We're halfway to our NBA Finals matchup being set after the Golden State Warriors — who retain the best odds to win the NBA championship —dusted off Dallas in Game 5 to win the Western Conference finals 4-1.
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat continue to duke it out in the East, with the Heat again countering to force Game 7 with a gutsy 111-103 win Friday night.
Here's an updated look at the NBA championship odds as of May 28.
2021-22 NBA Championship odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks. Analysis below may not match live odds. Compare NBA futures odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
NBA Championship favorites
Golden State Warriors (-175 to -200)
They're back.
After a two-season hiatus marred by injuries, the Golden State Warriors are once against Western Conference champs. The Dubs marched through the bracket despite playing some stretches of fairly careless basketball, piloted by Finals MVP odds leader Stephen Curry, and getting increasingly rounded contributions from their supporting cast.
At its best, Golden State is a lethal two-way team that spaces the floor like few others and has an array of threats from just about anywhere on the court. Both remaining East teams are valiant defenders, but the Warriors can test just about any system's breaking point.
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Boston Celtics (+260 to +300)
The Celtics seemed to have all the momentum going after putting Miami on the brink of elimination with back-to-back complete lockdowns on defense in Games 4 and 5.
But then Jimmy Butler happened.
Butler awoke from his recent doldrums to uncork a 47/9/8 absolute masterpiece in Game 6, pitting Boston in a sudden-death road game Sunday.
Books still favor the Celts to take care of business, but their backers have to be sweating with how inconsistently this squad has played on offense at times.
2022 NBA Championship line movement
See the line movement for potential NBA Finals teams starting from last summer. Tap the team logos or lines (mouse over on desktop) to isolate individual teams.
Understanding NBA Championship odds
Sportsbooks will post NBA finals futures as early as the summer before the season starts. These NBA futures are constantly adjusted throughout the offseason as players get hurt or are traded. Once the regular season begins, NBA finals odds will change daily as teams win and lose games and as more players are injured or traded. Sportsbooks will also adjust the NBA title odds based on handle and liability to certain teams.
NBA Championship odds will usually look like this:
- Milwaukee Bucks +240
This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to win $240 if the Bucks win the NBA title. If it's close to the end of the regular season or even during the playoffs and the NBA has a very dominant team, you might see that a team is has a minus sign (-) ahead of its odds.
- Golden State Warriors -150
This means that if you bet on the Golden State Warriors during the 2018-2019 NBA season you would have needed to bet $150 to profit $100 if the Warriors won the championship.
Above we have posted the American odds for the NBA championship. However, these are easy to convert to decimal odds or fractional odds with our odds converter tool.
How to bet NBA Finals odds
There are many strategies to consider when making an NBA futures bet on which team will win the championship. Obviously, you're looking to bet on who you think can navigate through the NBA playoffs and come out on top. So just because a team is in first place at the NBA All-Star break, it doesn't mean that's the best roster to win in the postseason.
One thing to consider is the conference the teams play in because a team needs to win its conference before it can win the NBA title. The West has long been considered the better of the two conferences, but the East's depth of elite teams hasn't been this great in decades.
Also, consider how an injury may affect a futures bet. Let's say the Milwaukee Bucks are a heavy favorite to win the Eastern Conference and a short favorite to win the NBA title. But what happens if Giannis Antetokounmpo gets hurt? In that case, a futures bet on another East contender has tremendous value.
Other things to consider are strength of schedule, and even load management. Maybe a team is undervalued in the futures market because it has played the more difficult portion of its schedule early on. Or perhaps a team has more losses than it should because it has been sitting its best player on the second half of back-to-back games all season.
Check out more insight into how to bet on basketball.
Which states have legal NBA betting?
The 30 states below have legalized single-game wagering to some degree, whether that be at retail locations or online mobile betting on betting sites. In addition, nine other states are in the process of considering legal sports betting.
If you're in a state that allows mobile, online betting, make sure you know which sites are the best basketball betting sites. The best betting sites offer sharp odds, quick payouts and are safe and secure when it comes to depositing and withdrawing your money.
| Legal State | Retail | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Yes | Yes |
| Arkansas | Yes | No |
| Colorado | Yes | Yes |
| Connecticut | Yes | Yes |
| Delaware | Yes | No |
| DC | Yes | Yes |
| Illinois | Yes | Yes |
| Indiana | Yes | Yes |
| Iowa | Yes | Yes |
| Louisiana | Yes | Yes |
| Maryland | Yes | No |
| Michigan | Yes | Yes |
| Mississippi | Yes | No |
| Montana | Yes | No |
| Nevada | Yes | Yes |
| New Hampshire | Yes | Yes |
| New Jersey | Yes | Yes |
| New Mexico | Yes | No |
| New York | Yes | Yes |
| North Carolina | Yes | No |
| Oregon | Yes | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | Yes |
| Rhode Island | Yes | Yes |
| South Dakota | Yes | No |
| Tennessee | No | Yes |
| Virginia | No | Yes |
| Washington | Yes | Yes |
| West Virginia | Yes | Yes |
| Wisconsin | Yes | No |
| Wyoming | No | Yes |
Legal states as of Feb. 15, 2022.
NBA Championship Odds FAQs
The Golden State Warriors are the current favorites to win the NBA championship.
NBA Championship odds above are in American format, meaning a $100 bet at odds of +250 would profit $250 if it wins.
Oddsmakers at sportsbooks create odds to win the NBA Championship based on the team's implied probability to win the title. The team with the lowest odds has the best chance to win the NBA Championship.
