NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Betting Advice and Handicapping: Wagering on the Golden State Warriors
by Trevor Whenham - 4/20/2016

We don't often see something like the spectacle of the Golden State Warriors. They are dominant, but not alone - they are barreling towards a showdown with the Spurs that everyone expects and everyone anticipates wildly. The talent of this team is historic - no team has won more games. That success means that the public loves the team like no other.

Free NBA Picks for Adjusted Series Odds Prices
by Dave Schwab - 4/20/2016

One of the most interesting ways to bet on the NBA Playoffs is series price prop bet odds. Not only are they released before each round's series get underway, but they are also constantly updated as the each series progresses through the best-of-seven format. It is like live in-game betting on a more drawn out scale.

NBA Odds: Wednesday, April 20 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/19/2016

These are not your father's New York Knicks. Two decades ago, that was one of the top jobs in the NBA, maybe the best. Pat Riley took it. So did Rick Pitino. But now that franchise is a mess and team president Phil Jackson reportedly can't even get a Warriors assistant coach, Luke Walton, to take over as head coach.

NBA Odds: Tuesday, April 19 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/18/2016

If you were hoping for some drama in the openers of the NBA playoff series, you were pretty much out of luck other than perhaps the Hawks-Celtics result. The average margin of victory across the eight openers was 20.5 points. That's the most lopsided group of playoff openers in NBA history, passing 1995's 19.6. Sunday's action was almost unwatchable from a fan's standpoint but good viewing if you backed the favorites. The only close game -- and only underdog to cover -- was Detroit losing by just five to Cleveland.

NBA Odds: Sunday, April 17, 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/15/2016

This is likely a franchise-altering postseason for the Los Angeles Clippers. The former laughingstock franchise is in the playoffs for the fifth year in a row but has never reached the Western Conference Finals in team history. Another playoff disappointment and I believe this core has to be broken up.

NBA Odds: Saturday, April 16 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/14/2016

Remember last year when the Western Conference playoffs looked like a bloodbath? It appeared to be the deepest field in years with any team capable of upsetting the other in the first round except for No. 8 New Orleans over No. 1 Golden State. This year? The West clearly has chasm between the top four teams and the bottom four. I'd be surprised if any first-round series goes past five games, with that one possibility being Clippers-Trail Blazers.

NBA Playoffs Betting Advice: Vulnerable High Seeds
by Trevor Whenham - 4/14/2016

The first round of the NBA Playoffs is typically pretty short of intrigue. The public expects the higher seeds to come through and win, and more often than not that is how it turns out. The way things have set up for the first round this year things could easily turn out that way again. There are a few teams, though, that could at least be somewhat vulnerable of falling below their expectations this year. Here are four:

Free NBA Picks for Western Conference Playoffs Odds with Expert Predictions
by George Monroy - 4/14/2016

The final night of the NBA season ended with a bang as the Golden State Warriors made history by breaking the Chicago Bulls hallowed 72-win record while Kobe Bryant said farewell to the league in the only way he could-with a 60-point explosion on 50 shots during 42 minutes of play. If the last night of the regular season was any indication of things to come, fans and bettors will be in for a treat during the 2016 playoffs.

Free NBA Picks for Eastern Conference Playoffs Odds with Expert Predictions
by George Monroy - 4/14/2016

The NBA Playoffs are finally here, and what most basketball fans and experts are expecting is a postseason full of fireworks. The west is as top-heavy and loaded as it has ever been, while the Eastern Conference is as deep and well-round as it has been in the last decade. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are once again the favorite to make it out of the conference and should dominate their first-round matchup.

NBA Odds: Wednesday, April 13 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/12/2016

It's the final day of the 2015-16 NBA regular season on Wednesday, and what a spectacular night it should be, one of the most important final days of a regular season that I can remember. Unfortunately, the two main games I'm interested are both starting at the same time: 10:30 p.m. From Oakland, the Golden State Warriors look for their NBA record 73rd win, and while nothing is a lock in sports I can't fathom a scenario where injury-ravaged Memphis prevents that from happening.

NBA Playoffs Betting Advice: Zig-Zag Theory for Wagering Explained
by George Monroy - 4/12/2016

The idea behind the NBA zig-zag theory is a simple, yet powerful concept: in any playoff series bet on the team that lost the last game because they are more likely to cover the next spread. The zig-zag theory first came into prominence in the 1980s and was a moneymaker for bettors for quite some time. But, of course, like any good theory, the sportsbooks eventually caught on and adjusted their lines to take that concept into account.

