NBA First Half Betting Review: Western Conference
Atssportsline.com
Here is a look at the first half of the NBA. There were some surprises but for the most part, the best teams from last season are the best teams from this season. Injuries were a factor in Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Indiana and Washington, yet four of the five teams are in contention. Here’s a look at the latest standings as of 2/12/13 and brief analysis of the first half. The NBA All-Star game weekend starts on Feb. 15 from Houston. Also listed are each team’s records and NBA Championship odds from 5dimes.
Western Conference
1) San Antonio Spurs (41-12 SU, 30-21-2 ATS, +600). The Spurs have the deepest team in the league. How many teams can lose their best two of three players (Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili) and still win 13 of 14. Tony Parker is taking over and playing the best ball in his career. Duncan was playing well before the knee sprain and Ginobili (12.5ppg, 4.5apg) is on the decline but still valuable when healthy. The key will be the play of Tiago Splitter (10.6ppg, 5.9rpg) in the second half.
2) Oklahoma City Thunder (39-12 SU, 31-18-2 ATS, +300). The Thunder won four straight games by 21+ points after a bad loss at CLeveland. Kevin Durant won’t win the MVP award and Russell Westbrok adds 22.5ppg and 8.1apg. The bench is still good with Kevin Martin (15.3ppg) coming off and with a year of experience, it would be a shocker if they don’t meet up with the Heat in the Finals.
3) Los Angeles Clippers (37-17 SU, 30-24 ATS, +850). The Clippers have gotten through their bad injury bug, having spent nine games without All-Star guard Chris Paul. Jamal Crawford was a great pick up for the bench, that is one of the best in the NBA. They could use an improved low post game.
4) Memphis Grizzlies (32-18 SU, 29-20-1 ATS, +4000). The Grizzlies needed money so they dealt away Rudy Gay for Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye. Prince averages 11ppg for his new team and his a better defender. They’ll lean on the post duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph but their guards just don’t score enough. But is that enough to keep Denver from taking over the number four spot?
5) Denver Nuggets (33-19 SU, 31-21 ATS, +3500). The Nuggets had won nine straight games before losing to Boston in triple overtime. The Nuggets are scoring at will as Danilo Gallinari has finally recovered his shooting stroke and Ty Lawson pushes the ball as well as any guard in the league. Kenneth Faried is a rebounding monster, averaging 12.3ppg and 9.7 rebounds.
6) Golden State Warriors (30-21 SU, 27-23-1 ATS, +5500). The Warriors have had a great first half, but they’ve fallen recently thanks to injuries and a lack of defense. It’s tough when your big man Andrew Bogut can’t play back-to-back games. Losing valuable guard Jarrett Jack hasn’t helped either. They aren’t contenders but they could win 50 games.
7) Utah Jazz (28-24 SU, 24-27-1 ATS, +2000). The Jazz are 19-6 at home and 9-18 on the road. They have 12 wins in games in which it trailed by at least 10 points. They have played well as of late, with a 13-5 record but they just can’t seem to play well enough on the road.
8) Houston Rockets (28-25 SU, 28-24-1 ATS, +9000). The Rockets are one of the big surprises in the Western Conference. They have the youngest team in the league and the addition of James Harden really spruced up this franchise. Jeremy Lin is a solid starter who showed he’s no fluke but also no star. Now if they learn to play defense...
9) Portland Trailblazers (25-26 SU, 22-27-2 ATS, +30000). The Blazers have an excellent rookie in point guard Damian Lillard. They can’t play on the road (8-18 SU) and a loss to Orlando mean they fell below .500 for first time in 2013. LaMarcus Aldridge could use some more help up front and the bench is a bit weak.
10) LA Lakers (24-28 SU, 21-30-1 ATS, +2200). The Lakers are the most disappointing team this year. With Pau Gasol gone for a month or more, they could use a big deal before the trade deadline. At 9-18 on the road, this is their most road losses at the All-Star break since the 1977-78 season. It’s now or never for the Lake Show.
11) Dallas Mavericks (22-29 SU, 29-22 ATS, +25000). The Mavs need to shake things up. This is a bad basketball team who plays well on the road. Injuries and age have caught up. O.J. Mayo was a nice pickup but that’s not enough. Mark Cuban must be close to pulling the trigger on a few deals.
12) Minnesota Timberwolves (19-30 SU, 21-26-2 ATS, +50000). The T-Wolves are done thanks to the injury to Kevin Love. Ricky Rubio appears to be back in form and that’s good news. Minnesota is 4-17 in 2013, which is third-worst in the NBA. They can’t compete until Love returns.
13) Sacramento Kings (19-33 SU, 21-29-2 ATS, +250000). The only question is whether this team will be in Seattle this year. DeMarcus Cousins is a pain, but he can play. Their guards are mediocre at best.
14 ) New Orleans Hornets (18-34 SU, 29-23 ATS, +250000). The “Pelicans” do have an upside led by Anthony Davis. Point guard Greivis Vasquez has been terrific and now is tied for the league lead with at least 10 points and 10 assists with 19. They are fun to watch but not consistent.
15) Phoenix (17-35 SU, 20-29-3 ATS, +500000). The Suns fired Alvin Gentry and now they are heading towards a top lottery pick. They did win in Memphis somehow but also scored 69 points against Oklahoma City. This is not a very athletic Suns team, which is not the way they usually play.