NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Picks: Oklahoma City Thunder at Miami Heat Odds and Predictions for Wednesday
by Alan Matthews - 4/3/2012

The Miami Heat have been atop the odds to win the NBA title chart all season – currently at 19/10 on Bovada. But could we see a change at the top if the Oklahoma City Thunder can go into south Florida and beat the team with the NBA’s best home record after recently punking the Heat in OKC? It’s certainly possible (the Thunder are currently 3/1).

NBA Betting and Handicapping: Scouting The Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 4/2/2012

Is it time to climb on the Boston Celtics’ bandwagon? Boston had arguably its most impressive performance of the season on Sunday, beating the visiting Miami Heat, 91-72 (with Boston a 4.5-point dog). It seems ridiculous now, but remember that Boston was having conversations about trading point guard Rajon Rondo at the deadline?

Friday NBA Betting Report: Schedule Handicapping Breakdown
by Aaron Smith - 3/29/2012

Can you believe it is less than a month until the end of the NBA regular season? Jockeying for position in the NBA Playoff race is beginning in earnest right now. There are 11 or 12 teams vying for the eight playoff spots in the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference race will primarily be about teams fighting for seeding in the playoffs.

NBA Handicapping: New York Knicks after Coaching Change
by T.O. Whenham - 3/29/2012

The New York Knicks have looked like a new team since Head Coach Mike D’Antoni ‘retired’ on March 14. They are 8-1 under interim Coach Mike Woodson, with the only loss being a totally inexplicable road drubbing in Toronto. The way they are playing it is going to be very tough for them to not give Woodson a shot at a full season next year.

NBA Picks for Thursday TNT: Mavericks at Heat Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 3/28/2012

The last time the Dallas Mavericks stepped on the AmericanAirlines Arena floor in downtown Miami, the date was June 12, 2011. Behind 27 points from Jason Terry and 21 from Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs won their third straight game in the 2011 NBA Finals and finished off the favored Heat in Game 6 that night, 105-95, for the franchise’s first NBA title.

Three Reasons to Bet against the Golden State Warriors down the Stretch
by David Schwab - 3/27/2012

This year’s trade deadline in the NBA came and went without much fanfare especially when Dwight Howard decided to stay in Orlando for at least one more year. However, there was one trade that completely alienated a team’s fan base to the point where the crowd continually booed its owner during a recent team celebration.

Friday NBA Betting Report: Schedule Handicapping Breakdown
by Aaron Smith - 3/23/2012

The new look of some teams after the trade deadline has been an interesting story to follow over the past week. While there were no blockbuster deals, there were certainly some trades that have changed the way the playoff picture looks in both conferences. For some franchises, coaching changes have led to a change in the team’s philosophy. These are all factors that bettors must keep a close eye on in the coming weeks.

NBA Handicapping: Teams That May Have Thrown In the Towel
by T.O. Whenham - 3/23/2012

In the last quarter of every NBA season we see teams quit. If a team has struggled all year, have had some bad luck, and don’t have a lot of reasons to have hope then they can just mail in their play down the stretch. Spotting those teams is clearly a very profitable activity for bettors. This year’s tight schedule has decreased the margin for error this year, and will make it even easier for teams that are in trouble to effectively start their offseason early. Here are five teams that could easily quit well before the playoffs start this year:

NBA Handicapping: Weekly Look at Key Betting Statistics
by David Schwab - 3/21/2012

When it comes to wagering on the NBA there is an abundant amount of statistics and raw data readily available to help handicap a particular matchup. The trick is to not get bogged down with information overload as many times it is the simple measures that can be the most useful in correctly predicting the outcome of a game.

