NBA Handicapping

NBA Wagers to Bank On

LeBron James is not only making fans happy, he's putting smiles on the faces of Cleveland bettors as they cash-in at the pay window on NBA wagering.

As of Monday, the Cavaliers were 24-16-2 against the spread (ATS), which is the top ATS record in the NBA.

On Sunday night, James almost single-handedly carried Cleveland to victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns. The Suns were ahead by 17 points midway through the third quarter when James went to work leading his team to 113-106 come-from-behind victory.

James, who's averaging 31.2 ppg (third overall in the NBA), had 44 points and added 11 rebounds. Thirty-two of his points came in the second half.

The highlight of the night took place over a six-second span when James blocked a layup by Phoenix guard Leandro Barbosa, recovered the ball, then ran back to Suns' basket and dunked.

The victory was the fifth-straight for the Cavs, who easily covered as two-point home favorites. Over that five-game stretch, those who have laid bets on Cleveland have cashed-in at 4-0-1 ATS.

While they're on a roll right now, Cleveland has been a bit up-and-down this season. The present five-game win streak (as of Monday) actually followed a six-game losing skid.

The Cavs also had winning streaks of eight games (8-0 ATS) in November and six games (5-0-1 ATS) in December. In between those two streaks, the Cavs had a stretch where they lost seven of nine (1-8 ATS).

On Wednesday, Cleveland hosts the New Jersey Nets (7 p.m. ET, YES/FOX). Led by Vince Carter, who's draining 24.2 ppg, the Nets are having modest success this year. As of Monday, they held a slim lead in the Atlantic division with a 22-20 record straight up.

However, the Nets have not been a strong pick this season in terms of NBA wagering. Through 42 games, New Jersey was just 19-23 ATS, one of the worst records in the NBA.

Both the Cavs and the Nets are seeing more of their games dip below posted totals. As of Monday, just 19 of Cleveland's 42 games topped to the total. As for New Jersey, only 18 of 42 games have gone OVER.

Bettors looking to place a wager on the OVER might want to consider Wednesday's game between the hometown Seattle SuperSonics and the Golden State Warriors (10 p.m. ET, FOX).

The Sonics are averaging the second-most points (102.5 ppg) and allowing the most (106.4) in the NBA. As a result, the Sonics have seen 71 percent of their games go OVER this season (30-12 O-U).

While not as dramatic, the Warriors are among the top-12 in scoring and the top-10 in points allowed. They have an OVER/UNDER record of 23-20.

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