NBA Central Division betting preview: Bucks, Cavaliers and more

Just when it looked as though Milwaukee’s grasp atop the Eastern Conference might be slipping after last season’s first-round playoff exit, the 2021 champions stunned everyone by trading for Damian Lillard.

With that move, the Bucks put themselves in position to remain a force in the conference at least another season, and likely years to come when you consider how thrilled perennial MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo must be about their apparent commitment to winning.

Inside the Atlantic Division, Milwaukee’s closest competition will again come from the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were good enough to land a top-four seed last season. But until they land a player as good as Antetokounmpo — or Lillard for that matter — they won’t be ending Milwaukee’s five-year run as division champs.

Milwaukee’s +400 title odds at BetMGM are tied with the Boston Celtics for the best odds in the NBA. I mentioned in my Northwest Division preview how I still favor the Nuggets going into the season, but Milwaukee would be right behind them for me — even ahead of Boston.

The reason I like the Bucks a little more is simple. Though the top six players in Boston’s rotation may be a little better overall, Milwaukee is deeper, and more importantly, Antetokounmpo and Lillard could end up being the best duo in the NBA — certainly better than Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in my eyes. In a seven-game playoff series between teams close enough in talent, those two tip the scales for me.

The key word in that headline is “postseason,” because while I believe the Cavs are a lock for the playoffs, the same can’t be said about the Indiana Pacers. Let me explain.

Cavaliers

Our last memory of the Cavs from last season is the New York Knicks running them off the court in five games in the first round of the playoffs. It was an extremely disappointing finish to a promising year, but it shouldn’t take away from what they accomplished in Donovan Mitchell’s first season with the team.

Cleveland was one of just six teams in the entire NBA to win 50 games, and that upward trajectory should continue for another year. The Cavs aren’t on the same tier as Milwaukee or Boston, but they’re right in the next tier of teams.

Pacers

Indiana is almost like the Utah Jazz of the Eastern Conference, where they probably won’t be playing for top lottery picks anymore, but they also aren’t good enough to seriously contend for anything. Where they differ is in the strength of the conferences they play.

Utah won’t make the playoffs because the West is deeper than the East. Indiana, though, should at least be able to play its way into a play-in tournament spot after coming up just short last season. From there, anything can happen obviously, especially with a player as good as Tyrese Haliburton, but I’m not expecting the Pacers to make much noise yet.

Neither the Bulls nor Pistons will make the playoffs this season, but these teams are not alike.

The Bulls are stuck in limbo, with a bunch of veterans on expensive deals who aren’t good enough to lift them into serious contention. They need to blow up the roster, and maybe they finally will at the trade deadline if things aren’t going their way. I’m just not convinced they will judging on how they’ve approached roster building to this point.

The Pistons, on the other hand, are trending up. They are loaded with young talent, including Cade Cunningham, who’s returning after missing most of last season, and they brought in Monty Williams as a coach capable of molding their young roster into a winner. It won’t happen in just a single season, but Detroit fans will have a fun team to watch and something to look forward to real soon.

If you’re looking for a sneaky long-shot prop to take a swing on, how about Donovan Mitchell’s 25-1 odds to lead the NBA in points per game? Those odds are eighth best at BetMGM, and I think he’ll certainly have competition from reigning scoring champ Joel Embiid and others like Stephen Curry and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but Mitchell will have a good shot at it.

His 28.3-point average last season ranked 10th in the NBA, and almost everyone ahead of him has a new star on their team to share the ball with. Luka Doncic will play a full season with Kyrie Irving. Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo have each other. Jayson Tatum has Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. Kevin Durant has Bradley Beal, and a full season of Devin Booker.

Mitchell? He has essentially the same roster from last season, and the confidence that comes with a career-best scoring year. Look out for him.