NBA Northwest Division Preview: It’s All About Denver
Nuggets Odds On Favorite to Win Division Title
There are no sure things in the world of sports. But Denver winning the Northwest Division appears to be awfully close to it. The Nuggets return nearly everybody from last season and will look to prove it was no fluke. Minnesota and Oklahoma City are decent teams, but not in Denver’s class. The Jazz are a definite longshot to make any noise, while Portland is looking to the future. The NBA Northwest Division preview will look at all five teams and their division title odds.
Denver Nuggets (-400)
The NBA odds have Denver at -400 to capture the Northwest Division and from a value standpoint, it’s not all that bad. Of course, you’re only going to earn 25% on your investment, but that’s better than you’ll find at any bank.
Denver’s starting five returns, although the team will miss Bruce Brown off the bench. Brown provided a spark with his offense and defense. But don’t feel too sorry for Denver. Young players like Christian Braun, Zeke Nnaji and Peyton Watson should be able to absorb some of Brown’s minutes, along with Jeff Green’s.
But when you talk about the Denver Nuggets, you have to talk about Nikola Jokic, arguably the best all-around player in the NBA right now. Jamal Murray averaged 20 points a game and Michael Porter and Aaron Gordon weren’t far behind. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope emerged as one of the NBA 3 point leaders, hitting 41.9% of his 3-point attempts. So this Denver team is loaded and believe they’re ready to repeat as NBA champions. It’s hard to argue with them.
Minnesota Timberwolves (+600)
The Timberwolves finished 42-40 last season, but have reason to believe they can finish a bit better this year. A full season from Karl-Anthony Towns will help, after the big man played in just 29 games last year. Rudy Gobert struggled at the start of the season before picking up his game in the second half.
But the man Minnesota will be counting on the most is Anthony Edwards, who signed a $52 million-per-year extension with the Timberwolves. Edwards averaged 24.6 points last season and looked sharp in the FIBA World Cup. Minnesota has some talent, but can’t match the top players of Denver and will likely be battling for second place.
Oklahoma City Thunder (+600)
The NBA Northwest Division preview shows Oklahoma City as the other team given a slight chance of winning the division title. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a breakout NBA season for the Thunder. Now the problem is getting him so quality help without sacrificing the future too much.
Josh Giddy and Jalen Williams are nice players, but no match for the top players on Denver. The Thunder will be banking on rookie Chet Holmgren, who missed all of last season with an injury. The Thunder were 40-42 a season ago and should be in the same ballpark once again this season.
Utah Jazz (+4000)
The Utah Jazz figure to be on the outside looking in when the NBA playoffs start this season. Utah began selling off its veterans, such as Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, but never fully committed to a rebuild. As a result, the Jazz missed out on a top lottery pick, but weren’t quite good enough for the playoffs.
The addition of John Collins will help, but probably not enough to get back to the postseason. The Jazz have some talent in Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson, but not as much talent as the other teams in the division.
Markkanen had a strong season and was one of the NBA 3 point leaders,making 3.0 a game, which put him at No. 11 in the league. Utah added some talent in the 2023 NBA Draft, but the trio is going through some growing pains in training camp and may not contribute much at the start of the season.
Portland Trailblazers (+10000)
It’s no surprise the NBA Northwest Division preview has the Portland Trailblazers as the longest-priced team on the board. Portland is building for the future. But they’ll have a bit of talent. Things began with the departure of Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks for picks and players. Portland turned Jrue Holiday into several more first-round picks in the future and received a few more players the team can keep or deal for even more draft picks.
The Blazers will likely look to build around Scoot Henderson, who was drafted No. 3 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. He’ll be a good one, although it may take a bit of time. Kris Murray wasn’t a bad pick at No. 23 in the draft. The Blazers may be down for a year or two, but the team has a definite plan for becoming one of the better NBA teams in the near future.
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