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Jeremy Lin is amazing.
2012-02-20

Let’s take a moment to acknowledge one truth on which everyone can agree: Jeremy Lin is amazing.

If all of us were as good at what we do as he is, the world would be an incredible place, although robberies would be a lot more efficient.

When he made that three-point game-winning shot with 0.5 seconds on the clock on Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors, even the Raptors fans cheered.

Can Mikhail Prokhorov turn the Nets around?
2010-06-25

With the exception of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, most of the other owners in the NBA stay out of the spotlight. However, it appears that Cuban may have to share some of the attention in the years to come. The new owner of the New Jersey Nets has generated a great deal of notice in recent weeks. Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov has brought a new dynamic to the NBA. It appears that he will do whatever it takes to turn the Nets franchise around. Prokhorov inherits a team that is coming off of one of the worst seasons in the history of the NBA. In the 2009-10 campaign, the Nets were on the verge of posting a dubious feat for a good portion of the year. The 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers set a mark of futility by posting a 9-73 record. The 2009-10 Nets dropped its first 18 contests of the season, and the NBA betting community closed the door on them. As the year progressed, things didn't get much better. After 70 games, New Jersey held a record of 7-63. The Nets were on the brink of a record that no team wanted to be associated with. The club was able to post a respectable 5-7 mark in the final 12 games of the year to avoid the 76ers record. Still, a 12-70 record has left the Nets with a lot of work to do heading into the 2010-11 season.

There are some glimmers of hope heading into the upcoming year for the Nets. New Jersey has a chance to build around one of the top young centers in the league. 22-year-old Brook Lopez was the lone bright spot for the Nets last season. In just his second year in the league, he averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds per outing. In the backcourt, point guard Devin Harris (17 points, 7 assists per game last season) is a solid performer. He will be looking to stay on the floor a little more often next year. Harris has missed 18 or more games in each of the last three seasons. The upcoming draft should provide some help for the club. In a deep draft, the Nets will have 3 of the first 31 selections. New Jersey will have the third overall choice in the draft. The Nets should be able to get an impact frontcourt performer to compliment Lopez. New Jersey will also have selections at spots 27 and 31. With his deep pockets, Prokhorov could be active in this summer's free agency period. He will likely make a strong run at league MVP LeBron James. If Prokhorov is unable to land James, there are several other big names available for the Nets to pursue.

After last year's disaster, the Nets will have a new coach prowling the sidelines this season. It appears that former Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson will be the club's choice. He took Dallas to the NBA Finals back in 2006. Fans of the Nets will be able to watch the club at a new arena in Brooklyn in two years. With Prokhorov's aggressive approach, New Jersey could be a factor in the Eastern Conference quicker than expected.

Are you ready for some NBA betting? Are you betting the Nets are going to turn it around in 2010-2011? Head over to www.sportsbook.com the king of NBA betting.

NBA: Raptors invade Atlanta seeking playoff bid
2010-04-09

The Toronto Raptors find themselves in a difficult spot with just four games remaining in the NBA’s regular season. While tied with the Bulls for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as of this morning, Toronto needs a win in a city it has struggled, Atlanta, all the while hoping to avoid looking ahead to Sunday’s showdown with Chicago. Making matters worse, Raptors star Chris Bosh could be sidelined for the rest of the season. Sportsbook.com has installed the host Hawks as 9-point favorites for Friday’s contest.

Three weeks ago, Bosh helped the Toronto Raptors take advantage of the absence of Atlanta Hawks leading scorer Joe Johnson. While Johnson might be out again Friday night in Atlanta, the Raptors won’t be able to rely on Bosh this time. Attempting to close in on the Eastern Conference’s final playoff berth, Toronto will try to overcome the loss of its leading scorer and rebounder and win in Atlanta for the first time in nearly 2 1/2 years.

Bosh made a 16-foot jumper with 2.1 seconds left in a 106-105 home victory over the Hawks on March 17, while Johnson sat with a strained Achilles’. That shot is one of the reasons Toronto (38-40, 35-41-2 ATS) is still battling Chicago for the eighth playoff spot in the East.

The Raptors will have to beat out the Bulls without Bosh, who’s expected to be sidelined for “weeks” while recovering from surgery to repair a facial fracture. The All-Star forward, whose averaging career bests of 24.0 points and 10.8 rebounds, suffered the injury when he took an inadvertent elbow from Cleveland forward Antawn Jamison in a 113-101 loss Tuesday.

The next night, Hedo Turkoglu bumped heads with Boston’s Tony Allen as Toronto dropped its third straight, 115-104. Turkoglu remains day-to-day after a CT scan showed no major injuries.

