OKC Thunder favored to win competitive Northwest in updated Vegas odds

Western Conference lines:

The LeBron Factor:

A couple words of caution about the west is necessary. Obviously, with a stacked All-Star squad and the entire core returning the Golden State Warriors will be favored to win the Pacific Division, Western Conference and three-peat as Champions. However, the other caveat is the presence of LeBron James who’ll lace them up for the first time ever on the west coast.

Logically, without other All-Stars it’s hard to rationalize the Lakers receiving such robust odds and placement. However, the King is the NBA’s best player so betting enthusiasts will rationalize the heights he achieved  with a rag tag Cavaliers squad dearth of much talent. When betting though, Just remember, this is the west where 12 teams could be in the mix right up until the 82nd game.

Schedule effects:

Schedules can play a role to a minor degree when factoring placement. In an 82 game schedule the commonalities are opposite conference teams play each other twice. Outside those 30 games is where the variance lies. As outlined in the Northwest notes inter-division teams play four times each representing 16 games.

The remaining 36 games are played against the 10 remaining non-divisional teams in the conference. That equates to playing four teams three times and six teams four times. For the OKC Thunder the arbitrary four teams they’ll face on three occasions are the Warriors, Lakers, Grizzlies and Spurs.

Considering these scheduling factors and addition of James the Lakers were bound to get a shot in the arm. The key is to be cognizant of heavy action on the Lakers which will also affect the odds.

Conference Lines:

Notably different sites lines showcase a variance in where the teams rank. OddsShark September 14 updated lines rank the West as follows:

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1: Golden State Warriors: 41 to 100

2: Houston Rockets: 11 to 2

3: Los Angeles Lakers: 13 to 2

4: OKC Thunder: 15 to 1

5: Utah Jazz: 35 to 1

6: San Antonio Spurs: 40 to 1

7: New Orleans Pelicans: 60 to 1

8: Denver Nuggets: 75 to 1

8: Portland Trail Blazers: 75 to 1

10: Minnesota Timberwolves:  80 to 1

11: Dallas Mavericks: 90 to 1

12: Los Angeles Clippers: 100 to 1

13: Memphis Grizzlies: 175 to 1

13: Phoenix Suns: 175 to 1

15: Sacramento Kings: 300 to 1

OddsShark currently finds the OKC Thunder lining up fourth at 15 to 1 odds to win the Western Conference behind the Warriors, Rockets and Lakers.

Other Vegas sites recent updates placed the OKC Thunder third with 9 to 1 odds. Again, pay attention to the caveats when reviewing the odds.

Based on the above updated Vegas odds the OKC Thunder currently are projected to win the Northwest, between third and fourth in the Conference and reside with the seventh best odds to win the championship, albeit they continue to climb.