A year after setting the NBA mark at 73 wins, a Las Vegas sportsbook predicts the Golden State Warriors’ regular season dominance will continue.
According to season win totals posted by Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Golden State is projected at an over/under of 66.5, a preseason record. The total was as high as 68.5 a day after signing seven-time All Star Kevin Durant, the highest win total oddsmaker Jeff Sherman has ever posted prior to the season, resulting in a slew of bets picking the Warriors to fall short of that mark.
“Basically, the sharps are liking the under [on Golden State] and the public is liking the over,” Sherman said.
The total is an unusually large ten wins higher than the next tier of teams, as both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the San Antonio Spurs come in at 56.5. The Cavs return a defending championship team with its core players almost entirely intact, while the Spurs, fresh off a franchise-record 67-win campaign, will begin a season without Tim Duncan on the roster for the first time in nearly 20 years.
The Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics round out the top five in win projections, at 53.5 and 51.5, respectively. The low water mark this season belongs to the depleted Brooklyn Nets at 20.5.
Several teams are projected to make large bumps in their previous season win totals, including the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz.
The Sixers, with the additions of Ben Simmons, Dario Saric and a healthy Joel Embiid are set at 27.5, which may not seem like much, but actually represents over 17 wins more than they finished with last season.
The Timberwolves’ solid nucleus of No. 1 picks Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins is slated for 41.5 wins, which would represent the team’s first winning campaign since the 2004-2005 season.
Related Story: 30 greatest dunks in NBA history
Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz, who have become a trendy pick to return to playoffs after a five-year layoff, are set at 47.5, good for third highest in the Western Conference.