“When it rains it pours, I guess,” swingman Antoine Wright said. “We’re dropping like flies right now.” The spread losses are piling up as well with 4-14 ATS record after allowing 100 or more points.

Those injuries could hurt the Raptors, who are 6-13 ATS off SU loss, during a pivotal two-game stretch against the Hawks (49-29, 44-33-1 ATS) and Bulls, who visit Toronto on Sunday.

Heading to Atlanta doesn’t seem like a good way to begin as they’re winless in four trips (1-3 ATS) since a 100-88 victory Dec. 11, 2007. The Raptors, though, could have an opportunity to snap that skid if Johnson misses his fourth straight game with a sprained right thumb.

Before the loss in March, the Hawks had won four straight over Toronto with their leading scorer (21.2 ppg) in the lineup, including the first two meetings this season. In the previous matchup in Atlanta, they broke a Philips Arena scoring record with a 146-115 victory Dec. 2. Al Horford scored 24 points to lead nine Hawks players in double figures.

Atlanta, though, has scored 94.3 points per game - 7.3 below its season average - over its last nine contests, topping 100 just once. Despite those scoring struggles, the Hawks have won 10 straight at home (6-4 ATS), their longest streak since taking 20 straight from Nov. 12, 1996-Feb. 12, 1997.

Adding to that run would give Atlanta its first 50-win season since 1997-98 and also help in the race for the East’s No. 3 seed. The Hawks enter Friday tied with Boston with four games remaining for both clubs and they are 6-2 ATS if their opponent cracked the century mark in points in previous outing.

They’ll face a Raptors team that’s allowed at least 113 points in four straight games and an average of 108.7 during a 7-16 stretch. That could help the Hawks deliver a better performance than in Wednesday’s 90-88 loss at Detroit. Against a team that was missing five players, Atlanta blew a nine-point lead, getting outscored 25-16 in the fourth quarter.

Sportsbook.com released the Hawks as nine-point favorites with total of 202.5 in this battle of Eastern Conference clubs fighting for positioning in the playoffs. Atlanta is 14-4 ATS vs. Atlantic Division teams and 9-3 OVER off a spread loss.

Toronto is 4-1-1 ATS in last six road encounters, but 9-23 ATS if last outing was double digit loss. The Raptors are 7-3 OVER after a spread defeat.

This matchup begins at 7:30 Eastern in local TV markets with the favorite 10-3 ATS.

The StatFox Power Line shows Atlanta by 9, almost as if oddsmakers simply looked at that number before releasing it.

NBA: Betting NBA teams on the rise
2010-01-22

Twenty-six NBA teams will be in action this Friday night, however two matchups stand out which won’t get the lion’s share of wagering dollars. The reason is these are not public teams, all with a history of professional basketball failure or little history at all. Charlotte heads south to take on division rival Atlanta and Oklahoma City travels to the mid-south to tackle Memphis. Ironically, all four teams are enjoying breakout seasons. Read on for a look at both games, then head over to the BETTING TRENDS page on Sportsbook.com to see the latest odds and where the money is going for all of Friday’s action.

Atlanta hopes to avoid Charlotte’s web

The Charlotte Bobcats (21-19, 25-15 ATS) are on the prowl and suddenly dangerous having tied a franchise record with six consecutive wins (4-2 ATS), all at Time Warner Cable Arena. There is nothing fluky about Charlotte winning either, with an average margin of victory 15.5 points per game. The Bobcats are 9-1 since 2010 arrived. “I can’t explain this,” coach Larry Brown said. “Guys are playing at a high level.”

Charlotte is a 6.5-point underdog at Sportsbook.com and is 11-3 ATS after playing a game as a home favorite this season, as they prepare for Southeast Division leader Atlanta (27-14 SU and ATS). The Hawks have been solid all year and have won six of their last eight (5-3 ATS). Atlanta is well aware of how Charlotte is playing however.

“They’re playing extremely well from a defensive standpoint so we’ll be tested without a doubt,” coach Mike Woodson said. “We’ll see where we stand from a defensive standpoint because they’ve got three, four guys that can really score the basketball and Jackson coming over from Golden State has really helped their ballclub.” The Bobcats are first in fewest points allowed in the NBA (92.2) and fourth in field goal defense (44.1).

Atlanta is seeking a quality 4-1 homestand, before heading out of town to play four of its next five away from home. The Hawks have the league’s best home record at 17-5 and are 15-7 ATS. Atlanta lost by 20 points (103-83) at Charlotte back on Nov.6 and are 16-6 ATS revenging a road loss vs. opponent of 10 points or more over the last two seasons.

