Here are all the current NBA basketball handicapping articles
from Maddux Sports.
If you are a person who likes to bet on the NBA then you
have some time to kill before the action gets rolling again.
Most of you will likely use the time to do the obvious - bet
on football. While that’s always a good idea, this is
also a good time to prepare for the NBA season so that you
are ready to kill it right out of the gate. The more prepared
you are from the start, the more of an edge you will have
over the average bettor, and the better your bankroll will
look. Here are nine things you can be doing now to get ready
for NBA domination.
A couple of times in the last two weeks I have had people
ask me if you are better off betting NBA sides or totals.
It’s an interesting question, so let’s take a
look at it. The reason why this question gets asked more in
the NBA than in any question is because NBA betting is difficult
- or at least making a profit is. As a result, you’ll
often hear the advice that it is much easier to win betting
NBA totals than sides. This is total and utter garbage. There
might be slightly more vulnerability in totals than sides
- in large part because there is far less betting volume on
totals - but that doesn’t mean that bettors should start
betting totals if they bet sides now. Totals are only more
winnable if you know how to bet them, and if you are a winning
totals bettor.
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NBA
Picking Advice
In the NBA we spend a lot of time focusing on coaching changes
and the impact they are going to have on the team and therefore
on how we bet the team. That makes sense - especially because
coaching changes are so frequent in the league. When a General
Manager is changed, though, not nearly as much thought it
typically put into what it means for the team and for bettors.
A GM can have a huge impact on the team in some circumstances,
though, so if bettors aren’t considering what happened
they can be missing out on a big opportunity. Here are 10
questions to consider when you are thinking about GM changes
in the NBA.
We are in the midst of the NBA preseason. It’s not
a particularly exciting time - for fans or for most players.
There is one very good reason to be interested in the preseason,
though - you can bet on it. Nothing you can bet on can be
too bad, can it? There are some good reasons to bet on the
NBA preseason, but there are some real problems with it as
well. Here’s a look at some of the good and the bad.
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Preseason
NBA Betting
The NBA preseason is underway. There are ways to bet on the
preseason if you are determined to do so, but I have never
seen much value in betting on any preseason - too many variables
that you have to guess about. That doesn’t mean that
the preseason isn’t useful, though. There is a lot to
be learned from watching preseason games, viewing highlights,
and perusing the boxscores that can help you prepare for strong
handicapping during the season. Here are five things to watch
for.
The preseason in the NBA isn’t particularly useful
in my eyes. Teams don’t really care about the games,
so coaches are often more interested in just getting their
team to the regular season as healthy and ready as they can.
Winning the games is secondary (or worse). There are a few
things that you can learn a lot about in the preseason, though
- things that can help you be more prepared for the preseason.
One of those things is how ready rookies are to contribute
and how quickly they can become a major factor for their team.
Some rookies are ready to hit the ground running and turn
heads from the start – Using a 2009 example Tyreke Evans
and Brandon Jennings fit that mold. Others, like James Harden,
need more time to get comfortable and start to perform.
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NBA
Rookie Value
If you’re just a casual bettor looking to have some
fun then there is likely no better way to lose your money
quickly than by betting on the NBA. That’s partly because
the league is just generally hard to bet on, and partly because
casual bettors are inclined to make some predictable but ill-advised
decisions when it comes to betting on the league. Here are
six of the biggest mistakes that casual bettors make when
betting on the NBA.
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NBA
Betting Tips
While most bettors concentrate on the full game lines in
NBA betting, first half lines might offer exceptional value.
Your basic lines and totals are set for just the first half
of the game and the outcome of the wagers will be decided
after 24 minutes of play instead of 48 (or more in case of
overtime).
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First
Half NBA Betting
NBA second half betting offers you a great tool to invest
your money. There are several benefits to betting on the second
half of an NBA game. Here, we will explain what the benefits
are and how you might be able to come out with a chance to
middle with your bet on the second half of an NBA game. Such
a win-win situation is desirable for any bettor, as all you
will be losing is the vig.
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Second
Half NBA Betting
We are early in the NBA season, but we have seen enough games
play that teams are starting to separate themselves in terms
of their records. The challenge for handicappers is to determine
whether teams with bad records right now are just struggling
and having some bad luck, or if they are just bad. Similarly,
we have to figure out if teams that have started strong are
going to stay that way, or if they are going to come crashing
back down to earth. There are three things I like to look
at at this time of year (or any time) to judge how effectively
a team is playing.
The gap between the really good teams and the really bad
ones is probably bigger in the NBA than in any other league.
The haves are so far from the have nots right now, it’s
like they are playing different sports. When teams like that
meet on the court the result is typically predictable and
far from surprising. Every so often, though, one of the lesser
teams in the league will shock one of the good ones. Because
those upsets are rare you can make a very nice return if you
can correctly spot when the upsets could happen. Here are
six ways to spot a potential big upset.
