Last updated: 14th April 2023
2022/'23 NBA Championship betting odds:
Favourites at end of play April '23
Milwaukee Bucks @ 3.30
Boston Celtics @ 4.33
Phoenix Suns @ 5.50
Denver Nuggets @ 9.50
Philadelphia 76ers @ 9.50
Golden State Warriors @ 9.50
Memphis Grizzlies @ 18.00
Los Angeles Lakers @ 21.00
Cleveland Cavaliers @ 36.00
Los Angeles Clippers @ 36.00
Sacramento Kings @ 51.00
NBA Championship leaders - FINAL TABLE
| Team | Record | Win % | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Bucks | 58-24 | 70.7 | 2 losses |
| Boston Celtics | 57-25 | 69.5 | 3 wins |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 54-28 | 65.9 | 2 wins |
| Denver Nuggets | 53-9 | 64.6 | 1 win |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 51-31 | 62.2 | 1 loss |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 51-31 | 62.2 | 1 loss |
| Sacramento Kings | 48-34 | 58.5 | 3 losses |
General update: Apr 10th 2023
So, That time again. The NBA regular season has come to an end and all eyes now turn to the excitement of the NBA Playoffs.
Western Conference
The following teams all sailed into the post-season:
Denver Nuggets
Memphis Grizzlies
Sacramento Kings
Phoenix Suns
Los Angeles Clippers
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Lakers
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Oklahoma Thunder
The Los Angeles Clippers fought hard for their win over the Phoenix Suns and secured themselves 5th seed in the Western
This is despite being 10 points down late in Q3. They need to get used to the view because the Clippers and the Suns meet again in the first round of the NBA Playoffs
The Golden State Warriors annihilated the Portland Trailblazers to secure 6th seed in the Western Conference
Along the way, they set an NBA record by scoring 55 points in the first quarter alone.
The Los Angeles Lakers took the 7th spot in the Western Conference with a win over the Utah Jazz.
Eastern Conference
Milwaukee Bucks
Boston Celtics
Philadelphia 76ers
Cleveland Cavaliers
New York Knickerbockers
Brooklyn Nets
Miami Heat
Atlanta Hawks (Go Hawks!)
Toronto Raptors
Chicago Bulls
Losing back-to-back home games killed Dallas’ chances of sneaking in. As Utah Jazz and Portland Trailblazers also lost, The only teams that had any chance of surging into the Play In spots as a heroic last-dash failed miserably.
General update: Mar 29th 2023
With 6 teams having already secured their places in the NBA Playoff series, and the Central and Northwest division winners now decided (Milwaukee and Denver), it is coming to crunch time for a lot of teams.
Eastern Conference
In the Eastern Conference, those that aren't quite out of the running just yet include the Washington Wizards and the Indiana Pacers. If they can catch the team in 10th position then they make the NBA Play-In Tournament
Their target in the 10th spot is the Chicago Bulls, who have pulled out a remarkable recovery in recent weeks and are 7-3 in their last 10 games. A complete reversal of their record for the 10 games before that when they were 3-7, having already lost the 2 games prior to that. Still, they have a game-in-hand over their nearest threat from below and currently sit in 10th position:
Chicago Bulls' winning percentage is 48%
That threat comes in the shape of the Washington Wizards, who are 4-10 in recent games and have been sporadic at best all season. If they can put together a decent winning run to end the season then they will possibly give the Bulls a run for their money and have a chance at that crucial 10th spot.
Washington Wizards' winning percentage is 44.7%
But as their maximum winning streak so far this season is 6 games, and their losing one 10, we won't get too excited...
As for the Pacers, they have also played one more game than the Bulls and are on another losing streak. 4-6 across their last 10 games and 0-3 even more recently.
Indiana Pacers' winning percentage is 43.4%
While it is not a statistical impossibility for them to take the 10th spot and make the mini-tournament, with form like they've been displaying of late, it doesn't seem likely. The story is going to come down to the Chicago Bulls and how much focus and fortitude they can display in their last few games. Neither of the teams below can catch them if they perform well, so watch this space...
Western Conference
the picture on the other side of the country looks like this:
Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks have the exact same record of 37-39, giving them both:
A winning % of 48.7%
Utah Jazz are hot on their heels with:
35-40 = 46.7% winning percentage
Should any of the teams above them suffer a total collapse of form and lose every game, then Utah and Dallas can both catch any team in the 7th-10th positions that qualify for the Play-In Tournament.
