NBA Handicapping Articles

Free NBA Picks: Cavaliers at Bulls and Lakers at Thunder
by Matt Severance - 4/22/2010

It’s our initial TNT playoff doubleheader preview here at Doc’s, although one difference tonight is the games start an hour earlier. In addition, both road teams are desperate for a win or their first-round series is all but over.

NHL Playoffs Vs. NBA Playoffs
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/20/2010

The NBA and NHL Playoffs both start in mid-April and end in early June. Sixteen teams make each postseason and all series are decided by a best-of-seven format. The similarities end there. If you followed the first round of the NHL Playoffs you noticed that the lower-seeded road team went 5-3 in Game 1 of each series. If you followed that up by thinking, ‘hey it is one of those years, let’s see if the NBA lower-seeded road teams can have the same luck’, well then you are pretty far in the hole.

Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz Series Odds and Predictions
by Nolan Sinclair (with Robert Ferringo) - 4/17/2010

The Nuggets need Karl as much as he needs them and unfortunately they have not played to their capabilities without their fearless leader. This series is by far the most intriguing of any and I, for one, cannot wait for it to start. Both of these teams are nearly unbeatable at home and a bit suspect on the road. Both of these teams have numerous options in crunch time and both have true point guards that can lead their teams deep into the playoffs. If Andrei Kirilenko returns to form and Carlos Boozer can shake his injury baggage then Utah has a great shot to pull the upset.

Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Bobcats Series Odds and Predictions
by Nolan Sinclair (with Robert Ferringo) - 4/16/2010

Out of all the possible playoff matchups this is probably the most lopsided. Take a close look at this series and can you honestly come up with any reason that the Bobcats come out on top? The Magic are the reigning Eastern Conference Champions and Charlotte is a team that many people did not expect to see in the playoffs, but rode some savvy moves by the front office into the seventh seed.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Series Odds and Predictions
by Nolan Sinclair (with Robert Ferringo) - 4/16/2010

This series is going to be viewed by the common fan as Kobe vs. KD, but there is much more going on under the surface. The Lakers are playing absolutely terrible basketball and they may be without Andrew Bynum. The Thunder and young and energetic and their fans are chomping at the bit for some playoff games in Oklahoma City. L.A. has won three of four versus the Thunder this season but one was a three-point win and another went to overtime. The defending champions look like they could have their hands full and this one looks like it could be Dallas vs. Golden State all over again.

Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs Series Odds and Predictions
by Nolan Sinclair (with Robert Ferringo) - 4/16/2010

The Mavericks are the one team out West that the Spurs did not want to see in the first round. The Mavs have had San Antonio’s number as of late and I would be surprised if this series is any different. Dallas has added some weapons this season to go along with the uber-talented Dirk Nowitzki. Dallas went 3-1 versus San Antonio this season with all of their wins in closely contested fashion. But they proved they could outlast the wily vets of San Antonio.

Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trail Blazers Series Odds and Predictions
by Nolan Sinclair (with Robert Ferringo) - 4/16/2010

The Turtle versus the Hare is a story that many of us grew up on. We were taught at young ages that slow and steady wins the race. If that is true than Portland has a great shot at winning this series. That is if, and this is a big if, Brandon Roy suits up for the Blazers. Games in Phoenix should feature run-and-gun tempos and the exact opposite when the teams meet in the Rose Garden.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls Series Odds and Predictions
by Nolan Sinclair with Robert Ferringo - 4/15/2010

The Cavaliers wants to make amends for not getting to the finals last year and they know that their window for having King James bring them a title is starting to close. Cleveland made some solid moves that have clearly made them the best team in the league. And the addition of Antwan Jamison was expressly done for this time of year. Time for ‘Twan to earn his money.

NBA Playoff Scenarios
by Matt Severance - 4/14/2010

Give major kudos to Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown – unless you are a Chicago Bulls fan that is. Because the NBA’s final open playoff spot will be decided Wednesday night depending on what Chicago does at Charlotte and Toronto does at home against New York, Brown said that he would be playing his guys to beat the Bulls despite the fact the Bobcats are locked in as the East’s seventh seed. He rested his guys Monday against the Nets.

