Trent Reinsmith
- The Brooklyn Nets remain favorites to win the 2022 NBA championship
- Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors close in on the Nets
- LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers tumble
The Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers were the preseason favorites to win the 2022 NBA championship. The Nets are still at the top of the odds as we close in on the mid-point of December. However, the Lakers, who are hanging around the .500 mark, have started to tumble down the list of favorites. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors, who have been among the best teams this season, are gaining ground on the Nets.
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2022 NBA Championship Odds
Brooklyn holds
That the Nets are still at the top of the rankings to win the 2022 NBA championship and even though the club does not have the best record in the league, they are in first place in the East. The Nets are 18-8 as of this writing and have still not lost back-to-back games on the season.
📼 | @KDTrey5 with another 30-point night pic.twitter.com/kOZBAxxvCD
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 11, 2021
Kevin Durant is leading the team — and the league — in scoring with 28.5 points per game. The Nets’ grasp on the top spot is not as strong as it once was due to the inconsistent play of James Harden and the absence of Kyrie Irving, but as long as Durant is dominant, expect Brooklyn to be one of the teams at the top of the Eastern Conference favorites.
Golden State gains
If the oddsmakers thought the Golden State Warriors would stumble, they were kind of right. After starting the season with an 18-2 record, the Warriors are 3-3 in their past six games, but they are still the No. 2 team in the NBA and hot on the heels of the No. 1 Phoenix Suns, who are 21-4 on the season.
The Warriors have Stephen Curry pacing the team with 27.1 points per game, which is third in the league behind Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, who is scoring 27.6 points per game.
Poole Party pic.twitter.com/QuAMIufn3Q
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 12, 2021
That the Warriors have gained on the Nets while going .500 in their past six games shows that their is faith in the staying power of Golden State was an elite team.
Lakers drop
It took a while, but the shine has come off the Los Angeles Lakers. It seems as if many were waiting for the Lakers club to gel. With that not happening as we pass the quarter mark of the 2021-22 NBA season, the Lakers have dropped from +550 in November to +1000 in December.
The Lakers have not won three games in a row since late October into early November and LeBron James has only been on the court for 15 of the team’s games. If there is a positive to take from the Lakers’ struggles it’s that Anthony Davis is playing better than he did in 2020-21.
King led the charge with his 600th career 30-point game 👑 pic.twitter.com/ZXxCgOemB7
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 11, 2021
MyTopSportsbook’s Pick
Right now I’d say the best bets are the Nets from the East and the Warriors from the West. With James Harden getting back to form I’m leaning toward the Nets, but if Golden State can stay hot and Klay Thompson can come back and fit into the team’s scheme, I’d give Golden State a shot to get back to the title.
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