The NBA finally released its regular season schedule last Friday. All 22 teams will play eight games in Orlando, Florida with 16 squads qualifying for the postseason.
Game odds have also just been released at the Winning Poker Network Sportsbooks. The first two games come on Thursday, July 30th with a doubleheader. The Utah Jazz are 2-point underdogs against the New Orleans Pelicans, starting at 6:30pm ET. The nightcap is a great one with the Clippers (+1.5) against the Lakers (9:00pm ET) in a battle of Los Angeles.
Note that odds are also available now for all the Friday, July 31st and Saturday, August 1st contests. That’s 11 additional games in total.
Finally, NBA title odds have been updated as well. There are three teams solidly at the top with everyone else in a separate tier. Here are the top-10 favorites with the updated odds in parenthesis:
1. Los Angeles Lakers (+232)
2. Milwaukee Bucks (+287)
3. Los Angeles Clippers (+290)
4. Houston Rockets (+1200)
5. Boston Celtics (+1300)
6. Philadelphia 76ers (+1950)
7. Toronto Raptors (+2350)
8. Denver Nuggets (+3300)
9. Miami Heat (+3850)
10. Dallas Mavericks (+4650)
One team that has made a recent move is Houston at +1200, previously +1500. I’m not too high on this odds-move as the team will still need to get by both the Lakers (+232) and Clippers (+290) in the Western Conference.
I think the better chance of an upset pick comes in the East. Milwaukee (+287) is the top dog there by far but they are one Giannis Antetokounmpo injury (or Covid-19 illness) away from the conference being completely up for grabs. The Celtics (+1300), 76ers (+1950) and Raptors (+2350) are all worth considering, although I like Philly the most in terms of value.
