With many seeing this as OKC’s year for the championship, the second favourites aren’t doing themselves any harm with a 5-3 record. Kevin Durant is streets ahead in the player rankings, averaging an astonishing 29.3 points per game and doesn’t look like slowing down.

Durant is the form man this season and has regularly made over 50 points for his team. His stand-out performance came at the beginning of the campaign. Looking like he was in mid-season form, the Durantula scored 42 points, 15 of which coming in the final quarter as they got their season off to a juggernaut start, which has failed to slow down.

Despite a minor blip in the last two games, defeated by the Warriors and Clippers, City Thunder have seen off Washington, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix in the last few weeks and will look to continue their run before they face the Spurs in a crucial game on November 27. With both the Spurs and OKC looking strong this season, it could prove to be the first advantage for one of the two, who are almost guaranteed to be in the top eight come April.

After a down-to-the-wire game against the Warriors, which saw them run out 115-116 losers, despite a strong final quarter, they will be hoping the defeat won’t affect their trip to Milwaukee who are struggling with a record of 2-5.

The Bucks have had a somewhat low key start to their campaign. Losing four in six, they have struggled to convert points, with OJ Mayo the only player with a respectable ppg average and are unlikely to cause any threat this season. They have been on the losing end to Orlando, Miami and Dallas in the last week and face an uphill battle against the unbeaten Pacers, who look almost certain to go 9-0 on Friday night.

Likely to be given the runaround, it could be a tired Bucks that turn up to the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Saturday, and for those interested in betting on the NBA, you might not go far wrong on an imperious Durant scoring 25 plus.

What isn’t helped is the troubles off the court. Following a bust up in a nightclub, Bucks star man Larry Sanders is out for approximately six weeks with a thumb injury. The Center has the highest blocks per game average for his side, making it unlikely the Wisconsin team will be able to muster anything against OKC.

The 76ers will look to continue a solid start to the season against a poor Pelicans side at the New Orleans Arena on Saturday 16 November.

Despite a blip in form against the Spurs and Cavaliers over the last week, the Sixers have picked up some impressive wins against the Bulls and Miami Heat in the early stages of this season and find themselves top in the Atlantic Division ahead of the Celtics and Raptors. Back to winning ways in Wednesday night’s round of games, Brett Brown’s side launched a stunning final quarter comeback against the Rockets to take the game into overtime, where they ran out 117-123 winners.

23 of those points came from star man Evan Turner who has been lighting up the NBA in these early stages and sees him sat 8th in the player rankings table with shooting an average of 23 per game. Turner will certainly be looking to net beyond that against a Pelicans side that have one of the worst defensive records in the league.

That is backed up by Wednesday night’s loss against the previously winless Utah Jazz. Conceding 111 against a side that had failed to hit the 100 point mark all season will have massively dented their confidence and could leave them rather sitting ducks than Pelicans at the New Orleans Arena.

New Orleans’  less than impressive start to the season has seen them struggle to replicate the form they found during a 7 from 8 winning preseason. Having only won three of their nine, the Pelicans have often struggled in the middle quarters which could play into Philly’s hands come Saturday.

Whilst they have picked up some wins, they have also come against fellow strugglers, whilst against the NBA’s form players they have regularly leaked over 120 points since the beginning of preseason, which could see Turner and co. have a field day.

It would be brave to bet against the Sixers against a Pelicans side that have offered nothing so far this campaign and with a good record against them in recent times, five wins out of seven, the Sixers will more than likely still be sat at the top of the Atlantic Division on Sunday morning.

One of the games of the weekend, both teams have been exciting to watch this season, with Kevin Love of the Timberwolves heading into the November 16 game sitting pretty at second in the player rankings.

Center, Love has been in astonishing form this season, averaging 27.1 points per game including an impressive 33 against the Cavs on Wednesday night, as well as post-30 scores against the Mavericks and the Knicks. Already an early front runner for MVP, the Californian is turning heads throughout the league, and will almost certainly keep that up against a Celtics side that were comfortably beaten by the Bobcats on Wednesday.

However, Boston do go into the game in slightly better form. Having won four of their last five including a thrilling one point win over NBA champions Miami Heat, it’s been a huge turn around in fortunes for the Massachusetts team, who got off to a terrible start and have now won their last three on the road, something of which the Timberwolves will be very wary.

