NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Handicapping: Memphis Grizzlies ATS Report
by George Monroy - 12/1/2014

The Memphis Grizzlies are experiencing a breakthrough of sorts during the early part of the NBA year and seem to have made the leap from a good team to an elite one. The transformation in large part has come from the MVP-caliber performance that franchise center Marc Gasol has put up through the first 17 games of the season. Memphis raced out of the gate to a 15-2 record and has been nothing sort of dominant under Gasol’s 20 points, eight rebounds and nearly two blocks per game averages.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Saturday, November 29 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/28/2014

Do I have the guts? The guts to call a Philadelphia upset of Dallas on Saturday night? I am curious to see what the final score is because the 76ers are one of the worst offensive teams I have ever seen, while Dallas is the NBA's top-scoring team. Mavs-Sixers is one of six games on the schedule Saturday, with many involving the second of a back-to-back after a very busy Friday in the NBA. Pelicans-Wizards is your only national TV option on NBA TV. Here's a look at every game.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Friday, November 28 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/27/2014

The Thanksgiving day off in the NBA schedule is a good time to check out some updated NBA futures at Sportsbook.ag as every team is about 20 percent through its schedule or will be soon. Not much has changed. Cavs-Spurs remains the NBA Finals favored matchup, albeit at a longer +650. Cavs-Warriors is next at +800. Cleveland has risen to +120 to win the East, and San Antonio up to +250 to take the West. LeBron James remains the MVP favorite at +140, but Anthony Davis and Stephen Curry (+300) are right on his tail. Here's a look at every Friday matchup on a busy day.

NBA Handicapping: How to Take Advantage of the Cleveland Cavaliers Struggles
by George Monroy - 11/26/2014

The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off one of the biggest offseason coups in league history by signing LeBron James during free agency and trading for perennial all-star Kevin Love a month later. The moves catapulted Cleveland up the NBA ranks and placed the team as title favorites heading into the 2014-15 season. Most experts, however, scoffed at the idea of the Cavaliers being considered as favorites over the host of talented teams in the West, yet no one really expected them to struggle as much as they have during the first part of the season.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Wednesday, November 26 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/25/2014

I believe that the NBA schedule is dark on just two days during the regular season outside of the All-Star Break. Those days would be Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. So with no games on Thursday it's an expected very heavy schedule Wednesday night with all but four teams in action. For your live betting pleasure at WagerWeb, Knicks-Mavericks (ESPN) and Grizzlies-Lakers (NBA TV) are on national television. Here's a look at every game.

NBA Handicapping: Is Pelicans Hot Start Sustainable?
by Trevor Whenham - 11/25/2014

The New Orleans Pelicans are not off to a shocking start — they aren’t the Kings — but they are definitely impressing out of the gate. At 7-5 they are competitive in the West, and the way they have played makes it possible to believe that they could stick around the playoff race for a long time. This is one of those positive stories in the league — a young team that has shown patience and is building around a core of their own. So, how do we evaluate this team and where they are at right now from a betting perspective?

NBA Handicapping: Will Bucks Continue to Surprise?
by Trevor Whenham - 11/25/2014

The Milwaukee Bucks are far from the most talented or experienced teams in the league, but despite the fact that coach Jason Kidd is not the most likeable guy in the league right now, this team is as easy to like — and to get excited about the future of — as any team in the league. At 7-7 they aren’t lighting the league on fire, but they are playing well above a level that will be needed to make the playoffs in the pathetic Eastern Conference. So, how is this team doing what they are doing? And how do we evaluate them as bettors?

Oklahoma City Thunder Futures Odds: Not even a Lock for the Playoffs
by George Monroy - 11/24/2014

News around the NBA is that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have returned to light practice and are five to 10 games away from returning to a roster that started the year with the worst record in the entire Western Conference. Oklahoma City had championship aspirations heading into the 2014 season and was also on the hot seat after failing to make a return trip to the NBA Finals since losing to LeBron James and the Miami Heat back in 2012.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Tuesday, November 25 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/24/2014

Part of me wants to simply exclude Chicago Bulls games in these stories going forward. I must admit I'm a bit of Bulls fan, but I certainly don't let that affect my picks. Frankly, I'm getting tired of the daily Derrick Rose Injury Watch. The guy is just never going to be the MVP-caliber player he was because he's brittle. It's a shame, but it is what it is. The Rose Watch is on again Tuesday night as Chicago has a tough second of a back-to-back in Denver. Here's a look at all five games on Tuesday's schedule. Three games opened at TBA because of injury questions.

