After a truly wild NBA summer, the start of the 2019-20 regular season can’t come soon enough. A series of blockbuster trades and surprising free agency decisions has completely reshaped the NBA landscape, and instead of looking ahead to a predictable Finals matchup, the league appears to be wide open.

The NBA season is almost upon us, and with Las Vegas sports books releasing each team’s season win total line, our own Luke Kerr-Dineen and Nate Scott do the honors of picking the over/under for. NBA Odds & 2021 NBA Betting Lines. The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association. The Eastern and Western conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion.

Which NBA teams are primed to succeed, and which will fail to live up to expectations? FTW staff members pored over the latest season win totals from Vegas to pick eight over/under lock ahead of the upcoming season.

All win totals via the Westgate SuperBook.

I kind of love the makeup of the Westbrook-less Thunder with Chris Paul, Steven Adams, Danilo Gallinari and potential future star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But what I don’t love is the fact that this decimated OKC team plays in the West that got a lot more crowded this offseason. There’s no way they win 31 games even with that lineup. – Charles Curtis

I know what you’re thinking – the Celtics won 49 games last season and they no longer have Kyrie Irving or Al Horford from that team. Well, that is a good thing for the 2019-20 Boston Celtics because the circus of “wil Kyrie stay?” Is now over, which is going to free everybody up. Kemba Walker, who really wants to be in Boston, is going to fit in so well with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, and Co. Brad Stevens will be back to his genius ways and playing in the Eastern Conference, which has a bunch of terrible teams (especially the Knicks) will make it easy for the Celtics to win over 49.5 games. – Andy Nesbitt

The Phoenix Suns had the worst record in the West last season with 19 wins, and they’ve done little to make me think a 10.5-game improvement is reasonable. Phoenix banked on being able to draft Ja Morant, and when that failed, they made a desperate move to sign Ricky Rubio. There’s fun talent in Phoenix between Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Kelly Oubre Jr., but the Suns are essentially the same awful team they were last year. – Andrew Joseph

Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong for the Wizards in 2018-19, did go wrong. John Wall played only 32 games, and wasn’t very effective when he was on the court. The Dwight Howard signing was a disaster. Before the team offloaded Otto Porter Jr., it became apparent he was never going to develop into a max contract kind of player. And the Wizards still managed to squeak out 32 wins, thanks in large part to the brilliance of Bradley Beal, who probably should have landed on an All-NBA team. Well, Beal is still here and the team added some good backcourt depth to hold things over until Wall returns from injury. The front line is banking on some young, unproven players, but in the East, this roster is good enough to pull out 30 wins. – Steven Ruiz

You may think I’m cutting it close with the Hornets since the worst teams in the NBA last year won 17 to 19 games. But Charlotte is going to be AWFUL now that they lost Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb. I don’t have a lot of faith in Terry Rozier breaking out to replace what Walker brought to the court night after night, so they’re a lock to win all of 20 games … and maybe fewer than that. – Charles Curtis

I get that the Western Conference is even deeper, but the Blazers are an accomplished and experienced squad that earned a 3-seed in back-to-back seasons, with a killer backcourt duo and a bonafide superstar in Damian Lillard, who rarely misses time and seems intent on forcing himself into the conversation over the NBA’s best players.

Portland will be without Jusuf Nurkic indefinitely as he recovers from a horrific leg injury, but the Blazers were aggressive in the offseason and added Hassan Whiteside to fill in. Whiteside may not be a perfect fit, but he’s proven he can put up numbers over the course of the regular season grind. These Blazers are primed to be making a deep playoff run, not hovering around .500. – Nick Schwartz

The argument that the Warriors will still be competitive in the Western Conference seems to boil down to claims that “Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are too elite for the Warriors to fail,” but they’ve never faced such a challenge before. With Klay Thompson expected to be out for the majority of the season, Curry surely be able to carry the load offensively – but will the Warriors be able to stop anyone? Depth is also a major concern. Green, who is typically less productive in regular season than he can be in playoff series, missed 16 games last year, while Curry has missed a total of 44 games over the last two seasons. With no bench in sight, any missed time from the Warriors’ stars could derail the season. – Nick Schwartz

I get the hype for Zion Williamson, but we’re putting too much on this team too soon. The Pelicans struggled to win 38 games consistently with Anthony Davis, one of the five best talents of the last decade, on the roster, and now we’re expecting them to get there with a young roster? Zion will eventually rise to Davis’s level — one would think — but it will take a year or two before he’s able to carry a team on his back. And outside of J.J. Redick, I don’t see where the Pelicans will get consistent outside shooting. In a league where court spacing is pivotal, that will be an issue.

New Orleans will be a competitive team, but in the West, it’ll be tough for this roster to carve out even 35 wins. – Steven Ruiz

It’s time to put your wagers down ahead of the 2019-20 NBA season.

With so much activity in the summer between big trades and even bigger signings, it’s a little tougher than usual to peg the over/unders for each of the 30 teams, but luckily, our Nick Schwartz and Charles Curtis have crunched the numbers, done hours and hours research and come up with their predictions (or, like everyone else, they’re just guessing!).

