It is no secret that the home team has the decided edge when trying to predict straight up winners in the NBA. However, home-court advantage may be losing some of its luster this season.

It used to be that even the worst teams in the league must be given a chance when playing at home to upset the top teams in the league, but could it be that the talent gap between teams has expanded to the point where the doormats now have no chance regardless of the venue? You see, since 1990, home teams are 13,162-8,436 straight up for a very nice winning percentage of 60.9 percent. It has been somewhat of a different story this year however, as the home clubs are 505-352, 58.9 percent straight up. While that is still a good percentage, it pales when compared to the overall population since 1990, which grades out two full percentage points higher.

Just like any general trend though, there are teams that continue to perform much better at home, as well as teams that do not vary their play all that much home and away. We decided to take a look at each team’s Average Margin of Victory both home and away, and we have ranked them by home AMOV variance. In doing so, we have found that their ate 10 teams that have performed at over seven points better at home, and we would say these clubs own the strongest home-court advantages (HCA). On the opposite side of the totem pole, there are nine teams with a home variance of less than four points, and these are the clubs you should not be afraid to bet against just because they are home.

Here are the 10 strong home courts, along with each team’s home AMOV, road AMOV and variance.

STRONGEST HOME-COURT ADVANTAGES

1 – UTAH (12.25, -0.70, 12.95): The home and away records for the Jazz certainly validate their top HCA ranking. Utah is an impressive 25-3 straight up and 18-10, 64.3 percent ATS at home, while they are only 12-18 both SU and ATS on the road, where as you can see they are getting slightly outscored. Most disconcerting is the fact that they are not improving on the road, where they lost to the likes of the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Clippers over the past week.

2 – CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (-0.72, -12.60, 11.88): The next two teams on this list prove that it is not necessary to be an elite team to have a substantial HCA. It should be pointed out though that the reason the Bobcats grade out so highly is that they are so atrocious on the road, making their slim losing margin at home look like a positive. Then again, they are a respectable 15-17 SU and they actually have a winning 15-14-3 ATS record at home, so their HCA is legitimate after all. This is especially true when you consider they are 4-21 SU and 6-17-2 ATS on the road.

3 – MILWAUKEE BUCKS (-0.44, -11.71, 11.27): The Bucks are another lower-tier team that does indeed belong on this list. Milwaukee is a surprising 16-11 SU at home, and in their last four home contests, they have upset the Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons outright, and they covered the spread in a 111-107 loss to the New Orleans Hornets. In fact, the Bucks are now 10-4 ATS as home dogs this season. Unfortunately, they are 6-25 SU and 12-18-1 ATS on the road.

4 – DENVER NUGGETS (8.38, -2.71, 11.09): The Nuggets have always been perceived to have a bigger HCA than normal because of the high altitude in Denver, and this season, the numbers do indeed bear that out. The Nuggets are 22-7 SU in their building, and they have proven to be good investments there, going 17-12, 58.6 percent ATS. Now Denver is actually improved on the road this season, but unfortunately they are still under .500 at 12-16 both SU and ATS, and that could be their biggest obstacle in making the playoffs.

5 – PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (4.10, -5.79, 9.89): The Blazers became America’s Team early this season, when they captured the imagination of the country with their surprisingly fine play that included a 13-game winnings streak. It has been a sharp descent to reality lately though, as Portland is just 3-14 ATS in the last 17 games overall. Yes, their HCA is legitimate, as they are 21-8 SU at home and just 9-20 SU on the road. However, all of the early attention they received has served to make the Blazers overvalued no matter where they play. Thus, from a betting standpoint, they no longer enjoy that much of an HCA as they are 15-14 ATS at home and 14-15 ATS on the road.

6 – PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (4.53, -5.29, 9.82): The 76ers have been a pleasant surprise, and they are actually in contention for a playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference. Now granted, their 16-14 SU home record does not seem like much, but it looks great when you consider Philadelphia is 10-18 on the road. Also, the Sixers have been profitable investments at home at 16-12-2, 57.1 percent ATS, and they are even over .500 on the road at 14-13-1 ATS, although that is not enough to turn a profit at just 51.9 percent.

7 – ATLANTA HAWKS (2.57, -7.04, 9.61): The Hawks are considered a team on the rise, and since they are so young, it is really not surprising that they are so much better at home, as that is a common trait among teams that have fine young talent but lack maturity. Atlanta is 17-11 SU and 16-11-1, 59.3 percent ATS in at Philips Arena, and somewhat surprisingly, they have been great investments as home favorites, going 11-6-1, 64.7 percent in that role. Unfortunately, they must play half their games on the road, and they are only 7-21 SU and 11-17 ATS when traveling.

