In the Philippines, basketball reigns supreme. While sabong and e-sabong are both hugely popular, basketball is – by most accounts – the national sport.
And right now, the betting’s getting good.
In the PBA, the 2021 Governors’ Cup is about a third through its elimination round, although the standings are less representative of the final picture than they otherwise might be.
This, of course, is due to the coronavirus, as many teams have had multiple cancellations during the Governors’ Cup so far.
For example, at 2-0, the Meralco Bolts are in second place in the PBA standings, ahead of the 4-1 NLEX Road Warriors in third. Indeed, the Road Warriors have more wins that the first-place Magnolia Hotshots (3-0).
Frankly, outside of the teams with zero wins (NorthPort Batang Pier at 0-4 and Blackwater Bossing at 0-5), it’s not yet totally clear who the top eight PBA teams actually are.
You can expect the perennial players to emerge somewhere in the top eight, with teams like the Hotshots, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, TNT Tropang Giga, and San Miguel Beermen likely to be locks to advance to the playoffs.
But for bettors looking to make informed wagers based on recent performances, there’s simply not a whole lot to go on just yet.
Here are the current PBA standings as of Christmas Day 2021:
- Magnolia Hotshots: 3-0
- Meralco Bolts: 2-0
- NLEX Road Warriors: 4-1
- Barangay Ginebra San Miguel: 3-1
- Alaska Aces: 3-2
- Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters: 3-2
- San Miguel Beermen: 3-2
- TNT Tropang Giga: 2-2
- Rain or Shine Elasto Painters: 2-3
- Terrafirma Dyip: 1-4
- NorthPort Batang Pier: 0-4
- Blackwater Bossing: 0-5
Fortunately, if you’re a big fan of Philippine basketball betting, you’re almost certainly an even bigger fan of NBA betting.
Despite the popularity of the PBA in the islands, the United States’ NBA easily attracts the most betting volume from Filipino punters compared to any other mainstream sport.
And in the NBA, as we start the second quarter of the 2021-2022 campaign, things are starting to take shape. The current standings in each conference are as follows:
NBA Eastern Conference Standings
- Brooklyn Nets: 23-9
- Chicago Bulls: 21-10
- Milwaukee Bucks: 22-13
- Miami Heat: 21-13
- Cleveland Cavaliers: 20-13
- Philadelphia 76ers: 17-16
- Washington Wizards: 17-16
- Charlotte Hornets: 18-17
- Boston Celtics: 16-18
- Toronto Raptors: 14-16
- New York Knicks: 15-18
- Atlanta Hawks: 15-18
- Indiana Pacers: 14-20
- Orlando Magic: 7-27
- Detroit Pistons: 5-27
NBA Western Conference Standings
- Golden State Warriors: 27-6
- Phoenix Suns: 26-7
- Utah Jazz: 24-9
- Memphis Grizzlies: 21-14
- LA Clippers: 17-17
- Denver Nuggets: 16-16
- Dallas Mavericks: 16-17
- Minnesota Timberwolves: 16-17
- Los Angeles Lakers: 16-18
- San Antonio Spurs: 14-19
- Portland Trail Blazers: 13-20
- Sacramento Kings: 13-21
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 12-20
- New Orleans Pelicans: 12-22
- Houston Rockets: 10-24
As with the PBA, you can see that some teams have played a few more games than others.
However, given the much larger sample sizes for all teams involved, it’s easier to divine out the top 4-6 teams in each conference at this point.
That said, the NBA has already fielded its 541st player this season, which is an all-time record. And we’re not even at the All-Star break.
Clearly, COVID issues can still have a massive effect on the 2021-2022 NBA Playoffs. Nevertheless, the favorites to win it all are about what you’d expect.
The following NBA futures odds are via BetOnline Sportsbook:
2021-2022 Central Division Champion Odds
- Milwaukee Bucks -200
- Chicago Bulls +230
- Cleveland Cavaliers +550
- Indiana Pacers +17500
- Detroit Pistons +150000
2021-2022 Southeast Division Champion Odds
- Miami Heat -270
- Atlanta Hawks +275
- Charlotte Hornets +1100
- Washington Wizards +2200
- Orlando Magic +150000
2021-2022 Atlantic Division Champion Odds
- Brooklyn Nets -600
- Philadelphia 76ers +525
- Boston Celtics +1400
- New York Knicks +3300
- Toronto Raptors +6000
2021-2022 Pacific Division Champion Odds
- Golden State Warriors -140
- Phoenix Suns -105
- Los Angeles Lakers +6600
- LA Clippers +8000
- Sacramento Kings +75000
2021-2022 Southwest Division Champion Odds
- Memphis Grizzlies -175
- Dallas Mavericks +120
- San Antonio Spurs +4000
- New Orleans Pelicans +12500
- Houston Rockets +25000
2021-2022 Northwest Division Champion Odds
- Utah Jazz -10000
- Denver Nuggets +1200
- Minnesota Timberwolves +2500
- Portland Trail Blazers +5000
- Oklahoma City Thunder +100000
2021- 2022 Eastern Conference Championship Odds
- Brooklyn Nets +135
- Milwaukee Bucks +350
- Miami Heat +550
- Chicago Bulls +1100
- Philadelphia 76ers +1200
- Atlanta Hawks +1600
- Boston Celtics +2800
- Cleveland Cavaliers +2800
- New York Knicks +4000
- Charlotte Hornets +6600
- Washington Wizards +8000
- Indiana Pacers +12500
- Toronto Raptors +12500
- Detroit Pistons +125000
- Orlando Magic +125000
2021-2022 Western Conference Championship Odds
- Golden State Warriors +140
- Phoenix Suns +450
- Utah Jazz +500
- Los Angeles Lakers +650
- LA Clippers +1200
- Denver Nuggets +1600
- Dallas Mavericks +2500
- Memphis Grizzlies +2800
- Portland Trail Blazers +5000
- Minnesota Timberwolves +6600
- San Antonio Spurs +20000
- Sacramento Kings +25000
- New Orleans Pelicans +40000
- Houston Rockets +50000
- Oklahoma City Thunder +50000
2021-2022 NBA Championship – Odds To Win
- Brooklyn Nets +265
- Golden State Warriors +375
- Milwaukee Bucks +750
- Phoenix Suns +900
- Utah Jazz +1100
- Los Angeles Lakers +1200
- Miami Heat +1200
- Chicago Bulls +2200
- Los Angeles Clippers +2500
- Philadelphia 76ers +2500
- Denver Nuggets +2800
- Atlanta Hawks +3300
- Dallas Mavericks +5000
- Memphis Grizzlies +5000
- Boston Celtics +6600
- Cleveland Cavaliers +6600
- New York Knicks +8000
- Minnesota Timberwolves +10000
- Portland Trail Blazers +10000
- Charlotte Hornets +12500
- Washington Wizards +15000
- Toronto Raptors +20000
- Indiana Pacers +25000
- San Antonio Spurs +40000
- Sacramento Kings +50000
- New Orleans Pelicans +75000
- Houston Rockets +100000
- Oklahoma City Thunder +100000
- Detroit Pistons +250000
- Orlando Magic +250000