The 2020/21 NBA regular season will get underway on Tuesday, so it’s time to get serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign.
With the help of the lines from a handful of sports betting sites, including Bovada and BetOnline, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.
Of course, there are plenty of wild cards to take into account this season. For one, teams are scheduled to play 72 games instead of 82, so if you’re picking a team to win 41 games, you’re not just expecting them to be a .500 club — you’re projecting them to finish 10 games above .500. For each team’s over/under below, we’ve noted the record they’d have to achieve to finish “over” their projection, as a reminder.
It’s also worth noting that the coronavirus pandemic could cause some games to be canceled in 2020/21. We don’t want you to have to take possible cancellations into account when making your picks though, so don’t let that stop you from taking the “over.” If a team has a couple games canceled, we’ll adjust their over/under figure downward, so you’re essentially just projecting that team’s winning percentage.
We’ll wrap things up by heading to the Southwest…
Dallas Mavericks
- 2019/20 record: 43-32
- Over/under for 2020/21: 43.5 wins (44-28)
- Major offseason moves:
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Mavericks poll.
New Orleans Pelicans
- 2019/20 record: 30-42
- Over/under for 2020/21: 36.5 wins (37-35)
- Major offseason moves:
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Pelicans poll.
Houston Rockets
- 2019/20 record: 44-28
- Over/under for 2020/21: 35.5 wins (36-36)
- Major offseason moves:
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Rockets poll.
Memphis Grizzlies
- 2019/20 record: 34-39
- Over/under for 2020/21: 32.5 wins (33-39)
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Desmond Bane, Xavier Tillman
- Lost: Josh Jackson, Anthony Tolliver, Marko Guduric
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Grizzlies poll.
San Antonio Spurs
- 2019/20 record: 32-39
- Over/under for 2020/21: 30.5 wins (31-41)
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Devin Vassell, Tre Jones
- Lost: Bryn Forbes, Marco Belinelli, Tyler Zeller, Chimezie Metu
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Spurs poll.
Previous voting results:
- Boston Celtics (45.5 wins): Over (66.3%)
- Brooklyn Nets (45.5 wins): Over (58.6%)
- Philadelphia 76ers (44.5 wins): Over (57.4%)
- Toronto Raptors (42.5 wins): Over (54.7%)
- New York Knicks (22.5 wins): Under (59.5%)
- Denver Nuggets (44.5 wins): Over (69.7%)
- Utah Jazz (42.5 wins): Over (59.9%)
- Portland Trail Blazers (41.5 wins): Over (70.1%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (29.5 wins): Under (50.3%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (22.5 wins): Under (64.4%)
- Milwaukee Bucks (51.5 wins): Over (73.7%)
- Indiana Pacers (39.5 wins): Over (57.9%)
- Chicago Bulls (29.5 wins): Under (61.6%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (23.5 wins): Under (68.5%)
- Detroit Pistons (22.5 wins): Over (53.9%)
- Los Angeles Lakers (48.5 wins): Over (79.1%)
- Los Angeles Clippers (47.5 wins): Under (50.4%)
- Phoenix Suns (40.5 wins): Over (51.0%)
- Golden State Warriors (38.5 wins): Over (60.3%)
- Sacramento Kings (29.5 wins): Under (60.7%)
- Miami Heat (44.5 wins): Over (67.6%)
- Atlanta Hawks (36.5 wins): Over (58.0%)
- Washington Wizards (34.5 wins): Under (50.7%)
- Orlando Magic (31.5 wins): Under (73.5%)
- Charlotte Hornets (26.5 wins): Over (56.3%)
Mavs have $20 million cap room next summer
Does it make a lot of sense?
Free agents
Hardaway
James Johnson
Boban
Lol you can tell by the votes everyone likes to troll the rockets
At worst they’re a 36-36 team, which is still over. They should easily win 40.
DAL & NOP will be over.
HOU, MEM & SAS will be under.
Rockets are boring. Can’t wait till he gets traded. So we can stop hearing about it. Whats more interesting to me. Is he is opening a restaurant in Houston. Around the downtown area. Suppose to open in summer. How’s this going to go. If he wants out.
Grizzlies get their big back, Jackson. They should have a .500 yr. Spurs should start the rebuild. Move Aldridge and DeRozan. Pelicans (is a dumb name. The NBA should give them the Jazz back. Makes no sense in Utah.) Zion stays healthy and under weight. If Ball rumors aren’t true. They could be a .500 team. But I doubt it. Mavs with no KP may not make playoffs. The guy can’t stay on court. They need to fix this. No playoffs for Mavs. No way Rockets finish yr with Harden. If they move him early. They can make playoffs. 10 teams this yr. If they move him late by TD. Rockets not making playoffs. Bottom half of teams in west are better than east bottom half. Pelicans, Grizzlies, Suns, TWolves, Warriors, Blazers all will be much better. Even Kings will be better. Warriors, Blazers, Suns are definitely in this yr. Thunder, Mavs, Rockets all could be out.
The division is still the Rockets to lose, the only team even close to them is Dallas. The Spurs look terrible and probably won’t win close to 30 games.
Memphis is underrated and could finish 3rd after Houston and Dallas. The Suns are so overrated it’s not even funny. CP3 won’t stay healthy in 2021.
You do know Suns aren’t in your division? Its Nola.
I don’t get how you think Paul will be injured but Wall won’t.
Harden will be sitting out soon
Wishful thinking. Once he realizes his best chance of winning a championship is staying right where is he, the Beard will be all in.
I don’t have anything against Houston. He wants to leave for purely ethical reasons. He won’t want to play after a while. Houston need to rebuild and gain assets in same way as Pelicans did with Davis. Trading for people like Wall is going to really hurt them in the longrun. I liked the Christian Wood signing
Dallas will win division Memphis second but could be close
Sure, whatever. By the results of the poll almost exactly half of those here believe everything they read/hear from ESPN. Fortunately the other half sees the truth. Those who can see things clearly know that Houston will easily win more games than Golden State. I am completely confident in that prediction.