NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Handicapping: Taking a Closer Look at Playoff Totals Betting
by George Monroy - 5/8/2013

Wagering on NBA point spreads can be tricky and at times frustrating. Those late-game comebacks or last-second shots to ruin a spread can be enough to drive a gambler mad. During the first round of the playoffs, the Brooklyn Nets gave up a 14-point lead with under four minutes left in the game and ended up losing and not covering the spread after a triple-overtime affair. Any bettor who wagered on the Nets plus the points must have felt like they had been punched in the gut.

Dwight Howard Free Agency Props and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/8/2013

The Dodgers stink. So do the Angels. Southern Cal football seems to be taking a step back. UCLA football appears to be improving but still doesn't have the buzz of the Trojans. I mention all this because even though the Los Angeles Lakers' season ended on April 28 with an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, the Lakers will dominate the L.A. sports scene all summer because of Dwight Howard.

NBA Playoffs Betting Advice
by George Monroy - 4/30/2013

The NBA Playoffs are a long, slow grind. The first round of the postseason goes on for nearly two weeks, and the entire playoffs lasts deep into June. The fact that there are games played either every day or every other day is fantastic news for those gamblers who realize a seven-game series is filled with ebbs and flows and needs to be wagered on accordingly.

NBA Handicapping: Oklahoma City and the Russell Westbrook Injury
by Trevor Whenham - 4/26/2013

I was pretty sure it was a joke when I saw people freaking out on Twitter about Russell Westbrook this morning. He is such a model of health and consistency that I didn’t even consider his absence a possibility. It couldn’t happen. Except it has.

NBA Playoffs: Ranking the Home ATS Records of the Bottom-Seeded Teams
by George Monroy - 4/25/2013

The NBA Playoffs will be shifting gears over the next few days as the bottom-seeded teams each have a chance to defend their home court and get back into their respective matchups or even take a 2-1 series lead in some cases. The Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors managed to even up their matches by controlling Game 2 and stealing any momentum their opponents had after the first game of the series.

NBA Handicapping: Any Chance for the Lower Seeds?
by George Monroy - 4/23/2013

The NBA Playoffs are finally underway, and if Game 1 was any indication of the things to come, then most of the first-round matchups will end quickly. The home teams won each of their respective games and covered six of their eight spreads along with a push and a loss. Each of the top two-seeded teams in both conferences won their games by no less than seven points and left their opponents looking overmatched and scrambling to make adjustment.

Lakers at Spurs Game 2 Picks and NBA Odds
by Dave Schwab - 4/23/2013

The Los Angeles Lakers will head back to the AT&T Center this Wednesday night looking to even their best-of-seven opening round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs at one game apiece. This Western Conference clash is scheduled to tip-off at 9:30 p.m. (ET), and the game will be broadcast nationally on TNT.

2013 NBA Series Odds for the Playoffs with Predictions
by George Monroy - 4/18/2013

The NBA regular season came to a close with multiple teams still jockeying for position with one game left to play. The Los Angeles Lakers managed to squeak into the seventh spot in the Western Conference, while the Houston Rockets fell to the eighth and the Jazz were eliminated entirely. The Los Angeles Clippers earned home-court advantage with a close win over the Sacramento Kings.

Handicapping the Lakers Playoff Chances Without Kobe
by Trevor Whenham - 4/18/2013

It wasn’t certain until the last night of the season, but the Lakers have done what often looked improbable — they have made the playoffs. Not only that, but by beating the Rockets on closing night they have secured the seventh spot and avoided the Thunder in the first round as a result. Now they get to start fresh — albeit in a series that opens on the road against a consistently excellent team while playing without their superstar.

NBA Playoffs: Ranking Every Team’s Road ATS Record
by George Monroy - 4/18/2013

NBA betting will shift into high gear over the next two months with the start of the playoffs. The postseason is an intense, every-play-matters situation that should provide basketball bettors with plenty of solid gambling opportunities. For sports gamblers, handicapping a game takes on an even greater importance as teams rarely fold during the postseason and will play hard until the final possession.

