The Denver Nuggets ultimately won the NBA Championship last season by defeating the Miami Heat in five games, all thanks to an extraordinary effort from Nikola Jokic. As another season draws closer, NBA Teams are already planning for the 2023–24 season. And for the Nuggets, title celebrations are now fully past (except for ring night, of course) and will be focused on defending their title to the best of their ability. As usual, there are other teams who hope to challenge for the title and will pose a strong challenge for the defending champions. Will the defending champions repeat or will a new team rise to the top of the pile? **Milwaukee Bucks** The rise of the Golden State Warriors has dramatically tilted the floor and started an analytics arms race as NBA clubs embraced long distance shooting. Last season, however. Nikola Jokic showed the NBA that Basketball is still a big man’s game with a dominant performance en route to winning the title. Good thing for Milwaukee fans that the Bucks have world-class players who can do both these things, eh? In Damian Lillard, the Bucks have acquired the closest thing to Steph Curry and in his first couple of games, the former Portland superstar has attracted the kind of attention that Giannis Antetokoumpo has not seen in a long time. And we all know how dominant the Greek is in the paint. This season, opposing teams will have to choose their poison – allow Lillard to rain threes on them from long range, or double up on the point guard and risk Giannis running amok in the paint. Neither outcome is going to bode well for opposing teams and even better for Bucks fans, Brook Lopez is still a dominant force at Center. Khris Middleton is also another deadly factor for opposing defences to consider along with some savvy veterans like Jae Crowder and Bobby Portis off the bench. If Giannis, Lillard and co get it together, there’s no reason why the Bay Area native cannot be celebrating a first title come June 2024. As usual, Bet King provides the best odds for the NBA title favorites.
**Boston Celtics** The Boston Celtics lost to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals but are among the contenders for the title this season after making some very bold moves in the offseason. First, the Celtics traded Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a three-team deal for Kristaps Porzingis and a few draft picks. Then they wasted no time in trading for Jrue Holiday after seeing an opportunity. As it stands, they have one of the most well-rounded squads in the league and thus, are deserved favorites to win the NBA title. Fans pessimistic about the Celtics’ willingness to compete for a title should be heartened at the lengths they’ve gone to reshape their roster; first trading fan-favorite Marcus Smart, and the opportunistic way they got Jrue Holiday in. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown need no introduction. After the front office resisted calls to trade Brown in the offseason, Brown will be the 2nd option behind Tatum with both young wings expected to provide most of the offensive (and two-way) firepower needed. Although Kristaps Porzingis is no longer viewed as a superstar, he has shown that he can defer to the #1 and #2 scoring options and space the court effectively while giving the Cs a dominant force in the middle. On paper, it looks very good for them. In the Jays, they have two of the best wings in the NBA, In Holiday, they have a proven playoff performer and recent title winner and most importantly, one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. They also have reliable squad options like Derrick White and Al Horford who will prove crucial to their hopes of winning the title this season.
**Denver Nuggets** With a young core entering its prime together the Denver Nuggets dropped only four games all postseason en route to the franchise’s first NBA championship last season. With no true weaknesses, the Nuggets’ offense may be the best in the NBA as a whole, making them the best prediction to retain the title. The Nuggets didn’t make a big move this offseason, but they also didn’t need to after cruising to the best record in the Western Conference last season. The loss of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green in free agency weakens the team, particularly in light of Vlatko Cancar’s anticipated season-long absence due to a knee injury. History is against the defending champions; only the Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors have won the NBA championship back-to-back in the past ten years. What they do have going for them is the presence of the best player in the NBA; Nikola Jokic. The Serbian remains the ultimate scheme breaker on offence and his chemistry with Jamal Murray is playoff proven. With Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope expected to play important roles, along with Michael Porter Jr.’s defense improving defense, only the very best teams can beat the Nuggets.
**Phoenix Suns** The Phoenix Suns were eliminated by the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals last season. This season, they’re expected to be even better despite losing Chris Paul and DeAndre Ayton to the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trailblazers. A rested Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal will lead the way for the Suns as they attempt to leverage their talent into a first title for the franchise. In terms of talent alone, they’re easily one of the best teams in the NBA. Questions persist, however. Will KD’s body hold up to the rigors of a long NBA regular season + offseason? Can the team find the right blend of chemistry to be a threat to the other teams in the Western Conference and in the finals (if they reach it)? That remains to be seen. However, one thing is for sure, with this level of talent, it’s going to be hard to overlook them in the race for the title.
**L.A Lakers** First off, let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, the Lakers were swept in the Western Conference Finals by the Nuggets last season. This season, however, they look well-prepared to compete for the title and in LeBron James and Anthony Davies, they have the superstars to do just that. The offseason acquisitions of Christian Wood and Gabe Vincent should also stand them in good stead along with the resigning of Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura who all proved so vital to their playoff hopes last year. Anthony Davis is expected to finally lead the team full-time this season as LeBron’s advancing years make the case for his minutes to be scaled down to deal with the wear and tear of an arduous NBA season. The big man will also get the extended spell at Power Forward that he craves with players like Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes on the roster – that can only help come playoff time. Injuries are always a factor, and if either of the two Lakers superstars misses any significant time, the pendulum could shift away from them and toward the chasing pack. But then, what’s the fun in thinking about injuries at this stage of the season?
There’s still a lot of Basketball to play between now and next June and any number of factors could affect which two teams get to play in the NBA Finals. For example, the Golden State Warriors could get an injury-free season from Chris Paul and that, coupled with an expected third-season burst from Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, could give the Splash brothers the help they need to win a fifth championship. We all know what Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are capable of, after all. Furthermore, the L.A Clippers are already a very good team but if they manage to get James Harden in to complement Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russel Westbrook, their chances will increase as well. All in all, we have another delightful NBA season to look forward to and best of all, we will provide the best odds and bonuses you’ve come to expect from us. We also have several new features and products available for you such as FlexiCUT; where you can insure your bet and still win big time even when there are several wrong picks on your ticket. We’ve also launched [our all-new android app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kingmakers.betking&pli=1) to ensure that you can enjoy your favorite [online sports betting,](https://m.betking.com/sports) [Virtual bets](https://m.betking.com/virtual), [Casino](https://m.betking.com/casino/), and [Jackpot markets](https://m.betking.com/jackpot-bets) with us. [Sign up today](https://m.betking.com/account/registration) and enjoy all the benefits the best betting site in Nigeria has for you!