John Ford | March 17, 2020 | Updated on: December 4th, 2023
The NBA Northwest Division is one of the newer divisions in the league and probably the least successful. Since the division’s formation in 2004, none of teams competing in it have won the NBA Championship. The closest any team has come was the Oklahoma City Thunder making the finals in 2012. Aside from that the Utah Jazz made the Western Conference finals in 2017.
That said, the division is considered very competitive with the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets regularly making playoffs, along with the Thunder and Jazz. The only real underperformers are the Minnesota Timberwolves who haven’t won anything.
If you would like to find out more about betting on the NBA Northwest Division, make sure to keep reading. We have created the ultimate guide to betting on the division. Below we have a look at each team’s odds of winning the division, as well as some key betting statistics. We also provide a list of the best online gambling sites to bet on basketball. So, what are you waiting for?
Below we have a look at each Northwest Division team’s NBA odds of taking the division this season”
Denver Nuggets – with Nikola Jokić having a really good season, the Nuggets seem like a shoe in to make the playoffs this season. Whether or not they will take the division still seems up in the air. If current form is anything to go by, they do seem like the team with the best chance of winning the division despite a recent uneven streak.
Utah Jazz – the Jazz are also having a really good season. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are performing particularly well. They have a sure chance of overtaking the Nuggets if given the opportunity of doing so. However, they also seem to be going through a similar uneven match streak.
Oklahoma City Thunder – the last of this year’s contenders for the division is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Traditionally, the Thunder are the best team in the Northwest Division. They have remained competitive all season and seem to be on winning trend. If the Jazz and Nuggets continue on their form, the Thunder will take the division.
Portland Trail Blazers – Portland seemed to be on an upward streak the last five years but this seems to have come crashing down this season. They could still potentially win it but that would require a lot of ifs and buts which does not really make for a good bet. We think they make the playoffs if that’s any consolation?
Minnesota Timberwolves – outside of the Golden State Warriors, the Timberwolves have been the worst team in the Western Conference. They have almost no chance of making the playoffs this season, let alone winning their division. So, don’t bet on them at sports betting sites.
Sometimes looking at the history of a division can help us identify upward trends. The only thing to deduce from the list of the last 10 Northwest Division winners is that the division has become very unpredictable:
Season
Winner
2009–10
Denver Nuggets
2010–11
Oklahoma City Thunder
2011–12
Oklahoma City Thunder
2012–13
Oklahoma City Thunder
2013–14
Oklahoma City Thunder
2014–15
Portland Trail Blazers
2015–16
Oklahoma City Thunder
2016–17
Utah Jazz
2017–18
Portland Trail Blazers
2018–19
Denver Nuggets
NBA Northwest Division Standings
Looking at team standings helps make better bets. Here are the latest NBA Northwest Division standings at the time of writing:
Place
Team
Record
1
Denver Nuggets
43-21
2
Utah Jazz
41-23
3
Oklahoma City Thunder
40-24
4
Portland Trail Blazers
29-37
5
Minnesota Timberwolves
19-45
Current NBA Northwest Division Betting Statistics
Here are some of the latest Northwest Division facts and stats to help you make better long-term bets:
The Denver Nuggets are the most recent winners of the Northwest Division. They are currently on track to take it again but face stiff opposition from Oklahoma City Thunder.
Oklahoma City Thunder has won the Northwest Division the most times with a total of six titles. They are followed by the Denver Nuggets with four titles.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are the only team in the Northwest Division that has never won a division title since joining the division.
Although the division has produced four playoff berths in the last two seasons, no team in the division has won the NBA Championship. The closest a team has come is when the Oklahoma City Thunder making it to the NBA Finals in 2012.
In the last five seasons, the furthest a team has made it in the playoffs is to the Conference Finals stage and that was the Utah Jazz in 2017.
History of the NBA Northwest Division
The NBA Northwest Division was created in 2004 after the Charlotte Hornets joined the league. The additional team saw the creation of three divisions for each conference. Originally, the division was made up of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle SuperSonics and the Utah Jazz.
In the division’s near twenty-year existence, it has seen minimal team changes. The only change saw the Seattle SuperSonics move to Oklahoma City and renamed the Thunder. Since the formation of the division, none of the teams have won the NBA Finals. The best a team has performed was when Oklahoma City Thunder made the Championship in 2012.
Despite not making the NBA Finals in a few years, the division is still considered one of the most competitive in the league. At least three teams make the playoffs on the regular. The Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder all seem like teams prime to do well in the next couple of seasons. We don’t know if they’ll win any championships but they are sure to make the playoffs.
Check out our other NBA Western Conference guides:
The NBA Northwest Division is one of the newer divisions in the league and probably the least successful. Since the division’s formation in 2004, none of teams competing in it have won the NBA Championship. The closest any team has come was the Oklahoma City Thunder making the finals in 2012. Aside from that the Utah Jazz made the Western Conference finals in 2017.
