posted November 28, 2007 at 14:28 in NBA Articles
Basketball Betting – Looking at the Pointspread Winners
What is it that makes an NBA team successful against the spread? And can that factor change, so when we see it coming we can get out ahead of it?
These are the best teams in NBA Betting (as of Tuesday) against the number:
ORLANDO -- 13-3
BOSTON -- 9-3
MILWAUKEE -- 7-4
LA LAKERS -- 8-5
MEMPHIS -- 8-5
TORONTO -- 8-5-1
Let's grab a quick look at each of these pointspread winners:
ORLANDO MAGIC (13-3 ATS) -- Dwight Howard is imposing, and coming of age more and more. In a recent five-game period, he shot 76% from the field, with 27 points and 13 rebounds a game. Otherwise this is a small lineup. I mean, Rashard Lewis is the power forward, and he plays soft. And there is some question as to whether this bench can hold up over a full season. This team relies on shooting well, so if people like Lewis or Hedo Turkoglu aren't hitting at a high rate, there are going to be problems. The Magic is 8-1 on the road (after 15-26 SU last season), and that is a major reason for the team's success. But I'm looking for a swoon - relatively soon.
BOSTON CELTICS (9-3 ATS) -- There is no secret that the Celtics are getting nice numbers out of the Big Three of Garnett, Pierce and Allen. But no one else is averaging double digits, Eddie House has cooled down (five points or less in five of his last six games) and the linemaker is adjusting. I'm going to be acting accordingly over the course of time.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS (7-4 ATS) -- The Bucks have won all six of their home games. And Mo Williams says this team is defending for a change. But I don't know if, over the long run, this team is built for defense. Not with Michael Redd in the backcourt, along with Andrew Bogut and Yi Jianlian up front. The Bucks have been scoring a lot more points lately - last week Williams Redd averaged 48 points combined in three games. But we'll see, with the team set for an extended road trip.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS (8-5 ATS) -- Andrew Bynum is a key here, as the young center (19) has given the team consistent play on the boards. The Lakers have recently lost three games in a row. I'm wondering whether, if things start to go worse, whether Kobe will just lose interest and start to look at padding his own stats.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (8-5 ATS) -- The Grizzlies are not winning games; in fact, their record in the first 13 was just 4-9 SU. Darko Milicic, who is just starting to make a contribution, has sat out five straight games as of Tuesday, and since he is the team's best rebounder (statistically speaking), that's important on the defensive end. We just mentioned Kobe Bryant - I wonder when Pau Gasol is going to start thinking about if and when he's going to be traded. Memphis is a "feast or famine" team: they push the tempo all the time and when they can beat the other team down the court, they can create some matchup problems. But when they're not shooting well, they can get buried.
TORONTO RAPTORS (8-5-1 ATS) -- I expected more out of the Raptors in the straight-up record (7-7), though they're covering games. So that's unusual. All I can say is that they have been carefully put together with component parts like TJ Ford, Chris Bosh, three-point specialist Jason Kapono (50% on the year) and Andrea Bargnani, the former #1 pick. This is a dangerous underdog because they have several guys who can hit the three-pointer, not just Kapono, but Anthony Parker (54%), Bargnani (46%) and Carlos Delfino (41%). But the indefinite loss of power forward Jorge Garbajosa (leg and ankle problems) bothers me, because he was a guy who came off the bench and gave them production up front.
You’ll find the latest 2007-2008 NBA odds and lines in the best online sportsbook, BetUS.com. Betting on NBA player and game props makes every aspect of the game exciting. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you!
(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com is a freelance writer and handicapper who not only can make his shots from the top of the key, but also contributes with gusto to the BetUS Locker Room)
