By Larry Rupp
There always seems to be a team that comes out of nowhere to compete for the NBA Western Conference title. The Phoenix Suns broke through last season and made it all the way to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993.
Heading into the 2021-22 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers lead the way with +195 odds and are carried by a four-time MVP in LeBron James. However, the King better keep his eyes peeled as a number of teams could shake things up. Here’s a look at a few of them, with odds according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Denver Nuggets (+900)
It’s a bit of a surprise to see the Denver Nuggets rank sixth among Western Conference teams given they have the reigning MVP on their side. Center Nikola Jokic is coming off an amazing season in which he averaged a career-high 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. His ability to score in the post or dish out the ball to the outside is almost unparalleled in today’s game.
Yes, the Nuggets are going to be missing starting guard Jamal Murray for quite some time as he continues to recover from a torn ACL. The supporting cast on this team is still no joke, though. In fact, the play of Michael Porter Jr. helped the Nuggets finish with the highest shooting percentage in the NBA last year (53.0 percent). Don’t sleep on Denver.
Denver handles business to open the season 😤 @nuggets pic.twitter.com/FJtAYq53Hw
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 21, 2021
Dallas Mavericks (+1300)
One of the most talented rising stars in the NBA remains Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic. The young phenom is back after earning his first career All-Star bid last season and is motivated to lead his team deep into the playoffs. Dallas has been sneaky good over the last two seasons posting a combined record of 85-62. And they’re on the cusp of taking that next step.
How far this team can really go may come down to the play of their polarizing center Kristaps Porzingis. When he’s at the top of his game, the 7-foot-3 playmaker can outrebound just about anyone and shoot efficiently from beyond the arc. He just has to be more consistent throughout the season. All things considered, the Mavericks present some underrated value at +1300.
Ya'll ain't ready.
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) October 21, 2021
Your 21-22 Dallas Mavericks.@chime | #MFFL pic.twitter.com/8t5PPEYBlH
Portland Trail Blazers (+3500)
Today’s NBA is all about scoring, so how is it that the Portland Trail Blazers enter the season with the eighth-best odds to win the Western Conference? The backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum ranks as one of the best in the league and guided the team to the fourth-highest scoring average in the NBA last season (116.4 points per game).
On the other side of the ball, all-defensive player Robert Covington leads an improving defense. Portland has a new coach in Chauncey Billups and does not want to waste the prime of Lillard’s career with lackluster playoff endings. Fans looking to make a long-shot bet should target the crew from Oregon.
1️⃣0️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) October 21, 2021
Congrats, @CJMcCollum! pic.twitter.com/fM31PtdqiL
Picture Credit: Google Creative Commons Licenses
