2024-25 NBA Championship Odds and Predictions

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The NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint. We’ve just passed the halfway point of the campaign, though, and that makes it a good time to take a gander at the updated NBA championship odds. Injuries and the upcoming trade deadline will impact the odds one way or another in the future, but there’s money to be made betting on the title odds as they stand now if you play your cards right.

Teams across the league are either proving themselves as contenders or fading into the pack as we approach the All-Star break in February. The odds have changed considerably since they opened last summer, and they’re likely to do so again before the postseason gets underway.

If you’re ready to make your bets, be sure to check out our trusted sports betting sites for the best odds and promotions. You can also dive deeper into the NBA Western Conference and Eastern Conference for more insight on the playoff picture.

2024-25 NBA Championship Odds

Check out the latest NBA odds for the 2024-25 NBA Championship:

The Boston Celtics remain the favorites, seeing their odds improve slightly to +245, thanks to their steady dominance in the Eastern Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder have skyrocketed in contention, moving from +850 before the season to an impressive +255. They were clearly undervalued by oddsmakers in the preseason, but those setting the odds now view them as the Celtics’ primary challenger.

Meanwhile, preseason favorites like the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers have fallen considerably. Philadelphia’s season has been a disaster, while consistency has been an issue for Denver despite another MVP-caliber season from Nikola Jokic. The Cleveland Cavaliers, however, have surged up the board, and they now offer intriguing value at +950 to win it all.

NBA Championship Favorites

Here are the teams oddsmakers view as the most likely to lift the trophy at season’s end:

Boston Celtics (+245)

The Celtics breezed their way to their first championship since 2008 last season. While things haven’t gone quite so smoothly so far this season, oddsmakers still believe they’re the team to beat. Boston got off to a blazing 16-3 start, but they’ve cooled down ever since, going 15-10 across their last 25 games.

The Celtics had home-court advantage throughout the playoffs after finishing an NBA-best 64-18 last year, but they’ll have work to do if they want the top seed again this year. Boston currently trails the Cleveland Cavaliers by 5.5 games in the standings, which means Cleveland would have the home-court edge if these teams were to square off in a postseason series.

This is largely the same roster that won it all last year, so their status as +245 favorites to repeat is understandable. Jayson Tatum is once again making a legitimate MVP case, though he’s currently behind the likes of Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Giannis Antetokounmpo per the latest NBA MVP odds.

As long as they’re healthy once the playoffs roll around, they’ll be an incredibly tough out. Let’s not forget that Boston managed to beat the Dallas Mavericks in a 5-game Finals series last year despite Kristaps Porzingis playing just 3 of those games due to injury. The backcourt of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday is still a nightmare matchup for opposing guards, while the Celtics’ offense is difficult to slow down. Boston is attempting more than 49 3-pointers per game on the year, which is about 7 more than the 2nd-place Chicago Bulls.

Oklahoma City Thunder (+255)

The Thunder have turned heads all season, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander emerging as an MVP candidate. SGA put 54 points on the board in Oklahoma City’s victory over the Utah Jazz earlier in the week, and that kind of performance may go a long way toward swaying MVP voters. Sam Presti has done a masterful job of surrounding SGA with a deep well of talent at every position, while Mark Daigneault has emerged as one of the league’s brightest young head coaches.

While the Celtics do it with an elite offense, the Thunder win at the other end of the floor. Needless to say, a Boston-Oklahoma City Finals matchup would be a terrific one to watch. OKC finished with the NBA’s 4th-best defensive rating a season ago, holding their opponents to 109.5 points per 100 possessions. So far this season, they’re yielding just 101.2 points per 100 trips down the floor, which is easily the best mark in the league.

Defense wins championships, they say. The Thunder haven’t won a title since moving down from Seattle in 2008, but this may be the best team the franchise has ever assembled. The sky is truly the limit here, as Oklahoma City boasts the NBA’s youngest roster. The Thunder’s average age was just 24.15 years to begin the season, which made them slightly more youthful than teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, and Detroit Pistons.

