What a joy it was to watch the NBA All-Star game on Sunday. It was very entertaining as always, and it was especially cool to see Stephen Curry back out there -- hopefully next year Klay Thompson is back in the All-Star game.
Now it’s time to look ahead to the second half of the NBA season. I like to use the break in the schedule to get into NCAA Conference Tournaments and place a few NBA Futures wagers. Using PointsBet odds, here are a few I will be placing this week.
NBA Champion Outright Winner
The Brooklyn Nets (+275) are officially the favorite to win the NBA Title at PointsBet, while other shops still have the Los Angeles Lakers as the favorites. Remember to shop for the best price for your teams. Brooklyn has really played well. They have had moments of poor defense and have lost to a number of teams that they should beat, but they also have some of the best wins of the first half of the season. Brooklyn has victories over the Jazz, Bucks, Lakers, Suns and Clippers. When they go up against the class of the league, the Nets show that they belong. I can totally understand and get behind putting a future in on the Nets, but if I had to place one bet on who would hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy, it would be the Los Angeles Lakers (+280). The Lakers are still the favorites at most shops. The health of Anthony Davis will be very important, and it will be the top story of the second half of the season, but if he is good to go for the playoffs, I see the Lakers holding everyone else off. And inside our Betting Tools, you can check out the Futures for everything from Division and Conference winners to player and coach awards and track how the lines have moved over the course of the season.
My Bet: Los Angeles Lakers +280
NBA Eastern Conference Winner
When it comes to conference futures, I like to identify the team that has the potential to give me the most hedge equity. Hedge equity comes into play in this case as I’ll be picking a team with longer odds in the hopes that they can reach the Conference Finals. If that happens, then I hedge. The Nets (+125) are obviously the favorites to win the East, and after them are Bucks (+300). I would not put one penny on the Bucks, as I think they will be eliminated before the Conference Finals. That leads me to the Philadelphia 76ers (+500). Philadelphia has been very good under head Coach Doc Rivers, and it’s obvious to see that coaching was the problem in Philadelphia the past few seasons. This year Joel Embiid is an MVP candidate, and the 76ers have the best record in the East at the All-Star break. It will be hard to hold the Nets off to be the No. 1 seed, but I think Philadelphia and Brooklyn will play in the Eastern Conference Finals.
My Bet: Philadelphia 76ers +500
Editor’s Note: Get an edge with our premium Betting Tools that are packed with live odds, betting trends, predictions, player prop projections, our extensive Edge Finder and much more. And don’t forget to use promo code WELCOME10 to get 10% off. Click here to learn more!
[[ad:athena]]
NBA Western Conference Winner
The Los Angeles Lakers (+150) are clearly the favorite to win the West, and in my opinion, they will likely get it done. I would not bet the Lakers at their current number, though, as I can see them falling back a bit in the second half of the season while Anthony Davis rehabs. The Clippers (+200) will be in the mix, and it will be interesting to see if they add a piece in the second half. As tough as Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers can be, I don’t think they are a championship team. The Utah Jazz (+450) present the best opportunity for hedge equity in the West. There is a number of reasons I like Utah. Let’s start with the idea that no one likes them. I think that narrative will fuel the Jazz. They are already the top seed in the West, and unlike other great teams, Utah is actually a TEAM -- no big three or super team, they are just a very good team. If Utah can hang on to the top seed in the West, they won’t have to beat both the Clippers and the Lakers to win the West, which could be a huge advantage if Anthony Davis doesn’t return healthy. Utah would also have the home court advantage in the West, which would be perfect for them. Opposing teams should remember not to eat the pizza.
My Bet: Utah Jazz +450
Regular Season MVP
The most talked-about individual award in all of sports is the NBA MVP Award. This season was supposed to be the coronation of Luka Doncic, and he opened up the season as the MVP favorite. But now at PointsBet, he has the fourth longest odds at +1000. The leader in the clubhouse is Joel Embiid (+175). Embiid has been great this season, leading the 76ers to the best record in the East. Embiid is so good, but I think it will be tough for a center to win the MVP Award. LeBron James (+275) can, and probably should, win this award every season, but I think this year the Lakers need to finish the regular season with the best record in the West for James to win it, and that will be tough, especially if Anthony Davis misses a lengthy amount of time. James Harden is +1400 at PointsBet to win the award, which is a steal, and he has even longer odds at some other shops. The knock against Harden is that he dogged it in Houston to start the season, but I would not hold that against him. Look at Houston now -- they literally can’t win a game. Harden would have had them in the playoff race if he was still there. Harden came to Brooklyn to run Mike D’Antoni’s offense with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as his wingmen, and he is doing it to perfection. Every last single person reading this should hop on this now. It won’t be here much longer.
My Bet James Harden +1400
