Five of the last eight NBA champions have come from the Western Conference and at present, it looks likely another team from the West could prevail this season.
The current two best records in the NBA are in the West, with Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns leading the way.
Despite that, it’s Brooklyn Nets that still top the Outright betting with Steve Nash’s men 12/5 to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy come June.
Curry is a Man on a Mission
After two seasons of missing out on the play-offs, Golden State Warriors look like contenders again and Steph Curry seems determined to drag his team to another title.
As well as topping the NBA’s money list, the Point guard is now the league’s all-time leading three-point scorer, beating Ray Allen’s record earlier in November.
Curry has scored an amazing 3,366 in 886 games and is averaging 5.5 three-pointers per game, with the Warriors superstar currently 27/20 to be named as the Regular Season MVP.
GSW face their biggest test of the campaign to date on Wednesday, when they come up against Phoenix in Arizona with the hosts on a 16-game winning streak.
Season-high SIX steals for Steph yesterday
pic.twitter.com/IiHG4RIQYf
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 29, 2021
Last season’s beaten finalists won both of last season’s meetings at the Talking Stick Resort Arena and the Suns are 20/27 to claim another win over the Warriors.
In contrast to GSW, Phoenix don’t have a big name to rely on and their success is based around a solid squad that all chip in with big plays and consistent performances.
Devin Booker has been on a hot scoring streak, with 30+ plus points in his last three matches, and is 13/2 to score the first Field Goal on Wednesday.
Lakers Can Still Have a Say
The pre-season favourites are currently sat seventh in the Western Conference with an 11-11 record, but the Los Angeles Lakers can make up the ground.
With injury issues hampering LeBron James in the early part of the season, the Lakers have struggled for consistency and not yet managed to win more than three games on the spin.
There have been signs, though, that King James and Anthony Davis are rediscovering their form and, with a favourable fixture list in the next month, the 2020 champions should be in a healthier position come the turn of the year.
The Lakers can be backed at 19/5 to win the Western Conference and LeBron is available at 17/1 to lead the assists stats come the end of the campaign.
Champion Bucks over Title Hangover
A sluggish start to the season for the Milwaukee Bucks was forgivable, following the franchise’s second ever NBA title back in the summer.
They are now starting to find their feet again and you can’t keep Giannis Antetokounmpo down, with the ‘Greek Freak’ now averaging 27 points per game.
The Bucks have won seven in a row and moved up to fifth in the East, with the same 13-8 record as the two teams ahead of them – Miami Heat and Washington Wizards.
One team to keep an eye on are Chicago Bulls, who are looking to make the play-offs for the first time in five seasons.
Billy Donovan’s men are currently second in the East and showing post-season credentials, having already beaten the Lakers and Celtics this term.
The Bulls, who have not won the NBA title since the Michael Jordan era, are 16/1 to win the Eastern Conference and 2/17 to make the play-offs.
*All odds correct at time of writing.