Most of the NBA’s teams are down to three games left in their 2020-21 regular seasons, and thanks to the play-in tournament, there is still a lot of flux going on for final postseason seedings. The Dallas Mavericks had a chance to clinch a top-six slot in the West with a win and a Laker loss on Tuesday, but instead the Mavericks laid an absolute egg in Memphis, getting run out by the Grizzlies, 133-109. Meanwhile, the Lakers gritted out an overtime win over the New York Knicks. That loss dropped the Knicks from fourth to sixth thanks to tiebreakers with Miami and Atlanta.
Let’s look at the latest sports betting odds to win the NBA championship for the teams who can still qualify for the postseason, along with some observations from the last few days of action.
NBA News: Updated Odds to Win the Championship
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Brooklyn Nets | 230 |
| L.A. Lakers, L.A. Clippers | 500 |
| Utah Jazz | 700 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 800 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 900 |
| Phoenix Suns | 1400 |
| Denver Nuggets | 2500 |
| Miami Heat | 3500 |
| Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks | 5000 |
| Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers | 6600 |
| New York Knicks | 8000 |
| Golden State Warriors | 15000 |
| Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Wizards | 20000 |
| Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans | 25000 |
| Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls | 50000 |
| Sacramento Kings | 100000 |
Utah put together a nice five-game winning streak despite Donovan Mitchell (ankle) and Mike Conley (hamstring) not being available. Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic played well in a loss to the Warriors on Monday; Bogdanovic has put up over 27 points per game in his last eight contests and was named the Western Conference Player of the Week last week. They have a top three defense and offense. However, with Mitchell and Conley potentially limited, it’s hard to see them pushing to a title.
Philadelphia has an eight-game winning streak against teams they should beat, permitting just 101.4 points per 100 possessions, the best defensive number of any team over that time frame. The fact that they will only have to play Milwaukee or Brooklyn (instead of having to play both, potentially) to get to the Finals is an immense help. Given the Nets’ struggles as of late, I like them a lot more as my East pick to win the championship.
Phoenix has had some tough losses as of late, to the Lakers and to the Hawks in an unusual blowout, but those teams have more to play for right now, as far as postseason berths are concerned. The Suns still have the transcendent offense of Devin Booker, the interior play of Deandre Ayton and the steady leadership of Chris Paul, all within a system that could push the Suns all the way to a title.
Brooklyn ended a four-game losing streak (all against playoff teams) by beating Denver, 125-119. The win was an impressive one, but the problem of James Harden’s hamstring issues remains. He has said he will return for the playoffs, if not before, but he already tried to return once, and hamstring injuries are tricky.
Milwaukee has the second best offense in the NBA since April 1, putting up 117.1 points per 100 possessions, and they rank fourth overall in net rating over that time. They got trucked by San Antonio, but with a relatively easy week coming up against Eastern Conference foes, they are in excellent shape to lock up the #2 seed in the playoffs, which means that even if they do face the Nets in the East semifinals, they would have home court advantage.
The Clippers have now played four straight games with both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, and the rest of the injured list is getting better as well. The Clippers need to keep ahead of Denver, as the Nuggets hold the tiebreaker, to hold onto the #3 seed in the West. That would keep them from facing the Lakers in the first round, who are more likely to finish fifth or seventh than sixth.
NBA Betting Odds
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