Having emerged as a serious contender last season two or three years before most predicted, don't expect the Jazz to wait around for the rest of the division to catch them. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2006/07 season are in parentheses:
UTAH JAZZ (60-39 SU, 46-50-3 ATS, 54-44-1 O/U): After three years in the draft lottery, Utah made it to the Western Conference finals last season, a feat which will be difficult to duplicate. F/C Carlos Boozer (20.9 PPG, 11.7 RPG), C Mehmet Okur (17.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG) and PG Deron Williams (16.2 PPG, 9.3 APG) make the Jazz the favorite in the division but Utah is still a shooting guard short of surpassing Western powers such as San Antonio, Dallas and Phoenix.
NBA Betting By the Numbers (2006/07 Season)
Home Favorite: 19-20-2
Home Underdog: 4-3
Away Favorite: 7-13
Away Underdog: 15-14-1
Sportsbook Buster: The Jazz was 6-12 ATS on no rest last season, including 0-3 in the home-to-away scenario.
Sports Betting Angle: Utah was an unreliable 7-13 as an away favorite last season.
DENVER NUGGETS (46-41 SU, 47-39-1 ATS, 44-40-3 O/U): F Carmelo Anthony (28.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG), G Allen Iverson (26.3 PPG, 7.2 APG) and F/C Marcus Camby (Defensive Player of the Year with 3.3 BPG and 11.7 RPG) are the stars but some lesser constellations may determine whether the Nuggets escape the first round of the playoffs for the first time in four years. Denver is counting on Nene and Kenyon Martin, both of whom had knee surgery, to help Camby on the boards. Chucky Adkins (13.2 PPG), by way of Memphis, needs to do the job at the point.
NBA Betting By the Numbers (2006/07 Season)
Home Favorite: 16-16
Home Underdog: 5-5
Away Favorite: 7-4
Away Underdog: 18-13-1
Sportsbook Buster: The Nuggets were 19-11 ATS versus the Eastern Conference last season, including a 9-1 pointspread mark against the Central Division.
Sports Betting Angle: Denver was 29-16-1 ATS after a SU win last year.
PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (32-50 SU, 41-41 ATS, 43-39 O/U): Optimism turned to disappointment when No. 1 draft choice Greg Oden underwent surgery and was lost for the year. Without Oden, PF LaMarcus Aldridge (9.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG), just in his second year, and recently acquired Channing Frye (9.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG), who came over from the Knicks in the Zach Randolph deal, will be expected to shoulder more of the load. NBA Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy (16.8 PPG) can only get better and the Trailblazers are deep at the point with Jarrett Jack (12.0 PPG, 5.3 APG) the likely starter.
NBA Betting By the Numbers (2006/07 Season)
Home Favorite: 4-11
Home Underdog: 17-8
Away Favorite: 0-0
Away Underdog: 20-21
Sportsbook Buster: The Trailblazers were 16-25 ATS the game after a pointspread victory.
Sports Betting Angle: Portland was 18-28 ATS on one day rest last season but was 5-1 ATS on three days or more rest.
SEATTLE SONICS (31-51 SU, 37-39-6 ATS, 40-42 O/U): All-stars Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis have departed, leaving the Sonics with a promising but unproven roster of mostly young players. Draft picks G/F Kevin Durant (No. 2 overall) and F Jeff Green will be asked to contribute immediately. F Wally Szczerbiak and G Delonte West, acquired in the Allen deal with Boston, join holdovers F Chris Wilcox (13.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG), F Nick Collison (9.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG), G Luke Ridnour (11.0 PPG, 5.2 APG) and G Earl Watson (9.4 PPG, 5.7 APG) on a team that will struggle this year.
NBA Betting By the Numbers (2006/07 Season)
Home Favorite: 12-16-1
Home Underdog: 3-7-2
Away Favorite: 0-2
Away Underdog: 21-14-3
Sportsbook Buster: The Sonics were a paltry 15-23-3 ATS at home last season.
Sports Betting Angle: Seattle was 5-1 ATS on zero days rest when moving from home to the road last season.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (32-50 SU, 33-47-2 ATS, 50-31-1 O/U): Kevin Garnett, the face of the franchise for a dozen seasons, has departed for Boston, leaving Minnesota to start all over. It won't be easy with G Ricky Davis (17.0 PPG, 4.8 APG), F Al Jefferson (16.0 PPG, 11.0 RPG), PG Randy Foye (10.1 PPG) and C Mark Blount (12.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG) the nucleus of a team that seems destined for residency in the division basement.
NBA Betting By the Numbers (2006/07 Season)
Home Favorite: 9-16
Home Underdog: 5-9
Away Favorite: 5-2
Away Underdog: 16-17-1
Sportsbook Buster: The Timberwolves were the worst pointspread team in the NBA last season.
Sports Betting Angle: Minnesota had the highest percentage (61.7) of "over" games and the lowest percentage (38.3) of "under" games.
This is the fifth of six NBA betting previews.
Next: The Western Conference's Pacific Division.
This article was written by Luken Karel for
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