One month left in 2023-24 NBA regular season before the playoffs begin with the play-in tournament. It’s a tight battle for position in the playoff field, with the current NBA standings showing a tight group in both conferences.
However, one team stood out from the others. THE Boston Celtics own a league-best 52-14 record at the time of publication and are the only team in the league to clinch a playoff spot on March 15. They lead a group of four favorites in the odds to win the NBA title this season.
This is what the latest rankings look like with odds of PariMGM:
2024 NBA Playoffs:Bracket, standings and last playoff photo before last month
1. Boston Celtics (+230)
Boston got back on track on its road trip to open its doors in March with a 117-107 victory against Phoenix March 9. Three more victories Portland, UtahAnd Phoenix back home made up for the two consecutive losses at the beginning of the month.
The Celtics remain the only NBA team to rank in the top three in offensive and defensive ratings, with 122.8 (first) and 111.4 (second), respectively. They are at or near the top in several categories:
- First in rebounds per game (46.9)
- Second in fewest turnovers per game (12.1)
- Second in fewest fouls per game (16.7)
- Second authorized placement percentage (44.9%)
- Third in three-point shooting (38.7%)
This is one of the most complete teams in the league on both ends of the pitch. Best striker Jayson Tatum East an MVP candidate this season, but he is one of three Celtics to score more than 20 points per game. Kristaps Porzingis ranks 11th in the NBA in player efficiency (PER) at 23.0 ahead of stars like Kevin Durant And Jimmy Butler.
Boston travels to the worst Sunday in the league in Washington. After that, the Celtics close out March with seven games featuring just two opponents with winning records (Milwaukee And New Orleans).
NBA MVP Odds Tracker:Jayson Tatum completes the top five candidates led by Nikola Jokić
The reigning champions continue to climb the ranks Western Conference standings and thus reduce the gap with Boston. The Nuggets are now squarely in the fight for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference behind a 10-1 record since the All-Star break.
Star Center Nikola Jokic is the easy favorite to win a third MVP behind a league-best 31.2 PER, 13.8 win shares and 13.6 box plus/minus. These advanced measures give it a considerable lead in the field. But he doesn’t do it alone. Six Nuggets players are averaging double-digit points per game this season. Jamal Murray‘s posting career highs in three-pointers made (41.6%) and assists per game (6.3).
Denver is on a four-game road trip that ends Tuesday vs. Minnesota, another Western Conference contender. This match – and two other home matches against the Timber wolves in March – will have major consequences on playoff positioning.
The Clippers’ chances for the NBA title have lengthened over the past two weeks. Los Angeles is 6-6 since the All-Star break. That’s more losses than the period between Christmas and All-Star weekend when the team was 19-5.
Those six losses all came against teams currently in playoff position in both conferences. The Clippers remain one of the best teams in offensive rating, fourth in the NBA at 119.9, and continue to have one of the league’s top five starting groups on the defensive end with the roster of James Harden, Paul Georges, Kawhi Leonard, Terance MannAnd Ivica Zubac.
Both Leonard and George are dealing with injuries, but their next three games will be against Atlanta And Portland (twice), both teams lost records.
After a strong start after the All-Star break, the Bucks went just 4-3 to start March. Losses to Golden State, the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento made the road trip difficult.
But twice MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is still in the MVP conversation this season. He is shooting a career-best 61.6% from the field and averaging 6.4 assists per game. Milwaukee remains one of the best offensive teams, ranking fourth in the NBA in points per game (120.4) and fifth in offensive rating (119.2). Damien Lillard He still leads the league in free throw percentage (92.5%) and has made more three-pointers than all but nine NBA players at the time of publication.
Milwaukee will have a tough stretch of games over the next week and a half with three of four games coming against current playoff teams Phoenix, Boston and the Lakers.
The Thunder rank in the top five in championship odds as they keep pace at the top of the Western Conference. Oklahoma City is 9-3 since the All-Star break behind MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the NBA in points per game (31.1), first in steals per game (2.1), second in PER (30.4) and second in win shares (13.7). He’s not the only one contributing, however, as all five Thunder starters are scoring in double figures per game.
As a team, Oklahoma City leads the league in three-pointers made (39.5%), free throws (83.3%) and blocks per game (6.7). The Thunder are third in offensive rating (120.3) and fifth in defensive rating (112.6). Coach Mark Daigneault is the big favorite for the title of coach of the year thanks to his exceptional season.
Oklahoma City will have a relatively easy stretch of games over the next 10 days. Only one match – March 24 in Milwaukee – of their four games, it’s against a team with a winning record.
Next five: Phoenix Suns (+2500); The Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks (+3500)
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