NBA Western Conference Futures: Bettors Divided on Who Will Emerge

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After the Warriors and Grizzlies battle in the play-in tournament tonight at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on ESPN, the Western Conference playoff field will be crystalized.

We took a look at William Hill’s Eastern Conference futures yesterday, so let’s move on to Western Conference futures ahead of tomorrow’s start to the postseason.

When the season tipped off on Dec. 22, the Lakers and Clippers were at the top at William Hill Nevada +120 and +275 respectively. The two Los Angeles squads are still currently leading the way, with the Lakers at +170 and the Clippers at +250.

The biggest jump belongs to the Jazz, as top-seeded Utah went from 22/1 at the start of this campaign all the way down to its present price of +325. The Suns, who are the No. 2 seed, have the fourth-lowest odds at +800.

The Nuggets (15/1), Mavericks (18/1) and Trail Blazers (18/1) are all nearby one another, whereas tonight’s two play-in teams possess the longest odds with the Warriors at 30/1 and the Grizzlies at 200/1.

The Lakers and Clippers are also neck-and-neck for the most popular Western Conference futures wager at William Hill by total dollars wagered. The Lakers (24%) are barely edging out the Clippers (22%) in that category, yet it’s the Clippers who have drawn the biggest wager in this market. A Nevada bettor staked $40,000 on Clippers +325 for a total potential payout of $170,000.

Three other teams have commanded a double-digit percentage in total dollars wagered, with the Nuggets (12%), Jazz (12%) and Suns (11%) all meeting that threshold.

The top team for total number of tickets, though, actually resides outside of Los Angeles. The Suns have garnered 21% of the total number of tickets, followed by the Lakers and Jazz at 15% apiece. The Nuggets are next at 14%, then the Warriors, Clippers and Trail Blazers are each at 9%.

One other noteworthy wager came in on a team that doesn’t rank inside the top-5 in either category. Another Nevada bettor put $15,000 on Mavericks 13/1 for a total potential payout of $210,000, which is the largest total potential payout of any Western Conference futures wager at William Hill.

Check out William Hill’s latest odds and trends for 2020-21 Western Conference futures below.

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