Warriors, Spurs dominate NBA championship odds at Coral
Published:
Daniel Coyle, American Sports Correspondent | February 8, 2016
Curry and Warriors continuing charge
As the NBA regular season passes the 50-game mark, the Golden State Warriors maintain their grip on their perch atop the NBA championship odds, pegged as strong 6/4 favourites to claim their second consecutive league title in NBA futures betting at Coral.
With a 46-4 straight up record, the Warriors remain on course to win 75 games and smash the NBA record for most regular season victories, set by the 1995/96 Chicago Bulls, who posted a 72-10 record en route to an NBA championship that season.
Last season’s MVP, Stephen Curry, continues to lead the charge for GSW with a league-best 29.8 points per game, including an eye-popping 233 three-pointers so far, putting him on pace to smash the single-season record of 286, which he set last season.
Cavs and Spurs join Warriors atop the odds
Golden State are joined at the stop of the NBA championship odds by the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs, who sit at 11/4 and 3/1 respectively.
The Cavaliers start the week at 36-14, and hold a slim 2-game lead over the Toronto Raptors atop the Eastern Conference standings, but the club has faced its fair share of challenges this season.
Cleveland has struggled to reward loyal sports punters, posting a disappointing 22-26-2 ATS record, and have been particularly weak on the road, going 16-10 SU, while recording a dismal 4-7-2 ATS record over their past 13 away from Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cavs’ early struggles took a major casualty, with head coach David Blatt getting the axe in late January, replaced by rookie bench boss Tyronn Lue; a move that has produced mixed results, with the team going 6-3 SU since, but just 4-5 ATS.
Despite their perceived struggles, the Cavaliers remain the team to beat in the East, and are listed as the clear-cut favourites to claim their second straight conference crown, with 4/11 odds in American basketball betting at Coral.
With a 43-8 record, the Spurs represent Golden State’s closest challenger in the standings.
Concerns over Spurs streak
San Antonio take an impressive 36-game winning streak on home court into the week, and have been the most reliable bet by far this season, going 33-18 ATS, while holding opponents to a miniscule 91.5 points per game.
With veterans Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli both battling injuries, and a middling 5-6 ATS record over their past 11 outings, concerns have been raised as to whether the Spurs can continue their torrid pace. However, the Spurs remain a strong 2/1 bet to reach the NBA Finals.
Oklahoma City Thunder round out the front of the pack in NBA championship betting at Coral, with attractive 9/1 odds.
The 38-14 Thunder trail only GSW and the Spurs with a 24-5 SU record at home, but have failed to live up to expectations on the road, going 14-9 SU, while covering in just six contests, diminishing their overall ATS record to 20-31-1.
OKC plays 18 of their final 30 games on the road, but maintain a comfortable 12-game lead over Utah atop the Northwest Division standings, and are a short 1/1000 bet to claim their fifth division crown in six years.
Raptors search for respect at bookies
The Raptors’ 34-16 record ranks them fifth in the overall league standings, but Toronto has yet to earn respect at the Coral bookies, where they remain a distant 40/1 bet to claim their first-ever NBA championship.
The Dinos are a solid 18-6 record at Air Canada Centre, but have been a streaky bet, alternating between lengthy ATS winning and losing streaks, and have yet to shake their reputation as a playoff choker, an issue that could be addressed with a big trade.
A weakened Chicago Bulls continue to maintain respectable 25/1 odds, despite being racked by injuries to key personnel, including big man Joakim Noah, whose season was ended last month by shoulder injury, as well as Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, and Jimmy Butler, who have all missed time to injury this season.
The Bulls have also endured a brutal 2016 so far, going 5-11 SU, 4-12 ATS, in their past 12, dropping them to sixth place in the eastern standings, just 2.5 games ahead of ninth-place Charlotte.
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