One for the thumb? Bookmakers set Golden State Warriors as early 2023 NBA title favorites

Whatever doubts Draymond Green and Stephen Curry used to motivate them for their fourth NBA title since 2015 Thursday night certainly didn’t emanate from most sportsbooks trading rooms.

"I tried to go aggressively low with them last year, and that’s even more the case now," Las Vegas Superbook NBA analyst Jeff Sherman said.

Sherman set the Golden State Warriors as a competitive 8/1 preseason choice to win this year’s title, a mission that went fulfilled on the parquet floor of Boston, with Curry scoring 34 points in the series-sealing, 103-90 Game 6 triumph.

This time around, Sherman has made the Warriors the 6/1 favorite to win next year’s NBA title, with the Los Angeles Clippers (7/1) and the returning-finalist Celtics even with Eastern Conference rivals Milwaukee and Brooklyn both at 8/1.

Tipico Sportsbook on Friday posted the Warriors as the +480 favorite, followed by Boston at +600, Brooklyn at +650 and the Clippers at +700.

A Caesars Sportsbook bettor in Colorado put $10,000 on the Warriors to repeat even before the NBA Finals were underway.

"In the anticipation of (Golden State betting) support off wining the ring, the combination of those three stalwarts (Curry, Green and Klay Thompson), the new, young core (including Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins), the return (from) injury of (7-foot 2020 No. 2 overall pick) James Wiseman, this team has the potential to actually improve upon what it just accomplished," Sherman said.

While LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers remain respected 20/1 longshots after naming a new coach in Darvin Ham and positioning for the unknowns of free-agency activity, the rival Clippers are slotted as the Superbook’s second choice mostly because of the impending return of 2019 NBA champion Kawhi Leonard from the ACL injury that kept him from playing this past season.

"By putting them there (at 7/1), I feel the same way I did in handling Golden State last year … the support for them will be there," Sherman said.

While Leonard was seeking to play if the Clippers lasted another playoff round, he’s already fully engaged in offseason workouts and is expected to be in prime condition for the first regular-season tip.

The Clippers’ acquisitions of forwards Norman Powell and Robert Covington to enhance head coach Ty Lue’s scoring and defense, respectively, affirm a team that received increased leadership from Paul George and Reggie Jackson last season.

"All the pieces are in place," Sherman said.

Sherman leans to Boston as the best of his three 8/1 choices.

"You saw how close they were to going up 3-1 in this last series," he said, reminding that the Bucks’ are in wait-and-see mode on the health of Khris Middleton (knee) after he missed Game 7 against Boston, and that Brooklyn, too, will see if the integration of Ben Simmons takes.

"We’ll see what (Simmons, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving) do as a unit. There was no reason to go too high on them," Sherman said.

Yet, Caesars bettors are unimpressed, turning away from last year's preseason favorite and making them the 11th most popular NBA future ticket.

The former Western Conference No. 1-seeded Phoenix Suns have already dropped out of 10/1 position to 12/1 following their 123-90 blowout home loss to the Dallas Mavericks (15/1 at Tipico) in the Western Conference semifinals.

"The perception of them … there’s a bad taste from how they went out, getting drubbed at home, and there’s the question of what happens to (free agent center) Deandre Ayton," Sherman said. "I don’t see people running to the windows on them."

One Superbook bettor did sprint toward the returning Eastern Conference No. 1 seed Miami Heat, however, placing a $10,000 bet on the Jimmy Butler-led squad at 14/1. The Superbook then lowered Miami to 12/1 while Tipico has them at 13/1.

"There’s talk of them being aggressive, and the fact that they were so close (losing to Boston in the Eastern Conference finals) likely means they won’t rest on their laurels, with Pat Riley and (Coach) Erik Spoelstra there," Sherman said.

Perhaps the Heat will obtain Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell.

The Superbook has taken some bold action on the Philadelphia 76ers, dropping them to 14/1, just in front of the 15/1 starkly improved Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets, who get guard Jamal Murray back from injury.

While the 20/1 Lakers will mull how they’ll spend to reshape their roster, there’s a deep chasm between them and the following group that includes returning playoff entrants Utah and New Orleans (40/1) and Toronto and Minnesota (50/1, with the Chicago Bulls (60/1) and Atlanta Hawks (80/1) following.

Sherman likes the odds on Denver and Dallas, and said New Orleans "is on an upward trajectory" given the impending return of former No. 1 pick Zion Williamson.

As for the effect of Thursday’s NBA draft, with Tipico slotting Auburn power forward Jabari Smith Jr. as the -160 favorite to be the first choice of the Orlando Magic and Gonzaga’s 7-foot center Chet Holmgren the +125 second choice apparently bound for Oklahoma City, Sherman calls it "a non-starter."

"The draft won’t have any effect on the odds," Sherman said, with Tipico slotting both the Magic and Thunder as 500/1 picks. "None of these teams who land the top draft picks will move … those numbers were made in anticipation of the draft."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Golden State Warriors set as early 2023 NBA championship favorites