NBA Trends Watch: The Baby Bulls are all grown up

We've completed over a third of the NBA season, and now have a strong set of data to dive into.

Let's break down the latest metrics from around the league and determine which trends you should take advantage of as the 2020-21 season rolls on.

Mini series trends

There was one mini series in the Western Conference and four mini series in the Eastern Conference this past week. In the upcoming week, there are two mini series, one in each conference. The L.A. Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference, and the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference.

In the 23 mini series that have been played in the Western Conference, the Under is 24-20-1, but 9-16-1 in the last month. The team that lost the first game is 14-9 ATS and 4-1 ATS in the last three weeks.

In the 27 mini series that have been played in the Eastern Conference, the team that covered the first game is 14-13 ATS, but 1-3 ATS in the past week. The underdog is 27-19 and 5-3 in the past week.

Not so quiet on the Western front

We have reached the time of year where many of the games played are non-conference matches, and so far the Western Conference owns the Eastern Conference with a 98-91 ATS record. The two biggest moneymakers in the West in non-conference games are the San Antonio Spurs (5-0 ATS) and Utah Jazz (13-3 ATS).

There are, however, two big moneymakers in the East in these games as well. The Brooklyn Nets (11-3 ATS) and Chicago Bulls (12-4 ATS) are keeping the East respectable.

The tides are turning at home

All season long, the road underdogs have taken home the money for bettors, but in the past week the home favorites are a surprising 17-10 ATS. This brings the season total for home favorites to 128-142-2 ATS.

Four teams thrive as home favorites: the Utah Jazz (12-3 ATS), Phoenix Suns (10-3 ATS), New York Knicks (3-1 ATS), and Boston Celtics (7-3 ATS).

Three teams to avoid as home favorites are the Dallas Mavericks (3-10 ATS), New Orleans Pelicans (2-8 ATS), and Washington Wizards (1-4 ATS).

Houston, we have a problem

The Houston Rockets made some moves this past week as they look towards the future. The team released DeMarcus Cousins, and a P.J. Tucker trade seems imminent. 

The Rockets have now lost 10 of their last 11 games, and are 2-9 ATS over that span. They are 11-19 ATS on the season, and are especially bad as a favorite (3-8 ATS) and as the home team (3-9 ATS). 

The Baby Bulls are growing up fast

The Chicago Bulls are still supposed to be a team building for the future. Well someone forgot to tell them that. The Bulls have won six of their past eight games, and were 6-2 ATS during that stretch. They are now 15-16 on the season, and 19-12 ATS.

The Bulls are 9-2 ATS as a road underdog, and 11-4 ATS in all road games. They are also 11-3 ATS after a loss, and 14-7 in games where they are the underdog. Do not sleep on this team.