But the fact remains that Utah are 9-4 in their last 13 games
They are staring down the barrel of a 5th-straight loss...
...if they cannot overcome San Antonio on Thursday (30th). Their other upcoming matchups include teams that are either much better than them (Boston, Brooklyn, Denver) or those that are fighting tooth-and-nail to make the NBA Playoffs via the Play-In Tournament (Lakers, Thunder)
Dallas are not faring a great deal better and are currently 3-7 in their last 10 games. They did, at least, manage to stop the rot and stop a 4-game losing streak from becoming 5 against Indiana but they have some challenging matchups left to come. Notably against Philadelphia and Sacramento in particuar.
But only one of their final games is against a team with nothing left to play for
No pride and no integrity. The San Antonio Spurs, who have an abysmal points differential of -10.5 and can only be assumed to be deliberately losing as many games as possible. For shame.
General update: Mar 21st 2023
Boston Celtics go back above the 76ers in the NBA overall standings even after both teams lose, Boston by 1 point away to Utah Jazz and Philadelphia by 4 points at home vs the Chicago Bulls. Boston remain 2nd to the Milwaukee Bucks.
General update: Mar 20th 2023
So the last few weeks have seen all change at the top of the NBA. Boston's unassailable lead was assailed and they find themselves in 3rd position overall.
With a stuttering recent record of 12-8 over their last 20 games, Boston are no longer even leading the NBA Atlantic Division after the Philadelphia 76ers pulled an 8-game winning streak out of the bag and usurped them at the top.
The 76ers are currently 14-3 over their last 17 games.
It can't be hurting them that Joel Embiid is snatching an incredible:
33.5 points (PTS) per game, 4.2 assists (AST), and 10.2 rebounds (TRB)
James Harden is providing:
21.7 points, 10.8 assists, and 6.3 rebounds.
Sensational numbers.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks are continuing to plug away and have a record of 18-3 in their last 21 games. Giannis Antetokounmpo keeps throwing down incredible numbers:
31.4 points per game, 5.5 assists, and 11.9 rebounds
His teammates don't get close to him in terms of their numbers, but they don't have to. They remain rock solid in support and when you have a game-changing individual like that on your team, that's all you really need to do.
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When the fun stops, stop
A few words on the scourge of deliberate tanking
Before we go any further, it saddens us to have to address the elephant in the room. Deliberate tanking is easily our least favourite aspect of the NBA and one that we wish we didn't have to think about. For those of you unaware of what it means, to put it very briefly, the way that the NBA is structured means that the worst-performing teams have a better chance of picking the best players in the following season's NBA Draft.
Sadly, we live in a cynical world where blatant cheating is tolerated and often even encouraged. If it cannot be proven and will result in an advantage then some teams clearly feel that it is worth the loss of integrity and dignity. That it is worth snubbing their nose to their own fans and admitting that they are too shitty to achieve anything without cheating. That they would rather field weakened sides and lose on purpose than accept the task ahead of them and get those same noses to the grindstone instead. Even with the, clearly inadequate measures that the NBA introduced and the new lottery system that makes it harder to guarantee an advantage, it still exists.
It is too complicated and depressing for us to try and figure out which teams are engaged in this lowest-of-the-low behaviour. It should be pretty obvious. We'll mention it for sure if it's beyond question. But, otherwise, we have decided to write these articles as though tanking didn't exist. As though we live in a world where winning through hard work and dedication is the only goal.
Pleasing the fans and doing your absolute best to represent them with honour at all times should be a given. Tanking is for scumbags and suckers. We hope franchises that deliberately set out to lose games wither and turn to dust.
However, for the purposes of these articles, we will assess the teams in front of us on their merits and pretend that there is still some integrity in professional sports.
NBA Finals 1963. Deciding game
Boston Celtics @ 4.50
NBA Championship betting odds progression:
@ 3.60 — @ 3.75 — @ 4.00 — @ 4.20 — @ 4.33 — @ 4.50
Feb 16th — Feb 27th — Mar 7th/22nd — Mar 27th/29th — Apr 3rd — Apr 5th
NBA Atlantic Division betting odds: \\
NBA Eastern Conference betting odds: @ 2.50
Record: 54-25
68.4% win percentage
Streak: 1 loss
29-9 at home
25-16 on the road
Current table positions:
Atlantic Division: 1st
Eastern Conference: 2nd
NBA: 2nd
Update: March 20th, 2023
As mentioned above, Boston have hit a few road bumps of late and are 12-8 over their last 20 games. This is not the kind of form that sees you stay at the top of the NBA in a tight season and both the Bucks and the 76ers have caught and passed them recently. With a winning percentage less than 2% behind them, the Denver Nuggets will be eyeing them up hungrily too if their form continues to stutter.
