NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Playoffs Handicapping: Teams with the Best and Worst ATS Records
by George Monroy - 4/14/2015

The NBA playoffs are set to begin on Saturday, April 18, with a full slate of first-round matchups. The seedings will not be finalized until the final game of the regular season as there are still two teams in each conference fighting for their playoffs lives, while five squads in the in the West still have a chance at moving up or down in the playoff bracket. Before the postseason begins, let’s take a closer look at the best and worst ATS records for certain playoff teams and figure out which have the potential to make bettors some money over the next few weeks of basketball.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Tuesday, April 14 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/13/2015

It's the penultimate day of the 2014-15 NBA regular season on Tuesday, and all three games on the schedule have some sort of playoff relevance. Washington at Indiana and the L.A. Clippers at Phoenix both are on TNT and will be offered for live betting at Bovada and other sportsbooks. The Suns are the only one of the six clubs in action with nothing to play for other than it's the team's season finale -- it is for the Clippers as well, although their season isn't over. Every other team closes its regular season Wednesday.

Tracking the Wizards: NBA Picks and Handicapping for Washington Basketball
by Dave Schwab - 4/13/2015

Specialization on just one team can be a viable betting strategy in the NBA, and to help prove this point I have been exclusively handicapping the Washington Wizards all season long. I have also been releasing free picks for their games with the use of Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System to put some money behind this theory. The results have been mixed with 12-10-2 record on the year with a slight profit of $70.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Saturday, April 11 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/10/2015

The Hawks aren't on Saturday's schedule, but I want to address some bad news that could affect them in the playoffs. Swingman Thabo Sefolosha isn't a starter and only plays about 19 minutes per night, but he's a hustle guy and a terrific defender. Sefolosha has the best defensive rating on the team by a wide margin and ranks sixth out of 86 qualified small forwards in defensive real plus-minus.

NBA Handicapping: Warriors and Rockets Chances for Western Conference Finals
by George Monroy - 4/10/2015

For all the talk about the loaded Western Conference, a few teams have begun to separate themselves from the rest of the pack—namely the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. The squads are on course to enter the postseason as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, and each can probably lay a clam to having the best player in the conference. Stephen Curry and James Harden have been the Top 2 candidates in the MVP race for most of the year, and both are putting the finishing touches on fantastic seasons that saw one put up a highlight-reel play nearly every night with the other controlling his offense like a conductor leading a symphony.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Friday, April 10 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/9/2015

Here's a statistic for Oklahoma City going into its game on Friday night: the team doesn't control its playoff destiny for the first time this late in the year since moving from Seattle. When it secured the eighth seed during the 2009-10 season, OKC clinched the postseason berth on April 3. OKC hasn’t finished lower than fourth since. Of the Thunder’s entire 15-man roster, only center Enes Kanter has still been in a playoff race this late into a season (with Utah in 2011-12).

NBA Odds and Predictions: Thursday, April 9 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/8/2015

Hard as it is to believe, this Thursday is the final one of the 2014-15 NBA regular season, and the lone two matchups are on TNT as usual. You are really going to see teams benching their key guys for the final six days of the regular season, at least those that don't have anything to play for. The Bulls largely don't on Thursday night -- they are going to be the No. 3 or 4 seed -- and the Warriors definitely don't.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Wednesday, April 8 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/7/2015

I'm definitely not a fan of the Indiana Pacers, but as someone who loves the NBA Playoffs I was glad to see Pacers superstar Paul George make his return from that gruesome broken leg suffered this summer on Sunday against Miami. George had 13 points and clearly fired up his teammates. If the Pacers can sneak into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, I could absolutely see them upsetting Atlanta in the first round with George now playing.

Tracking the Wizards: NBA Picks and Handicapping for Washington Basketball
by Dave Schwab - 4/7/2015

All season long I have been exclusively handicapping the Washington Wizards as part of a NBA betting strategy that relies heavily on specialization on one team. I have also been releasing free picks for their games with the use of Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System to help prove the point. The results have been mixed with an overall record of 11-10-2, but I am getting closer to my goal of producing a profit for the year.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Tuesday, April 7 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/6/2015

So you are the Golden State Warriors. You have nothing whatsoever to play for on Tuesday night in New Orleans. Do you rest some guys and "let" the Pelicans beat you to improve their chances of winning the No. 8 seed in the West? Maybe the Warriors would prefer to face New Orleans in the first round of the playoffs instead of having to deal with Oklahoma City and Russell Westbrook. I would think that's the Warriors would much prefer the inexperienced Pelicans. We shall see. Here's a look at every game on Tuesday.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Saturday, April 4 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/3/2015

Unlike Friday's schedule, there are some pretty good NBA matchups on Saturday night featuring likely playoff teams. There are few bigger fans of the Association than I, but I'll certainly be watching the Final Four instead of the professionals on Saturday night. But, hey, there are always potential NCAA/NBA parlay options. Here's a look at every game on the penultimate Saturday of the 2014-15 NBA regular season.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Friday, April 3 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/2/2015

Somewhat of an unusual schedule on a pretty busy Friday as only one game features two teams that for sure will make the playoffs: Thunder at Grizzlies in the first game of ESPN's doubleheader. The Thunder haven't clinched a spot yet, but it's probably only a matter of time -- although New Orleans still might have something to say about that. Memphis entered play Thursday tied with Houston (which was in Dallas on Thursday night) for the Southwest Division lead, and the winner of that probably gets the No. 2 seed in the West. Here's a look at every game Friday, with Blazers-Lakers also on ESPN.

