NBA Northwest Division Odds: Nuggets in Driver's Seat Once Again

We're in the midst of the preseason, which means the NBA regular season is right around the corner.

When it comes to the Northwest Division, it begins and ends with the reigning NBA Champions, but there's plenty of excitement with young teams ready to make their mark.

Here are the Northwest Division odds, per FanDuel Sportsbook:

NBA Northwest Division Odds

Denver Nuggets

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: -390

The Denver Nuggets have all the key pieces in place to not only win the Northwest Division but also chase another NBA Championship.

Nikola Jokic proved in the playoffs that he's the most dominant player in the sport. So, as long as Denver has him leading the way, it's tough to bet against them. The center averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists last season, just missing out on a third straight MVP award.

The big reason as to why the Nuggets are in the driver's seat to be great again was the re-emergence of Jamal Murray in the playoffs. The guard averaged 26.1 points in the playoffs, taking over and reminding everyone where he was prior to the torn ACL that forced him to miss all of 2021-22. If he's able to take those playoff performances and translate them to the regular season, the Nuggets should be able to walk through the Northwest Division for the second straight year.

Denver is the heavy favorite for a good reason. When you're defending champions with all the core pieces returning, it's hard to side with anyone else in this scenario. They have the most favored odds of any division leader heading into the season.

Minnesota Timberwolves

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +550

How far can the Minnesota Timberwolves go? Winning a division title seems tough, but they have the talent to make an impact.

The Timberwolves finished with a 42-40 record last season, earning the eighth seed and managing to get the final spot in the play-in tournament. They got one game on the Nuggets but were ultimately eliminated by their divisional rival. As they look toward the new season and possibly winning the division, they're going to need to step up all around with Anthony Edwards in particular taking the next step.

Edwards continues to improve as his third-year proved to be his best so far. The guard finished with 24.6 points per game, shooting 45.9% from the field and 36.9% from deep. All three of those marks have steadily gone up each year, meaning another year of that could not only bring him into the MVP conversation, but the Timberwolves could reach another level of team success.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert returning to their previous forms would make the Timberwolves potential contenders, but that's wait-and-see for now.

Despite the second-best divisional odds, they're still a longshot for the reason. A lot would need to go right for the Timberwolves, but they do have plenty of talent and took three of four games from Denver last season.

Oklahoma City Thunder

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +600

There may be no team with a more interesting range of outcomes this season than the Oklahoma City Thunder.

On the back of superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder earned themselves a shot in the play-in before falling to the Timberwolves for the final spot, and they did so without 2022 No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren, who will make his debut this season.

Everything now revolves around Gilgeous-Alexander. The point guard has made strides to become one of the best in basketball after averaging 31.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game last season. If he's able to keep this play going -- which he should -- Holmgren and Josh Giddey should become great complimentary pieces.

For the Thunder, there's excitement and hope for them moving forward. The playoffs are in their future, but taking the division this quickly isn't something that's too likely to be in the cards -- especially with the lack of experience they have in their top skill players.

Utah Jazz

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +4200

The Utah Jazz have a lot to like moving forward after surprising the NBA world by going 37-45 last season.

Lauri Markkanen leveled up in a major way in his first year with the Jazz, going from 14.8 points per game in 2021-22 as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers to a stunning 25.6 points per game in what was a complete breakout season. Utah will now pair Markkanen with John Collins, who was acquired in the offseason from the Atlanta Hawks.

There are building blocks here; they also made three first round picks in the NBA Draft with Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, and Brice Sensabaugh joining the squad.

The future for the Jazz should be a bright one, but when it comes to them winning the Northwest Division in 2024, it's not at all believable. That's why the odds are +4200; things would need to click at an unexpected rate for it to make any sort of sense.

Portland Trail Blazers

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +8000

After years of (somewhat) trying, the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard have gone their separate ways.

The Trail Blazers traded Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, reshaping their team and future by doing so. The new-look Trail Blazers have a young core to build forward with, beginning with No. 3 overall selection Scoot Henderson. Returning guards Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons make this one of the best young backcourts in basketball.

Henderson will take on the starting point guard spot over from Lillard, aiming to become the franchise cornerstone that he has the potential to become. The Trail Blazers also moved on from Jusuf Nurkic, replacing him with former top overall pick Deandre Ayton, who is also looking for a fresh start. In acquiring Jrue Holiday in the Lillard trade, they were also able to flip him to the Boston Celtics to bring in defensive stopper Robert Williams and veteran Malcolm Brogdon.

There are too many moving parts and uncertainty with this Trail Blazers to expect much from them. Their youth will likely create one of the NBA's worst defensive clubs, but at the very least, they should be a fun team to watch grow together.

Do you think you know which NBA teams will succeed or falter this season? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA win total odds market to bet any team's win total with America's Number One Sportsbook.

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