NBA Handicapping Articles

Free NBA Picks: Saturday, April 15, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/13/2017

The NBA Playoffs are here and it's the best basketball of the season, but I want to address the regular season one last time and say that Commissioner Adam Silver MUST do something about this ridiculous resting of players that is becoming prevalent by NBA teams. The Cavaliers basically gave away the East's top seed by sitting LeBron James and Kyrie Irving the final two games. That I can understand because they were already in the playoffs. If the Cavs don't want the top seed, that's their choice. But explain to me why the Brooklyn Nets rested three of their healthy guys on Wednesday in Chicago?

NBA Western Conference Playoff Picks and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/13/2017

This is one of those years in which I really wonder why the NBA bothers to have a first round of the playoffs. They would sacrifice no drama whatsoever by allowing just four teams into the postseason - five this year. At the very least you could give the top two seeds a bye and limit the field to six teams. Oklahoma City will probably provide a few thrills in an almost certain losing effort against Houston, but Portland and Memphis are just lambs being sent to slaughter - and not even the cute kind of lambs that are easy to love.

NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Picks and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/13/2017

I will fully admit it out of the gate - I am sick of the LeBron James show. I respect his talent immensely - obviously - but I'm done with his drama, his superiority, and his ever-presence. After six straight years of seeing him in the finals I'd love to see someone else represent the East - a team that doesn't resent each other or think they are smarter than their coach, maybe. So, over the next 800 words or so my goal will be simple - to convince myself that it's possible that Cleveland won't win the East. I mean, it's clearly more possible than ever before. But does that mean it's possible? (Odds to win the NBA Championship are from BetOnline):

Expert NBA Betting Picks: Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics First-Round Series Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 4/13/2017

If I'm being completely honest, I have absolutely no idea how the Bulls managed to sneak into the postseason. Sure, they won seven of their last 10 games to finish with a 41-41 record, but from an eye-test perspective this team is severely flawed and has no real identity. The only thing Bulls' fans can hang there hat on is that in the playoffs, anything can happen. Game 1 is scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, and the Celtics are tabbed as eight-point favorites.

NBA Expert Betting Predictions: Playoff Picks and Preview Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City
by Chris Vasile - 4/12/2017

This series gets my vote as the most watchable and highly-anticipated first-round series in recent memory. In one corner, we have a 55-win team that boasts a legitimate MVP candidate on one of the highest-scoring teams in the league. In the other corner, we have Russell Westbrook, aka Mr. Triple-Double aka Brodie, who singlehandedly carried his team to the postseason. This series is going to be high-scoring and about as fun a playoff series as you will see outside of the NBA Finals.

NBA Playoffs Expert Betting Predictions: Warriors vs. Blazers Series Preview & Wagering Picks
by Chris Vasile - 4/12/2017

The NBA Playoffs are quickly approaching, which means it's time for meaningful basketball, where players actually play hard for the full 48 minutes and every basket, missed shot, bad call, or non-call is magnified exponentially to the point where you are led to believe "next basket wins". For many of the lower seeds heading into this year's version of the postseason, they would prefer that "next basket wins" stipulation instead of having to go through the trouble of being run out of the gym and embarrassed by a severely superior team for four or five games.

Toronto Raptors vs. Milwaukee Bucks First-Round NBA Playoff Picks with Expert Betting Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 4/12/2017

As of this very moment, the Raptors are tabbed at +1000 to win the Eastern Conference and +4000 to capture the franchises' first NBA Championship. Neither of those two things are going to happen, so please do not waste your money. The same can be said for the Bucks. While +5000 is tempting odds to win the Eastern Conference and +25000 is even better to win the whole thing, the chances of the Bucks getting hot and going on a deep postseason run are slim-to-none. All odds are courtesy of Bovada.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies Expert NBA Playoff Picks and Series Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 4/12/2017

If I had to rank each first-round series in terms of must-see TV, I would slot the Spurs into the five hole, just ahead of the Atlanta/Washington, Toronto/Milwaukee and Cleveland/Indiana series. There are very few storylines coming out of this matchup, and I expect it to be just as dull as you could possibly imagine. The Spurs are so fundamentally sound, that I feel the Grizzlies need to play absolutely perfect basketball in order to have a chance at pulling off the upset. Probably not going to happen.

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, April 12, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/11/2017

Hard to believe Wednesday is the final day of the NBA's 2016-17 regular season. While last regular season will be remembered as the Year of the Warriors, this one probably belongs to Russell Westbrook and his individual brilliance. The Western Conference playoff field is set, so there's little motivation for any of those teams playing on Wednesday other than Utah and the L.A. Clippers. Expect a lot of guys elsewhere to sit out (and I sure hope Adam Silver comes up with a solution this offseason for teams tanking and others resting their stars when they only visit a certain city once).

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, April 11, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/10/2017

I hate it when teams rest their stars in the NBA, but I would totally understand if Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan ties Russell Westbrook to the bench and doesn't let him see the court in the final couple of games in the regular season (actually, Donovan is leaving the choice up to his star). Westbrook broke Oscar Robertson's single-season triple-doubles record on Sunday with his 42nd. He did it with 50 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, his third 50-point triple-double of the year. That's also a record.