But all is not lost and it's still all to play for as the regular season begins to wind up.
What the Celtics do well:
Although they only have 5 players making double-figures in points per game, the Celtics have 3 more players knocking on the door and almost 60 points per game between their 2 best scorers, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Celtics have strength in depth when it comes to rebounds (TRB)
With their 4 best contributors providing around 30 per game between them. That is enough to control almost any game.
Where they are less effective:
Boston lack a little depth in terms of assists at times. Hardly crisis level but we're struggling to find too many weaknesses in a team that is pretty solid across the board...
Roster strength:
It's hard to argue against Jayson Tatum being key to Boston's continued success this season. with 67 games played, all of them starting, he is unquestionably an integral component of the team:
Jayson Tatum - 2022/’23 averages per NBA game:
G: 67 \ GS: 67 \ MP: 37.4* \ PTS: 30.0* \ FG%: 45.7 \ 3P%: 34.5 \ FT%: 85.9 \ TRB: 8.9* \ AST: 4.7* \ STL: 1.0 \ BLK: 0.7 \ TOV: 3.0* \ PF: 2.1
*Career high
Those stats do not lie. Tatum has been on fire this season and hitting 4 career highs in positive stats (and one in a negative one - turnovers) is not to be sniffed at. 6 seasons into his career and Jayson Tatum looks more and more like a player who will make the record books and be long remembered in NBA history.
The Celtics' fans must be loving his performances.
Milwaukee Bucks @ 3.30
NBA Championship betting odds progression:
@ 4.50 — @ 5.00 — @ 4.00 — @ 3.75 — @ 3.60 — @ 3.40 — @ 3.30
Feb 16th — Feb 27th — Mar 7th/13th —Mar 22nd — Mar 27th — Mar 29th — Apr 3rd/5th
NBA Central Division betting odds: \\
NBA Eastern Conference betting odds: @ 2.15
Record: 57-22
72.2% win percentage
Streak: 2 wins
31-8 at home
26-14 on the road
Current table positions:
Central Division: 1st
Eastern Conference: 1st
NBA: 1st
Update: March 21st, 2023
An absolutely extraordinary run of 16 back-to-back wins from the end of January to the beginning of March catapulted the Milwaukee Bucks right to the top of the NBA. They are 6-3 since that run ended 133-130 in a high-scoring game against the 2nd-placed Philadelphia 76ers.
What the Bucks do well:
The Bucks are the epitome of the concept that doing a lot of things decently well is enough to put you right at the top. They only top the stats in 3 places, which are:
Defensive rebounds (DRB): 37.6
Total rebounds (TRB) 48.9
Player fouls: 18.2
So, they've got the unstoppable Antetokounmpo dragging down every rebound that comes near him and they are very light on giving away unnecessary fouls.
Where they are less effective:
Although they are only the 9th-highest scoring team in the league, the Bucks keep their opponents at bay and maintain a positive points differential (currently +3.9)
Converting just 46.9% of the field goals they attempt puts the Bucks 20th in the whole NBA
Milwaukee are particularly bad from the free-throw line and are:
27/30 in free throws made (FT)
29/30 in free throw percentage (FT%)
Roster strength:
Giannis Antetokounmpo is an unstoppable force within the NBA the likes of which we have seldom seen. But oh boy, do we love it when we do? The big man is simply the epitome of size, speed, strength, and ball-handling skills. He takes almost 12 rebounds per game
Giannis Antetokounmpo - 2022/’23 averages per NBA game:
G: 56 \ GS: 56 \ MP: 32.5 \ PTS: 31.3* \ FG%: 54.6 \ 3P%: 28.8 \ FT%: 64.9 \ TRB: 11.9 \ AST: 5.6 \ STL: 0.7 \ BLK: 0.8 \ TOV: 3.9* \ PF: 3.2
*Career high
By his own, frankly ridiculous standards, Antetokounmpo isn't even having his best season with Milwaukee. Although he is scoring more heavily than ever before, he has no other career-high stats this season apart from the dreaded turnovers (TOV). With 3.9 per game fans would be calling for his head were it not for the unbelievable contribution that he provides elsewhere, more than making up for it.
