NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Odds: Saturday, January 2 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 1/1/2016

So we have learned that the Golden State Warriors are quite vulnerable without MVP Steph Curry. They were blown out without Curry on Wednesday in Dallas and then opened as underdogs for the first time this season the next night in Houston. Golden State bounced back with a 114-110 win over the dysfunctional Rockets again without Curry. The team might get great news Saturday and not just on Curry possibly playing: the return of Coach Steve Kerr.

NBA Odds: Friday, January 1, 2016 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/31/2015

With tongue firmly planted in cheek, the most important game of New Year's Day in the NBA probably is Philadelphia at the Los Angeles Lakers. Toilet Bowl 2! They are clearly the two worst teams in the NBA, but the winner of this one, especially if it's the Sixers, could hold a crucial tiebreaker for the most ping-pong balls in the 2016 draft lottery. Also be aware that Philly owns the Lakers' 2016 first-rounder if it's outside the Top 3.

NBA Odds: Thursday, December 31 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/30/2015

I don't recommend backing the Phoenix Suns much the rest of the season. In Tuesday's Opening Line Report, I touched on the fact that Coach Jeff Hornacek is in trouble after he was forced to fire two assistants. At least then, Hornacek was expecting his best player, guard Eric Bledsoe, back after six weeks due to a torn meniscus.

NBA Odds: Wednesday, December 30 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/29/2015

Very plugged-in NBA reporter Howard Beck wrote around Christmas on how the Los Angeles Clippers are the most hated team in the NBA -- not so much by fans as they are incredibly entertaining but inside the league because they are considered complainers and floppers. And one of the main guys mentioned is Blake Griffin. So perhaps there might have been a few golf claps around the Association when it was announced Griffin would miss at least two weeks with a partially torn quad tendon.

NBA Odds: Tuesday, December 29 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/28/2015

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that the next NBA head coach likely to be fired was Memphis' Dave Joerger. He made a lineup change that seems to have spurred the team a bit, so Joerger might be safe for now. The new leader in the clubhouse is Phoenix's Jeff Hornacek. His team embarrassingly lost at home to the 76ers on Saturday and now the club's best player, guard Eric Bledsoe, is out indefinitely with a torn meniscus in his left knee.

NBA Odds: Friday, December 25 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/24/2015

I'm of the opinion that Christmas is the best day of the NBA regular season, hands down. And I also think it's when the Association should start the season as it did during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign. That way, you are clear of the college football regular season completely and near the end of the NFL's. And you could extend the NBA playoffs into late July, early August when the NFL training camps open.

NBA Betting Trends: Hot and Cold Teams Against the Point Spread
by Aaron Smith - 12/24/2015

While many have focused on the negatives, there have been some really nice surprises early in the NBA season as well. Charlotte sitting at 15-12 thus far is a big surprise to me. The Hornets have been a laughing stock in the past few seasons. How about the Orlando Magic at 16-12? Scott Skiles continues to do a great job with this young team. Detroit is at 17-12 on the year as well. Most expected them to be bad after Greg Monroe moved to Milwaukee. All three of these teams are the in the weaker Eastern Conference, but they have still outperformed expectations by a wide margin in the first couple months.

NBA Odds: Wednesday, December 23 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/22/2015

Maybe it's a good thing that the Chicago Bulls have three days off ahead of their Christmas Day game in Oklahoma City. Things aren't right with that team right now as Chicago is on a three-game losing streak -- no excuse for losing at home to Brooklyn on Monday -- and Jimmy Butler is already calling out rookie head coach Fred Hoiberg for not being hard enough on the guys. So basically calling him out for not being Tom Thibodeau, who was roundly criticized for riding his guys too hard. I have a feeling that if Hoiberg was given the chance over again, he would have stayed at Iowa State this year, a national title contender, and waited for a different NBA gig.

NBA Handicapping: Best and Worst Betting Teams after a Loss
by George Monroy - 12/22/2015

The NBA season can turn into a grind, particularly in the dog days of December and January when all eyes are focused on the football world. However, finding teams that display a bit of grit in the face of adversity can be a great way to make a profit before the season picks up steam in February and March. Let's take a closer look at the best and worst NBA ATS teams after a loss and figure out the smartest way to wager on each squad.

NBA Odds: Tuesday, December 22 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/21/2015

Here I thought I was done leading these stories about the pitiful Philadelphia 76ers. Apparently not as I just found out that the Sixers could become the first team in NBA history not to win at least twice by its 30th game -- which happens to be Tuesday for the 1-28 franchise. In addition, every team in league history has won at least three times through its 42nd game.

