NBA 2019-20 season preview: free NBA basketball tips, odds and predictions

Free NBA basketball tips, preview and predictions for the 2019-20 season.

Best bets

Los Angeles Clippers to win Western Conference
1pt 9-4 Sky Bet

Milwaukee Bucks under 57.5 wins
1pt 4-5 BoyleSports

For more American sports analysis and tips, visit www.pickswise.com

NBA season preview

Golden State Warriors have reached the NBA finals for the last five years, but off-season moves have seen a shift in the balance of power in the Western Conference and they could be deposed by the LA Clippers this season.

Kevin Durant has left for Brooklyn and other veteran departures have left a young supporting cast for Steph Curry to work with until Klay Thompson can return from a knee injury, which is likely to be after the All-Star break in February.

The bookmakers think the two Los Angeles teams are best-placed to capitalise, and the Clippers make the most appeal after signing the top free agent on the market in Kawhi Leonard, fresh from his MVP performance in leading the Toronto Raptors to last year's title.

He is joined by Paul George, adding star quality to a roster who gave the Warriors a fright in the first round of last season's playoffs.

Leonard and George are smart defenders who offer the threat of 20-plus points per game and, unlike some of their rivals, the Clippers have the depth to manage their stars' workload throughout the season.

LeBron James' first season with the LA Lakers was a nightmare as they missed the playoffs for the sixth straight year. Injuries restricted the four-time league MVP to just 55 games, and even with the addition of Anthony Davis they may be asking too much of their superstar, who turns 35 in December.

Another threat could come from the Houston Rockets, for whom James Harden averaged 36.1 points per game last season, and he is reunited with Russell Westbrook. However with four of their five starters over 30, a thin roster may catch them out down the stretch.

In the East, last year's losing conference finalists Milwaukee are hoping to cash in on departures from their closest rivals as the Raptors have lost Leonard and the Philadelphia 76ers are missing Jimmy Butler.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was immense as they posted a conference-high 60 wins in the regular season.

That represented a 16-game improvement from the year before, which may be hard to sustain and it wouldn't be a surprise if they sacrifice a few regular-season wins in order to be rested for the post-season.

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