With the NBA schedule set to resume following the All-Star break, took a glimpse at where the betting markets stand for the league’s various individual awards in recent days.
There are some runaway favorites, like Sixth Man of the Year, and tightly contested races, such as Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year. The same goes for the league’s divisions, save for one where the leader holds a double-digit lead on second place.
Each NBA team has somewhere between 21 and 25 games remaining in the regular season—a little more than a quarter of the 82-game schedule. With that in mind, let’s check in on where all 30 teams stand relative to their division foes, what their current record is, their odds to win a division title and how they stack up against their competition.
Boston Celtics: 42–17 (-1786)
Philadelphia 76ers: 38–19 (+900)
Brooklyn Nets: 34–24 (+10000)
New York Knicks: 33–27 (+25000)
Toronto Raptors: 28–31 (+50000)
The Celtics are prohibitive favorites to win the Atlantic Division for the second year in a row. Boston has a three-game advantage on the 76ers and leads the season series between the teams, 2–0. Philadelphia has the most difficult remaining schedule after the All-Star break according to Tankathon, including two games against both the Celtics and Bucks. Boston has the 10th-hardest remaining schedule and is 8–1 so far against teams in its division.
Central Division
Milwaukee Bucks: 41–17 (-1000)
Cleveland Cavaliers: 38–23 (+550)
Chicago Bulls: 26–33 (+40000)
Indiana Pacers: 26–34 (+40000)
Detroit Pistons: 15–44 (+50000)
The Bucks are heavy favorites to win the Central Division for the fifth year running and the Cavaliers are the only team in striking distance. Milwaukee is 4.5 games up on Cleveland and the two teams have split the season series, 2–2 – no head-to-head matchups remain.
The Cavaliers have the fourth-easiest remaining schedule in the NBA while the Bucks have the 11th-hardest and may be without MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo (wrist) for a few games after the All-Star break. Milwaukee’s 12-game winning streak pushed it to within a half game of Boston for the best record in the league, but its tough slate gets going right away with games against Miami and Phoenix this weekend.
Southeast Division
Miami Heat: 32–27 (-333)
Atlanta Hawks: 29–30 (+275)
Washington Wizards: 28–30 (+1100)
Orlando Magic: 24–35 (+25000)
Charlotte Hornets: 17–43 (+50000)
The Heat are the odds-on favorites to win the Southeast Division once again, but their grip isn’t as solid as some other division leaders. The Hawks, who just fired coach Nate McMillan, trail them by three games and the Wizards are 3.5 back. Miami will play both teams twice over its final 23 games while Atlanta and Washington have yet to play one another this season.
Atlanta, which will be led by interim coach Joe Prunty, is up against the third-hardest remaining schedule in the NBA, the Heat have the ninth-hardest and Washington enjoys the 13th-easiest. The Wizards are quietly 10–5 over their last 15 and are currently the only team in the division with a positive point differential.
Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets: 41–18
Minnesota Timberwolves: 31–30
Oklahoma City Thunder: 28–29
Utah Jazz: 29–31
Portland Trail Blazers: 28–30
Odds to win the Northwest Division are off the board at SI Sportsbook with the Nuggets up 11 games on the Timberwolves, the largest division lead in the NBA. Denver is 10–5 against division opponents and has the 11th-easiest remaining schedule. The Jazz won the division the last two years but the Nuggets—who have the best record in the Western Conference—are primed to take back the title.
Sacramento Kings: 32–25 (+450)
Los Angeles Clippers: 33–28 (+275)
Phoenix Suns: 32–28 (-150)
Golden State Warriors: 29–29 (+2000)
Los Angeles Lakers: 27–32 (+8000)
The Kings stand atop the Pacific Division yet have the third-best odds to take home the title for the first time in two decades. The Suns stand 1.5 games back from Sacramento and are the favorites to win it for the third consecutive season while the Clippers also have better odds to win the division than the Kings, who they trail by one game.
All three teams have trying schedules ahead: Los Angeles has the second-hardest schedule, Sacramento the fourth-hardest and Phoenix the sixth-hardest. This is, in large part, by virtue of having to play fellow Pacific Division teams, where four of the five teams are .500 or better. The Suns are 9–1 against their division, the Clippers are 6–4 and the Kings are 5–6 and they each have two games remaining against one another.
Phoenix and L.A. have both been surging of late while Sacramento has stayed steady. The Suns recently got Devin Booker back from injury, are 11–4 over their last 15 and have the promise of a Kevin Durant debut on the other side of the All-Star break. The Clippers have had Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the court together more often lately and are 10–5 over that same stretch. The Kings are 8–7 and will face L.A. twice over their first five games out of the break.
The Warriors are also in the picture, 3.5 games behind Sacramento, but are still missing star Steph Curry (leg), who last played Feb. 4. Golden State is 9–11 without him this year. Further down are the Lakers, who are battling for a play-in spot at this point, not the division crown.
Southwest Division
Memphis Grizzlies: 35–22 (-450)
Dallas Mavericks: 31–29 (+350)
New Orleans Pelicans: 30–29 (+1400)
San Antonio Spurs: 14–45 (+100000)
Houston Rockets: 13–45 (+100000)
For all their struggles over the last month, the Grizzlies are still strong favorites to repeat as Southwest Division champs. Memphis, which is 6–9 over its last 15, has a 5.5-game lead on the Mavericks, who recently brought in Kyrie Irving to partner with Luka Dončić. Dallas has the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA and three games left against the Grizzlies, who they beat by 41 in October, a prime opportunity to gain ground in the division race. For its part, Memphis has the seventh-easiest remaining schedule.
The Pelicans are just a half game back from the Mavericks and have the third-easiest remaining schedule but can’t expect to get Zion Williamson (hamstring) back until multiple weeks after the All-Star break after he reaggravated his injury that has held him out since Jan. 2. New Orleans is 4–11 over its last 15.
Betting Analysis
In the Eastern Conference, the 76ers are worth taking a glance at +900 odds, but the Celtics have been a machine all season long and Philadelphia’s difficult schedule won’t allow it to make up the necessary ground to catch Boston for the Atlantic title. Stay away from betting on such a heavy favorite, though.
The other two divisions in the East are more intriguing. It’s difficult to count out Eric Spoelstra, Jimmy Butler and the Heat, but you might find value wagering on the Wizards, who are available at significantly longer odds (+1100) than the Hawks (+275) despite just a half game separating the two teams. Washington has been the better team on offense and defense and has the easier schedule going forward compared to Atlanta.
If Antetokounmpo misses more than just a few games with his wrist injury, the Cavaliers wouldn’t be a bad bet at +550 to overtake Milwaukee in the Central Division. It seems that he won’t be sidelined for long, though, which will make it hard for Cleveland to catch Milwaukee, which hasn’t lost in a month.
One of the divisions in the West is all but locked up, but there’s potential for upsets in the Southwest and Pacific. The Mavericks (+350) have a shot to catch the Grizzlies if the duo of Dončić and Irving can score enough to make up for their porous defense. An easy enough schedule for Memphis means it’s unlikely that this sub-.500 play continues, though, so Dallas would need to go on a serious run. The Pelicans are only a half game back from the Mavericks, but are trending in the wrong direction with a 7–16 record since Jan. 1.
There’s value to be found in the Pacific, where the third-place Suns are the favorite to win the division. If you truly believe in Phoenix, backing them at -150 before Durant’s first game might be the best price you’ll see. Getting the first-place Kings, who have the No. 2 offense in the NBA, at +450 does seem like a steal, though. Then there’s the Clippers at +275, who are 19–9 with George and Leonard this season and made appreciable roster upgrades at the trade deadline.