The Warriors were a preseason long shot, now they’re a midseason favorite.
Only the Phoenix Suns at +450 have better odds to win the title than the Warriors at +475 according to Caesars. Rounding out the top five are the Nets at +550, the Milwaukee Bucks (+600) and Philadelphia 76ers (+700).
It’s quite a jump for the Warriors who began the season as +1000 favorites to win the title, one spot behind the Lakers in the Western Conference, who have fallen significantly since opening as the preseason favorites in the West (+250). The Lakers currently sit in 12th at +3000.
The Suns rise is even more impressive, considering they were +1500 in the preseason. The Suns 48-10 record is the best in the NBA by far, 6.5 games better than the second-place Warriors. Their +8.1 point differential also leads the league.
Despite that, the Warriors are almost favored at the same level, probably because they have earned the second best record in the league without both Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala for large stretches of the season.
Here’s the top 14 at the All-Star Break:
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Phoenix Suns | +450 |
| Golden State Warriors | +475 |
| Brooklyn Nets | +550 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +600 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +700 |
| Miami Heat | +1,100 |
| Utah Jazz | +1,600 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +2,500 |
| Boston Celtics | +2,800 |
| Chicago Bulls | +3,000 |
| Denver Nuggets | +3,000 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | +3,000 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +4,000 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +5,000 |