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The emergence of Luka Doncic as a top 10 player in the NBA has the Dallas Mavericks thinking NBA Finals. The Mavericks are only in fifth place in the West at 29-17, but the conference is very tight and appears to be wide open. Dallas only trails the Los Angeles Lakers by 7.0 games for first place in the West and the betting public was on the Mavs even before they emerged as a contender. Dallas received 19% of the handle, the most of any team in the West.
The wide majority of the bets, however, went to L.A. The Lakers and Clippers lead the way in terms of betting percentage. No other team has more than 8% of the bets in their favor. This isn’t all that surprising, as the L.A. teams sit tied for odds to win the West at +180. Unfortunately, if you had the Warriors making another title run during the preseason, those hopes are all but lost.
Here’s a graphic provided by DraftKings Sportsbook that outlines the handle and betting percentages while highlighting the current odds to win the West:
NBA Western Conference Winner
| Team | Odds | % Handle | % Bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Odds | % Handle | % Bets |
| DAL Mavericks | 1600 | 19% | 8% |
| LA Lakers | 180 | 17% | 33% |
| LA Clippers | 180 | 16% | 21% |
| DEN Nuggets | 800 | 13% | 8% |
| UTA Jazz | 900 | 11% | 6% |
| GS Warriors | 25000 | 11% | 5% |
| HOU Rockets | 750 | 6% | 7% |
| NO Pelicans | 10000 | 3% | 4% |
| POR Trail Blazers | 5000 | 2% | 3% |
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