NBA Handicapping Articles

Updated NBA Championship Futures Odds with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/7/2017

We have less than a week to go. On April 12 the NBA regular season comes to an end. And soon after the playoffs get under way. There will be 16 teams in the postseason. Let's not kid ourselves, though - the list of real contenders is much, much shorter. I'll be totally honest and say that I don't see a lot of point right now in betting NBA futures. It's just not where the value is. If you do like having some longer term action heading into the postseason, though, then let's look at the numbers posted at BetOnline to see what we can see:

Free NBA Picks: Saturday, April 8, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/7/2017

Are the Golden State Warriors better with Kevin Durant? Obviously, as he's a Top-5 player in the league and was putting up MVP-caliber numbers (25.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists) before going down with a knee injury suffered in Washington on Feb. 28. That said, I wonder if the Warriors will scuffle a bit immediately upon Durant's return on Saturday. With Durant out of the lineup, the Warriors stumbled initially, losing four of their next six games.

NBA Handicapping: Celtics have a Tough Path to Championship with Cleveland in the Way
by Trevor Whenham - 4/7/2017

The Eastern Conference of the NBA has been stale for too long. It's been whichever team that LeBron James is playing on and then everyone else. For large stretches of this year it has felt that the Boston Celtics had the best chance we had seen in a long while of breaking that string of dominance. Imagine the possibility of someone other than the King repping the East in the finals!

Free NBA Picks: Friday, April 7, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/6/2017

Just like Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive games played streak of 2,632 will never be approached in Major League Baseball, neither will the NBA record of 1,192 straight games (basically 14.5 seasons) set by A.C. Green. He didn't miss a game from Nov. 19, 1986, all the way to his final game on April 18, 2001. Nowadays, it's very rare for players to even play all 82. Green was a good player on some great Lakers and good Suns teams. He's perhaps best known for his virginity - he didn't have sex until after retiring and marrying his wife Veronique on April 20, 2002.

NBA Betting Trends: Totals Report for Hot Over and Under Teams
by Aaron Smith - 4/5/2017

As the NBA regular season winds down, it is important to be careful with your wagers. There are quite a few teams with nothing to play for now, while there are some other teams that are playing to find their way into the playoffs or improve their seeding. How does that change betting on totals? In the long run, the games between teams fighting for a playoff spot have been better 'under' plays, while the games between teams with nothing to play for have been better 'over' plays.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, April 6, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/5/2017

If the Orlando Magic weren't already going to fire inept General Manager Rob Hennigan after this season as it was, something has happened that probably assured his fate. The team recently signed some dude named Patricio Garino to a contract and his agent tweeted a photo of the signing. No big deal right? Except you could see the Magic front office's whiteboard in the background and clearly read lists of names under potential free-agent and trade targets. The names of Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari and Atlanta Hawks power forward Paul Millsap were atop the Hybrid Free Agency column (hybrid referring to guys who can play multiple positions).

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, April 5, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/4/2017

Could the Toronto Raptors get back All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry on Wednesday? It's possible. He hasn't played since the All-Star Game because of a wrist injury and surgery but was a limited participant on practice on Monday. The Raptors are still a battle with Washington for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Now I'm not sure whether getting the No. 3 or 4 spot is better because it would depend on whether Cleveland finishes first or second. Even though the Cavs are scuffling, I'd imagine teams want to avoid LeBron James as long as possible in the postseason. The Raptors surely would like Lowry to work the rust off a few games before the playoffs begin. The team's beat reporter said he expects Lowry to return at some point this week.

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, April 4, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/3/2017

I'm an NBA junkie. So while Tuesday's Milwaukee at Oklahoma City game might not mean much to you or in the grand scheme of things, I'm pumped to see it. That's because I would argue the two best athletic marvels (OK, LeBron James is in a class of his own) in the league will be dueling here in the Greek Freak and Mr. Triple-Double. Of course, I'm referring to the Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thunder's Russell Westbrook. Both guys are breaking the mold when it comes to point guard play in the Association.

Free NBA Picks: Saturday, April 1, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/31/2017

Now that we are into the NBA's final month of the regular season and with just a couple of weeks left, this is a time to make a killing on wagers in my opinion. You should be able to easily identify which teams at this point are in Operation Shutdown to improve their draft lottery chances - OK, it's tough to handicap when those clubs play each other -- and which are still playing for something. There are five games on Saturday opposite the Final Four and only four teams in action still care: LA Clippers, Atlanta, Chicago and Portland.

Free NBA Picks: Friday, March 31, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/30/2017

I have a feeling the Detroit Pistons are going to look a lot different next season. The club is moving back downtown to share a new arena with the Red Wings, and owner Tom Gores is going to want to create some buzz for a new set of season-ticket holders. It's now starting to look like Gores made a mistake in giving Stan Van Gundy a five-year, $35 million contract three years ago to serve as coach and president of basketball operations.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, March 30, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/29/2017

One of the most unlikely NBA winning streaks in recent history is on the line Thursday night, and I'll just get to the point and say I believe that it ends. The Chicago Bulls are featured on one of the TNT telecasts, and they have won 18 straight home TNT Thursday games dating to the end of the 2012-13 regular season. This is crazy unlikely because the Bulls usually are playing some of the NBA's best teams in these games - the schedule is set up that way for the most attention. This year, the Bulls are 2-0 vs. the Boston Celtics at home on TNT Thursdays and 1-0 vs. San Antonio and Golden State (handing the Warriors their second straight regular-season loss for the first time since April 2015, a league-record streak of 146 games).

