Less than three weeks remain of the regular season in the NBA and now that fans, bettors, and sportsbooks have a good grasp of who will be contending for the title, the Phoenix Suns appear to be the most fancied team to go all the way.
This is hardly a surprise, considering that they have 58 wins - nine more than anybody else - and may have earned their first championship last year but blew a 2-0 series lead against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Many believed that Phoenix had missed its chance, and they opened at +2000 to win the title this year, but that number has consistently dropped throughout the season and they now find themselves as short as +300 on some of the best betting sites available in the US.
Before the season, it was the Brooklyn Nets who had odds of +300, but thanks to their long list of absentees for much of the campaign, they will likely have to take part in a play-in game.
The trading away of James Harden for Ben Simmons could also be a factor behind their now relatively big odds of +600 - not necessarily because they are weaker, but more because the Philadelphia 76ers will be a formidable force in the East with the Harden-Joel Embiid duo.
That said, the Sixers have been inconsistent and as doubts remain over Harden’s ability to deliver in the postseason, they are still around +850 to win it all this year despite Embiid’s MVP-caliber performances.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ odds have stayed more or less the same all season. They have pretty much done exactly what was expected of them - followed up on their championship triumph with another impressive regular season in which they are set to secure homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Also on the verge of a top-four seeding is the Golden State Warriors, who despite Steph Curry tailing off somewhat, still look like they could go deep with Klay Thompson back in business.
The Memphis Grizzlies are above the Warriors in the Western Conference standings, but way behind the six-time champions in the betting odds. Golden State is at +600, while Memphis is priced at +2200, which is also behind the Utah Jazz (+1800).
Eastern Conference leaders, the Miami Heat, may also feel hard done by with their odds of +1000, but whether their regular-season form can translate into playoff victories is the big question mark.
The Boston Celtics’ odds have come absolutely steaming in. In early February, you could have backed them at +8000, but now you’re looking at +1100 thanks to a remarkable upturn in performances and results.
Nineteen wins in 22 games is an incredible run from Boston, and that - coupled with the struggles of the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers - has seen them move up into the top four in the East.
The Bulls (+5000) and Denver Nuggets (+2500) are outside bets at best now, but if they can get more healthy - not something they’ve managed for large parts of the season - one or both of them could upset some of the big hitters.
It doesn’t look like there will be much postseason basketball in Los Angeles this year. The depleted Clippers and struggling Lakers are priced at +10000 apiece for championship glory.
The Dallas Mavericks (+3300) and Minnesota Timberwolves (+7500) are in much better respective positions.
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