Source: The Sporting News
The 2024 NBA In-Season Tournament has concluded and the full bracket for the 2024 NBA Playoffs is finally set. But we already know which teams the bookies like to win it all this June.
For months, we have had a good idea of which squads will be contending for the 2024 NBA Championship. But which favorites serve as the best NBA Finals bets going into the opening weekend of the playoffs? Do any sleepers yield value in the NBA betting market?
We’ll answer all those questions and more as we update the 2024 NBA Finals odds and reveal our latest best bets to win it all and hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
NBA Finals odds: Updated championship futures
All odds courtesy of TAB
| Team | Odds |
| Celtics | $2.50 |
| Nuggets | $4.00 |
| Clippers | $13 |
| Thunder | $13 |
| Bucks | $17 |
| Mavericks | $17 |
| Timberwolves | $19 |
| Knicks | $21 |
| Suns | $26 |
| 76ers | $26 |
| Lakers | $34 |
| Cavaliers | $51 |
| Pelicans | $67 |
| Pacers | $101 |
| Magic | $201 |
| Heat | $201 |
Not surprisingly, the Celtics ($2.50) have the shortest championship odds. They have dominated the NBA this season, and as a result of clinching No. 1 weeks ago they have enjoyed the benefit of resting stars in the closing weeks of the regular-season campaign.
The Nuggets ($4.00) have much more competition out West, but the defending champs once again resemble the cream rising to the top. If Denver can secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, Jokic and company could once again be the most difficult out of the postseason.
Oddsmakers remain bullish on the Clippers ($13), although they dropped from $8 since Kawhi Leonard’s injury. Ty Lue’s squad does have remarkable depth, however, and the trio of Ivica Zubac, Mason Plumlee, and Daniel Theis could prove useful in a series against Denver.
What are we to think of the Bucks ($17)? They canned Adrian Griffin before the All-Star break, went on a great run under Doc Rivers after the break, and then collapsed into jelly in late March/early April. Now Giannis has a calf injury, to add injury to insult.
The Thunder ($13) have been winning all season, ranking amongst the best in the league in offensive and defensive rating despite being the youngest squad in the NBA.
Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Mavericks ($17) went on a late-season rampage up the standings. Yet, TAB has them with the fourth-best odds to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Which version of the Suns ($26) will we see in the postseason? At times, the KD/Book/Beal trio has looked dominant. At other times, Frank Vogel’s squad has looked listless. Could Phoenix be in for another disappointing early-round exit, or will the Valley finally achieve championship glory?
Talk about disrespect for the Wolves ($19). They spent most of the season tied at or close to first, and yet oddsmakers give them fifth-best odds to win it all. This is the best defense in hoops, people! And they’re getting Karl-Anthony Towns back for the playoffs!
The Lakers ($34) slogged through the loaded West in the 2023-24 season, but LeBron, AD, and Austin Reaves dumped the Pelicans and the Play-In Tournament and here we are. Los Angeles’ odds are only getting shorter.
Jalen Brunson and the Knicks ($21) have gone 2-3 with OG Anunoby active this season, they’re superb at home, and they’re riding a six-game winning streak. This kind of value seems nuts to give a New York team with a “why not us?” mentality. On the other side of things, the Cavaliers ($51) strike us as a risky futures bet with all the injury issues Cleveland has endured.
The bottom of the board yields little to no value, as the young Pacers ($101) and Magic ($201) and the Zion-less Pelicans don’t stand a chance.
NBA Finals, championship odds: Best bets
We can’t stay away from the Celtics ($2.50) as the best bet to win it all. They have been the most complete team from top to bottom on both ends of the floor, and they seem to be suffering from far fewer issues with late-game isolation attempts and poor execution. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have fit like gloves in Joe Mazzulla’s system, and the Boston bench has been better than any of the diehard Green teamers expected.
The best bet to win either conference, however, continues to be the Nuggets. Not only is Denver yielding short odds, but Jokic and company started demonstrating dominance over top contenders late in the season again. Defending Denver is a classic case of “pick your poison,” and no team in the Association has more players who know their roles and execute them flawlessly. Add an underrated postseason defense, home-court advantage, and the mile-high altitude, and you’ve got a squad with a distinct chance of mounting a repeat.
NBA Finals, championship odds: Top sleepers
Who knows how they can be considered sleepers at this point, but the Knicks ($21) with OG Anunoby healthy should scare the living daylights out of the East. We might not pull the trigger with a big bet on New York to win it all, but $8.00 to win the Eastern Conference Finals seems too good to pass up. If Boston doesn’t represent the East, it will more than likely be the Knicks.
In the West, the Mavericks ($17) yield great value as a sleeper, and even better value as a threat to win the conference title. Luka, Kyrie, and company closed out the season strong, somewhat quietly going on a streak that saw it win nine of 10 and 13 of 15. The midseason additions of Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington should garner Nico Harrison some Executive of the Year votes.
THE AUTHOR: Sloan Piva