Tracking the Wizards: NBA Picks and Handicapping for Washington Basketball
by Dave Schwab - 4/2/2015

The NBA regular season continues to wind down with the start of the playoffs right around the corner. All year long I have been handicapping the Washington Wizards in an effort to demonstrate the value of specialization when it comes to betting on the NBA. I have also been releasing free picks with the use of Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System for select games to help prove the point. It has been a roller-coaster ride so far that has added up to an 11-10-1 record on the year.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Thursday, April 2 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/1/2015

Typically light schedule this Thursday with the TNT doubleheader and just one other game. Perhaps the most interesting one is Miami at Cleveland, the final time LeBron James sees his former team this regular season -- and you know he doesn't want to lose the season series to old buddy Dwayne Wade. It's quite possible that Cleveland and Miami would face off in the first round of the playoffs as the Cavs are probably going to be the No. 2 seed and the Heat currently are No. 7. Think the TV networks would like that matchup? Here's a look at Thursday's games.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Wednesday, April 1 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/31/2015

Great news for Bulls backers on Monday as Derrick Rose -- yes, we are back giving daily Derrick Rose injury updates -- took part in his first full-contact practice since undergoing surgery on the torn meniscus in his knee. Coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose looked winded afterward but otherwise had no ill effects. He then scrimmaged on Tuesday.

NBA Playoffs Seeding: Handicapping the Potential No. 8 Seeds Eastern Conference
by George Monroy - 3/31/2015

The Eastern Conference may be a little light on .500 teams—at the moment there are only five—but the way the playoff structure is set up, somebody from the conference has to make the playoffs no matter how bad their records are. The sixth-, seventh- and eighth-seeded teams are all on course to make a postseason appearance while winning less than half of their games this season, and three sub-.500 teams would be the worst playoff output the East has produced in the last 10 years.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Tuesday, March 31 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/30/2015

There's a TNT doubleheader on Tuesday in addition to Thursday this week, and Tuesday's is highlighted by an NBA Finals rematch between San Antonio and Miami. OK, that's sort of tongue in cheek as obviously the Heat are a vastly different team now without LeBron James, but his last Miami home game was a Game 4 107-86 blowout loss to the Spurs on June 12, 2014, that all but ended the series as it gave San Antonio a 3-1 lead.

The State of OKC Thunder with Durant Ruled out for Season
by Trevor Whenham - 3/30/2015

In the rankings of anti-climactic news this would rank pretty high — the Oklahoma City Thunder have officially announced that Kevin Durant will be lost for the rest of the season and that he will be facing yet another foot surgery. It’s obviously far from ideal news — losing an MVP rarely is, never mind in the middle of a fight for your playoff lives. It had been essentially a lost season for Durant, though, so it’s not like they have to suddenly and rapidly adjust to a harsh new reality. Whenever news this significant comes out, though, the betting public is going to take notice. The more smart handicappers can anticipate and respond to public thinking, the better off they are. To help you out, here are a collection of thoughts about the Durant injury situation:

2015 NBA MVP Odds with Expert Picks and Predictions
by George Monroy - 3/30/2015

The 2015 NBA’s Most Valuable Player race may see the tightest vote in the history of the award. The season has been nothing but one-upsmanship from three of the NBA’s best players. One day it’s Stephen Curry going behind the back and scoring on four defenders. The next day it’s Russell Westbrook leading the charge on a destructive 30-point, 12-rebound and 10-assists triple-double. Another night its James Harden scoring 40 and having a hand in nearly every point his team scores down the stretch. And that is not even mentioning the stellar seasons that LeBron James and Anthony Davis are having—the NBA has been that good in 2015.

NBA Coaches: Assets and Liabilities Heading into Playoffs
by Trevor Whenham - 3/30/2015

The more I watch the NBA, the more I come to the conclusion that coaches matter more than any other factor. A good coach can elevate a team. A bad coach — and there are plenty of them in the league — can make it very tough for the team to reach their potential and can consistently turn victory into defeat. As we head towards the playoffs, then, it makes sense to look at coaches who are assets for their teams — they make the team better by their presence and have to be respected in the playoffs as a result — and those that stand in the way of their rosters being as dangerous as they could potentially be.