Best Bet — Boston Celtics (+350)
After being the consensus favorite for most of the summer, the Celtics got off to the NBA’s hottest start, and haven’t looked back much in the months since! Boston’s smothering switching defense helped them secure the Eastern Conference crown last season… but under the leadership of new head coach Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics have imposed their new invigorating offense with Jayson Tatum also asserting himself as a legitimate threat among the MVP odds front-runners. Although some cracks started to show after what was perhaps unsustainably hot shooting early in the season, Boston still owns the NBA’s best overall record and has shown their competency through a stretch of injuries to some key players — Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart & Robert Williams III. As the NBA regular season’s stretch run arrives, it’s difficult to say the Celtics haven’t been its best team. You can find the Celtics’ best odds (+350) at BetUS.
Best Bet: Boston Celtics (+350)
Best Value — Phoenix Suns (+450)
The Suns took a massive leap up the board after they acquired the all-world superstar Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade with the Nets. Before the Durant trade, Phoenix had +1800 odds to win the NBA title, but the oddsmakers and bettors feel confident the Suns can make another deep postseason run. Phoenix currently owns the 6th seed in the West with a record of 30-27, but they’re only 2.5 games behind the 3rd-seeded Sacramento Kings. When Durant is fully healthy, the Suns could be a force to be reckoned with, as teams will have to worry about him, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Ayton in the middle. Health will obviously be paramount for the Suns — and it’s not guaranteed for any of their three stars based on the past few seasons — but for a team that was atop the West not too long ago, this is one hell of a midseason acquisition and gives them some serious betting value (+450) coming out of the All-Star Break.
Best Value: Phoenix Suns (+450)
Longshot — Los Angeles Clippers (+1200)
The LA Clippers were one of the top-three preseason favorites to win the title at +600 odds. They were a popular pick because Kawhi Leonard was returning to the team after missing the previous season recovering from a serious knee injury. Although, Leonard most likely rushed back too quickly and needed to sit out a few weeks with a sore knee… causing the Clips to struggle mightily during the first quarter of the season, but have gradually begun to play better and currently sit in 4th place in the Western Conference with an overall record of 33-28. With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George finally both healthy, LAC had been solidifying itself above the West’s play-in tier. But the Westbrook acquisition is such a gamble — while an upgrade in talent on paper, the fit is anyone’s guess (hence the +1200 odds).
Longshot: Los Angeles Clippers (+1200)
