Tag: NBA Betting

Boston Celtics look set to challenge Cleveland in Eastern Conference

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

A week ago we recommended you back the Washington Wizards at 13/8 with Bet Victor to win the Southeast Division and the Boston Celtics at 6/5 with Coral to win the Atlantic Division. We hope you followed that advice because in the past week both teams have won all their games and surged clear at the top of those divisions. They are both now odds-on to win them: the Wizards have gone in from 13/8 to 10/11, with Sky Bet, William Hill and Betway offering the best odds; while the Celtics have gone from 6/5 to being heavy favourites, with Betway offering the best price at 3/4. In the past week the Celtics’ closest rivals, the Toronto Raptors, have lost twice, while the Hawks and the Hornets, who are vying with Washington in the Southeast Division, have also stumbled. The Celtics and Wizards have great momentum, and if you did not back them a week ago, 10/11 and 3/4 still makes a nice double. Or you could try a six-fold: Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards all to win their divisions.

Eastern Conference

In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors are on fire and should make another Finals, despite the superb form of the San Antonio Spurs. But things are much more interesting in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers, last season’s NBA Championship winners led by LeBron James, have been heavy favourites to win it all season, but the Cavs have struggled to build momentum this season. They cannot seem to post a long run of consecutive wins and have lost five of their last 10. No such problems for the Celtics, who are on a seven-game winning streak, or the Wizards, who have also won seven in a row. Both could really give the Cavs a run for their money in the Eastern Conference. Of the two, the Celtics are the most likely. Boston guard Isaiah Thomas has scored 20 or more points in 34 consecutive games and that has been the driving force behind their superb run since Christmas. The Wizards, meanwhile, have won 16 consecutive home games and are 23-9 since December 1. It’s currently advantage Cleveland in the playoff race, as the defending champs are 34-15, but the Celtics are hot on the tail, with 33-18, while the Wizards are back on 30-20. Cleveland is in the driving seat, but either could steal the top seed from them. The best price you can get on Cleveland winning the conference is a lowly 4/11, but the 12/1 on offer at 888 Sport on the Celtics looks appealing, as does the longer shot of 33/1 available at Paddy Power on the Wizards.

Upcoming Games

The Celtics travel to Sacramento on Thursday to face the Kings, who are low on confidence after recently blowing double-digit leads to lose three times in a row and are 20-31. The Celtics are a juggernaut right now and should win that one comfortably. On the same day, the in-form Wizards travel to Brooklyn to play the Nets, who are pretty much the worst team in the league right now. The Nets have lost nine in a row and 12 in a row at home, so the Wizards should crush them. A double of the Celtics and Wizards to cover the spread looks good here. To broaden it out to a treble, the Spurs play the 76ers in Philadelphia and should be confident of a resounding win. After the Warriors, the Spurs have the best record in the league this season and the 76ers are on a three-game losing streak and looking short of ideas.

NBA Betting: Washington Wizards Offer Great Value in Southeast Division

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Golden State Warriors have maintained their dominance in the NBA over the past week and are now 9-1 in their last 10 games. But the real surprise is the form of the Washington Wizards, who have gone 8-2 in their last 10 to become the second hottest team in the league, ahead of the Spurs, Cavaliers and many more excellent teams. It has thrust a spotlight on the Southeast Division, where the Wizards are battling the Atlanta Falcons for supremacy, and right now there is plenty of value to be had in backing the Wizards to win it.

Southeast Division

There are three teams in the running to win this competitive division: the Hawks, the Wizards and the Charlotte Hornets. A couple of weeks ago we said the Hornets looked a poor option at 9/4. That has borne out, with Charlotte going out to 9/2 on the back of a very poor run of form that has left them 3-7 in their last 10. It now looks like a straight fight between the Hawks and the Wizards. If you agree, you are guaranteed a profit by backing both. Bet Victor has 11/8 on the Hawks and 13/8 on the Wizards, so if you back the pair of them with an equal stake, you are guaranteed a healthy margin regardless of which one wins. You just have to hope the Hornets do not enjoy a resurgence, and that is not looking likely right now. Charlotte started the season well and went 20-14 to be in contention, but are 3-9 in their last 12. That leaves them on 23-25 and they are 0-7 on the road in January, so this away form is likely to cost them. Meanwhile, the Hawks are 27-20 and the Wizards are 26-20. Washington is really on a roll right now, so if you only want to back one team, they are the best option as they offer greater value and are soaring.

Atlantic Division

The other division offering a bit of value is the Atlantic, where the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics have the identical record of 28-19. The Celtics are in marginally better form, 10-6 compared to the Raptors’ 5-5, but Toronto is odds-on favourites to win it. Sky Bet, William Hill, Paddy Power and Bet Victor all have 4/6 on the Raptors, while the Celtics are best priced at 6/5 with Coral. Both are interesting options, but the greater value is on the Celtics, and if they can get their defence playing as well as it was last season they can take this division, so they might make a nice double with the Wizards.

Upcoming Games

Wednesday sees the Wizards host a struggling New York Knicks team and they should keep the good form going there with a win. On the same day, a huge game sees the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the San Antonio Spurs. Both are 7/3 in their last 10 and the Spurs are second in the Western Conference behind only the all-conquering Warriors, while the Thunder are sixth but really knocking on the door of the top four places. It should prove an interesting game and the Spurs will have a tough job containing Oklahoma City’s MVP contender Russell Westbrook, but San Antonio has been in excellent form of late, beating the Cavaliers and the Raptors, and should win this one. On Thursday, the struggling Hornets travel to California to play the Warriors, and you can expect Golden State to crush them, covering a reasonable large spread in the process. On the same day, the in-form Utah Jazz should have too much for the Milwaukee Bucks, who are on a dreadful run, and should also cover a heavy spread there.