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NBA
Betting Advice
In the 2010-11 NBA season the Cleveland Cavaliers lost 26
games in a row. The longest losing streak in the history of
the NBA - a streak that looked like it may never end. While
we had never seen a streak this long we often see extended
periods of futility from teams in the league. One great way
to find massive value when betting on the NBA is to correctly
identify when these streaks will end and bet accordingly.
The longer a losing streak gets the more negative the betting
public gets about a team and the less likely they are to back
that team no matter what the circumstances are.
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Make
Money NBA Betting
Injuries are part of sports and they will happen to everyone
at some point in their careers, whether a small injury or
a season-ending injury, the risks are taken by all athletes
in their respective sports. However, it can be argued that
the sport that is most affected by injury of a star player
is the NBA. Other sports such as the NFL and MLB have enough
players where the absence of a superstar is not as extreme
as a disadvantage because of the amount of players on each
team that can pick up the slack of one player missing. However,
in the NBA with only 5 players on each side, it makes replacing
an important player much more difficult. Also taking into
account that fact in the NBA each player plays both offense
and defense and there is not a special unit for each as is
the case in the NFL.
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Handicapping
NBA Games
Streaks are real in the NBA - It is incredibly uncommon to
see a double digit win streak in the NFL. It’s not as
uncommon in the NHL, but it’s close. Even baseball doesn’t
see a lot of them despite playing so many games each season.
In terms of their occurrence compared to the number of games
played the NBA is the king of long winning streaks. There
are a few ways to explain why this is. The biggest is that
there are fewer players who contribute in the NBA than in
other sports. A winning streak requires that all the players
are sharing confidence in each other and are operating on
the same page. It’s much easier for 12 players and five
starters that play the bulk of the time - to achieve than
it is for other sports with more players who each play a smaller
portion of the playing time.
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NBA
ATS Pick Tips
I am writing this the day after Carmelo Anthony was traded
to the Knicks in a deal that involved half the roster of both
them and the Nuggets - and some of the Timberwolves as well
- so the evaluation of the immediate impact of a trade is
obviously very much on my mind. The first games a team plays
right after a trade can be a great opportunity for smart bettors
to find some value if they react rationally because so many
people won’t be rational when considering the situation.
If you can think instead of react you’ll have an edge.
Here are seven things to keep in mind when you are thinking
about these situations.
You would think that professional sports teams in major leagues
wouldn’t mind traveling at all. After all, when they
are away from home they travel on very comfortable charter
planes, at great food, stay in nice hotels, and have little
to focus on but getting ready for their games and playing
them. The reality, though, is that teams in all sports just
don’t play as well in other cities as they do at home.
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NBA
Road Trips
By the time the All-Star break rolls around in the NBA there
are at least eight or ten teams most years that clearly and
obviously have no chance of making the playoffs - or even
coming close. Their seasons might essentially be over, but
that doesn’t mean that we can or should quit betting
on them. You do need to look at these teams differently than
you would one that is contending. A team that is eliminated
from the playoffs but still plays well can provide excellent
betting value. Here are six factors that can help you determine
how likely a team is to play well down the stretch:
There are two types of teams that have been eliminated from
NBA playoff contention before the season ends - those that
are still playing hard and being competitive, and those that
are just mailing it in and waiting for the end of the season
to put them out of their misery. Being able to tell which
teams fit into which categories is an important skill for
bettors down the stretch. It can allow them to get some fat
moneyline winners if the team is trying hard, and to cash
in on betting favorites if they are just mailing it in. Here
are five ways you can start to determine which category a
given team belongs in.
When there are about 10 games left in the NBA season things
change for the serious contenders for the NBA Championship.
I’m not talking about teams that are going to make the
playoffs and maybe win a round or two. I mean the teams that
stand a very solid chance of going all the way and know it.
There are typically no more than five or six teams that really
belong in this category. As the season ends these teams are
intensely focused on their ultimate goal, and will do everything
they can to give themselves the best chance to win the title.
Here’s a look at five things these teams do to adjust
in the final games of the regular season, and what it means
for bettors.
As the regular season draws close to the end in any sport
there are inevitably teams that have to play several games
after knowing that they have no chance of making the playoffs.
When two of these no-hope teams meet each other we have on
of the tougher situations in sports handicapping. Neither
of the teams has obvious motivation, and neither one is particularly
good, so trying to determine a winner in these games can be
a real challenge. Here are seven things to consider when handicapping
games in which both teams are out of playoff contention.
We hoped enjoyed these articles, more sports betting works can
be found on our blog.
Still want to learn about NBA handicapping, well once the season
ends be sure to view all the NBA
playoff articles.
