Tag: NBA Title Odds

Golden State Warriors land fourth-best odds to win 2021 NBA title

Despite their struggles in 2019-20, the Warriors have the fourth-best odds to win the 2021 NBA title, according to William Hill Sportsbook.

On Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up their 17th championship with a win over the Miami Heat in game six of the NBA Finals. Despite the longest season in league history finally coming to a close, it’s time to turn the page to 2021.

Before the draft and the free agency period are underway, title odds for the new league year are already available.

According to William Hill Sportsbook, LeBron James and the defending champion Lakers hold the top spot at +375. Behind their Los Angeles neighbor, the Clippers are second at +400. 

After the pair of teams from Southern California, reigning Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are the first team from the Eastern Conference listed with +650 odds. 

While the top-three teams made runs in the 2020 postseason, the next team on the sheet didn’t get an invite to the NBA’s Orlando Bubble. Despite their league-worst 15-50 mark in 2019-20, the Golden State Warriors have a +800 odds to win the 2021 title.

Via William Hill Sportsbook:

  • Los Angeles Lakers — +375
  • Los Angeles Clippers — +400
  • Milwaukee Bucks — +650
  • Golden State Warriors — +800
  • Brooklyn Nets — +850
  • Boston Celtics — +1200
  • Miami Heat — +1500
  • Toronto Raptors — +2000
  • Houston Rockets — +2000
  • Denver Nuggets — +2000

With Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson expected to be back in the mix in 2021, Golden State should have the opportunity to crack open their title window for another ride.

Along with their championship core of Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green, Golden State will need a player like Andrew Wiggins, Eric Paschall and Marquese Chriss to step up if they want to compete with the likes of James, Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard in the Western Conference.

While Golden State’s group shows promise with the Splash Brothers healthy, several question marks surround the team. 

What will Bob Myers and Steve Kerr do when they’re on the clock with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft? How do they use the Andre Iguodala $17.2 million trade exception? Can they recruit a valuable veteran to come to Golden State on the mid-level exception?

How Kerr and Myers answer those questions this offseason will have a significant impact on their chances of making a run back to the top of the Western Conference.

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Sixers’ big win over Lakers provides big boost to teams title odds

After the big win over the Lakers, at least one projection model now sees the Sixers as the favorites to win the NBA title.

If you haven’t heard, the Philadelphia 76ers secured a pretty important win over the powerful Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, defeating LeBron James and company 108-91. The victory served as more than just a statement to the basketball world that the Sixers can compete with any team in the league; the computers took notice too.

According to FiveThirtyEight’s NBA projections, the Sixers are now the favorites to take home the NBA championship, with a 45% chance of making it to the Finals and a 24% chance to win the title.

The Sixes suddenly have an edge over both Western Conference powers that reside in Los Angeles, as the Clippers hold a 21% chance of winning it all while the Lakers maintain a 20% chance. The NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks hold a 19% chance, and after that there is a significant drop off with the Rockets (8%), Celtics (3%), Raptors (2%) and Jazz (2%) being the other teams in the mix.

Obviously, basketball games, and ultimately championships, are won on the court and not through computer algorithms, but it’s impossible to ignore the significance of Saturday’s win.

Adding to the impressive victory was the fact that the Sixers were down two of their best players in Joel Embiid and Josh Richardson. Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris stepped up in a big way while veteran Al Horford made clutch plays down the stretch. Shake Milton rose to the occasion in his first NBA start, while Furkan Korkmaz and Matisse Thybulle continued to make contributions off the bench. The team’s elite defensive ability was on display and the Sixers got a statement win.

There’s still work to be done, and the Sixers will need to prove it on the court, but at the very least we should show some patience and give this team time to grow while also making sure to enjoy the ride. The Sixers are squarely in the mix, and that’s all you can ask for.

 

Updated 2019-20 NBA Championship odds, picks and best bets

Looking at the 2019-20 NBA Championship odds, with NBA futures betting picks, tips and best bets.

The first quarter of the 2019-20 NBA season is in the books and we’re looking at the updated NBA Championship futures odds at BetMGM. We make our revised picks for who’ll be lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in early June.

2019-20 NBA Championship Favorites

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated Sunday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. ET.

Los Angeles Lakers (+325)

The Lakers, who were +550 favorites in the summer following the acquisition of PF Anthony Davis, have dropped even lower as they’ve raced out to a 24-5 start. They’re scoring 112.6 points per game while allowing just 104.1 and showing little sign of weakness. But, as we’ve seen with the Golden State Warriors this season and last, injuries can happen. I don’t like going all-in on one team this early and a $100 bet returns a profit of just $325. There’s too much season left.

Boston Celtics (+1800)

The Celtics have been battling injuries early to PGs Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart and SF Gordon Hayward, and they’re still 19-7 and second in the Eastern Conference. They’re the top defensive team in the East with just 103.6 PPG allowed and they lost just one of their first 12 home games. They offer better than four times the odds of the conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks (+350) and are a much better play on the early futures odds.

Get some action on the 2019-20 NBA Championship by signing up and placing a bet at BetMGM!

2019-20 NBA Championship Longshots

Dallas Mavericks (+2800)

The Mavericks were one of my picks in the summer at +4200 odds. A 19-9 start to the season in which they’re scoring 117.6 PPG with 108.8 PPG allowed, has dropped those odds considerably. SF Luka Doncic is an MVP frontrunner, but the team has stayed above water during his absence due to an ankle injury. Get these odds soon, as they’ll likely drop even lower upon his return.

Portland Trail Blazers (+6000)

Fifteen teams have higher odds than the Blazers to win the championship, but they’re as deep as I’m looking. Western Conference finalists a year ago, they’ve started 14-16, but still hold the eighth seed in the conference in late December. PF Carmelo Anthony has resurrected his career as the third piece of the offense behind Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. C Zach Collins and C Jusuf Nurkic will return from injury in the second half of the season and bolster the frontcourt for a potential playoff run.

While the NBA is controlled by the perennial favorites, the Trail Blazers are a nice lottery ticket with their odds only going down for the remainder of the season.

Get some action on the 2019-20 NBA Championship by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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