Fade These NBA Teams In The First Quarter

We're at the point in the NBA season where we have a pretty clear picture of which teams are worth betting on and which teams you should stay away from. The same goes for totals. Some teams are great over teams while others are consistently hitting the under.

While betting full-game spreads and totals are the two most popular types of bets, they aren't the only ones to consider. Looking at derivative bets is a good way to find value on teams or games where you might not see much of an edge in terms of the traditional types of bets. If we look at how teams perform in the first quarter of games, there are two teams that stand out from the rest as teams you'll either want to stay away from completely or ones you'll want to look to fade early in games.

Indiana Pacers

If you told me before the season started that the Indiana Pacers would be the 7th-best team in the Eastern Conference I don't think I would have believed you. But that's exactly where they sit today with a 14-13 record straight up. When it comes to covering the spread, the Pacers are just 15-12 ATS, which gives you an ROI of about 6%. Not bad, but nothing crazy good either. An area that you might want to stay away from when it comes to betting on the Pacers, is in the first quarter.

For whatever reason, Indiana has gotten out to really slow starts and finds itself having to climb back into games. In terms of covering the spread in the first quarter, the Pacers are the worst team in the league. They are just 6-20-1 ATS, which would put you down 16 units if you took them in every game. That's not something we suggest doing! They are also equally bad at home as they are on the road, going 3-10 ATS at home and 3-10-1 ATS on the road. In other words, stay away from Indiana early in games, or just play against them.

Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors are another team that I would suggest staying away from early in games. While Toronto has a straight-up record of 13-14 and a full-game record of 14-13 ATS on the season, they are the second-worst team in the first quarter behind the Pacers. The Raptors are just 9-18 ATS in the first quarter with an ROI of -36.26%. Ouch!

However, unlike Indiana, where Toronto plays often dictates their performance early in games. The Raptors are 6-7 ATS at home, which is still a losing record, but it's not half as bad as the 3-11 ATS record their sporting on the road. In fact, Toronto has failed to cover the first quarter of their last three road games and are just 1-4 ATS in their last five. So, bottom line, don't back the Raptors early in games when they're away from Scotiabank Arena.

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