Advertisement

The Daily Sweat: The best ATS team in the NBA may surprise you

Sam Cooper
·College football writer
·5 min read

The team with the best against the spread record in the NBA may surprise you.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently 37-38 overall and sit in 10th place in the Western Conference. While the Thunder have won nine of their last 13 games and are fighting for a playoff spot with only two weeks remaining in the regular season, they have also covered the spread at a better rate than any other team in the NBA.

Entering Tuesday night’s game vs. the Charlotte Hornets, the Thunder hold a 43-29-3 ATS record. That’s a nearly 60% cover rate.

The Thunder cover at an even better rate in the role of a home favorite — a role they’re in for their Tuesday night matchup vs. Charlotte. Oklahoma City is 23-14 ATS as a home team and even better — 13-5 ATS — as the home favorite.

Will those trends continue on Tuesday night? Oklahoma City is favored by 9.5 points at BetMGM over the Hornets with the total set at 229.5.

In addition to covering the spread at a high rate, betting the over has also been a profitable venture in Oklahoma City games.

The over is 43-32 in Thunder games this season, including 24-13 in OKC home games and 12-6 when OKC is the home favorite. Six of OKC’s last eight home games have gone over the total.

It’s a trend that could be worth a look for bettors on an otherwise slow night in the world of sports.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) gives a thumbs up during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

What else is going on in the NBA?

There are six NBA games in all on Tuesday night, including multiple teams jockeying for playoff position.

In the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers are favored by 1.5 on the road over the Atlanta Hawks. Additionally, the Toronto Raptors are 3.5-point home favorites over the Miami Heat. At 40-35, Miami is currently the No. 7 seed in the East while Atlanta and Toronto are next in the standings at the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds with matching 37-38 records.

Over in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors are 8.5-point favorites at home over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Warriors are currently the No. 7 seed in the West, but are only two games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks, a team that would have missed out on the playoffs if the season ended Monday.

Every game matters for seeding over the final two weeks of the season.

How about the NIT semifinals?

While the Final Four isn’t until Saturday, there are a few other college basketball games to whet your appetite on Tuesday night.

The NIT semifinals are being held in Las Vegas this year and both matchups have tight point spreads. North Texas is favored by 1.5 over Wisconsin and UAB is a 2.5-point favorite over Utah Valley.

Wisconsin missed out on the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018 but has won three straight NIT games to get to the semifinals and now has a tough matchup vs. North Texas. UNT finished second in Conference USA behind Final Four-bound Florida Atlantic.

UAB is another Conference USA team. The Blazers won 10 out of 11 to close out the regular season and then fell to FAU in the C-USA tournament championship game. Utah Valley was the WAC’s regular season champion but ended up losing in the conference tournament.

Utah Valley is 24-9 ATS this season, the best mark in the country. Notably, Utah Valley head coach Mark Madsen (yes, that Mark Madsen) is reportedly on the verge of accepting the Cal job. Will those rumblings have an impact on his team?

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO - MARCH 15: Head coach Mark Madsen of the Utah Valley Wolverines looks on during the second half of their first round game against the New Mexico Lobos in the 2023 National Invitation Tournament at The Pit on March 15, 2023 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Wolverines defeated the Lobos 83-69. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)

Busy night in the NHL

Teams are fighting for playoff spots in the NHL as the regular season enters the final two-week stretch. There are 10 games on the schedule for Tuesday, including the scorching hot Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings are 10-0-2 in their last 12 and are right on the heels of the Vegas Golden Knights for the top seed in the Western Conference. However, the Kings are underdogs (+115) on the road vs. the Calgary Flames (-135) on Tuesday. The Knights, meanwhile, are home underdogs (+105) vs. the Edmonton Oilers (-125). Edmonton is 8-1-1 in its last 10 outings.

In the East, the Carolina Hurricanes (-145) host a Tampa Bay Lightning team desperate for a win. Tampa Bay (+120) has lost four straight.

MLB Opening Day on the horizon

Baseball is coming. Opening Day is Thursday, so you’ve got a bit more time to get your preseason futures in. There are also odds available for each of Thursday’s games over at BetMGM.

The defending World Series champion Houston Astros are -165 favorites at home over the Chicago White Sox. The Philadelphia Phillies, who fell to the Astros in last year’s World Series, are +105 on the moneyline as they open the season on the road against the Texas Rangers. Jacob deGrom will make his Rangers debut in that one.