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Bank Shots: NBA's weekly betting news and notes
Each week, we look back on the NBA betting scene and give you the best - and worst - basketball bets, as well as some spots to keep an eye on with the upcoming schedule.
For the week of Jan. 5-11
Hottest ATS - Toronto Raptors (2-2 SU, 4-0 ATS)
Sound familiar? The Raptors have been by far the best cover play since the end of the Christmas break, going a perfect 9-0 ATS as they continue to impress since trading Rudy Gay to Sacramento. After looking strong in narrow losses at Miami and Indiana - far and away the two strongest teams in the Eastern Conference - Toronto returned to its winning ways with runaway home victories over the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets. Expect the good times to continue this week, with home games against Milwaukee and Minnesota and a road game versus Boston on the docket.
Coldest ATS - Philadelphia 76ers (0-4 SU, 0-4 ATS)
After putting together one of the unlikeliest four-game road winning streaks in the NBA this season - rattling off victories against the Lakers, Denver, Sacramento and Portland over a seven-day span - the 76ers crashed back to Earth last week. Despite getting points in all four games, Philadelphia fell victim to its sieve-like defense, losing all four contests by double digits while surrendering an average of 113.3 points per contest. The 76ers will look to bounce back this week, hosting the Charlotte Bobcats and Miami Heat before hitting the road to face the Chicago Bulls.
Best Over play - Detroit Pistons (2-3 SU, 4-1 O/U)
It was a busy week for the Pistons, who were on both ends of some of the more entertaining games of the week. After dropping three straight games to open the stretch - surrendering 112 points to both the Memphis Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors - The Pistons averaged 112 points in consecutive victories over the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns. Detroit will now enjoy a much-needed rest, with six days between its triumph over the Suns and the opener of back-to-back games against the Utah Jazz and the Washington Wizards.
Best Under play - New York Knicks (4-0 SU, 4-0 O/U)
A team boasting Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith and Andrea Bargnani will never be thought of as a defensive juggernaut - making last week's numbers positively boggling. New York played all four of its games under the total, with all but one of those games falling more than 10 points below. New York has struggled on offense all season, and enjoyed only a modest boost in that area last week; the big impact came on defense, where the Knicks held all four opponents below 93 points. New York has a four-game week ahead, with home games against Phoenix and the Clippers and road dates in Charlotte and Indiana.
Surveying the schedule:
The Denver Nuggets have surged back above the .500 mark on the strength of a five-game winning streak that has renewed optimism in Colorado. Denver faces an interesting test over its next five games, with all five opponents having beaten the Nuggets in their previous meeting earlier in the season. That includes a relatively tame three-game schedule this week, with road games against the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors preceding a home date with Cleveland.
Each week, we look back on the NBA betting scene and give you the best - and worst - basketball bets, as well as some spots to keep an eye on with the upcoming schedule.
For the week of Jan. 5-11
Hottest ATS - Toronto Raptors (2-2 SU, 4-0 ATS)
Sound familiar? The Raptors have been by far the best cover play since the end of the Christmas break, going a perfect 9-0 ATS as they continue to impress since trading Rudy Gay to Sacramento. After looking strong in narrow losses at Miami and Indiana - far and away the two strongest teams in the Eastern Conference - Toronto returned to its winning ways with runaway home victories over the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets. Expect the good times to continue this week, with home games against Milwaukee and Minnesota and a road game versus Boston on the docket.
Coldest ATS - Philadelphia 76ers (0-4 SU, 0-4 ATS)
After putting together one of the unlikeliest four-game road winning streaks in the NBA this season - rattling off victories against the Lakers, Denver, Sacramento and Portland over a seven-day span - the 76ers crashed back to Earth last week. Despite getting points in all four games, Philadelphia fell victim to its sieve-like defense, losing all four contests by double digits while surrendering an average of 113.3 points per contest. The 76ers will look to bounce back this week, hosting the Charlotte Bobcats and Miami Heat before hitting the road to face the Chicago Bulls.
Best Over play - Detroit Pistons (2-3 SU, 4-1 O/U)
It was a busy week for the Pistons, who were on both ends of some of the more entertaining games of the week. After dropping three straight games to open the stretch - surrendering 112 points to both the Memphis Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors - The Pistons averaged 112 points in consecutive victories over the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns. Detroit will now enjoy a much-needed rest, with six days between its triumph over the Suns and the opener of back-to-back games against the Utah Jazz and the Washington Wizards.
Best Under play - New York Knicks (4-0 SU, 4-0 O/U)
A team boasting Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith and Andrea Bargnani will never be thought of as a defensive juggernaut - making last week's numbers positively boggling. New York played all four of its games under the total, with all but one of those games falling more than 10 points below. New York has struggled on offense all season, and enjoyed only a modest boost in that area last week; the big impact came on defense, where the Knicks held all four opponents below 93 points. New York has a four-game week ahead, with home games against Phoenix and the Clippers and road dates in Charlotte and Indiana.
Surveying the schedule:
The Denver Nuggets have surged back above the .500 mark on the strength of a five-game winning streak that has renewed optimism in Colorado. Denver faces an interesting test over its next five games, with all five opponents having beaten the Nuggets in their previous meeting earlier in the season. That includes a relatively tame three-game schedule this week, with road games against the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors preceding a home date with Cleveland.
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