Aside from the NBA title and the Conference titles, NBA teams are also battling for Division titles. And although the Division title no longer carries the same playoff importance as it did prior to 2016, it is still valuable because it matters in tie-breakers.
For the coming 2019-20 NBA season, the best NBA betting sites have already come up with their betting favorites to win the NBA’s six divisions. The Milwaukee Bucks, who had the NBA’s best regular season record last season, have the shortest odds to win an NBA Division. At -1200, the Giannis Antetokounmpo led Bucks are heavy favorites to win the Eastern Conference’s Central Division.
Here are the complete odds to win the NBA’s six divisions this coming season. These odds were taken from MyBookie.ag as of 10/12/19:
The Toronto Raptors opened with the best NBA betting odds to win the Atlantic Division after dethroning the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals. But after Kawhi Leonard left for the Los Angeles Clippers the Raptors find themselves currently in third place behind the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics. The Sixers and Celtics are two of the highly touted teams in the East. Boston boasted Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford among others. But after a disappointing season, Irving left for Brooklyn and Horford signed with the Sixers. The Sixers lost J.J. Redick and Jimmy Butler during the summer but bolstered their line-up by getting Josh Richardson and Horford. They will return with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris.
Brooklyn was supposed to be a contender by signing Irving and Kevin Durant but with Durant expected to miss the entire season with an Achilles injury, the Nets should be in the mix for the playoffs but probably not for the division title.
The Knicks look more lost than ever and look headed to the lottery once again. The Sixers are solid favorites here but while they have a very formidable starting unit, I think they have lost their depth. The Celtics added Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter but like last season, chemistry could be a problem with all that talent. Don’t count Toronto out yet with Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet. Even without Kawhi, they are a very good team. Brooklyn is scrappy and a hard working team. But if Irving could not lead the 2018-19 Celtics, I doubt what he does with the Nets.
The Central Division is the easiest division to pick in the East. The Milwaukee Bucks surprised the league by finishing with the best regular season record. The Bucks were led by eventual MVP winner Giannis Antetokounmpo who just keeps on getting better and better each year. The Bucks lost former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon but will return with Kris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, Pat Connaughton, and Ersan Ilyasova. They have added Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver for more shooting and should be an even stronger team with Giannis a year older and wiser. The Pacers will start the season without Victor Oladipo and they have lost Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Pistons have added Derrick Rose but Blake Griffin’s long-term health is always a concern. I think the Bucks don’t have a real challenge this year.
The Miami Heat missed the playoffs last season but are poised to return to the postseason after getting a blue chip free agent in Jimmy Butler. Miami lost Hassan Whiteside to the Portland Trail Blazers but remember that Bam Adebayo started to show up last season. If Adebayo continues his improvement, then Whiteside’s absence won’t be felt much. Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters should help Butler with the scoring chores while the likes of Justise Winslow and Kelly Olynyk should provide support. Watch out for rookie Tyler Herro who has drawn good reviews in the offseason. Orlando basically has the same lineup plus Markelle Fultz and I don’t think he will be a big difference maker. The Hawks look poised to improve in Year 2 of the Trae Young era. I think the Hawks could surprise by contending for the playoffs but not the division title.
The Northwest Division was ruled by the Denver Nuggets last season. Denver finished one game ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers and three better than the Utah Jazz. Denver was one of the few teams who didn’t add or lose someone significant over the summer. By returning the likes of Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap, Jamal Murray, Will Barton, and Gary Harris, the Nuggets will boast a chemistry most of the top contenders won’t have yet. It will be interesting to see what role Michael Porter Jr. plays if he is healthy. But the favorites in the Northwest are the Utah Jazz who acquired Mike Conley Jr. and Bogdan Bogdanovic during the offseason. Donovan Mitchell should be much better while Rudy Gobert is out to prove he is an All-Star. The Blazers have the same one-two punch and added Hassan Whiteside. But when it comes to winning the division, it has to be Utah and Denver.
There is no question that the Golden State Warriors are due for a regression and I will be surprised if they even finish second in the Pacific Division. The Dubs lost Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets and Klay Thompson to injury. They added D’Angelo Russell but he doesn’t have Durant’s length nor Klay’s defensive prowess. I agree that the two Los Angeles teams are the top picks to win the Pacific this season. But both could start the year without two key players. Paul George is out with a shoulder injury while Anthony Davis fractured his thumb during the preseason. Whichever Los Angeles team gets their star back first and start strong should win the division. I like the Clippers’ versatility and explosiveness but the Lakers’ height is going to pose plenty of problems. That said, Davis has a history of injuries while George has been relatively healthy aside from that horrific leg injury.
The Houston Rockets ended their James Harden-Chris Paul experiment by going on another experiment. They traded Paul for Russell Westbrook and while Russ is another point guard, he’s younger than Paul and is a more aggressive beast than CP3 inside the court. Westbrook also played with Harden in Oklahoma City, so the chemistry between these two stars won’t be a problem. The San Antonio Spurs didn’t add someone significant, unless you consider Demarre Carroll as such. But the Spurs will have Dejounte Murray back. Some are saying the Spurs could finally miss the playoffs this year but I don’t buy that. DeRozan was a fit in his first year and I expect him to even be better this year. Aldridge won’t be among the Top 5 big men in the game but he’s still a stud. As for the Pelicans, it remains to be seen what a 6-6 Zion Williamson can do in the land of the giants. Dallas will have Porzingis and Luka Doncic as their 1-2 punch but while I think they may battle for a playoff spot, they are at least two years out from winning the division.
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