NBA Odds: Saturday, December 19 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/18/2015

Tuesday was an important day in the NBA because it was the date that players (also including most rookies) who signed over the summer, either with their same team or a new one, became eligible to be traded. And it's quite possible you see something before Christmas, although I wouldn't look for a blockbuster by then. The Sacramento Kings already have told Caron Butler they will trade him either right before or after Christmas to a team where he can have a larger role. Milwaukee, Butler's hometown team, is a good possibility. Minnesota would like to deal guard Kevin Martin.

NBA Odds: Friday, December 18 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/17/2015

Some interesting NBA scheduling thus far. The San Antonio Spurs, the preseason Western Conference favorites, have yet to play arguably the two other best teams in the West even though the season is more than a quarter of the way finished. Well, one of those issues is resolved on Friday when the Spurs host the Clippers. It's the first meeting between the teams since an epic seven-game first-round playoff series last year, won by the Clippers thanks to a running layup by Chris Paul over Tim Duncan's outstretched arm with one second left in Game 7.

NBA Betting Trends: Totals Report for Hot Over and Under Teams
by Aaron Smith - 12/17/2015

The Golden State Warriors finally lost a game. Don't think that means the team is looking human, though, because they are still putting up some ridiculous numbers. It does mean some of the other very good teams in the NBA are going to start getting a little more publicity in the coming weeks. The San Antonio Spurs are unbeaten at home on the year, and Gregg Poppovich's team is looking as good as ever right now.

NBA Odds: Thursday, December 17 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/16/2015

I don't know about you, but when LeBron James and Kevin Durant faced off in the 2012 NBA Finals, I figured that was just the first of many Finals matchup between them and that James vs. Durant would be this decade's signature Finals rivalry just like Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson was in the 1980s. And maybe it still will be, but James and Durant haven't met in the Finals since, and with how good Golden State looks, it might be a while for Durant gets back there -- that's if even stays in the Western Conference this summer when he becomes a free agent.

NBA Odds: Wednesday, December 16 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/15/2015

A Timberwolves-Knicks matchup last year would have been quite hard to watch because both teams were so terrible. This season, however, both are much improved and that's due largely to a couple of terrific rookies in Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns, the No. 1 overall pick, and New York's Kristaps Porzingis, who went No. 4. They share the court as professionals for the first time Wednesday night. I would say they are also the two leading candidates thus far for NBA Rookie of the Year honors. Towns and Porzingis were their respective conference's Rookie of the Month awards in November.

NBA Odds: Tuesday, December 15 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/14/2015

There are reports out there that Memphis Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger is in major trouble, to the point that if the Grizzlies lose at home to Washington on Monday night that Joerger could be canned as early as Tuesday. The Grizz have been disappointments at 13-12 entering the week. Memphis is now being outscored by 5.2 points per game, fourth worst in the Western Conference. Joerger made a curious move Saturday in bringing Tony Allen and Zach Randolph off the bench (Allen fine, but Randolph?).

NBA Odds: Saturday, December 12 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/11/2015

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich is an ornery cuss, and it's embarrassing how badly he treats reporters during those nationally televised games where Pop is mandated by the league to at least say one word to those reporters considering how much the TV networks pay the NBA. And usually all Pop does say is one word. Anyways, the guy is a Hall of Fame coach, without question. And I see his point in a way when talking about the 3-point shot: "I don't think it's basketball. I think it's kind of like a circus sort of thing. Why don't we have a 5-point shot? A 7-point shot? You know, where does it stop, that sort of thing."

NBA Odds: Friday, December 11 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 12/10/2015

Getting a little tired of writing about the Golden State Warriors, but there's clearly no other story worth even noting on nights the Dubs play. And they go for a 24-0 start Friday night in their lone trip to Boston -- the C's are a young, good defensive team with a realistic chance of an upset. Those chances would increase greatly if Warriors All-Star guard Klay Thompson has to sit out with a sprained ankle. Golden State has won 27 straight regular-season games dating back to last season, tying the 2012-13 Miami Heat for the second-longest streak in NBA history.

NBA Betting and Handicapping: Best Back-to-Back Teams for Wagering
by George Monroy - 12/9/2015

Wagering on NBA teams during the second night of a back-to-back can be a great situation to find some value during a long basketball season. Some teams struggle during those spots, while others excel, which is typically based on coaching, experience and age. The Golden State Warriors are one of the best squads on the second night of a back-to-back, but at this point during their epic run, you probably could have guessed that. Let's skip the defending champs, however, because we already know how good they are and need to focus on a few of the other groups excelling during back-to-backs.

NBA Betting Trends: Hot and Cold Teams Against the Point Spread
by Aaron Smith - 12/9/2015

The San Antonio Spurs are 18-4 so far this year, and nearly no one has been talking about them. That's how amazing the Golden State Warriors have been to start the year. What Golden State is doing is truly historic. You don't have to be a Warriors fan to appreciate their perfection through this point in the season. Not only is Golden State unbeaten on the year, but they are also 16-7 against the spread.