NBA Betting Preview: Picks, Predictions, Recommended Wagers

With the start of the NBA season less than a week away, the staff at theScore put on their prognosticator hats to offer up futures selections on some of the more notable offerings on the board.

Atlantic Division odds

Gino Bottero: The Raptors ran away with the Atlantic a year ago, but few changes have been made to a roster that effectively took the first step towards tanking a year ago before catching magic in a bottle. There won't be as many cupcake games on the schedule like there were a year ago. Meanwhile, the Nets - a team built to win now (like, right now) - get back a (mostly) healthy Brook Lopez, and seem to now understand they can't give big minutes to Kevin Garnett's shadow. Nets +280 (Sportsbook.ag)

Joseph Casciaro: The Atlantic Division remains the worst in the league, and with the surprising Raptors probably getting even better, it's theirs to lose. One of the Knicks or Nets could challenge if Toronto regresses, but there's not enough betting value there. The Celtics and Sixers shouldn't even be listed. Raptors +100 (Bovada)

Blake Murphy: The favorite generally isn't where you want to look for value, but the Raptors paying even money is the safest play in the league's worst division. Even factoring in regression for the Raptors and the bottom feeders, it's an easy path to a repeat - Brooklyn should be a little worse, the Knicks are still only a fringe playoff team, and the Celtics and 76ers are awful. Forty five wins might get the division, and I think Toronto's fine there. Raptors +100 (Bovada)

Central Division odds

Bottero: Occam's razor - the simplest explanation is likely the correct one. The Cavaliers have the best top-end talent in basketball at the moment. Some will say they need time together, but the 2007-08 Celtics and 2010-11 Heat each won their division in a walk in the first year their big three were assembled. The Bulls are no pushover, but they're another Derrick Rose misstep away from being a 48-win team. Cavaliers -200 (widely available)

Casciaro: The Bulls are probably the only team in the East that can legitimately challenge the Cavs - if Derrick Rose is truly back - but +160 isn't enough for me to gamble on Rose's durability at this point. The best player alive has a top-five or 10 player on one side and a budding young superstar on the other. And that's where the money should go. Cavaliers -200 (widely available)

Murphy: I'm also buying the Bulls to win the Eastern Conference, for what it's worth. The Bulls are stable - they'll return 73 percent of their 2013-14 minutes plus get Rose back (hopefully), and they added Nikola Mirotic, Doug McDermott, and Pau Gasol. The Cavaliers have a higher peak, to be sure, but over 82 games I like the Bulls' stability to win out in the division. Bulls +160 (widely available)

Southeast Division odds

Bottero: The Heat are in for a major step back with Chris Bosh and the shell of Dwyane Wade leading the team. That opens the door for a good and improving Wizards squad to take the division. Bradley Beal will be missed for the first month of the season, but John Wall is becoming something special, and the team's starting frontcourt is sneaky good. Wizards +180 (Sportsbook.ag)

Casciaro: Atlanta was a top-three team in the East when Al Horford was healthy last season. Considering that this very well could be a year-long four-team race between the Heat, Wizards, Hornets, and Hawks, getting Atlanta at 6-to-1 is probably the way to go. Hawks +600 (Bovada)

Murphy: The Southeast is the most interesting from a gambling perspective, as four teams could legitimately win the division and it wouldn't be a surprise. With four teams set to win between 40 and maybe 47 games, I like the underrated Hawks at twice the payout of the Hornets, Heat, or Wizards. Hawks +600 (Bovada)

Northwest Division odds

Bottero: The Trail Blazers looked to have the Northwest, if not the Western Conference, locked up for a long while last season. They'll have a good opportunity to jump out to a sizable lead in the division with Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant nursing an injury for the first month of the season. Trail Blazers +280 (Sportsbook.ag)

Casciaro: The Nuggets are a really interesting option here. The Thunder are still the favorites, but with Durant expected to miss about a quarter of the season, most will tell you Portland has a chance at claiming the division. They do, and you should sprinkle some money there, but if the talented Nuggets can finally get healthy again, they probably provide the best value here. Nuggets +1500 (Sportsbook.ag)

Murphy: OKC at -300 just isn't worth the money given Durant's 20-game absence and The Based God's Curse. They'll win the division, but there's no value in the line. The Nuggets at 15-to-1, considering their depth, the pieces they have to make a big trade, and coming off 36 wins in an "every single thing that could go wrong did" season? Worth the high-payout flier. Nuggets +1500 (Sportsbook.ag)

Pacific Division odds

Bottero: The Suns won a lot of big games that they weren't supposed to a year ago, and now they figure to get more than half a year from Eric Bledsoe. The Clippers are coming off what must have been an emotionally draining season, while the Warriors are breaking in a new head coach. Suns +1400 (Sportsbook.ag)

Casciaro: The Suns are a very intriguing big-value bet considering the year they had last season, and the Clippers are the well deserving favorites here, but the Warriors are fringe title contenders themselves. Getting Golden State at better than 2-to-1 odds could be a nice play. Warriors +220 (widely available)

Murphy: Like with the Thunder, the Clippers seem relatively sage atop the Pacific, but getting 50 cents for that bet in such a competitive conference, where one injury could shake things up dramatically, seems too light. The Warriors are the next squad up and could conceivably win 55 games - you're getting better than double your money back on the Clippers stumbling or the Warriors taking a step forward. Warriors +220 (widely available)

