The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are once again leading their respective NBA conference tables by some distance, but when it comes to spread betting they are way down the list. The all-conquering Warriors are sitting pretty on 49-9, but they are a mere 28-26-2 against the spread, so if you backed them to cover the spread every week you would be down overall. The Cavs are 40-17 atop the Eastern Conference, but have fared even worse against the spread: LeBron James and co are 26-27-2. So which teams have made their backers the most money, and which have fared the worst?
Top Teams for Spread Betting
An unlikely champion has emerged when it comes to defying the spread so far his season. The Philadelphia 76ers are 22-36 this season and 13th out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference, with virtually no chance of reaching the playoffs. But they are faring far better than they did last season when they slumped to a dismal 10-76. Having already doubled last season’s win total with a promising young team led by Rookie of the Year favourite Joel Embiid, the 76ers have consistently defied bookmakers’ expectations. They are 35-21-1 against the spread this season, so if you had been backing them throughout you would have made a nice profit. In the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets are the best team against the spread, with a record of 33-25. That is not a huge margin, which shows just how canny the oddsmakers are when setting spreads.
Worst Teams
If you have been regularly backing the Portland Trail Blazers or the Milwaukee Bucks to cover the spread this season, you will be cursing your decisions. Both teams have covered the spread just 22 times, the worst records in the league. Backing the Cavs and Warriors on the road would have hurt you too as Cleveland is 11-15 on the road, while Golden State is 13-15-1.
Futures Update
The Eastern Conference looks like turning into a three-way fight between the Cavs, the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics. They are the top three teams in the conference and are heading towards securing the top three seeded places as they are in the best form right now: the Cavs and Wizards are 8-2 in their last 10, while the Celtics are 7-3. The bookmakers expect the Cavs to cruise to another conference win and William Hill has made Cleveland the 4/11 favourite. The odds have been pushed out, however, thanks to the form of the Celtics, the Wizards and the Toronto Raptors. The Celtics are 7/1 second favourites, but Boston’s refusal to dip into its war chest before the trade deadline could hurt it, while two straight defeats do not inspire confidence. The Raptors are 10/1 with William Hill, Bet Victor and Ladbrokes, but a better bet could be the Wizards at 12/1 with Boyle Sports. After the Warriors, they have the league’s best record in 2017 and bolstered their bench with Bojan Bogdanovic.
Covering the Cavs at 4/11 and Wizards at 12/1 could pay dividends. The Warriors are likely to run away with the Western Conference once again and are just 3/10 with Sky Bet. The Spurs have been in excellent form and the Rockets are on a roll, but the Warriors just look too strong now. Still, the Warriors’ James Harden should be named regular season MVP (10/11 with Paddy Power), which would be a good consolation prize for The Beard.
Upcoming Games
The 76ers are in action on Tuesday, when they host the Warriors in Philly. They are 9/1 underdogs with Betfred and Paddy Power, while Stephen Curry and co are just 1/20. But spread betting is where it really gets interesting. At Paddy Power, you can get 10/11 on the 76ers +13.5 and – given that Philadelphia is the best at covering spreads this season and Golden State is poor at doing so on the road – that looks a good bet. Two in-form teams meet in Boston on the same day when the Hawks play the Celtics, and Boston should win that at 20/37 with Bet365.
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Betfair:
Bet on Henrik Stenson to become the BMW PGA Championship Winner.
Paddypower:
Back Australia to take the Ashes home with them.
Betway:
Back Rafael Nadal to become the Mens French Open Winner.
Coral:
Back One For Arthur to win the Grand National.
Bet365:
Back Mexico to win the Confederations Cup.