Would you be happy with a player who makes almost 4 turnovers per game but snatches 12 rebounds and 31 points?
Yeah, so would we (Go Hawks!)
In his last outing alone, a win over the Toronto Raptors, Giannis provided:
13 rebounds, 10 assists, and 22 points
Phoenix Suns @ 5.50
NBA Championship betting odds progression:
@ 5.50 — @ 5.00 — @ 6.50 — @ 7.00 — @ 5.50
Feb 16th — Feb 27th/Mar 7th — Mar 13th — Mar 21st/Apr 3rd — Apr 5th
NBA Pacific Division betting odds: \\
NBA Western Conference betting odds: @ 3.50
Record: 43-35
55.1% win percentage
Streak: 5 wins
26-12 at home
17-23 on the road
Current table positions:
Pacific Division: 2nd
Western Conference: 4th
NBA: 9th
Update: March 21st, 2023
The Phoenix Suns are having a rollercoaster of a time this season. They cannot seem to string a decent run of wins together and are currently:
5-5 in their last 10 games
With the influential Deandre Ayton and the newly acquired Kevin Durant both out injured (Ayton briefly with a sore hip, Durant for around 10 days with a twisted ankle) they are heavily reliant on Devin Booker to step up and take the strain.
What the Suns do well:
Phoenix have been doing well against other teams in the Pacific Division, with a record of 9-3
They have some decent strength in depth when it comes to taking rebounds and giving assists, and are the 4th best in the league at the latter.
Where they are less effective:
The Suns come in at 19th of 30 teams in the NBA when it comes to scoring points. True, they do restrict their opponents relatively effectively and have a positive points differential at the time of writing (+1.8). What is unusual about this is that they are one of the few teams that can boast 7 players making double-digits in points every time they play.
Roster strength:
In his 8th season with the Phoenix Suns, one player has been showing superb consistency and even pushing his own personal bests in several areas:
Devin Booker - 2022/’23 averages per NBA game:
G: 44 \ GS: 44 \ MP: 34.5 \ PTS: 28.0* \ FG%: 49.6* \ 3P%: 36.8 \ FT%: 84.1 \ TRB: 4.5 \ AST: 5.5 \ STL: 0.9 \ BLK: 0.4 \ TOV: 2.5 \ PF: 3.0
*Career high
Booker scored a, frankly astonishing, 46 points against Oklahoma in his last outing. A game that the Suns still managed to lose! In fact, Booker has:
199 points across his last 6 games (and Phoenix have still lost 4 of them)
Averaged 58% field goal success (FG%) over 6 games, going as high as 73.9% in one game (claiming 44 points while he was at it)
Not dropped below 80% success from the free-throw line in 8 games
Denver Nuggets @ 8.50
NBA Championship betting odds progression:
@ 8.00 — @ 8.50 — @ 6.50 — @ 8.00 — @ 7.50 — @ 8.00
Feb 16th/27th — Mar 7th — Mar 13th — Mar 20th — Mar 22nd — Mar 27th/Apr 3rd
@ 8.50
Apr 5th
NBA Northwest Division betting odds: \\
NBA Western Conference betting odds: @ 4.00
Record: 52-27
65.8% win percentage
Streak: 1 loss
33-7 at home
19-20 on the road
Current table positions:
Northwest Division: 1st
Western Conference: 1st
NBA: 3rd
Update: March 22nd, 2023
The Denver Nuggets are a very difficult team to beat on their home court and it shows in their overall record thus far:
30-6 at home and 18-18 away
The Nuggets are erratic at times. They put 4 teams to the sword at the end of February and into March by a combined total of 52 points.
The next 4 games were an almost exact mirror image and they lost all 4, conceding 46 more points than they scored. They are 2-1 since that run of 4 losses and fans will be hoping for some consistency as the regular season winds up.
What the Nuggets do well:
Denver top the NBA when it comes to converting field goal attempts. This is in no small part down to Nikola Jokić (see below)
They score solidly and restrict their opponents accordingly. At the time of writing, they have a +3.7 points differential. 6th best in the NBA
The Nuggets effectively win 2 games for every 1 that they lose
Where they are less effective:
Although the team has put together a few streaks of back-to-back wins, they are still rather erratic when it comes to consistency. After going 8-2 in the 10 games before, they are now 2-5 in their last 7.
