The Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets are the dominant teams in the Southeast Division, but how do they match up against the spread?
Washington and Atlanta are making ground, but poor Orlando has too much ground to make up.
We look at every team and how they have performed against the spread.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat don’t have a better ATS record than Charlotte, but they have been the better bet.
They have returned bettors +2.6 units for their 28-19 ATS record, which is healthy. One of the premier teams in the Eastern Conference, the Heat have picked up where they left off and they’re slightly underrated.
NBA betting markets aren’t giving them the respect they deserve, which is why bettors have cashed in. It’s likely to continue for a few months, but expect to see lines lengthen when the Heat play at home.
They are 16-5 straight up at home and 8-2 in the division, so they’re usually a safe bet in the Southeast.
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets have the best spread record in the Southeast with 28-18. They have covered 61.7% of their games, which is narrowly ahead of the Heat.
They haven’t been as impressive in the division at 5-5, but the likes of Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball have been outstanding for the young side.
Charlotte is a team to follow, but the recent injury to Jalen McDaniels isn’t what they wanted. They just started to get fully fit, but McDaniels will miss time according to head coach James Borrego.
“It is unfortunate for him because he is playing really, really well for us right now.” Borrego told Sports Illustrated.
“That’s just how it is, this is the NBA. It happens. It is life in the NBA. We have enough bodies to get through it, but it’s next man up and we will get some newer bodies ready for Sunday.”
Despite his injury, we expect betting online markets to continue giving the Hornets respect.
Washington Wizards
Bettors never really know what to expect from the Washington Wizards. They are enigmatic and tough to follow at the best of times, and that’s reflected in their ATS statistics.
The Wizards are 19-27-1 ATS, so they haven’t cast a spell on bettors, who are growing tired of not knowing what to expect.
Bradley Beal started the season on fire, but his stats have regressed. It’s not all on him, but the Wizards have the potential to finish strong, like they did last year.
Keep an eye on value betting markets at the sportsbook, particularly when the Wizards play a divisional game at home. An example is Tuesday when they opened a 35-point lead on the Los Angeles Clippers and lost the game.
Atlanta Hawks
When Trae Young told the world he wasn’t interested with the regular season, bettors had reason for concern.
Despite his youth, it was a concerning statement and it has led to the Atlanta Hawks posting just a 19-27 ATS record.
It’s not good enough for a team loaded with knockdown shooters, and despite Young playing at an All-Star level, they’re struggling to put it all together.
They were one of the NBA best bets last season, but expectations might have been too high and they’re not handling the pressure well.
Orlando Magic
It would be easy to look at the Orlando Magic’s 9-39 record and write them off, but stick with us.
The Magic might be one of the worst teams in the NBA, but they are 21-27 ATS, which is better than Washington and Atlanta.
Covering 43.8% of the spreads, the Magic have returned a positive +/- for bettors, so they’re not all that bad.
It takes a fair amount of courage to bet on the Magic, but don’t discount them based on their straight up record.
