NBA Championship Odds Betting Explained
Leading up to the finals and during it, you’ll see plenty of Vegas odds for the NBA championship, and it’s because of the number of teams striving for the same goal.
The championship consists of one team from each conference—the East and the West—and they get there after winning three best-of-seven series rounds or by winning their Play-In Tournament game, then winning those series. There are multiple betting odds for the NBA finals, and we’ll continue to explore those opportunities below.
How does NBA Championship Odds Betting Work?
While you can focus strictly on the betting line for the NBA Finals, there are other options for betting on this final best-of-seven series between the best from the East and West.
You can bet in the following ways:
- Individual game betting markets (moneyline, spread, totals, props, etc.)
- Finals Futures
- NBA Finals MVP
How do NBA Finals Odds Work?
As seen above, multiple markets are available for betting on the NBA Finals. That said, the odds and how they’re offered are slightly different.
For individual games, you’ll have odds on each bet, but there are different standards depending on the type of bet you want to make. For example, if you want to focus on the point spread, the odds on these wagers are typically at or around -110. However, if you want to focus on the moneyline, the odds vary quite differently between each team.
As for futures betting markets, such as predicting the winner and the MVP, this will consist of a list of options and associated odds. Of course, the MVP odds aren’t available until the teams in the championship are determined, but betting on who will win the NBA Finals is a wager you can make from the first day of the season.
How To Read Odds to Win NBA Championship
Betting odds will determine how much money you make off your wager. The easiest way to understand betting odds is to think about it in the context of winning or betting $100.
First and foremost, though, establish the difference between a favored team and an underdog and how they’re notated in NBA Finals odds betting.
Whenever you see a “-,” this will indicate which team or situation is favored. The higher the number next to a “-,” shows what the sportsbook thinks is most likely to happen.
For example, if two teams in the NBA Finals winner futures market have “-” odds, and one is -120, and the other is -150, the one that is -150 is the one the sportsbook deems more likely to succeed.
As for “+” odds, this indicates the underdog and the team with the larger number is the one less likely to succeed. Back to the betting, think of it like this:
- With “-” odds, the number attached is how much you need to wager to win $100. At -280, you need to wager $280 to win $100.
- With “+” odds, this number shows how much you’ll make from a $100 wager. At +280, you’d win $280 when you bet $100.
Current NBA Championship Odds
Depending on your state, you may have multiple online sportsbooks to choose from. If this is the case, first determine which team you think will win the finals and check in with each site to see which offers the best odds for the team you think will win the NBA championship.
Futures betting market will consist of a list of teams with NBA odds attached.
Live example taken from a prominent sportsbook:
| 2023 NBA Champioship Winner | |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +300 |
| Boston Celtics | +360 |
| Phoenix Suns | +475 |
| Denver Nuggets | +700 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +900 |
| Golden State Warriors | +1100 |
NBA Finals Odds Predictions
- Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks didn’t lose a game all throughout February, and in March, they’re 11-5 even with Giannis Antetokounmpo missing four games in March alone. They had a miserable 140-99 loss to the Boston Celtics at home on March 29, 2023, but the Bucks sit atop the Eastern Conference rankings and have a perennial MVP candidate.
- Boston Celtics: Just behind the Bucks in most futures betting markets, the Celtics have two of the best scorers in the game in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. As mentioned, they dismantled the Bucks, scoring 140 on the road. They shored up interim head coach Joe Mazzulla with a full-time contract and should be a steady presence throughout the postseason.
- Phoenix Suns: Any time you add Kevin Durant to your roster, you’re only going to get better. However, the main concern with the Suns has been keeping Durant healthy and on the court. While they’re a good team without him with DeAndre Ayton, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul, Durant adds a dimension that makes the Suns one of the most feared teams in the league. It’ll be interesting to see how the chemistry continues to develop and whether or not they’ll have enough of it to take that next step.
- Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic. Nikola Jokic. Nikola Jokic. This team—pretty much—lives and dies by his incredible statistical output. While it’s hard not to root for a guy like Jokic to be successful, the Nuggets will have some difficult competition in the Western Conference, including the tried and true Golden State Warriors and the up-and-coming Sacramento Kings.
