The Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers have the best odds to win the 2020 NBA Finals. The Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors make up the West’s second-tier of contenders after dominating the conference for the last few years. The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers are the only Eastern Conference teams that are given a real chance to win the title.

How many games will the top contenders win in the 2019-2020 NBA season? Below are predictions for the teams with the best championship odds, based on the latest over/under win totals at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Los Angeles Clippers Over 54.5 Wins (+110)

The Clippers won 48 games last year when Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari were their two best players. Kawhi Leonard—the NBA’s best player—and Paul George—a borderline top-10 player—now lead the team. Three of Los Angeles’ top-four scorers are still on the roster. Williams and Montrezl Harrell remain the league’s best duo off the bench. Even if Leonard and George miss 15 to 20 games each because of injuries and load management, the Clippers are at least seven games better than they were in 2018-2019.

Los Angeles Lakers Under 51.5 Wins (-135)

In a loaded Western Conference, a lot has to go right for the Lakers in order for the team to go 52-30. For starters, LeBron James and Anthony Davis probably have to play 75 games apiece. James missed 27 games in his first year with Los Angeles, and Davis has reached the 70-game mark in just two of his seven NBA seasons. After Danny Green and Kyle Kuzma, the Lakers could struggle to find consistent role players. The Lakers might not have enough depth to win more than 50 games in such a deep conference.

LeBron James
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center in Los Angeles, March 4, 2019. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Milwaukee Bucks Over 57.5 Wins (+100)

After leading the East with 60 wins a season ago, Milwaukee is unlikely to take much of a step back. Not when the conference is so weak and they’ve got the reigning MVP leading the way. Giannis Antetokounmpo might be even better in 2019-2020 as his three-point shot improves. Mike Budenholzer has proven to be a terrific regular-season coach. The Bucks will have to worry about the kind of production they’ll get from Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe in the playoffs, but they should look like borderline All-Stars over the course of 82 games in the East.

Philadelphia 76ers Over 54.5 Wins (-110)

A 55-win season feels extremely likely after consecutive seasons of more than 50 wins for Philadelphia. The 76ers have the East’s most talented starting five. Good luck to teams that will have to score against a frontcourt that includes Joel Embiid and Al Horford. Ben Simmons’ inability to shoot won’t matter much when Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson are also on the court and Philadelphia is playing a mediocre Eastern Conference opponent. The 76ers and Bucks will battle for the No.1 seed all season long.

Houston Rockets Over 53.5 (-140)

The Rockets didn’t solve their playoff issues by replacing Chris Paul with an even more ball-dominant guard that’s among the league’s worst high-volume shooters. But it’s probably going to help Houston win more games from October to April. Not only is Westbrook a safe bet to play more games than Paul, but he plays as hard as anyone on a nightly basis. James Harden is maybe the NBA’s best regular-season player of the last five years. Before going 53-29 in 2018-2019, the Rockets had won at least 54 games in four of the previous five seasons.

Golden State Warriors Under 47.5 (+100)

The Warriors are one major Stephen Curry injury away from having a losing season. It didn’t matter much that Curry missed 44 total games in the past two years because Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson were on the roster. Durant is with the Brooklyn Nets and Thompson will miss most of the season, if not the entire year, with a torn ACL. D’Angelo Russell can’t come close to replacing what Golden State loses on the defensive end with Thompson out. Who is Golden State’s fourth-best player now that Andre Iguodala is gone? That question will prevent the Warriors from earning a top seed, even if Curry has an MVP-caliber season.

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