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LT’s SportsBeat
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By the LT Profits Sports Group
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Tuesday, February 8, 2005
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Top 10 NBA Road Teams
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There is a general perception that playing at home means more in the
NBA than in any other professional sport, and this theory does have at least
some merit.
After all, through games of Sunday, NBA home teams are 431-271, 61.4
% straight up this season, which is right on par with the S/U winning
percentage of 61.2 % for all NBA home teams since 1990. However,
oddsmakers are now so adept at incorporating home court advantage into the
betting lines that being at home is almost a non-issue from a wagering
standpoint. In fact, it is the ROAD teams that have the slight advantage
against the spread this season, going 335-331-22, 50.3 % ATS.
This inspired us to take a look at who the top road performers are ATS
this season, as these teams can generally be expected to keep performing
well as the books keep over-adjusting for their home counter-parts. Can you
guess who the best team to bet has been on the road so far this year? If you
said the lowly New Orleans Hornets, you have either been paying very close
attention or you cheated!
Here is a list of the Top 10 NBA road teams ATS this season through
games of February 6 (record in parenthesis is ATS):
1 - NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (18-8, 69.2%): Do not adjust your sets!
The Hornets do indeed lead the pack despite their atrocious 2-24 road S/U mark,
thanks to a boatload of double-digit spreads that they will continue to get
as their S/U road woes continue. In fact, the Hornets are a remarkable 11-4,
73.3 % ATS on the road when getting 10 points or more.
2 - MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (15-7, 68.2%): The Grizzlies have been
money in the bank on the road as of late after a slow start. They are an
incredible 10-2, 83.3 % ATS in their last 12 road contests, as well
as 8-1, 88.9 % last 9.
3 - PHOENIX SUNS (16-9, 64.0%): There is no big surprise here
as the Suns are a fantastic 20-7 STRAIGHT UP away from home. Moreover, Phoenix
went 0-3 ATS on the road when Steve Nash was not in the starting lineup,
meaning that they are 16-6, 72.7 % ATS when he is healthy, which would
rank them as the best road ATS team in the league!
4 - DALLAS MAVERICKS (13-8, 61.9%): The Mavericks have been
Road Warriors for several years now, and this season is no exception. What
is a bit different however is that while they have feasted on the road vs.
the weaker Eastern Conference in past seasons, they are actually performing
better on the road inside their own conference this year, going 8-3, 72.7
% ATS.
5 - SAN ANTONIO SPURS (14-9, 60.9%): The best team in basketball
continues to prove that it does not matter where they play, as this road record
is virtually identical to their 15-9 home ATS mark. The Spurs have yet to be
an underdog in any game this season, and they are even 3-0 ATS as road favorites
of 12 points or more, a situation where the entire league is 24-44-1, 35.3
% ATS since 1990.
6T - NEW JERESY NETS (15-10, 60.0%): The Nets have improved greatly
since the acquisition of Vince Carter, going 7-2-1, 77.8 % ATS in their
last 10 road contests.
6T - PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (15-10, 60.0%): For whatever reason, the
erratic Sixers have performed much better on the road this season than they
have at home, where they are actually under .500 ATS at 8-11-1!
8 - LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (11-8, 57.9%): This is a mild surprise
at first glance given the 6-15 S/U road record for the Clippers. However, they
are only losing their road games by an average of 4.2 points, which is less
than most of the spreads that they are asked to cover.
9 - SEATTLE SONICS (12-9, 57.1%): A word of caution here as the
Sonics are only 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games after a very good
road start. Keep a close eye on this situation before backing this club
away from home.
10 - MIAMI HEAT (13-10, 56.5%): Not surprisingly, the Heat have
beat up on team on the road inside their own Eastern Conference, going 9-3-1,
75.0 %. However, this means that they are just 4-7 ATS on the road vs.
the stronger West, so support this team on the road vs. fellow Eastern
Conference teams only.
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