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, March 29, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/28/2017

Last spring, the NBA world was denied a chance to see two of the best regular-season teams in NBA history, the 73-win Golden State Warriors and 67-victory San Antonio Spurs, do battle in the postseason. The Oklahoma City Thunder upset the Spurs in the conference semifinals. Will Wednesday night be the last time the Dubs and Spurs play in 2017? I sure hope not, because I believe San Antonio is the only Western Conference club that can give a fully healthy Golden State side problems. Those two are going to finish 1-2 in the West standings in whichever order so they could only play again in the West Finals.

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, March 28, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/27/2017

It was an interesting weekend if you are a Kentucky basketball fan. On Sunday, the Cats lost an instant classic to North Carolina in the Elite Eight, and Coach John Calipari surely will be saying goodbye to his two best players in freshmen Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox as they will head to the draft. On Friday in Boston, former Kentucky player Devin Booker had the individual game of the NBA season by scoring 70 points (most by any Kentucky player ever) in a 130-120 loss.

Free NBA Picks: Saturday, March 25, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/24/2017

There is no ABC Saturday showcase this week opposite the first night of the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight. Probably just as well for ABC the way it has been embarrassed the past two Saturdays with terrible games due to stars sitting. The most interesting game of the NBA weekend is Sunday when Oklahoma City visits Houston at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The storyline there is the MVP battle between Russell Westbrook and James Harden. In any other year, one of those guys would be a runaway favorite with the amazing statistical seasons they are having. Currently at BetOnline, Harden is a -155 favorite with Westbrook at +110.

NBA Handicapping: Indiana Pacers Invisible but Playoff Bound
by Trevor Whenham - 3/24/2017

There are a lot of invisible teams in the NBA - teams that go about their business without drawing a whole lot of interest or attention. They are just there - the vanilla ice cream of the league. From where I sit the Indiana Pacers are definitely one of those teams. I'm sitting in a coffee shop writing this right now. I bet that if I asked the 20 people here what the NBA team in Indianapolis is called, not half would know the answer. And even among those that call themselves basketball fans to some degree I bet not more than one would be able to name their current number of wins within, say, five. Granted, I don't live in a basketball heartland, but you get my point.

Free NBA Picks: Friday, March 24, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/23/2017

OK, now we see what size cajones that Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue and GM David Griffin have. Of course teams resting stars has been a hot topic around the NBA all week after Lue sat LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love last Saturday night in a national TV game. The NBA league office e-mailed its unhappiness to Griffin, who basically told the NBA to MYOB, and early this week Commissioner Adam Silver sent a memo to all 30 team owners saying that resting key players has become a major issue and will be addressed at the next meeting.

NBA Handicapping: What to Make of Odd Warriors Season Thus Far
by Trevor Whenham - 3/23/2017

The Golden State Warriors have won five in a row - though they haven't exactly played elite squads over that stretch, so it really doesn't prove much. The bigger concern, or at least the bigger cause for interest, is that they had lost five of seven before that. Teams go through funks, but it had been a couple of years since we had seen even a glimpse of regular-season mortality from this Golden State squad. It was easy to assume that they were above that.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, March 23, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/22/2017

With the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 tipping off opposite the NBA action on Thursday, you are going to be seeing a lot of stars playing potentially their final games in college basketball as the waves of draft declarations will begin when their teams lose. For example, Oklahoma State star sophomore guard Jawun Evans announced his decision on Tuesday. Both Kansas and Arizona play Thursday night - I think they both win, though -- and it's presumed their star freshmen, Josh Jackson and Lauri Markkanen, respectively, will be playing for money next year. Oregon is a slight underdog to Michigan on Thursday in the Midwest, and it could be the final game for Ducks star Dillon Brooks, the Pac-12 Player of the Year.

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, March 22, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/21/2017

If before this season you projected that the Philadelphia 76ers would be the best against the spread team in the NBA, kudos to you because I surely didn't. I also expected the Sixers to start losing more games ATS once they ruled out Rookie of the Year candidate Joel Embiid for the season. Yet there the team is atop the ATS standings, and it has covered an NBA-high seven straight games entering Wednesday. The 76ers continue to play hard for Coach Brett Brown, although they have the fifth-worst record in the NBA.

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, March 21, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/20/2017

For the second week in a row, the ABC Saturday night showcase game was ruined by a team resting its star players. This time it was Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue sitting LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love at the Clippers (who predictably won easily). Irving supposedly was dealing with a minor injury and Love just returned from a long absence due to a knee problem, but LeBron was fine. Cavs GM David Griffin got a call from the league office shortly after the team announced its decision Saturday. On the telecast, ABC's Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy called the decision "an absolute joke" and "a prosecutable offense." They are also former head coaches, and I'm sure rested a guy or two who could have played back in their day.