BASKETBALL NBA ARTICLES

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was once considered the best in the NBA, if not all of sports. But it is amazing how dumb coaches become when they have no talent to lead. These days, Popovich is better known for being Coach Popoff with his left-wing rants and tirades about America and Donald Trump. The unfortunate Victor Wembanyama, the top overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft,... 

At the onset of the NBA betting odds season, the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns are two of the top performers. First year head coach Mike Budenholzer has the Suns off to an impressive start. Budenholzer is best known for leading the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA title. He has also won wherever he has coached. Thus, Budenholzer arrived in the Valley of the Sun with total credibility. On Friday night Budenholzer will lead Phoenix in a tough road tilt against the Dallas Mavericks. In the same way as the Suns, Dallas is off to a good start. The Suns and Mavericks showdown is the ESPN late Friday night matchup. Dallas remains a public betting on NBA using crypto brand because of its 2023 playoff success. Sharps will look hard at the Suns as a quality road team that squares ignore. On Friday, November 8, 2024, the Dallas Mavericks will host the Phoenix Suns at American Airlines Arena in Dallas, TX. Tipoff time is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and television coverage will be on ESPN. ... 

Last season, the Denver Nuggets played with an NBA betting odds championship hangover. And the Nuggets long-suffering fans would tell you everyone was entitled to it. Denver won its first NBA title in 2023 and milked it for all it was worth. However, gamblers became frustrated with the Nuggets' inconsistent play for the first half of the season. Finally, at the All-Star break, Denver reg... 

Since 2014, the Los Angeles Lakers have only four NBA Playoff appearances. Previously, in the 2020 COVID campaign, they won the NBA championship, which is why the Lakers signed LeBron James in the first place. However, Father Time is catching up to LeBron, who is still quite good but less dominant than in the past. Additionally, there is plenty of NBA betting odds evidence that James runs the Lakers. Ownership defers to him for everything. The Lakers drafted James’ son, who NBA scouts admit is t... 

The Boston Celtics open defense of their record 18th NBA title by hosting the New York Knicks on Tuesday, October 22 in the season opener. The game is part of a TNT doubleheader and tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET from TD Garden. The Celtics ran away with the Eastern Conference last season finishing 14 games ahead of the second place Knickerbockers. Looking to close the gap New York was active ... 

The Boston Celtics are showing why they are the best team in the NBA. Not only did they run away with the Eastern Conference finishing 14 games ahead of the pack, they’ve made things look easy in the postseason and are now just two wins away from their record 18th NBA title. Boston won its ninth straight playoff game and is 14-2 following Sunday’s 105-98 win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Timing is everything when betting on games and the line for Game 2 opened at Boston -7.5 with the number dropping to 7 and in some places closing as low as Boston -6.5. With the margin being seven points you can see how that would affect your wager. I was fortunate enough to back Dallas when the spread was +7.5 making me a winner on that wager. But my same game NBA Finals parlay didn’t pan out when the teams failed to go over the total of 214.5. To say Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, June 12 is a must-win for the Dallas Mavericks isn’t entirely true since there is at least one more game, but another loss puts them in a position no team in the history of the NBA has ever come back from. Playing at home the Mavs opened as a 1.5-point favorite but they are just 5-3 SU and 4-4 ATS on their home floor. Meanwhile, the Celtics have won all six road playoff games earning payouts in three of them. ... 

The Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics eased their way through the conference finals setting up a NBA Finals matchup that had a week of hype. There is no shortage of superstar talent, which is why the clubs are the last two standing. Boston had the best team during the regular year and lost just twice in the first three playoff rounds. The Mavs slayed three of the Western Conference’s top four seeds and they are 7-2 on the road this postseason. So, there are plenty of betting options in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, June to build a winning NBA parlay. The Celtics hit the board for Game 1 of the NBA Finals as a 6.5-point home favorite. If the number stands it would be the lowest in a Boston playoff game this season. Boston closed as a betting favorite of at least 7 points in all 14 games with the number reaching double-digits eight times. Boston failed to cover in its last two against Indiana and in five of the previous six games. The Celtics won the two regular season meetings covering the spread both times, and they are unbeaten with payouts in each of the previous four encounters with Dallas. ... 

The Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t going down without a fight in their Western Conference Final series with the Dallas Mavericks. Facing a must-win scenario in Game 4, the Wolves lived to see another day and avoided the sweep with a huge road win bring the series back to Minnesota for Game 5 on Thursday, May 30. However, history isn’t on their side since no team has rebounded from losing the first three games to win a best-of-7 NBA Playoffs series. I guess there has to be a first time just like a No. 16 seed beating a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It took more than 30 years but if finally happened in 2018. And just five years later it happened again. So, I guess anything is possible, but beating a team as good as the Mavs four games in a row is asking a lot. Minnesota is a good team as well finishing the regular season with six more wins than Dallas and beating the Mavs in three of their four encounters. The Wolves were outplayed in crunch time, though, committing costly turnovers and mistakes that led to a three-game deficit in the series. At the stage of the season with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line, a team’s best players have to step up and the Wolves haven’t gotten that from Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns and the Mavs did from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. ... 

We’re down to the final four in the NBA Playoffs and while most everyone expected the Boston Celtics to be playing for a trip to the NBA Finals, I’m not sure many outside the state of Indiana had the Pacers reaching the Eastern Conference Final. The teams square off in Game 2 of their series on Thursday, May 23 with tip at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT. The Pacers advanced with a Game 7 rout of the Knicks at MSG when they shot 67 percent from the field and 54 percent from three-point range. The Pacers went just 2-5 on the road in their first two series, but that’s all they needed since they’ve were perfect at home. Needing only five games to win each of their first two series, the Celtics enjoyed a little breather before returning to the court. Their only two playoff losses came in Game 2s at the Garden. The Celtics lost 111-101 to Miami in the first round when favored by 14 points. They also lost 118-94 to Cleveland in the second round when laying 13 points. Boston earned six payouts in their first 10 playoff games despite being a double-digit favorite eight times. ... 

The top seeds in each conference are in action on Wednesday, May 15 as the 2024 NBA Playoffs continue. The Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder will need extra games in order to win their semifinal series since both clubs were upset at home in Game 2. However, while the Celtics were able to wrestle homecourt advantage away from the Cleveland Cavaliers with a Game 3 road win OKC wasn’t as fortunate. The No. 1 seed in the West dropped Games 2 and 3 to the Dallas Mavericks surrendering the homecourt edge. The good news for the Thunder is that they lost more than two games in a row just once during the regular season. Handicapping games for a NBA parlay this postseason hasn’t been easy. I’m not sure anyone expected the Denver Nuggets to lose two in a row at home to Minnesota, though the Wolves are a good team. Both of Boston’s losses took place on the parquet floor with the Celtics having trouble winning consistently in their barn over the past three years. Both of Boston’s home setbacks were by double-digits when the Cs were favored by at least 13 points. In four of their first six playoff wins the Celtics covered the NBA betting line when laying double-digits. ... 

With every first round series complete the field for the 2024 NBA Playoffs has been cut in half leaving fewer games on the schedule as we move ahead. Every day for the week starting on May 6 has two games on it except for the day we’re using to build a NBA parlay. On Wednesday, May 8 only one game is on the slate with an Eastern Conference semifinal matchup between old rivals the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. You have to go back three decades to when this matchup was one of the nastiest in the NBA. The clubs met in the postseason six times between 1993 and 2000, including three times in the Eastern Conference Final, with each team winning three series. This is the first playoff matchup between them since the Pacers eliminated New York in the 2013 Eastern Conference semifinals. The teams met three times during the regular season with the Pacers winning twice, including a 125-111 triumph in the only matchup inside MSG. Dating back to the final meeting of the 2022-23 season, the Pacers have cashed in three of the last four meetings. There have also been some high scoring games between the two with the winning club scoring at least 125 points in four of the last five encounters. The Pacers were most efficient offensively during the season leading the NBA with an average of 123.3 points. They scored at least 120 points in all four wins to oust Milwaukee cashing the OVER each time. ... 

There are three games on the NBA playoffs schedule for Wednesday, May 1, however only two games might be played. This article was written before Game 4 of the Oklahoma City-New Orleans first round series and OKC could drop the curtain on Monday night. And the way the Thunder dominated the first three games there’s a pretty good chance the series ends there. So, with that being the case I’ll examine the other two games to use on my NBA parlay. The Celtics responded nicely to their Game 2 home loss to the underdog Miami Heat posting their second 20-point win of the series. Game 5 of that Eastern Conference series goes down at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT. With both teams reaching the 50-win mark during the season, a good team will be eliminated in the Clippers-Mavericks series. The clubs split the first four contests with each winning once on the road. Playing without Kawhi Leonard, the Clips were a 7-point underdog on Sunday. with the possibility of going down 3-1 in the series LA responded with a huge 116-111 win sending the series back to LA all even. The game will air on TNT at 10 p.m. ET. ... 