NBA Odds: Tuesday, April 12 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/11/2016

Just two days left in the NBA's regular season, and there's not much drama in the individual department. By that I mean for awards and league leaders. Steph Curry is a lock to win the NBA MVP and the scoring title, with James Harden finishing second in scoring for the second year in a row. Curry might even win Most Improved Player as he's been that good. Detroit's Andre Drummond is your rebounding king, and Rajon Rondo will take the assists title.

NBA Odds: Saturday, April 9 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/8/2016

I can't say I've ever been to a Sacramento Kings game at what is now called Sleep Train Arena, but I remember loving watching games on TV from there back in the early 2000s when the Kings were one of the NBA's best and most entertaining teams. You could hear the cowbells through your screen and it was a rabid fan base.

NBA Odds: Friday, April 8, 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/7/2016

I generally don't root for anyone to fail -- OK, unless it benefits my team or my betting position -- so I was happy to see the Philadelphia 76ers beat the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night for their 10th win of the season, assuring that wretched team won't tie for the NBA record of single-season losses at 73. Maybe the 76ers drew inspiration from the night before when Villanova beat North Carolina for the school's first national title since 1985. One thing the 76ers haven't done yet this season: win consecutive games. Friday against the Knicks is probably their last chance to do so.

NBA Odds: Thursday, April 7 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/6/2016

OK, Gregg Popovich. You are clearly one of the best coaches in NBA history and a future Hall of Famer. You obviously know much better than I do when to rest your players or not. But, please, please, don't do it Thursday night when the Spurs visit the Warriors, who are looking for regular-season win No. 70, two shy of the Bulls' league record. But knowing Popovich, he's not going to play the likes of Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. He already has hinted as much and it frankly does the Spurs franchise no good to stop the Warriors' quest for 73 wins.

NBA Odds: Wednesday, April 6 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/5/2016

I don't really know which team qualifies as the worst playoff club in NBA history, but I'd like to nominate the Memphis Grizzlies now that it has been determined that star point guard Mike Conley won't be able to return for the postseason, joining All-Star center Marc Gasol, solid big man Brandon Wright and guard Mario Chalmers on the sidelines.

NBA Odds: Tuesday, April 5 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/4/2016

If the Philadelphia 76ers are going to avoid tying the NBA single-season record of 73 losses, set by their 1972-73 forefathers in Philly, it's probably going to be this week or never. The Sixers host the Pelicans on Tuesday, and New Orleans actually has fewer good players at this point than Philly does due to injury. You could probably score a ticket to that game for $1 on StubHub. Then Philly hosts the Knicks on Friday and Bucks on Sunday.

NBA Betting Trends: Hot and Cold Teams Against the Point Spread
by Aaron Smith - 4/4/2016

The final week of the regular season is here. The NBA Playoffs begin on April 16. It looks like the top seeds will be Cleveland and Golden State. There are three interesting races to follow in the last week of the regular season. The first is the NBA Southeast Division, where Atlanta, Miami, and Charlotte are all battling it out for first. The second is the race for the final spots in the Eastern Conference. Indiana and Detroit are two games ahead of Chicago for the final spot right now. In the Western Conference, Houston is chasing four teams in hopes of getting another chance at a playoff run.

NBA Eastern Conference Futures Odds: Cavaliers a Big Favorite
by George Monroy - 4/4/2016

The prevailing theory amongst most NBA fans is that LeBron James is destined to make another NBA Finals appearance, which would be his sixth consecutive trip, and that the Cleveland Cavaliers are ready to run over a weak Eastern Conference during the playoffs. However, for those that have not been paying close attention, the Eastern Conference is the strongest it has been in a decade, and James seems hell bent on torpedoing Cleveland's postseason chances.

NBA Handicapping: Can Dallas Mavericks Make Late Playoff Push?
by Trevor Whenham - 4/1/2016

The Dallas Mavericks are supposed to be a good team. Mark Cuban has endless money and even more bravado. The players are treated like royalty, and the team is supposed to shine as a result. Yet here they are in virtually a three-way tie for the last two playoff spots. As I sit here they are tied at 37-38 with the Utah Jazz. The Houston Rockets have played one more game and have one more loss. They could just as easily miss the playoffs as make them.