While that youthful energy may help, the relative lack of NBA experience could also cost the Thunder come playoff time. Remember, Oklahoma City was the top seed in last year’s Western Conference playoffs before they were upset in the 2nd round by a much more veteran-heavy Mavericks team. Still, at +255, Oklahoma City is a viable bet to win a championship this season.

Denver Nuggets (+1500)

The Denver Nuggets have the 5th-best odds to win the 2024-25 NBA title despite the fact that they’re just 4th in the Western Conference standings as of this writing. While the West is deep with talent, there aren’t that many teams that look like bona fide title contenders. That the Nuggets are 27-16 with a relatively thin roster is a testament to the steady, unassuming greatness of Nikola Jokc.

Jokic is one of the greatest offensive talents the league has ever seen, and opposing defenses truly have no answer for him. Jokic’s combination of size, skill, touch, and playmaking makes him a true unicorn of the modern game. That said, the Nuggets will need some of their supporting pieces to step up in a big way if they’re going to win a 2nd title in the last 3 seasons.

As of now, I’m skeptical of their chances. Jamal Murray has delivered a few impressive performances recently, but his scoring average (19.8) is his lowest since the 2019-20 campaign. Denver has also gotten inconsistent play from Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon, while Russell Westbrook is always a wild card in the playoffs. Opposing defenses will focus all of their attention on trying to slow down Jokic, which means Denver won’t achieve its ceiling as a team if the supporting cast isn’t making those defenses pay.

I’m as big of a Jokic fan as you’ll find, but the Nuggets are an easy fade for me to win the title at the +1500 odds.

Cleveland Cavaliers (+950)

Few expected the Cleveland Cavaliers to rise to the top of the standings the way they have this season. The offseason decision to part ways with head coach JB Bickerstaff raised some eyebrows, but it sure looks prudent right now. Cleveland replaced Bickerstaff with Kenny Atkinson, who previously found success during a brief stint as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. Atkinson was unjustly fired by the Nets several years ago, but he’s making the most of his 2nd NBA head coaching gig.

The Cavs may not have a Jokic-esque superstar talent, but the roster is deep with quality players. Donovan Mitchell has found a home here, while Evan Mobley and Darius Garland have made strides with each passing season early in their respective careers. Mobley has been a real breakout star for the Cavs this year. The former No. 3 overall pick is averaging a career-best 18.6 points per game to go along with 8.8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.4 blocks.

Under Bickerstaff a season ago, Cleveland finished with the 17th-best offensive rating in the league. They scored an average of 112.8 points per 100 trips down the floor. This season, they’re running at a faster pace, and the results have been extraordinary. The Cavaliers boast the league’s best offensive rating at 119.5, which puts them more than 2 points ahead of the 2nd-ranked New York Knicks. The Cavs attempted about 36 3-pointers per game last year, but this year they’re hosting nearly 41 triples a night.

That style of play will make it possible for Cleveland to give Boston a serious sweat in a hypothetical Eastern Conference playoff matchup. This team is off to a 36-7 start, and it sure doesn’t look like a fluke. At +950, the Cavs are a very appealing longer-shot value bet to win a championship this summer.

New York Knicks (+950)

The New York Knicks were one of the NBA’s biggest surprises last season, and they’ve improved even further this year. Rather than trying to run it back with the same roster that advanced to the 2nd round of the playoffs, New York went all-in with a couple of major offseason trades. The deals to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges may have sapped the roster of some of its depth, but they also improved the quality of the starting unit considerably.

Under Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks don’t really need depth to begin with. Thibs is more than happy running his starters into the ground. All 5 of the Knicks’ starters rank inside the top 30 in minutes per game this season. Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby all rank inside the top 6.

Towns was relegated to a complementary role with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he’s back to playing at a superstar level in his first year in New York City. The 29-year-old is averaging 25.1 points, 13.9 rebounds, and nearly a block per game while logging just under 35 minutes a night. That’s KAT’s highest scoring average since 2019-20, before Anthony Edwards showed up in Minnesota. He’s also knocking down better than 43 percent of his 3-pointers, so he’s providing a floor-spacing element the Knicks lacked with Julius Randle on the floor.