8 – SACRAMENTO KINGS (2.56, -6.57, 9.13): The Kings used to have the strongest HCA in the NBA in their heyday, so it is good to see not much has changed, although the discrepancy is not as enormous as it used to be. In fact, their current 17-10 SU record would have been considered a disappointment a few years ago, although bettors do not mind their home 16-11, 59.3 ATS mark one bit. The drop-off is still obvious on the road, where they are 9-21 SU and 14-15-1 ATS.

9 – DETROIT PISTONS (12.15, 3.90, 8.25): In a way, it is surprising to see the Pistons on this list because they are so good on the road, one would think their HCA would be negligible. The fact that they are here only goes to show how completely dominant they have been at home, where they are 22-5 SU and a bettor-friendly 17-10, 63.0 percent ATS. Their road record of 20-11 would be considered a good home record for most teams, although Detroit’s road 16-15 ATS record has not turned a profit. The major complaint about the Pistons is that they get bored easily, as their recent road 116-86 demolition of the Phoenix Suns shows what they ate capable of when they come to play.

10 – DALLAS MAVERICKS (8.19, 0.39, 7.80): Now Dallas has always been one of the best road teams in the NBA in recent years, but that is simply not the case this year, which has made their HCA more noticeable. The Mavericks are a sparkling 24-3 SU at home, but an uncharacteristic 14-17 on the road. All that said however, Dallas is such a popular team that they have actually become poor bets no matter where they play! They are just 11-13-3 ATS at home despite losing just three games outright, and they are a poor 13-18 ATS on the road. It appears that fading the Mavericks on the road is the best way to cash in on their HCA.

Now here are the nine teams with the smallest HCA statistically.

WEAKEST HOME-COURT ADVANTAGES

22 – HOUSTON ROCKETS (6.14, 2.17, 3.97): The Rockets have had one of the weakest home courts in the NBA for several years now, so this comes as no surprise. In fact, Houston has is actually doing better at home this season at 19-9 SU and 16-12 ATS than they did last year. However, they remain one of the league’s better road teams at 18-11 SU and 17-12, 58.6 percent ATS.

23 – MIAMI HEAT (-5.43, -9.36, 3.93): Not surprisingly, the Heat are so awful this season that it has not really mattered where they have played. They are 6-22 SU at home and 4-24 on the road. However, they have been worse ATS at home (8-20) than they have been on the road (11-17).

24 – GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (3.79, 0.22, 3.57): This is probably the biggest surprise on either list, as the general public perceives the Warriors to hold a big HCA. Well, the fact that is simply untrue this season is actually good news for sharp bettors who have happily faded Golden State at home, where they are 19-10 SU but a dismal 10-19 ATS. By comparison, they are 15-12 SU and 13-14 ATS on the road.

25 – CHICAGO BULLS (-0.85, -4.16, 3.31): No one would have predicted before the season that the Bulls would only have one more home win than road win at this stage of the season, but that is exactly the case. In fact, Chicago is under .500 at home at 12-14 SU, and they are a poor 10-16 ATS in their own building. They are 11-20 on the road, where they have a better but still non-profitable 15-16 ATS mark.

26 – PHOENIX SUNS (6.38, 3.14, 3.24): The Suns have become one of the most popular teams in the NBA due to their run-and-gun style, and this has resulted in inflated lines, especially at home. Phoenix is a good 21-8 SU in the desert, but they are a horrible 11-17-1 ATS in those contests. In contrast, they remain one of the better road teams in the NBA at 18-11 SU, and they are a slightly profitable 15-13-1 ATS away from home.

27 – LOS ANGELES LAKERS (8.96, 6.10, 2.86): We suppose you could say that the Lakers are victims of their own success by appearing on this list. The Lakers currently own the best overall record in the Western Conference at 41-17, and because they are so good wherever they play, that naturally negates their HCA. They are 20-7 SU at home and 21-10 SU on the road. The Lakers also own the best overall ATS record in the NBA at 36-20-2, 64.3 percent, and they are a fantastic 20-9-2, 69.0 percent ATS on the road.

28 – NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (6.28, 3.89, 2.39): Now the Hornets are 10-3 SU in their last 13 home games with all 10 of those wins being by 11 points or more. So how could they possibly show up on the weakest HCA list? Well, that is what happens when you go 19-8 SU and 18-9, 66.7 percent ATS on the road!

29 – INDIANA PACERS (-1.79, -3.59, 1.80): The Pacers used to own a very strong HCA, but my how times have changed. In fact, records cannot get any more symmetrical than this, as Indiana is an identical 11-18 SU and 13-16 ATS both home and away.

30 – ORLANDO MAGIC (4.22, 3.03, 1.19): The Magic are the only other team in the NBA besides New Orleans that actually have a better record on the road than at home, as Orlando is 21-12 SU on the NBA highway as opposed to 16-11 SU I n their own building. This is reflected in their ATS splits, as the Magic are a lucrative 22-11. 66.7 percent ATS on the road and a still good 15-11-1, 57.7 percent ATS at home. Orlando is second to the Lakers in the overall ATS standings.