NBA Handicapping Articles
Handicapping the NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Race
by Trevor Whenham - 3/20/2019
The NBA Playoff race has been more interesting in other years than it is now. By a wide margin. There is some mild drama about where teams will be seeded in the West, but not over which teams will be in. And really, it's all just about which order teams will eventually lose to Golden State, anyway. And in the East, Boston and Indiana have to figure out where they are going to start their series, but above that things are mostly established.
Handicapping the Detroit Pistons and their NBA Playoffs Chances
by Trevor Whenham - 3/20/2019
The Detroit Pistons are on a serious roll right now. Before losing to Cleveland on Monday night in a game in which they rested Blake Griffin and essentially conceded, they had won 14 of 18 since Feb. 4. They were well under .500 and in trouble before then, but now they are securely a playoff team. It's been an impressive resurgence, and it has turned them into a team you could forget was even in the league to one that could cause some headaches in the playoffs.
NBA Betting Advice: Best and Worst Teams Against the Spread
by Trevor Whenham - 3/4/2019
We are now more than three-quarters of the way through the NBA season. The sample size is large enough that we have a pretty good idea of what teams are from a betting perspective by now. We know which teams are studs - the ones that deliver consistent and enjoyable profits to bettors. And we know which ones are duds - those that have no respect at all for the wallets of bettors. Here's a look at the best and the worst of betting teams in the league up to this point:
NBA Totals Betting: Best and Worst Teams on Over and Under
by Trevor Whenham - 3/4/2019
There are some teams that are really good at producing profits in the NBA when it comes to totals. And there are those that really aren't. And, as you will soon see, there is little relation between totals profits and success on the court. In fact, it seems evident, if only this year, that being good at basketball makes it hard for you to be good at being consistent when it comes to totals. Here's a look at the best and the worst of NBA teams against the total as of March 3.
Handicapping Golden State and Denver Battle for Western Conference No. 1 Seed
by Trevor Whenham - 3/1/2019
The Western Conference of the NBA is, at the top, a two-horse race at this point. And it is not likely the showdown that anyone expected. Golden State is there - obviously. But they aren't fighting with Houston or Oklahoma City, and we aren't seeing a Steph and KD vs. LeBron showdown. No, it's Denver that is fighting limb-for-limb with Golden State. Right now, Golden State is a half-game ahead, but only because they have played one more game.
Expert NBA Betting Advice: Handicapping Tanking Teams
by Trevor Whenham - 3/1/2019
There seem to be three truly elite players in the NBA Draft - the top two from Duke, and Ja Morant - and several others who could be very useful. So, it's a good year to have a high draft pick - especially if you can land the top pick and bring in Zion Williamson to save your team. There is a good incentive to tank, then, and some teams are doing a very good job of committing to a tank.
Expert NBA Handicapping: How Bad are the New York Knicks?
by Trevor Whenham - 2/15/2019
To write about the New York Knicks without making fun of them at least a little would be completely impossible. How a team in the greatest city in the world can make the playoffs just three times in 14 years, and not even come remotely close the last five years before this one, is a total mystery. A totally embarrassing mystery. They should be able to attract whoever they want and consistently dominate.
Handicapping the Aftermath of the NBA Trade Deadline
by Trevor Whenham - 2/13/2019
This wasn't the most active NBA trade deadline we have ever seen. In isolation, it was all but irrelevant to the race in the Western Conference. That's not that surprising, as it feels like more than in past years even teams have already conceded the conference title to Golden State. But in the East, there were fireworks. There are probably five teams in the East that are at least somewhat in the mix - and Indiana is a step behind without Victor Oladipo.
Handicapping the NBA Buyout Market
by Trevor Whenham - 2/11/2019
The NBA, in so many ways, is a league that is more interesting off the court than on it. It's not that the games are boring. It's just that the off-court drama is so fascinating and often crazy. Just this past week, for example, we had the trade deadline, and that gave way to the craziness of the all-star draft, and now we are into the bizarreness of the buyout market. Buyouts have been a much bigger deal lately as contenders look to fill out their rosters and address needs in ways they can afford, and players are more empowered to seek their own path than ever.
NBA Betting Results: Studs and Duds Against the Spread
by Trevor Whenham - 1/16/2019
We've just passed the halfway point of the NBA season, and teams are very much establishing what they are. We don't know what the playoffs will look like, but we mostly know which teams are really good, which ones are alright, and which ones have no hope. And we have also gotten a good sense of which teams have respect for bettors' money and which ones prefer to put it all in a pile and light it on fire.
