Heading into the NBA playoffs, BetCarolina.com wanted to see which teams were the biggest disappointments this season, based on preseason North Carolina sports betting odds according to Basketball-Reference.com. We compared preseason win total odds (in an over/under format) to the final regular-season results, ranking the top 10 most disappointing teams based on largest negative difference.
Rank | Team | Under Difference |
1 | Philadelphia 76ers | -26.5 |
2 | New Orleans Pelicans | -25.5 |
3 | Phoenix Suns | -12.5 |
T4 | Charlotte Hornets | -11.5 |
T4 | Utah Jazz | -11.5 |
6 | Dallas Mavericks | -10.5 |
7 | Miami Heat | -7.5 |
T8 | Sacramento Kings | -6.5 |
T8 | Orlando Magic | -6.5 |
T10 | New York Knicks | -2.5 |
T10 | Minnesota Timberwolves | -2.5 |
T10 | Washington Wizards | -2.5 |
The NBA preseason over/under win totals are from sportsoddshistory.com, which uses BetMGM North Carolina Sportsbook as its basis.
Based on those preseason win totals, we can assess that the Charlotte Hornets had the fourth most disappointing season in the league, alongside the Utah Jazz. Both teams missed their preseason win total over/under by 11.5 games.
Charlotte Hornets playoff chances never got off the ground in the 2024-25 season. They finished 19-63, a game ahead of the abysmal Washington Wizards in the NBA Southeast Division. Charlotte extended its streak of seasons without a playoff appearance to nine, the longest drought in the league.
In Utah, the Jazz managed to bottom out even further, going 17-65 after posting a preseason win total of 28.5. That puts Utah first In line for a shot at the top pick in June’s NBA Draft, in which Duke superstar Cooper Flagg is thought to be the consensus No. 1 overall pick.
Utah, Washington and Charlotte all have a 14% chance of landing the top pick. The NBA Draft Lottery will be held May 12 and operators offering real money NC sports betting promos will have props for both the lottery and the draft itself, which is June 25.
The teams above weren’t even particularly close to being the most depressing teams in the NBA this season. That “honor” belonged to the woebegone Philadelphia 76ers, who went from a preseason win total of 50.5 to a 24-58 finish, skidding their way to a rock-bottom position in the Atlantic Division.
Overall, Philly was even more of a letdown than the New Orleans Pelicans who finished 25.5 wins shy of their preseason total of 46.5 victories, finishing 21-61. The Phoenix Suns, who fired coach Mike Budenholzer on April 14, missed their number by 12.5 games. The Dallas Mavericks were just behind the Hornets and Jazz, missing their preseason number by 10.5 games, thanks in large part to the inexplicable decision to trade superstar wing Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers at the deadline.
FanDuel North Carolina Sportsbook has the Mavs, who are the No. 10 seed in the West, at +820 odds to survive two games in the Play-In Tournament and advance to the playoffs. Dallas must win Wednesday against the ninth-seeded King in Sacramento, then win on the road again against the loser of tonight’s Grizzles-Warriors game, to seal a place in the West’s eight-team playoff field.
For now, what we know for sure is that Charlotte will watch the NBA postseason unfold on television like the rest of us, on the heels of a miserable 19-63 finish in the Queen City this NBA season.
North Carolina sportsbook apps will have a wide array of wagering options for the NBA playoffs, and yo can read revies on those operators here at BetCarolina.com.
USA Today photo by Paul Rutherford
Author
Christopher Boan is a lead writer at BetCarolina.com specializing in covering state issues. He has covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
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