It was an interesting week of NBA action as the Boston Celtics finally saw their 16-game winning streak come to an end. While they sit at the top of the Eastern Conference with a record of 16-3, the Detroit Pistons (11-6), Toronto Raptors (11-6) and Cleveland Cavaliers (11-7) are not far behind. The Cavaliers are hot as they’ve won six straight.
In the West, the Houston Rockets have set the pace with a record of 14-4. The Golden State Warriors are a win and a loss behind at 13-5. They’re fresh off a disappointing defeat at Oklahoma City where the Thunder greeted Kevin Durant very harshly. It’s pretty much those two teams and everyone else, as the Minnesota Timberwolves are actually in third place, which shows how weak the conference has been.
Stats as of Wednesday, November 22nd.
1. Golden State Warriors
Last Week: 1
NBA Title Odds: -300
The Warriors (13-4) lost in Boston, then won in Philadelphia and Brooklyn, and they’ll finish off this road trip in Oklahoma City, then head home to host Chicago, New Orleans and Sacramento and finish the week in Los Angeles against the Lakers. The Warriors continue to destroy the league at a dazzling offensive pace, ranking first in the league in points per game and assists. The Warriors are also the only team in the NBA to shoot better than 50% from the field, shooting 51.4%, and they’re second in the NBA in three-point shooting at 40.2% (Indiana leads at 40.4%). Golden State doesn’t even seem like they’re trying hard yet.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Last Week: 2
NBA Title Odds: +500
The Cavaliers (10-7) have started to roll, winning at home over the Los Angeles Clippers in overtime and then in Detroit, and they’ll be at home to host Brooklyn, Charlotte and Miami while travelling to Philadelphia and Atlanta. While everyone knows what LeBron James brings to the Cavaliers, Kevin Love has been great during this recent five-game winning streak, putting up 20.2 points and 10.0 rebounds a night while shooting 38.1% from three-point land. The Cavaliers are getting better, but they still have a ways to go before they seriously challenge Golden State.
3. Boston Celtics
Last Week: 3
NBA Title Odds: +1000
The Celtics (16-2) have been incredible as they beat Golden State at home, and then won in Atlanta and in Dallas in overtime to run their winning streak to 16 games. They will visit Miami and Indiana this week, along with home games against Orlando, Detroit and Philadelphia. The Celtics are tough on teams, ranking third in rebounds per game and first in points allowed, while Kyrie Irving has averaged 29.5 points in four games since returning from a head injury.
4. Houston Rockets
Last Week: 4
NBA Title Odds: +1500
The Rockets (13-4) won in Phoenix and Memphis, and they’ll be at home all week to host Denver, the New York Knicks, Brooklyn and Indiana. James Harden continues to be fantastic, averaging 35.8 points and 9.6 assists while shooting 40% from the three-point line in his last five games. The Rockets, who finally got Chris Paul back from a knee injury, are also second in points per game, but a respectable 12th in points allowed as they hope to push Golden State in the Western Conference.
5. San Antonio Spurs
Last Week: 5
NBA Title Odds: +1500
The Spurs (11-6) won at home over Oklahoma City and Atlanta last week, and they’ll visit New Orleans and Charlotte before returning home to host Dallas and Memphis. The Spurs are 24th in the league in points per game, but they’re also playing at the slowest pace in the NBA as they are still awaiting the return of Kawhi Leonard from a quadriceps injury.
6. Oklahoma City Thunder
Last Week: 6
NBA Title Odds: +1800
The Thunder (7-9) lost in San Antonio and New Orleans, and they’ll host Golden State and Detroit before travelling to Dallas and Orlando. The Thunder are 19th in points per game and 21st in assists, while ranking 23rd in rebounds per game They’re still working on how to get their three stars going at the same time, and this is going to be a work in progress for quite some time.
7. Washington Wizards
Last Week: 7
NBA Title Odds: +5000
The Wizards (10-7) lost the second half of a home-and-home at home to Miami, then lost in Toronto, but they won in Milwaukee and will be in Charlotte, Minnesota and Philadelphia this week, along with a home game with Portland. The Wizards are 11th in points per game and that is to be expected, but they’re also eighth in points allowed and they’re playing at a decent pace. If their defense keeps up, the Wizards might be a sneaky team to challenge Boston and Cleveland in the Eastern Conference.
8. Minnesota Timberwolves
Last Week: 8
NBA Title Odds: +5000
The Timberwolves (10-7) won in Dallas, then lost at home to Detroit and in Charlotte, but they will be at home to host Orlando, Miami, Phoenix and Washington before travelling to New Orleans. The Timberwolves are improving a little on defense, ranking 23rd in points allowed, and they’re 21st in the league in rebounds. Minnesota isn’t going to have much trouble scoring, but their young players are still learning the nuances of playing defense.
9. Toronto Raptors
Last Week: 9
NBA Title Odds: +6500
The Raptors (11-5) won at home over the Knicks and Washington, and they’ll be on the road this week to visit the Knicks, Indiana and Atlanta before returning home to host Charlotte. DeMar DeRozan is averaging 26.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists over his last five games for the Raptors, who are fifth in points scored and 10th in points allowed as they try to close the gap on Boston and Cleveland in the Eastern Conference.
10. Milwaukee Bucks
Last Week: 10
NBA Title Odds: +7500
The Bucks (8-8) lost in Dallas and at home to Washington, and they’ll be on the road all week as they travel to Phoenix, Utah, Sacramento and Portland. Eric Bledsoe is still finding his way on the team after coming over from Phoenix, and he averaged 12.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in his last five games. However, he has shot 15% from the three-point line in those games as well as 35.1% from the field overall, so he has to improve on that.
The 2017-18 NBA is well underway. It’s been a wild offseason already, but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
