and had six points in his finale. Pierce finishes with career averages of 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He was the NBA Finals MVP during the Celtics' championship season in 2008 and made the All-Star team 10 times. Somehow Pierce lasted until the 10th pick of the 1998 NBA Draft.

Free NBA Picks: Friday, April 28, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/27/2017

How important is an NBA coach really? I'm talking about in-game decisions, not installing systems at practice or dealing with egos. Do you really think that Phil Jackson, he of the 11 titles, was calling plays from the bench? No, Phil was more Zen Master than NBA coach. And he lucked into coaching Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. I mention this because the Warriors could be without Coach Steve Kerr the rest of these playoffs as he deals with some debilitating neck pain and headaches from his back surgeries (and resulting cerebrospinal fluid leak) before the 2015-16 season.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, April 27, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/26/2017

James Harden and the Houston Rockets eliminated Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 on Tuesday night. Are you like me and still daydream about Harden, Westbrook and Kevin Durant all on the same team and potentially in their primes together? I still can't believe the Thunder gave up Harden for how little they did back in 2012. If OKC management had any foresight to see how much the NBA salary cap would jump, the team could have kept those three and formed a "super team."

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, April 26, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/25/2017

Barring a major injury to Kevin Durant or Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors are going to be the Western Conference favorites for the foreseeable future. However, I believe the Portland Trail Blazers could take a really big step forward next year. Yes, they were swept out of the playoffs on Monday in a big way by the Warriors but have a bright future. At least 25 other teams would take Portland's starting backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum over their own. Center Jusuf Nurkic looks like he was a steal from Denver in that midseason trade.

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, April 25, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/24/2017

Has Paul George played his final game in an Indiana Pacers uniform? It's quite possible after they were swept out of the playoffs by Cleveland on Sunday, a series that was a lot closer than a sweep might indicate. George is set to hit free agency after next season. If he gives team president Larry Bird indications that he's not going to re-sign, then Bird has to deal him now. It benefits Indiana if George is named to an All-NBA team, which is probably a 50/50 proposition. If he does, the Pacers are eligible to offer him a deal that would be about $70 million more lucrative than any other open-market offer.

Free NBA Picks: Saturday, April 22, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/21/2017

There's obviously no question that Carmelo Anthony won't be back with the Knicks next season after what Phil Jackson said in his exit interview to the media, and Melo seems resigned to that fact. Plus, part of the reason he wanted to stay in New York was for his wife's career, but now they are splitsville. I do believe Anthony's next team is one still playing: Cleveland, Boston or the L.A. Clippers. The Cavs might opt to trade Kevin Love for Anthony if they are somehow upset before the NBA Finals. That trade would work straight up.

Free NBA Picks: Friday, April 21, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/20/2017

A one spot difference in the NBA Draft obviously can mean everything, and I don't necessarily even mean, say, in the Top 3 - although that's clearly true. For example, Bucks rising superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was the 15th pick of the 2013 draft. The guy taken before him was Shabazz Muhammad by Minnesota (via trade from Utah) and one spot after was Lucas Nogueira by Boston (traded too). I mention this because some draft tiebreakers were resolved this week in a mini-lottery process.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, April 20, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/19/2017

For the first time in these playoffs, we have venue changes on Thursday night as Indiana, Milwaukee and Memphis host their first postseason games, with the Pacers and Grizz probably looking at being swept if they don't win Thursday. One advantage of being a marquee team like the Cavaliers or Spurs is that you tend to get more days off in between playoff games because the major TV network partners want to position those teams on the best nights possible.

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, April 19, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/18/2017

It's a darn shame that Portland might not have center Jusuf Nurkic available at all for its first-round series against Golden State. I'm not saying the Blazers would have a shot to win the series with Nurkic, but I do think they could win a couple of games. He had been fantastic since coming over in a completely lopsided trade with Denver. Portland head coach Terry Stotts said that he hopes Nurkic, who has missed eight straight games with a slight fracture in his right leg, will "be back at some point." The Blazers were 14-5 in games he started with them and he averaged 15.2 points and 10.4 rebounds. Here's a look at Wednesday's three Game 2s.

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, April 18, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/17/2017

Maybe Russell Westbrook should win the MVP Award. I was among those who was hoping that the NBA would make an exception this year and hold the voting until after Westbrook's Thunder and James Harden's Houston Rockets completed their first-round series. It's only the fourth time in NBA history that the top two points scorers in the league played against each other in the opening round of the playoffs. It also happened in 1951 between the Minneapolis Lakers (George Mikan) and Indianapolis Olympians (Alex Groza), in 1980 between the Rockets (Moses Malone) and Spurs (George Gervin), and in 2016 between the Warriors (Stephen Curry) and Rockets (Harden).

