NBA Western Conference Favourites
The Phoenix Suns have the best odds to win the west at +195 heading into the playoffs. Thanks in large part to Kevin Durant being back in the lineup and apparently healthy for the playoffs, the Suns are the favourite in the west. Although Durant only played eight games with the team during the regular season, the Suns are undefeated when he plays. One of the questions bettors will have to ask themselves is whether or not lack of chemistry because Durant hasn’t played more than 10 games with the team will hurt their playoff chances.
The defending champion Golden State Warriors have the second best odds on NBA betting sites to win the Western Conference. The Warriors currently have +340 odds to win the west on Bet99. The Warriors played well at home during the regular season, 33-8 record, and struggled on the road, 11-30 record. However, they played a lot of the season without Andrew Wiggins, a starter for their championship run last year. According to Shams Charnia, Wiggins is cleared to play in game 1 against the Sacramento Kings.
Contenders
The Los Angeles Lakers are a different team than the team that started the season 2-10. The Lakers acquired forward Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards and also picked up D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley via trade. With Anthony Davis and LeBron James available and still playing at a high level, sportsbooks and NBA experts are giving the Lakers a serious chance to win the west. There aren’t many teams with two players who are as good as James and Davis.
Reigning two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets have the third best odds to win the west despite having the best record in the conference at 53-29. The Nuggets have +370 odds to win the west. Jamal Murray should be available to play in the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20, but the Nuggets guard is dealing with a right thumb injury. His injury could be a factor because Murray shoots with his right hand.
Worth a look
The third seeded Sacramento Kings have +2400 odds to win the west. Inexperience and lack of superstars might be two reasons why the Kings are such heavy underdogs to reach the NBA Finals. Late last month, the Dallas Mavericks team that ended up missing the playoffs had better odds. The Kings are underdogs for good reason, but they did finish with the third best record in the conference and don’t have many injuries. Winning the west shouldn’t be an impossible task for this team considering a lot of teams in the west are navigating an injury or recently made significant changes to their roster.
The Los Angeles Clippers have the sixth best odds to win the west at +1900. Their playoff hopes will probably depend on whether or not Paul George can return from his injury. Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook will have a daunting first-round series against the Phoenix Suns without him. Their chances don’t look good, but the situation could change quickly if a couple of things swing in their favour.
