The NBA’s restart is scheduled for July 30 with a pair of games on the docket pitting the Utah Jazz up against the New Orleans Pelicans and Kawhi and the Clippers squaring off against LeBron and the Lakers in Orlando’s version of the Battle of Los Angeles. Six more games go the next day followed by five more to open up the month of August. All these games will decide who actually qualifies for the postseason. Some middle of the road teams are already locked into the postseason like the Indiana Pacers, while others like the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings must fight tooth and nail just to lock down a postseason bid. Anything can happen once they’re there with every game being played on a neutral court and little fanfare in the stands. Let’s put the NBA futures odds under the microscope and see what type of value lies in the offerings.
2020 NBA Futures Odds
Lakers +229
Clippers +292
Bucks +295
Rockets +1150
Celtics +1200
76ers +1500
Raptors +2000
Nuggets +3300
Mavericks +4500
Heat +5300
Jazz +7500
Pelicans +9500
Thunder +10000
Trail Blazers +14500
Pacers +15500
Grizzlies +21000
Kings +42500
Nets +45000
Spurs +55000
Magic +80000
Suns +100000
Wizards +150000
Favorite to Bet: Los Angeles Clippers +292
Linemakers might’ve attached their wagons to the Lakers, but it’s the Clippers I want a piece of when breaking down the favorites. I flat out love the makeup of this team! It starts with Kawhi Leonard who will have a shot to win an NBA title with two different teams in successive seasons; that’s a tough feat to fathom let alone pull off! He already exhibited title-winning DNA last year when he helped lead Toronto to its first-ever NBA title. Then you got veterans Paul George and Patrick Beverley in the backcourt with the former LA’s second-leading scorer (21.0 PPG) and the latter the team’s defensive specialist. If that’s not enough, big man Montrezl Harrell and his 18.6 points per game and rebounding prowess is there to enforce. Kawhi was lured to Tinseltown to win the Clippers franchise its first-ever title. With that, LA is going to be a tough team to beat and one of the favorites you should strongly consider investing in.
Underdog to Bet: Toronto Raptors +2000
Wouldn’t it make for quite the soap opera if the Raptors somehow found a way to get back to the Finals and the opponent just so happened to be the Clippers? You can bet on that pairing ya know; if it came to fruition, it pays out at +2600! Regardless, Toronto is more than just a one-trick pony – even with Kawhi no longer suiting up for them. This is a team that compiled 46-18 SU and 35-28-1 ATS records before the coronavirus put a halt to the regular season back in March. On top of that, the Dinos showed an ability to win both at home and on the road where they logged identical 23-9 SU records. If you can believe it, Toronto’s winning percentage and point differential are better than last year’s version that cut the nets down. The league doesn’t possess a better defense than that of the Raptors, and that’s something that always travels well; especially on neutral courts. If the 3s are dropping and the defense continues its relentless style of play, Toronto’s extremely tough to beat!
Longshot to Bet: Portland Trail Blazers +14500
Inject the 1-2 punch of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum into my veins, please! I mean seriously, how much fun is it to watch this duo play with one another? They complement one another so well, and that’s something that could go a long way in allowing this big dog to make some noise in the bubble over the next few months. Portland may have played to 29-37 SU and 27-37-2 ATS records over the course of the regular season, but they were never playing at full strength. For this to actually have a shot at transpiring, the Blazers must beat out the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference. They’re favored to defeat the Grizz in the first of their eight play-in games, but the rest of the schedule looks rough with matchups set to go against the Celtics, Rockets, Nuggets, Clippers, 76ers, and Mavs. The final game against the Nets could be huge. If the Trail Blazers find a way to punch their ticket, they’ll enter the playoffs brimming with confidence that could see this huge dog make a surprising run that shocks the NBA betting community to its core!
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