2025-2026 NBA Championship Betting
The NBA season includes teams that were once perennial contenders but are now in hopeless situations. Once upon a time, these teams were among the biggest brands on the board. However, those days are over for the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, and Indiana Pacers, who are pariahs in the eyes of gamblers.
The fall of the Dallas Mavericks is a stunning case study in how to ruin a franchise and its reputation with fans and gamblers. When Dallas made the 2024 NBA Finals, it seemed as if they owned the future. Instead, less than a year later, the Mavericks traded marquee man Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The decision sparked outrage among Dallas fans and led to numerous cancellations of season ticket packages. Now, the Mavericks are among the worst teams in the NBA. Most importantly, Dallas is a team that gamblers want nothing to do with.
In a similar way, the Utah Jazz were consistently among the best and most consistent franchises in sports. Utah made the playoffs in six consecutive seasons from 2017 through 2022 and often supplied gamblers with strong betting value. Head coach Quin Snyder led the Jazz to that success.
However, Snyder and the Jazz parted ways in 2022, and the team has not been the same since. Nobody ever believed that the Jazz would fall into the NBA betting abyss that they are now in.
Last year, the Indiana Pacers shocked the sports wagering world by making the NBA Finals. Indiana took the Oklahoma City Thunder to a full seven games before losing the decisive matchup. Still, it was a tremendous accomplishment that had fans and gamblers expecting a long run of success. Instead, Indiana is in the midst of a lost season and faces a long period on the outside looking in.
The Mavericks, Jazz, and Pacers are a cautionary tale of how the good times can’t last forever in the NBA. In turn, they are teams that gamblers used to have faith in. However, that trust has been shattered in the current NBA campaign.
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NBA Future Market Update and Teams to Watch
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are 19-30 straight up, 23-26 against the spread, and 22-27 under the total. Consider that the Mavericks are showing unusually good wagering value recently. Dallas covered the spread in seven of their most recent ten games. Additionally, the Mavericks went under the total in three of their last four matchups.
The Mavericks' recent run of success is a good example of how overlooked losing teams can offer greater value for wagers. To attract gamblers, oddsmakers have to entice them to bet on undesirable teams like the Mavericks by offering higher odds that are often unwarranted. Consider that such prices are necessary to balance betting action on both sides.
Last week, Dallas lost a road game to the Houston Rockets 111-107, but easily covered as 10.5-point road dogs. Houston is currently in a strong playoff position and was attractive to the casual sector. But the odds were set so high that it balanced out the betting action, which is the ultimate goal for the guys making the lines.
Of great concern to fans and gamblers is that the player acquired in the Doncic trade is out. Anthony Davis is out with a finger injury and will be evaluated again in a few weeks. Furthermore, Kyrie Irving is out with a knee injury, and there is no timetable for his return.
Davis was leading the Mavericks with 20.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. Although Irving has not played this year, he is a big-name brand that fans and gamblers respond to.
Dallas opens the week with a pair of home games. First, Dallas hosts the Boston Celtics on February 3. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. ET with coverage on NBC. Next is a home game against the San Antonio Spurs on February 5. Tipoff is at 8:30 p.m. ET. And then, on February 7, the Mavericks begin a six-game road trip with a 6 p.m. ET rematch against the Spurs, with coverage on Amazon Prime Video.
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