NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Odds for Division Winners with Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 10/8/2013

The NBA season tips off in three weeks with a highly-anticipated matchup between the Chicago Bulls (with Derrick Rose!) and the Miami Heat leading the opening-night schedule, which means the books are starting to roll out the props in a big way. I'll hit on some player props in the coming few weeks, but let's start with an overview of each division. All odds are courtesy of Bovada.

Top Props of the Week: 2014 NBA Finals Matchup Odds
by Dave Schwab - 9/18/2013

The start of another NBA season is well over a month away, but Sportsbook.ag has already released its odds for potential matchups in this year’s NBA Finals. The following is a look at the odds for a couple of the matchups that offer the most value.

NBA Handicapping: Aftermath of Dwight Howard Move to Houston
by Trevor Whenham - 7/19/2013

Now that the dust has settled and we know what Dwight Howard’s new address is going to be, it’s time to take a look at what it all might mean in the early days of the season from a betting perspective. Part of what makes this whole saga so sickeningly compelling is the amount of wreckage left in the wake of this deal. The Magic are a shell of their former selves without their superstar, though ironically they may ultimately be the best off of anyone.

NBA Free Agency: Grading the Winners and Losers
by George Monroy - 7/18/2013

The NBA free agency process has shot off more fireworks than a July 4 party at Gilbert Arenas’ house — if you didn’t hear, he was arrested for possession of illegal fireworks a few weeks back. Dwight Howard decided to sign with the Houston Rockets after waffling back-and-forth until the final minute.

NBA Futures Odds and Predictions: Post-Dwight Edition
by Alan Matthews - 7/9/2013

It was the trade of James Harden last summer that has made Houston general manager Daryl Morey look like a genius. Not only because Harden blossomed into a superstar but also because he helped lure Dwight Howard to choose the Rockets over the Lakers, Warriors and Mavericks.

2013 NBA Draft: 10 Undervalued Prospects
by Robert Ferringo - 6/27/2013

Some of the players I have broken down below are household names. Some are not. But rather than labeling the follow players as “steals” I will just say that here is a list of 10 players that I would want and they guys that, were my favorite team to call their name tonight, I would leave the draft feeling like the franchise accomplished something:

2013 NBA Draft: 10 Overvalued Prospects
by Robert Ferringo - 6/27/2013

Criticizing the draft pool has become a go-to move for ESPN trolls and wannabe college basketball “experts”. But the fact is that most people degrade the draft participants mainly because they don’t know jack about college basketball. And other than a few games during the NCAA Tournament they simply haven’t seen these guys play very much.

2014 NBA Futures Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/25/2013

When LeBron James and Chris Bosh decided in the summer of 2010 to join Dwyane Wade in South Beach, the Miami Heat immediately became NBA title favorites for the 2010-11 season. Of course, the Heat did reach the Finals that year, but they lost to the Dallas Mavericks for the title, something that appears to have really spurred James.

NBA Futures: How the Doc Rivers Trade Impacts the Odds
by George Monroy - 6/25/2013

In the NBA superstars rule the league — unlike in football or baseball one player can be the difference between winning and losing. The league is so star-driven that even the right coach can be the final piece of a championship puzzle. Many times it’s difficult to actually pin down just how much of an impact a coach has on a team, but over the last 23 years there have only been seven coaches to win an NBA title.

Top Props of the Week: 2013 NBA Draft
by Dave Schwab - 6/24/2013

While Miami is still celebrating last Thursday’s thrilling Game 7 victory over San Antonio to clinch its second straight NBA title, it is already time to move on with the staging of this year’s NBA Draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn this upcoming Thursday night. To get you ready for all the action, BetOnline has released an extensive list of prop bets covering the event.

NBA Finals Handicapping: Taking a Closer Look at the Home Team
by George Monroy - 6/5/2013

The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs will be facing off in an NBA Finals matchup that will not be short on star power or intriguing storylines. The problem for NBA bettors is that neither team has much experience playing against each other over the last three seasons, as every time the ball clubs matched up someone was either hurt or not playing for one reason or another.

NBA Finals Props Odds: Heat vs. Spurs Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/5/2013

The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the NBA's most successful franchises since Tim Duncan arrived as the No. 1 overall pick out of Wake Forest in 1997. San Antonio is 4-0 in NBA Finals entering its series with the Miami Heat that begins Thursday night in South Florida.

NBA Finals Picks: San Antonio vs. Miami Series Predictions
by George Monroy - 6/4/2013

The Miami Heat are in the NBA Finals — again — after eliminating the Indiana Pacers in one of the most thrilling Eastern Conference Finals matchups in recent memory. As much as America wants to hate the Heat, was there anyone outside of Indiana that was actually rooting for the Pacers to pull of the upset and deprive us of the fantastic matchup we will now be getting as Miami faces off against the San Antonio Spurs?

NBA Handicapping: Do Pacers Have a Chance to Reach NBA Finals?
by Trevor Whenham - 5/30/2013

For months now I have been convinced that the winner of the Eastern Conference Championship in the NBA would be the NBA Champions when the playoffs ended. That was just code, of course, for the fact that Miami was too good for any team to beat.

Los Angeles Clippers Next Coach Props Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/29/2013

I rather laugh when I read that Los Angeles Clippers general manager Gary Sacks will decide on the coach to replace the fired Vinny Del Negro. Let's be clear here: the decision maker on the next Clips' coach is going to be Chris Paul.

NBA Series Picks: Pacers vs. Heat Odds and Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 5/21/2013

It was almost exactly one year ago today when the Miami Heat’s Big 3 was on the ropes. Indiana was ahead 2-1 in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals and were leading 54-46 at home in Game 4. There were putting enough pressure on LeBron James to make the self-proclaimed King do exactly what he had done time and time again in such situations: choke.

Heat vs. Pacers Series Predictions and Props Odds
by George Monroy - 5/21/2013

The Miami Heat escaped their series with the Chicago Bulls relatively unscathed and continue to be a healthy ball club focused on winning another title. The team has only lost one game in the postseason but should receive a stiff challenge against an Indiana Pacers club that held a 2-1 lead and took them to six games during last year’s playoffs.

NBA Draft Lottery Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/20/2013

Some years, being really lousy is a good thing as it earns you the most ping-pong balls in the NBA Draft Lottery. You simply don't win a title in the NBA without a superstar. They rarely switch teams via free agency these days (Dwight Howard could be an exception) because the process is geared toward teams being able to keep their players by being able to offer them more. Thus, you have to build through the draft. Last year, there was a presumed franchise player available: Kentucky's Anthony Davis. And he showed some signs of stardom in his rookie season.

NBA Handicapping: Can Any Team Match Up with the Miami Heat?
by George Monroy - 5/15/2013

The Miami Heat have the look and feel of a team that is marching toward the inevitable — a second championship in the LeBron James era. Miami has laid waste to every team it has faced over the last 40 or so games, and even when they took a knockout blow to the face by losing Game 1 at home to the Chicago Bulls, they simply shrugged it off and dominated the series.

NBA Futures Betting: Western Conference Odds
by George Monroy - 5/14/2013

Injuries and upsets have flipped the Western Conference on its head, and basketball bettors may get the rarely-seen No. 6 seed vs. No. 5 conference finals. Heck, there’s a solid chance that we are headed for a Memphis Grizzlies or Golden State Warriors vs. Miami Heat NBA Finals matchup. Either team would make an interesting choice to represent the West in the Finals, but neither would provide the star power to match up with the Heat. The series could be a turn off for the casual NBA fan.