That is, between 82 and 85 percent of the time, the winning team also covers the pointspread. Either the favorite wins and covers the spread, or the underdog wins straight up. That 15% to 18% statistic relates to situations when the favorite wins but by a smaller margin than the pointspread. When that happens, we call it a "push." As for cases where the favorite loses, that's called a "losses." We can divide losses into three main categories: blowouts, splits, and upsets.
In blowouts, the winner is determined by who has better luck with turnovers because they both score very few points in these games. The average blowout last season was by far the most lopsided in history - it was decided by more than 30 points per game. Many people believe this type of game will come down to luck - who gets their hand raised first at the end of the game. But research shows that teams play equally well after halftime and that top-ranked teams are not any more likely than bottom-ranked teams to blowouts.
In splits, the winner is determined by a coin flip because they both get exactly the same number of wins and losses. Last season, there were only two split decisions, which makes them rare events.
Finally, there were 33 upset winners in 2014, which means that if you picked winners randomly you would expect this type of event to happen about half the time.
While NBA home teams win roughly 70% of the time during the regular season, that ratio rises to 75% in the playoffs. In the NFL, the home team's winning percentage increases from 60% during the regular season to 65% during the playoffs. Teams who play at home earn it and are frequently superior. However, there are several high-profile examples where this rule has been violated.
The Golden State Warriors have won more games than any other National Basketball Association (NBA) team during the regular season, but they also have the highest percentage of their games played at home (90%). The reason for this is the fact that the league requires each team to play on both road trips and during each round of the playoffs, one team will be given the "home" advantage based on how many games they win during the season. The team that wins more games is given this designation. For example, if a pair of teams were to finish with equal records, then the team that went on the second road trip would get the home court advantage.
In addition to winning more games than anyone else, the Golden State Warriors also have the best record in the NBA during the regular season. They are so good at home that even though they play more games on the road than at home, they still have the most successful franchise in basketball. The Houston Rockets' Chris Paul is responsible for bringing success to his hometown team by joining them after winning a championship with New Orleans.
Favourite (odds that begin with "-"): odds are the amount you must bet to win $100. Underdog (odds beginning with "+"): the odds are the amount you would win if you bet $100. Dog (evens): the odds are 2 to 1 in favor of your dog.
Example: If the favourite to win the Kentucky Derby is Look at Me and the current odds are 4 to 1, you would have to wager $40 to make a $100 profit if Look at Me wins. The term "favourite" is used because four times as many people expect Look at Me to win compared to another choice in the race. If you chose that horse, you would need to win the Kentucky Derby eight times in a row to make a $100 profit!
In sports betting, there is no such thing as a sure thing. However, some events are more predictable than others and thus offer better chances for success. A team with a history of performing well in certain conditions is called a "trendy pick". For example, if you were to select the college football team that will win the next week's game, you could do so by looking at which teams had won most recent games. This would be an example of choosing a trend pick.
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