When it comes to the betting picks for NBA division titles for the upcoming 2025-26 season, no division is tighter than the Pacific. The top three teams at the end of the 2024-25 season: Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, and Golden State Warriors are all in the running to once again finish at the top of the division.
In 2025, the Lakers and Clippers wrapped up the regular season with identical 50-32 records. The Lakers earned the title on the strength of three wins in four matchups against the Clippers during regular-season play. The Lakers have the most Pacific Division titles with 25.
With the 2025-26 NBA season approaching, the Lakers look to become the first team since the Phoenix Suns in 2021 and 2022 to repeat as Pacific Division champs. The Sacramento Kings won the Pacific in 2023, and the Clippers won the division title in 2024.
The 2025-26 NBA regular season begins on October 21, 2025, and runs through April 21, 2026. The 2026 NBA Playoffs are scheduled to start on April 18, with the Finals taking place in early June. Make sure to check out our list of the best NBA betting sites, as well as our guide to NBA playoffs betting, before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season.
| To Win NBA Pacific Division |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| LA Clippers | +130 | +140 | +140 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | +200 | +165 | +200 |
| Golden State Warriors | +245 | +275 | +230 |
| Sacramento Kings | +2800 | +3000 | +3000 |
| Phoenix Suns | +6600 | +5000 | +6500 |
The LA Clippers came on strong at the end of the 2024-25 NBA regular season, winning eight straight games and going 18-3 in their final 21 appearances. However, that only tied them with the Lakers for the best record in the division. With the tiebreaker being head-to-head matchups and the Lakers winning three out of four against the Clippers, the Clippers were denied a second straight division title.
The Clippers made some changes in the offseason that should improve the club for 2025-26, looking to build around their star players, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. Joining the club were Bradley Beal, John Collins, Brook Lopez, and Chris Paul. However, to get Collins, the team gave up second-leading scorer Norman Powell in a three-team swap.
Harden had a great year in 2025, averaging more than 22 points and eight assists per game while shooting 35% or better on 3-pointers. The only other players in that group were Nikola Jokić, Cade Cunningham, and LeBron James. The team is also hoping to have Leonard for a full year. He played in 37 games last year, averaging 21.5 points per game, just .3 fewer than Powell.
Beal and Paul are expected to shore up the backcourt and help the Clippers generate more offense.
The Los Angeles Lakers won the Pacific Division via a tiebreaker. To get there, the Lakers went 6-4 in the final 10 games of the regular season. The big addition for the club, Luka Doncic, helped the club greatly, averaging 28.2 points per game while pulling down 8.1 rebounds and dishing 7.5 assists in his 28 games with Los Angeles. The good news for the Lakers is that Doncic will be with the team for a full season in 2025-26; the bad news is that Los Angeles will be without LeBron James to start the season due to sciatica. The news on James broke on October 10. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated in three to four weeks. James did not participate in a full practice during training camp.
The loss of James, who will be playing in his 23rd NBA season, is significant, but make no mistake: the Lakers are Doncic’s club to lead this year, and for at least the length of the three-year, $165 million deal he signed with the club over the summer.
Other deals the team made to improve over the summer were free agent deals for 2018 No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton, 2021-22 Kia Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia.
James’s health is the question facing the team right now. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists over 70 games in his 22nd season. How many more years can he produce at that level?
The glory days of the Steph Curry-led Golden State Warriors are behind them, but the reality is that Golden State, which finished the 2025 regular season with a 48-34 record, are in the running to win the Pacific this year.
The big change for the Warriors came in early February when the club was part of a five-team deal that landed Jimmy Butler. The team gave up Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and a protected first-round pick in that trade. The move worked out for Golden State, as the team was 25-25 and 9th in the Western Conference at the time. The Warriors ended the year on a 23-9 run, going 22-5 when Curry and Butler were both on the court. If Butler and Curry can remain healthy for the 2025-26 season, there’s no reason to think the Warriors can’t win the division.
The jury is out on third-year player Brandin Podziemski. He had a great rookie season in 2024, but fell off a bit early in his sophomore campaign before picking things up in the second half of the season. The Warriors are counting on him for a strong third year.
The team also agreed to a two-year contract with Jonathan Kuminga, who averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 24.3 minutes over 47 games (10 starts) last season.
Before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season make sure to check out our list of the best betting sites and sportsbooks available for your NBA wagers.
About the Author
Trent's your man when it comes to all things sports. He covers a wide range of sports for Sports Betting Sites, and has been published in some pretty reputable outlets, such as USA Today Sports, Vice, Bloody Elbow, Fight! Magazine, UFC 360, and Narratively. Trent's got the inside track on all the happenings in the world of sports.
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