NBA Volume 2 Betting Thread

Got a few interesting matchups on the slate tonight (at least if you ask me):

Orlando - Phil --> I mean, my gut is pulling me toward Philly here, but man, I really wish the spread was a bit more forgiving... maybe like a +5? They’re a solid squad with great defense, and even without a massive superstar, they play such cohesive team ball. That said, they weren't exactly blowing anyone away in their last outing against the Bobcats. On the flip side, Orlando is on fire right now, but they feel way too unpredictable to me... just too reliant on the three-ball, I guess...

Toronto - SAS --> So, I took Toronto ML last night and what looked like a total blowout ended up being... well, you saw it. But hey, they haven't actually been playing that poorly lately. The Spurs are currently on a 9-game road trip and have already snagged four wins, so this is their fifth straight on the road. They look pretty prepared, but they didn't exactly look dominant in Detroit last night—they were practically flirting with a loss. I don't see them absolutely demolishing Toronto, so I'm leaning towards Raptors +7.5

+7,5 Knicks - Kings --> If the Knicks had dropped that game last night, I probably would've taken the Kings here almost without thinking. As it stands, it feels like a toss-up to me, but the Kings played a hell of a game against the Bulls yesterday, so things could get dicey tonight.

What do you guys think?

James Taylor3 said:taking these -3.5 Warriors as a single—man, that’d be the dream right about now. I mean, look at the Blazers... they're struggling, their form is just totally off, they're dealing with those brutal back-to-back schedules, and let's be real, they have such a terrible track record playing against Golden State at home. Plus, with Aldridge out? It's basically a layup...

I'm probably gonna just single that -3.5☕

Alright, so everyone is looking at the warriors tonight...☕

here’s what I’m thinking:

Boston (-9.5) vs. Detroit 2 @ 1.85

The Celtics are way too overrated in my book—screw those 1.20 odds🙄
they might be thin in the paint tonight; even if J.O'Neal plays, I don't think they'll push it too hard with Garnett. If he does get in, I doubt he’ll see much floor time, and honestly, I don't trust him to cover a 14-point spread in the NBA against a Pistons frontcourt that's actually holding its own🤷). Plus, they’ve been without B. Bass for two weeks now because of that knee injury. Detroit is basically full strength if you ignore Villanueva, who's out long-term, but they're on a back-to-back, which sucks. Still, I liked the grit they showed against the Spurs last night and I expect more of that tonight. Boston’s got a game against the Bulls tomorrow, and besides that, we've got another nail-biter with Tony B🙂 coming up tonight too.

C. Paul Under 18.5

I'm praying for a blowout where CP3 just gets relegated to a bench shooter role, maybe with some heavy defensive pressure from Wall to shut him down again. The Clippers have a trip to Portland tomorrow and then host the Spurs on Saturday, so they might play it safe tonight. Paul’s been taking fewer shots in his last two outings and staying under this line anyway. Remember a week and a half ago when he was in D.C. and barely scored 2 points on a miserable 1-for-9 shooting night?

Also, I'm tossing around ideas about younger Gasol over 15.5 and Curry under 17.5🤷

analoghound21 said:Boston (-9.5) vs. Detroit @ 1.85
The Celtics feel way too overhyped to me, honestly, those 1.20 odds are just a trap🙄
They might be looking a little thin in the frontcourt tonight, and even if J.O'Neal gets some minutes, I’m not sure they’ll risk much with Garnett; if he does step on the floor, I don't see him playing heavy minutes, and there's no way he covers a 14-point spread against a Detroit squad that's actually holding its own in the paint🤷), plus, they've been without B. Bass for two weeks now due to that knee injury; Detroit is pretty much at full strength if you ignore Villanueva being out long-term, though they are playing on the second half of a back-to-back, but man, I loved that grit they showed against the Spurs last night and I'm expecting that same energy again. Boston has another game tomorrow against the Bulls, and besides that, we've got another nail-biter with Tony B hitting the court tonight too🙂

