The Urah Jazz are the hottest team in the NBA, going 8-2 SU and ATS their last 10.
NBA betting action is at the quarter pole of the season, and today, we’re taking a look at some of the hottest an coldest teams on the basketball odds of late.
Sitting at the very top of the season-long list of spread beaters are the Philadelphia 76ers (11-5 straight up, 12-4 against the spread). They're followed by the Denver Nuggets (12-5 SU & ATS), defending champion Dallas Mavericks (10-7 SU, 11-6 ATS), Minnesota Timberwolves (7-9 SU, 10-6 ATS) and Chicago Bulls (15-3 SU, 11-7 ATS).
Behind that quintet are the Utah Jazz (10-5 SU, 9-6 ATS), one of the pleasant surprises of the season. They have climbed into third place of the Northwest Division after a miserable 1-3 SU and ATS start to the campaign, turning things around with an 8-2 SU and ATS in their last 10 games, making them the hottest team in the league.
In a season in which scoring has been at a premium at times, Utah has been fantastic, scoring at least 106 points in four out of the past five games and ranking 13th overall with a 95.4 average thus far. Al Jefferson is averaging 18.3 PPG, one of only three double-digit scorers on this team. Still, there are nine players averaging at least 5.7 PPG, and that balance is keeping Jazz opponents singing the blues.
The Oklahoma City Thunder (13-3 SU, 9-7 ATS) became the first team to win three games in three days early in January, and they have gone 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS since that point. In this stretch, there has only been one dud of a game, a 105-102 loss at the lowly Washington Wizards. The schedule hasn’t been brutal, but the Thunder continue to prove why they are one of the favorites to win the NBA Finals this year out of the Western Conference.
Another team that is coming on strong of late is the Memphis Grizzlies (9-6 SU, 8-7 ATS). The Grizz haven’t had Zach Randolph in the lineup since the beginning of the new year, but they have been on a roll the past 10 days with a 6-game win streak. Rudy Gay has scored at least 23 points in five out of six, and Memphis is 5-1 ATS in that stretch. The team has also averaged 103.8 PPG in that run, including dropping 128 on the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
At the other end of the spectrum are a ton of teams that figured to do well this year.
The Los Angeles Lakers (10-7 SU, 7-10 ATS) clearly aren’t the same team that they have been in years past. Despite Kobe Bryant is averaging over 30 PPG, LA would be struggling just to get into the playoffs if they started today.
Over the last five games, Los Angeles has gone just 2-3 SU and a woeful 0-5 ATS. The schedule has been brutal though, as the last four games have come against the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers, each one of those teams a good bet to be in the postseason.
The 76ers are still leading the Atlantic Division by a comfortable margin this year because of how poor the New York Knicks (6-10 SU, 3-13 ATS) and the Boston Celtics (5-9 SU, 6-8 ATS) have played.
New York has the worst ATS record in the league by far at just 3-13 ATS, and has gone winless both SU and ATS in its last six games. The Knicks now have a four-game road trip ahead, and perhaps that is good news for a team that is just 1-8 ATS at Madison Square Garden this year.
The Celtics look like an incredibly old team right now. They have very little spunk, and are averaging just 88.9 PPG, No. 26 in the league.
Since January 6, Boston is 1-6 SU and ATS. If you look at the victories that this team has this season (Detroit, Washington twice, New Jersey and Toronto), none are against teams that figure to challenge to be in the postseason. Against playoff teams from last year, the C’s are 0-6 SU and 2-4 ATS.