The Portland Trail Blazers is up next for the Celtics before they travel to Minnesota, which will test their new-found-form to the max. The Trail Blazers are second in the Western Conference and are the only side to beat San Antonio Spurs in the early stages of this season. And it could prove a step to far for Kris Humphries who has received very little playing time this season. He stepped into the team on Wednesday, in for Jared Sullinger, and looked a little rusty against the Bobcats, and with two tough games approaching, could prove to be the weak link that both Portland and Minnesota could target.

Love has been leading the Timberwolves so far this season, who have won all-but-one of their games at the Target Center this season. Their 113-90 win a few days ago at the Staples Center against the Lakers, displayed the Wolves’ killer instinct in abundance, scoring 47 points in the first quarter, the highest in any quarter in franchise history. Followed up by a further 107 points on November 11 against the Clippers and 124 against the Cavaliers, Saturday’s game hosting the Celtics, could be one of the highest scorers of the weekend.

This all Western Conference tie is likely to go the Rockets way as they have taken off to a flyer this season, averaging over 105 points per game.

Visiting the Nuggets on Saturday November 16, the Rockets will be looking to get back to winning ways after a disappointing overtime loss against the 76ers on Wednesday night, their second game to reach overtime in a row. The Rockets will be hugely tired after going the extra distance twice in the last three games as well as a high-scoring win visiting the Knicks on Thursday night, and will be wary of entering the court on Saturday a little sluggish.

Houston lie just outside the Western play-off places with a 5-4 record and have one of the league’s in-form men in the shape of 24-year-old Guard James Harden. Ranked fourth in the player rankings so far this season, the former OKC  man has a points average of 24.9 in his nine games and shot an impressive 35 in the Texan teams agonising one point defeat against the Lakers last week.

Beating the Pacers twice and the San Antonio Spurs during preseason, Houston are capable of beating anyone and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them start to climb the standings in the next few weeks. They’ll certainly want to win this one. With tough games lying ahead in the next few weeks, including the Hawks, Mavericks and Spurs all before the end of the month, they will need to cash in on the weaker teams if they are to finish in the final eight come April.

But the Nuggets will feel they can turn their fortunes against a busy Houston side. With only Friday resting, the Nuggets will feel their win against the Lakers will give them a huge confidence boost as they look to get their campaign back on track.

It’s not been the best start for Denver defensively, conceding over 100 points every game on average, whilst Ty Lawson is the only player proving his worth in the side leading both the points and assists per game. It’s expected to be a high-scoring game, but should the Nuggets see out a result in Minnesota on Friday night, that could prove a turning point in the Nuggets season, and who knows, the result could quite easily go against the odds.

The Pacers immaculate record so far in the 2013-14 has to come to an end eventually. But will it be this weekend?

Both sides could be feeling the effects of the night before, with the Bulls travelling to Toronto and the Pacers hosting Milwaukee, but it’s still set to be highlight of this weekend’s match-ups.

The Indiana side are running away with the Eastern Conference so far having an 8-0 record and one of the NBA’s most in-form players Paul George. George has had a fine season so far, last week picking up the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, after a four game run which saw him average 24.8 points per game. It could be a tough night prior to visiting Chicago however, as they host rivals the Bucks. The Bucks will no doubt be fired up to end the Pacers impressive record, whilst Indiana will be going all out to keep it going.

23-year-old George may have the biggest say in this. He’s logging points and assists aplenty and will be the Bulls defence major concern at the United Center.

The Bulls are having a tight season so far, a record of 3-3 is perhaps testament to their inconsistency this season. Having won their last two however, they will hope to keep their streak going as well as looking to revenge a side that beat them 80-97 just over a week ago. Before the big game of the weekend however, they must first see out a difficult game in Toronto. The Raptors are lying second in the Atlantic Division and just behind the Bulls in the Eastern Conference, so will be both looking to cement their position in the play-offs during these early season stages.

Looking for revenge after November 6,  the Bulls have met the Pacers twice already in recent months and rolled out winners in their first preseason game of the campaign, in what was Derek Rose’s return to action following a the 2012-13 season out on the side-lines.

