We’re still a few months away from crowning the 2020-21 NBA champion, but if your sports betting includes NBA futures, it’s not too soon to consider who might win the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the Association’s playoffs. Obviously, the Los Angeles Lakers, as the defending champion and the home of LeBron James and Anthony Davis (as well as a solid supporting cast), are the favorites. Brooklyn has emerged as an interesting alternative with the addition of James Harden, but their new Big Three has yet to play together much, and the team still doesn’t play defense.
Let’s look at some of the teams that have the best NBA odds of hanging the next banner.
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The Lakers aren’t just the favorites because of King James and AD. They also have an ironclad defense that can shut down opposing scorers when they need to. James is shooting a career best 39.8 percent from behind the arc right now, staking a claim in the MVP race for this season. However, AD is out for two to three weeks, getting his Achilles tendon injury evaluated, and the Lakers are not nearly as strong without him alongside James.
Brooklyn has a 7-1 record against teams with a record above .500, and they have seven games in which they have scored at least 130 points. They are not anything near elite on the other end of the floor, but when the Big Three are healthy and making shots, it is impossible to keep up with them. But how long will that consistency hold?
The Clippers have had a hard time closing games against other contenders, while they have been routing the bottom-feeders. They have gone into the last five minutes of games with the lead at +/- five points a dozen times this season. They have only won five of those games, and their team rating in those minutes is -28.3, the worst in the NBA. They need to finish better if they plan to make a deep postseason run.
Milwaukee has the best offensive rating in the NBA over the past two weeks. However, they dropped four games in a row. Bobby Portis is coming on as a center with more versatility, and Khris Middleton is coming into his own offense. However, Jrue Holiday is on the shelf, and the Bucks have already shown that their physicality needs an upgrade before they can be considered an elite team in the playoffs.
Philadelphia is getting an MVP-caliber season out of Joel Embiid, and the Sixers lead the East. However, they dropped three in a row against top Western Conference competition this past week, despite having the third best defensive rating in the league.
Utah has won 19 out of 20, with 17 of those wins coming in double figures. At some point, they will move up the probability list to win the Finals, but it is still hard to trust them in the playoffs, at least for now.
Boston has had a lot of players in and out of the lineup with injuries and COVID-19 contact tracing. Kemba Walker (knee), Marcus Smart (calf), Jaylen Brown (knee) and Jayson Tatum (COVID-19) have all missed significant time, and the Celtics have struggled as a result. Who will step up to lead this team down the stretch?
Denver also has a potential MVP in Nikola Jokic. Beyond the big man, though, Denver is not getting a lot of help; the Nuggets have won just 5 of 15 games against teams with records above .500, and this comes after a playoffs when the Nuggets got all the way to the West finals.
Miami is slowly coming to life. Jimmy Butler has returned on offense, bringing his tough attitude on both ends of the floor. The team as a whole is still very young and raw, but they looked this grim a year ago and ended up in the Finals.
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