2024-25 NBA Atlantic Division Odds and Predictions

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The Boston Celtics were borderline locks to run away with the Atlantic Division before the 2024-25 NBA season tipped off. Now that we’re returning to action following the All-Star break, nothing has changed.

Well, that’s not entirely accurate. Boston’s now laughable -160 odds have ballooned to an out of control -1000 at most sports betting sites. This suggests there’s next to no chance they stumble out of first place, and if you are going to bet on who will win the Atlantic Division, they’re the first team to start with.

Boston admittedly has their sights set on winning the NBA championship, but winning the Eastern Conference plays into their journey. It all starts with their division, though.

Should we write off the other four teams in the division and move on? One last look at updated Atlantic Division odds is needed as I finalize my prediction for the remainder of the year.

2024-25 NBA Atlantic Division Odds

Check out the latest NBA odds for the Atlantic Division:

As mentioned, Boston has seen a sizable spike. They were -160 favorites to win the Atlantic Division going into the new season, but that made sense after winning the NBA Finals.

Despite dropping some games they probably should have had, their odds now stand in at a staggering -1000, making it extremely unlikely that they won’t win the division at this point.

The Philadelphia 76ers were viewed by many as Boston’s biggest threat in the division, but injuries and poor production has Philly barely in the mix for the NBA playoffs. The New York Knicks were third in odds before the season, and while they’re unlikely to unseat the Celtics, they’re left as the only team with a realistic shot.

NBA Atlantic Division Teams

Let’s take a closer look at the following NBA Teams competing in the Atlantic Division: 

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics were borderline locks to run away with the Atlantic Division before the 2024-25 NBA season tipped off. Now that we’re returning to action following the All-Star break, nothing has changed.

remains the best pick to win the Atlantic Division, but there are a few problems here. For one, they are priced as if they have an insurmountable lead. That simply isn’t the case, as they are only ahead of the Knicks by 2.5 games as I write this.

The Celtics aren’t without their issues, either. Boston is extremely talented, but they have been remarkably inconsistent at times. They’ve still won over 70% of their games, but they have more losses at home than they did in all of last year already.

Boston is healthy, well-coached, and motivated to get back to the NBA Finals again. They still have a slit shot at edging out the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed in the conference, so I fully expect them to go hard the rest of the way.

All of that makes them the likely Atlantic Division winner, but their odds are not bettor friendly at all.

Philadelphia 76ers

If you’re looking for viable contenders to unseat Boston in the Atlantic Division, it ends with the Knicks. The only other team I’d have ever considered would be the Philadelphia 76ers, but they have had a brutal season and at 20-34 will need a miracle just to finish .500.

Philadelphia still weirdly has a shot at reaching the NBA Play-In Tournament, which is a testament to just how bad the Eastern Conference is. On paper, this team has the star power to give the best teams in this conference a run. Joel Embiid, Paul George, and of course Tyrese Maxey are a heck of a trio.

Sadly, those three players are rarely on the court together, while an aging PG-13 has not been himself for much of the season. It’s all led to the Sixers falling short of expectations at both ends of the floor.

New York Knicks

The New York Knicks have a pretty appealing price and are absolutely still in play to win the Atlantic Division. I find it a little shocking that the price gap between them and Boston is so extreme, but the Knicks are one hot run from accomplishing what many felt would be impossible.

New York continues to grind their starters into a pulp, but they’ve gotten a significant boost from Karl-Anthony Towns (24.7 points per game), who the team acquired in a trade involving Julius Randle prior to the season starting.

KAT has been having a borderline NBA MVP caliber season, and he’s a huge reason why the Knicks are being discussed by some as a possible title winner.

The Knicks have regressed defensively compared to where they were a year ago, but their offense is incredibly dynamic and actually edges out Boston in points per game. Of course, the Celtics have gotten the last laugh, they whooped New York in both meetings this year and lead the season series 2-0.

New York may need to even up the season series to have a real shot to get past the Celtics. However, as things stand, they are just 2.5 games back. A bad injury at the wrong time or one hot streak and suddenly the Knicks could look like an amazing value bet.

Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors may not be very good right now, but they’re not that far behind the Philadelphia 76ers. They had a nice stretch where they played stellar defense, too, so we could be looking at the beginnings of a solid team moving forward.

It just won’t really be coming to fruition this season, is all.

Injuries and inconsistency have hurt them so far in 2024-25, but a core of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, and a recently acquired Brandon Ingram has them looking intriguing on paper.

Of course, all of the optimism is largely pointing to the future. Toronto has a shot at sneaking into the playoffs if they play their cards right, but anything they do is ultimately geared toward success moving forward.

And put simply, they’re not a threat to storm the top of the Atlantic Division this season.

Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets are not any better off than the Raptors these days. They are tied for third with Philly at 20-34, and technically have a tiny shot at reaching the playoffs. The team has had a rough go of it, though, and they’ve been forced to reboot mid-season.

Part of that process involved sending Ben Simmons packing, while the team unloaded Mikal Bridges this past summer, and continue to sell off viable pieces since they can’t contend at the moment.

It remains to be seen if the team views D’Angelo Russell as a cornerstone moving forward, but my gut says no considering this team is years from truly competing at a high level. As things stand, the Nets don’t do much of anything well, and they also don’t have a ton of talent to be excited about.

Their 2024-25 season should have been about tanking for Cooper Flagg, but they no longer own their own first round draft choice for 2025. That has them planning for the future and acquiring assets. 

Regardless of what they scrounge together for their rebuild, Brooklyn won’t be making any noise in the Atlantic Division this year or anytime soon.

NBA Atlantic Division Predictions

You should always be seeking out value when making NBA picks. That applies to futures like this one, where you’re trying to land on an Atlantic Division winner prediction.

Boston is the obvious choice. They are the defending NBA champs, and they won this division last year. They were favored to repeat here again this year, and their odds have only moved to the point where that feels like a lock.

But is it? There’s nothing about the current NBA standings that says that’s the case. Is it reasonable to anticipate a supremely talented and experienced Celtics team holding off the Knicks? Sure, but are you betting on them to win at -1000? I would certainly hope not.

Ultimately, the Knicks look like an awesome bet. If the Celtics were up by 10 games or still priced at -160, I’d be singing a different tune. But New York has the star power to shock here, and they’re only out of first by 2.5 games.

Now that they’re well rested after the All-Star break, I have zero qualms in targeting them at their +300 odds and hoping for the best. Not with me? Then I’d just leave this bet alone, altogether. Boston simply isn’t worth the risk at their inflated -1000 pr

Bet: New York Knicks (+300)

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