BASKETBALL NBA ARTICLES

It is a light schedule on Thursday of the NBA regular season slate. Most teams are resting up at home or making some travel arrangements for their weekend matchup. While it will be a quiet day, the two matchups on the docket are quite intriguing.... 

The Milwaukee Bucks have been the best team in the regular season, but they suffered a head-scratching loss to the lowly Suns last time out. Milwaukee can’t allow that to compound next time out against the Indiana Pacers. The Bucks are the superior team and get this one at home, so they will be a comfortable favorite. ... 

The Western Conference is still tightly packed as the regular season hits its stretch run, and every game at this point can mean a lot. There are several games on Wednesday which could play a role in some movement in the standings. The Eastern Conference also has some things that must be figured out the rest of the way, and these games could either bring some more clarity or add to the fuzziness.... 

The Los Angeles Lakers are running out of time to make a run at the playoffs. If it is to happen, they are going to need to knock off superior foes consistently down the stretch. The Lakers have an opportunity to do so next time out when they host the Denver Nuggets in a critical Western Conference clash.... 

There isn’t an outsized number of NBA regular season games on Tuesday, but there are a pair of high-powered matchups featuring four hopeful contenders. While those showdowns may get the most attention, gamblers know the biggest games aren’t always the ones to bet on.... 

The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors were projected to capture their respective conferences this season. While the Warriors are once again living up to expectations, it has been a much bumpier ride for Boston. The Celtics are only in fifth place in the East as the season winds down.... 

The Brooklyn Nets may not be a playoff team but that does not take away from the fact that they are highly profitable. Brooklyn will be hosting a Dallas Mavericks team that is in one of their worst stretches of the season. The San Antonio Spurs are trying to chase down the Houston Rockets for the top spot in the Southwest Division. The slumping Spurs face a Denver Nuggets team that drops a notch on the road. Few teams in any sport are as profitable as the Milwaukee Bucks. And Milwaukee could lik... 

If the Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics were to meet in the NBA Finals it would not be a shocking surprise. While the Rockets and Celtics are not top tier favorites to make it into the month of June, they are nonetheless capable. Keep in mind that both the Rockets and Celtics made it all the way to their respective Conference Finals last spring. For Houston this has been a frustrating and inconsistent season with a return to occasional bad habits on defense. For Boston the need for secondary s... 

A potential preview of the NBA Finals will be taking place on ABC Saturday night prime time television from Philadelphia. The Golden State Warriors are the prohibitive favorite to win their third consecutive NBA title and four in the last five years. The problem is that their popularity is so high that a ton of casual betting money perpetually puts them into overlay status. The Philadelphia 76ers have quickly earned their own level of respect from the gambling public and are now one of the most ... 

A matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers has a far different public perception compared to the actual reality. In the view of the casual gambler the Lakers are still the “Lake Show” and boast the King himself, LeBron James. To such players the Lakers subpar record and red ink vs. the betting odds are oblivious. Meanwhile the Bucks get little in the way of notoriety and attention yet are among the top tier teams in the NBA. Most important of all Milwaukee is making big mon... 

With four consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals totaling three championships, including the past two years and with two of the biggest names in the game (Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant), it’s understandable that the Golden State Warriors are the overwhelming betting favorite for a three-peat title run. But the trick to betting on the NBA championship, as is the case with all sports, is to bet the future rather than the past. Yet the great irony of futures betting is that gamblers more often ... 

Without question Joel Embiid has been one of the most transformative NBA players in recent memory. Prior to Embiid’s arrival the Philadelphia 76ers were a bad joke of a franchise. In fact, they were one of the worst run teams in all of professional sports. But that script has now been flipped. Philadelphia is now a bona fide Eastern Conference playoff contender and a team that gamblers now lineup to take instead of oppose. But on Thursday night they will be up against one of the top offensive te... 

Few teams are as overlooked and anonymous as the New Orleans Pelicans. And there is plenty of good reason for that. New Orleans is one of the worst teams in the NBA. But even in the best of times, the Pelicans constantly rate near the bottom as far as public wagering appeal. No team in the Association could be more opposite of that than the Los Angeles Lakers. Indeed, the Lakers are among the NBA’s flagship franchises. Add in the acquisition of LeBron James over the summer and you have a combust... 

Russell Westbrook has long been the marquee man of the Oklahoma City Thunder and that has served the franchise well, especially after Kevin Durant’s defection to the Golden State Warriors. But recently Paul George has stepped up to take much of the burden off of Westbrook. The result is that the Thunder have become one of the most profitable teams on the NBA board. OKC is also in a heated race with the Denver Nuggets for the top spot in the Northwest Division. The Nuggets are led by an emerging ... 

The Toronto Raptors are neck and neck with the Milwaukee Bucks for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The trade of DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard has proven to be a success. Just as important first year head coach Nick Nurse has proven to be up to the task of maintaining the Raptors recent standard of excellence. The Boston Celtics have been well coached by Brad Stevens for several years now. Stevens led them to the Eastern Conference finals last year despite missing top offensive threat K... 

There is a big slate of games set for Monday as the entire league is back full throttle following the All-Star Break. Both conferences still have plenty to figure out down the stretch and the games are increasing in importance as we move along.... 

There are only three games on the NBA slate on Sunday, but some top teams are scheduled to participate. The regular season is hitting its stretch run and every win or loss at this stage could mean a lot when the playoffs get set.... 

The All-Star Break might be over, but some of the NBA’s superstars will be on display once again as the regular season picks back up this week. James Harden and the Houston Rockets will hit the road to face off against Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and the rest of the star-studded Golden State Warriors.... 

The NBA regular season is back into full swing, and all the players should be rested after a reprieve during the All-Star Break. This is the stretch run where the contenders aim to get hot as the playoffs approach. The Western Conference playoff standings are particularly close, and every win or loss could mean a great deal the rest of the way.... 

The Golden State Warriors may not have the best record in the NBA as the second half of the season prepares to start up, but the oddsmakers are not worried about their up and down regular season. Despite some early inconsistency, Golden State has flexed its muscle of late and remains a huge favorite to win another NBA championship.... 

The Toronto Raptors were sizzling hot heading into the All-Star Break, and are hoping the mini-vacation doesn’t affect that streak. Toronto has won six consecutive games to pull close to the Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the NBA. The Raptors can keep the heat on by picking up a victory next time out when they host the San Antonio Spurs in a key showdown.... 

The Oklahoma City Thunder has designs of positioning itself as the chief contender to the Golden State Warriors heading into the postseason. The Thunder entered the All-Star Break playing good ball and will look to continue that as the second half begins this week against the Utah Jazz.... 

The stretch run begins in earnest now that the All-Star Break has come and gone. The Milwaukee Bucks have the best record in the NBA and would love to hold on to that for the postseason, but have a tough game coming out of the break. The Bucks are at home but they are going to be hosting the Boston Celtics in a matchup of Eastern Conference elite.... 

If the Los Angeles Lakers plan to truly be in the conversation as contenders to the Golden State Warriors this postseason, the time to make a run is now. An injury to LeBron James sidetracked the team badly in late December and January but he is back healthy now.... 

Devin Booker set a record for points in a round and won the Three-Point Contest a year ago. So why isn’t he getting more love from the oddsmakers as he aims to defend that title? The Suns’ sweet-shooting guard will look to buck the odds and come away with the three-point shootout title once again....