The next stop on the NBA schedule is the All-Star break on Feb. 16, which means teams are going all out in the next month as they try to position themselves for the postseason run before this annual hiatus.
The top sports betting sites look at which teams are cashing in for bettors against the nightly NBA odds - some are expected, some are surprises – and if those profits will continue before the NBA All-Star break.
Oklahoma City Thunder 26-13 ATS
The Thunder were expected to be an empty cupboard contender this season, after watching Paul George leave for Los Angeles and Russell Westbrook force his way out, eventually ending up in Houston in a swap for Chris Paul – who many expected to be on the trade block by this point in the season.
But here we are, with OKC as the best pointspread bet in the NBA and boasting perhaps the best backcourt. Paul has undergone a career resurgence as he top option for the Thunder, scoring just under 17 points, while generating added offense from fellow guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder as well as Danilo Gallinari. That scoring depth has helped OKC keep the gap on the scoreboard closer than oddsmakers expected, with the Thunder going 18-6 ATS as underdogs this season.
Miami Heat 22-14-2 ATS
The Heat were considered a second-tier contender in the Eastern Conference after landing Jimmy Butler in free agency. Miami doesn’t have a star-studded roster like some of the top teams in the league, but does have solid depth – with seven players averaging 11 points per game – and is a great two-way team, ranked 13th in offense and 11th in defense.
The Heat were red hot to start the schedule but have cold off considerably through the winter months. Miami is currently 3-5-1 against the spread in its last nine outings with Butler battling a bad back during this stretch. The Heat have been especially profitable in South Beach, where they own a 13-4-1 ATS mark at home. Miami does play three of its next four games on the road but then enjoys an extended five-game home stand to finish off the month.
Boston Celtics 21-14-2 ATS
The Celtics sit third among NBA ATS winners but has struggled since their big win over Toronto on Christmas Day. Since then, Boston has won five of its last nine with a 3-6 record against the pointspread in that span. The C’s defense has slipped a bit in this stretch of games, but the public has also caught on to Boston’s winning ways and that has inflated the Celtics’ spreads past the point of profitability.
They were underdogs in only one of those nine games and faced an average spread of more than eight points when giving the points. Boston will likely face some larger spreads in the coming weeks, with some of the weaker teams in the NBA on the calendar. With the wear of the NBA schedule starting to show, the Celtics might be a team to leave alone or fade as bettors bare down on the All-Star break.