NBA Handicapping: Hot or Cold Report
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/9/2010

The final week of the NBA season brings us teams with all kinds of different situations. Motivation is a major factor right now heading into the playoffs as is resting players. Some teams are jockeying for playoff position but most have their fate sealed already. Playoff teams are resting key players in games while eliminated teams all seem to take different approaches to this week. Here are three teams who could be hot bets this week based on the previously mentioned criteria and three teams who might be destined for a cold end of the regular season.

Handicapping the NBA Western Conference Playoff Race
by T.O. Whenham - 4/7/2010

At first glance the NBA playoff race just isn't that interesting right now, even if there are only four or five games left. All eight teams in the Western Conference have already secured their spot in the postseason, and the only real race in the East is between Toronto and Chicago to see which squad can get humiliated by the Cavs in the first round. Not exactly high drama.

NBA Handicapping: Hot or Cold Report
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 3/25/2010

There are three weeks left in the NBA season and the playoff pictures in both conferences are taking form. The 16 seeds that will be playing late into April have been all but determined, now the teams battle for seeding. Here’s a look at teams that could have value in the coming weeks and also a look at teams that are due to burn backer’s money.

Handicapping Major NBA Injuries
by T.O. Whenham - 3/11/2010

The injury to Tony Parker last week - he's out for six weeks with a broken hand - got me thinking about injures in the NBA. It seems like a lot of big name players have been missing significant time this year. Sometimes teams have handled it fairly well - like New Orleans without Chris Paul. Other times it's been a disaster - like when Chris Bosh recently went out, and Toronto lost all of the significant momentum they had built up.

NBA Handicapping: Referees
by Aaron Smith - 3/4/2010

Betting on the NBA is quite a bit different than betting on college basketball. In the NBA, there is a lot more data to work with because of all the information that is available about the referees. Since you can go to your computer and find the referee crew for each game before it begins, this data is extremely valuable to knowing what might be the best bet based on their tendencies.

NBA Handicapping: How To Handle Injuries
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 3/4/2010

It is the stretch run of the NBA regular season but it is also the time when injuries begin to catch up to teams and teams voluntarily rest players who may be showing signs of wear and tear as the playoffs approach. Here is a breakdown of which teams will be hurting the most from having players out of the lineup and which teams are in store for a boost with the return of key players.

NBA Handicapping: Hot or Cold Report
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 2/26/2010

What makes Los Angeles hot this week may end up costing them a chance at defending their NBA Title. The Lakers are 36-7 SU against teams from outside of the Top 10 in the NBA. Against the Top 8 in the league, the Lakers are a mediocre 7-8. The Lakers only play two top teams (Denver and Orlando) from now until the end of March and that bodes well for Laker backers.

NBA Handicapping: Trends Involving High Totals
by Aaron Smith - 2/25/2010

The NBA season is a long grind, which gives us plenty of chances to analyze the statistics and see where opportunities may be to profit from betting on these games. At the end of the day, the public is just like they are in other sports; they love to root for points. This brings me to the point of this article, which is to examine how NBA totals that are set quite high by the oddsmakers tend to finish.

NBA Handicapping: Betting On The Nets (No, Really)
by Matt Severance - 2/23/2010

WagerWeb has posted odds on the Nets’ season win/loss total, marking it at eight. The ‘under’ is the -145 favorite, while the ‘over’ is +115. New Jersey enters Tuesday’s home game with Portland at 5-51 – the NBA record for fewest wins in a season is nine set by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers. So New Jersey has 26 games left to win five more and avoid infamy.

NBA Home and Away Betting Trends
by Aaron Smith - 2/22/2010

In the National Basketball Association, teams that perform better on the road than at home are extremely difficult to find. The home court advantage is stronger than most people realize, but the oddsmakers also understand that; and sometimes, there are some teams that are very strong away from home against the spread. As an NBA handicapper, your goal should be to try and stay ahead of the curve and find home/away trends that can make you money.

NBA Playoffs Seeding Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 2/22/2010

This could end up being a banner year for the Eastern Conference. It looks like the requirements to get into the playoffs in the East have just gotten a little stricter. Currently, the top eight teams in the East are all at least .500 ball clubs. That is something that could not have been said the last few years at the end of the regular season. Teams with a losing record were routinely getting into the playoffs while teams over .500 in the West were being denied.