We are at the All-Star break of the 2024-25 season. For the most part, we know who the title contenders are and understand those who don’t have a chance.
Here are the betting odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review) as to who the favorites are to win the NBA title this year.
NBA 2025 Championship Odds
| The Elite | The Contenders | The Longshots | The Underdogs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics +180 | Cleveland Cavaliers +550 | Denver Nuggets +1400 | New York Knicks +2000 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder +200 | LA Lakers +1000 | Golden State Warriors +1600 | MIL Bucks +5000 |
Because we believe in transparency, we will speak the truth. In the history of the NBA, dating back to 1950, only twice has a team seeded below No. 3 in either conference won a championship. That’s right, twice! It happened in 1969 (#4 Boston) and 1995 (#6 Houston) and in each circumstance, both could have easily been higher seeds which we won’t go into why here.
Thus, from a value standpoint, no long shot will come from the back of the pack too, unless the top teams lose star players at an unprecedented level. There will be game upsets and possible surprises in the series, nevertheless, the NBA champion will come from this list, because in the NBA, the best team does win, compared to other professional sports.
Best Value – Denver
Denver has been down this path and is currently the #3 seed.
The Nuggets won a championship two years ago and understands the process of winning. Denver legitimately has one of the Top 4 best starting lineups when healthy. Their weakness last year and coming into this season was ownership’s unwillingness to pay for a bench that can survive when Nikola Jokic needed a rest or when he and Jamal Murray would be out of the game at the same time. The bench has improved as the season has gone on, a very positive development.
The Nuggets have the right coach in Mike Malone to return to The Finals. For Denver, it’s about staying healthy, because they went through the growing pains. Oklahoma City and Memphis are learning, which could give them an edge.
Best Value – New York
One of the axioms of winning a championship at this level, you need two star players and a rotating third person who can lift his team to win a series when one of the two studs has an off-game. That’s why the trade for Karl-Anthony Towns made so much sense to match him with Jalen Brunson. That gave the Knicks their foundation.
The third player can come from Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby or Josh Hart. New York is very similar to Denver: great starters with a questionable bench. The Knicks have the components to compete with Boston and Cleveland but lack in defense, which could at least be tightened up. Plus, Tom Thibodeau has never had much playoff success. However, Rick Carlisle was a longtime coach and won a title in Dallas when things broke their way.
Modest Value – Memphis
Memphis has been the #2 squad in the West all season and no team is deeper 1-to-10 than the Grizzlies. Yet, as the futures odds point out, they fall well off the Top 6. Their depth can matter when injuries occur and Memphis has certainly had them over the past three seasons. That depth can win a lot of games in the regular season against average to weaker clubs.
However, the playoffs are about winning a series against the same opponent. That’s when depth is less a factor with the top players putting in more minutes. Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. are both outstanding players but is either a Top 6 or Top 10 player in the West? And this season the Grizz are 3-6 SU against the teams mentioned here.
Yet, this is still a youthful team that could galvanize by April and May and have a higher ceiling than anticipated. If the Thunder or Nuggets lose a key player, which happens often, and if Memphis reaches another plateau, watch out.
Modest Value – Cleveland
How can the Cavaliers, a team with the second-lowest odds, have value? When you compare the odds to Boston, that’s how.
Cleveland has all the components to beat Boston in a seven-game series. Donovan Mitchell has overcome postseason anxiety; the Cavs are arguably better in the paint on offense or defense than the Celtics or Oklahoma City. It’s just a matter of doing it on the court and as the odds tell us, they would be favored over the Thunder.
Zero Value – L.A. Lakers
Having Luca Doncic and LeBron James together is exciting and filled with potential. The downside is they have no useful center, just bodies.
That’s why they won’t finish in the Top 3 in the West and who would be the Lakers rim protector, that can guard the starting centers from OKC, Memphis or Denver? It’s not like LBJ or Luca are strong defenders on the wing or the perimeter.
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*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
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Props & Bonuses
You can find a list of prop bets at all of the best U.S. Licensed online sportsbooks found right here at OddsTrader.
Online sportsbooks like BetMGM, Caesars, Bet365, Unibet, SugarHouse, BetRivers, and SBK all offer props like “Who Will Win the NBA Playoff MVP Award” and futures to win the NBA title as well as generous signup bonuses.
Shop for Odds
If you want to compare the various NBA odds then click on the link and you will see the point spreads, moneylines, and totals at all of the best books in the industry.
NBA Power Rankings
Getting keen insight into how each of the playoff teams stacks up is easy when you check out the OddsTrader NBA Power Rankings page. Here you will see the average line, the power line suggested by OddsTrader’s AI algorithms, and the Bettor’s Edge which is the difference between the two.
NBA Computer Picks
If you go to the OddsTrader NBA Computer Picks section you can see what the OT algorithms project and how the results compare to those predictions.
NBA Betting FAQs
Question: Where can I go to make a bet on the NBA playoffs?
Answer: The best online sportsbooks are the safest online sportsbooks, which are those licensed in jurisdictions where online sports betting is legal in the United States. The top-rated books are Caesars, BetMGM, Bet365, Unibet, SugarHouse, BetRivers and SBK.
Question: What types of bets are popular with NBA basketball?
Answer: The most popular bet is the point spread bet where the underdog is getting points or the favorite is giving points. However, moneylines, where no point spread is involved have grown increasingly popular, as have over/under or total bets where bettors can wager over or under on the combined total of the two teams in that game.
Question: Do I have to bet a lot?
Answer: No, the minimum bet is as low as $1.