Tracking the Wizards: NBA Picks and Handicapping for Washington Basketball
by Dave Schwab - 11/24/2014

Anyone who likes to wager on the NBA is always looking for an edge, so it stands to reason that the more you know about a particular team, the better you will be able to predict its future results. I will be handicapping the Washington Wizards all season long and, in an effort to validate this betting strategy,I will also be releasing weekly free picks with the use of Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System. My main goal is to earn a long-term profit betting Wizards’ games this year.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Saturday, November 22 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/21/2014

One of the NBA's most-heated rivalries, fueled in large part by Dallas owner Mark Cuban, is Mavericks-Rockets. They meet for the first time this season on Saturday night in the marquee matchup on the schedule. Expect a rude welcome back to Houston for Mavericks swingman Chandler Parsons after he left the Rockets this past offseason when Cuban lured him with a three-year, $45 million offer as a restricted free agent. Of course, it's not Parsons' fault that the Rockets decided not to match. Here's a look at every game on the schedule

NBA Odds and Predictions: Friday, November 21 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/20/2014

The NBA isn't college football or the NFL. One win or loss does not a season make and will not change futures odds. Thus, even though Cleveland was beaten on Tuesday night at home by San Antonio in a potential NBA Finals preview, the Cavs remain +250 title favorites at Sportsbook.ag, with San Antonio still No. 2 at +400. Both sides could be caught in letdown games on Friday night. Here's a look at the full schedule.

Tracking the Wizards: NBA Picks and Handicapping for Washington Basketball
by Dave Schwab - 11/20/2014

When it comes to wagering on the NBA, a solid strategy that is often employed by some of the top expert handicappers in this sport is specialization on just a handful of teams. I have taken things one step further by concentrating all my efforts on handicapping the Washington Wizards. To help prove the value of this approach, I will also be releasing weekly free picks with the use of Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System. My main goal is to earn a long-term profit betting Wizards’ games this year.

NBA Handicapping: are Toronto Raptors a Real NBA Finals Contender?
by Trevor Whenham - 11/20/2014

I’ve been a Canadian my whole life, and a basketball fan for almost as long. There has never been a better time than the last couple of years for those two things to co-exist. College basketball and the NBA Draft have been overrun with Canadians lately, and now Canada’s team, the Toronto Raptors, have turned a corner to become a real contender.

NBA Handicapping: Expect the Lakers to Struggle All Season
by Trevor Whenham - 11/20/2014

The Lakers are in the midst of a two-game winning streak, but don’t confuse yourself in any way by thinking that that means that they are good. They aren’t. In fact, they are terrible. And they are going to remain terrible all year. There is nothing to blame but the team itself for its predicament.

NBA Handicapping: Are Sixers Historically Bad?
by Trevor Whenham - 11/20/2014

As time has passed, I have actually grown to respect the Philadelphia 76ers the last two years. I don’t remember a time in all of my sports-watching career, which spans well over 30 years now, that a team has not just been so incredibly bad but has been unapologetically and openly so. Teams like Detroit or Denver are bad, but they want you to believe that they are trying and are close to something brighter.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Thursday, November 20 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/19/2014

After getting carpal tunnel syndrome every Wednesday with always a big schedule of NBA games that I have to examine, I look forward to Thursdays because it's almost always a light schedule thanks to TNT's national TV contract with the NBA. And that's definitely the case this week with only the two TNT games on the slate. Here's an in-depth look at both. Alas, due to key injuries, both lines are not likely to be released until Thursday morning.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Wednesday, November 19 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/18/2014

One of those games NBA fans and bettors circled back when the 2014-15 regular-season schedule was released arrives on Wednesday night from Cleveland as the NBA champion Spurs face off against LeBron James. Again. Of course, the Spurs and James' Heat played in the past two NBA Finals. San Antonio's demolition of Miami this past summer essentially was the impetus for James deciding to leave South Florida for Cleveland. You know he wants this win badly. Here's a look at every game on the schedule.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Tuesday, November 18 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/17/2014

You've got marquee teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder in action on Tuesday night. However, those are marquee teams in name only this season -- well, the Thunder still might be worth something once healthy. Thus, the best matchup on the four-game schedule is New Orleans at Sacramento. It's also the only nationally-televised game, on NBA TV, and WagerWeb will offer live betting. Here's a look at each matchup.

NBA Odds and Predictions: Saturday, November 15 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/14/2014

Dear Chicago Bulls fans: Get used to daily Derrick Rose injury reports as well as questions every game on whether he will play or not. It's now clear the 26-year-old Rose is never going to play a full 82-game season again (to be fair, LeBron James never has). The guy just can't stay healthy, and it's a shame because he looked like a potential all-time great when he was the youngest NBA MVP in history a few years ago. The Rose Watch is on again for Saturday's game. Here's a look at every matchup on the schedule that night.