Before the start of every season, oddsmakers release projected win totals for every NBA team. You can bet whether each team will win more (over) or less (under) games than their projections. These can be solid wagers if you have a grasp on each team and their schedule. The drawback is that you have to wait until the regular season ends before collecting your winnings.
Along with the total set, both the over and under have a price associated with it. For example, the Warriors are listed at 63.5 wins with -130 on the under and +110 on the over. This gives you the indication that the betting market thus far has favored the Warriors at under 63.5 wins. These are apt to change, but our prices are accurate as of the time of this post.
Most of these win totals shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Warriors and Celtics are projected for the most wins, which each improving slightly over their regular season wins from the 2017-2018 season. Three teams don’t have totals as of yet (we’ll post them up when they do), but as of now the Hawks and Kings are projected to be the worst teams in the NBA.
How did LeBron’s move to LA swing these win totals? A quick look at the +/- wins column shows the Lakers are expected to improve by 14.5 wins with King James and the other pieces they added this year. Meanwhile, the Cavs are the team expected to lose the most wins this year (not shocking considering how much production leaves with James). All told, Cleveland projects to lose 19.5 more games than they did a year ago.
Early on it looks like the Spurs, Heat, and Bulls are expected to do better than the posted number, while the Warriors, Lakers, and Nuggets appear to be favored to underperform.
Up to date win totals provided by BetOnline.
| Team | Conference (Division) | 2018 Win Total | Over Price | Under Price | 2017 Wins | +/- Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warriors | West (Pacific) | 63.5 | 110 | -130 | 58 | +5.5 |
| Celtics | East (Atlantic) | 58.5 | -120 | 100 | 55 | +3.5 |
| Rockets | West (Southwest) | 55.5 | -110 | -110 | 65 | -9.5 |
| Raptors | East (Atlantic) | 55.5 | -110 | -110 | 59 | -3.5 |
| 76ers | East (Atlantic) | 54.5 | -110 | -110 | 52 | +2.5 |
| Jazz | West (Northwest) | 49.5 | -110 | -110 | 48 | +1.5 |
| Lakers | West (Pacific) | 49.5 | 130 | -150 | 35 | +14.5 |
| Bucks | East (Central) | 47.5 | -115 | -115 | 44 | +3.5 |
| Pacers | East (Central) | 47.5 | -120 | 100 | 48 | -0.5 |
| Nuggets | West (Northwest) | 47.5 | 110 | -130 | 46 | +1.5 |
| Pelicans | West (Southwest) | 45.5 | -110 | -110 | 48 | -2.5 |
| Spurs | West (Southwest) | 44.5 | -125 | 105 | 47 | -2.5 |
| Wizards | East (Southeast) | 44.5 | -110 | -110 | 43 | +1.5 |
| Blazers | West (Northwest) | 42.5 | 100 | -120 | 49 | -6.5 |
| Heat | East (Southeast) | 40.5 | -145 | 125 | 44 | -3.5 |
| Pistons | East (Central) | 38.5 | -105 | -115 | 39 | -0.5 |
| Clippers | West (Pacific) | 36.5 | -110 | -110 | 42 | -5.5 |
| Hornets | East (Southeast) | 35.5 | -105 | -115 | 36 | -0.5 |
| Mavs | West (Southwest) | 34.5 | -120 | 100 | 24 | +10.5 |
| Grizzlies | West (Southwest) | 34.5 | -120 | 100 | 22 | +12.5 |
| Nets | East (Atlantic) | 31.5 | -130 | 110 | 28 | +3.5 |
| Magic | East (Southeast) | 30.5 | -120 | 100 | 25 | +5.5 |
| Cavs | East (Central) | 30.5 | -105 | -115 | 50 | -19.5 |
| Knicks | East (Atlantic) | 29.5 | -110 | -110 | 29 | +0.5 |
| Bulls | East (Central) | 28.5 | -140 | 120 | 27 | +1.5 |
| Kings | West (Pacific) | 25.5 | -110 | -110 | 27 | -1.5 |
| Hawks | East (Southeast) | 23.5 | -105 | -115 | 24 | -0.5 |
| Thunder | West (Northwest) | OFF | OFF | OFF | 48 | OFF |
| T-Wolves | West (Northwest) | OFF | OFF | OFF | 47 | OFF |
| Suns | West (Pacific) | OFF | OFF | OFF | 21 | OFF |