Updated NBA Championship Futures Odds with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/7/2017

We have less than a week to go. On April 12 the NBA regular season comes to an end. And soon after the playoffs get under way. There will be 16 teams in the postseason. Let's not kid ourselves, though - the list of real contenders is much, much shorter. I'll be totally honest and say that I don't see a lot of point right now in betting NBA futures. It's just not where the value is. If you do like having some longer term action heading into the postseason, though, then let's look at the numbers posted at BetOnline to see what we can see:

Free NBA Picks: Saturday, April 8, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/7/2017

Are the Golden State Warriors better with Kevin Durant? Obviously, as he's a Top-5 player in the league and was putting up MVP-caliber numbers (25.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists) before going down with a knee injury suffered in Washington on Feb. 28. That said, I wonder if the Warriors will scuffle a bit immediately upon Durant's return on Saturday. With Durant out of the lineup, the Warriors stumbled initially, losing four of their next six games.

NBA Handicapping: Celtics have a Tough Path to Championship with Cleveland in the Way
by Trevor Whenham - 4/7/2017

The Eastern Conference of the NBA has been stale for too long. It's been whichever team that LeBron James is playing on and then everyone else. For large stretches of this year it has felt that the Boston Celtics had the best chance we had seen in a long while of breaking that string of dominance. Imagine the possibility of someone other than the King repping the East in the finals!

Free NBA Picks: Friday, April 7, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/6/2017

Just like Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive games played streak of 2,632 will never be approached in Major League Baseball, neither will the NBA record of 1,192 straight games (basically 14.5 seasons) set by A.C. Green. He didn't miss a game from Nov. 19, 1986, all the way to his final game on April 18, 2001. Nowadays, it's very rare for players to even play all 82. Green was a good player on some great Lakers and good Suns teams. He's perhaps best known for his virginity - he didn't have sex until after retiring and marrying his wife Veronique on April 20, 2002.

NBA Betting Trends: Totals Report for Hot Over and Under Teams
by Aaron Smith - 4/5/2017

As the NBA regular season winds down, it is important to be careful with your wagers. There are quite a few teams with nothing to play for now, while there are some other teams that are playing to find their way into the playoffs or improve their seeding. How does that change betting on totals? In the long run, the games between teams fighting for a playoff spot have been better 'under' plays, while the games between teams with nothing to play for have been better 'over' plays.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, April 6, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/5/2017

If the Orlando Magic weren't already going to fire inept General Manager Rob Hennigan after this season as it was, something has happened that probably assured his fate. The team recently signed some dude named Patricio Garino to a contract and his agent tweeted a photo of the signing. No big deal right? Except you could see the Magic front office's whiteboard in the background and clearly read lists of names under potential free-agent and trade targets. The names of Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari and Atlanta Hawks power forward Paul Millsap were atop the Hybrid Free Agency column (hybrid referring to guys who can play multiple positions).

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, April 5, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/4/2017

Could the Toronto Raptors get back All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry on Wednesday? It's possible. He hasn't played since the All-Star Game because of a wrist injury and surgery but was a limited participant on practice on Monday. The Raptors are still a battle with Washington for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Now I'm not sure whether getting the No. 3 or 4 spot is better because it would depend on whether Cleveland finishes first or second. Even though the Cavs are scuffling, I'd imagine teams want to avoid LeBron James as long as possible in the postseason. The Raptors surely would like Lowry to work the rust off a few games before the playoffs begin. The team's beat reporter said he expects Lowry to return at some point this week.

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, April 4, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 4/3/2017

I'm an NBA junkie. So while Tuesday's Milwaukee at Oklahoma City game might not mean much to you or in the grand scheme of things, I'm pumped to see it. That's because I would argue the two best athletic marvels (OK, LeBron James is in a class of his own) in the league will be dueling here in the Greek Freak and Mr. Triple-Double. Of course, I'm referring to the Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thunder's Russell Westbrook. Both guys are breaking the mold when it comes to point guard play in the Association.

Free NBA Picks: Saturday, April 1, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/31/2017

Now that we are into the NBA's final month of the regular season and with just a couple of weeks left, this is a time to make a killing on wagers in my opinion. You should be able to easily identify which teams at this point are in Operation Shutdown to improve their draft lottery chances - OK, it's tough to handicap when those clubs play each other -- and which are still playing for something. There are five games on Saturday opposite the Final Four and only four teams in action still care: LA Clippers, Atlanta, Chicago and Portland.

Free NBA Picks: Friday, March 31, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/30/2017

I have a feeling the Detroit Pistons are going to look a lot different next season. The club is moving back downtown to share a new arena with the Red Wings, and owner Tom Gores is going to want to create some buzz for a new set of season-ticket holders. It's now starting to look like Gores made a mistake in giving Stan Van Gundy a five-year, $35 million contract three years ago to serve as coach and president of basketball operations.