The Northwest Division has four teams that should be very good this season, including the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Thunder, and Jazz. Who will come out on top in the division this season?
Top NBA Pick
NBA Pick: Timberwolves To Win Division (+700) at Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
NBA Northwest Division Preview
The Northwest Division earned an NBA Championship last year.
The Denver Nuggets led the Western Conference in wins and were the No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs. They used that to their advantage and won a title, with Nikola Jokic leading. The Nuggets should still be one of the league’s best teams this next year.
Minnesota will improve with Anthony Edwards’ growth, and the Thunder have great talent and depth on the roster, but there’s nobody in this division who will touch the Nuggets in the standings. Let’s talk about it.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets will look a little different next season, but the starting lineup will still include Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic. It won’t have Bruce Brown, a stud for the Nuggets last season.
Christian Braun is expected to earn more minutes. They’ve also got Reggie Jackson as the backup point guard and DeAndre Jordan as the backup center.
I’ll take Denver to win Over 53.5 games this season at the NBA futures market.
NBA Pick: Nuggets Over 53.5 Wins (-115) at Caesars Sportsbook
Minnesota Timberwolves
On paper, the Timberwolves look stacked, but they didn’t play like it last year.
With Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert, the Timberwolves should be elite in all categories.
Towns can do a little bit of everything. Edwards is a bonafide scorer. Gobert is a legitimate defensive threat, and Mike Conley is that veteran that can hold everything together.
Meanwhile, the bench is loaded with talent, including Shake Milton, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kyle Anderson, and Naz Reid.
I’m still high on the Timberwolves heading into next season.
NBA Pick: Timberwolves Over 44.5 Wins (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder have so much young talent. They had an impressive season last year, even without Chet Holmgren.
Holmgren should be healthy and ready to go for the Thunder this season. He’ll play alongside Josh Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, and Jalen Williams.
The bench has a veteran in Victor Oladipo, along with Tre Mann, Isaiah Joe, Davis Bertans, and Jalen Williams. There aren’t enough roster spots and spots in the in-game rotation for all of these players. That’s how deep the Thunder are.
I’ll take the Over in wins for the Thunder.
NBA Pick: Thunder Over 44.5 Wins (+100) at Caesars Sportsbook
Utah Jazz
The Jazz overachieved last season, but the NBA odds think the same. The win total line is down to 35.5; to me, that’s still too low.
The Jazz have a lineup of Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, and Walker Kessler.
Off the bench, they got Talen Horton-Tucker, Kris Dunn, Ochai Agbaji, Kelly Olynyk, along with Keyonte George and Johnny Juzang.
Like the Thunder, the Jazz are deep. There aren’t enough roster spots for the talent on this roster, but that’s a good problem to have. There’s no big-time superstar, but there’s a lot of excellent playmaking ability.
I’m on the Over for the Jazz, too.
NBA Pick: Jazz Over 35.5 Wins (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers’ win total isn’t on the board. The oddsmakers are waiting for Dame Lillard to find a new home.
Without Lillard, the Blazers will tank. They just gave a massive contract to Jerami Grant and will have Grant and Anfernee Simons doing most of the scoring.
Scoot Henderson will be fun to watch, but it’ll take him a couple of years to become a star in the league. He’ll also need help. And he won’t get that help without Lillard in Year 1.
Northwest Division Winner
The Denver Nuggets are the best team in the Northwest. There’s little value at -475, but everyone, like myself, would be shocked if the Nuggets didn’t win the Northwest Division after last year’s championship season.
The Timberwolves at +700 will make the most sense if you want some value. As suggested above, Minnesota has a team capable of doing real damage. They just need to stay healthy and get on the same page.
Minnesota’s players got into altercations and fought during games. That can’t happen this year.
Edwards could be an All-League guy. I also believe that Karl-Anthony Towns could be really efficient for Minnesota when healthy.
So take a shot on the Timberwolves to win the division. It’s unlikely with the Nuggets in the division, but it’s worth the risk.
NBA Pick: Timberwolves To Win Division (+700) at Caesars Sportsbook
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
