Three Up, Three Down: Hot and Cold NBA Bets
By SCOTT COOLEY
While the Lakers and Celtics remain the class of the Association, it’s been the small market teams like the Kings and Thunder that have been the most lucrative. Covers.com examines a trio of teams to avoid and three teams to keep an eye on this week.
Up
Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder are playing with the cohesion of true professionals and the exuberance of kids on a playground. The youth can be attributed to the fact that the starting five only have 13 years of NBA experience.
With the scoring trifecta of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green, as well as the emergence of rookie James Harden, Oklahoma City does not quit late in games. Only two losses this year have come by a margin of 15 points or more and those were at the hands of the Celtics and Lakers.
Entering Sunday’s action, the Thunder are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games. OK City will be a dog at Denver on Monday and at home to Dallas on Wednesday.
Down
Cleveland Cavaliers: It’s tough to fade a team with LeBron James on it, but the Cavaliers are just not exerting maximum effort at this point in the season.
Even King James said it himself, "It is good to play well now, but at the same time we do not want to reach our peak. Closer to playoff time is when we really want to start dominating."
Cleveland is getting off to sluggish starts, having been outscored by nine and 13 points in the first half of its last two games while going 0-3 ATS in its last three. The Cavs will likely be double-digit favorites in their next three matchups against the Nets, 76ers and Bucks.
Up
Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love being inserted back into the lineup almost makes the Timberwolves an automatic play on team. Not because Minnesota is going to start winning a ton of games, but because they will continue to be undervalued by oddsmakers and public with a 3-21 record.
Love coupled with Al Jefferson allows the T-Wolves put one of the best power forward tandems in the league on the floor. Minny is 7-1 ATS in its last eight games and will try to improve on that mark against the Jazz, Clippers and Kings this week.
Down
Toronto Raptors: The Raptors cannot play defense and Chris Bosh wants out of Toronto. Point guard Jose Calderon only lasted seven minutes in his return from a hip injury until he was back at the hospital and Hedo Turkoglu has not been the same player after coming off a career year in Orlando.
To add insult to injury, the fan base has been non-existent in Toronto this season with the team only selling out three of 11 home games. Needless to say, the Raptors glass of water only has a few drops in it right now.
Up
Houston Rockets: Sans superstars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, the Rockets are 13-10 and playing sound, fundamental basketball under Rick Adelman.
Houston has a ton of depth with young players like Carl Landry, Kyle Lowery and Chase Budinger eager to prove their worth coming off the bench. The Rockets are 5-2 straight up and ATS in their last seven and will be getting points in road games against Dallas and Denver this week.
Down
New Orleans Hornets: Bettors that have backed the Hornets since Chris Paul’s return are broke. In the last four games with Paul in the lineup, New Orleans is 0-4 ATS. The team’s spreads are being inflated by the books based on Paul’s return as if this were the same team it was the last two seasons, and it isn’t.
The Hornets defense is still searching for its identity, ranking 23rd in the league (102.7 ppg), and needs to quickly with the Mavericks, Pistons and Nuggets on deck.