Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA predictions: 2020-21 NBA win-totals predictions revisited

By Duncan Smith

May 18, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Justin Holiday (8) and forward Domantas Sabonis (11) congratulate each other the end of the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
May 18, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Justin Holiday (8) and forward Domantas Sabonis (11) congratulate each other the end of the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 8
Next
NBA
NBA Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports /

NBA win-total predictions: On the money Western Conference (0-2 wins differential)

LA Clippers

Predicted wins: 46
Actual wins: 47
Differential: 1

The LA Clippers didn’t quite coast the way last season’s squad did, but nobody is going to fall over themselves to buy in on them as a championship team just yet. They may indeed be the best team in the NBA and could even steamroll to a championship if they catch a couple of breaks, but that remains to be seen.

Portland Trail Blazers

Predicted wins: 40
Actual wins: 42
Differential: 2

I liked the moves the Portland Trail Blazers made this offseason, and even if health eluded them over the course, as long as they had a healthy Damian Lillard they had a chance to maintain good standing in the Western Conference. I was a tad high on them, but right in range by being off by just two wins.

Golden State Warriors

Predicted wins: 37
Actual wins: 39
Differential: 2

The Golden State Warriors have appeared to be both world-beaters and the worst team in the NBA at various times this season. With Steph Curry on the floor, they can hang with anybody, but without him, they are dead in the water. They’ve done well to reach the eighth seed and the play-in tournament this season, but that was as far as they went.

San Antonio Spurs

Predicted wins: 31
Actual wins: 33
Differential: 2

The San Antonio Spurs are a team not willing to go silently into the night, a season removed from their first non-playoff campaign in more than two decades. They’re another team that battled into the NBA play-in tournament, and DeMar DeRozan has had a fantastic season to propel them there.

Sacramento Kings

Predicted wins: 31
Actual wins: 30
Differential: 1

The Sacramento Kings are another team that finished very close to our win predictions. They showed some flashes throughout the season and got a tremendous effort out of rookie Tyrese Haliburton, but they fell well short of their own goal of making the NBA playoffs.

OKC Thunder

Predicted wins: 19
Actual wins: 21
Differential: 2

The OKC Thunder ended up close to their predicted win total, but it took a heroic tank on their part to get there. They were too good around the trade deadline and then sent Al Horford home and began resting anybody and everybody who was having good games (Lu Dort, hi there) in an effort to lock in a high lottery spot.