NBA: Lakers, Bucks have best odds
Take a look at our updated power rankings with one week to go in the regular season!
Top-5 Teams:
1) Milwaukee Bucks (55-15)
2) Los Angeles Lakers (51-18)
3) Los Angeles Clippers (47-23)
4) Boston Celtics (47-23)
5) Toronto Raptors (50-19)
The Milwaukee Bucks are the only team in the NBA that will reach the 55-win plateau as they currently sit at 55-15 with two games to go. Although the Bucks should be considered favorites to win the Eastern Conference, it has been slightly concerning that they've gone just 3-7 in their last 10 outings. The same can be said for the Los Angeles Lakers, who have
looked sluggish in losses to the Raptors, Thunder, and Pacers. LA is 51-18 on the season but just 5-5 in their last 10. The Los Angeles Clippers come up just behind their rival at 47-23. It's clear that the top-three teams in the league are ready for the playoffs to start because they've gone a combined 7-10 in the bubble. The final two slots in our top tier goes to the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. Boston defeated Toronto 122-100 last Friday.
Rest of the Bubble:
6) Houston Rockets (44-25)
7) Denver Nuggets (46-24)
8) Oklahoma City Thunder (43-26)
9) Miami Heat (43-27)
10) Utah Jazz (43-27)
11) Indiana Pacers (43-27)
12) Dallas Mavericks (42-30)
13) Philadelphia 76ers (42-28)
14) Portland Trail Blazers (33-39)
15) Phoenix Suns (31-39)
16) Memphis Grizzlies (33-38)
17) San Antonio Spurs (31-38)
18) Brooklyn Nets (34-36)
19) Orlando Magic (32-39)
20) New Orleans Pelicans (30-40)
21) Sacramento Kings (29-41)
22) Washington Wizards (24-46)
The Missing Eight:
23) Chicago Bulls (22-43)
24) Charlotte Hornets (23-42)
25) New York Knicks (21-45)
26) Detroit Pistons (20-46)
27) Atlanta Hawks (20-47)
28) Minnesota Timberwolves (19-45)
29) Cleveland Cavaliers (19-46)
30) Golden State Warriors (15-50)
NBA Finals Odds:
1) Lakers (+210)
2) Bucks (+270)
3) Clippers (+333)
4) Raptors (+900)
5) Rockets (+1400)
Odds according to OddsShark.
Games of the Week:
- Raptors @ Bucks (Monday)
- Rockets @ Spurs (Tuesday)
- Trail Blazers @ Mavericks (Tuesday)
- Mavericks @ Suns (Thursday)
- Heat @ Pacers (Friday)
MVP Rankings:
1) Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
2) LeBron James (Lakers)
3) James Harden (Rockets)
4) Luka Dončić (Mavericks)
5) Kawhi Leonard (Clippers)
Giannis Antetokounmpo seems like the runaway MVP winner for the second straight year as he's averaged 29.8 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game in 62 games this year, leading the Bucks to a league-best 55-15 record and the top seed in the Eastern Conference. LeBron James comes in at second place for the Lakers. Despite his recent struggles in the bubble, James was having one of his best seasons post-Miami Heat, averaging 25.4 points, 10.3 assists, and 8.0 rebounds per game. The third spot has to go to the presumed scoring champion James Harden. The Beard is putting up an astounding 34.3 points (on 44/35/86 shooting splits), while also dishing out 7.5 assists per night. The other two MVP candidates are Luka Dončić and Kawhi Leonard, who just beat out Pascal Siakam and Jayson Tatum.
Photo Credit: Cavalier Nation.
