After the NBA's 2021-22 schedule was released on Friday, the Brooklyn Nets, who were the consensus favorite to win the title, opened with a league-best 54.5 wins in Caesars Sportsbook.
Next at 53.5 are the Milwaukee Bucks, who are currently champions. Opening night, Oct. 19, will see the Bucks hosting the Nets. Brooklyn is a 1-point favorite in the season opener. Milwaukee is the early favorite.
Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers opened at 51.5. The Phoenix Suns opened at 50.5. This rounding out the teams that had opening wins in the 50s.
The NBA's regular 72-game season was abbreviated last season. This season the NBA will resume its 82-game schedule. Caesars has posted win totals for each team and bettors can wager on either over or under.
Total wins for the 2021-22 NBA Season as determined by Caesars Sportsbook. Team O/U Nets 54.5 Knicks 53.5 Bulls 51.5 Bulls 51.5 Grizzlies 51.5 Jazz 51.5 Pelicans 37.5 Suns 37.5 Raptors 36.5 Warriors 36.5 Kings 35.5 Nuggets 47.6 Warriors 36.5 Warriors 36.5 Kings 47.5 Wizards 47.5 Heat 47.5 Spurs 29.5 Celtics 29.5 Hawks 26.5 Clippers 26.5 Trail Blazers 22.5 Thunder 22.5 Odds By Caesars Sportsbook
Last season, the Nets won 48 games with a winning percentage.667. The Nets' opening win of 54.5 is almost identical to their regular season win percentage.
Last regular season, the Lakers won 42 games, a winning percentage of.583, which was enough to get into the play-in tournament. The Lakers reached the play-in tournament, but lost to the Suns in round one of the playoffs. In the offseason, they began to rebuild their roster around LeBron and Anthony Davis and added veterans Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and others.
Caesars Sportsbook assistant director of trading Adam Pullen stated that Westbrook had a positive impact on the Lakers' win total but that he isn't sure how interested the top teams will become during the regular season.
Pullen explained to ESPN that this is why the highest total was seen at an unusually low 54.5. All that matters is to keep players healthy. There is no reason to be aggressive in the regular season. "Load management is the key to the game."
In their season opener, the Lakers were installed as 4.5 point favorites over the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors are looking to get sharpshooter Klay Thomson back in the mix. They lead Caesars Sportsbook's next tier with 48.5 wins. Next, the Dallas Mavericks are, Denver Nuggets, and Miami Heat open at 47.5
The Oklahoma City Thunder opened the season with 22.5 wins, while the Orlando Magic was next at 23.5.