NBA Trade Deadline Handicapping: Buyers and Sellers
by Trevor Whenham - 1/16/2019
The NBA trade deadline is approaching - trades must be completed by 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 7. Some years we see a whole lot of drama and excitement leading up to the deadline - like last year, for example, when big names were flying around. But this year doesn't feel like it is going to be like that. Things could change in a hurry if the Pelicans decided the time is right to move Anthony Davis, but they very likely won't.
Expert NBA Handicapping: Indiana Pacers for Real
by Trevor Whenham - 1/6/2019
The Eastern Conference of the NBA was supposed to be a three-team race this year. The problem, though, is that no one told the Bucks and the Pacers that they weren't invited. The first-place Milwaukee squad, and the third-place team from Indiana, are playing really great basketball, and they aren't going to be easy to displace from their home court perches as the season progresses. Milwaukee is the less surprising of the two teams, but Indiana has been a marvel to watch.
Expert NBA Handicapping: Teams Different in New Year
by Trevor Whenham - 1/5/2019
The turn of the calendar doesn't have actual significance in the NBA, but it is still an interesting milestone. It comes close to the middle of the season, so it is a good time, as we make our own resolutions, to also assess where teams are at and where they might be going. For many teams, what we have seen so far will be some version of what we will see going forward - the Cavs and Bulls aren't going to suddenly learn how to play basketball, and the Thunder or Bucks aren't going anywhere.
Expert NBA Handicapping: Dallas Mavericks Off to Strong Start
by Trevor Whenham - 12/20/2018
Even though the Dallas Mavericks spent most of the first 28 games of the season in a playoff spot in the Western Conference, it would have been tough to truly convince yourself that they were a playoff team. But they certainly are fun to watch and easy to root for. With a young superstar and a strong young core, this is a team clearly moving in the right direction. And they have been a treat for bettors as much as for casual fans this year. So, what is going right for Dallas? And wrong? And what does it mean for bettors?:
Expert NBA Handicapping: Detroit Pistons Looking Like Probable Playoff Team
by Trevor Whenham - 12/20/2018
The Detroit Pistons beat the Timberwolves in overtime in Minneapolis on Wednesday night. It isn't an impressive accomplishment on the surface - the T-Wolves aren't great. And it only moved the Pistons a game above .500 on the season, which is hardly a reason to plan a parade. But they play in the Eastern Conference, so .500 is as good as .600 in the West.
NBA Handicapping and Betting: Sacramento Kings Great for Profits
by Trevor Whenham - 12/20/2018
Do you remember what you were doing in the spring of 2006? That was a very long time ago, so I wouldn't blame you at all if you didn't. I ask only because that spring, the Sacramento Kings, driven by leading scorer Mike Bibby, lost a first-round playoff series to the Spurs 4-2. And that only matters because the Kings have not been in the playoffs since and have only rarely been in a playoff spot at all since then.
Expert NBA Handicapping: Odd Record Splits
by Trevor Whenham - 12/18/2018
If you have watched the NBA for a while, then you probably know how you expect things to generally turn out in the league. Western Conference teams generally do well against the East. Teams are usually better at home than on the road. Familiarity usually makes a team's own division competitive. Most teams fit into those expectations and others like them.
Free NBA Picks: Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/7/2018
Look, you should be fading the Atlanta Hawks most nights. They are terrible and planned to be. This is a tanking season. They also made a mistake trading Luka Doncic for Trae Young on draft night, but that's a story for another day. You really should be fading the Hawks for the next three weeks or so because probably their best all-around player, Taurean Prince, is going to miss at least that long with an ankle injury.
Expert NBA Handicapping: Home and Road Differences
by Trevor Whenham - 12/4/2018
In the NBA, the difference between a competent team and a great one is their ability to play well on the road. If you want to make a deep playoff run, you need to limit the number of games you play, and that means winning well away from home - ideally to win half your games away from home. It's no coincidence that the Raptors and Nuggets, the current conference leaders, are also the strongest road team in each conference.
NBA Betting and Handicapping: Studs and Duds Against the Spread
by Trevor Whenham - 11/29/2018
We are, more or less, a quarter of the way through the NBA season. There is a lot left to be played out, and we certainly aren't likely to see the same standings at the end of the year that we do now - on many fronts. But this is a good time to take a step back, look at where we are so far, and see which teams have done well for bettors and which have sunk. Here are the betting studs and duds of the first quarter of the NBA season:
<< Prev | 1 ...14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 ... 99 | Next >>
Daily Free Picks Menu
Free NFL Picks
Free College Football Picks
Free NBA Picks
Free College Basketball Picks
Free MLB Picks
Free NHL Picks
Free KBO Picks
Free UFC Picks
Free Golf Picks
Free NASCAR Picks
Free WNBA Picks
Free Soccer Picks
Free CFL Picks
Free Tennis Picks
Free Email Picks
All Free Sports Picks