The NBA All-Star Weekend is upon us and according to the WestGate Super Book in Las Vegas, the Golden State Warriors (41-16) are -250 favorites to three-peat and win the NBA Championship for a third season is a row.
The Milwaukee Bucks (43-14) saw the biggest swing over the season. The Greek Freak’s team opened at 80/1 odds, but you can currently find them at 8/1 to win the NBA title. The Toronto Raptors (43-16) trail the Bucks by one game in the Eastern Conference. They are also 8/1 odds to win.
The Denver Nuggets (39-18) are the biggest surprise this season. The Nuggets boast the best home record in the NBA with only four losses in Denver. The Nugs are the second-best team in the Western Conference and improved to 30/1 odds to win the championship.
The Boston Celtics (37-21) started the season with high expectations, yet their odds dropped from 5/1 to 14/1. Meanwhile, odds tumbled for the LA Lakers (28-29) in their disappointing first season with LeBron James.
NBA ODDS 2019 CHAMPIONSHIP
Golden State Warriors -250
Milwaukee Bucks 8/1
Toronto Raptors 8/1
Philadelphia 76ers 10/1
OKC Thunder 14/1
Boston Celtics 14/1
Houston Rockets 14/1
Denver Nuggets 30/1
Los Angeles Lakers 30/1
Utah Jazz 40/1
San Antonio Spurs 80/1
Portland Trailblazers 200/1
Indiana Pacers 200/1
Los Angeles Clippers 1000/1
New Orleans Pelicans 1000/1
Sacramento Kings 1000/1
Miami Heat 1000/1
Orlando Magic 1000/1
Brooklyn Nets 1000/1
Dallas Mavericks 1000/1
Charlotte Hornets 1000/1
Detroit Pistons 2000/1
Minnesota Timberwolves 2000/1
Washington Wizards 3000/1
Memphis Grizzlies 10000/1
Atlanta Hawks 10000/1
** Futures by Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook
At the beginning of preseason, the Warriors were the top favorite on the board to three-peat at the Westgate SuperBook. In Early October, the Warriors were -200 to win.
The Sixers acquired two big-time players in Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler through trades in the first half of the season. Yet, their odds slightly improved from 14/1 to 10/1.
Big Jumps: Nuggets, Bucks, Thunder
The Bucks offered the most value on the board before the season began. The Greek Freak was on the verge of a breakout year but no one expected them to lead the Eastern Conference with 43 wins. Right now they’re at 8/1, which is far off from their 80/1 preseason odds. When the 2018 NBA Finals ended last June, the Westgate opened the 2019 odds for the Bucks at 100/1. The Bucks and Raptors are both 8/1 odds to win the title.
The Nuggets are the biggest surprise in the NBA. You can get them at 30/1 odds to win the title, down from 100/1 at the start of the season. To think they got off to such a hot start without Willie Barton in the lineup. He went down early in the season and everyone else picked up his slack.
The Nuggets (39-18) are the second-best team in the West and only two games behind the Golden State Warriors. They have an NBA-best 24-4 record in Denver. The Mile High City has lived up to its reputation, as visiting teams gasp to keep up in the high elevation, especially in the modern NBA in the run-and-gun era. The Nuggets are a different team on the road though with a 14-14 record.
Russell Westbrook has been on a triple-double bender and the Oklahoma City Thunder are riding high on a winning streak. They jumped from 25/1 to 14/1.
Big Drops: Wiz, Lakers, Pelicans
Washington Wizards (24-34) dropped from 1000/1 to 3000/1. The Wiz were doomed before their season began. Could anyone fathom that at the break, only one of their big three would be in the lineup? Bradley Beal is the lone survivor. John Wall feuded with teammates all season until he went down with a heel injury. While recovering at home, he slipped and ruptured his Achilles. Wall is expected to miss all of next season. With Wall dunzo, the Wiz traded Otto Porter to the Chicago Bulls.
The Lakers were overvalued from the moment LeBron James signed with the team. A high volume of early money poured into the Lakers and they started the season as the fourth favorite on the board at 12/1 odds. The Lakers are now 30/1 odds to win the title. The Lakers already quit on LeBron once this season. There’s not a bigger sucker bet in Vegas right now than that line.
New Orleans Pelicans (26-33) were 100/1 odds at the start of the season and dropped to 1000/1. The Pelicans turned into a bad soap opera. All-Star Anthony Davis wanted out of the sinking ship as soon as possible, but the Pelicans refused to trade the Unibrow until after the season ended.
NBA Odds: Off the Board
The WestGate took four teams off the board: New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks snapped a 19-game losing streak by beating the Cavs on the last night before the All-Star Break. The Knicks are the worst team in the league even though they are the most valuable franchise in the NBA according to Forbes Magazine.
The biggest longshot at the Westgate is 10,000/1. Choose your poison: Atlanta Hawks or Memphis Grizzlies.
The Sliders: Rockets and Celtics
Everyone was high on the Boston Celtics before the season began. They had Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving returning from injuries. The Celtics got off to a slow start, especially Hayward. They are 16 games over .500 but tied for the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers made moves to improve their starting lineup, while the Raptors and Bucks are playing excellent basketball. The Celtics are no longer favorites to win the East. They might not even get out of the opening round of the playoffs.
The Houston Rockets slipped from 7/1 to 14/1 odds. Mike D’Antoni’s squad is in a holding pattern. The Melo Experiment backfired and they pulled the plug on it only ten-games into the season. Clint Capela and Chris Paul missed time with injuries. James Harden compensated for his injured teammates with a hellacious scoring tear. It’s no doubt that Harden can continue his 30-plus scoring streak every night the rest of the season. But will he have enough gas in the tank in the playoffs?