New York’s competitiveness will give them a chance in any postseason series, but I’m concerned the lack of depth may come back to haunt them. Playing the starters such heavy minutes during the regular season can not only lead to injuries, but fatigue could become a real factor once the calendar flips to the spring and summer months. A long, grind-it-out series against a team like Boston or Cleveland could prove to be quite taxing.

As a result, I prefer the Cavs to the Knicks at the same +950 odds.

Best NBA Championship Betting Value

The following teams are our NBA picks for the best betting value to win the NBA Championship:

Memphis Grizzlies (+2500)

The Memphis Grizzlies have bounced back in a big way after injuries derailed their chances last season. Let’s not forget that Memphis advanced all the way to the Western Conference Finals a couple of years ago before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. That team relied heavily on Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., and a host of quality bench players.

This year’s team is awfully similar. Morant, Bane, and Jackson all missed significant chunks of last season, but they’ve been largely able to stay on the floor so far in 2024-25. Injuries generally aren’t predictable, but Memphis has done a solid job of keeping the minutes for those players in check. That’s where their depth comes in handy, and it could pay dividends on the heels of the long 82-game schedule.

Memphis is 5th in both offensive and defensive efficiency. They’re the only team in the league ranked in the top 5 in both categories, which could be an indication that they’re going undervalued by oddsmakers at these +2500 odds to win the NBA title. Memphis is another young team with limited playoff experience overall, but that youth and athleticism could give some older teams trouble in a postseason series.

Dallas Mavericks (+1800)

The reigning Western Conference champions have seen their NBA title odds dip from +950 at opening to +1800 in the middle of January. Dallas is barely hovering above the .500 mark, which is certainly not where most expected to see them before the campaign began.

Injuries have played an unfortunate role in their middling performance. Luka Doncic and Dereck Lively II are among the key Mavs currently missing from the lineup, though both players are expected to return at some point before the playoffs. If they can keep their heads above water and crack the playoff field despite the struggles, this is a team nobody will want to face in the postseason.

We saw exactly why last year, when Doncic and Kyrie Irving helped to propel the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2011. They ultimately fell short in a loss to Boston, but they attempted to bolster the roster by adding Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes, and Spencer Dinwiddie this offseason.

Whether that’ll be enough to get Dallas over the top remains to be seen, but I don’t mind a flier on the Mavs at these long +1800 odds.

Top NBA Championship Longshot

The Phoenix Suns (+3500) have tried to go all-in over the past couple of years, but they’re still on the outside looking in at the real title contenders. That said, the team’s new owner – Matt Ishbia – has made no secret of his desire to try and bring a title to Phoenix as quickly as possible.

Any team with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker will be dangerous, and there’s a good chance the Suns aren’t done wheeling and dealing. They’ve already struck a deal to bring center Nick Richards over from Charlotte, while they’re reportedly the frontrunners in the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes. Adding Butler would certainly require the departure of Bradley Beal, though Beal has struggled to gel with the Suns since his arrival prior to last season.

Would trading for Butler turn Phoenix from an also-ran into a title hopeful? That remains to be seen. Butler has been a prime-time performer in the playoffs over the years, though, and his intensity on both ends of the floor could be exactly what this team needs. Phoenix’s lack of leadership is apparent, and I do think trading for Butler would improve their chances considerably.

As a result, the Suns are a solid long-shot bet at +3500 to win it all. It’s far from the most likely outcome, but I do think they’re going a little undervalued as of now.

2024-25 NBA Championship Predictions

The Celtics are the clear favorites to win the 2024-25 NBA Championship, with their depth and consistency setting them apart. However, the Thunder have emerged as de facto co-favorites, with their young roster living up to expectations.

If you’re looking for value, the Mavs, Grizzlies, and Suns offer intriguing upside, while the Cavs are the frontrunner getting the least respect from oddsmakers as of now.

For more updates, check out the latest odds in the Northwest Division, Pacific Division, and MVP predictions to round out your betting strategy.

Bet: Oklahoma City Thunder (+500)

Last 10 NBA Finals Winners

The following is a list of the most recent NBA Champions: