The 2019-20 NBA standings as predicted by oddsmakers

Aug 14 2019, 12:08 am

A flurry of offseason moves in free agency shook the landscape of the NBA this summer.

That’s bad news for fans of the Toronto Raptors, who lost Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers and Danny Green to the Lakers, but good news for league-wide fan interest.

Free agency was wild across the NBA, as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving now play for the Brooklyn Nets, Jimmy Butler is with the Miami Heat, Kemba Walker signed with the Boston Celtics, and Al Horford ended up with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Some blockbuster trades added to the fun, with Russell Westbrook moving from Oklahoma City to Houston for Chris Paul and a bundle of draft picks.

Fan interest should be up across the league, as the NBA is more wide open than it has been in years.

Predicted NBA standings

SportsBetting.ag recently set the odds for NBA win totals for the 2019-20 season. We’ve used those win totals to get a look at the predicted standings.

Division winners (indicated with an asterisk*) are guaranteed a top-four spot in the NBA’s current playoff format.

Oddsmakers predict that the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers will make the playoffs, after each team missed the postseason in 2019. The Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder, meanwhile, are forecasted to drop out of the top eight in their respective conferences.

The Milwaukee Bucks are the favourite to lead the NBA in wins next season, with their expected win total set at 56.5. Kawhi’s new team is expected to win the West, with the Clippers’ win total set at 54.5.

Oddsmakers are predicting the Raptors will make the playoffs, despite predicting just 45 wins (down from 58 last season) for the defending champs. Oddsmakers have Toronto finishing as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Raptors’ opponent in the NBA Finals is also expected to take a step back next season. With Durant gone to Brooklyn and Klay Thompson expected to miss a significant portion of the season due to injury, the Golden State Warriors will finish sixth in the West, oddsmakers say.

Eastern Conference

  1. Milwaukee Bucks* (56.5)
  2. Philadelphia 76ers* (54.5)
  3. Boston Celtics (48.5)
  4. Miami Heat* (42.5)
  5. Indiana Pacers (47.5)
  6. Toronto Raptors (45.5)
  7. Brooklyn Nets (44.5)
  8. Orlando Magic (41.5)
  9. Detroit Pistons (37.5)
  10. Atlanta Hawks (34.5)
  11. Chicago Bulls (32.5)
  12. Washington Wizards (27.5)
  13. New York Knicks (26.5)
  14. Cleveland Cavaliers (24.5)
  15. Charlotte Hornets (23.5)

Western Conference

  1. Los Angeles Clippers* (54.5)
  2. Houston Rockets* (53.5)
  3. Utah Jazz* (53.5)
  4. Los Angeles Lakers (51.5)
  5. Denver Nuggets (51.5)
  6. Golden State Warriors (47.5)
  7. Portland Trail Blazers (46.5)
  8. San Antonio Spurs (45.5)
  9. Dallas Mavericks (40.5)
  10. New Orleans Pelicans (38.5)
  11. Sacramento Kings (37.5)
  12. Minnesota Timberwolves (35.5)
  13. Oklahoma City Thunder (31.5)
  14. Phoenix Suns (27.5)
  15. Memphis Grizzlies (27.5)
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