NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Betting Trends: Hot and Cold Teams Against the Point Spread
by Aaron Smith - 1/7/2015

It's time for the fourth edition of the NBA Hot and Cold Report here at Doc's Sports. Hopefully everyone had a nice holiday season and was able to make some money betting on the NBA over the past few weeks. The Atlanta Hawks have become the story of the Eastern Conference. Atlanta had little fanfare before the season, but the Hawks now have the best record in the East. Atlanta is attempting to run the team in a similar fashion as the San Antonio Spurs. I have to say, if there is a team that I'd want to follow in the footsteps of, it would certainly be the Spurs.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Wednesday, January 7 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/6/2015

Pretty stunning trade in the NBA on Monday night that should improve the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers and all but ensures the Knicks may finish with the NBA's worst record -- yes, worse than the Philadelphia 76ers. In a complete salary dump, the Knicks sent out guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert and received back ... well, nothing of immediate value. They received Alex Kirk and Lou Amundson from the Cavs and Lance Thomas from the Thunder. All three have non-guaranteed contracts and will be cut. So will center Samuel Dalembert. The moves to unload Smith, Shumpert and Dalembert will save the team more than $20 million in salary and luxury taxes.

NBA Handicapping: Houston Rockets Early Season Betting Report
by George Monroy - 1/6/2015

The Houston Rockets may be getting overlooked in a tough Western Conference that currently has Golden State, Dallas and Memphis receiving the lion’s share of the media attention. However, that lack of awareness does not take away from the fact that Houston is being powered by an MVP-caliber season from its franchise point guard James Harden, while the team’s other franchise star, Dwight Howard, deals with various injuries.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Tuesday, January 6 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/5/2015

A very unusually light two-game schedule on Tuesday in the NBA this week. Might be the lightest Tuesday schedule of the year other than the All-Star Break. Did the NBA think the NCAA National Championship Game was being played on Jan. 6 or something? Nope, it has four games scheduled opposite the Oregon-Ohio State clash next Monday. Here's a look at both games on Tuesday's slate, with Suns-Bucks available for live betting at it's televised nationally on NBA TV.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Friday, January 2 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/1/2015

It's the first NBA report of the New Year so let's start things out on a winning note. I didn't keep exact details of all the games I picked in 2014 but a rough outline, and I got more right than wrong, so that's something. The good thing about there being only two games on New Year's Night was there are no seconds of a back-to-back Friday.

Tracking the Wizards: NBA Picks and Handicapping for Washington Basketball
by Dave Schwab - 1/1/2015

Through the first few months of the NBA season I have been exclusively handicapping the Washington Wizards and releasing free weekly picks with the use of Doc’s Sports’ Unit Betting System. The primary objective behind this endeavor is to demonstrate the value of specialization as a viable betting strategy.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Wednesday, December 31 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/30/2014

We have had one coach fired this season already in the Kings' Mike Malone. Could Cleveland's David Blatt be next? I doubt it, but you hear renewed reports that there are problems on the team between Blatt and his players. Apparently some players tune Blatt out at times and prefer to talk with assistant Tyronn Lue. If LeBron James wants the guy gone, he will be gone. It's worth keeping an eye on heading into 2015. Here's a look at every game on the final day of 2014. No opening line report story on Thursday with the holiday and light schedule.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Tuesday, December 30 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/29/2014

There are some strong matchups on Tuesday: Cleveland-Atlanta, San Antonio-Memphis and Toronto-Portland especially stand out. So why feature the game between lottery teams Detroit and Orlando in this space? It's the first game back in central Florida for Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy. He had five very successful years with the Magic, never winning less than 52 games (not counting lockout-shortened season) and reaching the 2009 NBA Finals. However, Dwight Howard forced Van Gundy out, and superstars always get their way.

NBA Futures Odds: Lots of Legit Contenders This Season at Nice Prices
by Trevor Whenham - 12/29/2014

The NBA is just ridiculously wide open this year. There are a lot of good teams but none that have yet stood out as unbeatable and seemingly destined — like the Spurs and Heat have in recent years, and the Lakers before them, for example. Just by looking at the futures odds you can see just how uncertain people are about what to expect.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Saturday, December 27 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/26/2014

Some people believe the NBA season doesn't really starts until Christmas Day even though teams have played more than a third of their regular-season games. If that's the case, what a season we are in for because you could make an argument that 12 teams could win the NBA title in my opinion. Certainly the field opened up a bit when Cleveland lost Anderson Varejao for the year. The Cavs remain +350 NBA title favorites at Sportsbook.ag, but I really don't think they should be.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Friday, December 26 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/25/2014