If we take Jokić and Jamal Murray out of the equation, the Nuggets lack any real strength in depth when it comes to playmaking. Those 2 players account for 16 assists per game.
Almost the same amount as their 6 next-best assist-givers...
Roster strength:
In his 8th season with the Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokić is showing once again what a sensational player he is.
Nikola Jokić - 2022/’23 averages per NBA game:
G: 64 \ GS: 64 \ MP: 33.9 \ PTS: 24.7 \ FG%: 63.4* \ 3P%: 39.4 \ FT%: 81.8 \ TRB: 11.9 \ AST: 9.9* \ STL: 1.2 \ BLK: 0.7 \ TOV: 3.5 \ PF: 2.6
*Career high
Jokić is averaging 63.4% when it comes to converting his attempted field goals into points
To put that into perspective, the average across all players last season was just 41%. Although the leaderboard is skewed by players with fewer games under their belts, Jokić sits in 9th place for those with the same, or more games than him.
He gets more minutes than any other player on Denver's roster and only Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has started more games than him.
L.A. Clippers @ 26.00
NBA Championship betting odds progression:
@ 11.00 — @ 10.00 — @ 15.00 — @ 11.00 — @ 12.00 — @ 21.00
Feb 16th — Feb 27th — Mar 7th/13th — Mar 20th — Mar 21st — Mar 22nd
@ 23.00 — @ 20.00 — @ 31.00 — @ 26.00
Mar 27th — Mar 29th — Apr 3rd — Apr 5th
NBA Pacific Division betting odds: \\
NBA Western Conference betting odds: @ 8.00
Record: 41-38
51.9% win percentage
Streak: 2 losses
21-18 at home
20-20 on the road
Current table positions:
Pacific Division: 3rd
Western Conference: 5th
NBA: 12th
Update: March 22nd, 2023
After losing to Sacramento by a single point in the second-highest scoring game in NBA history (176-175), the Clippers did not bounce back well and also lost their following 4 games. They stemmed the tide against Memphis and put a 4-game winning streak together.
They lack any real cutting edge on their home court and their record there is largely the same as it is when on the road.
19-16 at home
19-18 away
The Clippers' NBA Championship betting odds have lengthened overnight from:
@ 12.00 to @ 21.00
What the Clippers do well:
Although 3 of them have played very few games, the Clippers have 9 players making double-figures in points every time they take to the court. As an all-round OK team, they don't really stand out in any given area, hence them being 17/30 in the NBA. They are, however:
5/30 in terms of their 3 point success rate (3P%)
Where they are less effective:
The Clippers are just barely into positive numbers when it comes to their points differential. They score an average of just 0.2 points more than their opponents and this probably accounts for the somewhat hit-and-miss nature of their results. In the NBA, the LA Clippers are:
22/30 in the NBA at scoring points (PTS)
24/30 at field goals attempted (FGA)
24/30 at field goals made (FG)
25/30 at assists (AST)
Roster strength:
In his 4th season with the LA Clippers, Paul George continues to maintain his supreme consistency. Well, as much consistency as can be expected from a player who has suffered much more than his fair share of injuries. Few among us will ever forget the harrowing images from 2014's Team USA showcase game. George has already played in more games this season than in any of his others for the Clippers and has put down some excellent numbers:
Paul George - 2022/’23 averages per NBA game:
G: 55 \ GS: 55 \ MP: 34.6 \ PTS: 23.9 \ FG%: 45.6 \ 3P%: 37.5 \ FT%: 87.7 \ TRB: 6.1 \ AST: 5.1 \ STL: 1.5 \ BLK: 0.3 \ TOV: 3.2 \ PF: 2.9
Over his last 6 games, Paul George has provided:
170 points, 35 rebounds, and 27 assists
None of this sets the basketball world alight and moves the boundaries of what players can achieve. But what it does is bring reliability and solid, dependable performances to the team. As we have said time and again here at The Jump Hub, it is the team with the best record of doing everything reasonably well that tends to prevail, not the one with once-in-a-lifetime players on the roster. Although, that doesn't hurt either, to be fair...
