NBA Betting Predictions for the 2012/13 Season

The Heat are on a scoring spree to start the season while
forgetting to defend so take the overs before the betting
lines start to catch up.

It looks as though we could be in for a profitable year in the NBA. There are a couple of elite teams who will score a ton of points (Heat and Spurs (once Ginobili come back)) so we can look at those games to frequently go over the points total. A couple of the other elite teams (Celtics and Thunder) are pretty strong defensive teams so if the total is floating around 190/191 total points and these teams are playing at home, it is a strong play to go under the total.

Looking at the mid-tier teams in the East such as Atlanta, Philly, both NY teams and Chicago in the East, none of these stand out offensively. If they are going against a like-minded team or another weak team offensively (Toronto, Washington, Charlotte, Detroit) look for the under total. If this is floating around 190, lock it in.

In the West, defense seems to be a lot stronger. Teams such as the Grizzlies, Clippers, Lakers, and Hornets will all be strong defensive units this year. If you have two of these mid-tiers defensive teams going against one another, look for the total to be in the 183-187 range.

If you have a mid-tier team going against a Heat/Spurs/ or the Nuggets/Suns/Bobcats (who can’t stop anyone on the defensive end) and the total is around 198-200, take the over. The Heat and Spurs are so strong offensively and like to score fast break points, meaning more possessions for both teams.

If a team has a young point guard who likes to attack, such as the Cleveland Cavs (Kyrie Irving) or the Portland Trailblazers (Damian Lillard), if the over is looking enticing (anything that is under 190 DEFINITELY take the over, and anything more than that, take the other teams strengths into consideration), take it. Both of these guards like to play a high tempo offense meaning lots of possessions and lots of fast break points.

3 tips to use as a nice guideline over the opening weeks.

Until Wall is back in uniform, take
the Wizards under totals.

• Until John Wall comes back for the Wizards, never take the over in a game they are involved in.

• Until James Harden slows down, always look at the over in games that he is involved in (on a side note – how exciting do the Rockets look this year?!).

• Until the Heat takes the time to care about defending, take the over in their games.