Tag: NBA Betting

Are Golden State and Cleveland Headed for third Championship Battle?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Golden State Warriors just beat Houston to extend their winning run to 10 games and they are now all but guaranteed the top seed berth in the Western Conference. A couple of weeks ago the Warriors were in real danger following Kevin Durrant’s injury sparked a bad slump in form. They have bounced back in style and are now 4/5 favourites with Betway to win the NBA Championship.

There are just six or seven games to go before the end of the regular season now, and the playoff picture is becoming a lot clearer, with several teams having already punched their postseason tickets. Yet a few teams’ chances of making the playoffs are teetering on a knife edge, so there are lots of big games still to bet on.

Futures Update

There are no longer any lines on the division winners as they have been pretty much sewn up by Golden State, San Antonio, Utah, Cleveland, Boston and Washington. Futures betting now hinges on who will win each conference and the Championship. In the west, Golden State has hit form at just the right time. When Durrant returns they will be even stronger and look destined for a third consecutive Finals appearance, despite the threat of San Antonio and Houston. Paddy Power has 4/9 on Golden State. Whether it will meet Cleveland for a third year running is another matter entirely.

The Cavs have led the way in the east for most of the season, but have ceded the lead to the Celtics in the past week. If Boston can hold on and claim the top seed spot, they can really be a threat in the playoffs and look a good option in the east at 6/1 with William Hill and Ladbrokes, while Washington is an interesting outsider at 10/1 with Bet Victor.

There is also the small matter of who will be named regular season MVP. James Harden is leading the way but it is still very close between him and Russell Westbrook, who have been the best two offensive players in the league by some distance this season. One thing worth noting is that while most bookmakers will only go to 1/2 on Harden, William Hill is offering 4/5, so that is a generous set of odds as he is expected to just about pip Westbrook to the honour, as his Rockets have been better than Westbrook’s Thunder this season and he has been breaking all sorts of records.

Upcoming Games

In the east three teams – the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers – have an identical record but only two can go to the playoffs. Their games should prove interesting in the week ahead. Chicago is on a three-game winning streak and should beat the Knicks ( who are 3-7 in their last 10) on Wednesday and cover a reasonable spread, but the Pacers are likely to lose to the Raptors. On Thursday, Miami faces a tough game against the Hornets and Charlotte looks a good bet.

James Harden pulls ahead in NBA’s exciting MVP race

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

For months James Harden and Russell Westbrook have been locked in a fierce battle to be named regular season MVP, but in the past week, Harden may just have done enough to snatch it. The Beard has achieved four straight games of scoring at least 30 points and having 10 assists, and the odds have been cut on him landing the prize. There is still some value to be had in backing him, however, as we approach the final nine games of the season.

MVP Race

Westbrook led the field for the first half of the season but Harden muscled his way into the reckoning with a record-breaking spell over Christmas. On December 31, he recorded 53 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds in a 129-122 win for the Houston Rockets over the New York Nicks. It was the first time anyone had ever posted stats better than 50-15-15, and it tied the record for the most points in a triple-double, which Wilt Chamberlain had held alone since the 1967-68 season. Two days later, he recorded his ninth triple-double of the season.

The records have come tumbling down for Harden since then. A 51-13-13 game against the 76ers in January made him the first player ever to achieve more than one 50-point triple-double in a season. He has already broken his own record for the most turnovers in a season. He is now on 19 triple-doubles for the season. He is on course to surpass 2,400 points and 900 assists this season, which would break another record.

But Westbrook refuses to go away. Despite playing for a poorer team, he has 36 triple-doubles and leads the league in points per game. Kahwi Leonard and LeBron James are also still in the mix. Harden is 4/6 with Sky Bet and Westbrook is 11/4 with Paddy Power, which also has 10/1 on Leonard and 12/1 on James. It will be tight, but momentum is with Harden right now, and 4/6 looks a good price.

Futures Update

The divisions are pretty much wrapped up now, so the value comes from predicting the winner of each conference and the NBA Championship. Momentum can play a crucial role at this time of year, and the form of the Boston Celtics (8-2 in their last 10) is very exciting, so they could give the Cavaliers a real run for their money in the east and look an interesting bet at 7/1 with Sky Bet and William Hill. The Warriors have won six straight and turned the screw in the west, so the value might not be there as they are just 4/9, but the Spurs (4/1 with Ladbrokes) are also in good form.