Here are their over/under takes as the Oct. 22 opening night gets closer with the Raptors and Pelicans playing, followed by Lakers-Clippers.

(All bets courtesy of BetMGM)

Atlanta Hawks: 33.5

Charles: Over

They won 29 games last season and play in the weaker conference. That and a step forward from this young roster is worth five victories.

Nick: Over

This one is probably going to come down to the wire, but I’m high on Trae Young and Cam Reddish.

Boston Celtics: 48.5

Charles: Over

Losing Al Horford will hurt a lot, but maybe Kemba Walker replacing Kyrie Irving will be what the locker room needs to just get to 49 wins again.

Nick: Under

This team only won 49 a year ago, and I’m not convinced they’re better off with Kemba Walker over Kyrie Irving, especially with Horford gone. Much will depend on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but I don’t feel especially comfortable betting on the Celtics to exceed expectations.

Brooklyn Nets: 45.5

Charles: Under

I loved this team last year, I think they’re in for big things when Kevin Durant returns. But I just don’t know if this roster without KD is ready to make the leap quite yet.

Nick: Over

I think there’s a nonzero chance Kyrie Irving has chemistry issues with his new teammates and we see a Boston 2.0 situation play out, but I’m banking on Caris LeVert to look like the borderline All-Star he was before his injury last year.

Charlotte Hornets: 23.5

Charles: Under

UNDER! UNDERUNDERUNDERUNDER! Does that cover it?

Nick: Under

23.5 wins is not very many wins… but this team is gross.

Chicago Bulls: 32.5

Charles: Over

I’m intrigued! Not “they’re totally sneaking into the playoffs” intrigued, but I think this roster — with vets including Thaddeus Young and Otto Porter Jr. — will be good enough to hit the over.

Nick: Over

The Bulls made some solid moves in the offseason, and this may be the Lauri Markkanen breakout year.

Cleveland Cavaliers: 24.5

Charles: Under

This is assuming the franchise trades Kevin Love at some point.

Nick: Under

The Cavaliers have some interesting young pieces that could potentially drag this franchise toward .500 in the coming years – but this team is a project, and they’ll probably need to move Kevin Love whenever they can.

Vegas Over Under Nba Wins

Dallas Mavericks: 40.5

Charles: Under

I love the idea of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis playing together, plus there are a lot of sneaky-good rotation guys in the mix. But! Are we sure Porzingis will stay completely healthy? Can they really win 41 times in the West? I’m nervous. This one is going to be close.

Nick: Under

Even with the Warriors and Thunder bracing for a nosedive in the standings, there are too many good teams in the West.

Denver Nuggets: 52.5

Charles: Under

Another team I love watching, but are they going to get left in the dust with the conference improving all over the place?

Nick: Under

This team won 54 games a year ago, when they were comparatively stronger relative to the field in the West. Denver was 5-2 against the Lakers and Clippers last season. They might go 2-5 this year.

Detroit Pistons: 37.5

Charles: Over

A second-straight .500 season seems about right here.

Nick: Over

Blake Griffin quietly put up his best season since 2014 last year with the Pistons. This team can hang in the East, barring injuries.

Golden State Warriors: 47.5

Charles: Over

Are we so sure they’re going to be so much worse? Are we so sure Klay Thompson is going to miss that much time? I’ll take the over — there’s no way they lose 10 fewer games than last season.

Nick: Under

It remains to be seen if this team can stop any opposing guards, and the loss of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson (for a significant period) is too much to bear. There’s no doubt in my mind that Durant and Thompson are worth around 10 wins over the course of a season, and the West is even more dangerous than it was a year ago.

Houston Rockets: 53.5

Charles: Under

I just don’t know about Russell Westbrook figuring out how to share with James Harden, so while they’re probably a 50-plus win team, they end up just missing.

Nick: Over

I have reservations about the Westbrook-Harden combo, but I still think they’ll cruise in the regular season before imploding in the playoffs, in true Rockets fashion.

Indiana Pacers: 46.5

Charles: Over

They’re deep as heck and picked up some key role players this offseason. I’m fairly confident with this one.

Nick: Over

This was a good team without Victor Oladipo for much of the season last year, and he should be back by December or January. Comfortably over, here.

Los Angeles Clippers: 54.5

Charles: Over

Here’s your No. 1 seed in the West, which gets them to 55 victories or more.

Nick: Under

The Clippers will likely lead the league in load management, and Paul George is already expected to miss at least the first month of the season. I think the Clippers sacrifice the regular season to be as prepared as possible for the postseason.

Los Angeles Lakers: 51.5

Charles: Under

I’m not buying it. I worry about the backcourt and about how they make Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard/JaVale McGee work. So I’ll assume they’re a playoff team at 49 to 50 wins.

Nick: Over

Kyle Kuzma is the X-factor here, and the Lakers won’t be rushing him back as he recovers from a stress reaction in his foot. Still, LeBron James was putting up MVP-level numbers last year before his injury, and Anthony Davis is my pick to win the 2020 MVP award. With the Rockets, Thunder and Warriors all potentially falling in the standings, the wins will be there for the taking.

