NBA Handicapping Articles

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, March 8, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/7/2017

Some around the NBA believe that the Golden State Warriors didn't repeat last season partly because of the Boston Celtics, specifically C's coach Brad Stevens. You see, Stevens seemed to show a blueprint how to beat the record-setting Warriors. Boston went to Oakland last April 1 and upset the Warriors 109-106, ending their NBA-record 54-game winning streak in the regular season at Oracle Arena.

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, March 7, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/6/2017

Thanks largely to Russell Westbrook's 30 and James Harden's 15, the NBA season already has set a record for total triple-doubles. It happened Saturday when San Antonio beat Minnesota in overtime and the Timberwolves' Ricky Rubio had 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. It was the 79th triple-double this season and Rubio was the 21st player with at least one. The previous mark of 78 was set in 1988-89. Magic Johnson led the NBA with 17 that season and Michael Jordan had 15. The way Westbrook is going, we could see 100 triple-doubles.

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

I haven't seen NBA Rookie of the Year odds at any of Doc's listed sportsbooks for a few weeks. It's tough with odds like those because they often are only active for a day or two. They should be posted again very soon now that there's clarity on Philadelphia's Joel Embiid being ruled out the rest of the season. He had been a -2000 favorite the last time I saw the odds. I will be very interested to see the new numbers because can the NBA's top rookie play just 31 games and not even 30 minutes in any of those?

Free NBA Picks: Friday, March 3, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/2/2017

The knee strain and bone bruise Kevin Durant suffered on Tuesday night at Washington that will keep him out at least four weeks really should only affect one of your futures tickets regarding the Golden State Warriors: their season wins total. Coming out of the All-Star break, the Dubs were given a total of 67.5 wins at 5Dimes. I thought they might come just under that because Coach Steve Kerr was going to make sure his stars were rested and fresh entering the playoffs after chasing 73 wins last season backfired a bit. Now I think the Warriors (50-10 entering Thursday) will finish surely under and absolutely will not become the first team with back-to-back 70-win seasons.

NBA Betting Trends: Totals Report for Hot Over and Under Teams
by Aaron Smith - 3/2/2017

The NBA All-Star Game and break are in the rear-view mirror. As a fan of basketball, I have to say I'm glad to see things back to the normal instead of seeing the zero defense from the All-Star Game. The competitions on Saturday night have more entertainment value to me than the actual NBA All Star Game.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, March 2, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/1/2017

The Toronto Raptors don't play Thursday, but I want to address the bad news this week from north of the border as the team's best player, point guard Kyle Lowry, had wrist surgery on Tuesday to remove "loose bodies." The team didn't give an official timetable, only that the "aim" is for Lowry to return for the playoffs. That sounds rather ominous. Lowry hurt the wrist on Feb. 15 but decided to play in the All-Star Game and compete in the Three-Point Contest.

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, March 1, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 2/28/2017

I'm thinking that Knicks boss Phil Jackson won't be getting any NBA Executive of the Year votes. His three big moves this past offseason were trading for Derrick Rose and signing free agents Brandon Jennings and Joakim Noah. Those around the NBA scoffed when Jackson essentially bid against himself and gave Noah, who looked completely shot last year with the Bulls, a four-year, $72 million contract. Noah has been terrible this season and it's now apparently over as he is to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery.

NBA Handicapping: Williams Signing Makes Rockets a Force
by Trevor Whenham - 2/28/2017

The Houston Rockets have been viewed for much of the season as one of the Big 3 in the Western Conference, though few probably give them much of a chance against the Warriors, and they even stack up behind the Spurs in the eyes of many. In adding Lou Williams from the Lakers at the trade deadline, though, they have clearly signaled that they aren't content to be just an also-ran and that they don't necessarily believe that they have to lie down and accept the superiority of San Antonio and Golden State - which is what every other team in the West has already done.

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 2/27/2017

Could last week's trade deadline have gone any better for Cleveland? No, the Cavs didn't make a deal after earlier acquiring Kyle Korver, but the Celtics, the presumed top challenger to Cleveland in the East, didn't get better by landing a Paul George or Jimmy Butler. In addition, the Mavericks were unable to trade Deron Williams so he took a buyout and signed with the Cavs. Dallas did deal Andrew Bogut to Philadelphia, but he's taking a buyout and now expected to sign with Cleveland too.

