NBA Cup betting: Three value bets to make

The Emirates NBA Cup has moved into its second season, with the knockout rounds beginning Tuesday and the Final Four playing out on Saturday and Tuesday. ESPN BET has odds on which teams are favored to make the Final, as well as to win.

Let's take a closer look at these odds and identify the best value plays, based on the intersection between likelihood to win and the most juice.

Dallas Mavericks (+750 to win, +300 to make Final)

Dallas is tied for the fifth/sixth-shortest odds, but I think the Mavericks have as good a chance to win as any other team. Of the teams in the Cup, they have the second-highest BPI score (5.0 BPI, fourth in NBA) behind only the Thunder (5.6 BPI, third in NBA). The Mavs are the defending NBA Finals runner-up, and the team that beat them in the Finals (the Celtics) aren't in the NBA Cup. Additionally, the Mavs are rocking the longest current win streak in the NBA at seven, and they've already beaten both the Knicks and the Thunder this season.

Atlanta Hawks (+2000 to win, +650 to make Final)

The Hawks have the best long-shot value on the board, with only the injury-riddled Magic sporting longer odds. The Hawks lost their most recent game, but had won six straight before that, including a win over the Bucks and two wins over the Cavaliers in that stretch. The Hawks are streaky, capable of competing against any team when their shots are falling, which makes them dangerous in this kind of one-and-done format. I wouldn't favor them to win, but at 20-to-1 odds they are worth considering.

Golden State Warriors (+750 to win, +350 to make Final)

The Warriors have slowed a bit after a scorching start to the season that had them briefly on top of the Western Conference. But they play strong defense and feature Stephen Curry, a combination that makes them dangerous in one-and-done scenarios. The Warriors have also won two of their past three games against tough competition, splitting games against the Timberwolves and beating the Rockets in that span.

Final thoughts

I'd agree with ESPN BET that the Thunder are worthy co-favorites, but these other teams have more juice and, in the case of the Mavericks, are a team that I would put right there with the Thunder as far as teams that could win the whole thing.