With 16 teams competing in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs we’re presented a light schedule on Wednesday, April 24 with only two games to build a winning NBA parlay. That might not be a bad thing since we missed a four-teamer on the final day of the regular season. At least we will have the top teams in each conference hosting games with the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder taking center stage. One game doesn’t make a series but the Celtics took the upperhand on the Miami Heat winning Game 1, 114-94, covering the 14.5-point spread. OKC ended a three-year playoff drought in grand style finishing as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with 57 wins. It was their highest win total since 2012-13 when they reached the conference championship for the fourth straight season. They do lack playoff experience with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lou Dort remaining from the 2019-20 club that lost in the first round. The Thunder enjoyed success against New Orleans winning four of the previous five meetings entering the postseason while going 4-1 ATS. ... 

The defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets are a solid favorite to return to the NBA Finals. The journey this season will likely be more difficult should the Nuggets succeed with five teams posting at least 50 wins and all 10 teams that advanced beyond the regular season finishing a minimum of 10 games above .500. Denver and Oklahoma City had the best record in the conference winning 57 games with OKC having the tie-break advantage for the top seed. Minnesota survived the loss of Karl-Anthony Towns to finish in third one game back of the leaders. The Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Final last season out of the play-in tournament. Just a few years ago the Lakers won the NBA title with LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the controls. The duo is back for another go, but the ride is tougher from a lower seed. Do the Golden State Warriors have another run in them? Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were around during the dynastic years and all contributed this season. The Dubs finished 10th in the conference and will have to win on the road to advance. They boasted one of the best road records in the NBA during the regular season, so it’s possible. The 2024 NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday, April 20. Betting options for every game and series as well as futures and props are available at BookMaker.eu. ... 

The Boston Celtics were the preseason favorite to win the NBA championship and they looked the part during the year posting a 64-17 record. It’s their most wins since 2007-08 when they tallied 66 victories and won their 17th NBA title. Winning that record 18th title has proven elusive, though, and this team will be remembered for how it fares in the playoffs. The Celtics reached the Eastern Conference Final in five of the previous seven years and advanced to the championship series just once. The No. 2 seed last year, the Celtics were upset by the Miami Heat in the ECF. Boston has a more balanced roster and is a negative odds favorite to win the East. While the Celtics were running away from their East opponents, the fun took place below them in the standings. The second-seeded New York Knicks had only three more wins than the play-in tournament bound Philadelphia 76ers. They missed out on avoiding the play-in, but the Sixers could surprise some folks now that Joel Embiid has returned. Miami emerged from the play-in tournament to win the East last year upsetting top-seed Milwaukee in the first round. The precedent has been set with the Heat boasting shorter odds than top six teams Orlando and Indiana. The 2024 NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday, April 20. Betting options for every game and series as well as futures and props are available at BookMaker.eu. ... 

Taking a page out of another league’s playbook, the NBA has all 30 teams on the court on Sunday, April 14 in the final day of the regular season. There will be two different start times for the 15-game slate with no rest advantage for any club since they all were off the day before. That gives us something to consider when building a winning NBA parlay. The playoff picture is becoming clearer with a few more teams officially clinching a spot relegating others to the play-in tournament. However, seedings in both conferences remain a mystery, but that will all be determined on Sunday. All Eastern Conference games will start at 1 p.m. ET with a few likely having an impact on the postseason. One game that won’t affect the standings is the matchup between Boston and Washington. The Celtics secured the NBA’s best record while the Wizards attempt to hold off Detroit and stay out of the basement. Boston goes for the season sweep having covered in two of three earlier matchups. All Western Conference games and the inter conference tilt between Detroit and San Antonio tip off at 3:30 p.m. ET. I’ll make my NBA parlay picks but waiting to see what happens ahead of Sunday’s games is a good betting strategy. ... 

Entering the final weekend of the 2023-24 NBA regular season every team will be in action on Friday, April 12 giving NBA parlay enthusiasts a plethora of options to build a winning card. It also gives me another chance to make up for last week’s horrible NBA parlay. One loss on a three-team wager kills the entire ticket but three losses inflict serious damage to the psyche. It’s happened before and if you continue to play NBA parlays it will assuredly happen again. That doesn’t soften the blow, though. With playoff positioning still up for grabs there is plenty for several teams still to play for. The Boston Celtics clinched the best overall record in the Association last week and will host the Charlotte Hornets at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Cs aren’t letting up either dismantling Portland on Sunday despite nothing being at stake. Keep an eye on the Philadelphia 76ers now that Joel Embiid is back in the lineup. They won five straight and look to climb into the top 6 thus avoiding the play-in tournament. We know the top 10 teams in the West but the standings are a jumbled mess. The Warriors entered the week as the 10th seed but were only three games from No. 6. ... 

