With the NBA season tipping off tonight, the win total for the Oklahoma City Thunder has seen the biggest upward move at the LVH SuperBook, as oddsmakers have adjusted to news that Russell Westbrook may not miss as much time as originally anticipated.
When the LVH opened NBA win totals on Oct. 1, the Thunder were posted at 50.5 wins, an expected sharp decline from the 60 wins they tallied last season. Reports at the time said Westbrook would miss four to six weeks of the regular season. Westbrook is recovering from a torn meniscus in his right knee he suffered in OKC’s first-round playoff series against the Rockets last season.
“The morning (of Oct. 1) we were ready to open with 56.5, and then we got the news about Westbrook supposedly missing four to six weeks of the season, so we adjusted our opener down to 50.5 based on that,” SuperBook assistant manager Jeff Sherman told The Linemakers on Sporting News. “We’ve taken a little bit of OVER money on it, but he’s started to practice recently, so we moved them backed up to closer to where we going to originally have them.
“So most of that movement was based on Westbrook yes/no, that type of information. ... We don’t think he’s going to miss quite as much time as anticipated.”
When OKC’s win total was adjusted to 56, it drew some UNDER money, which prompted a move down to the current number of 55.5, Sherman said.
Also among the win-total nuggets:
-- the Lakers’ opening win total of 33.5 caught the public’s attention, as they just can’t seem to fathom how far the team has fallen
-- the Rockets will be one of the most heavily-supported regular-season teams this season, Sherman anticipates
-- sharp bettors have been playing OVER the Bobcats' win total and UNDER on the Knicks.
Our full report on NBA season win totals is right here.