Now that every NBA club has passed the midseason point of 41 games, this seems like a good time to revisit BATSBY Sports’ over/under predictions for the 2019-20 campaign — exclusively based off Westgate Sportsbook’s win projections from mid-October.
The results of this exercise, as of January 20, reveal a mixed bag of unqualified successes … and horribly wrong estimations.
For today’s piece, let’s focus on the hits, misses and 50/50 propositions within the Eastern Conference:
SPOT-ON CALLS
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 58.5
2019-20 PACE: 71 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: OVER
TORONTO RAPTORS
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 46.5
2019-20 PACE: 55.2 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: OVER
INDIANA PACERS
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 46.5
2019-20 PACE: 52.2 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: OVER
BROOKLYN NETS
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 44.5
2019-20 PACE: 35.2 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: UNDER
NEW YORK KNICKS
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 28.5
2019-20 PACE: 22.4 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: UNDER
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 55.5
2019-20 PACE: 52.8 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: UNDER
CHARLOTTE HORNETS
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 23.5
2019-20 PACE: 27.3 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: OVER
CHICAGO BULLS
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 33.5
2019-20 PACE: 29.2 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: UNDER
BREAKDOWN
a) So far, so good for the explosive Bucks, who rank first overall in scoring (119.4 points per game … 17 blowouts of 17-plus points) and 10th in scoring defense.
What’s more, Milwaukee hasn’t lost back-to-back games all season; and the club owns the NBA’s longest victory streak of the year (18 games).
Put it all together, and Giannis Antetokounmpo (per-game averages: 30 points, 12.9 rebounds. 5.6 assists, 1.1 steals) could be another smooth bet for claiming consecutive NBA MVP awards.
b) Kawhi Leonard might have been the Raptors’ best player during last season’s championship run, but shame on the Vegas experts for giving this year’s Toronto squad the short shift, projections-wise.
Only 46.5 victories? What an absurdly low projection, factoring in how the Raptors had a 17-5 mark last season — without Leonard in the lineup.
c) There might have been some justification for under-selling the Pacers this season (46.6 wins), given the injury-related absence of Victor Oladipo.
But Indiana has responded with a highly versatile club that boasts three 17-plus-point scorers (Damantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, T.J. Warren) and seven different players averaging double-digit points.
As such, with Oladipo set to return in a matter of weeks, and the Pacers currently ranking in scoring defense, clearing 50 victories by season’s end should be eminently doable.
d) We knew this would be a tough transition season for the Nets, as they waded through the uber-anticipation of Kevin Durant (recovering from an Achilles tear) and Kyrie Irving joining a young, hungry roster of complementary assets … for the 2020-21 campaign.
And yet, no one could have foreseen a woeful pace of 35.2 victories this year, while primarily encountering middling Eastern Conference competition.
These are the consequences of Irvin and Caris LeVert partaking in only 32 of a combined 84 games to date.
Bottom line: Too many players dressed in street clothes … usually leads to major struggles on the court.
e) Sure, we committed to an UNDER pick back in October, and the Knicks have responded with six different slides of three or more defeats.
But we’re still optimistic about the Knicks’ future — assuming the franchise can stay the course with its presumptive core: Dennis Smith Jr., R.J. Barrett, Kevin Knox, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson.
The only potential bust of the group: Through 43 games, Knox holds painfully mediocre averages of 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
TOO CLOSE TO CALL
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 27.5
2019-20 PACE: 27.3 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: UNDER
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 24.5
2019-20 PACE: 22.4 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: UNDER
ORLANDO MAGIC
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 41.5
2019-20 PACE: 39.1 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: OVER
UGLY CALLS
MIAMI HEAT
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 43.5
2019-20 PACE: 57.2 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: UNDER
DETROIT PISTONS
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 37.5
2019-20 PACE: 29.8 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: OVER
BOSTON CELTICS
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 49.5
2019-20 PACE: 54.7 victories
BATSBYPRESEASON PICK: UNDER
ATLANTA HAWKS
WESTGATE OVER/UNDER: 33.5
2019-20 PACE: 18.6 victories
BATSBY PRESEASON PICK: OVER