NBA Betting Report
Sportspic.com
In this week's Hoops Report our number crunching machine tells us the Phoenix Suns rule the roost at beating the betting line cashing tickets at a 64.7% clip on the season (33-17-1 ATS) followed by Pacers (32-20 ATS) then Raptors (31-20-1 ATS). No surprise the leagues worst two teams in the league, Bucks (20-32 ATS), Sixers (21-33 ATS) are the dregs against-the-spread.
Breaking the ATS numbers down further, Heat are not a very good choices as home chalk as they're 8-16 while Kings (4-10), Nuggets (4-11) can't be trusted laying points at home. When it comes to dogs that are all 'Bark No Bite' that falls to the Knicks at 7-19 including a dreaded 1-9 ATS when on home court.
Blazers continue to lead the league in scoring dropping an average 107.0 per/contest with Bucks, Bulls the worst at putting the ball through the hoop each at 92.3 PPG. On the defensive side, Pacers are number one in the league allowing 90.3 PPG with 76ers the worst surrendering a whopping 110.4 per/game.
Blazers with it's offensive fire-power rank as one of the best 'Over' teams at 33-19-1 O/U but it is interesting to note Pistons have been an 'Over' bettors dream posting a 36-16 O/U mark. Betting 'Under' when stingy Pacers hit the hardwood has proven to be a solid move as they're 21-30-1 to the 'Under'. The 'Under' has also been profitable when offensively challenged Bulls take the floor as they're 20-32 O/U on the year.
On a more recent note (14 Days) the best ATS teams have been Bucks and Mavericks at 5-1 ATS. The worst performers ATS the past two weeks are Knicks, Hawks, Nuggets all at 1-5 ATS.
From a total perspective Raptors have been a good 'Over' play the past 14 days (4-2 O/U) with Jazz (1-5 O/U) the choice for 'Under' players.
Finally, looking at non-conference matchups the Eastern Conference continues to be duds when running the hardwood vs the Western Conference going 111-196 SU on the campaign with a cash draining 138-165-4 mark at the betting window. A tired East team when these two Conferences collide is a recipe for disaster as the East is just 14-56 SU vs the West in back-2-back games cashing at a 40.0% clip (28-41-1 ATS)
This Week's Best NBA Bets
Covers.com
Each week, we look back on the NBA betting scene and give you the best - and worst - basketball bets, as well as some spots to keep an eye on with the upcoming schedule.
For the week of Feb. 10-16.
Hottest ATS - Cleveland Cavaliers (2-0 SU, 2-0 ATS)
The Cavaliers were the team that least wanted to see the All-Star Break come along. Despite having to play four games in a six-day stretch leading into the hiatus, Cleveland wound up putting together its best stretch of the season - winning all four games outright, despite being the underdog in all four. Point guard Kyrie Irving was the catalyst as usual - and fans should expect a strong start to the second half after he took home All-Star Game MVP honors in the East victory.
Coldest ATS - Atlanta Hawks (0-2 SU, 0-2 ATS)
It's officially panic time in Georgia with the Hawks falling below the .500 mark heading into the break. Atlanta managed to get by without center Al Horford (torn pectoral) for a while, but is starting to feel the crunch on offense as the long-range shots have stopped falling and aside from Paul Millsap, there is no inside scoring presence. The Hawks were blown out in back-to-back road games last week and have lost five in a row overall - both straight-up and against the spread. They've scored more than 85 points just once in that span.
Best Over play - New Orleans Pelicans (1-1 SU, 2-0 O/U)
You have to hand it to the New Orleans Pelicans - they like to mix it up. Consider their last 10 games going into the All-Star break, from oldest to most recent: four unders, followed by two overs, two unders and finally back-to-back overs. The Pelicans dropped a 108-101 decision in Toronto to open last week before bouncing back nicely in Milwaukee, prevailing 102-98. New Orleans has been one of the toughest over/under teams to read this season, and that will continue to be the case until they get key players Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson back.
Best Under play - Chicago Bulls (2-0 SU, 0-2 O/U)
The defensive-minded Bulls are at it again, reeling off three straight low-scoring victories to end the unofficial first half of the season on a high note. Tom Thibodeau's troops held the Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets all under 87 points in those victories and have played the under in eight of their last 10 games. Chicago has been the best under play in the entire NBA through 52 games - to no one's surprise - and will continue to be as long as defensive cogs Joakim Noah and Jimmy Butler remain healthy.
Surveying the schedule
With things back to normal this week, the Miami Heat have the most interesting schedule of all. The two-time defending NBA champions open the week with back-to-back games against their NBA Finals opponents from 2011 and 2012, respectively - facing the Mavericks in Dallas on Tuesday before wrapping up an interrupted six-game road trip in Oklahoma City on Thursday. Miami returns home to face Chicago on Sunday, and should expect a hard-fought game from the stingy Bulls.