NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Odds and Predictions: Tuesday, January 20 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/19/2015

The NBA had a very busy schedule Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, so it's thus an unusually light Tuesday slate with only two games. We will have hit the halfway point of the season this week as every team will have played at least half of its 82 regular-season games. And there has been a change atop the Sportsbook.ag Eastern Conference title futures odds. Atlanta is now your +220 betting favorite, with the Bulls and Cavaliers at +250. The Spurs, one of the teams in action Tuesday, are +320 second favorites to Golden State (+280) to win the West.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Saturday, January 17 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/16/2015

With 26 of the NBA's 30 teams in action on Friday night, that means almost all of the 16 teams in action on Saturday night will be playing in the second of a back-to-back. There is always value to be found in those situations, usually involving the home team -- especially if both ends of that club's back-to-back are at home. Here's a look at every game on Saturday's schedule, with Warriors-Rockets available for live betting as it's nationally televised on NBA TV.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Friday, January 16 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/15/2015

One of the busiest nights of the year on the NBA schedule with all but four teams in action Friday. There are two terrific Western Conference matchups that could be playoff previews when the Warriors visit the Thunder (8 p.m. ET on ESPN) and the Trail Blazers are in San Antonio. Also a potential Eastern Conference playoff preview with red-hot Atlanta in Toronto. And, who knows, maybe an NBA Finals preview when the Cavaliers visit the L.A. Clippers (10:30 p.m., ESPN). Not saying I would exactly recommend that exact matchup wager, which is +2400 at Sportsbook.ag.

Tracking the Wizards: NBA Picks and Handicapping for Washington Basketball
by Dave Schwab - 1/15/2015

My task this NBA season has been to exclusively handicap the Washington Wizards and release free weekly picks for their games with the use of Doc’s Sports’ Unit Betting System. My goal is to earn a long-term profit with these picks to validate specialization as a solid betting strategy. While it has been a bit of a rocky start with a 4-6-1 record in my first 11free picks, my handicapping efforts are starting to provide a higher level of predictability as the NBA regular season wears on.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Thursday, January 15 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/14/2015

NBA bettors get a rare weekday matinee game to wager on Thursday as the New York Knicks will face the Milwaukee Bucks with a 3 p.m. ET tip from London as part of the league's expanded NBA Global Games schedule. This is the last one outside the USA this season. The Rockets and Timberwolves played in Mexico City in November. I feel for London fans that they have to watch the steaming pile of you know what that is the Knicks right now. It's the Bucks' first-ever regular-season game overseas. Here's a look at that matchup, which is on NBA TV, and the TNT doubleheader that rounds out Thursday's light schedule.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Wednesday, January 14 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/13/2015

There has been yet another NBA trade completed -- things really could get interesting closer to the Feb. 19 trade deadline. The Memphis Grizzlies appear to be the winner of this trade as they acquired Celtics forward and leading scorer Jeff Green. The Grizzlies gave up Tayshaun Prince to Boston, a 2015 second-round pick to New Orleans, Quincy Pondexter to the Pelicans and a future first-round protected pick to the Celtics that likely can't be used for about four years. Memphis also acquired guard Russ Smith, a 2014 second-round pick, from New Orleans and a trade exception.

NBA Handicapping: How to Bet on Knicks Games the Rest of the Season
by Trevor Whenham - 1/13/2015

You know how you know for sure that a team is in bad shape? When you can show a picture of their starting lineup without any comment on social media and everyone knows that it is a hilarious joke. The New York Knicks are such a farce right now that when you see their starting lineup all you can do is laugh. It’s hilarious — unless you are a Knicks fan.

NBA Handicapping: Cleveland Cavs a Drain on Bettors’ Bankrolls
by Trevor Whenham - 1/13/2015

What a freaking mess. The Cleveland Cavaliers were supposed to be dominating the world and taking prisoners right now. LeBron was supposed to be the king of his city again, and he and the Big 3 were supposed to be redefining what we thought we knew about basketball. Instead, they have limped to a .500 record, have lost eight of nine, are banged up, and seem to be way, way off track. It’s pathetic, really.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Tuesday, January 13 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/12/2015

Tuesday is a day of sports mourning in my opinion because it's the first day after the conclusion of college football season. Oh well, just means more of a focus on the NBA going forward. Here's a look at every game on Tuesday's schedule, highlighted by a potential Finals preview between the Spurs and Wizards, which is nationally televised on NBA TV. That exact Finals matchup is priced at +4000 on Sportsbook.ag.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Saturday, January 10 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/9/2015

I learned something today. While the NBA games on TNT Thursday night aren't able to be moved, ESPN is able to flex in and out of some its scheduled games. And it already has dumped the awful Knicks twice this season and will three more times. That's awesome. New York is four games from setting a potential NBA record for futility. The Knicks have lost 11 straight games at home without scoring 100 points. The record for most consecutive home losses without hitting triple digits in the shot-clock era is 14, set by the 2011-12 Hornets and 2009-10 Nets. Here's a look at New York's matchup Saturday and every other game.

