Filip Tomic
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The 2022-23 NBA season has the potential to be one of the best ever, as we get closer and closer to tip-off. Both finalists from last season had a turbulent summer – the Boston Celtics suspended their head coach Ime Udoka for the entire year as he “violated team policies”, while champions the Golden State Warriors are still recovering from the incident that took place in practice where Draymond Green punched teammate Jordan Poole just a few days ago.
There are plenty more storylines entering this season: how will Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets bounce back after getting swept last season? Are the Nuggets and Clippers title contenders with Jamal Murray and Kawhi Leonard finally back from injuries? Do the Cleveland Cavaliers make the postseason after adding Donovan Mitchell? How do the Atlanta Hawks look with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray? What is the best-case scenario for Minnesota after trading for Rudy Gobert? Who wins the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes?
The new season tips off on Tuesday, October 18 with the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics squaring off in the East, followed by a huge game out west as the Warriors play the Lakers following their opening-night ring ceremony. Along with these NBA championship predictions, be sure to check out all of our NBA analysis for the 2022-2023 season.
Let’s take a closer look at my best bet and longshot to win the 2022-2023 NBA title.
2022-23 NBA Championship betting odds and favorites
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Boston Celtics: +600
Milwaukee Bucks: +650
Brooklyn Nets: +700
Los Angeles Clippers: +700
Golden State Warriors: +700
Phoenix Suns: +1000
Philadelphia 76ers: +1600
2023 NBA Championship winner best bet: Milwaukee Bucks (+650)
In normal circumstances I would consider the Boston Celtics ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks for this season’s upcoming championship, but with all the drama surrounding that team and them not having their coach from last season I am going to give a slight edge to the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo and co. were dealt a huge blow in last year’s playoffs when Khris Middleton was ruled out from their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Celtics and even without him they were able to push Boston to the brink of elimination, but in the end they came up just short.
This time around, assuming everyone is healthy, I am expecting the Bucks to get back to where they were just two seasons ago. Their core has remained intact, while the role players have gained another year of experience which should do them good. You can make a case that Giannis, Middleton and Jrue Holiday is the best big 3 we have in the NBA today, when those three are together on the floor at the same time they post a +12.2 Net Rating per 100 possessions both during the regular season and playoffs.
Oddsmakers have set the over-under win total at 53.5 games for Milwaukee this season, which is understandable considering that Middleton won’t be available to start the season as he recovers from wrist surgery. I still expect them to get over that number, though, and with two MVP awards already, Giannis knows what it will take to get back to the top. Even if the Eastern Conference is going to be as loaded as it has been over the past decade or so, I expect to see a motivated Bucks team surge through the regular season finishing with the best regular-season record and going all the way in the playoffs.
New to NBA betting? Check out our NBA betting guide
2023 NBA Championship winner best longshot bet: Los Angeles Lakers (+2500)
The Los Angeles Lakers are the perfect definition of a longshot bet this season in the NBA as they try to bounce back from one of their worst seasons in this millennium. LeBron James will be in his 20th NBA season and judging by some preseason performances he is still looking great. But, the Lakers are no longer in a position where their hopes of winning a title lie with how well James plays, instead the key factor for LA will be the health of Anthony Davis. When healthy, AD has top-5 potential in the NBA, but the issue is he has played just 76 of 154 games over the past 2 seasons and that has cost the Lakers big-time.
Another huge factor for LA this season will be the play of Russell Westbrook. After struggling to adapt to a new system under Frank Vogel last year, it appears that Westbrook is finally getting along with new head coach Darvin Ham. Still, with numerous reports coming out that the Lakers are actively trying to trade him, it is unclear whether or not Westbrook will even be on this team before Christmas. The addition of Patrick Beverley complicates things a bit, it will be interesting to see if Westbrook accepts a bench role if it comes to that. It is a volatile situation for sure, but with odds of +2500 I think the Lakers deserve a small wager, after all they still have James on their team and even in the twilight of his career you can never count him out.
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