NBA betting: Despite Chris Paul injury, don’t give up on the Suns – Yahoo Sports

The NBA's All-Star Weekend is supposed to be all fun and games. Karl-Anthony Towns paid off massively by winning the 3-point contest at +1200 odds. The skills competitions followed by last night's 163-160 victory for Team LeBron over Team Durant provided bettors with an outlet to keep the action going in a relaxed, entertaining way. It was a nice break for bettors to get away from the daily grind of the season. Unless, of course, you are holding a Phoenix Suns futures ticket.

Chris Paul's thumb injury was disclosed as a fracture that will sideline him for the next 6-to-8 weeks. The timeline coincides with the remainder of the regular season, with the playoffs starting exactly eight weeks from this past Saturday. Phoenix bettors were on cruise control heading into the weekend with the Suns sitting at 48-10 with seven fewer losses than the next best team in the West.

They entered the break in the most comfortable position in the NBA, but now have their bettors sweating in what was supposed to be a stress-free weekend. The jolt of concern is understandable, but I don't believe there is any reason to panic about Phoenix. It may create some opportunity to double-down on the defending Western Conference Champions.

It's never great news to learn you are losing your floor general, but Phoenix is well-positioned to withstand the challenges facing them. The Suns will likely enter the playoffs as the No.1 seed despite the setback with Paul. Phoenix is 6.5 games up on Golden State with the Warriors only having 23 games left on the schedule. Even if the Suns flounder down the stretch and go .500 the rest of the way, Golden State would have to go 18-5 to catch them. Both scenarios are very unlikely with Phoenix finishing 15-9 is a more realistic expectation.

The Suns are the deepest team in the West and remain the best bet to return to the NBA Finals. The shrewd acquisition of PG Aaron Holiday for cash is already money well spent and demonstrates how effectively they have built this roster to make a run at the title. They are currently +190 to win the conference, and +450 to win the NBA title. With the Warriors now favored to win the West at +175, we may see even better odds for Phoenix in the next few days.

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The biggest risk in backing Phoenix is the chance that Paul aggravates the injury in the postseason, which isn't a concern for me considering the Suns' depth provides them the luxury of not having to rush him back. The Suns will most likely retain the No.1 seed and a home-court advantage, making them my bet to come out the West.

The Suns will miss Chris Paul on both ends of the floor. The offense will look different with Devin Booker running the point, which opens up a few different betting opportunities. Only six teams play faster than Phoenix this season, but with Paul off the floor, their pace jumps to 104.13 possessions per game. Suns games went 7-2 to the over in their last nine heading into the break, so game totals and team totals are both markets I will be interested in. From a player prop perspective, keep an eye on how the oddsmakers adjust Devin Booker's assist totals with him running the point. I also expect Deandre Ayton and Cameron Johnson to be big beneficiaries of the Suns' new-look offense.

Stats provided by teamrankings.com and nba.com.

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NBA betting: Despite Chris Paul injury, don't give up on the Suns - Yahoo Sports