NBA Betting and Handicapping: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 4/15/2013

The Miami Heat have had the Eastern Conference wrapped up for months and, thus, have nothing to play for in their final two games. That probably means plenty of rest for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Ditto the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony. He's not playing Monday, and I highly doubt he does Wednesday. It looks like Melo will end Kevin Durant's scoring title streak at three straight years as Anthony leads 28.7 to 28.1. At the beginning of April, Anthony trailed Durant by 0.42 points per game.

NBA Betting Trends: Hot and Cold Teams Against the Point Spread
by Aaron Smith - 4/11/2013

The NBA regular season ends in less than a week. The Eastern Conference playoff picture is just about set, so there isn’t much drama there. It’s a totally different story in the Western Conference. San Antonio has been slipping, and the Thunder are trying to take advantage by grabbing the top spot. The two teams head into tonight dead even for the No. 1 position in the standings. Kobe’s late-game heroics have the Lakers in position for the eighth spot in the conference once again, but Utah is still right in the thick of the race.

NBA Handicapping: Injuries to Pay Attention to Before Betting
by Trevor Whenham - 4/10/2013

An injury to a single key player in the NBA can make the difference between a deep playoff run and a disappointing early exit. As we get close to the postseason, then, it’s very important for bettors to keep a close eye on key injury situations. An injury can be a serious distraction beyond just the loss of the key contributor. Here is a look at six important injury situations to monitor heading into the finals days of the NBA season.

NBA Handicapping: San Antonio Spurs in the Playoffs
by George Monroy - 4/10/2013

The San Antonio Spurs have been the most consistent and well-run team in the NBA since the end of the Michael Jordan-era. The organization has four titles, 15 straight playoff appearances, and multiple 50- to 60-game winning seasons. San Antonio’s biggest rival over the last 13 years, the Los Angeles Lakers, have retooled no less than five times and has had six coaches during that span.

NBA Handicapping: Betting On or Against Eliminated Teams
by Trevor Whenham - 4/10/2013

The Lakers and Jazz are fighting for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. Outside of that, though, we know which teams are heading for the postseason and which ones are just playing out the string. When a team is eliminated from postseason contention, you can never really be sure what is going to happen. Sometimes the team will just quit. They’ll think more about their offseason vacation plans than the remaining games. Other teams will be able to stay motivated despite their lack of a future.

NBA Betting and Handicapping: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 4/8/2013

In my opinion, the Denver Nuggets are easily the most entertaining team in the NBA to watch. George Karl's club is deep and plays fast. I think it could have contended for the Western Conference title. I said “could” instead of “can” because of the injury to Danilo Gallinari.

NBA Betting: Handicapping the Wizards Down the Stretch
by Robert Ferringo - 4/5/2013

Momentum or mailing it in? That is really the only question to ask about NBA teams coming down the home stretch of the regular season. Some teams are rounding into postseason form, either setting their rotations, jockeying for playoff positioning and an extra home game, or making a push for one of those precious playoff berths. But right now the good teams are trying to gain momentum so they hit mid-April in full stride.

NBA Totals Betting: Handicapping Trends Report
by Aaron Smith - 4/4/2013

With just a couple weeks left in the regular season, many of the Western Conference Playoff standings are up for grabs. There are some battles for positioning in the Eastern Conference as well, but the first and eighth spots are completely locked up. At Doc’s Sports, we like to take a closer look inside the data to help find valuable betting trends. The bi-weekly NBA Hot and Cold Report helps keep bettors up to speed on hot and cold teams as far as covering the number. Totals are another popular way to bet on the NBA, so we are now tracking which teams are trending “over” and which teams are trending “under” versus the posted total.

NBA Handicapping: Three Reasons to Bet the Denver Nuggets
by George Monroy - 4/3/2013

Sports bettors may not have noticed, with all the attention focused on the Miami Heat over the last month, but the Denver Nuggets have been tearing up the Western Conference. The team went on a 15-game winning streak of its own that very few people seemed to notice, and they are now sitting firmly with the third-best record in the West. The Nuggets have a league-leading 25-11 ATS record at home and an absurd 33-3 SU record while playing inside the Pepsi Center. And the beauty of the situation is that the Nuggets are still under the radar.

NBA Betting and Handicapping: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 4/1/2013

I don't care what Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says publicly, but he most definitely benched LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers on purpose for Sunday's game in San Antonio, and it had nothing to do with injuries to any of the trio. They would have played if the game meant something.