NBA Western Conference Champions Updated Futures Odds and Analysis: Don't Sleep On the Utah Jazz

Having already broken down the Eastern Conference Futures we head West today. Despite not taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy last season, the Western Conference looks to bounce back and reclaim the NBA Championship, featuring high-powered offenses that will likely provide challenges to opponents across the league. With the NBA All-Star game marking the final stretch of the 2021-22 season, a few rotations look to make their final push toward the postseason.

Take a look at the Top 10, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Top 10 FanDuel Sportsbook – Feb. 23

Golden State Warriors +170

Phoenix Suns +170

Utah Jazz +550

Denver Nuggets +1700

Memphis Grizzlies +1700

Los Angeles Lakers +1900

Dallas Mavericks +1900

Minnesota Timberwolves +4200

Los Angeles Clippers +5000

New Orleans Pelicans +24000

Three Value Plays to Win the West

Golden State Warriors (Currently Odds +170)

Currently sitting in second place in the Western Conference with a 42-17 record, the Golden State Warriors hold on as co-favorites to win the conference, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. In January, the Warriors posted an 11-6 record, averaging 109.4 points per game with a 6.4 Net Rating, the third-highest in the conference. Golden State saw the return of Klay Thompson, who missed the entire 2020-21 NBA season with an Achilles injury. In 16 games this year, Thompson has averaged 25 minutes, 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists per game—as he works his way back to being an integral part of a rotation featuring the dynamic Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Kevon Looney. With Draymond Green out with a back injury, Otto Porter has slotted into a starting role, splitting time with Lottery Pick Jonathan Kuminga. Curry, however, looks to maintain his role as the primary playmaker in the rotation, leading the team in usage with a 31.2% usage rate and averaging 35 minutes, 26 points, five rebounds, and six assists in 54 games.

With 23 games remaining in the regular season, the Warriors have the seventh-most demanding schedule, according to Tankathon, with several meetings ahead against the Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets.

Phoenix Suns (Current Odds +170)

The defending Western Conference Champions hold on to a share as the favorite to repeat as the conference’s representative in the NBA Finals. Phoenix leads the West with a 48-10 record—six games ahead of the Golden State Warriors—behind a fabulous 13-1 run in January, which saw the Suns average 115.7 points per game with an 11.3 Net Rating, the highest in the conference.

Phoenix, however, will be without veteran playmaker Chris Paul for six-to-eight weeks because of a thumb injury. In 58 games this year, Paul averaged 33 minutes, 15 points, five rebounds, and 11 assists per game. Look for Cameron Payne to see an uptick in production in Paul’s absence (25.8% usage rate without Paul on the floor). Devin Booker should continue to lead the team in overall usage, posting a 32% usage rate while averaging 34 minutes, 25 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game in 51 games this year.

Tankathon rates the Suns’ 24 remaining games as the sixth-easiest schedule in the league, with upcoming meetings against the Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans, Houston Rockets, and New York Knicks. 

Utah Jazz (Current Odds +550)

Looking to bounce back from a 4-12 record in January, the Utah Jazz could be an interesting pick to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. Currently in fourth place with a 36-22 record, the Jazz averaged 108 points per game last month.

The All-Star break could not have come at a better time for Utah, with injuries last month to stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Mitchell, who leads the team in usage with a 32.9% usage rate, averages 35 minutes, 26 points, four rebounds, and five assists per game. Moving into the season’s final stretch, the rotation should solidify around Mitchell, Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mike Conley, and Royce O’Neale, with Jordan Clarkson serving as the sixth man off the bench.

Tankathon ranks the Jazz’s remaining schedule as the fifth-most difficult in the league, with several of the team’s 24 remaining games as matchups with the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Chicago Bulls.

All NBA game predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid.

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.