With a little over a month into the 2017-18 NBA regular season, we’ll take a look at the five best teams in terms of their record thus far against the spread. Typically, the teams that do best in this realm are the ones who exceed expectations. For example, it’s hard for the Golden State Warriors to be great at covering the spread because everyone knows how good they are and the odds makers adjust for that. However, the teams on this list have all surprised and played better than expected. That’s what has made them so profitable for bettors in the early part of the season.
With that said, here are the five best teams against the spread early in the regular season.
Boston Celtics
ATS: 17-3-1
Gordon Hayward’s gruesome and cringe-worthy injury during the Boston Celtics’ first game of the regular season would have likely cast doubt into the minds of a large majority of NBA fans. However, the Celtics have responded to Hayward’s injury in an unimaginably positive manner. Currently, the Celtics hold the best record in the NBA at 17-3 while sporting a 17-3-1 record against the spread. Clearly, the Hayward injury hasn’t been much of a setback. Kyrie Irving is playing at a MVP level, Al Horford is serving as the team’s glue, and Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are exceeding expectations. The Celtics are rolling – let’s see if they’re able to maintain this type of production for the rest of the regular season without one of their star acquisitions during the offseason.
Philadelphia 76ers
ATS: 14-4-0
Clearly, we should have trusted the process in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia 76ers are not only in the thick of things in the playoff hunt, currently compiling a 10-7 record, good for fifth place in the Eastern Conference, they’re also the second-best team in terms of their record against the spread at 14-4-0. Even without their first overall pick in Markelle Fultz, the 76ers are playing pretty good basketball. Ben Simmons is as good as advertised and Joel Embiid is showing flashes of straight-up dominance. If the 76ers are able to maintain this pace and make the playoffs, this young team will be relevant for a long time.
Detroit Pistons
ATS: 12-5-1
After the Detroit Pistons clearly underperformed last season, they’ve turned things around this season. The Pistons are currently in second-place in the Eastern Conference with a 12-6 record (.667 winning percentage). Andre Drummond has miraculously improved his free-throw shooting percentage while Reggie Jackson has been much more aggressive and effective. The Pistons have compiled a 12-5-1 record against the spread and are in prime position to qualify for the playoffs along with one of the top seeds.
Indiana Pacers
ATS: 12-8-0
Who would have predicted that the Indiana Pacers, after trading away Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder during the offseason, would find themselves sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with an 11-9 record. Victor Oladipo has really stepped up, avering 22.8 points per game along with 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.84 blocks. His play, along with the surprising contributions from Domantas Sabonis, has resulted in the Pacers also posting a 12-8-0 record against the spread. While the Pacers definitely can’t count themselves as contenders and seem to be clearly outperforming, Pacers fans and bettors should enjoy this moment.
New Orleans Pelicans
ATS: 12-8-0
The only Western Conference team to make this list, the New Orleans Pelicans’ Twin Towers of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins have posted an 11-9 record and are currently holding onto the seventh seed in the stacked Western Conference. They were expected to be mostly a train wreck as they were last year but some minor changes to the roster – and a full offseason for Cousins and Davis to work together – has provided some early season success.
The Pelicans currently sport the best against-the-spread record in the Western Conference at 12-8-0. Maybe they’ll be even better with Rajon Rondo coming off the injury list. They’d be even better if they played well at home as they are just 5-4 at home compared to 6-5 on the road.
The 2017-18 NBA is well underway. It’s been a wild offseason already, but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