I'm still leaning toward the Celtics, though, mostly because the Pistons just seem weak across the board—defense, offense, everything is lacking. My only real hesitation is that since the Celtics play the Bulls tomorrow, I wonder if they'll just coast through or try to wrap things up by the fourth quarter so they can give the starters a breather🤷
And let's be real, Detroit is struggling big time in the post, especially defensively. They're getting shredded on pick-and-rolls and spot-up plays, and they just don't have any rim protection, sitting dead last with an average of only about 3.7 blocks per game. 🤷


edit:
just a few quick picks for the road
Williams D (-23.5+) vs Memphis @ 1.85 under
Jamison A (-18.5+) Cleveland vs Indy @ 1.85 under
Nash S (-13.5+) Phoenix vs Atlanta @ 1.85 over
New York (199.5) vs Sacramento @ 1.85 under
Boston/Detroit (93.5) @ 1.7 over
@ 19.91 😁

Nicholas Chase34 said:I’m leaning toward the Celtics here, mostly because the Pistons are just a mess on every single level—offense, defense, everything. My only real hesitation is that the Sixers play the Bulls tomorrow, so I’m wondering if they’ll take their foot off the gas or try to bury them by the fourth quarter just so they can rest the starters early. 🤷
And let’s be real, the Pistons are terrible at guarding bigs. Their interior defense is a joke, especially since they can't handle pick-and-rolls or spot-up shooters to save their lives. Plus, they don't have any rim protection; they're dead last in the league averaging maybe 3.7 blocks a game. 🤷

What can I say? You basically drew me a map there. 😁

Look, I know the Pistons are significantly worse, but whatever, I already placed my bets on them regardless of what the stats say. 😛

One of the big reasons is exactly what you pointed out—they've got the Bulls tomorrow, and facing these subpar Pistons today, I just don't see them playing at full throttle. Honestly, that 9.5-point spread kind of works in my favor, especially knowing how much some of these head refs love to gift points to the away team. 🤷 I’m not expecting a total blowout; I think this could stay pretty tight, similar to what happened against the Spurs. Even their recent matchups have been hovering around that range... though hey, maybe I'm just totally wrong. 🤷

So yeah, I'm calling it: expect them to coast. ☕ 😬

And there goes my rose...

Dallas vs Denver Nuggets (Feb 16, 2:30 AM)
1
1.35
Houston vs Oklahoma City Thunder (Feb 16, 2:00 AM)
2
1.70
Boston (Over 177.5) vs Detroit (Feb 16, 1:30 AM)
over
1.65
Phoenix (Over 185.5) vs Atlanta (Feb 16, 3:00 AM)
over
1.75
Toronto (Over 185.5) vs San Antonio (Feb 16, 1:00 AM)
over
1.70
Here’s what I’ve got lined up for tonight. Anyone else looking at these, or am I just shouting into the void?

Griffin B.(-21.5+)-LAL-Over 1.85

Honestly, I’m leaning toward the over here. If Wall shuts down Paul, who else is gonna find any space besides Griffin? 🙂

Houston vs. Oklahoma
Pick: Oklahoma -3.5

Odds: 1.99

Wager: 5/10

Both teams are playing on the back end of a back-to-back—though they aren't entering this matchup on equal footing. Oklahoma had three full days of rest prior to their easy win over Utah last night (a 26-point blowout where the starters saw significantly reduced minutes), which matters. Houston, meanwhile, just wrapped up a brutal six-game road trip in ten days with a loss to Memphis. They aren't exactly fresh. While Houston plays well at home, they’re facing a powerhouse tonight—Oklahoma is arguably the best team in the West and boasts the third-ranked offense in the league. Then there’s the Martin problem; his recent form has been abysmal. He actually finished last night with zero points—the first time he’s done that as a starter—and his post-game comments weren't much better. He claimed he wasn't worried about the lack of shots, essentially saying he was just "chilling." That's the team's leading scorer for you. 🤦

Houston has dropped two straight, whereas Oklahoma has been remarkably consistent all season, winning four of their last five.
This marks the third meeting between these two this season, and Oklahoma has taken both so far. They won convincingly at home by 15—leading by as much as 25—and squeaked out a 98-95 road win.
Over the last two seasons, they’ve met six times; Oklahoma took five of those. Houston’s lone victory came by a single point.

