Fansided

Picking every NBA over/under win total

By Brad Rowland

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) takes the court prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at the Cintas Center. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) takes the court prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at the Cintas Center. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports /
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Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) celebrates with guard Gordon Hayward (20) after a score against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second half at FedExForum. Utah defeated Memphis 93-82. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) celebrates with guard Gordon Hayward (20) after a score against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second half at FedExForum. Utah defeated Memphis 93-82. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /

Utah Jazz – Over/Under 40.5 wins

While I like the over numbers for both Phoenix and Sacramento, Utah is my pick for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. From the moment Rudy Gobert was inserted into the starting lineup last season, the Jazz had the best (yes, the best) defensive rating in the NBA, unseating the NBA champion Warriors for the top spot. That is the type of upside this group brings on that end of the floor, with Gobert and Favors eating people alive in the paint.

The loss of Dante Exum stings Utah to some degree, but the presence of Gordon Hayward (who remains underrated) and Alec Burks should help to mitigate the loss. Utah’s overall ceiling is lowered a bit by Trey Burke and the point guard situation, but if the Jazz are healthy, their defense is enough to push them into the 40’s in terms of win total, and that is all they need here.

The Pick: Over (45-37)

Washington Wizards – Over/Under 45.5 wins

One of the big questions of the season is whether “playoff Randy Wittman” will surface. The much-maligned head coach smartly elected to play small-ball in the 2014-2015 playoffs, and the results were astounding as Washington ran Toronto off the floor before pushing Atlanta to the limit with a banged-up John Wall in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The loss of Paul Pierce (now with the Clippers) hurts a bit in Wittman’s small-ball arsenal, but Jared Dudley should arrive by midseason and Otto Porter appears poised to make the leap.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to plainly assume that Wittman will make the right move, because the entire NBA blogosphere pushed for Washington to play small during the regular season and Wittman refused. John Wall is an elite NBA player, Bradley Beal has talent and Marcin Gortat remains an above-average center. However, the Wizards can only go so far playing traditionally given their relative lack of quality depth, and playing Gortat with Nene is untenable at this point in their respective careers.

If you told me Washington would win 54 games on the way to the number two seed, I wouldn’t laugh at you. If you told me the Wizards won 42 games and finished seventh, I would chuckle heartily. That makes this pick easy.

The Pick: Over (49-33)

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