NBA Handicapping Articles

Free NBA Betting Picks: Season-Long Utah Jazz Analysis and Expert Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 11/4/2016

We are 10 days into the NBA season and there have been an abundance of storylines so far this season. Some of the feel-good storylines include Russell Westbrook's triple-double average over five games, DeMar DeRozan scoring 145 points in his first four games since signing a massive $139-million contract in the offseason, and the surprise 3-1 start by the Atlanta Hawks, a team many pegged to have a down year this year.

Free NBA Picks: Friday, Nov. 4, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/3/2016

The NBA's Revenge Tour continues on Friday, a night after Russell Westbrook took his pent-up frustrations out on former teammate Kevin Durant in Oakland. On Friday, it will be interesting to see how New York point guard Derrick Rose is welcomed back to his hometown of Chicago. In the 2010-11 season, Rose became the youngest-ever MVP and arguably the most popular athlete in the Windy City since some Jordan guy. The Bulls were poised to be LeBron James' top challenger in the Eastern Conference for years.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/2/2016

I've obviously never played professional sports, but I feel like that even if I hated a teammate and assuming the money was equal, I would want to stay where I'm comfortable and have a chance to win a championship. I bring this up because of Thursday's epic showdown between Oklahoma City and Golden State. It's now pretty clear that Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant weren't exactly best pals in the wake of Durant leaving for the Warriors.

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/1/2016

Monday was the deadline for teams to extend players chosen in the first round of the 2013 draft on rookie-scale extension deals. Any players not extended would hit restricted free agency next offseason. I don't think there were any huge surprises ahead of the deadline. The Jazz smartly locked up center Rudy Gobert on a four-year, $102 million extension. He was perhaps the biggest steal of that draft at No. 27 overall, originally chosen by Denver.

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 10/31/2016

With the Kings visiting the Heat on Tuesday, it's a good time to talk about a rumored trade between the teams. Sacramento has been looking for its first top-flight point guard since Mike Bibby, it seems. Miami is probably going to be a lottery team this season and mortgaged the future at the February 2015 trade deadline by getting point guard Goran Dragic from Phoenix. With Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh now gone, there's really no reason for the Heat to keep Dragic around.

Free NBA Picks: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 10/28/2016

Even though the Philadelphia 76ers lost their home opener on Wednesday against Oklahoma City, the night was an unqualified success and this franchise might actually be on the right track now. If you watched Joel Embiid in his one season at Kansas, then you saw a superstar-in-waiting for the NBA. But foot injuries cost Embiid his first two NBA seasons. Before a raucous sellout crowd on Wednesday,

Free NBA Picks: Friday, Oct. 28, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 10/27/2016

Obviously I'm not going to overreact to one game in an NBA season, especially this early. But can we stop calling Golden State the Super Warriors or whatever they have been labeled with? They are still the NBA title betting favorites and are going to win the Western Conference for a third straight season barring injury.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 10/26/2016

Thursday is usually a marquee night in the NBA as it's the TNT doubleheader night, although TNT did add some other games this year as well with the new TV package kicking in. And I don't think there's any question what the most important thing we will see this Thursday night: Dwyane Wade in a Chicago Bulls No. 3 uniform. Like most around the NBA, I was stunned that Wade left Miami basically over a few million dollars. But the Heat were low-balling the face of the franchise and Wade had always said that if he left south Florida, it would be a return to his hometown.

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 10/25/2016

Before we get to Wednesday's NBA schedule, here are my picks to win individual awards in the Association this season: with BetOnline Odds: MVP -- Kawhi Leonard, Spurs at +700. I don't think the Thunder will be good enough for Russell Westbrook to win it, LeBron James is going to take several games off this season most likely, and Steph Curry and Kevin Durant will steal votes from one another. Scoring champion -- Westbrook, Thunder at +160. With no Durant around Russ might shoot 30 times a night. Assists leader -- Chris Paul, Clippers at +300.

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 10/24/2016

Welcome to my first NBA Opening Line Report of the new season. I will be providing early lines and potential injury news that could affect them for games played Tuesday-Saturday. You never know when you can find an early advantage to exploit. I love the NBA, but in a way this season seems almost anti-climactic as it will be a shock if the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers don't play in a third straight NBA Finals.

