Filip Tomic
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With preseason basketball in full swing, we are only a week away from the 2022-23 NBA season tipping off and you can already feel the excitement in the air as we count down the final few days. It’s the perfect time to take a deep dive into this year’s Western Conference and see who the main favorites are to book a place in the NBA Finals.
To nobody’s surprise the defending champion Golden State Warriors are the frontrunners according to the oddsmakers, while the LA Clippers are a close second and the Phoenix Suns round out the Top 3. With a couple of big-name players returning from injury and last season’s contenders improving their rosters during the offseason, this could very well be one of the most unpredictable Western Conferences we’ve had in recent years. Along with these NBA Western Conference predictions, be sure to check out all of our NBA analysis for the 2022-2023 season.
Let’s now take a closer look at my best bet and longshot to win the 2022-23 NBA Western Conference.
2022-23 NBA Western Conference betting odds and favorites
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Golden State Warriors: +320
LA Clippers: +330
Phoenix Suns: +430
Denver Nuggets: +850
Memphis Grizzlies: +1000
LA Lakers: +1100
Dallas Mavericks: +1200
2023 NBA Western Conference winner best bet: Los Angeles Clippers (+330)
Most people will probably have the defending champion Golden State Warriors ahead of the Clippers and you can’t really blame them, right? Well, after the recent events that took place in the Warriors practice facility (Draymond Green punching teammate Jordan Poole), I have a feeling we could see a different team atop the Western Conference this season.
The LA Clippers could be in line for the biggest season in franchise history. As always, this team is full of promises at the beginning of a season and most of the time they end up not delivering in June, but this time it could be different. Main man Kawhi Leonard is finally back and he should be fresh after missing the entire season last year. I won’t even mention his regular season record of 429 wins and just 147 losses (.745) for his career.
Paul George is also coming into a season fully healthy which hasn’t happened in a while, so expect him to co-star the show alongside Leonard. Los Angeles also added John Wall which means their rotation is much deeper this season. They are coached by one of the best young coaches in the NBA Tyronn Lue who knows what it takes to reach the mountaintop, having been there already once with Cleveland.
After winning a solid 42 games last season without their two best players, expectations are once again sky-high for this Clippers team. They were a top-10 defensive team last year and adding Leonard and George into the mix should improve them dramatically on both ends. Assuming they can stay healthy, they will be a tough matchup for any of the top teams out West. At +330 the odds aren’t that high, but the Clippers will likely make a strong bid for the conference title this season.
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2023 NBA Western Conference winner best longshot bet: New Orleans Pelicans (+2400)
I thought about the Denver Nuggets here as well, but at +850 odds I don’t really consider them a longshot bet, especially not with all their key players being healthy. The Pelicans are an intriguing team — they surprised me in their series against the Phoenix Suns last season as they put up a solid fight, but now it’s time for them to make another step forward. The acquisition of C.J. McCollum has proven to be a solid move as he averaged over 24 points per game for them in 26 regular-season games. They just recently extended him through the 2025-26 season, another reason for him to put up solid numbers yet again.
One more encouraging story coming out of New Orleans is the Zion Williamson contract extension. Pelicans fans can finally look forward to a full season of a healthy Zion experience — we all know what he is capable of after averaging 27 points per game on 61% shooting from the field in 2020. At just 22 years of age, he still has a lot to learn, but with veterans like McCollum, Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas surrounding him he can have the best season of his young career if he puts in the work.
Over the past 19 seasons, the Pelicans have finished with a top 3 record in the West only once. But with the way their roster is currently constructed and a Big 3 in Zion, Ingram and McCollum, the future is bright. Assuming they can stay healthy and they get a couple of favorable matchups in the playoffs, the Pels might actually surprise a few people this season.
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