After racing to an NBA-best 10-2 start, the Memphis Grizzlies have joined the favorites to win the 2015 NBA Championship with 10/1 odds in basketball futures betting at Sportsbook.
The Grizzlies return home for a pair of games this weekend after dropping a 96-92 decision to the equally hot Toronto Raptors, covering as six-point underdogs.
Memphis welcomes the Boston Celtics to FedExForum on Friday, followed by a date with the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. The 4-6 Celtics are coming off a 101-90 victory over the winless Philadelphia 76ers, covering as 6.5-point favorites to improve to 5-5 ATS.
The Clippers are off to a shaky 6-4 start, but have won two of their last three, including a 114-90 win in Orlando on Wednesday night. LA’s success comes after seven straight ATS losses to start the season, which has dropped them to 12/1 in NBA futures betting at Sportsbook, down from 8/1 on Sportsbook night.
The Clippers continue their seven-game road swing with a stop in Miami on Thursday before traveling to Memphis to tangle with the Grizzlies.
The Raptors maintained their lead atop the NBA Eastern Conference standings with their win against the Grizzlies, but the ATS loss was the Dinos' third in their last four outings, dropping them to 7-4 ATS on the season and contributing to their limited movement in NBA futures odds in the early going.
After Sportsbook the season as middling 50/1 longshots, the Raptors have improved to just 25/1 in NBA futures betting at Sportsbook.
Toronto has a pair of dance partners on their schedule this weekend. The Milwaukee Bucks visit the Air Canada Centre on Friday night before the Raptors make the short trip to Cleveland on Saturday to take on LeBron James and the Cavaliers on Saturday.
The Bucks are off to a solid 7-5 start after posting SU and ATS wins in five of their last six. Milwaukee’s early success is in stark contrast to their struggles last season, when they won just 15 games to finish dead last in the NBA Eastern Conference.
The new-look Cavs have struggled to gel in the early going, losing their last two, SU and ATS, to drop to 5-5 on the season, 4-6 ATS. Not surprisingly, oddsmakers remain patient with James & Co., who remain favorites in NBA futures betting at Sportsbook, with odds of 11/4.
