Best win totals to bet ahead of 2022-23 NBA season

We’ve in a bit of a lull when it comes to the NBA, largely due to the lack of traction on a Kevin Durant trade and most of the free agency spending done. That hasn’t prevented DraftKings Sportsbook from putting out win totals for the upcoming season. Here’s some we think you should look at.

Los Angeles Lakers over 46.5 wins (+100)

The Lakers went 33-49 last season, but there’s a clear path to 47 or more wins here. The biggest involves LeBron James and Anthony Davis staying healthy for the entire year. James and Davis won 52 games in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season. They went 42-30 in the following shortened season, which is 47.8 wins in a full season. Davis’ health is always in question but last season was by far his worst outing on that front. If James and Davis are on the floor, the Lakers can easily march past this total.

Oklahoma City Thunder under 26.5 wins (-110)

There’s a lot of hype surrounding Oklahoma City’s future, especially with Chet Holmgren’s play in Summer League, However, this team is still trying to tank and will eventually pull the plug on guys late in the season to get more favorable draft position. The total is quite low, but the under is the safer play here.

Sacramento Kings over 32.5 wins (+100)

I know, the Kings are not really the poster child for exceeding expectations. Sacramento won 30 games last season, but this team now gets a full season of Domantas Sabonis. The Kings were 20-36 before trading for Sabonis and finished 10-16 with him. That’s a 31.5-win mark in 82 games with him alone. Add in Keegan Murray, Malik Monk and Kevin Heurter to this offense for new coach Mike Brown and 33 wins is not a big stretch. At plus money, this is one of the most intriguing bets on the board right now.

Chicago Bulls over 43.5 wins (-120)

The Bulls got DeMar DeRozan’s best season last year, and it’s hard to expect that again. However, Chicago also had half of its key rotation players out or day-to-day with injuries. Those issues should be cleaned up by now, and the Bulls got additional depth with Dalen Terry, Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic. Even in a more competitive East, this team should get to at least 44 wins.

Washington Wizards under 33.5 wins (-115)

The Wizards finished with 35 wins last year despite missing Bradley Beal for 42 games. They also got off to a strong start as teams might’ve overlooked them. That won’t happen this year, and there’s not much else outside of Beal and Kristaps Porzingis to inspire confidence in this group. In a more competitive conference from top to bottom, the Wizards could be a sneaky contender for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.