NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Playoffs Betting: Taking a Closer Look at the Over and Under Stats
by George Monroy - 5/16/2014

The Conference Finals of the NBA playoffs are finally set after both the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder closed out their respective series with impressive road victories during Game 6. Oklahoma City needed a come-from-behind effort where the team trailed by as much as 16 points, while Indiana jumped out to an early lead and never let it go.

NBA Odds: Thursday, May 15, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/14/2014

I was half right in the Game 5s between Indiana-Washington and Oklahoma City-LA Clippers. I expected the Pacers-Wizards game to be an easy cover -- just not for Washington. As for Thunder-Clippers, which had one of the craziest playoff endings ever, I predicted an OKC victory but believed it would go down to the wire and took the points. Now both road teams face must wins on Thursday to force a Game 7 back at the higher-seeded club.

Possible 2014 NBA Finals Matchups Odds and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/13/2014

With the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs sprinting out to 3-1 leads in their second-round series, both squads are once again the favorites to meet in the NBA Finals for a second straight year. However, the matchup is far from a sure thing as both teams will face a tough conference finals opponent (if they are able to advance). The Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder are only gaining experience and toughness with each game they play, while the Indiana Pacers may have already turned a corner after a difficult first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks.

NBA Odds: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/13/2014

I'm not going to bury the lead here. I fully expect Eastern Conference favorite Miami and Western Conference favorite San Antonio finish off their conference semifinals foes at home on Wednesday night and advance. This is one of those times I hope I'm wrong because I'd like every series to go seven games just as a basketball fan, but I don't see that happening here. Maybe Clippers-Thunder will go seven, but that's likely it.

NBA Odds: Tuesday, May 13, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/12/2014

Suddenly all looks right in Pacer-land as Indiana can finish off Washington in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday night and then get a few extra days rest, at a minimum, than the Heat-Nets series winner would have in a conference finals matchup. Indiana's East title odds have shrunk to +220, with Miami still the sizable favorite at -260 on Sportsbook.ag.

NBA Odds: Saturday, May 10, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/9/2014

I very much expected the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs to win their respective conference semifinal series. But I also thought they each would go at least six games. The way things look right now, the Heat and Spurs could finish off sweeps Monday night, sit back and rest up while awaiting their conference finals opponent. I hope I'm wrong, but any chance the Nets and Blazers have down 2-0 have is winning at home Saturday.

NBA Playoffs Betting: Lessons Learned in 2014
by Trevor Whenham - 5/8/2014

It seemed like that gap between the best and the rest wasn’t as big as in past years. Sure, the Heat had an obvious edge on whoever they played in the first round, but that was really the only series that seemed lopsided before the first round started. That seeming parity certainly turned out to be the case as the first round played out. Incredibly, five of the eight series went all the way to seven games.

NBA Odds: Friday, May 9, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/8/2014

Here's why Western Conference basketball is so much better than in the East right now. Take a look at those lines for both Game 3s on Friday night. Identical for the home teams. Ok, fine. Then look at the totals. A 30-point difference! I'm sorry, but watching games in the 80s-90s simply doesn't compare to those in the 100s-110s. It also wouldn't shock me if the Pacers-Wizards went "under" and Thunder-Clippers went "over."

NBA Odds: Thursday, May 8, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/7/2014

The opening games of the Brooklyn-Miami and Portland-San Antonio series were pretty bland, especially after all the fantastic finishes in Round 1. Neither game was much in doubt, and now both the Heat and Spurs look to hold serve Thursday before the series switch venues. A Miami-San Antonio NBA Finals matchup has already jumped from +180 to +110 on Sportsbook.ag.

Los Angeles Lakers Next Coach Odds and Betting Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/6/2014

The Los Angeles Lakers coaching drama has reared it ugly head yet again after Mike D’Antoni resigned from his position last week once he realized the team would not be picking up the option on the final year of his contract. D’Antoni was scheduled to coach next season, but he walked away from guaranteed money because he did not want to be a lame-duck coach working without any certainly.

