NBA Futures Best Bets for Western Conference No. 1 Seed: OKC Thunder vs Denver Nuggets

Vaughn Dalzell breaks down a futures bet he locked in on the Oklahoma City Thunder over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference.

Western Conference No. 1 Seed: OKC Thunder (+150)

The race in the Northwest Division is heating up as the Thunder, Nuggets and Timberwolves are all vying for not only the top spot in the division but the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

With Karl-Anthony Towns not 100-percent and getting a second opinion on his knee, Minnesota’s odds have dropped drastically to win the division and earn the No. 1 seed. It’s now a two-team race between Denver and Oklahoma City for both the division and conference regular-season crowns.

The Thunder own the 14th easiest remaining strength of schedule compared to the Nuggets who are 19th, so not too much of a difference. However, when you dig deeper with road/home games and rest, OKC also has the advantage in those areas.

Neither OKC or Denver play each other again, and the Thunder have the head-to-head advantage. Over the next seven games, OKC hosts Miami, Memphis, Indiana, and Dallas before a quick trip to Memphis, then back home against Utah, then at Toronto.

I think that schedule which sets the Thunder up well to run the table and pull ahead as the games following that road trip aren’t difficult matchups with the travel involved.

Denver started 6-0 post All-Star break then dropped a home game in OT to the Suns and now host the Celtics, Jazz, and Raptors on a home stand. After that, they are on the road in Miami, a neutral court in Austin, TX versus the Spurs, then at Dallas and Minnesota before back home against the Knicks.

I like OKC’s schedule over the next two weeks more and think the Thunder could be the most unlikely No. 1 seed in the NBA since the Hawks did so back in 2014.

I grabbed the Thunder to earn the No. 1 seed in the West at +150 odds on FanDuel. If your book has OKC to win the Northwest Division at better odds, then take that, because the two are correlated. I’d go down to +100.

Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder to earn the No. 1 Seed (1u)

NBA Futures in my pocket

3u: Boston Celtics to win the Eastern Conference (-110)
2u: Chicago Bulls Under 38.5 Wins (-110)
1u: Oklahoma City Thunder to earn the No. 1 seed (+150)
1u: Dallas Mavericks to win the Southwest Division (+185)
1u: Orlando Magic to win the Southeast Division (+200)
1u: Orlando Magic to win the Southeast Division (+120)
1u: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP (+300)
1u: Immanuel Quickley to win Sixth Man of the Year (+900)
0.1u: Chicago Bulls to have the fewest wins (+3000)

Bet the Edge is your source for the day in sports betting. Get all of Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick’s insight weekdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your podcasts.