The penultimate betting week of the NBA regular season concludes on Sunday, April 7 with 13 games on the slate. You know it’s a big day when the league’s television outlet NBA TV is offering up a tripleheader. Several games will have an impact on the standings and playoff seedings in each conference with the teams playing beyond the regular season already determined in the Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics secured the top seed in the East two weeks ago and recently locked up the NBA’s best overall record. It makes you wonder how motivated they’ll be for their showdown with Portland. The C’s just whacked one of the top squads in the West beating Oklahoma City 135-100 on Tuesday. The Houston Rockets are the only team still with a chance to squeeze into the top 10, but their chances are slim. They trail Golden State in the West and dropped further off the pace with consecutive losses following a 10-game winning streak. The Rockets take on Dallas at 3:30 p.m. ET in the first NBA TV matchup. That’s followed by an Eastern Conference tilt between Milwaukee and the Knicks at 7 p.m. ET. The Bucks just lost consecutive games to Memphis and Washington, teams with fewer combined wins than Milwaukee. Minnesota can move closer to securing first place in the West with a win over the Lakers in the last NBA TV game of the day. ... 

We’re running out of time in the regular season to cash a NBA parlay so we better make the most of the 12-game schedule for Friday, April 5. Only one race remains to see which teams make the top 10 and that’s in the Western Conference with the surging Houston Rockets trying to catch Golden State. And it just so happens that both teams are in action with the Warriors visiting Dallas and the Rockets entertaining Miami. We have a clear idea of which teams will compete beyond the conclusion of the regular we just don’t know where and against whom. With a few games separating teams from the top six and the play-in tournament added emphasis is put on the outcomes in the final days of the season. The Boston Celtics clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference last week so you have to wonder just how motivated they will be in their matchup against the Sacramento Kings. The Cs dropped consecutive games to a desperate Atlanta team last week, and while the Kings are guaranteed a top 10 they still have a chance to reach the top 6 in the West. They also have the third best road cover rate in the NBA cashing in 61.1 percent of their games. That game is part of a NBA TV doubleheader starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. The nightcap is a West showdown between Minnesota and Phoenix with the Wolves still battling for the No. 1 seed. ... 

Well, the sportsbook giveth and the sportsbook taketh away. After hitting a three-team NBA parlay last Friday I was handed a big ohfer on Sunday. All I can do is regroup and go looking for winners like it’s an Easter egg hunt, which it sort of is since the last day in March is the most important Christian holiday. The NBA schedule for Sunday, March 31 is littered with 10 games and intriguing matchups to build a NBA parlay. NBA TV airs a doubleheader starting with the defending champion Nuggets hosting Cleveland at 3:30 p.m. ET followed by the Warriors at Spurs matchup at 7 p.m. ET. With the close of the last full month of regular season games we have plenty of playoff and play-in questions still lingering. Not so much which teams will be playing once the regular season ends rather where and who they’ll be playing. Realistically the Houston Rockets are the only team with a shot at cracking the top 10. On the strength of a nine-game winning streak the Rockets are clawing at the heels of Golden State for the 10th seed. Houston entertains Luka Doncic and the Mavericks. The three teams jostling for first place in the West are all playing with the Denver-Cleveland contest getting the day started. At 7 p.m. ET the Thunder takes on New York and the Timberwolves host Chicago. ... 

The last Friday in the final full month of the NBA regular season deals a 12-game slate. There are several interconference matchups on the docket as teams finish up their schedules against clubs from the other side while jostling for playoff positioning within their own conference. The LA Lakers and Golden State Warriors are battling to stay in a play-in spot in the West and both will be on the road. The Lakers head to Indiana for the third meeting of the season between the squads while the Dubs visit Charlotte. NBA TV will air a doubleheader featuring the Lakers-Pacers matchup at 7 p.m. ET followed by the Dallas at Sacramento tilt at 10 p.m. ET. If you’re looking for a good bet the Orlando Magic have won backers a lot of money this season. They’re also right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. They did have their five-game SU and ATS winning streak stopped by Sacramento on Saturday and return to the hardwood for a showdown with the LA Clippers. Orlando has paid out in 66.2 percent of its games. Two of the three teams fighting for the top seed in the West tangle when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit Denver. Winners in 15 of 17 games since the All-Star break, the Nuggets leapfrogged the Wolves and OKC into the top spot going 11-6 ATS in that span. ... 

