Five of the six NBA teams playing on the road Thursday night covered their betting spreads, with four winning outright, bucking a trend that’s increasingly becoming the new normal this season: road teams being unreliable.
Across the NBA, road teams have struggled mightily, with just four teams holding winning records away from home. None of those teams are in the Western Conference, meaning clubs like the Nuggets, Grizzlies and Pelicans, or anyone else you want to name, are all .500 or worse. The defending champion Warriors are a league-worst 3-16 on the road.
Those struggles have translated against betting spreads. Even after the triumphs of Thursday’s away brigades, only eight teams have winning road records ATS. That’s down from 17 last season, according to TeamRankings. The only comparable season in the last 10 years is 2015-16, when nine away teams finished with winning records.
So which teams have been the most reliable against the spread while on the road?
- New York Knicks (14-6)
- Charlotte Hornets (13-10-1)
- Utah Jazz (13-11)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (12-8)
- Chicago Bulls (12-10)
- Sacramento Kings (11-7)
- Indiana Pacers (11-9)
- Brooklyn Nets (11-10-1)
Even some of the above records border .500, so a few of the teams don’t have winning records ATS depending on the sportsbook, while other teams not listed do.
Of course, if road teams are losing more, that means home teams must be winning more, and that’s true. More than half the league has a winning record against the spread, led by the 76ers, who have the most home wins ATS and the Warriors, who have the best winning percentage ATS at home.
Across the board, though, home teams are far outperforming road teams no matter the opponent. NBA bettors should keep that in mind the next time they plan to throw some money on a game.
