For a season stacked with storylines starting from Golden State’s run on the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls to D’Angelo Russell’s egregious violation of the “Bro Code,” perhaps no subplot has garnered more attention than the house dominance displayed on a nightly basis by the highest two teams within the business.

Through Thursday night, the Golden State Warriors (36-0, 54 straight) and San Antonio Spurs (38-0, 47 straight) had combined to post a remarkable regular season home record of 101-0 dating back to last season. 

To put that into perspective, not one, but two Super Bowl Champions has been crowned because the last time the soldiers lost a standard season matchup at Oracle Arena (113-111 OT loss vs. Chicago on January 27, 2015).

As a whole, the 30 NBA member organizations were a combined 665-461 at home entering Thursday night’s schedule, with an against-the-spread record of 555-558-13. Clearly, a wagering strategy based solely on backing home teams—even if that pool includes Golden State and San Antonio—offers no discernible betting advantage whatsoever.

Obviously, the similar thing can also be said about backing road teams, who were 558-555-13 ATS entering Thursday night’s slate of action. But what if we refined our search criteria somewhat to, say, just backing road favorites?

This is where things get really interesting.

With just two weeks to move within the 2015-2016 NBA regular season, there are eight franchises which might be covering the spread a profitable 58.8 percent of the time or better when assuming the role of road favorite. Those teams include:* ”Games remaining” indicates road games remaining entering Friday’s schedule and all records are ATS.

Orlando Magic: 5-1 (.833), 3 games remainingMiami Heat: 12-5 (.706), 5 games remainingMilwaukee Bucks: 2-1 (.667), 3 games remainingUtah Jazz: 8-4 (.667), 3 games remainingLos Angeles Clippers: 13-9-2 (.591), 3 games remainingMemphis Grizzlies: 10-7 (.588), 4 games remainingSan Antonio Spurs: 20-14 (.588), 4 games remainingGolden State Warriors: 20-14-2 (.588), 2 games remaining

This isn’t exactly a small sample size we’re talking about here, but rather, an eight-team pot with 149 bet-worthy matchups. And get this: If you’re willing to expand our criteria to road favorites hitting at 53.3 percent of the time or better as opposed to 58.8 percent, you finish up adding four more clubs (Portland, Washington, Charlotte and Indiana) with another 50 games.

Granted, as you're employed to implement parts of this basic strategy over the following two weeks, it's important to always remain cognizant of the truth that certain NBA teams (Sixers, Lakers, Suns, Nets) may be seeking to tank away their remaining games so that you can jockey for better draft position.

But it’s not as though the Philadelphia 76ers were covering as road favorites, anyway. In fact, the Sixers and the Lakers are the one two franchises within the NBA that experience yet to be posted as a road favorite at any point this season. 

Hell, even Brooklyn was listed as a road favorite once this season. Predictably, the Nets didn't cover.NO REST FOR THE WEARY

Well, that headline is purely partially true, as we’re about to say the San Antonio Spurs, who've been taking it really easy during the last week.

This is the time of year when “the grind” catches up. Injuries, lengthy road trips, locker room dysfunction, you name it. Every team is battling quite a few factors that now put attributes like focus and hustle at a premium.  As a result, it’s imperative to spot the clubs cable of scratching out a canopy when engaged on little rest.

Entering Thursday’s NBA schedule, there have been five teams who were covering the spread no less than 60.0 percent of the time when playing the second one half a back-to-back. 

Golden State Warriors: 13-7 (.650)Memphis Grizzlies: 11-6 (.647)San Antonio Spurs: 9-6 (.600)Toronto Raptors: 9-6 (.600)Milwaukee Bucks: 12-8 (.600)

Expand our criteria from covering the spread 60.0 percent of the time to 58.8 percent of the time and five additional organizations make the cut (New York, Detroit, Dallas, Utah and Boston).

These are the teams that experience demonstrated a penchant for turning a profit when engaged on short rest and, as a result, need to be taken very seriously over the general two weeks of the season.

However, you can’t analyze how different teams perform throughout the second half a back-to-back with no need a major conversation about how those self same teams perform in that situation regarding the over/under. Sometimes defense takes a backseat on this scenario, that's absolutely quantifiable.

Entering Thursday night, the over was hitting 64.7 percent of the time or better within the second 1/2 a back-to-back situation for the next six clubs:

Minnesota Timberwolves: 9-3-2 (.750)Houston Rockets: 14-5 (.737)Toronto Raptors: 10-5 (.667)Washington Wizards: 13-7 (.650)Denver Nuggets: 11-6 (.647)Los Angeles Lakers: 11-6 (.647)

None of this analysis qualifies as neurosurgery, but when you get 70 or more games into the NBA regular season, sometimes it helps to take a step back and analyze the league through some basic filters. Within the above mentioned scenarios we’ve identified 15 different teams which are hitting at 60.0 percent or better inside the criteria of 1 basic category. 

None of this can be a secret relegated to the dark alleys of the Las Vegas Strip, nevertheless it all falls under the only category that we're most interested in, and that’s profitability.

Read More... [Source: Covers.com: NBA News and Stories]