Philadelphia 76ers @ 9.00
NBA Championship betting odds progression:
@ 13.00 — @ 15.00 — @ 11.00 — @ 9.00 — @ 9.50 — @ 10.00
Feb 16th/27th — Mar 7th — Mar 20th — Mar 21st — Mar 27th — Mar 29th
@ 9.50 — @ 9.00
Apr 3rd — Apr 5th
NBA Atlantic Division betting odds: \\
NBA Eastern Conference betting odds: @ 6.00
Record: 52-27
65.8% win percentage
Streak: 1 win
29-11 at home
23-16 on the road
Current table positions:
Atlantic Division: 2nd
Eastern Conference: 3rd
NBA: 4th
Update: March 22nd, 2023
The 76ers are recovering after an 8-game winning streak came to an end at home against the Chicago Bulls in a game that went into 2 periods of overtime (2OT)
They will be hoping to rectify that situation soon, as their next game is also against the Bulls, this time in Chicago.
Philadelphia's overall record is impressive and, at the time of writing they have the best last-10-games record in the league at 8-2
What the 76ers do well:
In the whole NBA, the 76ers are:
3/30 in the NBA at restricting their opponents from scoring
3/30 in terms of points differential (+5.0)
It is their bad fortune to find themselves in the same division (Atlantic) as the Boston Celtics, as their winning percentage (67.6%) would see them topping any of the other divisions in the league.
Where they are less effective:
13/30 in terms of points per game
The 76ers have just 5 players making double-figures in scoring per game. Although 3 of those make 20+
If we take James Harden out of the equation, the 76ers have a serious lack of depth when it comes to playmaking and providing assists to teammates. The numbers drop a shocking amount from 10.8 to just 4.1 (Embiid)
Roster strength:
In his 7th season in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid is really coming into his own. With career highs in 4 categories, Embiid is cementing himself as one of the true greats in 76ers history. Not only that, but he is virtually the only player on the team who can competently collect defensive rebounds (DRB) on a consistent basis.
Joel Embiid - 2022/’23 averages per NBA game:
G: 58 \ GS: 58 \ MP: 35.0* \ PTS: 33.6* \ FG%: 54.6* \ 3P%: 35.1 \ FT%: 85.5 \ TRB: 10.3 \ AST: 4.1 \ STL: 1.1* \ BLK: 1.8 \ TOV: 3.5 \ PF: 3.2
*Career high
Only Harden gets more minutes per game as Embiid continues his career-long record of starting every single game he has played in:
326 games, 326 starts
In March of 2023 alone, Joel Embiid has contributed an almost unbelievable 362 points
Averaging 36.2 per game
Oh, and he's the 7th-best blocker in the NBA just for good measure...
Golden State Warriors @ 11.00
NBA Championship betting odds progression:
@ 15.00 — @ 14.00 — @ 12.00 — @ 11.00 — @ 12.00 — @ 11.00
Feb 16th/27th — Mar 7th — Mar 13th — Mar 22nd/27th — Mar 29th/Apr 3rd — Apr 5th
NBA Pacific Division betting odds: \\
NBA Western Conference betting odds: @ 5.50
Record: 41-38
51.9% win percentage
Streak: 1 loss
32-8 at home
9-30 on the road
Current table positions:
Pacific Division: 4th
Western Conference: 6th
NBA: 13th
Update: March 22nd, 2023
If you're anything like us then you're still surprised every time you look and realise that last season's NBA Champions are sitting in the bottom half of the NBA this season. All the nonsense with Green and Poole didn't help matters and the Warriors got off to an incredibly underwhelming start. Once Stephen Curry was out injured, the true lack of depth in the roster really started to reveal itself.
What the Warriors do well:
The Warriors are the 2nd best team in the league at scoring points after the Sacramento Kings who are in 7th position overall. They also excel at:
3-pointers attempted (3PA) = 1st in the NBA
3-pointers scored (3P) = 1st in the NBA
3-pointer success rate (3P%) = 3rd in the NBA
It should be fairly obvious to anyone who has ever watched them play that these are largely a direct result of having Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the team. They occupy positions 1 and 2 in the whole NBA for 3-pointers made and 1 and 4 respectively for the number they attempt per game.
Where they are less effective:
In the whole NBA, the Golden State Warriors are:
25/30 at allowing their opponents to score points
And herein lies an important story. The Warriors are 2nd at scoring but can barely prevent teams from scoring just as many as they do. Their points differential is positive (just) but the difference between the Warriors and the only team better than them at scoring (Kings) means that they sit in 16th position overall whereas the Kings are 7th.
They have lacked consistency in any meaningful way this season and that is reflected by the choppy nature of their wins and losses. There have only been 2 streaks all season, both of 5 games. One losing, one winning. And that about sums up the Warriors.
