The NBA playoffs can produce off-the-cuff betting angles historically, especially when factoring a series outlook.
For instance: One of the best NBA playoff trends as we enter a stretch of Game 3s is betting home teams down 0-2 in the series in the first half.
NBA Playoff Trends: Bet Home Teams Down 0-2 in the First Half
Our own Evan Abrams has been rattling off juicy NBA playoff betting nuggets all week. Here's another profitable angle bettors should keep on their radar for Thursday's playoff slate – and for series beyond.
Home teams trailing 0-2 in an NBA playoff series are 88–45-2 (66%) against the spread in the first half overall since 2005. Tracing back to 2015, they are riding a blistering-hot 36-13-1 (73.5%) run.
The two teams fitting Thursday's angle are the Brooklyn Nets (vs. the 76ers) and the Golden State Warriors (vs. the Kings).
The 76ers are -2.5 on the first-half spread at plus-money at certain sportsbooks, or -1.5 at standard -110 pricing, depending on where you shop.
Philly ranked seventh in the NBA in first-half scoring margin (+5). The 76ers are also looking for their third straight full-game cover of the series tonight vs. the Nets.
The Warriors, meanwhile, are 12th in first-half scoring margin, but the home/road splits are naturally night and day.
Golden State owns a +2.7 scoring margin in the first half on average at home, compared to -1.1 at home.
The Dubs range from -4 to -4.5 on the first-half spread vs. Sacramento in Game 3, as consensus 5.5-point full-game favorites.
Peeking ahead to Friday, both Atlanta (vs. Boston) and Minnesota (vs. Denver) fit the first-half profitable betting trend.
Be sure to check out the latest NBA odds and public betting percentage breakdowns for all games.