NBA Odds: Wednesday, May 7, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/6/2014

Even though both road teams playing Wednesday night in the NBA playoffs, the Wizards and Clippers, won the opening-round games of their conference semifinal series fairly easily, oddsmakers aren't that impressed as they both remain underdogs for Game 2. However, both Washington and Los Angeles, having stolen away home-court advantage, have become series favorites.

NBA Playoffs Betting: Second-Round Series Odds and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/5/2014

The NBA ended the first round of the 2014 Playoffs with five Game 7s over the weekend and a spectacular Game 6 buzzer-beating 3-point shot that may have turned Portland’s Damian Lillard into a star. The playoffs, so far, have been one of the most entertaining, competitive and downright fun set of games in recent postseason memory, and the beauty of it all is that the second round is still yet to come.

NBA Odds: Tuesday, May 6, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/5/2014

The second round of the NBA playoffs is going to have to be quite something to have a chance of matching what was truly an epic first round. The two NBA title favorites, Miami and San Antonio, open their conference semifinals on Tuesday night. A Heat-Spurs rematch in the NBA Finals is a +180 favorite at Sportsbook.ag, followed by Heat-Thunder (+280) and Heat-Clippers (+450). No other exact matchup is below +1000.

NBA Odds: Saturday, May 3, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/2/2014

It's by far the best day of NBA basketball this season on Saturday with three Game 7s. This has never happened in the NBA on one day. All three home teams Saturday were able to pull out road wins in Game 6 as slight favorites to force a winner-take-all. Here's a look at each matchup.

NBA Odds: Friday, May 2, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 5/1/2014

As good as these NBA playoffs have been thus far, and it has probably been the greatest first round since the series expanded to seven games, it would only be fitting if all three teams down 3-2 in their series won Friday night to set up an epic Sunday of three Game 7s. Here's a look at each Friday matchup.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Friday May 2, 2014 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/1/2014

I was high on the Los Angeles Angels winning the AL West this season after Texas and Oakland were hit hard by injuries in the spring. That prediction wasn't looking good for a while, but now the Halos are above .500 for the first time since April 1, 2013, heading into a three-game set Friday at slumping Texas. Here's a look at that and four other interesting matchups on the schedule.

NBA Odds: Thursday, May 1, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/30/2014

We could learn one half of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday night if the Los Angeles Clippers can beat the Warriors in Golden State and the Memphis Grizzlies beat visiting Oklahoma City. The third-seeded Clippers probably had no illusions of having home-court advantage in the conference semifinals, assuming the Thunder would win, but would have it against the No. 7 Grizzlies.

NBA Playoffs Betting Advice: First Round ATS Trends
by George Monroy - 4/29/2014

The NBA is currently embroiled in a huge and saddening controversy over alleged racist comments made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. What has been lost in all the media attention, however, is that the league is experiencing one of the most competitive, and perhaps best, playoffs in NBA history. The Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers series is so evenly matched that the teams played three overtime games during the first four matchups up the series.

NBA Odds: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/29/2014

Who could have predicted how interesting this series would be with how dominant San Antonio had been against Dallas entering the postseason? The Spurs looked like they had Game 4 in Dallas under control with a 20-point lead in the second half, but the Mavericks came storming back to tie it.

NBA Betting Stock Up, Stock Down: Taking a Closer look at the First Round
by George Monroy - 4/28/2014

Over the weekend, ESPN correspondents Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Bill Simmons both declared the first round of the NBA playoffs to be best they had ever seen. Even though that statement might be a mouthful, can you really disagree with them? Since the 2014 NBA playoffs begin 10 days ago, fans have been treated to seven overtime games, two eight seeds taking a series leads, a seven seed dominating a two seed, and a five seed stealing both Games 1 and 2 on the road.