The NBA season is underway, but there are still some great wagers where you can make yourself a little money. This is especially true if you love the underdogs. Those teams or players that oddsmakers didn’t have much hope for, which you believe can be a difference-maker.
These are the kinds of teams that can be a winner for you. A team that is given especially long odds to make the playoffs or even advance deep into the postseason can be a great way to earn major bucks. Maybe you are looking for a team that is not expected to win many games, believing that they will top all expectations. If this is the kind of action you are looking to get in on, here are some underdog wagers for the 2019-20 NBA season.
Miami Heat
It seems like a long time since the days of Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh, which has relegated this team to an almost after-thought status. However, the Heat have started the season on fire, winning 75% of their games through the first month. This team looks like it’s for real.
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The addition of Jimmy Butler, considered one of the best two-way players in the game, makes this a team to be reckoned with. Add to them veteran point guard Goran Dragic, swingman Justice Winslow and a group of big men and it is easy to see how this team that won 39 games last year could be a 50-win team this season. The over-under was set at 43 wins this year but, if they stay healthy, they should have no problem eclipsing that number.
Philadelphia 76ers
This team is a bit of an enigma. With so many No. 1 draft picks, this should be a team that is dominating the Eastern Conference. To be honest, 51 wins last season was a huge disappointment. This should be a 60-win team, especially in a rather weak conference.
The talent is there. Joel Embiid is one of the best two or three centers in basketball, and point guard Ben Simmons is extremely talented. Add the shooting talents of Tobias Harris and this is a team that is deep.
The over-under for wins this season is set at 54.5. That may seem like a bit of a stretch for a team that won just 51 games last year, but this is a weak conference. There is no team that is blowing anyone away, and Philadelphia has gotten off to a quick start. If you haven’t gone all-in on this wager already, it’s time to do so now.
Denver Nuggets
There is no doubt that the Western Conference is brutal. The Lakers look like they are back behind star player Lebron James. Their neighbor, the Clippers, are playing great. Both Texas teams, the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, are playing well, and there are some surprise teams in the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz. This doesn’t even include the Golden State Warriors, who are struggling but have the talent to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Packed in the middle of that is the Denver Nuggets. They are off to a quick start this season, winning 13 of their first 18 games and boast having one of the best big men on the planet in Nikola Jokic, who finished with 21.1 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per contest last year. They are deep up front and have a solid backcourt as well.
The over-under for Denver this year was set at 53, which is a big number simply because of how good the West is. This is why we say to go under. This is an incredibly talented team, but it’s just too much to ask them to win 55 games.
Chicago Bulls
Okay, so the Bulls stink. This was honestly not a very good team last year, winning just 22 games. However, they drafted a talented young point guard in Coby White and have talented forward Thaddeus Young, who they added through free agency.
This is actually a team that has some nice scorers, including Wendell Carter, Lauri Markkanen, and Zach LaVine. There’s a lot to like about this team.
Add to it, the oddsmakers set the over-under at 33.5 in a very weak Eastern Conference. This is a team that could be a surprise playoff contender, even if they started out the season with just seven wins through their first 21 games. In fact, this is why we are high on Chicago.
With the early struggles, this would be a team to jump on board with. It is likely that Chicago is going to take 30 games to gel, but they should take off in the second half of the season. Not only do we suspect this team will win 34, but they can win as many as 40. There are really only four or five teams that are more talented, so why not Chicago?