The 2025-26 NBA All-Star Game is now in the rearview mirror. That means we’re really in the second half of the season, even if we technically passed that point already. Some of the best teams in the league will now gear up for a push for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, looking to continue to build chemistry and improve their playoff positioning. However, with the NBA Draft Lottery being the way it is, basketball fans and bettors also have some dark days ahead. Injury reports are about to be less reliable than ever, as teams are racing towards the bottom in a class that features high-level prospects like AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer — along with some other talented players with franchise-changing abilities. With that in mind, it’s important that bettors start to think about protecting themselves. Well, keep reading for general tips when it comes to betting the rest of the 2025-26 regular season, plus a list of teams to consider avoiding completely.

General Post All-Star Break Betting Tips

Be careful out there. It’s really that simple. Early on Wednesday, February 18, my Managing Editor Adam Burke — who did an awesome job with our 2026 MLB Betting Guide — asked me if I was going to write up my Thursday NBA best bets and player props later in the evening. The reason he asked that is because none of the teams playing on Thursday are in poor rest spots. All of these players should be rested when they head out on the court for the final stretch of the season. And I do sometimes like to get ahead when I can — whether that means getting ahead on work, or getting ahead of line movement. However, given the state of the NBA, with tanking be a bigger problem than ever, it’s really important to take your time when handicapping games. That will sometimes mean waiting until much later in the evening to make your plays — and avoiding the urge to force them a night early.

The NBA has tried very hard to make injury reports more reliable, but these front offices and coaching staffs are still going to game the system. In fact, just last week, the NBA fined the Jazz and Pacers for sitting healthy players, and I expect to see more of that soon.

When looking to bet early, just make sure you really have a good grasp on what the lineups will look like the following the night. Thinking about back-to-back situations — or third games in four nights — is now more crucial than ever. And knowing the players that are banged up, the teams that need to win, and the situations that could call for rest is absolutely imperative when looking to profit the rest of the way.

We’ll try to help you with all of this at VSiN, whether that’s through my writing, my podcast (Hardwood Handicappers), or our 24/7 betting network. Though I do think it’s most helpful to make note of the teams that are actively looking to lose, so I’m going to do that below.

Tanking Teams To Consider Avoiding

There will obviously be situations in which it makes sense to back some of these teams, as there’s a price that make sense for everything. However, one of the easiest ways to feel dumb when doing this is by putting your hard-earned money on a team that has little interest in winning. Well, these are some of the teams that can’t be relied on to do the right things:

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Utah Jazz

The Jazz made a fun move at the deadline, acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr., a versatile two-way contributor, a two-time All-Star, and the 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year. The Utah front office rightfully believes that Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, and Jackson can make up a postseason-caliber trio next year. The problem is that there’s still a lot of season left, and the Jazz will owe the Thunder their 2026 first-round pick if they don’t end up picking 1-8. That draft pick is very important for Utah, as the team still needs to add some quality talent — especially in a market that doesn’t attract big-time free agents.

Will Hardy, who should soon emerge as one of the best coaches in basketball, has been innovative in seeking out ways to lose. Before the All-Star break, he was sitting his best players for the fourth quarter, hoping the reserves would squander any built-up leads. That could have been enough for the Jazz to hang onto their pick, but the organization took things a step further by having Jackson go under the knife. The big man, who averaged 19.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game in three games with Utah, underwent surgery to remove a PVNS growth in his left knee. It certainly seemed like a procedure that could have waited, but the Jazz have zero incentive to win right now.

Unless you know for sure that George and Markkanen are playing, I’d look to stay away from Utah — and you shouldn’t trust what you see from this team on the injury report, as the Jazz are alright with paying fines and fudging the information.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards are another team that owes a top-8 protected pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, with the Knicks being the ones monitoring this situation closely. Washington made moves to acquire Trae Young and Anthony Davis before the trade deadline, so this is another team that is set on entering the playoff picture in 2026-27. However, for now, the Wizards are looking to continue adding valuable young pieces. That said, you shouldn’t count on seeing much of Young or Davis this season — and might not see them at all.

Washington is also slow-playing things with Alex Sarr’s return from injury, and this team will look to keep all important pieces out of harm’s way the rest of the season. I’ll also mention that this year’s Wizards team isn’t any good to begin with. That said, don’t go running to bet this group.

