NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Handicapping: Teams with Fading Playoff Hopes
by Trevor Whenham - 12/1/2016

The NBA isn't even a quarter of the way through the season. It's a baby. If it was human it wouldn't be able to dress itself alone. Yet, for some teams we have already seen too much - or at least enough to know what we have. Yes, on the first day of December I feel confident enough to deem the seasons of eight teams - four in each conference - over already. They are already playing out the string and building towards next year. It's not happening this year.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/30/2016

I don't want to make a blanket statement in saying that you should totally bet against the Memphis Grizzlies and go under their totals for the next six weeks or so because it obviously depends on the opponent. But I'm certainly going to be leaning that way most nights with the news that Grizzles point guard Mike Conley is likely going to miss that much time with a transverse process fracture in his vertebrae suffered Monday against Charlotte.

NBA Betting Advice Handicapping: Hot and Cold Teams ATS
by Victor Ryan - 11/29/2016

James Harden in Mike D'Antoni's fast-paced offensive system has been a match made in basketball heaven. The enigmatic Harden has done it all for the Rockets this season, including dishing out an NBA-high 12.2 assists per game. It was just last season that Harden took "isolation" basketball to a whole other level, consistently dribbling down the shot clock before hoisting the rock while his teammates stood and watched.

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/29/2016

You won't see Pacers superstar Paul George on Wednesday night when Indiana visits Portland to begin a five-game road trip through the Western Conference. George has missed the past two and five of the last six games with an ankle injury that has been bothering George since at least Nov. 11, when he first missed a contest against the Boston Celtics because of the injury. George got off to a great start this season but is just 19-for-56 in his past three games that he has played.

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/28/2016

More bad news for the terrible Dallas Mavericks, who are clearly going to finish with their first losing season since 1999-2000. Future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki, easily the best player in franchise history, could miss some time again -- or at least is going to sit occasional games into next month. He returned from an eight-game absence due to a strained Achilles on Wednesday and also played Friday but then sat out Sunday.

Free NBA Picks: Friday, Nov. 25, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/24/2016

One month exactly until Christmas on Friday and here's a holiday treat for you on Black Friday: every single NBA team will play after the league went dark on Thanksgiving. That's a very rare phenomenon in the Association when all 30 clubs are in action. You also almost never see it in the NHL, either. All 32 teams in the NFL generally only all play on the same day in Week 17. It's nothing new in Major League Baseball as every team is in action every Tuesday, Wednesday and all weekend for the most part. So enjoy the NBA extravaganza with those turkey leftovers on Friday!

NBA Handicapping: Warriors Struggling ATS but as Good as Ever on Court
by Trevor Whenham - 11/24/2016

The Warriors. What a story. Over the last couple years they were pretty much all that any basketball fan was talking about. Then they were humiliated in the finals by Cleveland last year. So, instead of feeling sorry for themselves they went out and got one of the three best players in the league - and they already had one of them on the team. It was shocking and controversial. But will it work? Well, it's anecdotal, but as I sit here writing this the team is just wrapping up a game against the Lakers - a game in which they scored 149 freaking points against a reasonably solid team and won by 43. 43 freaking points.

NBA Handicapping: How to bet the Phoenix Suns
by Trevor Whenham - 11/23/2016

The Suns blew everything up and went really, really young. The storyline is supposed to be a happy one - they land a few budding stars, play tough basketball, and start their climb into contention. So far, though, that just hasn't been the case this year. They get scored on at will and have managed just four wins through 15 games. Only the Mavericks have fewer wins with 2, and Dallas is a special kind of awful this year.

NBA Handicapping: How to bet the Dallas Mavericks
by Trevor Whenham - 11/23/2016

What a mess. We knew that the Dallas Mavericks were likely not going to be as good as they have been in recent years this season. They have made plenty of changes the last couple of seasons but have seemed to struggle to keep up with the best of the West. Even the most pessimistic out there, though, couldn't have expected this. Their 2-11 record gives them two less wins than every team in the league. The freaking Sixers and Nets are looking down on Dallas. Just think about that for a second.

Free NBA Betting Picks: Season-Long Utah Jazz Analysis and Expert Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 11/23/2016

We are a few games shy of the quarter-pole for the NBA regular season, and things could not be going any worse right now for the Utah Jazz. A team that many - including myself - thought could make some noise in the Western Conference currently sits in ninth place with a record of 7-8. The Jazz have been done in by an injury-filled start to the season, with several key players missing time or trying to play through injury.