Rose has been a key figure in the Bulls line up so far this season, averaging 14.7 points per game as he continues to find full fitness following his lengthy absence and could play a major part if the Bulls are going to put the first dent in the Pacers record.

The Knicks will go into this game full of confidence after downing Atlanta 95-91 just a few days ago and will want to improve their fortunes at Madison Square Garden as they look to continue their progression in the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks however, will want to bounce back and feel encouraged by a New York side that have only one win out of five at home, and are struggling at the foot of the Atlantic Division.

Averaging 93 points per game, they  have failed to prove their worth against Conference leaders, with only Carmelo Anthony doing anything of note for the 8 time Conference winners. But with wins in two of their last three, they look as though they are fighting to rectify the results that has seen them move into tenth in the Eastern standings, and will certainly be preying on the Hawks for back-to-back victories.

Head-to-head, the Knicks have been pretty convincing in recent times with the Hawks unable to down New York since early 2012. They will hope that the form of Al Horford will go someway to amending that after scoring 23 points on Wednesday, whilst Jeff Teague also showed his prowess with 25 points and eight assists. Despite this they struggled to convert their 3 point shots in a fairly even game which proved to be the difference, with the Knicks converting 12 of their 34 attempts.

The Hawks have yet to face serious opposition so far and have won three of their last five, building up a 103 points per game average in the process. Defeats on the road against the Denver Nuggets and LA Lakers, who sit in the lower half of the Western Conference will keep the Knicks tails up, and could end their baron run at the Square Garden on November 16 2013.

A tight game on Wednesday, this one could go either way and will mostly once again go down to those three point differences. Whichever way it does go however, expect points. Both teams are regularly shipping in 100, with the Knicks looking to continue to turn their fortunes this weekend after their recent 120-89 point mauling from the hands of the imperious Spurs.

Though it could prove more of the same. Lacking shot blockers, the Knicks will be once again without Tyson Chandler who continues to recover from a broken leg, which could see the Hawks swoop and take full advantage.

Neither the Cleveland Cavaliers or  Washington Wizards are particularly setting the NBA alight this season having both lost six of their last eight games, and both go into the game on November 16 desperate for a win.

The Cavaliers will be buoyed by the return of Center, Andrew Bynum who is expected to take to the court after being excused from the midweek games to address a family matter. After gaining 37 points in his short spell so far this season, it will be a welcome return to a Cleveland side, who have struggled to score points on the road this season.

The two-time NBA Champion signed for the franchise in the off season after a turbulent season with knee problems in the previous campaign. He will join Kyrie Erving in a team that has been struggling to get big scores this season. Erving has been the stand-out player for the Cavs with a points per game average of 19.4 whilst also leading the assists table.

It’s been a troublesome month for Cleveland so far but they have managed to take some impressive scalps in the Sixers and Timberwolves, who are hitting some big scores this autumn.

Washington however, lie at the foot of the Southeast division having lost their last three against tough opposition. Their last win came on November 8 against fellow strugglers the Nets, taking them into overtime following a thrilling 26-26 final quarter. Taking Kevin Durant’s City Thunder into overtime two days later, it’s where their slump in form began. Durant pulverized the Wizards with a stunning 33 points and 13 rebounds on their way to victory and has left the  Southeast side unable to recover. Games against the Spurs on Wednesday and the Mavericks the day before saw them easily beaten, and they will be hoping the Cavs visit may be a little easier on them.

Tipped to be one that could go either way in the NBA this weekend, the Washington Wizards will look to bounce back from their tough games in the early part of the season. Head-to-head it’s pretty even between the two, with the Wizards comfortably disposing of them preseason but having lost the last three in the NBA regular season.

Orlando will be desperate to end their three game losing streak this Saturday November 16 when they take on an in-form Mavericks in Florida.

Whilst not entirely reflective of their season, the Magic have come up against the Celtics, who have found an impressive run of form, twice in the last few weeks as well as a Hawks side who, led by Al Horford, are regularly dunking post-100 this season. Orlando have however put in some good performances against the weaker sides. Despite seeing out a very strong Clippers side, they have also netted over 100 points of their own against the Nets and Pelicans this season, with Nikola Vucevic being instrumental throughout this campaign. The NBA Rising Star 2013 has an average of 11.8 rebounds per game and alongside Arron Affalo has been the team’s player to watch so far.