Southwest Division odds

Bottero: The Grizzlies were a different squad with Marc Gasol in the lineup, and this year they get the luxury of starting the year with both he and Mike Conley healthy. There's a lot of wear on Zach Randolph, but the Grizzlies play such a good team game that it wouldn't be surprising to see them make a run at the top spot in the West. Grizzlies +800 (widely available)

Casciaro: The Rockets stumbled their way through the offseason and might have fallen behind the Mavs in the toughest division in basketball, but they still have two of the absolute best players - if not the best - at their respective positions (Harden and Howard) and may actually be underrated heading into the season. Getting them at 5-to-1 seems like a bargain. Rockets +500 (Sportsbook.ag)

Murphy: The Mavericks might be the fourth-best team in the Western Conference, and while the Spurs remain the favorites - they've held the division crown since 2010-11 - it's not like the aging defending champs taking a knee later in the season to preserve for the playoffs would shock anyone. Mavericks +600 (Sportsbook.ag)

Championship odds

Bottero: Once again, the Grizzlies are an elite team with Marc Gasol in the fold, but they're being priced like a second-rate squad. Beginning the year healthy will help with seeding, and adding Vince Carter to the fold gives the team some much needed scoring off the bench. Grizzlies +5000 (widely available)

Casciaro: Memphis, Portland, Golden State, and Houston all provide some solid value, but the five most realistic championship contenders are Cleveland, San Antonio, the Clippers, Oklahoma City, and Chicago. Take the team that gives you the best value of those five, which seems to be the Clippers across the board. Clippers +1000 (Sportsbook.ag)

Murphy: The case against the Bulls: the existence of the Cavs. The case for: they're already penciled into the East finals, they may have Rose back, they're the deepest they've been, and they were already pretty good before the additions they made. I think the Cavs are more likely to win, but finding the Bulls at 8-to-1 when the Cavs are 3-to-1 seems like a nice value. Bulls +800 (Sportsbook.ag)

Win Total odds

Bottero: Portland won 54 games last season, but they're inexplicably projected to fall off by five games in 2014-15. The team corrected some of its depth issues with the additions of Steve Blake and Chris Kaman, and its starters are elite. Trail Blazers 49 over -118 (SIA)

Casciaro: Many seem to think the Rockets took a step back after their disappointing offseason, but I'm expecting Dwight Howard's best season since his Orlando days, and still think a team led by Howard and James Harden  - with some very solid role players around them - is good for 50 wins, even in the unforgiving West. Rockets 49.5 over -113 (SIA)

Murphy: Sorry, Kobe faithful, but the Lakers may be the second-worst team in the West. Would you even peg them for a playoff spot in the East? Really, with nothing but power forwards and an archaic no-threes coaching philosophy? They won 27 games last season, and while they get Kobe back, I'm not sure he's worth five wins plus whatever Gasol and D'Antoni brought over Boozer and Scott. Lakers 32 under -118 (SIA)

MVP odds

Bottero: Anthony Davis is on the brink of becoming a superstar. About to enter his third pro season, Davis figures to take another major step forward in his development. If he can help an improving Pelicans team sneak into the playoffs, he'll get significant MVP consideration. Anthony Davis +2500 (SIA)

Casciaro: With Durant expected to miss about a quarter of the season, the Clippers should be right there with the Spurs as favorites to claim the West's top seed. Chris Paul was robbed of an MVP award in 2007-08, but if he continues his Point God ways while leading the best team in another historically strong conference, this might finally be his year. At +1600, it's certainly worth imagining. Chris Paul +1600 (Bovada)

Murphy: My instinct when Durant went down was to hit Griffin as the next best value, but 12-to-1 isn't that great a payout when you consider that James is very likely to win the award (it's paying just less than even). Anthony Davis at 20-to-1 makes statistical sense but voters haven't generally voted for players whose teams don't win 50 games. And so Curry, the face of a potential 55-win team who could average 25-and-9 and break his own 3-point record, gets the nod at long odds. Stephen Curry +3000 (Sportsbook.ag)

Rookie of the Year odds

Bottero: Consider me skeptical that Carlos Boozer will hold off Julius Randle for very long. Randle will play a significant role and figures to put up strong numbers for a very media-friendly organization. Julius Randle +900 (Sportsbook.ag)

Casciaro: All eyes will be on Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, but Nerlens Noel should feast on his opportunity with the comically inferior 76ers. It's hard not to like his stat-stuffing potential at +600. However, a really good under the radar bet that could actually cash in is Nikola Mirotic. He won't get the touches or the individual opportunity that the bigger names will, but the 23-year-old Bulls rookie already has a Spanish League MVP to his name, should log plenty of minutes for a title contender, and can be found at 70-to-1 in some spots. Nikola Mirotic +70000 (888.com)

Murphy: Apologies to Wiggins and Noel, who should be very exciting this year, but this is Parker's award to lose. He's going to get the playing time, he's going to get the touches, and he entered the draft with the most NBA-ready game. There are rookies I like better long term, but nobody is touching Parker's stats this year. Jabari Parker +300 (SIA)

Odds courtesy Bovada, Sports Interaction, Sportsbook.ag, 888.com.