Totals for Most Wins & Most Losses Both Set at 62.5 for 2019-20 NBA Season

• Both the highest win and loss totals for upcoming NBA season are set at 62.5
• Multiple teams have lost more than 62 games over past five NBA seasons
• Houston Rockets & Milwaukee Bucks should be in the running for 60+ wins 

After what was a whirlwind of an offseason and free agency period, the NBA has been re-charging its batteries this month as basketball is right around the corner with the first preseason game scheduled for September 30th.

The regular season begins on October 22nd, and the recently released props for highest win and loss total for the upcoming campaign are both set at 62.5.

While it may seem like a low threshold for wins with visions of the 73-win Warriors surely still lingering in some heads, and new super teams having taken hold in July, is it a good place to put your money? Let’s take a look.

Highest Win Total of 2019-20 NBA Season

*Odds taken August 15

Last season no team won more than 60 games, as the Milwaukee Bucks finished with the best regular season record at 60-22, closely followed by the Toronto Raptors who finished at 58-24 and Golden State Warriors who went 57-22.

With the talent in the league this season seemingly even more spread out as Kawhi Leonard and Paul George headed to the Los Angeles Clippers, Anthony Davis joined LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant (who likely won’t play this season while rehabbing his torn achilles) teamed up with the Brooklyn Nets, and Russell Westbrook was traded to the Houston Rockets, the under may seem like the obvious play.

With at least three teams now loaded up with multiple top ten players, it seems likely that multiple teams could easily surpass the 62-win threshold.

Looking back at the past five seasons though, there’s only been one instance where more than one team has gone over 62 wins, back in 2015-16 as the Warriors went on their historic 73-9 run while the Spurs also won 67 games.

Teams With 62+ Wins Over Past 5 NBA Seasons

While it hasn’t happened much, I’m willing to say the upcoming season will feature two teams going over the number of 62.5 wins, and the smart bet is to jump on the value you’re getting +125 odds right now.

Both LA teams will likely put their starters on a “load management” system as we saw with Kawhi Leonard last year in Toronto, but both the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets should be going full throttle for all 82 games and have a good chance to win games in the mid-sixties.

Russell Westbrook and James Harden don’t usually miss many games, and will be out to make a statement in their first season as running mates once again since the the 2011-12 season in Oklahoma City. They’re a strong darkhorse pick for the #1 seed in the Western Conference.

The Bucks are on a similar trajectory after their collapse against the Raptors in the ECF, and will likely improve on their 60-win campaign as they bring back a majority of their core and have reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo waiting in the wings for an even bigger season than last year.

Most Losses by a Team in 2019-20 NBA Season

*Odds taken August 15

Teams in the Tank?

Last season featured quite the tankathon as New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Phoenix Suns all lost more than 62 games as they tried to gain the best odds in the Zion Williamson lottery.

While none of them were lucky enough to land Zion, who now resides in New Orleans, all three teams remain solid candidates to lose more than 62 once again as both the top and middle class of the league has gotten even stronger.

Was last season a special year of multiple teams bottoming out to try and improve their draft stock? Or is this the new norm we see in the Association?

Teams With 62+ Losses Over Past 5 NBA Seasons

If the small pattern we see over the past five seasons is still in effect, there’s a strong chance that multiple teams will once again drop more than 62 contests during the coming season.

With the Knicks, Cavs, and Suns still focused on developing their prospects over winning this upcoming season, and the Charlotte Hornets expected to bottom out with Kemba Walker now a member of the Boston Celtics, the over 62.5 at +140 is a great value play.