We\u2019ve hit the All-Star break in the NBA season, which means now is a good time to review some of the futures on the board. In the Eastern Conference, two of the division races are a complete blowout as the Milwaukee Bucks are a -50000 favorite to win the Central while the Miami Heat are a -10000 favorite to win the Southeast. The one race that is still up in the air is the Atlantic Division where the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are all in the running. Let\u2019s take a closer look at the Atlantic Division odds and see who is in the best shape to win it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Raptors have exceeded all expectations. They\u2019re coming off a loss but that shortcoming ended their 15-game winning streak. Even though they were expected to fade with Kawhi Leonard gone, they actually have a better record at this point than they did a season ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s interesting is that the Raptors have dealt with a slew of injuries and they\u2019ve survived them all. Siakam has missed 11 games, Kyle Lowry has missed 12, Fred VanVleet has missed 10, Serge Ibaka has missed 11, Marc Gasol has missed 20 and Norman Powell has missed 17. If they get back to full strength in the second half, they\u2019ll be hard to stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Celtics have won 11 of their last 13 to try and keep pace with the Raptors. They\u2019re just 1.5 games back of the Raps for the top spot in the Atlantic. They\u2019ll start the second half of their season with a big Western Conference road trip that will take them through Los Angeles (Lakers) and Utah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similar to Toronto, Boston has a young cast that\u2019s coming of age as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and others are really stepping up. They\u2019re a strong team defensively as they\u2019re allowing the third-fewest points in the NBA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 76ers have been one of the biggest conundrums on the year. At 34-21, it\u2019s not as if they\u2019re bad. At the same time, they\u2019re currently the No. 5 seed in the in the Eastern Conference and wouldn\u2019t even have home-court advantage in the first round if the playoffs were to start today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 76ers are an incredible 25-2 at home this season but are an awful 9-19 on the road. That road record is what is keeping them from being a contender as they\u2019ve been so terrible in away games. That will come back to haunt them in the playoffs \u2013 especially since as of right now, it looks like they\u2019ll have to win at least their first couple of series without home-court advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Nets are a long shot and nobody is really expecting them to get back into this race \u2013 let alone win it. They are 25-28 and are 14 games back of first place. The lone reason they\u2019re still on the board is because they\u2019re still mathematically in and because there\u2019s a very slim, outside chance that maybe Kevin Durant returns and saves them. That\u2019s unlikely and given that the Nets haven\u2019t been great all year long, it\u2019s unlikely he changes their trajectory \u2013 even in the unexpected scenario he returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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