Sports Betting Futures Odds: Warriors Favored Against Field, Lakers in Title Mix

by Ricky Dimon - 10/17/2018

The NBA season is officially in progress, with respective conference favorites Golden State and Boston picking up wins on Tuesday. Is a three-peat in the cards for the Warriors, or can someone like the Celtics, Rockets, or Lakers crash the party? Is Luka Doncic on course for Rookie of the Year honors? Questions are starting to be answered….

All odds provided by Bovada Sportsbook .

NBA title

Golden State Warriors (-195) - Golden State is favored against the entire field, and why not? The Hamptons Five of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala are back. Newcomer DeMarcus Cousins will be back from his Achilles' injury when it matters as the Warriors bid for a three-peat.

Boston Celtics (+500) - Vegas is getting the most bets-by far-on the Celtics and Lakers. Even as the second favorite at just +500, in Boston's case it's not hard to see why. The Celtics came within one win of the NBA Finals last season and now they get back a healthy Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Jayson Tatum is an emerging star.

Houston Rockets (+850) - Houston also came within one win of the NBA Finals and may have gotten over the Golden State hump if Chris Paul had not been injured. With Carmelo Anthony on board, the Rockets have their own version of a "Big 3" as long as Paul can stay healthy. But the Western Conference has gotten even better….

Los Angeles Lakers (+1000) - How long will it take LeBron James to turn things around in Los Angeles? His supporting cast includes some decent pieces but is far from spectacular, with Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, among others. Of course, LeBron has been known to do a lot with a little.

NBA Rookie of the Year

Luka Doncic, Mavericks (+333) - Will the Hawks live to regret their draft-day trade of Doncic, which landed them Trae Young? Only time will tell, but the 19-year-old Slovenian is an early favorite to be the best of this rookie bunch right off the bat. Doncic played well in the preseason and has some decent pieces to work with in Dallas.

DeAndre Ayton, Suns (+375) - Ayton was always going to be the No. 1 pick ahead of Doncic and others, as Phoenix needed a big man instead of a guard. The 20-year-old Bahamas native delivered two preseason performances with at least 19 points and 14 points. The Suns' inside-outside game with Ayton and Devin Booker should be strong.

Collin Sexton, Cavaliers (+500) - With LeBron gone, there will be plenty of statistics to go around in Cleveland. Sexton will certainly get his opportunity to pour in points and dish out assists on what is expected to be a bad, rebuilding team. The former Alabama point guard was selected eighth overall this summer (the Cavaliers had the Nets' pick).

Kevin Knox, Knicks (+750) - The ninth overall pick out of Kentucky struggled in his last three preseason games, and it has cost him a starting spot, at least temporarily. Head coach David Fizdale recently announced that Frank Ntilikina will take Knox's place. Sacramento's Marvin Bagley III and Atlanta's Trae Young are +1100 fifth choices.

Heisman Trophy

Tua Tagovailoa (-150) - Traditionally the Heisman odds fluctuate wildly from week to week. Seismic shifts have not yet been seen this season, with Tagovailoa consistently holding the top spot. But he is no longer such an overwhelming favorite, and others have gained. Alabama's sophomore QB (23 total TDs) is good to go following a knee scare.

Dwayne Haskins (+300) - If the Heisman Trophy goes to the best player on the best team, the race is between Tagovailoa and Haskins. Also just a sophomore, Ohio State's signal-caller is completing 72.3 percent of his passes with 28 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He just turned in back-to-back 400-yard games with nine total TDs.

Kyler Murray (+300) - Murray is certainly the best baseball player in college football, but is he also the best on the gridiron? Oklahoma's junior quarterback is starting to look like it, completely on fire over the last five games despite a recent loss to Texas. Murray has 21 passing TDs, only three INTs, plus 377 rushing yards and five more scores.

Will Grier (+1200) - Grier is not as big of a name, in part because he plays at West Virginia not for a traditional power like Alabama, Ohio State, or Oklahoma. The senior QB was in the Heisman discussion to greater extent before the Mountaineers suffered their first loss of the season to Iowa State, with Grier throwing for a mere 100 yards.

The CJ Cup

Justin Thomas (+600) - Thomas is batting 1.000 at the CJ Cup, as he won the first installment of this tournament's existence last fall. The fourth-ranked American is an obvious favorite to repeat, also based on his current form. He has six top-12 performances in his last seven events dating back to a title at the Bridgestone in August.

Brooks Koepka (+900) - Americans may not be traditionally good at the Ryder Cup, but they always excel in tournament play. As such, Thomas and Koepka are the clear-cut cream of the crop in South Korea this week. Koepka, the 2018 PGA Tour Player of the Year, won the U.S. Open and PGA Championship but struggled in the playoffs.

Jason Day (+1400) - Day rounds out what is sort of a "Big 3" in terms of prestige at the CJ Cup. At his current level, however, the 12^th-ranked Australian is clearly a notch below Thomas and Koepka. He has only one top-10 finish since May and none since a T10 at the Bridgestone. Day placed T11 last year in South Korea.

Marc Leishman (+1400) - What's not to like about Leishman's chances this week? He finished runner-up to Thomas (lost in a playoff) at the 2017 CJ Cup and he is coming off a triumph at last week's CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur (where Thomas was T5). Hideki Matsuyama, who finished T4 at the TOUR Championship, is also a +1400 fourth choice.

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 8:00 PM
Expert:	Scott Spreitzer
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Sports Betting Futures Odds: Warriors Favored Against Field, Lakers in Title Mix

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