In the NBA food chain, the Western Conference has long been the dominant species, led by apex predators like the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs.
The Eastern Conference, filled with fluffy white bunnies outside of the occasional meat-eater, like the Cleveland Cavaliers, has been at the mercy of its Western foe, posting an 844-1,226 SU record (.408) in non-conference games over the past five seasons.
Well, those bunnies are biting back in 2015-16, like “The Rabbit of Caerbannog”.
Eastern Conference teams were a dead-even 72-72 SU versus Western Conference opponents, before the Milwaukee Bucks suffered the mother of all letdowns, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday following their upset win over the Warriors this past weekend. An all-nighter at an L.A. strip club will do that to you.
The East has also been the better basketball bet this season, with a 78-62-5 ATS record (56 percent) in non-conference matchups. That’s a sharp contrast from its 973-1,063-34 ATS regular season mark (48 percent) the previous five seasons, when Eastern clubs got an average of +2.20 points from oddsmakers but lost by an average of -2.77 points. This season, East teams are on average 1.27-point underdogs and only losing by an average point differential of -0.54 versus Western members.
Blindly betting Eastern Conference teams each time they played the West would be enough to turn a solid profit at this point in the season. However, focusing your NBA bets on Eastern Conference teams on the road in Western Conference venues would be the difference between a good Christmas and a great one.
Heading into Wednesday, Eastern Conference teams are a collective 32-37 SU and 47-21-1 ATS – covering at a remarkable 69 percent clip – when in the role of visitors versus Western Conference competition.
Those East teams have received an average of four points on the spread and have lost by only an average of -0.13 points. In the five previous seasons, Eastern teams were just 334-701 SU and 490-527-18 ATS when playing at Western venues, losing by an average of -5.8 points against an average spread of +5.24.
Putting the microscope over the Eastern Conference, the Atlantic Division has done the most damage against Western foes. Toronto, Boston, Brooklyn, New York and Philadelphia are a collective 33-17 ATS (66 percent) in non-conference games this season, including a bookie-busting 24-4 ATS when visiting Western Conference opponents – covering 86 percent of the time.
The Southeast Division has also held its own in non-conference play, with a 27-20 ATS overall record against the West. Looking at just non-conference road dates, Charlotte, Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, and Washington are a collective 15-5 ATS on the road versus the West (75 percent).
The Central Division has been nearly as profitable in non-conference matchups, with a total 18-25 ATS mark against the West. On the road, Chicago, Cleveland, Indiana, Detroit and Milwaukee are a collective 8-12 ATS (40 percent) when visiting non-conference opposition.
Trending right alongside of Eastern road teams in non-conference games is the Under in those matchups. Following the Bucks’ egg in L.A. Tuesday, non-conference games played at Western Conference venues are 27-42-0 Over/Under, staying below the betting total almost 61 percent of the time. Overall, East-versus-West matchups have produced a 62-81-0 Over/Under record (57 percent Under).
Wednesday’s NBA schedule features five non-conference clashes, with two pitting Eastern Conference road teams up against Western Conference hosts: Washington (+13) at San Antonio and Milwaukee (+10.5) at L.A. Clippers.
Here are the best Eastern Conference teams vs. West on the road:
Orlando Magic 6-0 ATS
Boston Celtics 5-0 ATS
Toronto Raptors 6-1 ATS
Brooklyn Nets 5-1 ATS
New York Knicks 4-1 ATS
Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 ATS
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Read More... [Source: Covers.com: NBA News and Stories]
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