Despite losing two key players during the offseason, the Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse led the Coach of the Year race during the first half of the season. Will Nurse continue to be the favorite following the All-Star break?
Here’s a look at the latest odds for the individuals in the running the for the COTY award based on how their teams performed over the past week (Feb. 14 through Feb. 20).
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Third-Best NBA Coach of the Year Odds: Erik Spoelstra (+700) Last Week NBA COTY Odds: (No Change)
After falling off the list for a stretch, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra comes in at the No. 3 spot for the second straight week. Due to the break following the All-Star festivities, NBA teams didn’t see a ton of action over the past seven days. The Miami Heat limped into the All-Star break having dropped four of their previous five games.
Unfortunately, that trend continued as they suffered a 129-124 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Losers of two straight and with six losses in their last 10 games, the Heat have dropped a couple of spots in the standings. With three of its next four outings against teams below the .500 mark, it will be interesting to see if this squad can get back on track.
Second-Best NBA Coach of the Year Odds: Mike Budenholzer (+500) Last Week NBA COTY Odds: – No Change)
The Milwaukee Bucks saw their five-game winning streak snapped by the Indiana Pacers prior to the midseason classic. With one game on their slate – against the Detroit Pistons, the Bucks got back to their winning ways. In fact, they outscored Detroit 70-41 in the first half en route to an easy 126-106 victory, pushing their league-best record to 47-8.
Whether Budenholzer has enough time to overtake Nurse in this race remains to be seen. However, he has this team clicking on all cylinders. Simply put, it’s time for opposing teams to heed this simple message: Fear the Deer.
Best NBA Coach of the Year Odds: Nick Nurse (+125) Last Week’s COTY Odds (+175)
Toronto had been in the middle of the pack in the conference playoff race during the first half of the season. Then, it happened. The team went on a franchise-best 15-game winning streak that started in mid-January and lasted until the team suffered a 101-91 loss to the Brooklyn Nets going into the All-Star break.
As of now, the Raptors have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. They are ranked fourth in points allowed (106.6) and they have the second-best defensive rating in the NBA. And not surprisingly, they came out of the All-Star break and stomped the Phoenix Suns 118-101, making it 16 wins in their last 17 games. If this team can remain in the upper half of the conference, Nurse winning the award should be a foregone conclusion.
