NBA championship odds continue to move, and with the playoffs now in full swing, we're seeing more and more money coming in on this NBA futures market.
Three NBA finals odds favorites are beginning to see separation, with the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets sitting at the very top, while the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, and Minnesota Timberwolves are a heavy distance behind.
With question marks — particularly the health of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has yet to play — surrounding most other contenders, we've seen this market and other NBA playoff odds steadily move towards the Nuggets and the Celtics as consensus favorites, though Boston isn't impenetrable, as its Game 2 result shows.
With opening-round action continuing, let's check out the latest NBA odds.
NBA Championship odds (live display)
2024 NBA title odds favorites
Boston Celtics (+120 to +140)
Well, well, well, the Boston Celtics are vulnerable after all. After coasting through the regular season to clinch the Eastern Conference's top seed with relative ease, and claiming Game 1 in similar fashion, the Celtics were knocked off by the Miami Heat in Game 2 of their opening-round set by 10 points. This is but a blip, as far as bookmakers are concerned, though, as Boston's odds haven't dipped too much following the loss.
Jaylen Brown led all players with 33 points on the night while Jayson Tatum scored 28 and both snatched up eight rebounds apiece. But it wasn't enough to take a 2-0 series lead before play shifts to South Beach on Saturday. If the Celtics get upset for a second straight game, then maybe books will start to adjust more aggressively.
Denver Nuggets (+210 to +225)
It's no surprise to see the defending champion Denver Nuggets sit near the top of betting boards, with Nikola Jokic putting on a true display of dominance last season and Jamal Murray playing the best non-Bubble ball of his career en route to a title.
Most of the crew has returned, several youngsters can provide upside to the playoff rotation, and even though the Nuggets' occasional regular-season nonchalance, they're the team to beat until proven otherwise.
Denver's settled in as the West's No. 2 seed after losing the tie-breaker to OKC and are up against the Los Angeles Lakers in Round 1, and are a game away from sweeping L.A. for the second straight season.
Our NBA playoffs predictions largely expect a clash between the Nuggets and Celtics to wrap up this year's season, with Denver getting a slight edge from our experts.
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NBA Finals odds over time
Here's a look at how NBA championship odds stack up league-wide this season. We'll be updating throughout the playoffs to show how the odds race evolves.
Covers NBA Finals betting tools
NBA Finalists 2023-24 odds
Want more NBA playoffs odds? Check out these props for which teams will face off in the NBA Finals.
| Matchup |  |
|---|---|
 Boston Celtics vs.  Denver Nuggets |
+160 |
Boston Celtics vs.  Oklahoma City Thunder |
+700 |
Boston Celtics vs.  Dallas Mavericks |
+1,000 |
Boston Celtics vs.  Minnesota Timberwolves |
+1,000 |
 New York Knicks vs. Denver Nuggets |
+1,000 |
 Milwaukee Bucks vs. Denver Nuggets |
+1,600 |
Boston Celtics vs.  Los Angeles Clippers |
+2,000 |
 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Denver Nuggets |
+2,000 |
 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Denver Nuggets |
+2,900 |
| New York Knicks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder |
+3,400 |
Odds as of April 26, 2024.
NBA Finals exact result odds
Bettors can even get more specific and pick the NBA Finals' exact result. Series props for "Team X in Y Games" (ie, Celtics in 6, Nuggets in 7) will become available when the Finals matchup is set.
| Matchup | |
|---|---|
| Boston Celtics to beat Denver Nuggets |
+370 |
| Denver Nuggets to beat Boston Celtics |
+480 |
| Boston Celtics to beat Oklahoma City Thunder |
+1,020 |
| Boston Celtics to beat Minnesota Timberwolves |
+1,500 |
| Boston Celtics to beat Dallas Mavericks |
+1,550 |
| Denver Nuggets to beat New York Knicks |
+1,550 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder to beat Boston Celtics |
+2,100 |
| Denver Nuggets to beat Milwaukee Bucks |
+2,200 |
| New York Knicks to beat Denver Nuggets |
+2,800 |
| Boston Celtics to beat Los Angeles Clippers |
+2,900 |
Odds as of April 26, 2024.
