Before the NBA regular season got underway there was quite a buzz around the league concerning the idea that certain teams might decide to start tanking games to ascertain a favorable position in the draft lottery given the amount of college talent that is expected to come out this year. While there is no definitive proof that this is actually going on, there appears to be a golden opportunity to go against a few of the teams that have fallen to the bottom of the barrel in the NBA.

At the top of that list in the already watered-down Eastern Conference is the Philadelphia 76ers. After Tuesday’s 114-85 loss to Cleveland as a four-point home underdog, Philadelphia has now lost nine straight games while going 2-7 against the spread. The Sixers have not even come close to being competitive in four of their last five games after getting outscored by a combined 131 points in those four contests.

They have been especially bad at home with a record of 7-20 ATS. Looking ahead, Philadelphia will host Dallas on Friday night followed by home games against Milwaukee, Orlando and Washington. You might want to lay off the games against the Bucks and Magic (who surround them at the bottom of the standings). However, going against the 76ers in both the Mavericks and Wizards games could be money in the bank.

Our top bottom-feeder in the West to go against is the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s not that the Lakers are looking to tank games; it is the fact that they have no one left on their roster to play for them. Their current injury list reads more like a lineup card, and the effect on the court has been devastating. The Lakers have just two straight up victories in their last 12 games heading into Wednesday’s matchup at home against Houston. They have actually hung tough ATS with a 6-6 record during this stretch, but the wear and tear of losing night after night has to start taking its toll on keeping their games close.

Los Angeles is 13-11 ATS at home this season, but it has failed to cover in four of its last five games at the Staples Center. After hosting the Rockets, it will play home games against Boston and Brooklyn where the line could be tight either way. Looking further down the road, Sacramento comes to town on Feb. 28, and the Lakers will host New Orleans on March 4 before being designated as the home team against the Clippers on March 6. You may have to pick and choose your spots going against Los Angeles over the course of these six games, but the opportunity to cash in definitely exists.

Daytona 500 Props

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series kicks off a new season this Sunday afternoon with its biggest event of the year, the Daytona 500. To add some additional action to this race as opposed to just trying to pick a winner, Sportsbook.ag has you covered with a full set of prop bets for the Great American Race. You can bet the “over/under” on the final finishing position for a number of the top drivers in the field. There are also odds listed for a Top-3 finish as well as odds for a number of different head-to-head matchups in terms of overall finishing position.

One unique prop allows you to wager on which auto manufacturer will have the winning car.
The moneyline odds that Chevy wins the race are set at -125, with Toyota listed at +200 and Ford listed at +350. The best betting strategy for this prop is to first handicap your winner and then find out what kind of car he drives.

Read more articles by Dave Schwab