NBA Handicapping for Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans
by Trevor Whenham - 1/9/2015

The New Orleans Pelicans are one of those teams in purgatory. They are better than the hopeless cellar-dwellers but haven’t yet improved enough to be a real contender. They are probably on the right path, and they are getting some attention — thanks mostly to the true superstar at their core — but the trip to greatness for the team is far from over. Heck, the trip to mere competence is still going to be underway for a while. So, can this team be trusted to keep moving forward this year? And what does it mean for bettors?

NBA Handicapping: are the Dallas Mavericks an Elite Contender?
by George Monroy - 1/9/2015

When the Dallas Mavericks took the eventual NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs to seven games during the first round of last year’s playoffs, most experts believed the team’s success to be an aberration based on a favorable style matchup and not a larger indicator that Dallas was ready to contend for an NBA title once again.

NBA Handicapping: Atlanta Hawks Early Success
by Trevor Whenham - 1/9/2015

The Atlanta Hawks are red hot right now. They have won six in a row and are opening up a gap atop the Eastern Conference — currently two and a half games over the Bulls and three over Washington and the plummeting Raptors. It’s an impressive start to the season. The question for bettors, though, is whether it is sustainable. Can this team continue to lead the way in the East and reward bettors as they do so? Or are they going to remember that they are the Hawks and settled back a little closer to earth?

NBA Odds and Predictions: Friday, January 9 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/8/2015

A couple of weeks ago when the Cavaliers were at full strength and playing well, I absolutely had circled Jan. 9 on the schedule as LeBron James and Co. made their only visit of the season to the team with the NBA's best record, Golden State. It certainly may still be an NBA Finals preview -- currently priced at +1100 as the exact matchup at Sportsbook.ag -- but the Cavaliers don't look like one of the East's best teams right now. Sadly, we also don't get to see MVP candidates James and Stephen Curry on the same court, either, with LeBron still out injured. Here's a look at that and every other game on Friday's schedule.

Tracking the Wizards: NBA Picks and Handicapping for Washington Basketball
by Dave Schwab - 1/8/2015

I have been exclusively handicapping the Washington Wizards since the start of the NBA season and releasing free weekly picks with the use of Doc’s Sports’ Unit Betting System. The primary objective behind my efforts is to help validate the betting strategy of specialization when betting on the game. So far I have headed in the wrong direction with a 3-6-1 record in my first 10 free picks, but I feel a winning streak coming on as we head into the real meat of the NBA regular season.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Thursday, January 8 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/7/2015

Unfortunately, the NBA doesn't have flex scheduling like NFL gave to NBC for its Sunday Night Football telecasts for later in each season. I say this because the New York Knicks are the most unwatchable team in the NBA now and will be going forward. But they are going to be featured on national television often simply because they play in the nation's biggest city. That's the case on Thursday when they open the TNT doubleheader against visiting Houston. Here's a look at all three games on Thursday's schedule. I'm in an underdog frame of mind.

NBA Betting Trends: Hot and Cold Teams Against the Point Spread
by Aaron Smith - 1/7/2015

It's time for the fourth edition of the NBA Hot and Cold Report here at Doc's Sports. Hopefully everyone had a nice holiday season and was able to make some money betting on the NBA over the past few weeks. The Atlanta Hawks have become the story of the Eastern Conference. Atlanta had little fanfare before the season, but the Hawks now have the best record in the East. Atlanta is attempting to run the team in a similar fashion as the San Antonio Spurs. I have to say, if there is a team that I'd want to follow in the footsteps of, it would certainly be the Spurs.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Wednesday, January 7 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/6/2015

Pretty stunning trade in the NBA on Monday night that should improve the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers and all but ensures the Knicks may finish with the NBA's worst record -- yes, worse than the Philadelphia 76ers. In a complete salary dump, the Knicks sent out guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert and received back ... well, nothing of immediate value. They received Alex Kirk and Lou Amundson from the Cavs and Lance Thomas from the Thunder. All three have non-guaranteed contracts and will be cut. So will center Samuel Dalembert. The moves to unload Smith, Shumpert and Dalembert will save the team more than $20 million in salary and luxury taxes.

NBA Handicapping: Houston Rockets Early Season Betting Report
by George Monroy - 1/6/2015

The Houston Rockets may be getting overlooked in a tough Western Conference that currently has Golden State, Dallas and Memphis receiving the lion’s share of the media attention. However, that lack of awareness does not take away from the fact that Houston is being powered by an MVP-caliber season from its franchise point guard James Harden, while the team’s other franchise star, Dwight Howard, deals with various injuries.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Tuesday, January 6 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/5/2015

A very unusually light two-game schedule on Tuesday in the NBA this week. Might be the lightest Tuesday schedule of the year other than the All-Star Break. Did the NBA think the NCAA National Championship Game was being played on Jan. 6 or something? Nope, it has four games scheduled opposite the Oregon-Ohio State clash next Monday. Here's a look at both games on Tuesday's slate, with Suns-Bucks available for live betting at it's televised nationally on NBA TV.