Death and taxes.
Those may be the only certain things in life. But there are several trends out there many bettors have picked up on which are keeping them ahead of the pack. Some are hiding in plain sight and others are flying under the radar.
NBA
Portland Trail Blazers in second half
The Trail Blazers (37-22 SU, 30-28 ATS) are one of the most exciting young teams in the league as they have soared to fifth place in the Western Conference. But Portland’s big secret is its second half success.
Led by guard Brandon Roy (22.6 ppg, 5.1 apg), the Trail Blazers are 26-3 SU when leading at halftime and even 10-19 SU when trailing after two quarters. But those wins don’t come from huge leads. Victory is assured in the second half for Portland, as it outscores its opponents in both the third and fourth quarters by a combined average of 4.3 points per game, the second-highest total in the NBA.
Golden State Warriors playing over at home
The Warriors (20-39 SU, 26-32 ATS) have been disappointing to say the least. But this team has excelled at its up-tempo playbook and not only provides an entertaining style of basketball, but also forces other teams into its pace.
Behind Corey Maggette (19.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and Stephen Jackson (21.1 ppg, 6.4 apg), the Warriors have been electric on offence at home this season. The team is an impressive 20-9 over/under at home and has surpassed the number in six of its past eight games at Oracle Arena.
NHL
Atlanta Thrashers playing over at home
The Thrashers (23-34-6) are the Golden State Warriors of the NHL.
They play little defence, allowing 221 goals, second most in the league. But they have plenty of talent on offence, led by Ilya Kovalchuk (34 goals, 37 assists), as they are 12th in the league with 188 goals. And this wide-open style of play, especially at home, has been absolute gold for bettors.
Atlanta may be buried at the bottom of the Southeast Division, but it is 19-11 when betting the over at home. They might not be very good, but the Thrashers are very entertaining and very good to bettors that have taken advantage of their wild games at Philips Arena this season.
San Jose Sharks versus the Pacific Division
The Sharks (42-10-9) have been making chum out of their division rivals. The Pacific has been their playground since October, as they are 12-2 against teams in the division.
San Jose sits in first place in the Western Conference and is having one of the best seasons in team history. And don’t expect the Sharks to let off the gas as they come down the stretch with a chance to lock up the Presidents Trophy and home ice throughout the playoffs with the leagues’ best record.
In their path to the ultimate playoff pole position? Ten more games against teams from the Pacific, with only eighth-place Anaheim currently in the postseason picture.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Auburn Tigers at home
The Tigers (19-10 SU, 17-5 ATS) likely are participants in the National Invitation Tournament, not the NCAA Tournament.
But in the Southeastern Conference this season, there hasn’t been any single gym that has been as kind to bettors as Auburn’s Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers are a staggering 9-2 ATS on their home floor this season. And who do they finish the regular season against on senior day on Saturday? LSU.
Led by guard DeWayne Reed (13.2 ppg, 3.8 apg) and forward Korvotney Barber (12.7 ppg, 9.3 rpg), the Tigers are in for one heck of a cat fight.