NBA Weekend Betting Trends (April 11)

NBA: TOP WEEKEND POWER TRENDS 4/10-4/12

It’s the final weekend of the NBA’s regular season, and by the time we meet again next Friday, the playoff matchups will be set and we’ll be anxiously awaiting the tip-off of the postseason the next day. Until that happens however, there is still plenty left to be decided in terms of seeding in both conferences. While the 16 teams that will be participating in the playoffs are virtually set, who will be playing who remains far from.

This weekend’s games will have a big impact on it. A total of 26 games fill the holiday weekend schedule, including three big televised games for Easter Sunday. Here is a look at the action on tap, as well as some of the Top StatFox Power Trends to consider in your wagering.

On Friday night, a nearly full board of 13 games awaits the bettor. Highlighting the card are two games from the East pitting playoff qualifiers against one another, as well as three similar level contests from the West. In Philly, the 76ers are happy to be back home after losing their last three games on the road. Unfortunately, awaiting them are the Cavaliers, who are in a tight race with Los Angeles for locking up home court advantage for a potential NBA Finals series.

Cleveland has won four straight games in Philadelphia while going 3-1 ATS. In Boston, the Celtics face an important game against the Heat. The defending champs are hoping to nail down the East’s #2 spot and Orlando is right on their heels. Boston is hoping to build momentum for another playoff run while awaiting Kevin Garnett’s return. In the West, there are three key games, New Orleans/Dallas, Utah/San Antonio, and LA Lakers/Portland, with the latter three teams playing as hosts. As of Friday, all of the teams other than the Lakers comprised the 4th through 8th seeds in the conference standings and were separated by just three games.

On Saturday, the board is much lighter, with not a single game featuring two playoff teams going up against one another. The teams in the most key contests figure to be Utah, hosting Golden State, and Portland, visiting the Clippers. Both the Jazz and the Blazers will be on back-to-back scenarios. That could prove to be big, especially where Utah is concerned, as they have struggled in that handicapping situation. In fact, the Jazz are 3-16 SU & 5-14 ATS when playing the second of back-to-back games this year. Portland is 8-7 SU & ATS on zero days rest, but 0-3 SU & ATS when going from home to away in consecutive days as it is doing here.

Finally, on Sunday, the NBA brings three games to the TV for Easter viewing. Tipping off at 1:05 PM ET are Dallas and New Orleans. With just one game separating the teams in the standings as of Friday, this game will clearly have an impact on the seedings in the West. The Hornets have won four straight in the head-to-head series and are 6-2 SU & 5-3 ATS when hosting the Mavericks over the last three seasons. A bit later in the afternoon comes a potential East Finals preview between Boston and Cleveland. The Cavaliers play host to the festivities, putting their incredible 38-1 SU & 25-14 ATS record at home on the line. Speaking of home court advantage, did you know that the host team in the series has won 15 straight games. Finally, on Sunday evening, ESPN brings a contest between Philadelphia and Toronto. Only the 76ers have anything to play for in the contest, but that shouldn’t keep the Raptors from showing up, as they’ve proven a capable spoiler down the stretch, going 6-3 SU & ATS in their L9 games.

Now, as promised, here is a look at some of those Top StatFox Betting Trends to consider in your weekend wagering.

Saturday, 4/11/2009

(507) OKLAHOMA CITY vs. (508) MILWAUKEE 
MILWAUKEE is 3-17 ATS (-15.7 Units) vs. poor teams – outscored by 3+ PPG in 2nd half of the L2 seasons. The average score was MILWAUKEE 100.6, OPPONENT 106.1 – (Rating = 3*)
 
(513) PORTLAND vs. (514) LA CLIPPERS 
LA CLIPPERS are 0-8 ATS (-8.8 Units) when playing against good teams (Win Pct. 60%-70%) in 2nd half of this season. The average score was LA CLIPPERS 92.5, OPPONENT 110.9 – (Rating = 2*)
 
(513) PORTLAND vs. (514) LA CLIPPERS 
LA CLIPPERS are 17-2 UNDER (+14.8 Units) at home vs. good shooting teams (>=46% FG%) in 2nd half of L3 seasons. The average score was LA CLIPPERS 92.5, OPPONENT 100.7 – (Rating = 4*)

Sunday, 4/12/2009

(703) BOSTON vs. (704) CLEVELAND 
BOSTON is 48-21 ATS (+24.9 Units) as a road underdog over the last 3 seasons. The average score was BOSTON 94.6, OPPONENT 96.7 – (Rating = 2*)
 
(705) NEW YORK vs. (706) MIAMI 
NEW YORK is 14-3 ATS (+10.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in 2nd half of this season. The average score was NEW YORK 106.6, OPPONENT 108.3 – (Rating = 2*)
 
(707) PHILADELPHIA vs. (708) TORONTO 
TORONTO is 11-25 ATS (-16.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season. The average score was TORONTO 95.5, OPPONENT 103.2 – (Rating = 2*)
 
(709) SAN ANTONIO vs. (710) SACRAMENTO 
SACRAMENTO is 24-7 OVER (+16.3 Units) revenging a road loss vs opponent of 10 points or more over the L2 seasons. The average score was SACRAMENTO 105.9, OPPONENT 108.2 – (Rating = 3*)