Ricky Dimon
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The NBA All-Star Game has come and gone, which means the stretch run of the 2022-23 NBA season is on the immediate horizon. It should be a wild ride throughout the remaining months of the regular season and the playoffs considering the ever-changing landscape of the association. The Western Conference stocked up at the trade deadline with the Suns and Mavericks poaching the Nets for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, respectively. Does that mean the Eastern Conference now all comes down to the Celtics and Bucks?
Let’s take a look at some NBA futures odds and make a few predictions as the proverbial second half of the season is set to get underway later this week.
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NBA Championship odds and best bet: Phoenix Suns (+425)
Here are the latest odds for the NBA Championship winner, courtesy of BetMGM.
Boston Celtics +275
Phoenix Suns +425
Milwaukee Bucks +600
Denver Nuggets +800
Los Angeles Clippers +900
Philadelphia 76ers +1100
Dallas Mavericks +1600
Memphis Grizzlies +1700
Golden State Warriors +1700
The Suns loaded up by acquiring Durant prior to the trade deadline, but the Celtics are favored for one obvious reason: they are in the Eastern Conference. That’s not to say Boston isn’t a great team; it simply wouldn’t be this big of a favorite if it had the same path to the NBA Finals as Phoenix, Denver, Memphis and other West contenders. Given their reasonable price, the Suns appear to have good value to take the title.
It should also be noted that Durant and Devin Booker will be well-rested for the playoffs having missed so much time during the regular season. I would also sprinkle some on the Warriors; they are proven winners and can always get hot at the right time – especially since Steph Curry should be back and rested for the postseason.
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NBA Eastern Conference odds and best bet: Milwaukee Bucks (+220)
Boston Celtics +115
Milwaukee Bucks +220
Philadelphia 76ers +500
Cleveland Cavaliers +1100
Miami Heat +1900
Brooklyn Nets +4000
Atlanta Hawks +4500
New York Knicks +5500
I don’t see any value on Boston at short +115 odds and I’m not in love with any Eastern Conference team outside of the top 2 favorites. Give me the Bucks, but I would wait to play this and let their odds get higher before hammering them right before the playoffs begin. Giannis Antetokounmpo sustained a wrist injury in the last game prior to the break and did not look good in his 1 possession of work during the All-Star Game, so he will probably miss some time – thus ending Milwaukee’s chances of stealing the #1 seed from Boston. If you can get the Bucks closer to +300 later on, this obviously becomes an even better bet.
To make the playoffs: Los Angeles Lakers (+160)
The Lakers are currently in 13th place out of 15 teams in the Western Conference, but they are just 2 games out of a spot in the play-in tournament. Passing Oklahoma City, Utah and Portland in the standings should not be particularly difficult. As long as LeBron James and company take care of that first order of business, they should be able to snag 1 of the 2 playoff spots available in the 4-team tournament.
New Orleans and Minnesota will likely be 2 of the competitors; Los Angeles can beat both of those teams. Are the Lakers realistic title contenders? Absolutely not. But with the way they are constructed following Russell Westbrook’s departure and D’Angelo Russell’s acquisition, LeBron is capable of at least carrying them to a playoff berth.
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