Top five NBA against the spread teams
COVERS.com
It’s fast approaching the halfway point of the NBA season and that’s a good time to take stock of which teams are making bettors money. Here’s a look at the top five against the spread (ATS) teams with a few of the reasons why they are a bettor’s best friend.
1. Detroit Pistons (25-13-1 ATS)
A remarkable stretch of 11 consecutive ATS (and straight up) wins has made the Pistons the best against the spread team of the season so far. They also put up a separate streak of five consecutive ATS wins earlier in the campaign.
Much of Detroit’s success comes from its defense. The Pistons allow just 89.7 points per game, the second fewest in the NBA behind the Boston Celtics. They gave up fewer than 85 points in seven of the 11 games on their recent streak.
Guard Chauncey Billups leads the way on defense with 36 steals and six blocks for the season and is also averaging a team-high 7.2 assists per game.
2. Orlando Magic (26-15-0)
Orlando has more against the spread wins than any other team in the NBA thanks to its power offense. The Magic have the seventh best offense in the league averaging 103.5 points per game.
Forward Dwight Howard is the driving force with 22.4 points, 15.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. He has broken the 30-point mark on seven occasions this season.
The Magic made a poor start to January on the ATS front, failing to cover in four straight games starting on New Year’s Eve. But they have since rebounded to cover in two of their last three with Howard averaging 22.6 points over that time.
3. Boston Celtics (23-13-1)
At times the Celtics have seemed unbeatable this year and they’ve only dropped six of their 37 games. That success has led to the books releasing seemingly inflated lines on Boston games, but the Celts have still covered more often than not.
They beat the spread against the Bucks, the Knicks and Toronto as a 12 ½-point favorite this season, to name just a few.
The key man for Boston is Ray Allen. He missed the recent loss to Charlotte with a pinched nerve in his neck and then struggled to regain his form, averaging just 13.3 points in his next three. Boston covered in just one of them.
4. Portland Trail Blazers (24-14-0)
The Trail Blazers have made the Rose Garden a fortress, winning 17 of their 20 games there. They also have a remarkable 15-5 home ATS record and have covered in five straight games in Oregon.
They’ve won and covered against several of the NBA’s big guns at home including Dallas, Detroit, Utah and Toronto. In fact, they beat the Mavericks as a 7 ½-point home underdog.
Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge are the two dominant forces for the Blazers. Roy has team highs in points (19.1), assists (5.7) and steals (0.9), while Aldridge leads Portland in rebounds (7.5) and blocks (1.2).
5. Washington Wizards (23-14-0)
The Washington Wizards are probably the biggest surprise package in the NBA. They lost star guard Gilbert Arenas to a serious knee injury in November, but refused to let that destroy their season. Instead, they have won 16 of 28 games since his injury, covering in 18 of them.
This week was easily the most significant in Washington’s season. They became the first team to hand the new-look Celtics back-to-back losses, beating them 85-78 at home last Saturday and 88-83 in Boston on Monday.
Arenas, meanwhile is still the Wizards’ top scorer (22.4 points per game) and when he returns in March they will certainly be amongst the league’s best teams.