2024 NBA Finals Betting Odds
The National Basketball Association will start its first round playoffs this weekend. After the play-in games, we will be down to 16 teams. The first round starts with a four pack of games on Saturday and another four on Sunday. Let’s take a look at the current odds to win the NBA Finals as the postseason begins:
Boston Celtics +160
Jayson Tatum and his Boston teammates come into the postseason as the favorites to win it all. The Celtics fell in the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago. This season, they finished the regular season with the most wins. The Celtics will start the postseason with the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls in the first round. This squad probably has the most pressure to win it all this season. The oddsmakers agree, as they are listed at +160.
Denver Nuggets +280
The defending champions will be forced to start against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. The Nuggets could not beat the Spurs late in the season which cost them the top seed in the West. Denver ran through the postseason a season ago, including a sweep over the Lakers. Jokic had another terrific season, which saw him finish fourth in the league with 12.4 rebounds per game. Denver has all the pieces, if they can keep it together for a two month stretch is the next question.
Los Angeles Clippers +1200
The Los Angeles Clippers are the fourth seed in the West, and their price is Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. The Clippers lost their final three games of the regular season, but they played a bit on cruise control after clinching home court in the first round. It will be interesting to see the veterans of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, and how they can handle the postseason run. Los Angeles is 12/1 to win the NBA title.
Milwaukee Bucks +1500
Outside of Boston, the next most pressure to get to the NBA Finals is in Milwaukee. Doc Rivers is that guy. He was hired midseason to take this Bucks team to the next level. So far, it has not been a success. While Milwaukee is the third seed in the Eastern Conference, they faltered all too often down the stretch. Giannis Antetonokounmpo is beat up, so that’s going to be the biggest factor when they start their first round series Sunday night against the Pacers.
Philadelphia 76ers +1600
The 76ers won their play-in game over Miami. Now, they have a big series against a rival. The 76ers are starting their first round series at Madison Square Garden in New York. It’s going to be a big week of games at the Garden, and there is nothing better than Knicks playoff basketball. Joel Embiid is back and ready to dominate the paint. Philadelphia has to make sure he gets touches in the paint if they want to win this series. The 76ers are 16/1 to win the NBA Finals despite being the 7th seed.
Oklahoma City Thunder +1600
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was terrific during the regular season. Can he continue that into the postseason? Him and his Oklahoma City teammates are pretty new to the postseason. It will certainly be a big stage for them. They will get their postseason party started on Sunday, and take on the winner of the game Friday between the Pelicans and Kings. The Thunder are tied with Philadelphia for the fourth best odds in the NBA.
Dallas Mavericks +1600
Luka Doncic had just a monster season for Dallas. Luka was the leader in scoring in the league with nearly 34 points per game. He also dished out nearly 10 assists per game. Only Haliburton and Young had more assists. His counterpart Kyrie Irving is having a nice season as well for the Mavericks. Dallas has passed all the tests all season, now they will start their biggest yet, as they are on the road at the Clippers to start the postseason.
Phoenix Suns +1900
Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal. That is the three that Phoenix put together to get to where they are now. Here we are in the postseason. Now, can those three get the job done in the postseason? The Suns are the sixth seed and actually have better betting odds than their first round opponent - Minnesota. The Suns are listed at 19/1, while Minnesota comes into the series at 22/1.
Others in NBA Playoffs:
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Los Angeles Lakers +2200
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Minnesota Timberwolves +2500
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New York Knicks +4000
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Cleveland Cavaliers +6000
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Indiana Pacers +10000
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Orlando Magic +20000
There it is. Those are the updated NBA Finals Odds before the first round series get underway. Enjoy the games and best of luck!
Derek Hudson
Derek is a long time sports bettor who grew up in Providence, RI. Derek is data driven and believes the key to betting the sportsbooks is finding an edge in analytics. Derek is happily married and has two young boys. Derek will bet on anything if you let him.