Houston is one of the worst teams in the league at defending the glass, which means plenty of lanes for Westbrook and Harden to attack the rim tonight.
Furthermore, along with Sacramento, Houston allows the most offensive rebounds per game (13.8). A team with Ibaka and Westbrook in the paint will certainly exploit that—that's 14 extra possessions per game. Oklahoma isn't perfect on the boards either, but I give them the edge here. Expect Oklahoma—specifically the trio of Westbrook, Harden, and Durant—to live at the free-throw line.

Today, I am placing my trust solely on Kevin Love hitting over 23 points.
Everything else about these matchups feels somewhat questionable to me...

Best of luck to everyone.

Deshawn said:Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers | 2 | 2.50

I’m just going purely on gut feeling here, mostly because I honestly don't trust this Warriors squad one bit.

I have to agree; even though I’m rooting for them, I don't trust them either. They are certainly a talented group, and they possess one of the absolute best players in the NBA, but a team that blows so many close games in the final minutes simply isn't a reliable bet. You should only look at them when the odds are high because they truly have the talent to win any night. Besides, they've already beaten teams like the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat this season, yet they struggle against almost everyone else.
Personally, I find the odds on Orlando quite appealing today. They've been playing remarkably well lately, and I suspect Hawes is going to have a difficult time containing Howard.

Chris Ortiz said:Yeah, I don't trust them either—even though I'm pulling for them. They’re a solid squad and have one of the league's elite players, but a team that blows this many close finishes isn't exactly a reliable bet. You take them when the odds are high because they genuinely have the talent to win any night. Besides, they handled Chicago and Miami earlier this year, yet struggled against just about everyone else.
Orlando looks like a great value play today. They've been playing well lately. Hawes is going to have a hard time dealing with Howard.

I don't trust my Portland team either. 😁

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the announcer during the Dallas-Portland game a few days ago mentioned Portland was 1-8 in close games—within three points. After losing to Dallas tonight, they're sitting at 1-9.

With both tradition and momentum on the Warriors' side, I expect them to pull it off tonight.

Evening, everyone.

I’m not sure if my eyes are failing me or what...

but looking at the DraftKings board, I don't see Durant or Westbrook anywhere in the mix.🙂

Terry Cook48 said:Hey guys, hope you're having a good night...

I don't know if my eyes are failing me or what...

But looking at the current offers from FanDuel, I don't see Kevin Durant or Luka Dončić anywhere...🙂

You aren't crazy... 😁

Scott Jackson said:you aren't blind... 😁

Oh, thanks... I was already starting to think I needed to book an appointment with an eye doctor...

So who are these idiots... it happened just this morning...🙂

...since Miller went absolutely ballistic in the first half and we're already sitting at 10, I could probably just cruise to a win right now...🙂

Terrible start for Oklahoma... 🙂 🙂 I finally beat them for the first time this season, and this is how they respond... 🙂

ruggedgull32 said:...since Martin went absolutely ballistic in the first quarter and already has 10, I could easily go big on him...🙂

Yeah, take him at 12.

I have no idea how they let this half-injured Martin—who’s been playing like garbage lately—drop 12 points in just 11 minutes during the first quarter. 🤦

If the defense keeps playing like this for the rest of the game, the Rockets are going to run away with this by double digits. They could easily clear 110, and Martin might push 30+. 🙄

The Pacers are playing their third game in three days tomorrow. They absolutely crushed it yesterday, and they did the exact same thing the day before. Now, with Brooks back in the lineup for the Nets, I am seriously questioning where the line will land for those looking to take the other side.

He managed to nail the picks for Dallas, Minnesota, and the Knicks—and then tied them all together with AC Milan, Atalanta, and of course, that struggling Juventus side.
It’s a shame; if I had been paying attention to this thread earlier, I probably would have followed your lead with Love—honestly, a stellar call.