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The NBA season is moving along at a steady pace with most of the 30 teams playing at least 30 games of the planned 72-game schedule heading into the final week of February.
This year’s NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Sunday, March 7 to mark the traditional halfway point of the regular season.
Two early surprises have been the play of the Philadelphia 76ers as the top team in the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings and the Utah Jazz with the early lead in the Western Conference standings.
Eastern Conference Standings
The 76ers are 20-11 through 31 games and clinging to a small half-game lead over the Brooklyn Nets. They have gone an even 5-5 over their last 10 games with the 20-12 Nets closing some ground with seven straight-up victories in their last 10 outings.
The Milwaukee Bucks are third in the standings at 18-13 after going 5-5 in their last 10 games. The 15-14 Indiana Pacers have taken a step back to 15-14 with six losses in their last 10 games.
Making a move forward in this race with a SU four-game winning streak, the Toronto Raptors round out the Top 5 teams in the East at 16-15.
Betting on Philly to maintain the lead going into the All-Star break would be the best bet. They play Toronto again on the road this Tuesday coming off Sunday’s seven-point loss, but the Sixers’ next four games before the break are at home where they are 13-2 this season.
The Nets will play five more games before the break, including road games against San Antonio and Houston. They should keep things interesting as probable favorites in four of those five games but I am sticking with Philly to maintain that slight lead in the East on the strength of its elevated play at home.
Odds to Win the NBA Eastern Conference 2021
Brooklyn Nets +135
Milwaukee Bucks +350
Philadelphia 76ers +575
Boston Celtics +900
Miami Heat +1200
Toronto Raptors +1400
Indiana Pacers +2200
Atlanta Hawks +4000
Charlotte Hornets +6600
New York Knicks +10000
Orlando Magic +15000
Washington Wizards +15000
Chicago Bulls +25000
Cleveland Cavaliers +25000
Detroit Pistons +30000
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Western Conference Standings
Utah has a 2½-game lead over the Los Angeles Lakers atop the West standings. The Jazz came up just short in Friday’s four-point road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers to snap a nine- game SU winning streak. They still have the best record in the NBA at 24-6.
Between now and the All-Star break, Utah has six games on the slate, including a home game against the Lakers on Wednesday night. The next four games are on the road where the Jazz have gone a solid 11-4.
The Lakers are 22-9 after dropping their last two games. They are actually 1-3 SU over their last four contests. There are six games on the slate before the break with four at home and two on the road. This could be an issue considering that Los Angeles is just 9-6 at the Staples Center this season.
The Clippers are also in the mix at 22-10 and three games off the pace. They just lost to Brooklyn at home by four points on Sunday. Following Tuesday’s home game against Washington, LA heads on the road for its next five games with stops in Milwaukee and Boston.
The fourth-place team in the West is the Phoenix Suns at 19-10. It is doubtful they can close the 4½-game gap by March 3. Yet, the Suns have been hot at 8-2 over their last 10 games. With the 2½-game cushion, I am going chalk in this conference race as well by taking the Jazz to start the second half of the season in first place.
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Odds to Win the NBA Western Conference 2021
Los Angeles Lakers +135
Los Angeles Clippers +285
Utah Jazz +425
Denver Nuggets +1400
Phoenix Suns +1600
Dallas Mavericks +2500
Portland Trail Blazers +3300
Golden State Warriors +4000
San Antonio Spurs +5000
Memphis Grizzlies +6600
New Orleans Pelicans +6600
Houston Rockets +15000
Sacramento Kings +20000
Oklahoma City Thunder +40000
Minnesota Timberwolves +60000
