NBA Division Winner Odds - Spurs Lead as Most Likely to Win Their Divisions

New York enters the season as a slight favourite to win the Atlantic Division with +180, although Boston sits close behind at +200 and Philadelphia at +260. Toronto is bit further back with +600, while Brooklyn has very low expectations sitting at +50000.

The Knicks will be returning from one of their best seasons, finishing 53-29 in last year's regular season and second in the Atlantic Division behind Boston. New York also went on to win the NBA Championship, defeating the San Antonio Spurs for their first title in 53 years.

Expectations for the Knicks are as high as last season, with most of same roster returning this year. Jalen Brunson will continue to lead the team, with Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart starting. Although, the Knicks have made little offseason changes compared to others in their division.

Speaking of offseason changes, the Atlantic Division has become much more competitive. Philadelphia made major changes to its roster with the additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, while Boston added Paul George to it's starting lineup.

New York's championship win and returning roster makes sense as to why they are current favourites, but betting odds suggest this year will result in a closely contested division.

Detroit enters the season as favourites to win the Central Division with +130, although Cleveland is almost equally favoured at +135. Indiana sits slight further back at +325, with Chicago and Milwaukee considered non-contenders with +6500 and +15000.

The Pistons finished strong last season with a 60-22 standing, winning the Central Division and securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference. However, their postseason run ended in the Semifinals, losing to the Cavaliers in a Game 7.

Expectations for Detroit this season are the same as last season, with the Pistons again expected to win their division. The team will continue to rely on Cade Cunningham who earned All-NBA First Team last season, with Duren and Thompson as major pieces to the team's success. 

The Pistons have also improved their roster with the additions of John Collins and Isaiah Joe, although Isaiah Stewart and Tobias Harris leaving has led to some concerns about the team's depth.

Cleveland is expected to be Detroit's biggest challenger once again, finishing 52-30 last season and winning over the Pistons to move ahead to Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavs will have Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, alongside Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Indiana could also return to contention with Tyrese Haliburton returning after missing the entire previous season due to the Achilles injury he suffered in the postseason the year prior.

Oklahoma City enters the season as one of the overwhelming favourites to win their division at -650. Denver sits far behind at +900, followed closely by Minnesota at +1000. Portland and Utah are considered non-contenders in the Northwest Division at +3300 and +7000 respectively.

The Thunder finished last season at 64-18 and securing the best record in the NBA for the second consecutive year. OKC went on to reach the Western Conference Finals, losing to San Antonio in a Game 7.

With two time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continuing to lead one of the league's strongest rosters, the Thunder are expected to have similar success this season. Chet Holmgren is also coming off an All-NBA season, with Jalen Williams expected to return from injuries. 

However, the Thunder have lost some depth this offseason, including Lu Dort and reliable rotation players like Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins. OKC will be relying on younger players like Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain to take on more minutes as a result.

Denver and Minnesota remain the biggest challengers, although both face their own issues that have gone unanswered since last season. The Nuggets finished 54-28 last year continue to rely on Nikola Jokić, while the Timberwolves have added LaMelo Ball to play alongside Anthony Edwards, which hasn't pushed their season expectations all that much.

Los Angeles enters the season as the clear favourite to win the Pacific Division at -170, giving the Lakers a sizeable lead over Phoenix at +300 and Golden State at +400. The Clippers sit further back at +3000, while Sacramento is considered the biggest underdog at +15000.

The Lakers managed a 53-29 standing last season, winning the Pacific Division and securing fourth place in the Western Conference. Los Angeles went on to defeat Houston in the first round of the playoffs before being eliminated by the Thunder in the Conference Semifinals.

Expectations remain high for Los Angeles this season despite major changes to their roster. LeBron James leaving for the 76ers during the offseason has left Luka Dončić to lead the team this year. Dončić averaged 33.5 points last season and will be relied upon for the bulk of the offense, with Austin Reaves as a big part of the frontcourt duo. 

The Lakers also improved with the addition of Walker Kessler, giving the team a much needed presence in rebounding and rim protection. However, the Lakers will need to prove they can maintain their success without James.

Phoenix appears to be the strongest challenger, finishing 45-37 last season. The Suns have retained their core around Devin Booker and improved their roster with Miles Bridges and Luke Kennard, who performed well for the Lakers last year.

Golden State also remains in contention, although the Warriors are coming off a 37-45 season and continue to rely on Stephen Curry and a hopefully healthy Jimmy Butler to return as one of the league's top contenders.

Miami are the favourites to win the Southeast Division at +150, although Atlanta and Orlando sit close behind with both priced at +260. Charlotte sits further back at +850, with Washington as underdogs at +1400.

The Heat are looking to rebound from a disappointing season, finishing 43-39 and missing the playoffs after being eliminated in the Play-In Tournament. Atlanta claimed the division title last season with a 46-36 record.

Expectations are much higher for Miami this season following one of the biggest trades of the offseason. The Heat acquired two time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee, pairing him with Bam Adebayo to create one of the strongest frontcourts this season. 

Miami also added Bobby Portis, Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr., giving the team much needed depth after trading away key players for Giannis, which required the team to let go of Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr. The team will need time to develop chemistry and establish a reliable rotation, in addition to Giannis' injury history remaining a concern.

Atlanta and Orlando are expected to be the strongest competitors. The Hawks are coming off a division winning season and have improved their defense with the additions of Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins. Meanwhile, Orlando continues to develop it's core led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, with the Magic hoping that a healthy season and the new head coach Sean Sweeney can help them rise to competition.

San Antonio enters the season as most likely team in the NBA to win their division at -900. Houston sits a behind at +550, followed by Dallas at +8000. Memphis and New Orleans have very low expectations at +20000 and +25000.

The Spurs are coming back from a 62-20 season, winning the Southwest Division and securing second place in the Western Conference. San Antonio reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014, but ultimately lost to the New York Knicks. 

Victor Wembanyama continues to develop into one of the NBA's best players. finishing as an MVP finalist last season and remaining the centerpiece of a young roster of Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. The Spurs have added Tobias Harris, strengthening their frontcourt without sacrificing the team's core players.

Houston remains the biggest challenger after finishing 52-30 last season, although the Rockets were eliminated by the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Houston hopes to continue building around Kevin Durant, Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson, with the return of Fred VanVleet and the signing of Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanović expected to improve the team's depth.

With Houston priced at +550 and the remaining three teams all at +8000 or longer, the Southwest Division appears to be San Antonio's to lose. They are by far the best team in their division, which would require significant unforeseen circumstances for them to drop out as favourites.