Having emerged as a serious contender last season two or three years before most predicted, don’t expect the Jazz to wait around for the rest of the division to catch them. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2006/07 season are in parentheses:
UTAH JAZZ (60-34 SU, 50-42-2 ATS, 48-46 O/U): Jerry Sloan, who will celebrate his 20th anniversary in Salt Lake this December, has rebuilt the old Karl Malone/John Stockton franchise around a quartet of players, Olympians Carlos Boozer (21.1 PPG, 10.4 RPG) and Deron Williams (18.8 PPG, 10.5 APG), and Mehmet Okur (14.5 PPG) and Andrei Kirilenko (11.0 PPG). Despite this talented quartet, the Jazz were the second youngest team in the playoffs last year, so the future appears bright.
By the Numbers (2007/08 Season)
Home Favorite: 29-14-2
Home Underdog: 0-1
Away Favorite: 7-16
Away Underdog: 11-11
Sportsbook Buster: The Jazz was as tough as a home favorite (29-14-2) as it was dismal as a road favorite (7-16) last season.
Sports Betting Angle: Utah was 7-0 ATS when playing with three or more days rest.
PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (41-41 SU, 43-39 ATS, 43-39 O/U): The Blazers got to .500 a year ago without top draft choice Greg Oden so there’s some hope that Portland could be on the verge of a playoff berth this season. The 7-0 Oden is expected to rebound, play defense and take some pressure off Brandon Roy (19.1 PPG) and LaMarcus Aldridge (17.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG). Jerryd Bayless, a rookie, will be asked to take over the pointguard duties, a tough assignment for a first year player. Improvement? Yes. Playoffs? Probably not.
By the Numbers (2007/08 Season)
Home Favorite: 10-14
Home Underdog: 12-5
Away Favorite: 6-2
Away Underdog: 14-18
Sportsbook Buster: The Trailblazers were 12-5 as a home underdog last season.
Sports Betting Angle: Portland was 24-17 ATS in games following a SU win.
DENVER NUGGETS (50-36 SU, 44-42 ATS, 46-38-2 O/U): The Nuggets declined to offer Allen Iverson a multi-year contract meaning this probably will be AI’s last season in Denver and indicating that the Nuggets, who also lost Marcus Camby, will begin the transition process this season. Iverson (26.4 PPG) always plays hard and Carmelo Anthony (25.7 PPG) is a stud but the turmoil and uncertainty could leave Denver home in the Rockies when the playoffs begin.
By the Numbers (2007/08 Season)
Home Favorite: 23-18
Home Underdog: 0-1
Away Favorite: 9-7
Away Underdog: 10-16
Sportsbook Buster: The Nuggets were 19-11 ATS versus teams from the Eastern Conference last season.
Sports Betting Angle: Denver was 10-17 as an underdog last year.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (20-62 SU, 39-42-1 ATS, 34-48 O/U): A change of venue and a new nickname aren’t likely to help the Thunder as much as few more years experience for last year’s rookie starters Kevin Durant (20.3 PPG) and Jeff Green (10.5 PPG) and top draft choice Russell Westbrook. Chris Wilcox (13.4 PPG) and Nick Collison (9.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG) are adequate at forward but Oklahoma City needs Johan Petro to show some consistency at center if the team is to improve.
By the Numbers (2007/08 Season)
Home Favorite: 5-2
Home Underdog: 15-18-1
Away Favorite: 0-0
Away Underdog: 19-21-1
Sportsbook Buster: The Thunder was a reliable “under” play all of last season as the Sonics.
Sports Betting Angle: Oklahoma City was a profitable 5-2 as a home favorite last year before moving from Seattle.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (22-60 SU, 37-43-2 ATS, 38-42-2 O/U): The presence of Al Jefferson (21.0 PPG, 11.1 RPG), freshly minted Mike Miller (16.4 PPG) and highly touted rookie Kevin Love all but guarantee that the Timberwolves will better last season’s meager win total but the team is still weak at the point so an improvement of 10 or more victories should be considered a successful season.
By the Numbers (2007/08 Season)
Home Favorite: 7-5
Home Underdog: 10-18-1
Away Favorite: 1-0
Away Underdog: 18-20-1
Sportsbook Buster: Last season the Timberwolves were 19-31-2 ATS versus teams from the Western Conference.
Sports Betting Angle: Minnesota was 10-18-1 as a home underdog last year.
