- The Brooklyn Nets are +250 favorites to win the NBA Finals one week before the season is set to begin.
- The Nets are dealing with issues regarding All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving.
- Russell Westbrook has struggled in his preseason debut as a Los Angeles Laker.
NEW YORK – The 2021-2022 NBA season is officially one week away and the early favorites at online sportsbooks are already showing chinks in their armour.
The Brooklyn Nets are dealing with issues surrounding their All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving and the Los Angeles Lakers MVP point guard Russell Westbrook has struggled in his first preseason game with the team.
With the issues surrounding these title contenders, which way should gamblers be leaning for betting on the NBA with online sportsbooks?
2022 Championship Winner
- Brooklyn Nets +250
- Los Angeles Lakers +375
- Golden State Warriors +900
- Milwaukee Bucks +900
- Phoenix Suns +1500
- Los Angeles Clippers +1600
- Philadelphia 76ers +1600
- Utah Jazz +1600
- Denver Nuggets +2000
Welcome to NBA Lane. #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/SOCCOBj1RB
— NBA (@NBA) October 7, 2021
The Brooklyn Nets
The Nets have been favored to win the NBA Finals throughout the offseason, opening with +225 as soon as the 2021 NBA Finals concluded.
The combined talent of two former MVPs in Kevin Durant and James Harden alongside Kyrie Irving has tempted sportsbooks as well as NBA gamblers. Irving is running the risk of not being allowed to play this season due to his decision to not get the COVID-19 vaccine.
New York has a mandate that affects the NBA, making it so that unvaccinated players cannot practice or play during home games.
Does Kyrie Irving plan to get vaccinated?
"I like to keep that stuff private. Living in the public sphere, there's a lot of questions about what's going on in the world of Kyrie, but I'd like to keep that stuff private" pic.twitter.com/BOciGLWu5U
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) September 27, 2021
The Brooklyn Nets have announced that Irving will not be able to play or practice unless he gets vaccinated, not wanting an inconsistent lineup. The Nets dealt with similar issues last season due to injuries and Irving being in and out of the lineup.
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When all three players were on the court together last season the team went 5-2. With just Durant and Irving, the team went 4-6. With just Durant and Harden, the team went 2-0. And with Harden and Irving alone, the team was 16-3. The Nets front office is against the idea of having Irving being a part-time player throughout the season.
Breaking: Nets GM Sean Marks announced that Kyrie Irving will not play or practice with the team until he is “eligible to be a full participant.” pic.twitter.com/qMLRNfwk39
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 12, 2021
It may be a wiser move to wait and see how Irving status fairs before jumping on Brooklyn’s odds with NBA sportsbooks.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are rolling out a new team this season, attempting to adjust to the addition of Russell Westbrook. The addition of Westbrook has already seen the Lakers’ odds shorten from +450 to +375 heading into the season.
While on paper Westbrook should positively impact the Lakers’ offense, things have looked rough as his preseason debut was less than stellar.
Westbrook shot 3 for 12 from the field, had 9 turnovers, and was a -14 during the Lakers 123-94 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
While it is not wise to judge a team’s entire season based on a preseason loss, the flaws that were shown in this game were the same concerns detractors of the trade for Westbrook had.
“We want to be good, but we don’t want to skip steps. You can’t rush the process of what we’re trying to do and win championships,” said Anthony Davis. “We know, possibly, there could be struggles to start the season. … But we never want to get out to a slow start — 0-5, 0-6, whatever — we still want to be able to fight through our mistakes while winning games.”
The Lakers plan to start all three of their stars in Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Russell Westbrook for the first time in Tuesday’s preseason game against the Golden State Warriors. This will give NBA gamblers a better grasp of what to expect from the new-look of the Lakers this season.
The game begins at 10:30 p.m. EST on TNT.
After graduating from Florida State University with a degree in creative writing, Giovanni spent his professional career writing short stories for online journals. Now at USAOnlineSportsbooks, you can find him keeping fans up to date on their favorite teams best betting odds. Giovanni still tries to incorporate his passion for storytelling through the perspective of sports betting.
