NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Handicapping: Are Spurs Best Team in the League?
by T.O. Whenham - 5/25/2012

The Spurs have been as good as a team can be in these playoffs. They have eight wins, they have rarely even been threatened, and they don’t look like they have even tapped what they are capable of yet. They face a very good team in Oklahoma City in the Western Final, and Miami looms in the finals, but it’s not hard to imagine this team adding their fifth franchise championship. In fact, Bovada has them at 17/10 to win it all — just a hair behind favored Miami at 8/5. I expect the Spurs to win it all. Why? Here are five good reasons:

NBA Futures Odds: Ranking the Final Five Playoff Teams
by Aaron Smith - 5/25/2012

The Western Conference Finals are set and one participant in the East is ready to go. All that is left to decide is the winner of the Philadelphia and Boston series. That one is all tied up at three a piece heading into Saturday’s Game 7.

NBA Betting Lessons We have Learned in 2012 Playoffs
by T.O. Whenham - 5/24/2012

For a while now you only barely had to pay attention to the league from year to year to essentially know what is going on. The same teams were strong, and the same players generally elevated their play when the playoffs started. This year, though, we are seeing clear signs that there is a change afoot.

NBA Playoffs Odds and Pick: Heat at Pacers Game 6 Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/23/2012

Remind me not to bet against the favorites in these NBA Playoffs any longer. Not including Wednesday night’s Game 6 between the Celtics and 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the favorites are 7-1-1 ATS and have won all nine games straight up since last Friday (Pacers over Celtics in Game 4 and Lakers over Thunder in Game 3 out West started the run). The only ATS loss came on Sunday when the Spurs beat the Clippers by three points to finish off a sweep. That was only San Antonio’s second ATS loss during its incredible 18-game winning streak.

NBA Conference Semifinals Betting and Handicapping Guide
by David Schwab - 5/22/2012

The NBA conference semifinals continue to press on, and while we already know that the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder will meet in the Western Conference Finals, the battle in the Eastern Conference rages on.

NBA Picks: Pacers at Heat Game 5 Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/21/2012

Unfortunately, I have to admit that I fell into the trap as well. It was panic city for Miami after the Heat were blown out Thursday in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series vs. Indiana. That gave the Pacers a 2-1 series lead, the Heat were still not expecting Chris Bosh back in this series, and Dwyane Wade just played one of the worst games of his life and apparently was hurt.

NBA Playoffs Picks: Heat at Pacers Game 4 Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/18/2012

Could we be a few games from seeing the end of the Big 3 era in Miami? That’s doubtful, but if the Heat flame out in this Eastern Conference semifinal series as one-time huge favorites against the Indiana Pacers, you can bet that the calls will come to trade one of the Big 3. Certainly LeBron James isn’t going anywhere and the past two games – both losses – have shown how important Chris Bosh is. So could Dwyane Wade be the one to go?

Free NBA Picks: Celtics at Sixers Game 4 Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/17/2012

So far during the NBA’s conference semifinals I have previewed at least one game in every series except for Boston-Philadelphia in the East. That’s because I believe those are the two toughest teams to get a read on and determine whether Jekyll or Hyde shows up on both sides.

NBA Picks: Clippers at Spurs Game 2 Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/16/2012

I love L.A.! Well, you can definitely say that if you bet against the two City of Angels basketball teams in their first game of the second round of these NBA Playoffs. The Lakers played a Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets and then 48 hours later had to travel to a higher-seeded team, in this case Oklahoma City, and got blown out Monday in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

NBA Playoff Picks: Lakers at Thunder Game 2 Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/15/2012

Certainly the most stunning result of these NBA Playoffs so far had to be Monday night’s Oklahoma City 119-90 destruction of the visiting Los Angeles Lakers. That the Thunder won was no shock at all. The young, energetic club had been off more than a week and was pretty healthy. The veteran Lakers, meanwhile, had just played in a Game 7 two days’ prior and clearly were worn down and a little beaten up.

NBA Playoffs Free Picks: Pacers at Heat Game 2 Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/14/2012

I obviously don’t wish an injury upon any player, but it’s about freaking time for the Miami Heat! It seemed like every NBA title contender in these playoffs had suffered a big injury – especially the East’s top-seeded Chicago Bulls -- except for the favored Heat, but that all changed in Game 1 of second-seeded Miami’s Eastern Conference semifinal series against the No. 3 Indiana Pacers.

NBA Conference Semifinals Betting and Handicapping Guide
by David Schwab - 5/14/2012

The NBA Eastern Conference semifinals got underway this past Saturday and the Western Conference semifinals tip off on Monday night as the eight remaining teams continue their quest to win this season’s NBA title. The following is a look at a few stats, facts, and figures along with some current betting trends that will help to handicap this week’s slate of games.

NBA Handicapping: Can Sixers Continue to Shine?
by T.O. Whenham - 5/11/2012

The NBA Playoffs rarely produce totally unexpected first-round results, so on some level it’s refreshing that we have seen the top team in the regular season — the Bulls — fall to the 76ers in their first-round matchup. In just six games, no less.

Free NBA Playoff Picks: Lakers at Nuggets Game 6 Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/9/2012

The Los Angeles Lakers are really going to regret not winning Game 5 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series on Tuesday night at home against the Denver Nuggets. If L.A. had won, the series would have been over and those weary legs of veterans like Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol would have gotten a break until Saturday or Sunday before facing the Oklahoma City Thunder -- probably Sunday as Lakers-Thunder will be the biggest ratings draw of Round 2.

NBA Playoffs Betting: Biggest Surprises
by T.O. Whenham - 5/9/2012

We are well into the first round of these NBA Playoffs. On paper they have gone about like you would expect — the Spurs and Thunder are in the clubhouse after easy series, and Orlando’s troubles were fatal. When you look beyond that, though, there have been some real surprises on the court so far. Here are five of the biggest surprises to date in the NBA Playoffs:

NBA Playoffs Odds and Predictions: Knicks at Heat Game 5 Picks
by Alan Matthews - 5/8/2012

There’s no doubt the Miami Heat are a good team, but it sure feels like everything is also breaking their way so far in these playoffs. In their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Knicks, which Miami leads 3-1 heading into Wednesday’s Game 5, the Heat haven’t had to deal with injured Knicks starting point guard Jeremy Lin at all (and apparently won’t). Then Miami caught a big break when starting New York shooting guard Iman Shumpert tore his ACL in Game 1.

NBA Picks: 76ers at Bulls Game 5 Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/8/2012

The Chicago Bulls-Philadelphia 76ers Eastern Conference quarterfinal series was good to us last week when I previewed Game 2, with the Sixers not just covering as 6.5-point underdogs but blowing out a Bulls team that clearly was devastated in its first game without the injured Derrick Rose.

Free NBA Picks: Hawks at Celtics Game 3 Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/3/2012

The Hawks have to be the most maddening team in the NBA. Just when you think they’ve turned a corner from their inconsistent, knucklehead selves, they remind you exactly who they are. Atlanta looked pretty darn good in winning Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with Boston, 83-74, on Sunday.

NBA Playoffs Predictions: Heat at Knicks Game 3 Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 5/2/2012

The Chicago Bulls went out Tuesday night and laid an egg at home in the game immediately following losing their star for the rest of the playoffs – thankfully I recommended taking Philly and the points there. Will the New York Knicks do the same on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series against the Miami Heat?

NBA Picks: Clippers at Grizzlies Game 2 Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/1/2012

We will find out on Wednesday night how much intestinal fortitude the Memphis Grizzlies have after they staged one of the biggest choke jobs in NBA playoff history in a Game 1 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in their Western Conference quarterfinals series.