Upcoming Games

A huge game sees the Warriors face the Spurs in San Antonio on Thursday. Golden State is on a roll but has injury problems and the Spurs to win outright looks good. The Celtics over the Bucks and the Washington Wizards over the Clippers would make an interesting treble.

NBA Betting: Elite Teams Struggling as Playoffs Loom

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

There is now less than a month until the end of the regular season and the league’s elite teams have started playing a long game. This has seen the likes of the Golden State Warriors, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards all suffer a slump as they surrender to fatigue and complacency. They already have one eye on the playoffs and are trying to ensure they are in ship shape come mid-April, so now can be a good time to bet against them covering the spread.

Top Teams Struggling

No top team is in a greater period of malaise than Golden State, hit by injury to Kevin Durant and enduring its worst spell since Steve Kell took over as head coach in 2014. The Warriors lost three times in a row – against the Celtics, Timberwolves and Spurs – and then, as we predicted last week, failed to cover the spread against Philadelphia. Golden State has since bounced back with heavy wins over Orlando and Milwaukee, but it could be worth opposing them in spread betting over the next couple of weeks. Ditto the Cavs, who have regularly failed to cover the spread of late. The Wizards have also lost focus and dropped against teams with losing marks.

Teams Finding Form

As the elite teams have suffered, some teams further down the conferences are finding their feet and making a late push for the playoffs. In the east, it is Miami and Milwaukee. At 7-3 and 8-2 respectively, they have the best recent records in the conference and both look set for the postseason. Milwaukee is really one to watch, driven by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is on course to be the first player ever to finish the regular season in the top 20 for points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. In the west, the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers are both 7-3 in 10, and only the San Antonio Spurs can match that.

Futures Update

The recent struggles of Golden State have opened the door for the in-form Spurs. They have a head-to-head advantage over the Warriors and look set to steal top seed in the west if things continue as they are, so the 4/1 Ladbrokes is offering on them winning the east looks interesting. The Cavs’ inconsistency and the Wizards’ recent woes have left the Boston Celtics as the form team of the east and the 7/1 at Sky Bet on them taking that conference is another intriguing option.

Upcoming Games

Golden State travel to Dallas to face the Mavericks on Wednesday, and Dallas is the league’s fifth-best team for covering the spread, so that looks a great bet. Antetokounmpo’s in-form Bucks play the Kings in Sacramento on Thursday and should win that outright, and cover a modest spread. The Nuggets look a great bet to cover the spread against the Cavs that day too, while on Friday a Spurs-Celtics-Trail Blazers outright treble looks a good option as all three are playing well.

NBA betting: Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets killing the spreads

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

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.

Long Shots for NBA Championship Gaining Momentum at Crucial Time

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

We have entered the final third of the NBA regular season and the playoff picture is becoming clearer. In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are flying and should be joined in the playoffs by the Houston Rockets, LA Clippers and Utah Jazz. Over in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers have finally found consistency and are in pole position to finish the regular season at the top to earn the number one seed status, with the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards hot on their heels. Below them, the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks are both looking good for a playoff place. But in both conferences, the remaining places are very much up for grabs. It is interesting to take a look at the teams that are hitting form at just the right time and could offer interesting long-shot options when predicting who will win the Conferences and the 2017 NBA Championship.

Western Conference

The Warriors are looking immense at present and are naturally favourites to win the NBA Championship. Paddy Power is offering the best price at 8/11, and they are also heavy favourites to win the Western Conference, with 888 Sport offering a market leading 6/17. They have won it for the last two years in a row, and look just as brilliant this time around, with Kevin Durant bolstering an already exceptional team. But they will not have it all their own way. At 5/1 with Sky Bet, Bet365 and Betfred, the Spurs are an interesting choice to win the Western Conference. They have the second-best record in the league, way better than the Cavs, and they welcome back Pau Gasol after the All-Star break. Then there is the Houston Rockets at 16/1 with Ladbrokes, led by MVP frontrunner James Harden (now 10/11 with Paddy Power). And for a real long-shot, how about the Memphis Grizzlies at 50/1 with William Hill and Coral? They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have really found their rhythm, with Marc Gasol the driving force. If they could steal fourth seed from the Clippers they would have a good shot.

