NBA regular-season win totals are continuing to shift with only hours to go until the 2023-24 tip-off.
To few people's surprise, the Denver Nuggets still own the best NBA championship odds at most sportsbooks, and are likewise projected near the top of win totals this season, but their NBA odds for regular-season wins were leapfrogged late by the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, who swung huge trades to now top the board.
With the season ready for tipoff, let's take a last look at the projected 2023-24 NBA win total Over/Unders.
NBA win total odds
| Team |  |
|---|---|
 Atlanta Hawks |
42.5 (O -115/U- 105) |
 Boston Celtics |
55.5 (O -110/U -110) |
 Brooklyn Nets |
37.5 (O -110/U -110) |
 Charlotte Hornets |
31.5 (O +100/U -120) |
 Chicago Bulls |
37.5 (O -110/U -110) |
 Cleveland Cavaliers |
51.5 (O +100/U -120) |
 Dallas Mavericks |
43.5 (O -110/U -110) |
 Denver Nuggets |
52.5 (O -115/U -105) |
 Detroit Pistons |
27.5 (O -115/U -105) |
 Golden State Warriors |
47.5 (O -120/U +100) |
 Houston Rockets |
31.5 (O -120/U +100) |
 Indiana Pacers |
38.5 (O -120/U +100) |
 Los Angeles Clippers |
46.5 (O -105/U -115) |
 Los Angeles Lakers |
47.5 (O -110/U -110) |
 Memphis Grizzlies |
45.5 (O +100/U -120) |
 Miami Heat |
45.5 (O +100/U -120) |
 Milwaukee Bucks |
53.5 (O -120/U +100) |
 Minnesota Timberwolves |
44.5 (O -115/U -105) |
 New Orleans Pelicans |
44.5 (O -110/U -110) |
 New York Knicks |
44.5 (O -120/U +100) |
 Oklahoma City Thunder |
44.5 (O -120/U +100) |
 Orlando Magic |
37.5 (O -105/U -115) |
 Philadelphia 76ers |
48.5 (O +100/U -120) |
 Phoenix Suns |
51.5 (O -120/U +100) |
 Portland Trail Blazers |
28.5 (O -105/ U -115) |
 Sacramento Kings |
44.5 (O -110/U -110) |
 San Antonio Spurs |
29.5 (O +100/U -120) |
 Toronto Raptors |
36.5 (O -115/U -105) |
 Utah Jazz |
35.5 (O -115/U -105) |
 Washington Wizards |
24.5 (O -110/ U -110) |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of October 24, 2023.
NBA most projected wins in 2023-24
Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks
The Celtics and Bucks were already among the top tier of championship favorites, but swung for the fences to put themselves a tier above the defending champ Nuggets in most pundits' minds.
First, Milwaukee shipped out Jrue Holiday to acquire Damian Lillard from Portland, pairing Giannis Antetokounmpo with another Top-10 talent who can provide a frightening spacing threat around Freak's interior dominance.
Then, days later, the Celtics turned around and swiped Holiday from Portland, completing the league's best Top-6 rotation and pulling even with the Bucks as slim NBA title odds favorites, while also boosting each's win total projection for the regular season.
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NBA fewest projected wins in 2023-24
Washington Wizards
On the other end of the spectrum, we have the Wizards, who finally pulled the chute on their quest for mediocrity, selling off Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis over the summer to bottom out and fully rebuild.
What's left isn't terribly promising.
While Washington still has some nice young assets, the squad lacks experience, defense, toughness, size, and will rely heavily on Jordan Poole to put points on the board.
The Wizards weren't a good team to begin with, and traded their two best players for mostly-future assets (after already unloading the certifiably-good Rui Hachimura at last year's deadline). This could get ugly.
Popular NBA futures markets
NBA win total betting trends
- 2022-23 was the first time in the past 18 regulation-length NBA seasons that a team failed to win 60 games.
- A team from the Western Conference has had the NBA's best record in six of the last 10 seasons.
- Recent trends suggest that the West produces more 50-win teams than the East, at an average of 4.9 over the past 11 regulation-length seasons, as opposed to 3.2.
Top 5 NBA single-season win-loss records
| Year | Team | Record | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | Golden State Warriors | 73-9 | Lost NBA Finals |
| 1995-96 | Chicago Bulls | 72-10 | Won NBA Finals |
| 1971-72 | Los Angeles Lakers | 69-13 | Won NBA Finals |
| 1996-97 | Chicago Bulls | 69-13 | Won NBA Finals |
| 1966-67 | Philadelphia 76ers | 68-13 | Won NBA Finals |
The Golden State Warriors made history twice during the 2015-16 season when they became the first team to win 73 regular season games and the first team to lose an NBA Finals after taking a 3-1 lead.
How to Bet NBA Regular Season Win Totals
Season win totals are self-explanatory: betting on how many wins a team will have that regular season.
Oddsmakers set a projected number of wins for each team — based on past success, returning personnel and a variety of intangible factors — and offer Over/Under betting options, allowing you to wager on if a team will exceed that win total (Over) or fall short of it (Under). This total includes regular-season games only.
For example, if oddsmakers calculate the Charlotte Hornets to win around 35 games this upcoming season, they would set the Over/Under at 35.5. Thus, if Charlotte wins 35 or fewer games, they cash the Under. If Charlotte wins 36 or more games in the given season, they cash the Over.
Over 35.5 wins (-110)
Under 35.5 wins (-110)
On top of the season win total itself, some oddsmakers may set an assigned cost to the Over and Under bets — also known as vig or juice — depending on the implied probability of the team winning more or less than that total.
Season win totals are considered futures betting odds and sportsbooks will take action on season win totals from the time they post the odds until the start of the season. Futures bets are then graded at the end of the season when all results are final.
NBA Win Total FAQ
Sportsbooks will set a projected number (ex 49.5) of wins for a team's NBA regular season (82 games). In this example, if the team wins 49 or fewer games, the Under cashes, if it wins 50 or more, the Over does.
The Denver Nuggets (54.5) have the highest win total.
The Milwaukee Bucks won the most regular-season games last season (58).
