NBA Betting: NBA Championship Odds, Regular Season MVP & More

Making the rounds on the latest in NBA wagering.
ajc.com

Credit: xlm

Credit: xlm

With the start of another NBA regular season just around the corner, the betting focus shifts to futures markets like Championship odds as well as tracking individual player awards odds like Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Here we make the rounds on the latest in NBA betting with tip-off for the 2024-25 season just weeks away.

Because of the way the association is structured, and the obsession with individual awards such as the MVP and the new in-season tournament, the NBA is one of the most popular professional sports for betting. While the season runs from October through the end of the NBA Finals in June (a good nine months), the NBA betting season is essentially year-round due to the large interest around futures bets during the summer months.

Most NBA betting typically involves three bet types: futures bets, betting on individual games, and player prop bets. There are other bets available, but most of the action involves one of these three categories.

bet365′s NBA Betting Odds

bet365 features a wide range of regular action for NBA bettors to consider. Throughout the regular season, users have the option to bet day-to-day with a variety of markets for all the games, and of course, futures markets around the NBA Playoffs, NBA Finals, and individual regular season awards are in full swing.

If you’re not yet a user of the bet365 platform, you can take advantage of the bet365 bonus code AJCXLM which will provide a lucrative sign-up bonus upon registering and making your first bet.

bet365′s NBA Finals Odds to Win Outright

As of September 10, 2024, the odds to win the NBA Championship for the 2024-25 season are as follows:

TeamOdds
Boston Celtics+300
Oklahoma City Thunder+750
Philadelphia 76ers+800
Denver Nuggets+850
New York Knicks+900
Dallas Mavericks+1000
Minnesota Timberwolves+1000
Milwaukee Bucks+1200
Los Angeles Lakers+3000
Phoenix Suns+3000
Golden State Warriors+3500
Cleveland Cavaliers+4000

The Boston Celtics were absolutely dominant last season from wire to wire en route to winning the franchise’s 18th NBA Championship. Boston lost just three games during the 2024 NBA Playoffs as they buzz-sawed through the Eastern Conference on their way to the Finals. The C’s return essentially the same squad heading into the 2024-25 campaign, and are the clear and obvious favorite at the top of the list for the NBA Championship odds.

Coming in at second on the NBA Finals odds, the young Oklahoma City Thunder continue their ascendence in the West. OKC clinched the top seed in the Western Conference Playoffs last season, and advanced to the second round where they eventually fell to the Dallas Mavericks. After an impressive offseason that saw the Thunder further bolster their talented roster, Oklahoma City now boasts the best Championship odds of any Western Conference team.

Making perhaps the most blockbuster acquisition of the offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers signed superstar Paul George to a four-year-$212 million contract, and in the process, vaulted themselves into title contention. Up to third on the Championship odds list, Philly now features a big three of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey, forming one of the most formidable trios in the entire NBA.

As we approach the start of the 2024-25 NBA season, we will update this page with odds around specific matchups. Basketball season is coming soon!

DraftKings NBA Finals odds

There’s not much difference between the odds at bet365 and those available at DraftKings when it comes to NBA futures betting. DK lists the Celtics as prohibitive favorites to win the championship, followed by the Thunder, 76ers, Knicks, and Nuggets.

Here are the latest NBA Finals odds from DraftKings Sportsbook as of September 10, 2024.

TeamOdds
Boston Celtics+295
Oklahoma City Thunder+700
Philadelphia 76ers+850
New York Knicks+900
Denver Nuggets+950
Minnesota Timberwolves+1000
Dallas Mavericks+1000
Milwaukee Bucks+1300
Los Angeles Lakers+3000
Golden State Warriors+3500

NBA Individual Awards

Let’s take a look at the latest odds around a number of the individual regular season awards that will be handed out after the season. You can bet on these awards with bet365 which is currently live in 11 states including bet365 NJ promo code.

NBA Regular Season MVP Odds

The MVP race in the NBA is constantly one of the more talked-about awards in all of professional sports. Because of the dominance of the NBA superstar, the NBA MVP award is certainly an interesting individual award as it pertains to basketball futures betting.

Nikola Jokic is the current favorite to repeat as the MVP, and it would be his fourth time winning the award. Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander aim to capture their first MVP trophy this season, and come in at second and third on the odds list. Here are the latest odds to win NBA MVP from bet365 as of September 10, 2024:

PlayerOdds
Nikola Jokic+350
Luka Doncic+360
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander+500

NBA In-Season Tournament

The 2023-24 NBA season saw the first-ever in-season tournament. The tournament took place with group play games in November, a round of single elimination games that took us from 8 teams to 4 teams the first week of December, and ultimately a “final four” that competed in Las Vegas on December 7 & 9, 2023. The Los Angeles Lakers ended up winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament, and now teams will get set for the second year of the competition.

In its second season, the In-Season Tournament has been officially named the Emirates NBA Cup as it will feature a title sponsor. Beginning in November, the following groups have been set for the first round of action, check out the table below:

2024 In-Season Tournament Groups and Odds to win

The list of best odds to win the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup are as follows:

  • Boston Celtics (+425)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (+600)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (+900)
  • New York Knicks (+1000)
  • Milwaukee Bucks (+1200)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (+1200)
  • Denver Nuggets (+1400)
  • Dallas Mavericks (+2200)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (+2200)
  • Sacramento Kings (+2200)

The below table shows the groups for the group play stage (first round) of the 2024 NBA In-Season tournament.

GroupTeam (Odds)
West Group ATimberwolves
Clippers
Kings
Rockets
Trail Blazers
West Group BThunder
Suns
Lakers
Jazz
Spurs
West Group CNuggets
Mavericks
Pelicans
Warriors
Grizzlies
East Group AKnicks
Magic
76ers
Nets
Hornets
East Group BBucks
Pacers
Heat
Raptors
Pistons
East Group CCeltics
Cavaliers
Bulls
Hawks
Wizards

In addition to the group winners, the first round of the NBA Emirates Cup will advance two wildcard teams, one from the West, and one from the East.

In-Season Tournament Historical Odds & Results

Overall, the first in-season tournament was viewed as a huge success. While questions lingered early on whether players would be invested and compete at a high level to win a new type of championship, these questions were answered early with intense competition and a high level of play.

For NBA bettors, the in-season tournament brought a new batch of markets to bet. Futures odds were available for betting on the potential winner of each group as well as the outright winner of the tournament. Additionally, bettors could wager on the player that would be awarded the MVP for the tournament.

NBA In-Season Tournament List of Champions

  • Los Angeles Lakers - 2023 (inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament)

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is not an online gambling operator or gambling site. We provide this information about sports betting for entertainment purposes only.