Memphis Grizzlies: 27.5

Charles: Under

Vegas Insider Over Under Nba Wins

I’m extremely excited for the Ja and Jaren Era, but it’s going to be painful in Year 1.

Nick: Under

I’m surprised this line wasn’t closer to 25.5 or 24.5. This team is going to struggle without Mike Conley.

Miami Heat: 43.5

Charles: Over

Jimmy Butler and a big year from Bam Adebayo cement them as a postseason team.

Nick: Over

This one feels like a trap, as I think the East is probably better than we’re giving it credit for, but Jimmy Butler is probably worth the bump they need from a year ago.

Milwaukee Bucks: 57.5

Charles: Under

The No. 1 seed in the East is certainly right there for the taking. But maybe they take a little step back simply because of a regression to the mean?

Nick: Over

I’m not as high on the 76ers as many others are, and with Toronto losing Kawhi, the Bucks are the clear class of the Eastern Conference. The No. 1 seed is a lock.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 35.5

Charles: Under

Did they do anything of note this offseason to change a mediocre squad? Nope.

Nick: Under

Even if Karl-Anthony Towns takes a step forward and joins the MVP conversation – and that’s a big if – he has no help on this team.

New Orleans Pelicans: 39.5

Charles: Under

That seems a little high for an extremely young team of mostly newcomers.

Nick: Under

Even if Zion Williamson exceeds his already sky-high expectations, which I suspect he won’t, 40 wins is too many to expect in the West from a group of Lakers castoffs and Jrue Holiday.

New York Knicks: 26.5

Charles: Under

Even getting to that terrible number seems like a lot to ask for the mishmash the front office put together after whiffing on the big free agents this offseason.

Nick: Under

I think people are sleeping on Julius Randle, who will emerge as a national star this season – but this roster is still weak.

Oklahoma City Thunder: 31.5

Charles: Under

Another one where I assume some deals will be made to leave a somewhat barebones roster even more gutted.

Nick: Under

The best thing the Thunder can do is jettison Chris Paul and let Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put in a full year to develop. They won’t win many games doing this, but this team is already focused on future drafts.

Orlando Magic: 41.5

Charles: Over

Things are starting to look up with this team — and hey, maybe Markelle Fultz will turn out to be good? — so I’ll take the over.

Nick: Under

This one’s on a razor’s edge, but enough teams have seemingly improved more significantly (Heat, Hawks, Nets, Pacers, Bulls), that I’m not sure the Magic repeat their 42-win season.

Philadelphia 76ers: 54.5

Charles: Over

It all comes together after a fantastic offseason, and the remade starting five carries the Sixers to the top seed in the East.

Nick: Over

I don’t think the Sixers are a better team than they were a year ago, and I need to see Ben Simmons draining jumpers before I believe it, but with the Celtics’ overhaul and the Raptors’ losing Kawhi in the Atlantic, I do think the Sixers will post a better record this season.

Phoenix Suns: 28.5

Charles: Under

What, are Ricky Rubio and Dario Saric suddenly worth 10 wins? No thank you.

Nick: Under

There’s no chance.

Portland Trail Blazers: 46.5

Charles: Over

This team could very easily get to 50 wins even with the improvements made by others around them.

Nick: Over

The Blazers won 53 last season, and while they’ll be without Jusuf Nurkic indefinitely, Hassan Whiteside should be a serviceable replacement.

Sacramento Kings: 37.5

Charles: Over

Sigh. They were on their way to a bottom-two postseason seed … and then the Western Conference got so much harder. I think they get to 39 wins again.

Nick: Under

Too many other teams in the West have improved more notably than the Kings, who only managed to re-sign Harrison Barnes and add Dewayne Dedmon and Trevor Ariza. It’ll be close, though.

San Antonio Spurs: 46.5

Charles: Under

If it is under, it won’t be by much.

Nick: Over

Dejounte Murray’s back! DeMar DeRozan is in year 2! LaMarcus Aldridge is still a stud!

Toronto Raptors: 46.5

Charles: Over

Yes, losing Kawhi Leonard hurts a lot, but they’re not bad enough to hit the under with OG Anunoby getting healthy and with a deep bench.

Nick: Under

Las Vegas Over Under Nba Wins 2021-2022

There’s a logjam in the middle of the East, and the Raptors have to avoid both a post-championship letdown and make up for the loss of a top-3 player in the game.

Utah Jazz: 54.5

Charles: Under

The expectations are sky-high, as they should be, after Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley were added. But 55 wins? That’s a little too sky-high for me.

Nick: Under

Donovan Mitchell hasn’t peaked yet and Mike Conley is a great get, but I don’t think the Nuggets improve by five wins from last season.

Washington Wizards: 28.5

Charles: Under

A potential Bradley Beal trade cements them as one of the worst teams in the league (and yes, this includes if John Wall returns).

Nick: Under

Thomas Bryant is a stud and you should make sure he’s on your fantasy team. That’s about the only positive thing I have to say about the Wizards.

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