NBA’s Hottest Under Teams Against the Spread

The NBA BetUS Sportsbook throughout the last week of betting action:

(RANK) (TEAM) (SU RECORD) (O/U RECORD) (O/U RECORD L/5 +$$)

1) Houston Rockets (44-25) (33-36 O/U) (0-5 O/U L/5 +$500): The Rockets were the best ‘under’ bet in NBA sports betting action last week after all five of their games played to the low side of the closing number. During that stretch, they outscored their opponents 92.8-91.0. That defensive output was 3.6 points better than their 6th ranked seasonal average of 94.6 points per game, but the coaching staff has to be worried about the fact that the offense averaged nearly six-points less than their 19th ranked seasonal average of 98.4 points per game. The season loss of Tracy McGrady hasn’t truly been felt yet as others have stepped up in his absence, but the club might be running out of steam at the worst possible time. Their currently in the thick of the Western Conference Playoff race entrenched in the 4th spot, but that could change in the blink of an eye with so many teams separated by so few games. They can probably coast at home against Detroit and Minnesota, but the offense will have to step up on a two game set at San Antonio and Utah to at the very least salvage a split. My $$$ says it won’t….

2) Atlanta Hawks (40-28) (30-36 O/U) (1-4 O/U L/5 +$290): The Hawks have been a decent $$$-maker for ‘under’ bettors this season (30-36 O/U), and paid out once again last week as four of their five games ended up being of the lower scoring variety. With a below average offense (#20 scoring 98.4 PPG) and an above average defense (#11 allowing 96.4 PPG), it makes perfect sense to find the Hawks six games up in the ‘under’ department on the year. Throughout their current six game SU & ATS winning streak, the Hawks are yet to allow an opponent reach the century mark and they only averaged 99 PPG themselves during that stretch. Another reason the Hawks have been a profitable ‘under’ team this season is because of their woeful shooting from the charity stripe where they’ve converted at a poor 73.4% clip on the year (29/30). They also flat out ball on the defensive end of the court where they boast the 10th ranked defensive FG% allowed (45.2%) and 10th ranked 3PT% defense (35.7%). If they continue excelling on the defensive end of the court and pick their offensive averages just a bit, the Hawks will be a force to contend with in the post-season.

3) Utah Jazz (42-26) (33-34 O/U) (1-4 O/U L/5 +$290): The Jazz cooled off dramatically after winning 12 in a row SU, but the lone constant that remained in their recent play is their tough nosed defense. Even though they went 2-3 SU & 1-4 ATS their L/5, the defense continued its solid play to cash ‘under’ bettors tickets in four of those five games. The Jazz limited opponents to 105 points or less in four of those games with the lone exception being the triple OT epic battle against Miami where the Heat hit the 140-point plateau. With two days to rest up for their trip to Oklahoma City before returning home to face the Rockets in a crucial Western Conference clash four days later, look for Head Coach Jerry Sloan’s Jazz to be ready to get back to playing the type of defense that saw it go on its torrid streak a couple weeks ago.

And the rest…..

4) New Orleans Hornets (41-25) (29-35 O/U) (1-4 O/U L/5 +$290)

5) Oklahoma City Thunder (19-48) (32-34 O/U) (1-4 O/U L/5 +$290)

6) Indiana Pacers (28-40) (37-29 O/U) (1-4 O/U L/5 +$290)

7) San Antonio Spurs (45-22) (31-35 O/U) (2-3 O/U L/5 +$80)