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NBA Power Rankings: Lakers On Top

As the NBA basketball standings show, home-court advantage is going to be HUGE in this postseason, onto this week’s NBA power rankings for online betting purposes…

 NBA Power Rankings – Lakers the class of the NBA

We are entering the stretch run of the NBA season, as All-Star Weekend and the trade deadline have passed us by. This means NBA betting players will be even more focused on the daily box scores of their favorite teams, and we’re here to try and give you a betting edge. As the standings show, home-court advantage is going to be HUGE in this postseason.

1. Los Angeles Lakers (47-10): The Lake Show keeps rolling with a five-game winning streak and, strangely, Lamar Odom’s been the catalyst. He’s averaged 17.2 points and 13.9 boards since Andrew Bynum hurt his knee.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (44-11): The Cavs have won five in a row as well, but they tip off a tough road trip Thursday at Houston, followed by San Antonio, Atlanta and Miami, and Cleveland isn’t nearly as good on the road as it is at home.

3. Boston Celtics (46-13): Kevin Garnett is hurt, Stephon Marbury is apparently on his way to town, and they lost to the Clippers on Wednesday. Still, Boston was a respectable 4-2 on its west-coast road trip.

4. San Antonio Spurs (39-17): Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili have all been hurt this year and the Spurs are still the Lakers’ biggest threat in the West. This may be Gregg Popovich’s best coaching job yet.

5. Denver Nuggets (38-20): There aren’t enough words to describe how much Chauncey Billups has meant to the Nuggets. Friday’s meeting with the Lakers will be a gauge of their NBA betting status.

6. Orlando Magic (42-15): The Magic have been all over the place over the last week, blowing out Miami at home, then struggling to beat the Knicks in the Garden. Jameer Nelson can’t return fast enough, even with the acquisition of Rafer Alston.

7. Houston Rockets (36-21): The Rockets have won five straight, and they’re showing that they’re a much better team without Tracy McGrady and his isolation play. However, those wins were all at home

8. Utah Jazz (35-23): The Jazz are the hottest team in the league with a six-game winning streak, including victories over the Lakers and Celtics. But, like in Houston’s case, this was at home….let’s see how they fare on the road.

9. Atlanta Hawks (32-25): The Hawks went 2-4 on a recent road trip, and they’re another team that wishes it could play all its games at home. Joe Johnson’s been relatively quiet since the All-Star break.

10. New Orleans Hornets (34-22): The Hornets just can’t seem to put any long winning stretches together, but with Chris Paul in the lineup, New Orleans is still a top-10 NBA betting team.

11. Phoenix Suns (32-24): The Suns look to be back to their run-and-gun ways, but Steve Nash could be hurt for Thursday’s big game against the Lakers, and Phoenix has struggled with the NBA’s elite this year.

12. Portland Trailblazers (35-22): If the Trailblazers could reach 100 points on the road, they would increase their chances of winning a ton.

13. Miami Heat (30-26): How far can Dwayne Wade carry this team? Also, there should be NBA betting odds for how long it’ll take Jermaine O’Neal to get hurt.

14. Philadelphia 76ers (28-28): Take Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller off this squad, and it’s a D-League team. With them, they’re probably making the playoffs.

15. Dallas Mavericks (34-23): The Mavericks shouldn’t feel safe at all. Jason Terry won’t be back for a while, leaving Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and the inconsistent Josh Howard. Also, Brandon Bass needs more time.

16. Detroit Pistons (27-29)
17. Chicago Bulls (26-32)
18. New Jersey Nets (26-32)
19. New York Knicks (24-33)
20. Golden State Warriors (20-37)
21. Indiana Pacers (25-35)
22. Milwaukee Bucks (28-32)
23. Toronto Raptors (23-36)
24. Charlotte Bobcats (23-35)
25. Minnesota Timberwolves (18-39)
26. Oklahoma City Thunder (13-44)
27. Memphis Grizzlies (15-42)
28. Los Angeles Clippers (15-43)
29. Sacramento Kings (12-47)
30. Washington Wizards (13-44)

The collapse of the Pistons is one of the most startling things in recent memory. They were a solid NBA betting pick before the season, but the Allen Iverson trade has backfired tremendously. Also, I’d pay to watch a seven-game series between any combination of the Knicks, Thunder and Warriors. There are no more entertaining, yet bad, teams to watch in.

For more NBA Basketball lines and weekly hoops analysis, check out BetOnline.com >>>

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"