The longtime NBA Finals frontrunners are still at the top, but now a rising challenger in the Western Conference is making things interesting.
The longtime NBA Finals frontrunners are still at the top, but now a rising challenger in the Western Conference is making things interesting.
The latest: As the Boston Celtics hold their favoured status, the Denver Nuggets move into a tie for the second-shortest odds. Further down the list, the Sacramento Kings are interesting outsiders.
Check out the latest NBA Finals odds.
Check out the latest odds to win the NBA Finals. Click linked odds to add selection to your betslip.
| Team | Odds (Jan. 30) | Odds (Jan. 22) |
| Boston Celtics | +400 | +400 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +600 | +600 |
| Denver Nuggets | +600 | +600 |
| Brooklyn Nets | +800 | +800 |
| Golden State Warriors | +800 | +800 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +1,000 | +1,000 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +1,000 | +1,600 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | +1,200 | +1,400 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +2,000 | +1,800 |
| Phoenix Suns | +2,000 | +2,000 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | +3,000 | +2,500 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +3,000 | +3,000 |
| Miami Heat | +3,000 | +3,000 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | +6,000 | +6,000 |
NBA odds as of 10:15 p.m. on 01/30/2023.
The favourite: Boston Celtics (+400)
Unsurprisingly, the team with the most wins at this juncture is also the team with the shortest NBA Finals odds.
The Celtics (36-15) were the favourites in the summer and nothing about their efforts since then warrants a change.
Boston's odds have held firm in recent weeks during an active nine-game winning streak, and they've held firm during a less-than-stellar stretch of late. The Celtics are 3-3 in their past six games, and those three wins came by a combined nine points.
Backing Boston means backing the No. 1 team in net rating (5.7) and the East's top team in offensive rating (116.6). And the tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown is comparable with any dynamic duo across the NBA.
The Celtics won their first three matchups against the Nets and Bucks, and they'll face those teams four more times collectively. Those matchups should go a long way in determining the conference's top dog.
| Team | Odds (Jan. 30) |
| Sacramento Kings | +8,000 |
| Atlanta Hawks | +10,000 |
| Toronto Raptors | +10,000 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | +15,000 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +25,000 |
| New York Knicks | +25,000 |
| Utah Jazz | +25,000 |
| Chicago Bulls | +25,000 |
| Indiana Pacers | +50,000 |
| Washington Wizards | +50,000 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +50,000 |
| Charlotte Hornets | +100,000 |
| Detroit Pistons | +100,000 |
| Houston Rockets | +100,000 |
| Orlando Magic | +100,000 |
| San Antonio Spurs | +100,000 |
Best value: Denver Nuggets (+600)
In making a case for the Nuggets as our top value pick during the offseason โ when their odds were more than three times this number โ we pointed out the intrigue of two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic flanked by a pair of recently-injured game-changers (Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.).
Jokic is playing at an MVP level once again and he has a stellar supporting cast behind him.
Murray and Porter are two of Denver's seven players averaging double-digit points (Jokic is obviously in that group as well). That explains why the Nuggets have the second-best offensive rating in the league (117.4) and the fourth-best net rating (4.0).
A recent nine-game winning streak helped vault the Nuggets (34-16) into first in the West. But they did recently lose a pair of road games to the Bucks and 76ers, who they could see down the road if they reach the NBA Finals.
It's a little early for that kind of talk, as Denver has only made it to the conference finals once with this core. But we could see another deep push this year.
Team to watch: Sacramento Kings (+8,000)
Even if you don't understand the Kings' success, it hardly makes sense at this point to ignore it.
Sacramento (27-21) is third in the Western Conference standings, with impressive wins over the Warriors (when they were at full strength), Nets, Nuggets, Clippers and Cavaliers.
Domas tonight vs. Oklahoma City โคต๏ธ
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) January 21, 2023
๐ชฃ 18 PTS
๐ 13 REB
๐ค 14 AST
๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐-๐๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐-๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ (๐) ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ฉ-๐๐ฎ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง pic.twitter.com/7QWSxGtdYO
Like the Nuggets, the Kings have exceptional scoring depth. Six players average 12-plus points, and the team has the best offensive rating (117.5) as a whole.
The Raptors have better odds to trade either Fred VanVleet or Gary Trent Jr. than they do of making the playoffs.
That should give you an indication of the vibes right now. Barring a wild turnaround, the ceiling for the Raptors is probably the play-in tournament โ and the floor is a winning ticket in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
From +6,000 on Dec. 27 to +15,000 on Jan. 15, and now at +10,000, Toronto has been on a long-shot rollercoaster for a while. We see no value in sprinkling on the Raptors' current futures market.
FiveThirtyEight's current NBA projections give the Raptors a 34% chance to make the playoffs.