Oklahoma City's success on the court continued at the windows where the Thunder came as a surprise to most NBA betting followers. You can be sure that gamblers will be keeping a closer eye on Oklahoma City this season. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish with straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2009/10 season in parentheses:
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (52-36 SU, 51-37 ATS, 46-41-1 O/U): From a 200/1 longshot to a 16/1 contender, the Thunder are a team on the upswing. Led by scoring champion Kevin Durant and aided by solid supporting cast where 11 players averaged at least 15 minutes per game last season, Oklahoma City is the team to beat in this division. Future Book Odds Profile: NBA Championship, 16/1; Western Conference, 7/1; Northwest Division, 3/2; Over/Under Regular Season Wins, 50 1/2.
By the Numbers (2009/10 Season)
Home Favorite:20-15
Home Underdog: 2-4
Away Favorite:8-7
Away Underdog: 18-10
Sportsbook Buster: The Thunder was 20-10 ATS versus teams from the Eastern Conference last season.
Sports Betting Angle: Oklahoma City was 27-17 ATS on the road last year.
Bets and Pieces: The Thunder is 8-2-1 ATS its last 11 home games versus the Timberwolves.
DENVER NUGGETS (55-33 SU, 37-46-5 ATS, 43-45 O/U): The Nuggets stumbled when Coach George Karl left the team for cancer treatments but could bounce back in a big way if Karl again is healthy. Chauncey Billups is the steady hand at point guard and Carmelo Anthony is a scoring machine up front. But Anthony is unhappy and wants to be traded. If that happens, Denver, despite a deep bench, will suffer. Future Book Odds Profile: NBA Championship, 25/1; Western Conference, 12/1; Northwest Division 3/1; Over/Under Regular Season Wins, 49 1/2.
By the Numbers (2009/10 Season)
Home Favorite: 20-22-1
Home Underdog:1-0
Away Favorite:7-15-1
Away Underdog: 9-9-3
Sportsbook Buster: The Nuggets were 7-15-1 as road favorites last season.
Sports Betting Angle: Denver was 6-14-2 ATS on no rest last year.
Bets and Pieces: The Nuggets have covered eight of their last 10 home games versus the Jazz.
PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (52-36 SU, 47-39-2 ATS, 44-43-1 O/U): Led by LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy, the Trailblazers again should be a force in the division. But former overall No. 1 pick Greg Oden will have to remain healthy and perform at a high level if Portland is to finally get past the first round of the playoffs, something it hasn't done the last two years. Future Book Odds Profile: NBA Championship, 25/1; Western Conference, 12/1; Northwest Division, 3/1; Over/Under Regular Season Wins, 49 1/2.
By the Numbers (2009/10 Season)
Home Favorite: 16-19
Home Underdog: 5-4
Away Favorite:13-5
Away Underdog: 13-11-2
Sportsbook Buster: The Trailblazers were 15-4 ATS on no rest last season.
Sports Betting Angle: Portland was 13-5 as an away favorite last year.
Bets and Pieces: The Trailblazers have covered 10 of their last 11 visits to Minnesota.
UTAH JAZZ (57-35 SU, 54-35-3 ATS, 50-38-2 O/U): Al Jefferson replaces Carlos Boozer at power forward and the Jazz, who have been eliminated by the Lakers in each of the past three seasons, should again pick and roll their way into the playoffs. Utah again should be good but probably not good enough to make to the finals. Future Book Odds Profile: NBA Championship, 33/1; Western Conference, 18/1; Northwest Division, 6/1; Over/Under Regular Season Wins, 47 1/2.
By the Numbers (2009/10 Season)
Home Favorite: 27-15-2
Home Underdog:1-0
Away Favorite:12-7
Away Underdog: 13-13-1
Sportsbook Buster: The Jazz was 20-9-1 ATS versus teams from the Eastern Conference last season.
Sports Betting Angle: Utah was 39-22-2 as a favorite last year.
Bets and Pieces: The Jazz have covered the second game of seven straight back-to-back road games.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (15-67 SU, 37-44-1 ATS, 39-42-1 O/U): Only Kevin Love and Corey Brewer remain from last season's 15-win team so the Timberwolves will be rebuilding…again. There are some spots where Minnesota can be bet, but not many. Future Book Odds Profile: NBA Championship, 200/1; Western Conference, 100/1; Northwest Division, 12/1; Over/Under Regular Season Wins, 21 1/2.
By the Numbers (2009/10 Season)
Home Favorite:4-4
Home Underdog: 15-17-1
Away Favorite:0-0
Away Underdog: 18-23
Sportsbook Buster: The Timberwolves were 1-9 ATS versus teams from the Central Division last season.
Sports Betting Angle: Minnesota has covered its last six visits to Denver.
Bets and Pieces: The "over" is 8-1 in the last nine Jazz visits to Utah.
This is the fifth of six NBA previews.
Next: The Western Conference's Pacific Division.
This article was written by Luken Karel for http://www.thegreek.com. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online sportsbooks offering college football betting and sports betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and all other major sports. The Greek is a must have sports betting and entertainment portal with one of the largest wagering menus available online. Article reproductions must include a link pointing to http://www.thegreek.com
