12 NBA Handicapping Betting Tips from Expert NBA Handicappers
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A lot of other people in this industry focus their attention on high-pressure sales tactics and irresponsible betting practices. But at Doc's Sports we believe that there is a lot of money to be made in the sports investing market. So, our NBA handicappers keep their focus on results and showing their clients a profit. It's a win-win situation, and the foundation of our success: keep it simple.
We offer our clients top NBA predictions at one fair price. Our NBA handicappers release a full slate of NBA picks at 12:30 p.m. EST seven days a week. Every one of our NBA handicappers has a different style, but all have enjoyed vast success in professional basketball.
Here are 12 NBA handicapping tips from our team of experts:
DOC'S SPORTS - The NBA totals market is one of the most profitable aspects of NBA handicapping. For evidence of this, just compare the opening lines to the closing lines each night in the NBA - the totals numbers always move more drastically than the sides. Most common NBA bettors play sides and don't even mess around with totals. Sharp bettors are the people mostly playing totals. We like to follow beat writers for all the NBA teams. We check for new content on the Web sites of local papers, and most NBA beat writers are Twitter maniacs, so there is often the case where a team might try out a different style and pace in the middle of the season. If you can get in front of a trend like that before the general public, it can be very profitable. One example is the Orlando Magic a couple years ago. This was a strong defensive team and a horrible offensive squad for most of the early part of the season. At one point in the season they decided to play at the fastest pace in the NBA and really open the offense up. Of course, their scores skyrocketed, mostly for the opposition as they stopped playing any defense, and those of us that were vigilant reaped the benefits. This experiment in Orlando was short-lived, but this is a perfect example of how keeping up with team news can benefit your bankroll from a profit perspective.
ROBERT FERRINGO - I have a nickname for NBA betting: Thunderdome. Once you embrace the chaotic and seemingly arbitrary nature of NBA betting you're going to be all the better for it. NBA athletes are some of the most coddled, erratic and egotistical in all of sports. As a result, one of the biggest challenges is guessing who is going to come to play on a given night versus who is hungover after a late-night strip club jaunt. It can be infuriating. But my top tip is this: you can't be a good NBA bettor if you can't sniff out a trap line. If some high-scoring top team from the West is suddenly only a two-point favorite in some pit like Toronto or Charlotte on a random Tuesday in a game you expected the spread to be seven or eight then you need to walk away. This can be true in all sports. But being able to spot a trap line in pro basketball is absolutely crucial. Just because an NBA team "should" win easily doesn't mean that they always will.
GRIFFIN MURPHY - NBA is a great sport to capitalize on when it comes to sniffing out bad lines. You only need 2-4 basketball games a day. There are always trap lines in the NBA on a daily basis. You can look at a line and immediately find yourself questioning “why is that spread -17?”. Those are the games you want to capitalize on, the games that have you questioning why the spread is as close as it is, or as large as it is. Another gigantic piece to the puzzle is covering Home Court advantage. When you can find a powerhouse team that plays great at home with a tight Moneyline, that's a probability to always look to capitalize on. There are many hooks in the NBA, it's a trickery sport, but there are many hooks to sniff out.
RAPHAEL ESPARZA - There is no rest for the weary - not in the NBA. A big trend now occurring in the NBA is that the stars need rest. Teams coming off back-to-back nights or playing three games out of four nights are beginning to rest some starters. Why is that a tip you ask? Look at overnight numbers or early-morning numbers because usually teams don't announce players that are out for rest until early afternoon. A great way to find some soft numbers or betting underdogs and totals is waiting for the announcement of rested starters. While waiting, you can also find some outstanding 'middle' opportunities if teams decide to rest their starters.
STRIKE POINT SPORTS -The NBA is such a fickle sport as it can become a long and tedious adventure for teams that know that each game is truly not that significant. There are, however, a few things that bettors want to keep an eye on, as teams going on lengthy ATS winning streaks and the random East Coast/West Coast matchups. In the NBA, every season, teams go on double-digit ATS winning streaks, and typically they cover each and every one of those games quite easily. Watching NBA games as much as you can is truly important in this field. You cannot win in this sport if you just bet on the teams and track them on your phone. Watch teams as much as you can, and you will have a much better idea of which teams are playing at high levels and which ones are about to go on that huge romp through the league. The NBA is a grind, and it is an absolute endurance race. Don't get too down if you lose a sprint or two as the value is outlasting the season, and we here at SPS are one of the best in the nation at doing just that.
