Another exciting week of NBA action has resulted in a ton of changes from a betting perspective. Off the back of a 10-game winning streak, Golden State have again established themselves as the clear title favourite. James Harden firmed even further for MVP with some excellent displays, whilst Victor Oladipo’s injury results in some huge changes out East. We’ll talk you through all the changes in the NBA this week, this time from a punter’s point of view.
Warriors Taking the NBA By Storm
Off the back of a phenomenal 10-game winning streak, the Golden State Warriors again find themselves comfortably atop the Western Conference. This was highlighted by a very impressive road win in Boston last time out, showing why the Warriors are still rightful title favourites. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have maintained their excellent starts to the campaign, whilst the addition of Boogie Cousins has Golden State playing with a renewed vigour. At $1.55 to win the title, the Punters have definitely started to trust the Warriors more of late.
Harden Firming as MVP Favourite
We’ve been beating the Harden MVP drum for weeks now and punters have started to take notice. Harden went from $2.25 to $1.90 a fortnight ago, before firming further to $1.55 this week. It’s not hard to see why either, with Harden enjoying fantastic season averages of 36.2 points, 8.2 assists, and 6.5 rebounds per contest. It’s almost as if we expect a 40-point triple-double each night from him now. If he keeps up this level, $1.55 is likely to become even shorter in future. Giannis and Steph Curry still remain solid competition at $4.50 and $13 respectively.
Oladipo’s Injury Changes the East Landscape
We unfortunately had one of the most notable major injuries of the season this past week, with the news that Pacers Shooting Guard Victor Oladipo is done for the year. This is a cruel blow for a strong Indiana side that currently finds themselves 3rd in the East. To me, it looks very likely that the Bucks, Raptors, 76ers, and Celtics will now form the East’s top 4. This should make for a very intriguing set of Semis and Conference Finals. Currently leading the way, the Milwaukee Bucks still appear solid value at $4.
South East Division a Two Horse Race
The South East Division appears to be coming down to the wire between the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets. Miami currently find themselves half a game ahead, but there is still plenty to play for with 34 games remaining. The Heat are relatively strong favourites at $2.25, but with the way Kemba Walker has been playing recently, $2.85 for Charlotte appears solid value. A resurgent Wizards side is also an outside shot at $5.
Updated ATS Trends
With another week in the books, there have been some noticeable changes in our ATS rankings. The Dallas Mavericks are currently the best side against the spread, going 29-19 this season. San Antonio find themselves an impressive 30-20, whilst the Kings and Bucks have remained part of the top 5. A solid 27-21 ATS record from Denver also sees them now climb into the top 5.
On the flipside, the Grizzlies and Cavs have been the two worst sides ATS this season. The Suns also find themselves there at 22-29, rounded out by the Lakers and Hawks who both only have 21 ATS wins this season. Whilst this is likely to somewhat change over the next week, it gives you a good idea of which teams are currently over and undervalued.