Sports Betting Tips Weekly: Hot and Cold Wagering Options 12/18/2015

by Victor Ryan - 12/18/2015

This week's look at the hottest and coldest bets in sports focuses on the hardwood. College basketball has a couple of nationally-ranked teams that have been money in the bank for bettors the past few weeks, while in the NBA the 76ers stink has really begun to put a hole in bettors' pockets. Things haven't been much better with Minnesota. The young Timberwolves have largely stopped playing any kind of real defense, and the result has been a string of losses.

NBA

Philadelphia 76ers (1-26 SU, 11-15-1 ATS, six straight ATS losses)

The misery in Philly shows no signs of abetting as the abysmal 76ers have been particularly bad the last two weeks. During the current losing streak, Philadelphia has failed to cover on four separate occasions despite getting double-digit points. In their two most recent losses, the 76ers allowed 115 points to the Bulls and 127 points to the Hawks. Somehow, despite an array of top draft picks in recent years, this team has absolutely nothing going for it other than perhaps Jahlil Okafor.

The 76ers upcoming schedule includes the Knicks at home tonight, the Cavs on the road Sunday, home against Memphis on Tuesday and a trip to Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Minnesota Timberwolves (9-16 SU, 10-14-1 ATS, five straight ATS losses)

After an OK start to the season, things have unraveled in Minnesota. The T'Wolves have lost eight of their last nine, with the lone win coming against the dreadful Lakers in overtime at home. Minnesota ranks in the Top 10 in scoring in the NBA with 102.2 points per game, but it has been the other side of the floor that's been the problem. The T'Wolves have given up 100-plus points in all but one game during this slide. Minnesota has some talent, so things could turn around, but until they get things figured out on defense this may be a team best to avoid altogether.

Next up for Minnesota is the Kings tonight, at the Nets Sunday, at the Celtics on Monday and home versus the Spurs on Wednesday.

Other hot NBA bets: New York Knicks (12-14 SU, 15-11 ATS, three straight ATS wins), Denver Nuggets (11-14 SU, 12-11-2 ATS, three straight ATS wins)

Other cold NBA bets: None

College Basketball

Xavier (10-0 SU, 7-3 ATS, six straight ATS wins)

Xavier has risen to No. 10 in the AP Poll thanks to its perfect start. The catalyst of the fast start has been stout team defense and the good production of Trevon Bluiett. The sophomore guard from Indianapolis has shot 44.2 percent overall from the field and 45.2 percent from 3-point range to average a team-high 14.6 points per game. He has also chipped in 7.9 rebounds per game.

The Musketeers, whose last ATS loss was a 12-point straight up win over Northern Kentucky back on Nov. 23, have a plus-18.3 average scoring margin (81.4 to 63.1) on the season. They have also beaten two nationally-ranked opponents on the nonconference slate, including No. 23 Cincinnati on Saturday. However, the sledding figures to get much tougher when play begins in the deep and improved Big East.

Next up Xavier: at Wake Forest on Tuesday; at No. 12 Villanova on Dec. 31.

Louisville (8-1 SU, 5-0 ATS, five straight ATS wins)

Louisville was projected to be slightly down this season following a couple of key personnel losses, but they have yet to be bested by the number while rising to No. 19 in the AP Poll. That's the good news. The caveat for bettors is the Cardinals have played a cupcake schedule to this point, so it's tough to gauge just how strong this team truly is. Louisville has played just one team from a power conference, and that was a loss at Michigan State, though it did cover the number. The soft slate will continue for the Cardinals as next up are home games against Western Kentucky on Saturday, Missouri-Kansas City on Tuesday and Utah Valley on Wednesday. It's likely at least a couple of those games won't even have lines posted.

Other hot college basketball bets: Central Florida (5-3 SU, 8-0 ATS, eight straight ATS wins), Texas-Arlington (8-2 SU, 8-1 ATS, seven straight ATS wins), St. Mary's (8-1 SU, 7-0 ATS, seven straight ATS wins), Southern Miss (2-6 SU, 6-0 ATS, six straight ATS wins), Samford (7-3 SU, 7-1 ATS, six straight ATS wins), Oklahoma (7-0 SU, 5-0 ATS, five straight ATS wins), Arizona (10-1 SU, 6-5 ATS, five straight ATS wins), Arkansas-Little Rock (9-0 SU, 5-0 ATS, five straight ATS wins)

Other cold college basketball bets: California (8-2 SU, 3-7 ATS, six straight ATS losses), Old Dominion (4-6 SU, 1-7 ATS, six straight ATS losses), Central Michigan (5-4 SU, 0-5 ATS, five straight ATS losses), Boston College (4-6 SU, 1-5 ATS, five straight ATS losses), Rider (2-8 SU, 1-7 ATS, five straight ATS losses), North Dakota State (7-3 SU, 2-6 ATS, five straight ATS losses)

Want free sports betting picks? Doc's Sports has you covered - get $60 worth of picks free from any of Doc's Sports expert handicappers. Click here for free picks (new clients only).

Pick:	CHICAGO BEARS +3
Start:	November 24, 2024 @ 1:00 PM
Expert:	Doc's Sports

Analysis:

Free Play from Doc’s Sports. Take #256 Chicago Bears +3 over Minnesota Vikings (1p.m., Sunday, November 24 FOX) We used the Bears as a free play winner last Sunday and easily covered the spread and should have been an underdog outright winner. Now we will ride them for a second straight week against another NFC North rival, the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are 8-2 on the season, yet are only around a field goal favorite. I still do not trust Sam Donald to win consistently over the course of a 17 game regular season. Minnesota is not as good as their 8-2 record would indicate and playing outdoors in Chicago on Sunday will cause issues for them on both sides of the ball. Chicago has been hit or miss this season, but they will be up to play another divisional rival and we expect them to take this down to the wire as well. Do not miss out on Doc’s Sports Weekend Card featuring top plays in college and NFL football. Read More Read Less

Most Recent Weekly Sports Betting and Handicapping