More than halfway through the NBA season, the defending champion Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder are co-favorites to win the NBA title at +225 odds according to BetMGM.
NBA Championship Odds Update – Top 10
Boston Celtics +225
Oklahoma City Thunder +225
Cleveland Cavs +800
New York Knicks +1300
Denver Nuggets +1400
Los Angeles Lakers +1800
Memphis Grizzlies +2500
Milwaukee Bucks +3000
Dallas Mavericks +3500
Los Angeles Clippers +3500
Now that the NBA trade deadline is over, the Los Angeles Lakers saw their championship odds narrow after pulling off a shocking trade. The Lakers added seven-time All-Star Luka Doncic in one of the most bizarre trades in NBA history. The Dallas Mavericks secretly negotiated exclusively with the Lakers and gave up Doncic for peanuts. The Lakers jumped from +4500 to +1800 odds to win the title after acquiring Doncic.
Boston Celtics +225
The Celtics have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, but they’re still the team to beat as the defending champions. The Celtics boast the best road record in the league and they’re the only team in the NBA to win at least 20 games away from home.
Six players average double digits this season, but the Celtics continue to live and die by the 3-point shot. No one shoots more or knocks down more treys than the Celtics. If they’re on, they’ll blow out teams. When they’re cold from downtown, it’s often an ugly loss.
The Celtics are not as successful as last season when they were the second-best shooting team in the NBA. They’re only ranked #10 overall with a 36.8 percent success rate, but they shoot 3-pointers at such a high volume that they’re still outgunning opponents.
During the offseason, the Celtics opened as the betting favorite to defend their title. They were the consensus favorite during the preseason, and have been at the top of BetMGM’s futures board for the entire first half of the season.
Oklahoma City Thunder +225
The Oklahoma City Thunder posted the best record in the NBA through the first 50 games. They rely on the NBA’s best defense (104.8 ppg), and that’s without starting center Chet Holmgren who is still recovering from a fractured hip. The Thunder are also the best team at defending the 3-point shot (33.1 percent), which is why they could potentially neutralize the Celtics if they meet in the 2025 NBA Finals.
The Thunder also have the fourth-best scoring offense (118.2 ppg) in the league. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s leading scorer averaging 32.6 ppg, is also the betting favorite to win the MVP at -600 odds.
The Thunder were the second title favorite on the futures board entering the season. They emerged as an outright title favorite in late January and sat at the top of the futures board for a couple of weeks before a recent uptick by the Celtics. You can back the Thunder right now at +225 odds to win the championship and +105 odds to claim the Western Conference crown.
Cleveland Cavs +800
The Cavs dominated in the first half of the season under new head coach Kenny Atkinson. After a 33-4 start, the Cavs hit a few road bumps in recent weeks, but still have the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Atkinson revitalized the offense while honing the defense. He describes the Cavs’ offense as “controlled chaos” and pushes his players to take risks. The revamped Cavs have the second-best offense in the NBA (122.5 ppg). They’re ranked #4 in 3-point attempts (41.0 per game), but lead the NBA with a 39.5 percent success rate.
Atkinson has instilled a lot of confidence in his squad and trusts that they will play through their mistakes. The new approach has paid off, especially with star Donovan Mitchell buying into his philosophy.
The Cavs have one of the top scoring backcourts in the league with Mitchell averaging 24.0 ppg and Darius Garland averaging a career-high 21.8 ppg. Their frontline is anchored by Evan Mobley and Jarret Allen, who combined for 19.3 rebounds per game.
If you hate the Celtics or looking to fade the defending champs, then the Cavs offer up solid value at +800 odds to win the championship, and +300 odds to win the Eastern Conference title.
New York Knicks +1300
The Knicks have been on an upswing ever since they signed Jalen Brunson. The Knicks are the hottest ticket in the Big Apple, and celebrity row at Madison Square Garden is packed every night for the first time since their heyday in the late 1990s.
When the Knicks traded Julius Randle for Karl-Anthony Towns, they took another leap forward. After an adjustment period to start the season, the Knicks finally hit their stride. The Knicks are the third-best team in the East and only five total teams won more games.
For the first time since the 1990s, the Knicks will send two starters to the All-Star Game with Brunson (26.3 ppg) and Towns (24 ppg). Towns also averages 13.5 rebounds per game, which is ranked #2 in the NBA.
The Knicks have decent guys on their bench, but head coach Tom Thibodeau takes an old-school approach and utilizes a short rotation. Fans are worried about the long-term effect of Thibs overplaying his starters.
Meanwhile, the Knicks eagerly await the return of starting center Mitchell Robinson, who suffered several setbacks while recovering from offseason ankle surgery. Robinson has yet to play a game this season, but he will provide the Knicks with a much-needed rim protector if they expect to vie for the conference crown and a championship.
The Knicks are +550 odds to win the Eastern Conference and +1300 odds to win their first championship in over 50 years.
Denver Nuggets +1400
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is having the best statistical season of his career averaging a triple-double with 29.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game. He’s posting career highs in points and assists and is the second favorite on BetMGM’s awards board to win the MVP behind SGA.
With Jokic, the Nuggets will always have a chance to win a playoff series, but their ultimate fate is tied to guard Jamal Murray. When Murray finds his shooting groove, the Nuggets have a dangerous second scoring option. When Murray’s sore knee flares up or he’s having an off night, the offense struggles to find buckets.
The Nuggets also need forwards Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter, Jr. to stay healthy if they expect to make a deep run in the playoffs.
The Nuggets currently occupy the #3 seed in the Western Conference behind the second-place Memphis Grizzlies, but Jokic and the Nugs pose the biggest threat to the Thunder in the west.
L.A. Lakers +1800
The Lakers pulled off a seismic coup in the weekend before the trade deadline. The Doncic trade was so shocking that everyone assumed it was a hoax when the news initially broke. The Lakers only had to send Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and one first-round draft pick to acquire Doncic. Mavs general manager Nico Harrison would’ve received better offers from other teams exceeding four or more first-round picks if he shopped Doncic to the rest of the league, but he only discussed a trade with the Lakers who were thrilled to keep negotiations private and add a MVP-caliber player for next to nothing.
The fan base in Dallas is devastated with Doncic’s departure and conspiracy theories are prevalent because the trade does not make sense. Harrison and the Mavs questioned Doncic’s weight issues, durability, and culture fit even though he led them to the NBA Finals last season despite a leg injury.
Adding Doncic sets up the Lakers for the next decade after LeBron James decides to retire. For now, James smells blood in the water and knows he has a shot to win a title with a sensational playmaker and scorer like Doncic. The immediate downside is that the Lakers took a hit on the defensive end by losing their best defender and rim protector in Davis.
The Lakers are +1800 odds to win the title, and the number is inflated due to the popularity of the Lakers. They might not have enough defense to win a championship this season, but they’ll be a difficult matchup in the playoffs. I wouldn’t want to go head-to-head against James and Doncic in the postseason. If the current standings remain intact, there’s a potential Lakers/Thunder matchup in the second round of the playoffs which will be fun to watch.
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