NBA Betting With Bodog
We’re past the halfway point in the NBA season and the All-Star Game is officially a wrap. Now the focus is firmly set on those teams which stand the best chance of making the playoffs and who can go all the way. Plenty has changed in the last few weeks, including a new team cutting in as favourite, which in turn has shaken up the NBA odds at Bodog Casino.
We’re getting a good idea of which sides are going to be making it through to the postseason tournament. The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls are out in front of the Eastern Conference and the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and Memphis Grizzlies are showing the rest of the West how it’s done.
But a strong performance in the regular season does not guarantee success. That’s especially true with the top six teams from each conference guaranteed a spot in the tournament, and another four positions up for grabs through the newly-permanent play-in rounds. So if you’re thinking about placing a bet on the NBA this season, here’s a handy guide for the current favourites.
Phoenix Suns (+425)
The Phoenix Suns started the season with odds of around +1400, and they’d drifted to as high as +1500 in late August. In the months since, they’ve seen those odds get better and better, dropping to +900 by Christmas and +700 by the beginning of February. Just a few weeks later, the Suns are tied as favourites at Bodog with NBA betting odds of +425.
It’s easy to see why, too. As of the All-Star break, Phoenix were hands-down the best team in the league going 48-10 with .828 and riding high on a seven-game winning streak. At home or on the road, the Suns have made light work of most rivals, and their performance just keeps getting better and better.
They’ve got more wins than any other team in the league and that has been the case since before Christmas, thanks to stars like Chris Paul and Devin Booker. No single player has delivered a major breakout performance, which is a sign of a well-rounded team with plenty of depth. That’s an attribute that could come in handy in the playoffs.
Golden State Warriors (+425)
The Golden State Warriors are a similar story to the Suns. They started the season with odds of +1200 and have been gradually chipping away to bring them down to +425. Golden State sits second in the Western Conference and has the second-best record in the entire league, behind only the Suns.
But unlike their Arizonian rivals, the Warriors have been faring much better at home than away, having lost twice as many games on the road, despite playing more games at the Chase Center. This may be an issue when it comes to the playoffs, but there’s still time to fix it.
The Warriors have just about everything you need to make a good NBA Championship challenge, including plenty of recent experience from winning it in 2015, 2017, and 2018, as well as coming close in 2016 and 2019. They’ve also got some great players in Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, and James Wiseman. The biggest risk for the Warriors is injury as they’ve had a lot of issues in recent weeks.
Brooklyn Nets (+600)
The Brooklyn Nets started the season as the clear favourite, enjoying odds of around +225. Those odds have fluctuated slightly throughout the season, jumping both up and down, but always remaining much better than other teams. That all changed this month when they slid to +400 and they’ve continued drifting since. The New York side now sits as third favourites behind the Suns and the Warriors with NBA odds from Bodog of +600.
A big concern for the team is the recent departure of James Harden who moved to the Philadelphia 76ers, though they have picked up Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond. That said, they still have several big hitters, including Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, so it has all the resources necessary to turn things around.
Milwaukee Bucks (+700)
Currently on the same NBA odds as the Nets, the Milwaukee Bucks look just as strong as they did last year when they won the NBA Championship. After an 18-year dry spell, the team has picked up three consecutive division titles and could well make it a fourth this year.
The Bucks have seen their odds remain much more stable this year when compared to the Suns, Warriors, and Nets, starting at +800, rising slightly, and then gradually shortening to the +700 they sit at now.
Standing fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 36-24 record, it wouldn’t take much for them to slide down the table and out of the playoff positions. Equally, a couple of good games would rocket them upwards and out of the danger zone. But with a few decent trades in recent weeks, including signing DeAndre Bembry, they may have the resources they need to get the job done.
Philadelphia 76ers (+800)
Next up is the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that hasn’t won the NBA Championship since 1983, a conference title since 2001, and picked up its first division title in two decades last season. They’re currently in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 35-23 record and .603, so are likely to secure a playoff position.
However, they’ve failed to convert consistent playoff appearances into an NBA Championship so far, so it’s understandable that 76ers fans might be a little wary of getting their hopes up too much.
That said, Philadelphia has seen its odds improve quite dramatically in recent weeks, overtaking the Miami Heat. At +800, these odds are half what they were at the beginning of the season. Much of that improvement is down to the appearance of James Harden and Paul Millsap from the Nets, both of whom could be the magic ingredient to end the Philly drought.
The NBA Championship is set to get even hotter as we get closer to the playoffs, with several teams in with a shot. It’s going to be an exciting ride, so get your NBA betting slips in, and then sit back and enjoy the show.