- Underdogs cover the spread more often during NBA Preseason than with the regular schedule.
- Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego has the best record ATS during NBA Preseason.
- Even with star players sitting out, teams who are favored by sportsbooks ultimately win more often than not.
LOS ANGELES – The NBA Preseason has tipped off and sports bettors can begin cashing in big by wagering on the NBA before the season even starts.
The preseason can be used as a time to test NBA betting strategies for the upcoming 2021-2022 season but the preseason comes with its own strategies as well.
With superstars either not playing or not taking the games as seriously, the NBA preseason odds may not reflect the outcome of the game as often as it would in regular-season games. This makes preseason betting perfect for underdog wagers.
Underdogs Cover The Spread
In the last 10 NBA Preseasons, the underdogs have a 367-313-18 record against the spread. If betting fans were to have wagered $100 on all of the underdogs to cover in that time, they would be up $3155.
A part of the reason why the spreads are covered so often by underdogs stem from coaches not playing superstars the whole game, making it harder for teams to run up the score.
Los Angeles Lakers Vs. Phoenix Suns (Spread), October 6, 6:00 PM ET, NBA TV
- Lakers -2.0 (-110)
- Suns +2.0 (-110)
For this preseason matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers are only favored by 2-points. The Lakers’ new Big Three in LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis did not play in the first preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets, resulting in a 97-123 loss for the Lakers.
The stars are expected to be playing in the game against Phoenix but likely won’t see more than 20 minutes of playing time each and probably will not be playing in the fourth quarter.
This makes it easier for the Phoenix Suns, who are expected to be playing their stars in Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton to keep the score close or even take the win.
Coaches That Cover
While star players play limited minutes or sit out preseason games entirely, coaches still coach the full games. This is where they test role players as well as new offensive and defensive schemes for the upcoming season.
James Borrego, head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, has a 71.4% record covering the spread, the best record of any coach with 10 or more preseason games.
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Borrego is aiming to have star Hornets guard LaMelo Ball take the next step into Super Stardom and is using the preseason to test new game strategies with the reigning Rookie of the Year.
“I want him to take the reins of this program,” said Borrego. “He’s the quarterback, the floor general and for us to take that next step he must run this team, not only on the offensive end but the defensive end as well.”
The Hornets won their first preseason matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-97, easily covering the -2.0-spread set for them by sportsbooks.
Those looking at Charlotte Hornets’ odds with online sportsbooks should be leaning heavily on them to cover the spread with Borrego’s record.
Other notable coaches with good records against the spread are Dwane Casey of the Detroit Pistons with a 62.9% cover rate, Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz with a 61.8% cover rate, and Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets with a 57.8% cover rate.
Favorites Still Win In The NBA Preseason
Despite underdogs covering the spread as often as they do, favorites still have a higher win rate. In the last 10 years, favorites are 271-426 on the moneyline.
Outside of favorites having the overall better teams, underdog teams also do not play their stars’ for heavy minutes. Underdog teams also take the preseason less seriously than they would a regular game.
The preseason is viewed as a way to test new team players and playbooks, focusing on various ways to win when the real season begins. NBA gamblers should take note of this when betting on the matchups being played now.
After graduating from Florida State University with a degree in creative writing, Giovanni spent his professional career writing short stories for online journals. Now at USAOnlineSportsbooks, you can find him keeping fans up to date on their favorite teams best betting odds. Giovanni still tries to incorporate his passion for storytelling through the perspective of sports betting.
