The NBA season is nearly two months old, but the league hasn’t garnered much attention since the NFL is always dominating the headlines. This has also been a pretty crazy NBA season, and the odds to win the NBA Championship have been adjusted a number of times.
Here is a look at the updated odds to win the NBA Finals with a breakdown of some of the teams in the mix.
Favorites
- Brooklyn Nets +260
- Golden State Warriors +600
- Milwaukee Bucks +700
- Phoenix Suns +900
The Brooklyn Nets have been the betting favorites to win the NBA Finals since the odds were first announced, and they have remained in that position since. Brooklyn is still at the top of the Eastern Conference, and rumor has it that Kyrie Irving is about to join the team soon.
Golden State has been playing the entire season with Klay Thompson and James Wiseman, but both players are going to make their debut in January. That will make the Warriors a serious threat to win the Western Conference and then become a threat to win the title.
Milwaukee and Phoenix are both included as well with the group of favorites, but each team still has some serious flaws that will need to be fixed before they win the title. The Bucks are the defending champions, but they have some work to do before they are the favorites in the East.
Contenders
- Los Angeles Lakers +1000
- Utah Jazz +1100
- Miami Heat +1200
It’s pretty hard to separate the favorites from the contenders when it comes to the NBA betting odds, but there are three teams that need to be considered as in the mix. All three of these teams could easily win the championship this season, but a little bit of luck might be needed.
The Lakers were one of the top betting picks to begin the year, but the odds have fallen all the way down to +1000. The Miami Heat are another team that should be a threat to win it all, but those odds are currently at +1200.
Darkhorses
- LA Clippers +2100
- Philadelphia 76ers +2400
- Denver Nuggets +2400
- Chicago Bulls +3000
All four teams in the darkhorse category are legitimate title contenders, but there is one team that really sticks out above the rest. The Chicago Bulls have come out of nowhere this season, but that roster has what it takes to win a title.
The NBA is not like other sports in that underdogs don’t typically make a run at the NBA Championship, but this is not a normal year. You need to keep a close eye on every team on this list, but the Chicago Bulls appear to be the team with the best chance to surprise and win an NBA Championship.
Longshots
- Dallas Mavericks +3600
- Atlanta Hawks +3600
- Boston Celtics +6500
- Memphis Grizzlies +8000
- New York Knicks +8000
When it comes to other professional sports, looking at the list of longshots actually presents a pretty solid betting opportunity. This isn’t usually the case with the NBA as there aren’t typically a number of major upsets in the NBA Playoffs.
The one team on this list of longshots to keep an eye on is the Boston Celtics at +6500. Boston has been in the Eastern Conference Finals as recently as two seasons ago, and that is still a roster that is full of exciting talent.
The rest of the teams on this list have enough talent to make some noise in the NBA postseason, but winning the title just doesn’t seem like a realistic option.