The Hawks would seem to be in a solid situation since home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points revenging a loss where team scored less than 85 points against opponent off a home win against a division rival, cover 75 percent of the time (36-12). And Charlotte is a mere 3-15 on the road, losing by 5.8 points per game; however is 11-7 ATS. Sports South carries the action at 7:30 Eastern.

How did this happen?

It’s been suggested from time to time the NBA’s playoff structure should be altered. Presently the Western Conference has far more good teams than the Eastern Conference, which has been the case for the last several years. If the league went to taking the best 16 teams by records, the West would horde 11 of those spots as the standings are today. Included would be two unlikely teams, Oklahoma City and Memphis.

Like the line from the classic movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, “Who are these guys?”

Right out of Ripley’s Believe It or Not, The Thunder and Grizzlies are the two best teams in the West the last month. Oklahoma City is 11-4 and 9-6 ATS since Dec. 23. The Thunder is a very young team and amazingly, coach Scott Brooks has been able to convince them that defense is the way to get better. In Oklahoma City’s last 14 games, they have held opponents to 93.6 points per game on 41.9 shooting, the latter easily the best in the NBA. The Thunder (24-18, 25-17 ATS) won by two at Minnesota in their last outing as seven point favorites and are an awesome 14-2 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread this season.

Memphis (22-19, 24-17 ATS) has been right on Oklahoma City’s tail, winning nine of its last 13 and their turnaround goes even a little further back sporting a 12-4 SU and ATS record since Dec. 18. The Grizzlies are also a youthful squad, with Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo and still relatively young Zach Randolph. The Grizz come into this showdown 17-6 ATS after having won three of their last four games.

Memphis is a 3.5-point favorite with total of 204.5. The Grizzlies lost to Oklahoma City at home back in December and are 15-5 ATS revenging a home loss vs. opponent. The Thunder will seek their fifth win in six tries over Memphis since moving to Oklahoma (4-1 ATS) and have a recipe for success. If OKC scores 100 or more points and holds the opposition under that number, they are 11-0 ATS this season.

Keep a close eye on the total, with the Grizzlies 10-0 OVER after covering four of their last five against the spread this year and Oklahoma City 12-3 OVER in road games having played eight or more games in 14 days. Fox Sports in Oklahoma will carry this contest of two up and comers starting 8 Eastern.

The StatFox Power Lines for these games show Charlotte by 3, Memphis by 3

NBA: Game 3 brings big-time revenge angles
2009-06-10

The Lakers and Magic head to Orlando to resume their NBA Finals’ series, with Game 3 coming Tuesday night. Judging by the numerous angles focused on the concept of revenge, we should expect the Magic to climb back into the series in a lower scoring game. Take a look at some of these revenge trends as we preview the game, then head on over to the GAME MATCHUP page for more key betting information. Orlando is a 4-1/2 point favorite, but according to the Sportsbook.com Betting Trends, only 52% of bettors are leaning that way, a low percentage for this magnitude of a game.

By now everyone knows the Lakers head to Orlando with a 2-0 lead, but if the Magic’s botched layup/missed goaltending call at the end of regulation had been scored, this series would be tied 1-1. That is all the difference in the world according to history, as only three teams have ever come back from this deficit to win the NBA Finals, most recently the Miami Heat in 2006.

The “comfortable” lead has not changed Kobe Bryant’s focus however. Bryant has a promise for Game 3 on Tuesday night.

"We're about to kick it up," he said. "You'd better believe it. We're close. You see what I'm saying? This is the finals. We're going to be ready to go."

Courtney Lee missed a wide-open, alley-oop layup that would have won Game 2 at the fourth-quarter buzzer Sunday night. It was another chapter in a long history of Magic misery, one that now has them 0-6 in finals games.

Orlando has been able to come back from seemingly every heartbreak this season - injuries, four last-second losses in the playoffs and series deficits in two rounds. But this could be too tough a challenge.

"We've just got to go home and take care of business," Magic center Dwight Howard said. "The Lakers did a good job of protecting their home, and now it's our turn to do the same thing. We've been in some tough situations. We've just got to fight our way out."

The Magic would need quite a turnaround. Their backcourt has been dreadful. Rafer Alston and Jameer Nelson, who returned for the finals after being out since early February because of shoulder surgery, were so inconsistent that Van Gundy benched them for most of the fourth quarter to have 6-foot-10 forward Hedo Turkoglu run the point.

The Magic had 20 turnovers, just 22 assists and no true ballhandler to make the Lakers pay for double-teaming Howard.

Don’t consider the series over yet however. One of the streakiest teams in the league all season, Orlando has shot well at home. It plays with a carefree attitude, and Bryant says that's reason to be wary.