However, the inconsistencies withing their results could benefit a Mavericks side that are chomping at the bit. It’s an important weekend for the Southwest Division side’s season with the Heat on Friday before heading upstate to Orlando.  Having won five of their eight so far, they find themselves just inside the play-off places following a Houston Rockets defeat at the Sixers on Wednesday night, and lie second in their division only due to the stunning form of San Antonio Spurs.

The Mavericks are unbeaten in two having downed the Bucks and the Wizards in the last week, whilst Dallas Guard, Monta Ellis is averaging and impressive 22.5 points per game this season. Sitting on the edge of the top eight, they will be going all out this season to ensure there isn’t a repeat of the last campaign where they failed to reach the play-offs for the first time since 2000, and therefore will be desperate to capitalize on Orlando’s mixed season so far.

Orlando are within touching distance of the play-offs themselves, sitting just outside the Eastern Conference’s top eight, and have already dispatched the Mavericks once this season. Maurice Harkless will be looking to replicate his 16 point performance in Magic’s 102-94 preseason win in October, and after what will have been no doubt an exhausting night on Friday in Miami, look to tire Dallas and take a step up the Southeast Division Standings.

Miami will be looking to keep the heat on the unbeaten Pacers this weekend as they take on a Bobcats team who lie third in the Southeast Division on November 16.

It’s been another solid start for the NBA champions, who have disposed of four of their last five opponents, having only been edged out in a thrilling final quarter against the Celtics. Taking on the Mavericks on Friday before they meet up with the Bobcats, it could be a pivotal weekend for  Erik Spoelstra’s men as they look to remain top of the Southeast. Dallas are hot on their heels, so should the Heat see off Friday’s opponents, a win at The Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday could prove pivotal in their quest to regain the championship.

The Bobcats meanwhile are coming in off the back of an impressive win at Boston despite struggling in previous weeks, failing to hold a solid defence against both the Knicks and the Hawks, and conceding 101 and 103 respectively. Meanwhile their attack is less than a force, averaging only 90 points per game, they have struggled to get on top of match-ups and have only once passed the 100 mark in regular season. However, the North Carolina side will be buoyed by the form of Center, Al Jefferson.

Signing in the close season, the former Jazz man ran the game at the Celtics on Wednesday. Blighted this season with a series of ankle problems, the $41 million signing left Boston with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Instrumental in Charlotte’s victory, fans will be hopeful he can stay injury free for the rest of the season and continue his performance, beginning on Friday, with what could potentially be a good warm up against the Cavaliers before the Heat come to town.

The Heat are comfortably at the top the division and have netted over 100 points in every game this season. LeBron James is also, as expected, in blistering form, with the best shooting percentage in the NBA at 67%, whilst he’s also netting an average of 25.5 points per game. Teams have struggled to cope with James so far this season and he’s continually proving why he’s regarded as one of the best forwards of all time. A plus 25 point performance is almost a certainty for James as is the Heat reaching a century for those fancying a bet on the NBA.

Head-to-head, it’s been one way traffic the past few seasons with the Heat beating the Bobcats in the last ten match-ups, including an 86-75 victory in preseason at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. And it’s expected there will be more of the same this weekend as the Heat set their sights on yet another Championship ring.

F1 Comes to the U.S., and No Surprise – Record-Seeking Vettel is Favored

There is a nice “cult” following for Formula One in the United States; indeed the market is fed by the NBC Sports Network, which televises the races live. However, the starting times are often too early on a Sunday morning for most of America to see it, and NASCAR has such a foothold in the U.S. motor racing landscape that it is hard to get people across the country interested in F1 action. In plain English, while F1 is a very big deal almost everywhere else, it isn’t the case in the U.S. of A.

The folks from F1 are taking steps to change that, and started last year with the return of Grand Prix action to the States after a four-year hiatus.

