March Madness might be the buzz word for the next month, but
the NBA does not stop and basketball handicappers would do well to keep their
eyes on the professionals. March is when the playoff spots get down to the wire
and it pays to be aware of situations as well as trends. With that in mind we
run down the statistics for NBA betting in the month of March.
While the college game has its bout of Madness in March, the
NBA also gets a bit crazy as teams fight for playoff spots during the final six
weeks of the season. To uncover recent monthly trends, we compiled all ATS
records each month starting in the 2006-07 season. Below is what we found for
all NBA teams in March, and what results you can expect to happen this March
based on the upcoming schedule to help you with your NBA betting.
Best ATS Records in
March (2007-2010)
1. Charlotte 66% (40-21)
2. Golden State 61% (38-24)
3. Boston 60% (37-25)
4. Orlando 59% (32-22)
5. Miami 57% (35-26)
6. Portland 57% (33-25)
Charlotte is your leader in March by winning at least 63% of
its March games in all four seasons of our study. Don’t expect this trend to
stop this March. Despite the Bobcats being a young team, they are a horrendous
5-12 ATS (29%) with zero days rest, but 16-10 ATS (62%) with one day off. In
March, Charlotte only has three back-to-back games and nine contests after one
day of rest. However, the Bobcats are also facing five of the eight best teams
in the NBA this March (San Antonio, Boston, Chicago, L.A. Lakers and Oklahoma
City).
Golden State’s ATS mark here is skewed by its incredible
11-3 ATS in March 2007, but the Warriors have still not had a losing March in
the past four years. But this season, Golden State Warriors will spend most of its March
on the road, as they started a seven-game road trip on Feb. 27 and will play
four straight road games in a six-day span from March 18-23. In total, March
will consist of five home games and 13 road outings. The Warriors are 14-12 ATS
away from home this season, so it could be a good month for them again.
Boston was 22-9 ATS in March of 2007 and 2008 combined, but
is just 15-16 ATS in March in the past two seasons. Looking ahead to this
March, the Boston Celtics have quite an easy schedule, featuring 10-of-16 opponents
with losing records on the year. They only play two games against the Top 12
records in the NBA (#1 San Antonio and #10 New Orleans). The veteran Boston
club is a brutal 3-10 ATS in the second half of back-to-back games, but it will
only play three such games in March.
Worst ATS Records in
March (2007-2010)
30. L.A. Lakers 36% (21-37)
29. Minnesota 37% (21-36)
28. Milwaukee 37% (20-34)
27. Toronto 39% (23-36)
26t. L.A. Clippers 44% (27-35)
26t. Washington 44% (27-35)
24. New Jersey 44% (27-34)
Los Angeles Lakers have four straight losing ATS records in
March. They were 2-11 ATS in March 2007, so they have been more respectable in
the past three years at 19-26 ATS. Los Angeles will play five of its first six
March games on the road, but will end the month with a seven-game homestand.
The Lakers are 12-17 ATS (41%) at home and 17-15 ATS (53%) on the road, so the
homestand might not work in their favor.
Minnesota hasn’t had much recent monthly success, with
winning ATS marks in just 6-of-24 months in our study. The Timberwolves have
gone 3-10, 6-8, 7-10 and 5-8 ATS in the past four months of March. Minnesota is
coming off a 4-9 ATS record in February and this March will also be quite a
challenge with six games against the top six teams in the NBA (2 vs. Lakers, 2
vs. Mavericks, 1 vs. Celtics, 1 vs. Bulls). Also, nine of the 15 games will be
against West teams, and the Wolves are a dreadful 14-24 ATS (37%) when playing
conference games this season. Feels like another losing month for Minnesota.
Milwaukee actually had a great ATS record last March at 9-5,
but it was an appalling 11-29 ATS (28%) in the month from 2007-2009. The Bucks
have been a great bet against Eastern conference teams this year (18-12 ATS, 60%), but
horrible versus the West (9-18 ATS, 33%). Luckily for them, this March features
14 of 16 games against teams from their own Eastern Conference, so Milwaukee is
certainly ready for March to roar in!
Below are the rest of
the March ATS records.
Other ATS Records in March (2007-2010)
50% or Better ATS Records
7. Phoenix 55% (32-26)
8. Atlanta 55% (35-29)
9. Houston 54% (33-28)
10. Denver 52% (32-29)
11. Indiana 52% (29-27)
12. Memphis 52% (30-28)
13. Cleveland 52% (32-30)
14. San Antonio 52% (34-32)
15. Philadelphia 51% (30-29)
16t. New Orleans 50% (31-31)
16t. Oklahoma City 50% (29-29)
Losing ATS Records
18. Chicago 49% (29-30)
19. Sacramento 48% (27-29)
20. Utah 48% (30-33)
21. Detroit 47% (30-34)
22. Dallas 47% (28-32)
23. New York 45% (26-32)