Just a few weeks out from the playoffs we thought we’d check in on the National Basketball Association over in the United States for an NBA Futures Betting Update.
James Harden and Russell Westbrook have had well documented ‘career years’ but they aren’t the only players in the NBA having dominant seasons.
Sportsbet and Bet365 have a slightly different opinion on who is the likely MVP winner with Sportsbet keeping James Harden very safe.
NBA Futures Betting – MVP Winner
LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard have been close to written off mainly due to the sheer weight of money on the top two selections.
The second half of the season issues that the Cavaliers have faced probably makes it hard to select him while Leonard it could be argued is a victim of his own intangible brilliance.
He does too many things that don’t end up on the stat sheet and this season is really all about Harden and Westbrook.
It is very hard to imagine anyone else winning the award and we suggest you focus in on the top two, find the player you like and shop for the best price in the market.
At worst you’ll likely be getting the right price, and with a touch of luck a small overlay.
Odds Grid above provided by Oddschecker.com.au
James Harden is averaging: 29.2 points, 11.2 assists, 8.1 assists, 1.5 steals on 44% from the field and 34% from the three point line.
Russell Westbrook is averaging: 31.9 points, 10.4 assists, 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 steals on 42% from the field and 34% from the three point line.
So, who is our pick? We get the feeling that the voters will pick James Harden given the Rockets currently have nine more wins than the Thunder and are almost a lock for a number three seed behind both the Spurs and Warriors who are in another league to the rest of the Western Conference.
The Thunder have had some ugly losses and no doubt there is some stats padding going on with Westbrook (more so than Harden in Houston!).
At almost even money for James Harden around the place he is a slight overlay and worth a bet.
NBA Futures Betting – Outright Winner
We’re as many as 77 games into the season for some teams but not much has changed at the top of the NBA Championship market.
Golden State remain clear favourites, the Spurs and Cavaliers remain the only other teams at single figures.
Houston, Washington and Boston are the only other teams we think have a legitimate chance.
The Wizards and Celtics aren’t really a whole lot better than the Clippers and Jazz although not having to play either Golden State or San Antonio during the Eastern Conference playoffs is a massive advantage.
The Cavs are very vulnerable right now as well with the Celtics and Wizards matching up nicely on paper.
We see very little value in the Cavaliers at this point of the season as they’ll go in as underdogs against the Warriors in the NBA Finals for sure so the $3.50 now at Sportsbet is poison low.
Golden State is holding a weight of money and for good reason. If they remain healthy it’s their title to lose.
Not much value in the outright currently for the Warriors while the Spurs desperately need someone to beat the Warriors for their chances to open up. They are not athletic enough or possess the firepower to match a healthy Golden State through seven games.
Something small on the Wizards at $41 we could entertain as you could likely trade for a shorter quote after the first round of the playoffs is complete.
The Warriors, Spurs, Rockets and Celtics all seemed to be priced correctly with little overlay compared to our pricing.
All the best if you’ve got a ‘live ticket’ heading into the end of the season.