Basketball Betting: Best/Worst NBA teams against the spread

As the 2009-10 NBA All-Star break approaches, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers have separated themselves from the pack in their respective conferences. On most nights, bettors have to lay some steep points to back these elite squads. The point spread can be the great equalizer when teams of this caliber are involved. This has proven to be the case for the Cavaliers and Lakers this season. When against the spread numbers are calculated, both teams are basically in the middle of the pack. Cleveland is tied for the 9th-best ATS record at 27-24-1 while Los Angeles is tied for 18th at 24-27-2 (records through February 8th). Here's a look at the best and worst NBA clubs against the spread this season: The best A team that has been making a steady climb in recent years has posted the best record against the point spread in the 2009-10 NBA campaign. The Atlanta Hawks are 31-18 against the spread this season. The next squad on the list is led by an emerging superstar. Behind All-Star Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder have posted an ATS mark of 31-19 this year. Milwaukee, Utah and Charlotte round out the top five list of best ATS teams in the NBA. Two of the worst three teams in the league have top 10 ATS records in 2009-10. Despite recording only 13 wins apiece, Golden State and Minnesota have both managed to post winning point spread marks this season. The worst Since the New Jersey Nets are on a pace to post the worst single-season mark in the history of the NBA, it isn't much of a surprise to find this team at the bottom of the league's ATS standings. At 4-46, New Jersey is on pace to finish with a 7-75 record. Against the spread, the Nets are 18-31-1. A viable NBA title contender is next on the worst list. The Boston Celtics are tied with the Washington Wizards for the second-worst ATS records in the league at 19-29-1. The Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers round out the bottom five list. Profitable teams Once the juice is factored into NBA point spread bets, the list of profitable teams in the league is rather narrow. Of the 30 NBA squads, only 11 are profitable on point spread wagers. The Hawks are at +11.6 units to top the list of profitable squads while the best straight up club in the league is barely in the black. The Cavaliers are at +0.6 units.