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NBA Odds: 5 best win totals bets

By Taylor Armosino

Sep 29, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (left), guard Isaiah Thomas (center) and guard Goran Dragic pose for a portrait during media day at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 29, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (left), guard Isaiah Thomas (center) and guard Goran Dragic pose for a portrait during media day at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 1, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the game against the Brooklyn Nets at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the game against the Brooklyn Nets at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Milwaukee Bucks

2013 record: 15-67

2014 projected wins: 24.5

Bet the over.

Only three NBA teams last season – the Sixers, Bucks, and Orlando Magic – finished with fewer than 25 victories on the season. The Bucks aren’t going to be world beaters this season, but they should be significantly better than last season. Adding NBA caliber players in Jabari Parker and Kendall Marshall will help things, as will the continued development of Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Milwaukee’s jump will be spurred most by the return of Larry Sanders and the hiring of Jason Kidd.

Sanders was supposed to be a star heading in to last season, having just signed a new four year $44 million contract, but his season was derailed by injuries and off-court troubles. When healthy, Sanders is one of the better young centers in the game. He’s mobile and athletic, a capable pick and roll player, and a shot blocking menace on defense.

He fits in quite nicely with how Jason Kidd wants to play. In Brooklyn last season, Kidd’s Nets got off to a slow start before shifting to small-ball lineups due to Brook Lopez’s injury. After Lopez went down, the Nets surged and by the end of the season were a really good and underrated team. They beat Toronto in the first round and played Miami tough in the second round.

Kidd might be an underrated coach, his smarts and skill overshadowed by the fascinating off-court saga he undertook with the Nets this offseason. With this Bucks team, he’s got a squad that’s young and athletic and perfectly suited to play the up-tempo style he wants to play. Sanders is perfect for what Kidd wants to do, Antetokounmpo is a menace in the open court, and fours like Parker and Ersan Illyasova very nicely provide the Bucks with the ability to play smaller and space the floor. They’re still a ways away from contending, or even making the playoffs, but they’re better than 24.5 games.

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