NBA Win Totals: Rising Hawks Could Win 50 While Under Is Best Bet on Bulls

The NBA season starts tonight. The Milwaukee Bucks definitely look like they will be a force to be reckoned with as defending champs and the Lakers have reloaded to give LeBron one more chance at glory. The NBA does not generally have a lot of surprise overperforming or underperforming teams, so the NBA betting win total markets can be pretty tight. Here are some overs and under I like.

Also, don’t forget that we’re back to an 82-game season and that the season was just 72 games a year ago when you are comparing these figures to records from last season.

All NBA betting odds listed here are via BetOnline Sportsbook as of Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. ET.

NBA Betting Win Totals: Overs To Bet

Atlanta Hawks Over 47.5 (-110)

This team might have overperformed in the playoffs last season, getting all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. With the right coach in place from the beginning of the year and a young team that is much more experienced this looks like at least a 50-win team to me. They do not even have the highest win total in their division and will get a chance to beat up on bad Orlando and Washington teams even more than last year.

Cleveland Cavaliers Over 26.5 (-118)

Big man Kevin Love is still hanging around, but even if he is on the bench I love what the Cavs are doing upfront. Rookie Evan Mobley will provide instant impact and Jarrett Allen and Lauri Markkanen’s best days are ahead of them. Point guard Darius Garland is improving, and he can help all of those bigs reach their potential. They have to decide what to do with scorer Collin Sexton, who might not fit with what they want to be. But they can still overperform even if they keep him. This team could be one of the most improved in the NBA if everything falls into place.

Denver Nuggets Over 47.5 (-115)

It is hard to find a frontcourt better than the Nuggets’ trio of Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon. We still don’t know when guard Jamal Murray will be back from injury, but I still expect this team to be neck and neck with Utah in the Northwest Division all season long. They can’t be a NBA title contender without Murray, but a strong regular season is another matter.

Milwaukee Bucks Over 54.5 (-105)

The Bucks won the NBA Finals last season and have all of their key contributors back from that team except for gritty forward PJ Tucker. I don’t underestimate his value, but it is primarily derived in the playoffs, not the regular season. They have improved their perimeter depth bringing back George Hill, and Dante DiVincenzo should be healthy. The Central Division is still pretty light overall too.

Toronto Raptors Over 36.5 (-132)

You can see from the price that this has become a popular play even though the Raptors will be missing two frontcourt regulars, Pascal Siakam and Chris Boucher, to start the season. The Raptors fell hard last season, but I don’t think most appreciate how much of an advantage it will be for them to play games in Toronto this season.

Last year the Raptors had about the worst center play in the league, but this season they could be league average. Throw in a little better health luck, and this team should be in the hunt to return to the NBA playoffs.

Unders To Bet

Chicago Bulls Under 43.5 (-110)

When the Bulls traded for center Nikola Vucevic last season, it was supposed to put the team over the top. But it didn’t. This offseason they have brought in wing DeMar DeRozan and guard Lonzo Ball. The funny thing is that while I like both players, I still think this team has flaws, namely that Zach LaVine does not do much other than put the ball in the basket. I am not sure his game meshes well with DeRozan, who has grown as a player in San Antonio but needs the ball in his hand a lot too.

Memphis Grizzlies Under 41.5 (-110)

I am not sure what the Grizzlies are doing. They dealt Jonas Valanciunas for Steven Adams in an exchange of centers the offseason. Both have toughness, but Valanciunas is a really good scorer and rebounder, which makes the trade a bad one. I think they want to create more opportunities for Jaren Jackson Jr., who I think is overrated and already has shown an inability to stay healthy. This team looks downgraded and has a less diverse offense than a year ago.

Orlando Magic Under 22.5 (-122)

This looks like the worst team in the league to me. I love the addition of guard Jalen Suggs and think he will ultimately become a make a big impact in the NBA. But he does not have much to work with, and his presence makes Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony pretty redundant. There are going to be a lot of nights where this team does not score more than 90 points.

Portland Trail Blazers Under 44.5 (+104)

It is not a huge difference, but it looks like I am fading the market with this play. Guard Damian Lillard remains one of the NBA’s top stars and a clutch bucket getter, but this team does not look better than it was last season. Norm Powell for a full season and the addition of Larry Nance Jr. should improve the defense, but I do not see any dramatic improvement for this team.

San Antonio Spurs Under 29.5 (+108)

For so many years the Spurs were able to make it work, but when you have players like David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and Kawhi Leonard as anchors it is hard not to win. Coach Pop has a young team that is really lacking in size, which still has some value in the league. They have some intriguing players but no burgeoning stars. When most of your scorers have a ceiling of about 15 points per game, you’re not going to win much in the current NBA.