Fact or Fiction
By Mike Rose
VegasInsider.com
NBA betting fans have a short week to work with this week, as there are just a few days' worth of games before the All-Star Break. Check out some of the most important bits of fact and fiction that you should be aware of going into the final week of games before the league's intermission.
FACT
Rudy Gay Will Take the Raptors to the Playoffs: Part of the reason that we believe in the Raps is because we think they are going to make another big move at some point before the deadline. However, Gay is averaging over 23 points per game since joining the club, and he really has helped turned the tide of this franchise. It's still a long climb back into the race for the second season, but the seven games isn't the end of the world in the lousy Eastern Conference.
The Nuggets' Home ATS Record: The Nuggs are just out of this world when they're playing in the Pepsi Center. They went a whopping 6-0 straight up and 5-1 against the spread on this most recent home stand that just wrapped up on Thursday night, and they are now an out-of-this-world 17-8 ATS at home for the season.
The Golden State Warriors Being Legitimate NBA Finals Contenders: Keep a very close eye on the Warriors as we enter the All-Star Break. This team has 30 wins and is in sixth place in the Western Conference right now. However, Golden State is starting to get healthy, and it has already played 29 road games this year, as opposed to 22 home games. The stats don't lie. The Warriors are 13-9 ATS at home and 14-14-1 ATS on the road. This is a team to watch out for as a potentially legitimate contender to win it all this year.
FICTION
Boston's Winning Streak: We just don't see this continuing. Sure, the C's have won and covered seven of eight games without G Rajon Rondo in the fold. However, is this team really legitimate? Remember that the club was just 14-26-3 ATS, the worst mark in the league before this winning streak, and we still can't imagine that this team is better off without Rondo than with him.
The Wizards' SU Victories: We love the Wizards as a great ATS team, especially as big time underdogs. However, we think that the oddsmakers are starting to catch on, and there is reason to believe that this team is going to start to hit the skids in the second-half. Washington still averages just 91.2 points per game, and it is saving a lot of points on the other end of the court. Teams are shooting just 72.6 percent from the charity stripe against this outfit. Once that improves, the ATS defeats are probably coming right behind it, especially knowing that the team has won three in a row SU.
Huge Names Will Shake Up the NBA at the Deadline: Since we're talking about the All-Star Break, we may as well discuss the trade deadline, too since that's right around the corner as well. Names like F Carlos Boozer, F Andrea Bargnani, F Josh Smith, and so many others have been dangled around like pawns. Will some get traded? Sure. It's very possible. However, we don't think that there is another move out there that is going to have the same sort of impact that the Gay-to-Toronto deal had for both the Raptors (positively) and the Grizzlies (negatively).