The Brooklyn Nets are steadily gaining on the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference, as the Sixers’ offense is taking on water. The Nets won eight in a row despite only having their new Big Three of James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant together for a scant amount of time before losing to Dallas this past weekend. The surprising New York Knicks have climbed all the way to fourth in the standings, with three 17-17 teams just a half-game behind them.
Let’s take a look at the NBA betting odds to come out of the East and make the NBA Finals.
NBA News: Updated Odds to Win the Eastern Conference
| Team | Odds |
| Brooklyn Nets | +150 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +275 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +500 |
| Boston Celtics | +850 |
| Miami Heat | +1200 |
| Toronto Raptors | +1800 |
| Indiana Pacers | +2500 |
| Atlanta Hawks | +4000 |
| Charlotte Hornets | +8000 |
| NewYork Knicks | +10000 |
| Washington Wizards | +15000 |
| Orlando Magic | +20000 |
| Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers | +25000 |
The New York Knicks sit at 18-17 with a win over Detroit on Sunday. The last time they were over .500 this late in a season was back in 2012-13, which was also the last time the Knicks made the postseason. This is a young team playing way above expectations, and those can be hard momentum swings to slow. In the West, a fade would be more likely, but the East has a lot of teams that haven’t decided to play consistently yet, and the Knicks could take advantage.
Brooklyn answered questions about their defensive effort during their eight-game winning streak, and it is only a matter of time before they catch and pass Philadelphia to lead the conference standings. Kevin Durant’s hamstring is a question mark for the team, especially has he has missed so much time already in his return from an Achilles tendon tear, but that seems like more of a problem in the NBA Finals than in the East side of the bracket.
Boston took some bad losses earlier in the week, falling in Dallas and Atlanta. However, their wins over the weekend over Indiana and Washington showed that they can get defensive stops and make clutch baskets. Getting that mental jump was helpful, but the team is still in that three-game logjam at .500. The East is waiting for another team to take off, along with Brooklyn. Could it be the Celtics?
Milwaukee now has a five-game winning streak, and coach Mike Budenholzer said after the team’s win over the Clippers that the team has its “joy and passion” back. Hopefully that will travel all the way to Budenholzer’s at times mystifying lineup decisions. Giannis Antetokounmpo outscored the Clips all by himself, 17-10, in the last 8:30 of their win. Mental toughness in clutch games, particularly when physical play becomes a factor, has been a real problem for the Bucks, though, so it will be interesting to see what happens when the games get more meaningful.
Toronto is another team at the 17-17 mark in the East, but they had a game Sunday postponed due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and they could lose two more this week. If that happens, the Raptors would have to play 39 games in 67 days to finish the season, and all this is happening down in Florida, as the Raptors are playing their home season in Tampa because of the Canadian government’s regulations with COVID-19 and travel. The Raptors have a fun offense, but getting stops is going to be key.
Miami is turning into a fun sleeper once again, winners of six in a row, including a big victory over the NBA-leading Utah Jazz. In that win, Jimmy Butler put up a 33-10-8 stat line, and the Heat look solid going into the All-Star break. They are right at .500 right now, but are they turning things up at just the right time once again?
NBA Betting Odds
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