You don’t hear a lot about divisions in sports betting for the NBA, because division titles don’t have any bearing on the postseason. The top ten teams in each conference all advance to the postseason, with seeds seven through ten going into a play-in tournament that will produce the seventh and eighth seeds. This is different from just about every other pro sport in the United States, where division titles lead to home field/ice advantage in many cases. Even so, wagering on the division outcomes can be another fun way to make some money. At this point, not all of the divisions are still competitive races, and there are some teams already off the board, as they cannot catch up with 18-20 games left in the regular season.
NBA News: Odds to Win Each Division
| Atlantic Division | |
| Philadelphia 76ers (1st) | -350 |
| Boston Celtics (1 GB) | +220 |
| Toronto Raptors (5 GB) | +8000 |
| Brooklyn Nets (7 GB) | +10000 |
This race could get interesting after the trade between Philadelphia and Brooklyn, which sent Ben Simmons to the Nets and James Harden to the 76ers. The teams had their first meeting after the trade on Thursday, with Brooklyn rolling by 29 on the road to shush a Philadelphia crowd bent on booing Simmons. The Celtics have won four in a row and eight of ten and have a much better chance of catching the 76ers at this point.
| Central Division | |
| Milwaukee Bucks (1st) | -300 |
| Chicago Bulls (1 ½ GB) | +360 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers (3 GB) | +800 |
The Bucks have won six in a row and seven of ten to rise to second in the Eastern Conference, after spending much of the regular season in the bottom half of the postseason standings. Chicago is 40-26 but is 0-8 against teams above them in the NBA in terms of record, which means they will have to keep victimizing those below them to stay with the Bucks. The Cavaliers have cooled off in recent weeks, dropping six of ten, but they still make an interesting postseason squad.
| Southeast Division | |
| Miami Heat (1st) | -200000 |
| Charlotte Hornets (12 GB) | +10000 |
| Atlanta Hawks (12 GB) | +10000 |
| Washington Wizards (13 ½ GB) | +100000 |
At this point, it’s the Heat’s division to lose, and it’s not worth the value of that wager – or the wager on either Charlotte or Atlanta to catch them at this point. The Hornets have fallen off the table lately, dropping seven of ten, and the Hawks can’t mount the consistency to go on a tear.
| Northwest Division | |
| Utah Jazz (1st) | -900 |
| Denver Nuggets (2 GB) | +550 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves (4 GB) | +4000 |
| Portland Trail Blazers (16 GB) | +100000 |
Trading CJ McCollum to New Orleans has been followed in Portland by a succession of ugly losses – six in a row, each by at least 20 points. Could they be headed for a tank for the rest of the season? It certainly looks like it. The Nuggets have the firepower to catch the Jazz, and they cme with significantly better value.
| Pacific Division | |
| Phoenix Suns (1st) | -10000 |
| Golden State Warriors (8 ½ GB) | +3500 |
The Warriors have dropped seven of ten but still have the people to turn things around and make a deep postseason run. But can they catch the Suns with 15 games left on the regular-season schedule? Not a chance.
| Southwest Division | |
| Memphis Grizzlies (1st) | -2000 |
| Dallas Mavericks (4 ½ GB) | +1000 |
New Orleans is still alive for the postseason, in tenth in the West, but they have been eliminated from the Southwest Division chase. The Mavericks have taken off since trading Kristaps Porzingis for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, but the Grizzlies are getting incredible play out of Ja Morant. At this point, the Mavericks need to focus on passing Utah to get home court advantage in the first round, and if the Grizzlies fall off the table, the Mavericks can take advantage.
NBA Betting Odds
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