Who doesn't like to win money? Have you ever seen a strapping young lad at a casino put all he's got on the 3rd 12 in roulette, come out with a victory, and frown like he's just lost his favorite WWF action figure? I didn't think so. Well, this same guy would be even more of a happy camper if he's bet on the Sixers to cover the spread all year.
Going into last night's game agains the Nets, the Sixers had a ridiculous record against the spread (ATS) of 13-4. They were unable to cover (or even win straight up), thereby putting their ATS record at 13-5. Despite the loss, the Sixers are still tied with the Nuggets for the league's best winning percentage ATS.
This stat is not surprising to me considering the amount of games they've blown the opposition out. When you consistently beat teams by 20+ points, chances are you're going to cover. Very rarely does a spread hit the 20 point margin and bettors behind the Sixers took advantage of this early on.
Is this streak sustainable, though? Like they normally do, Vegas will more than likely catch up and get the Sixers' ATS record back towards .500. The public will see that the Sixers are covering at this rate and assume that they can keep it up. This is exactly what Vegas wants. They'll start to inflate the lines on the Sixers, much like they do with public heavy teams like the Heat (8-10 ATS), Knicks (4-14 ATS), and Lakers (8-11 ATS) and take advantage of the Sixers' hot start.
If you've thrown money on the Sixers for the majority of the season so far, congratulations, you've made yourself a nice little profit. Always remember, Vegas catches up with itself so choose carefully from here on out.