The NBA’s Eastern Conference betting scene is a tough slog these days. Unlike the Western Conference, it’s not the least bit top-heavy. The Boston Celtics are, for now, the conference’s top dog, while any other remotely good teams are mediocre and, therefore, capable of both winning against and losing to one another. It can make placing bets complicated, but it also opens an opportunity for you to carve out a niche and find weekly trends that pad your wallet.
A good rule of thumb in the East: Stay away from offseason futures. If you want to place small-time wagers, then by all means, go nuts. But it’s senseless to invest in sizable championship and conference odds until you know how many, if any, teams are legitimately rivaling the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If you can find sites, such as Bovada or BetOnline, that offer division odds or a team’s chances of making the playoffs at all, pounce. Those are easier to predict and can help you build up your sportsbook purse at season’s endāa time of the NBA calendar when everyone should be looking to maximize profits or recoup some of their losses.
Best NBA Eastern Conference Betting Lines
Stay informed with the Eastern Conference’s latest betting odds, as shown below. They can change on a lark, so it’s always good to circle back and confirm lines before making your wager.
It’s especially prudent to recheck spreads, moneylines, over/under benchmarkets, etc. after hearing about an injury or a coach’s decision to bench a certain player.
What Are The NBA Eastern Conference Standings
Have a look at theĀ NBA Eastern Conference Standings. Look at them early and often. They let you keep track of things, giving you a daily look at the postseason picture, the latter of which is pivotal.
You always want to be aware of how far outside the playoff bubble a team is, and how strong of a holdĀ squads haveĀ on their postseason seeds, as this offers a bird’s eye view of possible first-round, and even later-round, matchups.
Betting Tips
Anyone who's betting on the NBA in general needs to add offensive ratings and defensive ratings to their arsenal. These are stats that show how much a team scores (offensive rating) and allows (defensive rating) per 100 possessions.
Entire betting patterns can be crafted off this information. The same goes for splits, and deciding whether or not you should bet for or against a certain team when it's playing at home, on the road or even during a certain month.
Something to be wary of: rivalries. Certain teams get up for certain other teams. Keep yourself apprised of the latest rivalries, and you'll know not to favor huge spreads when those two outfits meet.
Divisional matchups are almost always considered good rivalries, so take overall records and stats in these instances with cubic meters of salt. You'll want to rely more on how Team A has fared in the past against Team B, and vice versa.
Interconference numbers are also extremely valuable. If you have an Eastern Conference team that has fared well againstĀ Western Conference opponents, in addition to intraconference foes, you know you're looking at a well-rounded contingent. Chances are they're a good team to follow and bet on.
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