Who to Bet to Win Western Conference Following Chris Paul Injury Update

There's no doubt that the Phoenix Suns have been the best team in the NBA so far in the 2021-22 season, but they're going to face some adversity with star point guard Chris Paul out for six to eight weeks with a fracture in his right thumb.

This is a huge loss for Phoenix, as Paul has been the rock for this team, appearing in 128 of 130 possible regular season games since he was traded to Phoenix last season. The Suns are 2-0 in the two games that Paul missed (both in the 2020-21 season), but they will face an extended stretch without him to close the 2021-22 regular season.

Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges will all need to step up in Paul's absence, but the other issue for the Suns is that backup point guard Cameron Payne has also been out of the lineup with a wrist injury.

Phoenix is the favorite to win the Western Conference at +150 at WynnBET as well as the NBA Finals this season at +400 odds. The Suns are 6.5 games up on the No. 2 seeded Golden State Warriors in the West, but should they be the team you trust to win the West?

This is a tricky question.

The long end of the six-to-eight-week timetable puts Paul in late April for a return, which will be around the start of the NBA playoffs. That's a good sign for Phoenix, but can it keep up this insane pace it's been on without Paul for potentially the remainder of the regular season?

While the Suns may be due for some regression, the Warriors are still without their defensive anchor in Draymond Green, and the No. 3 seeded Memphis Grizzlies are still young. This seems like the Suns No. 1 seed to lose, and it would set them up best for success in the playoffs having home court.

That being said, Paul would need to make a full recovery by the postseason, as a tough first-round matchup could prove to be too much for Phoenix if Paul is unable to go.

Phoenix is plus-10.4 points per 100 possessions this season when Paul is on the floor, and he leads the NBA in assists per game at 10.7 per night. There's no replacement for Paul, but the Suns have players like Booker and Ayton that can carry them for the remainder of the regular season.

Golden State (+210 to win the West at WynnBET) is the only other team I'd bet on to win the West, and since the Warriors are still without Green, I wouldn't worry about hedging your Suns bets just yet, especially if Paul is on track to play in the postseason.

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.