NBA Trade Deadline Winners and Losers
by T.O. Whenham - 3/21/2012

The NBA trade deadline has passed and the dust has settled a bit. It wasn’t nearly as exciting as it could have been. That’s mainly because Dwight Howard didn’t move, and Pau Gasol or even Steve Nash could have made it interesting but stayed put. Despite the lack of fireworks, though, there were several moves made. Some teams stood out as winners, and others just should have quit before they started. Here are the two biggest winners and losers:

NBA Betting and Handicapping: Scouting The Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 3/19/2012

Are the Phoenix Suns a playoff team? The Suns were pretty much an afterthought in the Western Conference and possibly up for trading the face of the franchise in Steve Nash before last Thursday’s trade deadline. But Nash didn’t want to leave and that is starting to look rather sage. Entering Tuesday’s game at Miami, Phoenix has won four in a row (4-0 ATS) to get into the playoff conversation.

Friday NBA Betting Report: Schedule Handicapping Breakdown
by Aaron Smith - 3/16/2012

The trade deadline has come and gone. Dwight Howard is still with the Orlando Magic, and for the most part there weren’t many major deals. The condensed NBA regular season ends in just six weeks. Most teams still have to play somewhere between 23 and 25 games in that period of time.

Mike D’Antoni New York Knicks Props Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 3/15/2012

It was expected that the big NBA news this week would come down Thursday, when the Orlando Magic would either trade superstar franchise center Dwight Howard – likely to the Nets – or hang onto Howard with the hopes that he wouldn’t walk away for nothing as a free agent – likely to the Nets – this summer. (Now it looks like Howard will stay in Orlando through 2012-13).

NBA Handicapping: Dallas Mavericks
by T.O. Whenham - 3/9/2012

I don`t feel like I am particularly going out on a limb by predicting that the Dallas Mavericks are not going to repeat as World Champions this year. At this point I don`t think it`s that likely that they would even win a playoff series at this point, though I do expect them to make the playoffs. It was said many times last year that the window was closing for the Mavs, so they had to take advantage of it before it was too late. They did, and it was impressive.

NBA Handicapping: Most Valuable Point Guards
by T.O. Whenham - 3/9/2012

It is incredible how good point guard play is in the NBA right now. There are more good point guards in the league — really good ones — than there have been in a very long time. Maybe ever. It`s the deepest position in the league right now, and it`s only going to get better as guys like Kyrie Irving and John Wall grow into themselves and get some help around them. It`s really the golden age of the point guard.

Friday NBA Betting Report: Schedule Handicapping Breakdown
by Aaron Smith - 3/9/2012

The NBA all-star break was probably a good thing for quite a few of the players this year. Many players reported out of shape after expecting the lockout to last all season. In addition, the scheduling this year has taken a toll on quite a few veteran teams. Over the past week the ‘over’ is 32-25 in the NBA as a whole, which is a big change from the first few months of the year. It might be that players are finally getting into an offensive rhythm.

NBA Trade Deadline Player Props and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 3/7/2012

The shape of the rest of the NBA season should come more into focus by a little after 3 p.m. Eastern next Thursday when the trade deadline passes. For most of the good teams the immediate future is the biggest concern, and they will be looking to fill holes for a playoff run. Others are looking more at the big picture, and they'll be looking for young talent, salary-cap flexibility and other franchise-building assets.

NBA Handicapping: Weekly Look at Key Betting Statistics
by David Schwab - 3/7/2012

Given that the NBA regular season is already half over, we have a wealth of information and statistics on all 30 teams that we can easily access when it comes to handicapping matchups. The problem with trying to process too much information is that it becomes extremely easy to bog yourself down by trying to factor in every possible measure known to mankind. Sometimes it is the simple things in this game that can provide the most important insight to correctly predicting the actual outcome of a game.

NBA Betting and Handicapping: Scouting The Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 3/5/2012

First off, I want to give myself props here for essentially calling that Miami Heat loss in Utah on Friday night after the Heat had won nine straight games, all by at least 12 points (it was in the Heat-Blazers TNT Thursday preview).

Friday NBA Betting Report: Schedule Handicapping Breakdown
by Aaron Smith - 3/2/2012

The all-star break was a chance for players to get a break from the daily grind. However, it’s back to work now for the entire league. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat top the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, at the halfway point. There are still plenty of teams in contention in both leagues, and the trade deadline is only two weeks away.