As the NBA season moves toward a restart at the bubble at Walt Disney World Resort in late July, more betting opportunities will arise. While we wait, we decided to take a look at the worst teams to bet on over the past 30 years.
With the help of research from ESPN Stats & Information, we broke down the five teams with the worst cumulative records against the spread over the past three decades.
Minnesota Timberwolves (1,141-1,282-23, 47.1% cover)
The Timberwolves have only been around for 31 seasons, but in most of those campaigns the team has been mired in mediocrity. While there was a stretch of eight straight playoff appearances from the 1996-97 to 2003-04 season, Minnesota has only made the postseason one additional time in franchise history (2017-18) and has covered a league-worst 46.0% of its games since 2003, per Team Rankings.
Washington Wizards (1,156-1,275-32, 47.6%)
The Wizards have finished last or second-to-last in their division 14 times over the past 30 seasons and made just nine playoff trips, never making it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Wizards have particularly struggled away from D.C., hitting at a 47.9% cover rate (31st) and the second-worst margin of cover (-0.7 points) since 2003.
Milwaukee Bucks (1,186-1,262-37, 48.4%)
The Bucks are a title contender this season and for the indefinite future, as long as Giannis Antetokounmpo remains in town. But there wasn't much Fearing The Dear, as the Bucks only covered at a 47% clip from 1990 to 2003. The Bucks hold the second-best ATS season (54-28 ATS, 65.85%) of the past 30 seasons and have been a covering machine the past two campaigns.
Detroit Pistons (1,230-1,305-35, 48.5%)
The Pistons had a great run in the early 2000s, culminating in an NBA title in the 2003-04 season. But since 2008, they own the fourth-worst ATS cover percentage in the league at 47.4% -- and from 1990 to 2008 they weren't much better. Surprisingly, the Pistons are quite proficient as a home underdog, going 114-94-3 ATS (54.8%) since 2003 (third-best in the league).
Indiana Pacers (1,212-1,277-29, 48.7%)
The Pacers have made the postseason a remarkable 23 times in 30 seasons, though they don't have an NBA title (and have just one Finals appearance) to show for their efforts. They haven't rewarded bettors, however, especially at home, where Indiana owns the league's second-worst ATS mark (324-393-10, 45.2%) since 2003.