NBA Futures Tracker, 2022/23 Champions
We are just days away from the start of the 2022/23 NBA playoffs, with several teams vying for this season’s championship.
Bet Nation looks at the likely contenders, from the Sun’s machine to the rampaging Bucks.
Milwaukee Bucks
$3.40
Can the Bucks win their third title and second in three years?
The 2021 champions have launched into $3.40 favouritism with a sensational 35-10 record since New Year’s. Led by star forward and MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks recorded 16 consecutive wins from January 24th through March 2nd, including victories over Denver, Boston, LA Clippers, and Phoenix.
If they are to taste the ultimate success again in 2023, it will be on the back of Giannis, who averages 31.1 points, 11.8 boards and 5.7 assists. He is the best all-around player in the NBA, single-handedly putting opposition defenses to the sword.
With five players shooting 14+ points per game, Brook Lopez defending like a beast and Jrue Holiday playing the perfect second fiddle to their superstar, the Bucks are undoubtedly the team to beat.
Provided they can get through the Celtics and 76ers in the East, Mike Budenholzer would be confident with the Bucks’ 5-1 combined record over the Suns, Nuggets and Clippers.
Boston Celtics
$4.50
For much of the year, the Boston Celtics were the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Despite being knocked off the top spot and now three games behind the Bucks, they’re certainly still a team to fear.
First and foremost, Jayson Tatum. The talented forward has taken his output to another level, posting career highs for points (30.2), rebounds (8.8) and assists (4.6). With a 3.3ppg increase on his previous season high, Tatum has been in the conversation for MVP for most of the season.
One of the main reasons the Celtics could well and truly topple the Bucks in the East is that they boast a second elite scoring option. Jaylen Brown, who is also putting up career highs across the three major categories, provides the perfect outlet for Tatum with 26.6ppg. Add in the experience of Al Horford and Blake Griffin, Marcus Smart running point and Malcolm Brogdon shooting 14.9 off the bench; the Celtics are more than capable of going one better than last year.
With six wins from their past eight games, expect the Celtics to blow past the winner of Miami and Atlanta’s play-in match-up.
Phoenix Suns
$6
Prior to the trade deadline, who would’ve had the Suns as the favourite in the West and third in the market for the championship? That’s what an aggressive trade strategy and the acquisition of arguably the deadliest shooter in the NBA, Kevin Durant, can do for a team.
New Suns owner, Mat Ishbia, went all-in when recruiting KD, with the 2x MVP and 4x scoring champion joining Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton. Not only has KD added 25.6ppg, but the move has also inspired Booker to take his offensive game to a new level with 30.5ppg since the All-Star break.
CP3, who is averaging nine assists and 1.6 steals, has two elite scoring talents to distribute to, while Deandre Ayton is cleaning up with 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. The Suns almost have it all.
Currently on a seven-game winning streak, the fourth-placed Suns will face the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.
Denver Nuggets
$10
It’s rough to have the Nuggets at $10 in the market, but their current form and the emergence of the Sun’s machine means they’re not as favoured as they once were. Irrespective of popular opinion, any team who occupies the No. 1 seed for as long as the Nuggets have deserves respect.
While they may have lost four of their past five (two against the Suns), the Nuggets have also claimed some serious scalps over the past two weeks, including Milwaukee, Philly and Golden State.
Their one wood is clearly their big man and two-time MVP, Nikola Jokic, who is monstering opponents with 24.8 points, 11.9 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game. He is a triple-double king, with 29 this season.
Jamal Murray is adding 20 points and 6.2 assists, while both Michael Porter Jr and Aaron Gordon are averaging over 16ppg. They have options.
History is against the Nuggets – they’ve never won a championship – but outside of Phoenix, they’d like their chances to progress in the West.
