Who's Hot, and Who's Not
By ASA
In terms of sports betting, we’ve compiled a list of several teams that are either on the rise, or on the decline in the NBA. Keep your eyes open for favorable match-ups as you’ll likely be able to find some line value with/against these teams. We also included various notes about teams/trends that will assist you in your NBA wagering.
HOT
After starting the season with a 1-8 record, Memphis has completely turned things around. They’ve gone 16-8 (and more recently, 7-1) to get back above .500 and be in early talks as a surprise playoff contender. They’ve scored over 100 points in ten of the last eleven games and boast the overall 5th ranked offense in the NBA.
The Spurs are 11-3 SU after their alarmingly mediocre start to the season (9-9). They are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 and it looks like the Spurs are bound for the playoffs for the 13th straight year. Ten of their next 14 games are at home so expect them to be favored a lot in their upcoming games.
Charlotte is playing good basketball right now. They’ve won five of their last seven games and are 9-3 ATS in their last 12. They are still three games below .500 for the season, but the time is now if they want to make a move as six of their next seven games are at home (12-4 SU this season).
NOT
The Celtics are just 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games. They’ve recently been bitten by the injury bug with Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett all missing time due to injury. They recently lost three straight games for the first time since January of 2009.
Denver is another team that can accredit their recent struggles to a horde of injuries to key players. Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Anderson have each missed time. They are just 3-11 ATS and just 6-8 SU in their past 14 games. They are fortunate that 7 of their next 9 games are at home, where they are 14-3 SU this season.
Atlanta jump started the season on an 11-1 ATS run. They continued that hot streak to a 19-6 ATS start in the first 25 games, but they’ve hit a bump in the road. In the last eight games, they've had a four game losing streak and are just 2-6 SU and 3-5 ATS.
Boston, Denver and Atlanta’s recent struggles are all miniscule when compared to the issues that the Detroit Pistons are currently facing. Detroit has lost 10 games in a row and they are 1-9 ATS in that stretch. They have the 2nd worst defense in the NBA. It won’t get much easier for the poor Pistons, who play 8 games in the next 15 days.
Notes:
After just 12 home losses in the past two seasons, Utah has already lost 6 this season. You may be able to find some value against the Jazz when they play at home throughout the season.
Phoenix is just 3-3 in their last 6 home games after posting 10 straight home wins to begin the season.
The Kings were one of the pleasant surprises early in the season, starting 9-8. Since then, they have struggled, winning just 5 of their last 17.
Looks like the oddsmakers are being a little too generous with the Mavericks. They are one of the better teams in the NBA and are 10-4 SU in their last 14, but they are just 5-9 ATS in that same stretch.
Injuries have plagued a number of teams this season. The Celtics, Nuggets, Trail Blazers and Pacers are the teams that have lost KEY contributors for an extended period of time.