After a hugely successful race in 2012, the F1 circuit heads to the USA as the season draws to a close

The United States Grand Prix debuted in Austin, TX last year, and will be run for the second time on Sunday, November 17. The current location assures that the event, and the sport itself, will not serve as a “red-headed stepchild,” the way it was when the race was run in Indianapolis previously, at a venue that is synonymous with a different form of auto racing (IndyCar) and a different event over and above anything else (the Indianapolis 500). This particular venue exists specifically for this event. And we are relatively certain that no other race promoter on the calendar gives cowboy hats to the top three finishers on the podium.

Maybe someday the competitors on the Formula One circuit will become household names in the United States. As it is, the average person on the street would not know a Michael Schumacher or Sebastian Vettel, as legendary as they might be. But F1 betting fans in America know exactly who they are, and they couldn’t be more excited.

Here are the Formula One odds, as they are posted at Bovada.lv, on winning the United States Grand Prix. Remember to check out the OnlineGambling odds converter tool if you aren’t familiar with the American odds format.

Sebastian Vettel -350
Mark Webber +500
Lewis Hamilton +1800
Fernando Alonso +2000
Romain Grosjean +2000
Nico Rosberg +2200
Kimi Raikkonen +2500
Felipe Massa +15000
Jenson Button +25000
Sergio Perez +25000
Nico Hulkenberg +50000
Paul di Resta +75000
Adrian Sutil +75000
Daniel Ricciardo +150000
Jean-Eric Vergne +150000
Pastor Maldonado +200000
Esteban Gutierrez +200000
Valtteri Bottas +250000
Giedo van der Garde +500000
Max Chilton +500000
Charles Pic +500000
Jules Bianchi +500000

The idea of a Grand Prix in the United States is not all that unusual, but it has not had a lot of staying power, at least in any individual location. There have been Grands Prix in the U.S., most notably in Watkins Glen and Indianapolis, but the Austin course, known as the “Circuit of the Americas” is relatively new.

The drivers are not all that used to this track and the surface, because most of them have traversed it only once under actual race conditions. It is here to stay, though, with the event being in the second year of a ten-year contract with Formula One.

It is no surprise that these F1 odds more or less coincide with the odds on being the fastest qualifier, since starting first gives a driver a tremendous advantage in a race if he knows how to handle it properly.

Will that qualifier be Lewis Hamilton? The British ex-champion obviously likes the U.S. courses; in fact, he has won the last two races that have been held on American soil. Hamilton took the flag in the last outing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and then won last year’s race in Austin. He yielded the pole to Sebastian Vettel, who won all three parts of qualifying and was also fastest in practice sessions. But at the finish, it was Hamilton who had Vettel in his rearview mirror, having passed him for the lead with fourteen laps to go. No one fretted for Vettel, who won last year’s world title, because with the second-place result he was able to clinch the Constructor’s championship for Red Bull Racing.

Nonetheless, with everyone else except the newly-crowned repeat champion in “plus” figures on the odds list, Hamilton has to be considered a great possibility to provide value at +1800 in the Bet365 F1 odds.

Romain Grosjean looms as a driver who might have to be taken seriously here. Since his return to Formula One racing with Lotus at the start of last season, he has competed in 36 races without a win or a pole. But he finished fifth in qualifying and seventh in the race at Austin last year and he would be a threat to get to the podium. Grosjean is priced at +2000 in the Formula One odds for this race.

Of course, there is really one name that can be discussed when exploring betting favorites for ANY race in F1 these days. That is Vettel, who not only wrapped up his fourth straight world title in India, but has also won seven consecutive individual races. Vettel (-350) has won eleven of the 17 races on the schedule, and has been kept off the podium only three times – with fourth-place finishes in China and Spain and a retirement in the British Grand Prix. When he was racing with Sauber in 2007 he ran at Indy in the Grand Prix and finished eighth. Then there was last year’s runner-up result. So you can say with any and all justification that this is one of just two races he has not won. That doesn’t seem to matter; he goes off as the -350 favorite in the United States Grand Prix betting odds at Bet365.

Even though he has to do no more to be a world champion and the anchor of the championship team, for Vettel there are other things to shoot for, such as all-time records. He is, at the moment, one of only three drivers to have won seven consecutive events (the others are Michael Schumacher and Alberto Ascan). But he can set himself apart by winning his eighth straight.

That would seem to be enough incentive for anyone – mere mortal or not.

Get the best selection of Formula One betting odds available by opening up an account at Bet365!