NBA Season Restart: Team Odds to Capture Western Conference 8th Seed
A total of six teams are set to battle it out for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference when the NBA season restart takes place this month. The Memphis Grizzlies were holding that No. 8 spot before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Five other teams have been invited to the Orlando bubble site since they were within striking distance of that final seed. Will one of them be able to overtake the Grizz?
Pelicans, Blazers are closest threats to Grizzlies
We have recently looked at the NBA Rookie of the Year odds which have Ja Morant from Memphis as the favorite. However, the only other player anywhere near him in that race is the New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson. As we mentioned, if Zion can put on an impressive display in Orlando to get the Pelicans that 8th seed, it could also win him ROY.
The latest odds to capture that final seed out West actually have the Pelicans as a +300 underdog. Right behind them in third place are the Portland Trail Blazers led by recent NBA 2K21 cover star Damian Lillard.
- Memphis Grizzlies -150
- New Orleans Pelicans +300
- Portland Trail Blazers +325
- Sacramento Kings +1000
- San Antonio Spurs +1600
- Phoenix Suns +5000
Odds source: Bovada 6/30/20
As seen above, bettors have some serious longshot options too. Clearly, odds makers are counting out the Phoenix Suns with a $100 bet set to win $5,000 should they shock everyone in Orlando. The San Antonio Spurs will be without their star big man LaMarcus Aldridge when they play in the restart. That has them at +1600 odds, while De’Aaron Fox and the Sacramento Kings have +1000 odds to snag that final playoff spot.
NBA season restart schedules
The 22 NBA teams involved in the season restart will arrive in Orlando, Florida in the coming days as they start preparations. They’ll each have an eight-game schedule which will help determine the final seeding for the NBA Playoffs. The opening games begin on July 30th with a doubleheader for the NBA season restart.
That includes the Western Conference teams mentioned above as well as the Washington Wizards, who are the ninth team from the East and will try to get the No. 8 spot in the Conference.
Here’s a look at all of the teams’ schedules for the Orlando season restart:
Just from looking at the schedules above, one would have to give a nod to the New Orleans Pelicans in terms of difficulty of schedule. They’ll take on just two teams locked into the playoffs right now with the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz. Besides that, they take on either teams sitting in a No. 8 spot, or teams trying to get that spot.
Will it be Memphis, New Orleans, or another team claiming the final NBA playoff spot out West?