Free NBA Picks: Saturday, April 15, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/13/2017

The NBA Playoffs are here and it's the best basketball of the season, but I want to address the regular season one last time and say that Commissioner Adam Silver MUST do something about this ridiculous resting of players that is becoming prevalent by NBA teams. The Cavaliers basically gave away the East's top seed by sitting LeBron James and Kyrie Irving the final two games. That I can understand because they were already in the playoffs. If the Cavs don't want the top seed, that's their choice. But explain to me why the Brooklyn Nets rested three of their healthy guys on Wednesday in Chicago?

NBA Western Conference Playoff Picks and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/13/2017

This is one of those years in which I really wonder why the NBA bothers to have a first round of the playoffs. They would sacrifice no drama whatsoever by allowing just four teams into the postseason - five this year. At the very least you could give the top two seeds a bye and limit the field to six teams. Oklahoma City will probably provide a few thrills in an almost certain losing effort against Houston, but Portland and Memphis are just lambs being sent to slaughter - and not even the cute kind of lambs that are easy to love.

NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Picks and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/13/2017

I will fully admit it out of the gate - I am sick of the LeBron James show. I respect his talent immensely - obviously - but I'm done with his drama, his superiority, and his ever-presence. After six straight years of seeing him in the finals I'd love to see someone else represent the East - a team that doesn't resent each other or think they are smarter than their coach, maybe. So, over the next 800 words or so my goal will be simple - to convince myself that it's possible that Cleveland won't win the East. I mean, it's clearly more possible than ever before. But does that mean it's possible? (Odds to win the NBA Championship are from BetOnline):

Expert NBA Betting Picks: Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics First-Round Series Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 4/13/2017

If I'm being completely honest, I have absolutely no idea how the Bulls managed to sneak into the postseason. Sure, they won seven of their last 10 games to finish with a 41-41 record, but from an eye-test perspective this team is severely flawed and has no real identity. The only thing Bulls' fans can hang there hat on is that in the playoffs, anything can happen. Game 1 is scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, and the Celtics are tabbed as eight-point favorites.

NBA Expert Betting Predictions: Playoff Picks and Preview Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City
by Chris Vasile - 4/12/2017

This series gets my vote as the most watchable and highly-anticipated first-round series in recent memory. In one corner, we have a 55-win team that boasts a legitimate MVP candidate on one of the highest-scoring teams in the league. In the other corner, we have Russell Westbrook, aka Mr. Triple-Double aka Brodie, who singlehandedly carried his team to the postseason. This series is going to be high-scoring and about as fun a playoff series as you will see outside of the NBA Finals.

NBA Playoffs Expert Betting Predictions: Warriors vs. Blazers Series Preview & Wagering Picks
by Chris Vasile - 4/12/2017

The NBA Playoffs are quickly approaching, which means it's time for meaningful basketball, where players actually play hard for the full 48 minutes and every basket, missed shot, bad call, or non-call is magnified exponentially to the point where you are led to believe "next basket wins". For many of the lower seeds heading into this year's version of the postseason, they would prefer that "next basket wins" stipulation instead of having to go through the trouble of being run out of the gym and embarrassed by a severely superior team for four or five games.

Toronto Raptors vs. Milwaukee Bucks First-Round NBA Playoff Picks with Expert Betting Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 4/12/2017

As of this very moment, the Raptors are tabbed at +1000 to win the Eastern Conference and +4000 to capture the franchises' first NBA Championship. Neither of those two things are going to happen, so please do not waste your money. The same can be said for the Bucks. While +5000 is tempting odds to win the Eastern Conference and +25000 is even better to win the whole thing, the chances of the Bucks getting hot and going on a deep postseason run are slim-to-none. All odds are courtesy of Bovada.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies Expert NBA Playoff Picks and Series Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 4/12/2017

If I had to rank each first-round series in terms of must-see TV, I would slot the Spurs into the five hole, just ahead of the Atlanta/Washington, Toronto/Milwaukee and Cleveland/Indiana series. There are very few storylines coming out of this matchup, and I expect it to be just as dull as you could possibly imagine. The Spurs are so fundamentally sound, that I feel the Grizzlies need to play absolutely perfect basketball in order to have a chance at pulling off the upset. Probably not going to happen.

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, April 12, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/11/2017

Hard to believe Wednesday is the final day of the NBA's 2016-17 regular season. While last regular season will be remembered as the Year of the Warriors, this one probably belongs to Russell Westbrook and his individual brilliance. The Western Conference playoff field is set, so there's little motivation for any of those teams playing on Wednesday other than Utah and the L.A. Clippers. Expect a lot of guys elsewhere to sit out (and I sure hope Adam Silver comes up with a solution this offseason for teams tanking and others resting their stars when they only visit a certain city once).

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, April 11, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/10/2017

I hate it when teams rest their stars in the NBA, but I would totally understand if Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan ties Russell Westbrook to the bench and doesn't let him see the court in the final couple of games in the regular season (actually, Donovan is leaving the choice up to his star). Westbrook broke Oscar Robertson's single-season triple-doubles record on Sunday with his 42nd. He did it with 50 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, his third 50-point triple-double of the year. That's also a record.