One of the good things about the holidays being over is that we can get back to the day in/day out grind of the sports betting world, which is where the best values are found.  We’ve got a full schedule of NBA action to work with on Saturday, and assuming that Gilbert Arenas doesn’t go on a shooting spree trying to collect his gambling debts life should quickly get back to normal in the league.  This is actually a great time of year for the handicapping in his never ending battle against his adversaries at the sportsbook.  College basketball is about to head up with a vengeance, offering an insane amount of wagering opportunities every week and countless value positions.  The NBA and NHL will soldier on, the NFL playoffs are about to get underway and it won’t be long until baseball spring training begins.  I love baseball, and not because I’m some sort of weepy eyed ‘Field of Dreams’ nostalgia geek.  Baseball could very well be the most underrated betting sport on the board.  So stick with SportsUntapped and we’ll keep you covered with handicapping advice for everything that the online sportsbooks throw at us.

For now, we’ll head back to the NBA:

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER VS. MILWAUKEE BUCKS

There’s a great line that is frequently attributed to John F. Kennedy, but its actually a Biblical quote (Luke 12:48 for those of you scoring at home) that says “To whom much is given, much is expected”.  I’ve been fortunate in life both financially and otherwise, so I’ve always tried to live by this creed.  I give money and volunteer with animal welfare charities including the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and Knock Out Dog Fighting. A while back, however, I decided that I should do more but I wasn’t sure how best to contribute.  Then I saw an article in the local newspaper about a bank middle manager who had been part of a career education program for junior high students.  The thinking is that if they get the kids excited about a potential career early they’ll approach their studies more diligently and not become juvenile delinquents or some other blight on society.  That was my inspiration, and so I called all of the local junior high schools and offered to come speak to the kids about my career in sports handicapping.  I even offered to lead a field trip to the local horse track.  No disrespect to bank middle managers, but I can guarantee that what I do is much more interesting and lucrative.  Surprisingly, none of the schools have returned my calls yet but I’m sure that is just an oversight, what with the holidays and all.

When I speak to the kids, one of the most important points I’ll stress is something that I’ve already discussed here:  if you want to be a successful sports handicapper you need to quit paying attention to the mainstream sports media.  ESPN is the worst offender, but they’re not the only one.  Not only will you no longer be subjected to the unctuous ‘talent’ like Rick Riley and Bill Simmons, but it will help you view sports objectively and not through their hype.  The biggest problem for serious sports betting analysis is that the ESPN’s of the world are compelled to put a label on every player and team as ‘bad’ or ‘good’.  Often this is based on historical performance and not current information.  That’s why you should get all of your sports information here at SportsUntapped.

Such is the case with our NBA play of the day, as the Milwaukee Bucks host the Oklahoma City Thunder.  To the unaware, this is a matchup between two ‘bad’ teams and to be fair neither have had much recent success.  As that noted sports handicapper Bob Dylan once said, however, ‘the times they are a changing’.  Let’s start with the Milwaukee Bucks.  They’ve only won four of their last 19 games (8-11 ATS).  They’ve lost four straight and 7 of their last 8.

Oklahoma City, meanwhile, is a team on the rise.  Everyone knows that Kevin Durant is a future superstar, but the entire team has been playing well–particularly on the defensive end of the floor.  If the season ended today, the Thunder would be a playoff team.  They’ve won five straight, and actually have a winning road record at 9-7.  Their record against the spread is even more impressive:  they’re 20-12 ATS overall, 11-5 ATS on the road and have covered 10 of 13 against the Eastern Conference.  Of particular note is their 9-3 SU/ATS mark against teams with losing records.  That suggests that they don’t ‘play down’ to the level of their opponent and take care of business when they step down in class.

These teams met in OKC on 11/27, with the Thunder winning by 18 and Durant shredding the Bucks for 33 points.  Since that game the two teams have headed in different directions, with the Thunder improving and the Bucks regressing.  The matchups haven’t changed, however, and with the Thunder in the hunt for a playoff spot they’ll win outright here.

PLAY OKLAHOMA CITY +1 OVER MILWAUKEE