NBA Top 5: The Best Over/Under Trends In 2010
By JON KUIPERIJ
You weren't the only one making resolutions on New Year's Eve.
It seems some teams in the NBA have also committed to improving their style in 2010. Some teams' resolutions may have been to play at a quicker pace, while others appear to have focused on tightening up defensively.
Here's a look at the NBA's top over/under team trends since the calendar turned.
Washington Wizards (5-12 over/under since Jan. 1)
There haven't been many shootouts at the Verizon Center lately - outside of the Wizards' locker room, at least. (Insert laugh track here).
Since Gilbert Arenas' infamous gun-toting showdown with teammate Javaris Crittenton on Christmas Eve, the Wizards have been struggling to put the ball in the basket. Washington has eclipsed the 100-point plateau only three times in its last 12 games.
Those scoring woes were evident once again in the Wizards' last game, a 99-88 loss to the Boston Celtics Monday. Washington carried a four-point lead into the fourth quarter before making only two of 18 field-goal attempts in the final frame.
Hoisting bad, contested jumpers has been a season-long problem for the Wiz. The issue hasn’t slowed down with Arenas, a notorious chunker, out of the lineup.
Portland Trail Blazers (11-5)
Oddsmakers overcompensated for injuries Portland endured over the past month.
Despite being without star guard Brandon Roy (hamstring) and others for much of January, the Trail Blazers have gone over the total in six of their last seven games and 11 of their 16 contests last month.
Scoring from LaMarcus Aldridge, Jerryd Bayless and even the antiquated Andre Miller (52 points Saturday against the Mavericks) has been a factor. But so have the books, who haven't posted a total over 196 in any of the Blazers' past 16 games - likely wary of Portland's fourth-ranked defense.
Sacramento Kings (5-11)
The return of Kevin Martin to the Kings' lineup was supposed to spark Sac-Town’s offense. Instead, the Kings have been scuffling since the shooting guard returned last month from a broken wrist injury.
Eleven of the last 16 Sacramento games have gone under the total, and the numbers could have been even more extreme. Two of the Kings' games went over by a point, while their 112-109 loss Monday in Denver would have gone under if the game hadn't gone to overtime.
Martin averaged only 17 points per game in January, a far cry from his 24.6 average last season.
The total has been posted at 200 or higher in 18 of the Kings' past 20 games due to Sacramento's 27th-ranked defense.
Charlotte Bobcats (11-6)
The Charlotte attack has made a lot of progress since opening the regular season with a 59-point effort in Boston.
Larry Brown's Bobcats still rank 28th in offense, but they've been setting the nets on fire of late. Charlotte has scored 100-plus points in six of its last 10 games, thanks largely to offensive-minded forward Stephen Jackson.
The Bobcats' strong defense (second in points against) generally keeps totals in the low 190s or lower, adding value for over bettors.
Philadelphia 76ers (4-11)
First-year Philly coach Eddie Jordan continues to struggle finding an offensive game plan that will work for the Sixers.
Jordan has tried many different lineups and rotations this season, all with little success. Even the midseason acquisition of Allen Iverson hasn't been The Answer.
The Sixers have failed to score 100 points in regulation time in 10 of their last 11 games. Not coincidentally, 10 of those 11 games went under the total.
Oddsmakers still seem to respect the Sixers’ offense, however. Only five of Philly's 47 games this season have had posted totals of lower than 190.