NBA Handicapping

Astute Bettors Have Been On The Bobcats

Once a team starts stringing together some wins, it begins to get noticed and attracts the attention of the media hype machine. Once the hype machine shines the spotlight on a team, many bettors would say that any betting value the team had previously will have disappeared.

Case in point might be the Sacramento Kings, who are 7-3 straight up (SU) in their past 10 games and have pulled into a playoff spot in the West (as of Monday).

The media machine has picked up on the team's success and has given credit to Ron Artest, who was acquired in a trade with Indiana. Since Artest joined the team, Sacramento bettors have seen their bankrolls fatten - the Kings are 16-7-1 against the spread (ATS) with Artest. That's a winning percentage of 67 percent.

The current media attention, however, will no doubt spark more betting action on the Kings and leave them with less favorable betting odds. The Kings have lost their last two games ATS, and that could be a sign of things to come.

Unlike Sacramento, a team that likely won't be attracting attention any time soon is the Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats have the worst record in the league at 18-49 SU and are 3-7 SU in their past 10.

Nevertheless, bettors may want to consider laying bets on the Bobcats, who are a solid 13-7 ATS in their past 20 games (65 percent). Overall, Charlotte has the second-best betting record in the NBA at 36-28-3 ATS.

The Bobcats have also been a decent team on the total as well. They are currently 38-27 on the OVER/UNDER. Only two teams have seen more games top the total: New York and Seattle (both have 40 games OVER).

Contributing to Charlotte's higher totals is the team's weaker defense, which is allowing 100.5 ppg, seventh most in the league.

Furthermore, oddsmakers may be underestimating the Bobcats' ability to score. Although they are netting just 95.8 ppg (20th overall), eight players on the team are averaging more than 10 points per game.

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