NBA Marketwatch Edition 8 2009-10

SportsMarketwatch
NBA Edition
12/16/2009 5:00 PM EST
By The Team at SportsInsights.com

Welcome to the NBA edition of Sports Marketwatch, wherethe Team at SportsInsights gives sports fans an unprecedented glimpse into the NBApoint-spread marketplace. If you ever wanted to know what was really happeningon the sportsbook side, you now have an all-access pass with Sports Marketwatch!Initially, the NBA Edition of Sports Marketwatch will be a weekly columnpublished on Wednesdays, normally around 5PM, Eastern Time.

The staff at SportsInsights.com analyzes the marketplace, and especially thesports betting industry’s largest and most reputable sportsbooks, to identifywhich games the public is chasing and which ones the Sharps are pounding. Let’stake a look at what’s in store for tonight’s NBA games.

SportsMarketplace – NBA Edition

NBA Marketwatch had another rough installment last Wednesday, missing both ourpicks.  Indiana had the score knotted at 83 against short-handed Portland,but the Blazers made a late run to win by 11 points and cover easily.  TheNets, playing against Golden State at home, went out and did exactly what theWarriors wanted.  They turned the ball over 22 times, giving the league’sworst defensive team all the easy baskets they could handle.  Golden Statewon the contest 105-89.

2009-10 NBA Games to Watch: 5-9, 35.7%*
*Source: SportsInsights.com

Minnesota Timberwolves -110 over Los Angeles Clippers

Since the 29th of November, the Clippers have been surprisingly consistent.They won that night at home against the Grizzlies.  They lost their nextgame.  They won the one after that.  And so on all the way to thepresent day, where they’ll head to Minnesota coming off a – you guessed it! -victory over the Wizards.  The laws of the universe thereby declare thatthey are due for a loss, and this game just so happens to be a pick ’em.What more could you ask for?  More analysis?  Sheesh, so demanding.

The Clippers opened as 1-point favorites at both CRIS and Pinnacle, andthough they’re certainly Los Angeles’s B-squad, the public still likes them.They’re getting 60% of spread bets, but the bookmaker seems to be following aSports Insights trend, or fading the public.  The line has moved inreverse, or against the betting percentages, and the Timberwolves now sit as1-point favorites over Los Angeles at most offshore books.  Betting againstthe public is definitely a solid principle, but we also love the numbers we’reseeing from our Betting Systems on this match-up.  Two solid Smart Moneyplays have come through, from Bet Phoenix (22-9, +12.05 Units) and BetOnline(+5.82 Units).  There has also been a Steam Move triggered by Pinnacle(+4.7 Units).  That’s a lot of sharp money, and we also like the extrapoint waiting at BetUS.

Minnesota -110 (BetUS)

Oklahoma City Thunder +2.5 over Dallas Mavericks

It wasn’t all that long ago that Kevin Durant, all bright-eyed andbushy-tailed and fresh out of Texas, took a bright green and yellow hat fromDavid Stern and vowed to dominate the Pacific Northwest with his considerabletalents on the hardwood.  Now he’s back in the South, and along with theyoung talent around him, is establishing a legitimate NBA franchise in OklahomaCity.  The Thunder are 12-11 overall and 3-3 in their last 6 games, withlosses coming against the Celtics and at the Cavaliers and Nuggets.  Thosedefeats sum up the team nicely, really.  The Thunder are solid, just notyet elite.  The Mavericks, on the other hand, have been stellar thisseason, posting an 18-7 record behind All-Star Dirk Nowitzki and the point guardtandem of Jason Kidd and Jose Juan Barea.

Dallas opened as 1-point favorites, and the line has grown by at least apoint across the board as the Mavericks are receiving 77% of spread and parlaybets.  Sports Insights Betting Systems not only seem to think this will bea high-scoring game (two positive moves on the Over), but two strong Smart Moneyplays have also been triggered on the Thunder.  They come from BetOnline(+5.82 Units) and Bet Jamaica (+7.63 Units).  You can find the extrahalf-point at SIA and Bodog.

Oklahoma City +2.5

New Orleans Hornets -4 over Detroit Pistons

A late third addition to this edition of Marketwatch, the Hornets have lookedmediocre even since Chris Paul’s return from injury, winners of 4 of their last8 games.  The Pistons, meanwhile, are re-gaining some of their swaggerafter being without their three best players – Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince andBen Gordon – for a brief stint this season.  They won five in a row beforefalling at Houston last night, but most of those games were in the Palace’sfriendly surroundings.

Contrarians at heart, we love to buy on bad news and sell on good.  Theinjury-riddled Pistons have done enough to convince the public to trust themagain and are getting 64% of spread bets at New Orleans tonight.  This haspushed the line down from Hornets -5.5 all the way to -4 at a few books.For this reason, we feel good about getting value on another game with multipleSmart Money plays, including one from BetOnline (+5.82 Units).  Play on NewOrleans to bounce back at home tonight.

New Orleans -4

Games to Watch: 5-9 = 35.7%
Minnesota -110 (BetUS)
Oklahoma City +2.5
New Orleans -4

It should be an exciting night in the sports marketplace. Keep SportsMarketwatch picks handy and your browser pointed to SportsInsights.comfor thelatest real-time updates, using our exclusive Sports Investing tools.We’ll be back next Wednesday with the new edition of the SportsMarketwatch –NBA Edition.

Enjoy the games!

The Team at SportsInsights.com