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NBA win totals update: Knicks rising, Bucks falling

Michael Reaves / Getty Images Sport / Getty

We're inching closer to the halfway point of the NBA regular season, which means it's time to revisit 2020-21 win totals.

Let's dive into some teams that have either exceeded or failed to live up to expectations so far.

Rising

Knicks

The Knicks just might be the first team to cross the finish line, which is crazy considering they were tied for the NBA's lowest average win total over the last four years (24.5).

New York finds itself in the East's logjam at 15-16, but the team is only a handful of wins away from surpassing its projection of 23.5.

Hornets

The Hornets are only 14-15, but like New York, are sitting pretty thanks to a low preseason win total. Charlotte was projected for only 25.5 victories, which the club should reach sooner rather than later.

Charlotte does have the third-toughest remaining schedule, but it's 1.5 games up in the Southeast and cruising.

Suns

The Suns were hot commodities - no pun intended - after ripping off eight straight wins in the bubble last season. The franchise took that momentum and parlayed it with a 19-10 start, which puts Phoenix well on pace to shatter its total of 38.5.

Falling

Bucks

The regular season hasn't recently been a problem for the Bucks. They topped the NBA in win percentage in 2018-19, then finished second behind the Lakers in last year's shortened campaign.

This season's going much differently: The club is 18-31 and on pace for just north of 40 wins.

That wouldn't even come close to surpassing the total of 49.5, which was the highest of any team entering the year.

Heat

The hangover is real. After surprising the league en route to a Finals appearance, the Heat sit four games under .500 entering the week. Miami has been one of the league's worst bets (11-18-1 against the spread) and is playing worse than its record would indicate.

Sorry, over bettors; Miami will end up as one of the worst buys of the offseason.

Mavericks

The Mavericks' 42.5 projected wins were the fourth-highest in a loaded West. Right now, they wouldn't even qualify for a playoff berth, as they own a 13-15 record and sit 10th in the conference.

Dallas has regressed from last season on both ends of the floor. Its top-ranked offense has dropped to No. 9, while the defensive efficiency has plummeted from No. 19 to No. 29.

Advanced metrics actually think the Mavericks should be a 12-16 team based on point differential, so over bettors might want to send their tickets through a shredder.

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.

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