Clippers' Playoff Odds Soaring Following Paul George Return

Are the Los Angeles Clippers a dark horse Western Conference team?

Since the return of Paul George, the Clippers are 3-1 (2-1 with George in the lineup) with the only loss being a chaotic finish at Chicago in the middle of last week. The Clippers are firmly locked into the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, so they will have two opportunities to make the playoffs thorugh the play-in game and have a true star in George back in the lineup.

Here are the updated Western Conference playoff odds from WynnBET Sportsbook ahead of the final week of the regular season.

Western Conference Playoff Odds

• Phoenix Suns: +100
• Memphis Grizzlies: +600
• Utah Jazz: +900
• Dallas Mavericks: +1200
• Denver Nuggets: +1200
• Los Angeles Clippers: +1800
• Minnesota Timberwolves: +2000

The Suns are still the overwhelming favorite, but there is a path for the Clippers to make some noise in the Western Conference playoffs.

For starters, George looks fully healthy after having elbow surgery in the middle of the season, scoring 34 points in his first game back and posting a plus-14 in a double digit victory over the Pelicans. If George continues to regain his form, the team is going to be live to knock off the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first play-in game, putting them on the opposite side of the Suns.

Of course, it's a long shot, but oddsmakers are hedging against the upside of the Clippers with George's ability to take over games and the possibility of Kawhi Leonard being able to return from his ACL injury looms large over this ticket. Chaos would ensue if Leonard returns to the floor, as the Clippers become the team nobody wants to see in the playoffs.

Before Leonard's knee injury in the second round last postseason, the Clips were the favorite to come out of the West last season. While it's still a far cry to expect much, this NBA season has deviated from the norm and the Clippers may be final twist in this season.

George looks the part, the Clippers have been fighting tooth and nail all season, and oddsmakers are preparing for it. FiveThirtyEight gives the team a 76% chance to make the postseason, and with a potentially easier than expected road can be a valuable bet with a ton of upside if they can get on the opposite side of the bracket as the Suns.

Several contenders may be falling apart before the postseason starts with the Jazz's inability to close out games and the Nuggets being 16-25 against teams over .500.

The NBA Playoffs are around the corner, but first, it's opening day this week! Get ready for the MLB season with our season preview below!