NBA Handicapping Articles

Free NBA Picks Saturday, November 30 and Opening Line Report
by Jason Radowitz - 11/29/2019

On Saturday we've got a four-game slate, with most teams playing a back-to-back. It's hard to evaluate these the day before because of that. However, some trends are pointing us in the right direction. The Hornets are 4-0 in the second game of a back-to-back this season. Will we lock them in to cover the spread with 14.5 points? The four game early leans are down below!

Free NBA Picks Friday, November 29 and Opening Line Report
by Jason Radowitz - 11/28/2019

Happy Thanksgiving! I know everyone's sad that there's no NBA basketball today, but we've got a 14-game slate on Friday to start the long weekend! The Nets and Celtics play at Noon EST tomorrow. Maybe Nets fans will get their wish and watch Kyrie Irving suit up tomorrow for their game against the Celtics at home. Luckily there's no load management issues with literally zero teams playing today. All starters that usually get rest for no reason will be playing. That makes picking games so much easier!

NBA MVP Predictions with Betting Odds and Expert Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 11/27/2019

The NBA MVP race is always interesting, and his year it feels more wide-open and interesting than ever. A combination of the total collapse of the Warriors, the rise of some youngsters, and the continued strength of some of the old guard, means that almost anything is possible still. It has been a very fun season so far, and there is still so much left to come. Here is a look at how the race shapes up here in late November:

Free NBA Picks Wednesday, November 27 and Opening Line Report
by Jason Radowitz - 11/26/2019

We've got a 15-game slate before Thanksgiving! Of course, the NBA scheduling made sure to bring Anthony Davis back to New Orleans the day before Thanksgiving. It'll be an interesting night in New Orleans. The belief is that he'll hear many boos. But how mad can Pelicans fans be after drafting Zion Williamson and basically taking all of the quality young talent away from the Lakers?

Free NBA Picks Tuesday, November 26 and Opening Line Report
by Jason Radowitz - 11/26/2019

We've got an awesome two game slate for Tuesday! At 8:30 the Clippers will play on the road against the red-hot Mavericks who are putting up some big offensive numbers recently. The Clippers are currently considered the best team in basketball. They're finally healthy and have a legitimate contending squad now.

Free NBA Picks Monday, November 25 and Opening Line Report
by Jason Radowitz - 11/25/2019

We've got some pretty epic matchups in tonight's slate of NBA games, including the Raptors and 76ers game. We all remember what happened the last time these two teams met; but now things are different. Kawhi Leonard isn't a Raptor anymore, and the 76ers have added to their roster. This game should be fun, along with the other 10 games on the night's slate. So here we go…

NBA Load Management Creates New Era for Basketball Bettors
by Jason Radowitz - 11/18/2019

Before the 2017-18 NBA season, there was a major concern in the league with superstars sitting out during regular season games for rest. In the 2016-2017 season, the Warriors' top players, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala, took off a nationally televised game against the San Antonio Spurs in March. Furthermore, the Cleveland Cavaliers did the same thing when they sat Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, and Kevin Love against the Los Angeles Clippers in that same season. This sparked a lot of debate and controversy.

NBA Handicappers Need to Look Deep When Judging Star Player Moves
by Trevor Whenham - 6/18/2019

The trade of Anthony Davis to the Lakers will very likely be looked back upon as the beginning of a serious arms race in the NBA. With the Warriors now vulnerable, and the imaginations of owners fired up by the one-year overhaul that Toronto rode to a title, teams are going to be looking to make their move.

Expert Handicapping for the Anthony Davis Trade to the Lakers
by Trevor Whenham - 6/17/2019

The immediate impact of the trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers is clear. Before the trade, the team was at +1000 to win the NBA title at BetOnline - a ridiculous price given the turmoil and uncertainty around them. Now they are the clear favorites at +350, ahead of Milwaukee at +700 and Houston at +900, with both recent NBA finalists at +1000.

Expert NBA Handicapping: San Antonio Surging Towards Playoffs
by Trevor Whenham - 3/25/2019

It has been, predictably, an often-rocky season for the San Antonio Spurs. Teams can't expect to stay the course when they lose their best player no matter what - never mind when that player is one of the very small handful of best players in the league. The team was under .500 as late as Dec. 9. They fell to an uninspiring 33-29 on Feb. 25.

