NBA Handicapping

Bets on Nets Have Been Profitable

March is a month of madness in the basketball world. Most of the madness is confined to the NCAA, but it looks like a little Vin-sanity has spilled into the NBA.

The New Jersey Nets have been surging this month and a big reason has been the play of star Vince Carter.

The Nets have won eight games in a row straight up (SU) and now have a commanding 8.5-game lead atop the Atlantic division standings (as of Monday).

Among those wins was a 79-74 victory over the first-place Pistons in Detroit as 7-point dogs on Sunday. The Nets also downed the Mavs 100-89 as 2-point home dogs last Sunday.

Jersey is now tied for third overall in the Eastern Conference behind Detroit and Miami and is on the verge of locking up a playoff spot.

Bettors placing wagers on the Nets have also been cashing in on the team's success. Through their eight-game win streak, the Nets are 6-1-1 against the spread (ATS).

During the stretch, Carter has led the team in scoring six times and has averaged 25 ppg. Overall, Vince is scoring 24 ppg, 12th most in the NBA.

Carter's recent surge reflects his growing chemistry with point guard Jason Kidd, who has been getting Vince the ball. Kidd has led the team in assists in all but one game this month and is now averaging 8.5 apg, fifth most in the NBA.

Interestingly, during the Nets' winning streak, six of eight games have fallen UNDER the posted total. In other words, during those wins New Jersey concentrated more on defense and limited their opposition in scoring.

Conversely, in the eight games prior to the win streak, six games went OVER the total. And during that stretch the Nets were 3-5 SU and 0-7-1 ATS.

One of the highlights of the Nets' strong defensive play came late in the game against the Pistons.

With 2.1 seconds remaining and the Nets clinging to a 77-74 lead, Carter leapt up to deflect an in-bound pass by Ben Wallace and then stole the ball. The play likely saved the win for Jersey.

"Vince must have been a high-jump champion somewhere, because that was an amazing play," Nets coach Lawrence Frank told reporters afterward.

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