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/22/2016

You looking for possibly the best individual rivalry for the next five years at least in the NBA? I give you former Rookies of the Year and No. 1 overall picks from Kentucky: the Pelicans' Anthony Davis and Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns. Before last season, when NBA GMs were polled on who they would build their team around, Davis was the majority pick. This year, that answer was Towns after his historic rookie season.

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 11/22/2016

The biggest game in the Big Ten this season takes place this Saturday in Columbus between No. 3 Michigan and No. 2 Ohio State. This could actually be the biggest matchup of the entire college football season given what is at stake for a number of teams in terms this year's College Football Playoff. In this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza, we will get his take on how he sees things playing out between these two bitter rivals.

Free NBA Picks: Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/21/2016

The Sacramento Kings don't play Tuesday, but if you believe new coach Dave Joerger then you might want to start hitting the "over" totals on Kings games. Joerger was fed up with the early losing and moved to a smaller lineup, where DeMarcus Cousins shifts from power forward to center while shifting center Kosta Koufos to the bench, and play faster. Joerger is starting games with two point guards in Darren Collison and Ty Lawson alongside Cousins, Matt Barnes and Rudy Gay. It also means even less time for second-year center Willie Cauley-Stein, who already wants a trade.

Free NBA Picks: Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/18/2016

The worst game on the NBA schedule Saturday night is easily Phoenix at Philadelphia, two teams who are in full-blown rebuild/tank mode (albeit with some intriguing young players). Both the Suns and 76ers are likely to finish last or close to it in their respective conferences, something that Philly is very familiar with. But this is a good year to be lousy. The current crop of NCAA basketball freshmen is considered to be one of the best in many years. Thus, winning next summer's draft lottery could be a boon to any franchise. So while Saturday's game looks ugly on paper, one extra win/loss could be huge for both clubs regarding the future.

NBA Handicapping: Lakers a Hot Wager to Start New Season
by Trevor Whenham - 11/18/2016

The NBA season is young, but one of the big revelations so far has been the L.A. Lakers. For the last few years they have been almost completely unwatchable. Just plain bad. We knew things were going to be different this year, but only the most optimistic could have expected this - they are one of the most exciting teams to watch in the league. At 7-5 they are in the heart of the Western Conference playoff picture, and it doesn't entirely feel like a fluke. So, what is going on in La La Land? And can they keep it up? Should bettors trust them or be skeptical? Here are five factors to consider when pondering these questions:

Free NBA Picks: Friday, Nov. 18, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/17/2016

You don't think of Warriors-Celtics as a great NBA rivalry, but I don't know that two teams played two better regular-season games against one another last season -- and they renew acquaintances on Friday night. When Golden State visited Boston it was 23-0 and frankly should have lost but didn't, prevailing 124-119 in double overtime.

NBA Betting Trends: Totals Report for Hot Over and Under Teams
by Aaron Smith - 11/16/2016

The Los Angeles Clippers have played like the best team in the NBA so far this year. What's been the difference? The Clippers are rated first in the NBA in defensive efficiency, and it isn't even close. This team is buying in on the defensive end, and if they can stay healthy this year, the Clippers will be a very tough out in the postseason. Cleveland is doing a nice job taking care of business in the Eastern Conference.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/16/2016

Great news regarding the NBA owners and NBA Players' Association on the new collective bargaining agreement as we will avoid any potential lockout. Apparently the sides have agreed on all the major details of a new deal, and it could be announced within a couple of weeks. Either side can opt out of the current deal by Dec. 15, and if that happened we might be headed for labor trouble next summer. But the NBA is wading in cash with the new TV deals and a surge in popularity. So neither side wants to mess with that.

NBA Betting Advice: Best and Worst Teams for ATS Wagering
by Victor Ryan - 11/16/2016

The first three-plus weeks of the NBA season has gone largely to form. The Cavaliers, Hawks and Raptors lead the way in the Eastern Conference, while out West the Clippers (10-1)-off to the best start in franchise history-are running just ahead of the Warriors (8-2) and Spurs (8-3).

Free NBA Picks: Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 11/15/2016

The New Orleans Pelicans have been an injury-ravaged mess for much of the early season, but they could become more competitive as soon as Wednesday night if Jrue Holiday returns. He has been away from his team since the preseason to tend to his wife, former US women's national team soccer player Lauren Holiday, as she recovers from the birth of the couple's first child and surgery to remove a benign tumor from the right side of her brain. She's apparently doing very well and thus Holiday is set to make his debut either Wednesday or Friday.