Post All-Star Break, the final portion of the NBA season is looking interesting, to say the least. In the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers defy predictions that the super-hot start would eventually halt. In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder have met expectations, looking every bit like the standout team in the conference. The Celtics look like a team with other gears to find when necessary. Karl-Anthony Towns has made a massive difference to the Knicks. And the Denver Nuggets resemble the team that won it all in 2023 compared to last season.
Yet, way down in the standings, we have perhaps the most interesting team to watch after the season – the Golden State Warriors. They’ve looked good since the arrival of Jimmy Butler in early February, which has been reflected in the NBA lines when betting on the Warriors’ recent games. They have, of course, a mini-mountain to climb to get into a strong position for the Playoffs, but it’s certainly not inconceivable.
GSW’s Odds Post-All-Star Break
You can sense that some money is coming in for the Warriors, as the betting markets have moved since Butler’s arrival. You can still find the Warriors at around +6000 (60/1) to win the NBA Championship, which put them in the ‘rank outsider’ territory, yet it’s a different story on some betting exchanges, some of which have the Warriors as low as +2000, which is in ‘not unthinkable’ territory.
At the time of writing, the Warriors are in the Play-In position in the Western Conference. Not ideal, yet the conference is insanely competitive. In our view, anyone from the Rockets and below—we put that Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Mavericks, and Kings on that list—could be overhauled by the Warriors. The top three teams—the Thunder, Grizzlies, and Nuggets—look fairly secure at the upper end of the standings.
Butler has already made an impact
A word, then, on Butler’s arrival. He scored 20+ points in his first three games with GSW, becoming only the third player to do that for the franchise. Yet, there has been plenty of evidence of how the five-time All-Star makes the Warriors tick a little better, putting pressure on the opposition defense and getting to the free-throw line. He fits in with the rest of the team and is a good enough player to take them up another level.
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DraftKings has priced the Warriors at -140 to make the Playoffs, which shows confidence that the team will do it while also showing that it’s not an easy task. As we said, the Western Conference is hugely competitive, and there are around 10 teams that can finish in the top eight while avoiding the lottery of the Play-In Tournament. Since Butler arrived, the Warriors have looked good enough to be in that top eight.
Whether they can go further than that in the Playoffs remains to be seen, but, as we said, they look like one of the most interesting teams to watch as the season concludes. In a few weeks, those odds of +6000 for an unlikely NBA Championship might look quite generous for a team that feels like it is building some momentum.