Free NBA Betting Picks: Season-Long Utah Jazz Analysis and Expert Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 10/24/2016

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2016-17 NBA season. There are about a million storylines and angles I could cover, but I will be sticking to just one throughout the season. I plan on using my time, research and knowledge to specialize on one team that I think will be able to make some noise in the Western Conference. One of the keys to making money on a long-term basis is to understand and familiarize yourself with the league and teams that you put your hard-earned dollars on.

NBA Betting Advice: Tough Teams to Handicap
by Trevor Whenham - 10/18/2016

There are some NBA teams that are easy to figure out. I'm sure I'm not blowing your mind when I say that the Warriors are going to be really, really good or that the Nets are going to be really, really bad. People who have never watched basketball in their lives could figure that out. For every team that is relatively easy to figure out, though, there is at least one that is really hard to figure out. They could be really great. Or they could struggle. Anything could happen, and uncertainty is the enemy of good handicapping.

NBA Handicapping: Lakers a Tough Team to Handicap from Betting Standpoint
by Trevor Whenham - 10/18/2016

On the dawn of the NBA season there are a lot of teams out there that are tough to evaluate. What will the Thunder look like without Kevin Durant? Can the Sixers still turn a corner without Ben Simmons to start the season? Do the Celtics have the depth to match their hype, or is their lack of a true star a bigger issue than most seem to think? Can this 2012 All-Star team assembled in New York recapture their lost youth?

NBA Betting Advice: Defensive Player of the Year Odds and Wagering Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 10/11/2016

As we get ready for the NBA season, it's time to take a good look at the second most interesting individual award given out every year, behind only the MVP - the Defensive Player of the Year. This is where the workhorses get rewarded, and the list of winners stands up as truly impressive. The award has only been given out since 1983, and every single winner still stands up as a great player of his or any time.

2016 Los Angeles Lakers Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/6/2016

This is not how it is supposed to go. When a legend retires after a long and highly-decorated career there is supposed to be a period of mourning and a rough transition. I can't imagine that at this point there is a single person on or around the Lakers who is sad to see Kobe Bryant gone. As great as he was, he wasn't a net positive for at least the last year.

2016 Oklahoma City Thunder Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2016

So, were the Oklahoma City Thunder in the news this summer? Anything at all? I'm racking my brain, but I can't think of anything at all. It seems like they are just going with the exact same roster as last year. Nothing to see here. Oh yeah, I guess they did lose their franchise player to a bitter rival. And trade away a defensive stalwart. And let a couple of free agents leave. Other than that, though, it was a dull summer.

2016 Portland Trail Blazers Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2016

The biggest thing the Trail Blazers need to do this year is remember when the season actually starts. They were a complete mess for most of the first half of the season last year - they had just 14 wins in their first 35 games and looked like they were heading deep into lottery territory. But then they started to actually play, and things changed dramatically.

2016 Minnesota Timberwolves Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2016

The best move any team made this offseason? The Warriors adding Kevin Durant, obviously. Second best, though, was the hiring of Tom Thibodeau by the Timberwolves. He is an exceptional coach and pretty much an ideal fit for this team at this point. Coaching has really lacked consistency with this team for years - Thibodeau is the sixth head coach in a decade. Hopefully there can be some stability at the top here, and that can help this team reach their potential.

2016 Utah Jazz Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2016

I was skeptical when Quin Snyder, a Coach K disciple, was hired in Utah. He can obviously coach, but he had been banished to the fringes of the sport after a very promising start at Missouri was derailed by a mountain of recruiting violations. I was not at all convinced that he was what the Jazz needed. Two years later I have to admit that I think I was wrong. He has done a decent job so far with the team, and here in his third year with the team he has a chance to take a huge step forward.

2016 Memphis Grizzlies Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2016

When the Grizzlies first joined the league in Vancouver I was confident that they were going to be a major force in the league. I bought a Bryant 'Big Country' Reeves jersey the day after he was drafted, and I was hooked. It was a rough road. After two wins to start their first season they lost 19 straight and then eclipsed that with 23 straight losses later.