Eastern Conference

Things get really interesting in the Eastern Conference thanks to the form of the Wizards and the Celtics. The Wizards have the best record in the east in 2017 and have now achieved as strong a record as the Cavs and Celtics at home. They have just scored 100-plus points for the 22nd straight game, something only 10 teams have achieved since 2000. They are 9-1 in their last 10, the best record in the league at the moment. They have the momentum and can be a real threat in the playoffs. At Boston, Isaiah Thomas is breaking records left, right and centre, and they would also be 9-1 in their last 10 were it not for a controversial defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls. Their 8-2 is nevertheless impressive and they are another that could run Cleveland and LeBron James close. The Cavs are just 2/5 with Betfred, which does not offer much value, so the 15/2 at Sky Bet on Boston looks good, as does the 12/1 Boyle Sports is offering on the Celtics. Another team building up a head of steam is Miami, currently 10th in the east but 8-2 in 10 and looking like muscling into playoff contention thanks to their stellar defence. Sky Bet and William Hill are offering 150/1.

Upcoming Games

Friday sees Harden and the Rockets travel to New Orleans to face the Pelicans, who are 14-15 at home this season. On the road, Houston is 19-11, and while it should be a tight game Houston can sneak this one to consolidate their third position in the Western Conference, and Paddy Power had good odds on a straight win for the Rockets at 5/6. The LA Clippers have found form of late, winning four in a row, but it is unlikely to count for much on the road against the Warriors on Friday. The point spread looks pretty ambitious, however, and Clippers +13 looks good at 10/11 with Paddy Power.

LA Clippers offer value ahead of NBA trade deadline

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The February 23 NBA trade deadline is looming and the futures odds are likely to fluctuate heavily depending on what happens. Now is the time to study the rumour mill and figure out which teams are likely to bolster their ranks before the deadline and get a good price on them before the odds tumble.

Western Conference

The Golden State Warriors have been the best team in the NBA once again this season, but they are not guaranteed to win it. Only three times in the last 17 seasons have the number one seeds in both the Western and Eastern Conferences met in the finals, so history suggests either the Warriors or the Cleveland Cavaliers are likely to miss out. Right now the Cavs are wildly inconsistent and look the most likely to stumble, but the Warriors face tough competition in their Conference. They are just 2/7 to win it with Bet365, and 6/17 with 888 Sport, which does not offer a great deal of value. The 5/1 on offer at Sky Bet on the San Antonio Spurs looks tempting as they have been the NBA’s second best team this season, better than the Cavs, and have a very strong defence, which could trouble the Warriors. The Houston Rockets (16/1 at Ladbrokes) and Oklahoma City Thunder (66/1 at Sky Bet) will be dangerous as they are led by MVP frontrunners James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

But arguably the most interesting long shot right now is the LA Clippers. That sounds like madness as they are 4-6 in their last 10 and well below the Warriors. But now could be a great time to get on them. They have struggled in the absence of Chris Paul, but he will be back after the All-Star Game. They are also expected to be buyers before the deadline. So you would imagine their odds would tumble after Paul returns and their ranks are swelled via trades in time for the playoffs, so now is the time to get on them. They are as low as 11/1 with some bookmakers, but William Hill and Ladbrokes are offering a very generous 20/1.

Eastern Conference

This looks really interesting thanks to the Cavs’ inconsistency. The Eastern Conference leaders would only be fourth in the Western Conference with their .698 record, below the Warriors, Spurs and Rockets. In the Eastern Conference, genuine contenders have emerged: the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards are both 9-1 in their last 10 games. Keep an eye on the trades as there are whispers of the Celtics cashing in on star man Isaiah Thomas while he is at the peak of his powers. If they do that, their season will likely plummet as he has made the difference in a series of narrow victories. But if either of these teams strengthens significantly, they could really push the Cavs, and right now both look interesting as the Celtics are 12/1 with 888 Sport and the Wizards are 18/1 with Bet Victor, offering far more value than an unpredictable Cleveland, who are just 4/11 with Ladbrokes.

Upcoming Games

On Tuesday Westbrook’s Thunder travel to Washington to face the in-form Wizards in what promises to be a fantastic clash. The Wizards have been supreme in front of their home fans lately, while the Thunder have travelled badly and are 12-16 on the road, so the Wizards should win this one. The Celtics travel to another in-form team, the Dallas Mavericks, but should be too strong for them, so a Celtics-Wizards Tuesday double looks a good bet. On Thursday the Celtics should cover a heavy spread against the Philadelphia 76ers, who are 7-18 on the road and in dire form. The Spurs are in Orlando to play the Magic, and should also cover a heavy spread there, making that another interesting potential double.