"This is a very loosey-goosey team we're playing against," he said. "You seen some of the shots they hit. Those are tough shots - supposed to be tough shots. For them it's like shooting fish in a barrel. They're just thinking about Game 3, and so are we."

As mentioned in the opening, one of the key handicapping concepts backing the Magic for Game 3 is REVENGE. Orlando boasts several Top StatFox Power Trends focused on this motivation. Including the Game 2 Magic ATS win and UNDER result, here are a few of the revenge angles that will be in play for Tuesday’s Game 3:

* ORLANDO is 33-11 ATS (+20.9 Units) revenging a same season loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons. The average score was ORLANDO 102.2, OPPONENT 93.9 - (Rating = 3*)
* ORLANDO is 13-3 ATS (+9.7 Units) revenging 2 straight losses where opp scored 100 or more points over the last 3 seasons. The average score was ORLANDO 100.9, OPPONENT 100.5 - (Rating = 1*)
* ORLANDO is 28-13 ATS (+13.7 Units) revenging a road loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons. The average score was ORLANDO 101.6, OPPONENT 95.0 - (Rating = 1*)

The Lakers have been a solid bet as a road dog though. Over the last two seasons, they are 24-12 ATS in that role.

In terms of the total, revenge for Orlando may also play a role in taking this game UNDER the posted number of 198:

* ORLANDO is 26-15 UNDER (+9.5 Units) revenging a road loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons. The average score was ORLANDO 101.6, OPPONENT 95.0 - (Rating = 1*)

Tip time is set for 9:00 PM ET on ABC.

NBA: Wild West set for Wild Finish
2009-04-07

After taking a complete day off, the NBA regular season resumes Tuesday with nine days left. With Dallas all but finishing off Phoenix on Sunday, the eight teams that will be in the playoffs are set. However, the order of how the competition will match up is as up for grabs as next year’s Clippers roster. Every night the rest of the way will feature intriguing betting opportunities. Be sure to stay on top of the LIVE ODDS, BETTING TRENDS, and GAME MATCHUP pages for all the latest key game info.

Four teams are legitimately still vying for second position in the Western Conference behind the Los Angeles Lakers. Western teams presently in slots four-thru-eight could be potentially reversed by the end of April 15. If the Kentucky Derby ends up having this sort of a finish in about a month, it should be quite a race.

The Mavericks (46-31, 37-40 ATS) will have a legitimate chance to avoid the Lakers in the first round. Dallas is 28-9 at home (16-21 ATS) and will host Utah and New Orleans in next two contests. The Jazz have been off-key most of the season on the road and the Hornets have injury issues that just won’t go away. The very next contest is return engagement at New Orleans, which is the Mavs last road encounter of the season. With aforementioned teams directly in front of them in the standings, a 3-0 start moves Dallas up with Minnesota and Houston due to come to American Airlines Arena.

Utah (47-30, 38-39 ATS) may have gained some confidence on the road with its win 108-94 win at New Orleans. That was just their second win in last eight road games, who have covered a mere three of last 13. Utah is not out of the woods by any stretch having road encounters with Dallas, San Antonio and the Lakers to close the season. They will have a couple of very winnable home games with Golden State and the Clippers, but how they perform on the road will determine their fate.
New Orleans (47-29, 33-42-1 ATS) has been a bad wager all year and it’s not about to get easier. Center Tyson Chandler hopes his left ankle will allow him to play next week and forward James Posey will be evaluated later for his bad elbow. Peja Stojakovic has been coming off the bench the last couple of games and could return to starting lineup after missing 15 games with bad back. That means Chris Paul and David West are playing 40+ minutes a game, being able to rest by not practicing. The Hornets still have six games left on the regular season docket and trail the division-leading Spurs by just two. They will need wins in next two tilts, at Miami and home to Phoenix. If that works out, they will have home and home with Dallas and road games against Houston and San Antonio. Not a very good situation for a team that is 14-22-1 ATS in the visitor’s uniforms.

The Portland Trailblazers (48-28, 40-35-1 ATS) have clinched their first playoff berth in six years and still could move up, however time is not on there side. Portland is pursuing Denver, trailing them by two games in the loss column. The Blazers have won seven of last 10, covering the spread eight times. Unfortunately, they are chasing Denver, who has won nine of 10. Portland has six games left on the schedule, compared to the Nuggets who have just four. The Blazers can’t make-up those games. Their best hope is to look to surpass Houston and gain the fourth seed, thus assuring home court for the first round. Portland stands at 31-7 and 23-14-1 ATS at the Rose Garden and has three home games and three road games remaining.