How the mighty have fallen...
Roster strength:
in his 14th season with the team, Golden State Warriors legend Stephen Curry has been as instrumental as ever.
Stephen Curry - 2022/’23 averages per NBA game:
G: 47 \ GS: 47 \ MP: 34.7 \ PTS: 29.8 \ FG%: 49.8 \ 3P%: 43.3 \ FT%: 91.5 \ TRB: 6.2* \ AST: 6.2 \ STL: 1.0 \ BLK: 0.4 \ TOV: 3.3 \ PF: 2.2
*Career high
Curry's free throw accuracy remains an absolutely crucial part of his game. We are so used to seeing him hit huge numbers of them that it bears remembering that the NBA average was just 78.5% last season and even that was much higher than it normally is. His accuracy is nothing short of freakish.
Curry is capturing more rebounds (mostly defensive ones) than he has at any other point in his career and his consistency in overall performances is remarkable, especially when we remember he has suffered from injury issues this season.
Memphis Grizzlies @ 18.00
NBA Championship betting odds progression:
@ 17.00 — @ 15.00 — @ 18.00 — @ 12.00 — @ 13.00 — @ 18.00
Feb 16th — Feb 27th/Mar 13th — Mar 20th — Mar 24th — Mar 29th/Apr 3rd — Apr 5th
NBA Southwest Division betting odds: \\
NBA Western Conference betting odds: @ 7.00
Record: 50-29
63.3% win percentage
Streak: 1 win
35-6 at home
15-23 on the road
Current table positions:
Southwest Division: 1st
Western Conference: 2nd
NBA: 5th
Update: March 23rd, 2023
The Memphis Grizzlies are currently:
6-1 in their last 7 games
And that's without the influential Ja Morant, who looks set to return imminently. They have put together several decent winning -streaks this season so far, the longest of which being 7 in December and 11 in January. Remarkable.
What the Grizzlies do well:
9th best at scoring points in the NBA
7th best at restricting their opponents from scoring
4th best at the number of field goals they attempt (FGA)
3rd best at the number of field goals scored (FG)
4th for offensive and defensive rebounds (ORB/DRB)
3rd for total rebounds (TRB)
3rd for steals (STL)
3rd for blocks (BLK)
Overall, Memphis are an accomplished, tight unit that does not make many mistakes and does a lot of the basics better than most other teams in the NBA.
Where they are less effective:
17th for field goal success rate (FG%)
17th for 3-point field goals made (3P)
22nd in terms of 3-point success rate (3P%)
30th for the success of their free throws (FT%)
The Grizzlies attempt the 10th-most free throws in the NBA. They are 24th in terms of the number they make and dead last at converting attempts into points.
Roster strength:
In just his 4th season with the Memphis Grizzlies, Ja Morant has maintained the consistency he started to show last season and made improvements in some key areas:
Ja Morant - 2022/’23 averages per NBA game:
G: 53 \ GS: 53 \ MP: 32.5 \ PTS: 27.1 \ FG%: 46.3 \ 3P%: 31.6 \ FT%: 74.4 \ TRB: 6.0* \ AST: 8.2* \ STL: 1.1 \ BLK: 0.2 \ TOV: 3.4 \ PF: 1.7*
*Career high
More rebounds and assists than in any of his other seasons show that Morant is upping his work rate and growing as a player. Sure, he made a few more fouls too but we would expect to see that with increased involvement.
Unfortunately for the young rising star, Morant missed 9 games in March due to injury but looks set to return from the bench in their next game against Houston
Cleveland Cavaliers @ 26.00
NBA Central Division betting odds progression:
@ 5.00 — @ 26.00 — @ 23.00 — @ 31.00 — @ 23.00 — @ 26.00
Feb 16th — Feb 27th/Mar 7th — Mar 13th — Mar 20th/29th — Apr 3rd — Apr 5th
NBA Central Division betting odds: \\
NBA Eastern Conference betting odds: @ 17.00
Record: 50-30
62.5% win percentage
Streak: 2 wins
31-9 at home
19-21 on the road
Current table positions:
Central Division: 2nd
Eastern Conference: 4th
NBA: 6th
Update: March 27th, 2023
Cleveland have run a little hot and cold this season so far. They came out of the gates like men possessed and went 8-1 in their first 9 games. Then the wheels came off and they lost 5. Then they won 4. It's been the same rollercoaster story of ups and downs pretty much right through the regular season thus far but somehow they keep doing enough to stay in contention and are currently 6th in the NBA overall.