Indiana Pacers

I’m really interested in seeing how Rick Carlisle operates this tank, but Indiana traded a top-four protected pick to Los Angeles as part of a deal for Ivica Zubac. The Pacers will also keep their pick if it ends up being 10 or later, but they surely have their eye on a top-four selection. Adding Dybantsa, Peterson, or Boozer to a lineup that already includes Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Zubac, Aaron Nesmith, and Andrew Nembhard could mean a return to the NBA Finals.

The issue with Indiana is that the group is relatively healthy outside of Haliburton being out for the year with the Achilles injury he suffered in Game 7 of last year’s NBA Finals. That’s why it could be fun to monitor Indiana. Tanking won’t be as straightforward for the Pacers as it will be for others. But make no mistake about it: Indiana will look for ways to lose games.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies gave the first half of the season the ol’ college try, but they were absolutely decimated by injuries. Memphis is now firmly on the outside looking in when it comes to the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, and it’d be shocking if the Grizzlies look to rush Zach Edey back from his ankle injury — and I also wouldn’t expect to see much of Ja Morant moving forward.

Memphis doesn’t owe anyone a protected pick or anything, so there might not be as much urgency with the tank as we’ll see with Utah, Washington, or Indiana. However, the Grizzlies are officially a rebuilding team, turning things over to Edey and Cedric Coward as franchise cornerstones. They recognize how important it’ll be to add another core piece in this loaded class.

Dallas Mavericks

It just came out that Kyrie Irving will sit the rest of the season, as he wants to make sure he’s 100% healthy for the start of the 2026-27 season. That’s also a way for the Mavericks to avoid being a better basketball team this season — much like shipping Davis out does. That means that Dallas will continue to roll the ball out to Cooper Flagg, allowing the young phenom to play through mistakes and keep growing as a player.

The Mavericks roster might not look great right now, but will we say the same thing if they can add one of the best 2026 draft prospects to Flagg and Irving — and potentially a healthy Dereck Lively II? Dallas is going to try to bottom out moving forward, which will definitely be hard to watch. The Mavericks have been an against-the-spread darling this season — especially when facing good competition.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets opted to keep Michael Porter Jr. at the deadline, which isn’t too surprising considering he’s averaging career highs in points (25.0), rebounds (7.2), and assists (3.2) per game. But I wouldn’t expect to see too much of Porter the rest of this season. Brooklyn appears to have added a true difference-maker in Egor Demin in last year’s draft, but the Nets need to add another big-time piece in the 2026 NBA Draft. Brooklyn hasn’t had much luck in the lottery over the years, but all the team can do is try to improve the odds of ending up with a top selection. Well, losing is the only way to do that. So, look for Jordi Fernandez, another one of the league’s brightest young coaches, to do his best to guide his team to some losses.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings are unique in that they’re one of the worst teams in basketball despite heading into the season with good intentions. Well, as of right now, Sacramento has the best shot at selecting first in the 2026 NBA Draft, and the team likely won’t bend over backwards to change that. In fact, the Kings are already leaning into tanking, shutting down Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine for the rest of the year. Look for the rest of the team’s veterans to regularly pop up on the injury report too.

Sacramento has lost 14 consecutive games, so you can’t blame the team for getting wide-eyed when thinking about some of this year’s blue-chip prospects. Kings fans just need to hope Vivek Ranadive doesn’t push his front office to select another Nik Stauskas.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are a late entry when looking at some of this year’s tankers, but they moved most of their win-now pieces at the deadline. The rest of the year will now be devoted to figuring out what the young guys and re-draft players, like Rob Dillingham and Jaden Ivey, can do. The Bulls need to find out if any of them can be contributors when thinking about the next look for this franchise, and doing so could come with a bunch of losses.

Chicago fans are probably hoping the team jumps a little in the order, and the front office has definitely set this year’s team up for failure. The one possible road block? Billy Donovan is a damn good coach, capable of stringing together wins with anyone. That makes this an interesting team when looking at night-by-night betting. Everything on the planet could tell you that Chicago is ripe for a loss, but Donovan is good enough to get his players to scrap out wins.

The post No Fly List: These tanking NBA teams can’t be trusted in the second half of the 2025-26 season appeared first on VSiN.