Tag: Wizards

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.

San Antonio Spurs Threaten to Usurp Warriors After Durant Injury

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

With less than six weeks until the playoffs, an injury to star player Kevin Durant has threatened to derail the chances of NBA Championships favourites the Golden State Warriors. Without him, the Warriors have lost twice in a row and the supremely consistent San Antonio Spurs are now hot on their heels in the race to emerge as the top seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors are now no longer a sure thing in the west, and that has blown the race to the Finals wide open, making the season more exciting than ever.

Western Conference

Durant sprained his knee in a freak accident that occurred when teammate Zaza Pachulia backed into him while fighting for a rebound. The team initially feared he would miss the rest of the season, but the prognosis now looks a little more positive as he might make it back in time for the playoffs. But by that time, Golden State could have been overtaken by San Antonio as the number one seed in the west. After losing Durant they suffered back-to-back defeats to the Wizards and Bulls, the first time in 146 games they had lost twice in a row – an NBA record. They missed his ability to stretch the court, and the Golden State offence has looked out of sync as opposing teams have crowded Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Meanwhile, the Spurs are 9-1 in their last 10, the best record in the league, and are on a seven-game winning streak. They are now just three wins behind Golden State and are driven by the constantly improving offensive prowess of Kawhi Leonard. This has pushed Golden State out to 2/5 with Betfred for the west, while San Antonio is now 9/2 with William Hill, which looks a very interesting bet. Even if Durant makes it back in time for the playoffs he could be carrying an injury still, and suddenly the Warriors do not look quite as invincible.

Eastern Conference

The Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards have been putting pressure on the Cleveland Cavaliers for top seed in the Eastern Conference for some time and that has continued. At 7-3 in their last 10, the Wizards have the best recent form in the east, which makes the 12/1 888Sport is offering on them to win it look an intriguing option. But the Cavs look back in business now that LeBron James is strapped up and ready for the home straight and the team has been bolstered by Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut and most of the action is likely to go on Cleveland, who are 4/11 with Sky Bet, William Hill and Boyle Sports.

MVP Race

Despite topping most player power rankings since Christmas, James Harden has failed to pull away from Russell Westbrook in the betting for regular season MVP. With just six weeks to go, Harden is evens with William Hill, while Westbrook is 6/4 with Bet Victor. What counts against Westbrook, however, is that the Thunder are not a great team and a lot of his hard work goes unnoticed. Harden’s Rockets are a genuine threat to Golden State and San Antonio in the west and he has emerged as the best point guard in the league this season with the stats to back it up, so even money at William Hill looks great right now.

Upcoming Games

A huge game that could help decide the ultimate Western Conference table sees Harden’s Rockets travel to San Antonio to face the Spurs. It should be close, but recent form points to a San Antonio win and the 3/5 at Bet365 looks good. On Wednesday the in-form Wizards are at the Phoenix Suns and should cover a heavy spread against a team committing 15.1 turnovers per game. On Thursday, Celtics v Warriors looks too close to call, but a treble of the Spurs to beat the Kings, the Wizards to beat the Nuggets and the Atlanta Hawks to beat the Brooklyn Nets looks great.