A six-game slate on Sunday, March 24 puts an end to the NBA betting week and with only a few weeks remaining in the 2023-24 season time is getting short to build another winning NBA parlay. There are several interesting matchups, including a tilt between two of the top teams in the league. The Oklahoma City Thunder have been lingering around the top of the Western Conference all season battling Denver and Minnesota for the No. 1 seed. OKC has also been a good bet getting the cash in nearly 60 percent of its games, the second-best cover rate in the NBA. OKC visits the East’s No. 2 team Milwaukee in the first NBA TV game at 7 p.m. ET. The day gets started with a 3 p.m. ET matinee between the red-hot New Orleans Pelicans and the Detroit Pistons. This will be the third game in four days for the Pels, who conclude a four-game road trip. Their 22 road wins through 68 games is the second-most in the West and they’ve earned payouts in more than 60 percent of their away contests. Looking to remain among the top six in the East, the Philadelphia 76ers have a matchup with the LA Clippers facing former employee James Harden for the first time. This is the first of two meetings a three-day span. The day concludes with the Lakers hosting Indiana in the second NBA TV game. ... 

With the 2023-24 NBA regular season quickly coming to a close, we’re getting short on time to cash a winning NBA parlay. Thankfully we have seven games to work with on Thursday, March 21 if you’d rather watch and wager on the professionals. March Madness will dominate the betting landscape this weekend, but the Association has its own chaos with several teams fighting for playoff positioning in action. The slate is highlighted by a NBA TV doubleheader that starts with an interconference feud between clubs looking to keep their standing as a top six in their respective conference. Entering the week fifth in the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic are on a roll with 11 wins in their last 14 games while going 10-4 ATS in that span. They are the most profitable team in the NBA with a cover rate of 66.2 percent. Closing the week with back-to-back home wins over the LA Clippers and Phoenix, the New Orleans Pelicans are fifth in the West going 6-1 SU and ATS in their last seven games. The doubleheader concludes at 10:30 p.m. ET with Phoenix hosting Atlanta. The Hawks conclude a five-game road trip and they are one of the least profitable road teams in the NBA going 12-22 against the line. ... 

The NBA betting week concludes on Sunday, March 17 with seven games on the NBA schedule in which to build a winning NBA parlay. As we enter the final month of the season time is getting shorter and shorter to cash a winning ticket, but there is still time. Four of the seven games will be televised in a pair of doubleheaders starting with a rematch of the 2021 NBA Finals between the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks at 1 p.m. ET on ABC. Phoenix earned a payout win with a 114-106 home win last month. The second game is a Western Conference showdown between defending champion Denver and Dallas at 3:30 p.m. ET. Luka Doncic will continue to make his move toward NBA MVP after recently registering six straight 30-point triple-doubles. The Boston Celtics have been the best team in the NBA all season reaching the 50-win mark in their 64th game. They’ve also been on a major heater at the betting window going 9-2 ATS in 11 games following their 123-107 win at Utah on Tuesday. NBA TV airs a doubleheader on Sunday night with Brooklyn visiting San Antonio at 7 p.m. ET getting it started. The night concludes with a matchup between Atlanta and the LA Clippers at 9:30 p.m. ET. The Clips are dealing with a few injuries following the loss of Russell Westbrook and most recently Kawhi Leonard. The good news is that Leonard’s ailment isn’t considered long-term. ... 

A slim NBA schedule of six games, including a TNT doubleheader, is available on Thursday, March 14 to build a winning NBA parlay. The number of games is few but the matchups are excellent, highlighted by the Phoenix Suns at Boston Celtics matchup at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT. The Celtics are back home having completed a six-game road trip that saw them lose the first two games followed by a pair of double-digit payout wins over the Suns and Portland. They say the hardest game is the first one at home following a road trip so there could be value backing Kevin Durant and his mates. Luka Doncic has been on a tear and he leads his Mavericks into a showdown with West leading Oklahoma City in the second TNT game of the night. Tipoff is slated for 10 p.m. ET. The Thunder continue to win games but had a bad week at the betting window going 1-4 ATS prior to a payout victory over Memphis on Sunday. Still, the Thunder are the second biggest money-maker in the NBA cashing out in 62 percent of their games. We also have a clash between East rivals Philadelphia and Milwaukee. The Sixers have struggled without Joel Embiid falling to sixth in the East. Milwaukee’s commitment to defense has me seriously looking at backing the UNDER. ...