NBA – Latest Betting News and Tips February 18th
The All-Star weekend is over. We are tired of hearing about tanking and want pro basketball back. We break down who might be moving up or down, depending on the level of competition going forward. This, and your watch and win possibilities for wagering.
Post All- Star – Figuring Out Who Could Do What
When the NBA returns, depending on the team, they will have 26 to 29 games remaining. Those tanking already won’t care, but a few clubs
received substantial enough fines to maybe get their attention to at least give the appearance of trying.
The rest are attempting to finish in the Top 3 in their conference, Top 6 to avoid the Play-In round, or just make the postseason in whatever fashion they can.
Looking strictly at the remaining schedules for every club, we studied the win percentages of future foes and how that might impact where a team finishes. For basketball bettors, that is Play On or Play Against opportunities.
NBA Team That Are Moving Up In The Standings
Portland is currently #9 in the Western Conference, but in truth, they are #10, having one more loss than the Los Angeles Clippers, who have played fewer games. The Trail Blazers’ remaining slate is the easiest in the NBA, giving them a chance to surpass Golden State, which has 26 losses, whose schedule is middle of the pack. The Blazers defense must improve from #23 in points, which seems possible against who they will play.
The aforementioned Clippers have the 3rd-easiest schedule and are within two games of .500 after a horrific 6-21 start. Nobody is playing better than Kawhi Leonard in the league, and the Clips need him to stay healthy. It seems a reach either squad could make up six to seven games to have a shot at the #6 seed to avoid the Play-In, but we can only wait and see.
Cleveland (#5) and Houston (#6) each will have a shot based on future opposition to move into the Top 3 of their respective conferences.
The Rockets are 3rd in point differential out West and need to regain their early-season consistency to move up the ladder.
The Cavaliers enter the break on runs of 5-0 SU and 9-1 SU and appear poised to keep it rolling, sitting two behind Boston for the #2 slot in the Eastern Conference.
NBA Team That Are Moving Down In The Standings
Denver survived without Nikola Jokic for a spell, but he is back, and the Nuggets will need him and everyone else. Denver has the hardest
slate the rest of the way, which includes facing Oklahoma City and San Antonio three times each. This, along with five total meetings with Boston, New York, Houston, and the Lakers, sets up for an intriguing journey for the Nuggets.
Besides facing Denver in a trio of battles, the Thunder have a top-heavy sked against the East, taking on the Celtics, Knicks, Pistons, and Cavs seven total times. OKC has the best point differential (+11.7) by a wide margin, yet has several puzzling defeats. With only a two-game lead on the Spurs, the Thunder could lose the home-court edge in the West with the second-roughest schedule.
With the Cavs surging, the Celtics have the #4 hardest competition to take on. Given what Cleveland faces, this bears watching for seeding purposes in the East.
Worst NBA ATS Teams (as of 2/18/26)
*Sacramento 21-35
*Orlando 21-32
*Washington 21-32
*Cleveland 23-32
*Dallas 23-31
Top NBA Games to Watch (Follow) or Bet the Rest of the Week
Thursday
PRIME – Detroit at New York
PRIME – Boston at Golden State
We have a beauty to kick start the rest of the regular season at MSG, with Detroit in town. This matchup should have plenty of defense. The Celtics have an arduous four-game Western swing starting with the Warriors.
Friday
ESPN – Dallas at Minnesota
ESPN – Clippers at Lakers
Minnesota hit the break on a 7-3 SU run. The Timberwolves have a legit chance to reach the #3 in the West. This starts it starts by dumping Dallas.
Saturday
NBA-TV – Orlando at Phoenix
ABC – Houston at New York
Phoenix has tumbled to #7 in the West when losing three of four before the break. Orlando did the same in the East, and these are two squads that don’t want to be in that spot by season’s end. Another rugged battle for the Knicks against Houston. We could be looking at another UNDER.
Sunday
ABC – Cleveland at Oklahoma City
ABC – Denver at Golden State
NBC – Boston at L.A. Lakers
NBA-TV – Orlando at L.A. Clippers
A good temperature matchup to see what Cleveland and Oklahoma City are thinking after playing once since the break. A rare early afternoon affair for the Warriors at home. Part 2 of the classic Celtics vs Lakers showdown. No question, the Magic and Clippers have to keep finding victories
Get more NBA betting advice from Doug Upstone here and purchase Doug’s Premium picks here.
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