NBA Western Conference | Odds, Tips & Picks

The All Star break is coming to an end, and we are way over half way through the regular season, so its a great jumping off point to look at the odds and best tips for the Western Conference

Oklahoma Thunder dominate in the West

Joint best in the NBA (with Cleveland) OKC have taken the Western Conference by the scruff of its typically Californian neck and given it a good shake up.

Western Conference - Latest and Best Odds

(17th Feb 2025)

Oklahoma City Thunder, best odds 2.20
Denver Nuggets, best odds 7.00
Los Angeles Lakers, best odds 9.50 (amazing what the Doncic trade has done to these odds)
Memphis Grizzlies, best odds 13.00
Houston Rockets, best odds 23.00
Dallas Mavericks, best odds 23.00 (and to these!)
Golden State Warriors, best odds 23.00
Minnesota Timberwolves, best odds 29.00
Phoenix Suns, best odds 56.00
San Antonio Spurs, best odds 101.00
Sacramento Kings, best odds 151.00
All others, best odds 751.00

Right from game 1 we've been crawling all over Denver as our tip for the Western Conference and indeed the Championship (best odds 15.00). Denver are a strong team, with by far and away the best player in the game in Nikola Jokic. In our view, if the Joker stays fit, Denver wins the lot.

The Nuggets started the season at odds of 4.80 to win the Western Conference, and due to the rise of OKC (5.75 to 2.15) have seen their odds drift to 7.50. At 7.50 we are firing multiple bullets at Denver. It is, in our opinion, terrific value.

Oklahoma started the 2024/25 season available at odds of 5.75 to win the West, but due to their dominance and 8 game lead (currently) have plummeted to just 2.15. This in our opinion far too short, and the surge of Denver (W8) shows us that our pick is currently the right one.

The Luka Doncic effect.

Prior to the trade of the millennium, the Lakers were available at odds of 21.00 for the West, and 41.00 for the Championship. Now, off the back of that trade and the subsequent raising of their game, LAL are as short as 6.00 to win the Western Conference (best odds 9.50) and as short as 11.00 to win the Championship (best odds 17.00)

Balancing these dramatic odds slashing is Dallas. After waving goodbye to Luka (and welcoming the oft-inured Anthony Davis) the Mavs have gone from 8.00 to 23.00 to win the West and from 15.00 to 61.00 to win the Championship. Sixty One!

Lets look at the next 3 games for the top 3 in the betting for the Western Conference.
Bold highlights where they play each other.

Thunder - next 5 games

OKC @ UTA
OKC @ MIN
OKC v MIN
OKC @ BKN
OKC @ ATL

We expect four wins for OKC from these games, with the loss likely to come in Minnesota.

Nuggets - next 5 games

DEN v CHA
DEN v LAL
DEN @ IND
DEN @ MIL
DEN @ DET

A tough road trip coming up soon for Denver and they are in Boston straight after Detroit to round it off. Three wins would represent a good return from these games, with losses possible against the Lakers and in Indiana or Milwaukee. But not both.

Lakers - next 5 games

LAL v CHA
LAL @ POR
LAL @ DEN
LAL v DAL - probably the most anticipated game of the last 30 years!
LAL v MIN

A relatively straight forward five games on paper, but chuck in the explosive nature of that Mavericks-post-Luka-trade game, and that could become a banana skin. Expect four from five, with Dallas or Denver doing the damage.

Western Conference - Latest standings