One of the saddest collapses in the NBA this season is happening in Dallas. The Mavericks traded three players to Brooklyn for Kyrie Irving, hoping to give Luka Doncic help in the scoring department. The team just went 3-7 in their first ten games with the superstar duo as the team’s defense and chemistry seem to have collapsed, and after losing two games to Charlotte over the weekend, Dallas would miss the play-in tournament if the season ended today. A team on the rise is Boston, as the Celtics picked up a key road victory in Sacramento last week. The Denver Nuggets stopped Milwaukee at home, looking to get their momentum back on track as well. When it comes to NBA betting, though, focusing on favorites doesn’t give you as much value as wisely picking underdogs. Take a look at our list of underdogs that have paid off most often this season in the Association.
NBA News: Profitable Underdogs
New York Knicks (20-19 SU)
The Knicks are getting a solid season out of free-agent signing Jalen Brunson. Last week, he averaged 24 points and eight assists per game in two contests, and Julius Randle put up almost 32 points and five assists per game in three games. However, the Knicks’ defense is taking on water as the team permitted over 124 points per game in their three games last week, all losses, to Minnesota, Miami and Orlando.
Minnesota Timberwolves (20-20 SU)
Karl-Anthony Towns is back in the lineup, and the Timberwolves won all three of their games this past week, all against quality teams. Towns is still getting his shot back, but Minnesota’s defense has already improved significantly since his return. They beat Golden State on the road on Sunday and only permitted 96 points.
Philadelphia 76ers (10-11 SU)
Obviously, the 76ers (49-25) aren’t going to be underdogs that often, but when they are, they’ve done a pretty good job not just of covering but winning. It helps that Joel Embiid has not only been healthy but has continued to be a beast on both ends of the floor. James Harden is out right now, which contributed to the 76ers splitting two games with the Bulls and losing at Golden State and Phoenix this past week.
Denver Nuggets (7-8 SU)
The Nuggets are another top team, which is why they’ve only played 15 games as an underdog this year. They routed Milwaukee on Saturday behind 31 points, 11 assists and six boards from Nikola Jokic and 26 points from Jamal Murray, 20 coming in the first half.
L.A. Lakers (23-28 SU)
The Lakers have come all the way back to a 37-38 record, and they’ve been taking down favorites lately. LeBron James is back sooner than expected after recovering from a foot injury, and he put up 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists coming off the bench in a loss to Chicago. The Lakers’ play has been better of late, though, so don’t be afraid to take them to cover as an underdog.
Utah Jazz (18-22 SU)
Utah beat Sacramento to start the week before losing to Portland, Milwaukee and the Kings in their second meeting of the week. Lauri Markkanen only played against Portland, scoring 40 in the loss, and Walker Kessler went 14 of 16 for a career-best 31 points in the loss to Sacramento. While the Jazz (35-39) may end up missing the playoffs, when they get to play in the thin air of their home arena, they win or at least cover more often than not.
Oklahoma City Thunder (22-29 SU)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to lead the Thunder to covers – and wins – as the underdog. The Thunder split with the Clippers at the start of last week before losing to the Lakers and routing Portland last week. Gilgeous-Alexander put up 120 points combined in the four games, making 51% of his shots.
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