Betting Odds For Warriors, Lakers, Rockets, Celtics Regular Season, Playoffs Revealed

The Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas opened betting on regular season wins Sunday and the major takeaway was the Los Angeles Lakers whose over/under projection is 48.5 games.

The Lakers of course, have not made the playoffs since 2013 and finished last season with a 35-47 record, but with the arrival of LeBron James, they became instant playoff contenders as oddsmakers believe they could win more than 45 games next season for the first time since the 2010/11 season.

James has featured in the last eight NBA Finals and teams have regularly improved upon his arrival. When the 33-year-old joined the Miami Heat in 2010, they improved their regular season record by 11 wins. The Cavaliers improved by 20 wins when James made his return to the franchise in 2014.

On average, the Akron native's regular season record is 52.2 wins.

"We've seen the impact LeBron has had in his prior free-agency moves, although that involved staying in the Eastern Conference," SuperBook oddsmaker Jeff Sherman told ESPN. "With the more competitive Western Conference, his impact wouldn't be as drastic as what we've seen prior. We figured about 10-12 wins, plus the young players growth to get to the number we set."

That is one thing to consider. The 2018/19 season will be the first time James will feature in the Western Conference that is already stacked, and the Golden State Warriors are unsurprisingly the favorites, as they are expected to win 62.5 games.

The Houston Rockets, who were just one win away from defeating the Warriors in last season's Western Conference Finals, are second and are expected to win 54.5 games.

The Oklahoma City Thunder follow behind with 50.5 wins while there are a number of other teams along with the Lakers who are expected to win 40 plus games such as the The Utah Jazz (48.5), Denver Nuggets (47.5), New Orleans Pelicans (45.5), Minnesota Timberwolves (44.5), San Antonio Spurs (43.5) and Portland Trail Blazers (41.5).

"We felt in the tougher Western Conference, we made a number [on the Lakers] that is competitive with other similar teams," Sherman said. "Our expectations are the public will bet over, but sharps will be more inclined to bet under if we went higher."

Interestingly, the odds see the Spurs missing out on the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-97 season, despite the addition of DeMar DeRozan, who was traded for Kawhi Leonard, who went to the Toronto Raptors.

As for the East, the Boston Celtics are the favorites and see their win total at 57.5 wins. They finished last season as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 55-27 record but with the departure of their nemesis in James to the West, they now have higher expectations.

The Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers follow behind with both teams being expected to win 54.5 games. The Indiana Pacers (47.5), Milwaukee Bucks (46.5), Washington Wizards (44.5), Miami Heat (41.5) and Detroit Pistons (37.5) are also expected to make the playoffs.

While James improves the record of teams he joins, his departure also has a major effect. The Cavaliers finished last season as the No. 4 seed with a 50-32 record but are now pegged at 30.5 wins.

The New York Knicks are expected to have 29.5 wins, with the Phoenix Suns (28.5), Chicago Bulls (27.5), Sacramento Kings (25.5) and Atlanta Hawks (23.5) behind them.