NBA Western Conference teams are asserting their dominance

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Golden State Warriors have returned to the top of most pundits’ NBA power rankings after going on a seven-game winning streak. The odds on them winning the NBA Championship have gone into 4/5 on the back of this fine run of form, and they look unstoppable at present. The only teams enjoying similar winning runs are the San Antonio Spurs and the Utah Jazz, both Western Conference teams. It makes it look increasingly like the winner of the NBA Championship will come from this conference.

Winning Conference

The Golden State Warriors are favourites to avenge last season’s Finals defeat to LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers and win another NBA Championship. It would be their second in three years and they really have been the dominant force in recent times. Over in the Eastern Conference, the Cavs lost their last game to leave them with a win ratio of .714. That does not compare at all favourably to the Warriors’ .864 or the Spurs .791. Even the third best team in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets, have a better record than Cleveland, with a win percentage of .723.

Below the Cavs in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors and Celtics are both on losing streaks, and none of the leading teams are playing all that well. In any power rankings, five of the top six teams right now would come from the Western Conference. The favourites, third favourites and fourth favourites to win the NBA Championship are all Western Conference teams, so it looks like the winner will come from this conference. Bet365 and Sky Bet are running books on which conference will produce the winner of the NBA Championship and both are offering 2/5 on it being the Western Conference, which looks a great bet right now.

Northwest Division

Most of the divisions look sewn up and are dominated by clear frontrunners, but one that looks interesting still is the Northwest, where the Utah Jazz are in front on 29-16, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder on 25-19. The Thunder have MVP candidate Russell Westbrook, but that has not been enough to stop them losing their past two games. The Jazz, meanwhile, are on a remarkable six-game winning run, a streak bettered only by the Warriors, and Rudy Gobert is in fantastic form for them. They already have a healthy advantage and the gap should widen, so the 5/12 available at Ladbrokes on the Jazz winning this division looks a great bet.

Upcoming games

On Tuesday the Warriors play the Miami Heat and should win comfortably, so much so that they are just 1/8 with Betfred and Paddy Power. These teams played on January 11 and the Warriors ran out 12-point winners. Since then their form has been immense: they have won their last five games by 20 points, 35 points (against the Cavaliers, no less), 21 points, 17 points and 20 points. The Heat are on a three-game winning run but are likely to come unstuck against the Warriors, who can cover an 11-points spread at 10/11 with Betfred and Paddy Power. Wednesday sees leading lights from the Western and Eastern Conferences face off as the Spurs, second in the Western Conference, play the Toronto Raptors, second in the Eastern Conference. Expect the supremacy of the Western Conference to be asserted here with a narrow win for the Spurs, who are in excellent form while the Raptors have lost two in a row. On Friday the Jazz plays the LA Lakers and should cover a generous spread.

NBA Update: Golden State Warriors in Imperious Form

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

We are now a quarter of the way through the NBA regular season and the Golden State Warriors’ imperious form has left them heavy favourites in NBA betting markets to regain the Championship title they won in 2015. They have by far and away the best record in the league and are already odds-on to make up for the heartbreak of losing the NBA Finals to the Cavaliers back in June.

Western Conference

The Warriors, led by the most fearsome attacking triumvirate in basketball, have stormed to the top of their division and built up a considerable lead over the impressive LA Clippers, despite having played fewer games. Devin Durrant, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are on fire this year, and that is more than making up for a defence that has tailed off slightly after losing Andrew Bogut. At Sun Bets, which offers some of the most competitive NBA prices, they are just 1/25 to win the Pacific Division, with the Clippers out at 8/1. The Warriors are also ahead in the race to win the Western Conference, but the San Antonio Spurs look like giving them a good run for their money. The Spurs are just 1/50 with Sun Bets to win their division and are 5/1 second-favourites for the Western Conference. But the Warriors look all conquering at present and look good for the 4/11 on them winning the Western Conference.

Eastern Conference

Things are a bit more open in the Eastern Conference after a losing streak for leaders the Cavaliers. Last season’s champions are 1/20 to win the Central Division and the bookmakers expect them to win the Eastern Conference, where they too are 4/11 with Sun Bets, thanks largely to the influence of LeBron James. But the Toronto Raptors have embarked on a sensational winning run and look a good outside bet at 10/1 to win it, while the odds of them winning their division – 13/20 with Sun Bets – look fantastic.

Outright

Right now the Warriors are looking untouchable thanks to their superb offence. You can never count the Cavaliers out thanks to James, but the 3/4 Sun Bets has on the Warriors looks the best option right now. If you are looking for more value, the Raptors are an interesting option at 28/1. Their offence is the second highest rated in the league, as is their field goal percentage, and they could well go all the way. The Utah Jazz has maintained a strong record despite injuries to key players Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward and George Hill, and could be a threat at 66/1 once they get their starters back.

Upcoming games

A mouth-watering clash between divisional rivals the Warriors and Clippers takes place on Thursday. The Warriors have won both times when these two have met this season and should make it three on the bounce, but it should prove a tight game after the last meeting was only decided by a four-point margin. Back the Warriors outright but be wary of the spread. On the same day, the Cavs and the New York Knicks face one another. The Knicks have been average this season but have enjoyed a recent upsurge in form, while the Cavs have struggled. But this could be the perfect game for the Cavs to get their season back on track after they destroyed the Knicks 117-88 in the season opener. They should beat them with ease and cover a high spread.