Oklahoma City Thunder Tough Team to Read Heading into Postseason
by Trevor Whenham - 3/25/2019

The Oklahoma City Thunder are not in a good place right now. Right when they are supposed to be readying themselves for the playoffs, they have just slammed things into reverse. They are 5-10 in their last 15 games, and just have not looked very good. Four of the five wins have been against playoff teams, so there have been moments of strength, but they just have not been able to sustain it.

Free NBA Picks: Saturday, March 23, 2019, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/22/2019

Everyone assumes that Duke superstar freshman Zion Williamson will go No. 1 overall in the 2019 draft (wouldn't it be great if he returned to Duke?). That's probably going to happen. However, there might be one team that could think twice and actually might be somewhat relieved to be picking No. 2 instead of No. 1: the Phoenix Suns.

Handicapping the NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Race
by Trevor Whenham - 3/20/2019

The NBA Playoff race has been more interesting in other years than it is now. By a wide margin. There is some mild drama about where teams will be seeded in the West, but not over which teams will be in. And really, it's all just about which order teams will eventually lose to Golden State, anyway. And in the East, Boston and Indiana have to figure out where they are going to start their series, but above that things are mostly established.

Handicapping the Detroit Pistons and their NBA Playoffs Chances
by Trevor Whenham - 3/20/2019

The Detroit Pistons are on a serious roll right now. Before losing to Cleveland on Monday night in a game in which they rested Blake Griffin and essentially conceded, they had won 14 of 18 since Feb. 4. They were well under .500 and in trouble before then, but now they are securely a playoff team. It's been an impressive resurgence, and it has turned them into a team you could forget was even in the league to one that could cause some headaches in the playoffs.

NBA Betting Advice: Best and Worst Teams Against the Spread
by Trevor Whenham - 3/4/2019

We are now more than three-quarters of the way through the NBA season. The sample size is large enough that we have a pretty good idea of what teams are from a betting perspective by now. We know which teams are studs - the ones that deliver consistent and enjoyable profits to bettors. And we know which ones are duds - those that have no respect at all for the wallets of bettors. Here's a look at the best and the worst of betting teams in the league up to this point:

NBA Totals Betting: Best and Worst Teams on Over and Under
by Trevor Whenham - 3/4/2019

There are some teams that are really good at producing profits in the NBA when it comes to totals. And there are those that really aren't. And, as you will soon see, there is little relation between totals profits and success on the court. In fact, it seems evident, if only this year, that being good at basketball makes it hard for you to be good at being consistent when it comes to totals. Here's a look at the best and the worst of NBA teams against the total as of March 3.

Handicapping Golden State and Denver Battle for Western Conference No. 1 Seed
by Trevor Whenham - 3/1/2019

The Western Conference of the NBA is, at the top, a two-horse race at this point. And it is not likely the showdown that anyone expected. Golden State is there - obviously. But they aren't fighting with Houston or Oklahoma City, and we aren't seeing a Steph and KD vs. LeBron showdown. No, it's Denver that is fighting limb-for-limb with Golden State. Right now, Golden State is a half-game ahead, but only because they have played one more game.

Expert NBA Betting Advice: Handicapping Tanking Teams
by Trevor Whenham - 3/1/2019

There seem to be three truly elite players in the NBA Draft - the top two from Duke, and Ja Morant - and several others who could be very useful. So, it's a good year to have a high draft pick - especially if you can land the top pick and bring in Zion Williamson to save your team. There is a good incentive to tank, then, and some teams are doing a very good job of committing to a tank.

Expert NBA Handicapping: How Bad are the New York Knicks?
by Trevor Whenham - 2/15/2019

To write about the New York Knicks without making fun of them at least a little would be completely impossible. How a team in the greatest city in the world can make the playoffs just three times in 14 years, and not even come remotely close the last five years before this one, is a total mystery. A totally embarrassing mystery. They should be able to attract whoever they want and consistently dominate.

Handicapping the Aftermath of the NBA Trade Deadline
by Trevor Whenham - 2/13/2019

This wasn't the most active NBA trade deadline we have ever seen. In isolation, it was all but irrelevant to the race in the Western Conference. That's not that surprising, as it feels like more than in past years even teams have already conceded the conference title to Golden State. But in the East, there were fireworks. There are probably five teams in the East that are at least somewhat in the mix - and Indiana is a step behind without Victor Oladipo.