Understanding NBA Finals futures, point spreads and lines
Sportsbooks will post NBA Finals futures as soon as the previous season concludes, and some even sooner. These betting boards are constantly adjusted throughout the summer and ensuing season 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 season or the NBA has a very dominant team, you could see a minus sign (-) ahead of a team's 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.
Reading the NBA Finals moneyline odds
Betting the moneyline (ML) in the NBA means simply picking which team wins the game outright. Moneyline favorites have a negative value (-110), while moneyline underdogs have a positive value (+110). It's a two-way market, which means there are only two options to place a wager.
| Team | Moneyline Odds |
|---|---|
| Boston Celtics |
-130 |
| Denver Nuggets |
+110 |
American odds are very straightforward. If a sportsbook has the Boston Celtics listed as -130 favorites, you would have to bet $130 to win $100. If you wagered $100 on the opposing underdog Denver Nuggets at +110, you would get a $210 return, including your original stake.
Past NBA Finals winners
The Denver Nuggets hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2023, toppling the eighth-seeded Miami Heat by a 4-1 tally.
Here are the last 10 NBA Finals winners, along with their opening odds.
| Season | NBA Finals Winner | Opening odds | Runner up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | Denver Nuggets |
+1,800 |  Miami Heat |
| 2021-22 |  Golden State Warriors |
+1,200 | Boston Celtics |
| 2020-21 | Milwaukee Bucks |
+500 |  Phoenix Suns |
| 2019-20 |  Los Angeles Lakers |
+1,800 | Miami Heat |
| 2018-19 |  Toronto Raptors |
+6,600 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2017-18 | Golden State Warriors |
-168 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2016-17 | Golden State Warriors |
+215 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2015-16 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
+300 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2014-15 | Golden State Warriors |
+2,500 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2013-14 |  San Antonio Spurs |
+1,000 | Miami Heat |
Teams with the most NBA Championships
No team has ever enjoyed a longer stretch of dominance than the Celtics, who won eight straight championships from 1959 to 1966. The franchise's stunning superiority was due in large part to the spectacular play of Bill Russell, who won 11 titles in his 13 years in the league.
| Team | NBA championships |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Lakers |
17 |
| Boston Celtics |
17 |
| Golden State Warriors |
7 |
 Chicago Bulls |
6 |
| San Antonio Spurs |
5 |
| Philadelphia 76ers |
3 |
 Detroit Pistons |
3 |
| Miami Heat |
3 |
| Milwaukee Bucks |
2 |
| New York Knicks |
2 |
 Houston Rockets |
2 |
| Toronto Raptors |
1 |
| Dallas Mavericks |
1 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers |
1 |
 Portland Trail Blazers |
1 |
| Denver Nuggets |
1 |
Best NBA Finals betting sites
If you're in a state that allows mobile, or 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.
Popular NBA futures odds
NBA Championship odds trends
- The Western Conference has won 14 of the last 21 NBA Championships.
- A No. 1 seed has won the championship in 11 of the last 21 seasons.
- The last time a non-Top-3 seed won the championship was 1995 (Houston, No. 6).
- The Golden State Warriors have won four of the past eight NBA titles, and been Western Conference champions in two of those four seasons they didn't lift the Larry O.
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 has recently become as impressive, if not more.
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 ticket on a rival team to win becomes extremely valuable.
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.
NBA Championship Odds FAQs
The Boston Celtics are the favorites for the 2024 NBA title.
The Denver Nuggets won the 2023 NBA title, defeating the Miami Heat 4-1 in the NBA Finals.
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.
The Los Angeles Lakers are available at +4,500 to win the NBA title as of April 10.