A run of 4 straight wins sees them clinch their place in the NBA Playoffs
What the Cavaliers do well:
Cleveland are rock-solid at home with a winning record of 30-8
1st in the NBA at restricting their opponents from scoring
Best points-differential of any team (+5.7)
6/30 at converting field goal attempts into points
Where they are less effective:
The Cavaliers have a poor record away from home 18-20
Of the top 8 teams in the NBA, only the Memphis Grizzlies have lost more games on the road
25th of 30 at scoring points
It really illustrates just how good the Cavaliers are at defending that they can be so awful at scoring points but still have the best points difference in the game
21/30 taking offensive rebounds. 24/30 defensive ones. 25/30 total rebounds
26/30 at field goals attempted
21/30 at field goals scored
30/30 in terms of pace (number of possessions per game)
It's not even super-clear how they're restricting their opponents from scoring so effectively. They are abysmal at snatching rebounds and sit close to the bottom in lots of statistical categories...
Roster strength:
In his first season with Cleveland after spending 5 with Utah Jazz, Donovan Mitchell is performing very well for the Cavaliers.
Donovan Mitchell - 2022/’23 averages per NBA game:
G: 63 \ GS: 63 \ MP: 35.5* \ PTS: 27.5* \ FG%: 47.7* \ 3P%: 37.8 \ FT%: 86.7* \ TRB: 4.2 \ AST: 4.5 \ STL: 1.5 \ BLK: 0.4 \ TOV: 2.6* \ PF: 2.4
*Career high
Lots of career-high stats across the board, Mitchell has really stepped up his game and is starting to look like an all-around balanced and skilful player. He has provided:
31 points in each of his last 2 games (both against Brooklyn)
Donovan is not just a quality scoring machine. Although, as the 11th-best in the NBA for points per game, he is certainly that. He is also:
Cleveland's 2nd-best assist-giver
Their top stealer of the ball
4th best for rebounds
In the wider NBA, he also:
Attempts 10th-most field goals
Scores 14th-most
Attempts and scores 6th-most 3-pointers
Scores 11th-most points in the NBA
Sits in the top 20 for steals
Rest of the field:
Dallas Mavericks: @ 46.00 - @ 41.00 - @ 176.00 - @ 401.00
Los Angeles Lakers: @ 51.00 - @ 36.00 - @ 51.00 - @ 36.00 - @ 31.00 -
@ 23.00
Miami Heat: @ 51.00 - @ 61.00 - @ 76.00 - @ 91.00 - @ 76.00 -
@ 101.00
New Orleans Pelicans: @ 56.00 - @ 61.00 - @ 176.00 - @ 276.00 -
@ 201.00 - @ 226.00
Brooklyn Nets: @ 101.00 - @ 176.00 - @ 276.00 - @ 226.00 - @ 276.00
Atlanta Hawks: (Go Hawks!) @ 151.00 - @ 176.00 - @ 226.00
Sacramento Kings: @ 151.00 - @ 91.00 - @ 76.00 - @ 51.00 - @ 61.00
Toronto Raptors: @ 176.00 - @ 201.00 - @ 91.00 - @ 101.00 - @ 201.00
New York Knickerbockers: @ 226.00 - @ 176.00 - @ 61.00 - @ 76.00 -
@ 91.00
Chicago Bulls: @ 276.00 - @ 501.00 - @ 276.00 - @ 501.00
Minnesota Timberwolves: @ 276.00 - @ 176.00 - @ 151.00 - @ 101.00 -
@ 201.00 - @ 151.00
Portland Trailblazers: @ 426.00 - @ 501.00 \\
Houston Rockets @ 501.00 \\
Oklahoma City Thunder @ 501.00
Washington Wizards @ 501.00
Charlotte Hornets @ 501.00 \\
Orlando Magic @ 501.00
Indiana Pacers @ 501.00
San Antonio Spurs @ 501.00 \\
Detroit Pistons @ 501.00 \\
Utah Jazz @ 501.00
*Key to terms:
G: Games \ PTS: Points \ FG%: Field goal percentage \
3P%: 3-point percentage \ FT%: Free throw percentage \
TRB: Total rebounds \ AST: Assists \ STL: Steals \ BLK: Blocks \
TOV: Turnovers \ PF: Personal fouls \
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