The Houston Rockets should send Detroit Pistons boss Stan Van Gundy a Christmas card. Van Gundy shockingly cut Josh Smith earlier this week. Yes, Smith is a maddening, overpaid player but he's still talented if harnessed. No team claimed him on waivers, which is no shock as that club would be on the hook for the $40 million or so left on his contract.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Thursday, December 25 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/24/2014

Get ready for some funky uniforms for the five NBA Christmas Day games as the league tries to sell even more gear. This season the biggest change to the Christmas Day uniforms are that instead of the last names on the back the players will be sporting their first names. Can you understand why that would be so smart from a marketing perspective? There are a lot of boys named John or Chris in the world but not nearly as many with last names of Wall or Paul, just to name two examples. At least no sleeves this year as the jerseys last Christmas looked like pajama tops.

Tracking the Wizards: NBA Picks and Handicapping for Washington Basketball
by Dave Schwab - 12/24/2014

Specialization can be a powerful handicapping tool when it comes to betting on the NBA given the theory that the more you know about a particular team, the better you will be able to predict its future results. Doc’s Sports tasked me to put this theory to the test by spending the entire NBA season focusing my handicapping efforts solely on the Washington Wizards, while releasing weekly free picks with the use of its Unit Betting System. The long-term goal of this endeavor is to earn a solid profit betting Wizards’ games this year.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Tuesday, December 23 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/22/2014

A busy schedule on Tuesday night in the NBA because the league goes dark for Christmas Eve before its showcase day of the regular season on Christmas. The most interesting matchup, perhaps, on Tuesday, looks like a total mismatch on paper. That would be Minnesota at Cleveland, but of course it's a chance for Kevin Love to face his former team and Andrew Wiggins to show the Cavaliers what perhaps they might have missed out on. Here's a look at every game on the schedule.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Saturday, December 20 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Doc's Sports - 12/19/2014

A huge trade in the NBA on Thursday night made the Western Conference even more ridiculously difficult and may have elevated the Dallas Mavericks into a true championship contender. The Mavs acquired Boston point guard Rajon Rondo for the seemingly low price of Brandan Wright, Jae Crowder, Jameer Nelson, a 2015 first-round pick and 2016 second-rounder. That's a steal as long as Rondo re-signs in Dallas, as he has indicated he would be likely to do.

NBA Handicapping: Betting and Dallas Mavericks Futures Odds Update after Rondo Trade
by Trevor Whenham - 12/19/2014

The NBA got a little bit more interesting on Thursday with news that Rajon Rondo, who seems to have been on the trading block for the last two years or more, has been dealt from Boston To Dallas in a deal that included five players and draft picks, including a protected first rounder from Dallas. Rondo has been an all-star four times, and whenever an all-star gets dealt we have to pay close attention as bettors — especially when he moves from a team that is clearly rebuilding to one that is hungry for another championship before their window slams shut.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Friday, December 19 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/18/2014

Don't be surprised if you see a trade by the end of Friday -- especially by Houston. I won't go into full detail, but essentially a player acquired by trade can't then be re-traded for two months. Dec. 19 is important then because two months after is Feb. 19. The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 20. The Rockets have an $8.4 million trade exception they want to use but then still have the option to potentially flip said player before the deadline.

Tracking the Wizards: NBA Picks and Handicapping for Washington Basketball
by Dave Schwab - 12/18/2014

The use of specific betting strategies such as specialization on a single NBA team can often times give you an edge against the sportsbooks when it comes to wagering on the games. To put this theory to the test, I am spending the entire season focusing my handicapping efforts solely on the Washington Wizards and releasing weekly free picks with the use of Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System. The long-term goal of this endeavor is to earn a solidprofit betting Wizards’ games this year.

NBA Handicapping: Are the Golden State Warriors a Real Contender?
by George Monroy - 12/17/2014

Golden State Warriors rookie head coach Steve Kerr recently had to quiet the media talk about his team possibly reaching the Chicago Bulls’ hallowed 72-10 record set my Michael Jordan and company during the mid 1990s by stating that matching the mark might be impossible because there were 10 games where “Michael decided we weren’t going to lose”. Kerr did state, however, that the media should come back and talk to him if Golden State could start the year with a 43-3 record like those Bulls did back in 1996.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Thursday, December 18 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/17/2014

I almost didn't miss weeknight college football this week because the NBA had such great matchups. There was Golden State at Memphis on Tuesday, then the Grizzlies at Spurs on Wednesday. No offense to Memphis, however, but the Grizzlies aren't all that exciting. Thursday's TNT late game between Oklahoma City and Golden State should be terrific television between high-scoring teams and two of the league's premier players.