Celtics and Bucks emerge as favorites to win the title

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Celtics and Bucks emerge as favorites to win the title

The Boston Celtics were one of the three favorites to win the NBA championship in 2022–23 before the season even began. They continue to be strong favorites to win the title as the NBA regular season has reached the midway point.

The All-Star Weekend was held this past weekend, and the trade deadline has already passed. With that, the NBA’s 82-game regular season has officially passed the halfway point. The Celtics were the first team to reach the milestone of 30 victories in a season, and they now hold the best record in the league with 42 wins and 17 losses.

Together with the Celtics, the Golden State Warriors, the defending champions, and the Los Angeles Clippers were preseason favorites to win this year’s title. As of right now, the Warriors, who have 29 wins and 29 losses, and the Clippers, who have 33 wins and 28 losses, both suffered from significant inconsistencies in the regular season and failed to justify their pre-competition favoritism.

The fact is that the Boston Celtics are taking big steps to have the best campaign of the regular season and few teams so far have been able to stand up to the Massachusetts team. Still, in addition to the Celtics, some teams have also been standing out in the regular season and are placed as some of the main candidates for the title of the 2022-23 NBA season.

Boston Celtics

Celtics and Bucks emerge as favorites to win the titleThe Boston Celtics finished second last season after falling to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals. The Celtics were the only preseason favorite to live up to the hype. Last season, their suffocating defense garnered them plaudits and helped them win the Eastern Conference title. This season, however, the Celtics are the best team in the NBA thanks to their offense.

The Celtics hold the greatest home record in the Eastern Conference and the best road record in the league. FiveThirtyEight, a statistics database, predicts that the Celtics will end the regular season with 59 victories and a 23% probability of winning the title, and top sportsbooks like Betwinner, of which punters can enjoy the Betwinner promo code India to bet on outcome of the NBA season, back up this prediction. Aside from a few weeks in early November, the Celtics remained the overwhelming favorite to win throughout the season.

Milwaukee Bucks

Celtics and Bucks emerge as favorites to win the titleThe Bucks feel they might have won back-to-back championships if Khris Middleton had not been injured during the NBA Playoffs in 2022. They were ousted in the conference semifinals by the Celtics in a thrilling seven-game series, missing out on the opportunity to capture their second title in a row and third overall.

The Bucks are hopeful that they can win a second championship in three years with a recovered Middleton and an overpowering Giannis Antetokounmpo up front. In the preseason, the Bucks weren’t considered the favorites to win the championship, but by the season’s halfway point, they are moving up the standings with the second seed in the East. The Bucks’ chances of winning the title this season are 17%, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Denver Nuggets

Celtics and Bucks emerge as favorites to win the titleWith 41 wins, the Denver Nuggets hold the best record in the Western Conference. Nikola Jokic, current winner of the regular season MVP award, continues to astonish the league with his passing game and overall skills, leading the team to first place in the Conference.

If anyone thinks the Nuggets are peaking too soon in the season, they should keep in mind that guard Jamal Murray picked up the slack throughout the first half of the year after missing the previous campaign due to a knee injury. Due to a variety of injuries, the team also played 14 games without forward Michael Porter Jr.

According to the website FiveThirtyEight, the Nuggets have a 15% chance of winning the NBA championship this season since they have the best record in the Western Conference.

Memphis Grizzlies

Celtics and Bucks emerge as favorites to win the titleLast season, the Grizzlies surprised many in the west by finishing with the second-best record in the NBA and securing the #2 seed in the playoffs. After losing All-Star point guard Ja Morant to a knee injury in the conference semifinals, they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Warriors. In a postseason vengeance rematch, Morant and the Grizzlies would adore another chance to take on the Warriors.

The Grizzlies, led by Morant, are once again one of the NBA’s most entertaining teams to watch. According to FiveThirtyEight, the Grizzlies have a 10% probability of winning the championship this year.