INDIAN COWBOY - We want to focus and share one main theory that we use in handicapping the NBA. It is called the "active underdog over theory". The active underdog theory is essentially taking an underdog that you believe will be an active underdog (either due to revenge against a team from an earlier season loss, coming off a double-digit loss, losing outright to a team they were heavily favored against, etc.) and taking the 'over' with this team. So you expect a team that is looking to exceed expectations over the line currently constructed for them. So anytime that you think a team that is an underdog is going to exceed expectations against a team then take the 'over'. This is because if the underdog is highly motivated as we discussed for revenge, coming off a double-digit loss, or losing outright to a team they were favored straight up against, then certainly they will be motivated to exceed the number of points they are expected to score in their next game.
SCOTT SPREITZER- There's nothing better than knowing you're about to sit down and handicap the next day's action, knowing that with your system, player matchups almost don't even matter. That's the case with the NBA. Pro basketball is about as situational as it gets for me, and I'd like to share one such situation. Are you at your very best the day after arriving home from a 10-day or more journey? Probably not. And most NBA players aren't either. Players off a lengthy road trip have distractions upon arriving at home, from unpacking to dealing with family, among other things. We never play on teams off a lengthy road-trip and often play against those teams. It's one of a few working situations with a long track record you may want to jot down and factor into your daily NBA handicapping.
TONY GEORGE - The NBA can be frustrating when laying a sizable number with a good team versus a bad team. You clearly know that Team A is better than Team B in numerous areas, including the man-to-man matchups and talent level, yet they fail to cover a large spread by a point or two. One way I have been able to capture wins against the spread is first-half lines in this scenario. You always have to worry about a team, like recently Golden State as an example, becoming complacent in the second half with a big lead or resting starters, thus blowing a big lead late and the lesser team getting the backdoor cover on a big number. To take this issue out of the equation, first half lines are usually 50 percent of what the total spread is, and many times a team will come out sharp and ready to play and the first half line in this scenario is easier to cover versus the whole game spread. In other words, laying 5 points on the halftime line is easier and less stressful than worrying about a 10- or 11-point whole game spread with other variables to worry about.
JASON SHARPE - I try to keep my focus on games with a spread of +2.5 to -2.5. There's no worse feeling than having a team you felt would win a game walking off the court smiling and happy for getting the win but it's a loser for you as they didn't win by enough points. I decided that I wanted to try and make sure that if my team did win the game then most likely my bet was also a winner, too. So now the only way that my team can win and I still lose my bet are those rare times when I have exactly a -2-point favorite that wins by just 1 point. Not only did this strategy change my entire mindset with betting on the NBA but it also took away most of my late-game stress also. I don't spend time now trying to figure out if a team I like is going to do enough to win by eight points or more because at that point there's way too much luck involved with my bet. Those days are more or less gone now as I get the feeling my team is playing the guys I expect right down to the last shot if their/my outcome is still in doubt.
VERNON CROY - The NBA is a different breed from college basketball betting because players in the NBA do take nights off. It is inevitable although they will deny it, but it does happen. Try to find good teams coming off an emotional road win where the odds in their next game make you think it is a lock and then bet against that team. I find games like this every week where the lines look off and then I dive into the game deeper to make sure the upset is highly probable. You can do the same is you have the time.
AUGUST YOUNG - When betting on the NBA, it’s vital to look out for situational trends and spots that have positive expected value. Then NBA betting markets are extremely efficient and considered by many to be the hardest to beat long-term. Fading the public in buy-low spots can be a good strategy. For example: betting on double-digit Eastern Conference away underdogs that are on a losing streak vs. an elite Western Conference opponent. This is because oddsmakers know where the public money will come and they inflate the line. Knowing this can help you take advantage of these buy-low spots.