This year’s Denver (52-26, 44-33-1 ATS) squad is hardly recognizable. The Nuggets have never merited many points on the toughness scale. Always strong at home and weak to fair on the road, Denver was good enough to make the playoffs and not move forward. After losing five of first six in March, a familiar tone was being set, but quicker than a snow covered Rocky Mountain avalanche, coach George Karl’s club got white hot. The Nuggets have been punishing teams in being victorious 12 of 13 (9-4 ATS) times, winning nine times by 10 or more points. They will have two winnable home games to lock up the second seed, with difficult matches against the Lakers and Portland on the road.

San Antonio (49-27, 37-37-2 ATS) has done remarkably well to stay atop the Southwest Division. Tim Duncan battling achy knees and Manu Ginobili fighting the injury bug all season, but now is being shut down after doctor’s found stress fracture in the ankle. Somehow coach Greg Popovich and Tony Parker have kept them afloat all season. The Spurs will be playing a great deal of basketball trying to lock up the division and finish no worse than a third seed. They have six games remaining and should either be favored in all six or the slightest of underdogs on the road. How they react with the news about Ginobili is anybody’s guess.

Houston’s quest to find a way to win division continues, with the Rockets (49-28, 37-39-1 ATS) having five contests remaining. They should take down Sacramento and Golden State on the road, but it will be how they play at home against Orlando and New Orleans that will help determined what spot they have in the playoffs.

NBA bettors are going to have to make some very interesting decisions to finish the regular season, in choosing the teams out west.

NBA: Betting beyond the stars in Cavs and Magic (8:00 PM ET – TNT)
2009-01-29

Is it just yours truly or does it seem like there has interesting NBA games to watch this year? Maybe it was because we all had become so used to San Antonio, Dallas. Miami and Detroit for years, they were the one’s always on. Today at least the variety appears better, with more teams actually competing with a legitimate chance to represent their conference as champions come playoff time. Two such teams meet tonight approximately 90 miles from the site of the Super Bowl and should be a heck of battle.

Two of the biggest stars in the NBA stratosphere are LeBron James and Dwight Howard and they will collide tonight, however, each has proven like many before them, they can’t do it alone and now have other talented players rotating in their respective solar systems.

Cleveland (35-8, 29-14 ATS) has managed to survive two key injuries thanks to the depth they have on the roster. Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been recovering from a sprained left ankle and chipped bone and internet rumors have him returning tonight, though team reports are still suggesting he has soreness and couple more days would help. Fortunately, his backup Anderson Varejao has put up virtually the same numbers and the Cavs haven’t been hurt to bad.

Delonte West has been out with a fractured wrist, which seems to have motivated Mo Williams even more, who scored a career high 43 points two nights ago and just missed a triple double, adding 11 assists and eight rebounds in 117-110 win over Sacramento. In fact in that game an extremely rare occurrence happened. Williams and James each had a minimum of at least 23 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists. That is the first time that teammates has such numbers since Dec. 23, 1971, when Butch Beard (30 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists) and John Johnson (24 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists) did it for the Cavs at Atlanta. You can put Cleveland down for 9-1 ATS record after scoring 110 points or more this season.

Orlando (34-10, 30-14 ATS) could hardly be called one dimensional, even with Howard having another monster season. The Magic are the league’s top three-point shooting team, connecting on 40.2 percent from beyond the arc. Four regulars shoot at least 41.0 percent. Sharp shooter Rashard Lewis has the most treys in the NBA and Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu can also drain long bombs. Orlando’s ability to make deep shots opens up the lane area for Howard to work and if teams want to sag or double-team him in the post, he can just kick out pass to open shooter.
Orlando lit up Indiana 135-111 and they are 7-0 ATS after scoring 60 points or more in the first half last game this season. This prompted Indiana’s Danny Granger to call Orlando “the best team in the East.”

The oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com also like Orlando, making them a four-point home favorite with a total of 197. The Magic are 17-4 and 13-8 ATS at the Amway Arena and are 10-1 ATS when playing only their second game in five days. Cleveland has won four in a row and has been alternating spread wins and losses for last eight games and is coming off non-cover. The Cavs are 11-2 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread this season.

Over the last three seasons, Orlando is 5-2 and 6-1 ATS in their meetings, with five of seven playing Under the total. The latter instances could happen again with the Cavaliers 9-1 UNDER after scoring 60 points or more in the first half last game and the Magic 12-3 UNDER after allowing 100 points or more two straight games.
TNT is the televised provider starting at 8 Eastern.
StatFox Power Line – Orlando by 8