NBA Handicapping: Playoff Races Shaping Up in East and West
by Trevor Whenham - 2/27/2017

The All-Star Game and trade deadline has passed, so we are shifting into the home stretch of this NBA season. The playoffs are still a little ways off, but the picture of which teams will be playing in them is getting clearer. The playoff race is obviously of great interest to bettors. Teams with something serious on the line can play with heightened intensity. Teams with little on the line could find it hard to reach their full potential. It makes sense, then, to take a close look at the races as they shape up in both conferences:

Free NBA Picks: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 2/24/2017

Pretty underwhelming trade deadline day Thursday. The Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics all were pushing hard for Paul George, but the Pacers decided to keep him -- even though it's no secret around the NBA that George will return to his hometown of L.A. when he hits free agency after next season. Boston also tried to get Jimmy Butler, but the Bulls weren't about to take a low-ball DeMarcus Cousins-type offer.

NBA Betting Advice: Are San Antonio Spurs a Serious Championship Contender?
by Trevor Whenham - 2/24/2017

I will fully admit that I was expecting the Spurs season this year to look more like two years ago than last year. I should know better by now. Two years back they still won well over 60 percent of their games, but they were third in their division and lost to the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. Anything could obviously still happen going forward, but that doesn't seem like what will happen now.

NBA Handicapping and Betting: Memphis Grizzlies Quietly Getting Job Done
by Trevor Whenham - 2/24/2017

The Memphis Grizzlies are almost an invisible team. They rarely show up in national discussions and just aren't at the center of any buzz. You could forget that they are even in the league a lot of the time. Yet here they sit with a .586 win percentage, which makes them a playoff lock. They are a decent, solid squad - even if most casual fans don't notice.

Free NBA Picks: Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 2/23/2017

Have you ever wanted to fire one of your siblings? I'm not sure how Jeanie Buss was able to fire brother Jim this week - and GM Mitch Kupchak -- from his role in running the Lakers since both kids are owners of the team, but the move was clearly overdue. Jeanie didn't waste any time in installing Magic Johnson as the team president, a move we all saw coming a couple of weeks ago when Magic was hired as a consultant.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 2/22/2017

I am still in utter disbelief that the Sacramento Kings traded All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. Not so shocked that Cousins was moved as the Kings clearly didn't trust him from a character standpoint to give him a $200-plus million super-max extension this summer (he's signed through 2017-18 but can sign an extension this summer). Getting traded will cost Cousins some $30 million, by the way, because of the new CBA rules and the difference of what his original team and new team can offer. I just can't believe all the Kings could get were Buddy Hield, the Pelicans' 2017 first-round pick and some garbage.

NBA Trade Deadline Potential Buyers 2017
by Trevor Whenham - 2/20/2017

The NBA trade deadline, which comes our way on Thursday, got a whole lot more interesting on Sunday night when the New Orleans Pelicans acquired DeMarcus Cousins. Well, stole Cousins is a more accurate term, because people have gone to jail for far smaller acts of thievery than the Pelicans pulled off in that stunner. They proved that any team can be a buyer in the NBA if they are presented with a deal that is good enough - and getting a Top 15 NBA player while giving up a 23-year-old rookie who isn't developing quickly, a very replaceable veteran and a first- and second-round pick is a deal any team would take.

2017 NBA All-Star Game Expert Betting Picks and Best Prop Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 2/17/2017

The NBA All-Star festivities get underway tonight in New Orleans with the ever-polarizing NBA Celebrity All-Star Game followed up by the Rising Stars Challenge. Both games are garnering a bit more attention this year compared to prior years, but as we all know this is just an appetizer for the main course that is the real All-Star Game. This year, we get to see the East All-Stars taking on the Golden State Warriors (essentially).

2017 NBA 3-Point Contest Odds and Expert Betting Picks
by Chris Vasile - 2/16/2017

With all due respect to NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, the 3-point contest is usually the best event of the weekend. While everyone clamors about the excitement that is the Slam Dunk Contest, this event is when the superstars come out and shine.

NBA Handicapping: First-Round Playoff Exit Probably Ceiling for OKC Thunder
by Trevor Whenham - 2/16/2017

There was no shortage of stories about the potential fate of the Oklahoma City Thunder after Kevin Durant ditched them for the brighter lights of San Francisco. So, now that they have played 57 games without their superstar, how are things going for the Thunder? About how you would expect, I suspect. They aren't a bad team, but they aren't nearly the squad they were with two massively-elite players.

NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest Odds and Expert Betting Picks
by Chris Vasile - 2/15/2017

Zach LaVine is in some pretty elite company. He is just the fourth player to successfully defend his NBA Slam Dunk title. He joins the likes of some of the best high-flyers to have ever played the game. Michael Jordan went back-to-back in 1987-88, Jason Richardson did it in 2002-03, and little Nate Robinson turned the trick in 2009-10. Everything was set for LaVine to attempt to become the first player in NBA history to win three dunk titles in a row, but he declined the invite. If you are a believer in Karma then you should know what happens next. On Feb. 3, LaVine tore his ACL and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.