NBA Standings 2022: Suns, Warriors Are New Favorites, Nets Out Of Playoff Picture

The Brooklyn Nets (30-27) are finally no longer favorites to win the 2022 NBA championship. That honor belongs to the Phoenix Suns (47-10) and Golden State Warriors (42-16), who sit atop the overall standings heading into the All-Star break.

Phoenix and Golden lead all teams with +450 odds to win the NBA Finals at BetMGM. Brooklyn is now tied with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks (36-23) with +550 championship odds.

The Nets remained favorites after swapping James Harden for Ben Simmons at the trade deadline. Less than a week later, Brooklyn is still out of the playoff picture as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Snapping an 11-game losing streak Monday, the Nets are three games behind the No. 6 seed Boston Celtics.

It’s unclear when Simmons will make his Nets debut. Kevin Durant is still out with a knee injury. Both players could be back on the court shortly after the All-Star Game in a best-case scenario.

The Philadelphia 76ers (34-23) are fifth with +700 odds after making the trade for Harden. The Suns and Warriors are far ahead of the Nets in the NBA standings.

Phoenix defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (29-31) Tuesday for its best start in franchise history. The Suns are 5.5 games ahead of the second-place Warriors and 10.5 games in front of the Miami Heat (37-21). Miami and the Chicago Bulls (37-21) are tied for the best record in the East.

Golden State has maintained the NBA’s second-best record in spite of Draymond Green’s absence. The Warriors have struggled at times without the Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but managed to go on a nine-game winning streak from Jan. 21 to Feb. 7.

Once the NBA MVP favorite, Stephen Curry is fourth among all players with +750 odds at BetMGM. Curry is averaging 25.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game.

Chris Paul and Devin Booker have +2500 and +3000 MVP odds, respectively, for the Suns. The league leader in total assists and steals, Paul is averaging 16.4 points and 13.3 assists in eight February games. Booker leads Phoenix with 25.5 points per game to go along with averages of 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.

The Suns have won 17 of their last 18 games. Phoenix has a 16.5-game lead on the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves.

Sitting 23.5 games ahead of the No. 10 seed Portland Trail Blazers, the Suns could lose every game for the rest of the regular season and still find their way into the play-in tournament.