Andrew Ortenberg
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The start of the 2020-21 NBA season is right around the corner, and here at Pickswise we’re going to be bringing you a ton of futures betting picks as we ramp up coverage. We’ve already done an Eastern Conference preview, as well as breakdowns of the MVP race and championship odds, with plenty more to come. Right now though we’ll be taking a look at the Western Conference and all the heavy hitters looking to emerge from it. Let’s dive in, with odds courtesy of DraftKings:
Los Angeles Lakers +140
Los Angeles Clippers +275
Denver Nuggets +1000
Dallas Mavericks +1100
Golden State Warriors +1400
Utah Jazz +1500
Phoenix Suns +2200
Portland Trail Blazers +2500
Houston Rockets +3000
New Orleans Pelicans +3500
Memphis Grizzlies +8000
San Antonio Spurs +8000
Minnesota Timberwolves +10000
Oklahoma City Thunder +10000
Sacramento Kings +10000
Lebron sent this one out of the NBA Bubble and into oblivion 😳 pic.twitter.com/sw1MhfFa6n
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) September 7, 2020
There’s a massive gap between the two Los Angeles teams and everybody else, and honestly it’s hard to argue with that. The Suns have clearly caught a little buzz after their trade for Chris Paul this offseason, leaping to the seventh-best odds after failing to make the playoffs last year. The Warriors are an interesting one after they were one of the worst teams in the league last season, but obviously they’ll be a lot better this time around with Stephen Curry returning and James Wiseman added.
Best long-shots
I think there’s a lot of value here with the Rockets at 30/1. How quickly everyone seems to have forgotten that this is a team that very easily could’ve gone up 3-0 on the Lakers in the second round if not for a couple of late fourth-quarter meltdowns. James Harden is obviously still seeking a trade and that would blow up this ticket, but Houston seems quite content to hold onto him. Harden will almost certainly like playing with John Wall better than Russell Westbrook, and if he stays put I don’t see any reason to believe this team won’t once again have one of the highest ceilings in the league. At this price you have to bet it, as there’s a plausible scenario where everything works out perfectly if Harden is happy and Wall and Demarcus Cousins return to pre-injury form.
I’m also taking a nibble on the Timberwolves at 100/1. They already have a generational talent in Karl Anthony-Towns, and quietly have some really nice pieces around him. Malik Beasley was on fire after getting traded to Minnesota right before the shutdown, and I love the acquisition of Ricky Rubio this offseason. D’Angelo Russell also only got to play 12 games with his new team last season, and I think he could finally take the next step this year. If first overall pick Anthony Edwards plays to his potential, this team might be really good.
🤯UNBELIEVABLE DEFENSIVE PLAY BY HARDEN ON DORT!
Houston, that was for you! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/MUGTd2Mu5V
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) September 3, 2020
Best bet
If those two are a little too risky for your blood, I think the Clippers make the most sense at +275. They had all the talent to make it to the finals last year, there was just too much dysfunction in the organization. The locker room was clearly toxic, as evidenced by Doc Rivers’ comments after his departure. I think things will be much healthier this time around, and now that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have had a year to play together it’ll be a lot smoother. Adding Nic Batum and Serge Ibaka were sneaky good pickups, and this team is going to be incredibly deep. They’ll have a huge chip on their shoulder after all the slander they caught the past few months, and that’ll be great motivational fuel for their eventual playoff run.
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