NBA Weekend Betting - Three Game Preview

Basketball betting gets tougher and tougher as the season goes on. Oddsmakers are getting a handle on which teams are living up to the preseason hype and which ones are surprises – good and bad. Here's a look at three teams keeping bettors guessing, and their matchups this weekend . . .

New Orleans Hornets at Atlanta Hawks

The Hornets' early-season struggles have not only cost bettors, but they have now cost head coach Byron Scott his job. New Orleans axed their coach Thursday afternoon on the heels of a one-sided loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. The Hornets have problems on both sides of the ball - they've giving up 105 points per game while struggling to find consistency on offense. That up-and-down play has burned backers for a 3-6 ATS record heading into Friday.

New Jersey Nets at Miami Heat

Heading into a monster matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday the Heat are one of the NBA's biggest success stories of the first few weeks. Miami, behind MVP-quality play from Dwyane Wade, had started 6-1 against the NBA pointspreads. Wade is scoring almost 30 points per game and the bench is chipping in with solid efforts on both offense and defense. The Heat are ranked among the best defensive squads in the league, limiting opponents to under 90 points per game.

Golden State Warriors at Milwaukee Bucks

Bucks seems like a fitting nickname for the Milwaukee franchise - they've certainly earned a lot of them for basketball bettors. The Bucks are 5-1 ATS (4-2 SU), having covered in every game since losing their opener to the Philadelphia 76ers. Milwaukee's keys to success have been the play of rookie Brandon Jennings, who is averaging more than 20 points and five assists per game, and a healthy Andrew Bogut. The former No. 1 pick is the glue guy that holds the Bucks together, scoring 15 points and pulling down nine rebounds a night.