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NBA Finals MVP Odds
At the time of this writing, no NBA Finals MVP odds are available since the finals aren’t happening yet. Instead, we’ll use the league MVP futures as an example in the screenshot below. It shows what this bet will look like, only with different players for the participating teams.
As seen below, there will be a list of players that you can bet on with their odds. This correlates to NBA Finals betting in that, of course, you’re picking the most valuable player from the game, but in betting on a player, you’re endorsing that team to win the championship as the award goes to a player on the winning team.
| NBA Awards 2022/23 - Regular Season MVP | |
| Joel Embiid | -105 |
| Nikola Jokic | +110 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | +500 |
| Jayson Tatum | +10 000 |
NBA Finals Odds: Individual Games
The NBA Finals can last up to seven games, and you can make wagers on each through various betting markets.
Below are the most popular ways you can do so:
- Moneyline: Bet on which team you think will win outright.
- Point Spread: The NBA point spread is used to make the game even. If a team is -2.5, they must win the game by three points or more. If a team is +2.5, they’ll cover the point spread with an outright win or lose by two points or less.
- Totals: Instead of betting on one team, totals allow you to wager on both as you determine whether the combined score will exceed or fall short of the line provided.
- Props: The most popular prop bets for NBA championship games are player, game, and team. Player props look at individual statistical performance, while game and team focus on wagers like whether the game goes to overtime, the exact score, or the point total line for each team.
- Same Game Parlay: While traditional parlays focus on multiple games, Same Game Parlays (SGPs) focus on one game. Here, you can add the moneyline, total, and a player prop to one betslip, for example. Together, you’ll receive enhanced odds beyond if you were to bet on them separately, but for a parlay to succeed, all contests you add to the ticket must win for you to cash it in.
NBA Finals Odds Betting Strategies
Since 2010, every NBA Finals winner has been a No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3 seed. The No. 1 seed leads the way with seven wins, followed by the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, tied with three wins a piece. The last time a team seeded lower than this won the NBA Finals was the Houston Rockets in 1996 as a No. 6 seed. So, when betting on who you think will win the finals, you can essentially narrow it down to six teams.
Now that you know there are six teams to choose from for the most part, you can start betting on this futures market before the postseason begins and hedge before and during the postseason. Hedging is a strategy used to limit losses. For example, if you bet $100 on the Bucks at +240, you could wager $85 on the Celtics at +300. The total amount wagered would be $185, with a hedge profit of $155.
If you’re in a state with multiple online sportsbooks, you need to be deploying the strategy on every bet you make from here on out. The odds vary as seen in the screenshots above for the NBA championship winner. For example, if you think the Celtics will win, you’d want to wager with Caesars as they have the best odds at +360. Always seek extra value. It’ll only take a few minutes and could add more money to your bankroll.
Leverage Welcome Bonuses and Existing Player Promotions
Going back to if you have multiple sportsbooks in your state, you’ll have access to numerous welcome offers and existing player promotions. When the NBA championship rolls around, there could be enhanced welcome bonuses or, at the very least, promotions dedicated to the finals, such as parlay insurance, boosted odds, and more. Use these to win more money.
Vary the Types of Bets You Make
As seen above, there are multiple ways to wager, so ensure you’re using your bankroll to wager on futures and individual games. Like investing in the stock market, having variety has more upside to improve your chances of winning.
The “Third Game” Strategy
If in the NBA Finals, a team finds themselves down 0-2, the third game is where they’ll usually get back on track and get back in the series. This happened in 2021 with the Bucks, going down 0-2 to the Phoenix Suns before winning Game 3 and, ultimately, the series. This applies especially to the road team in the first two games, as Game 3 will be their first home game in the series.
Getting Started On Odds to Win NBA Finals Betting
- Check out our online sportsbook reviews. Our in-depth reviews focus on how well a site operates, the available betting markets, the welcome bonus, and more.
- Once you’ve picked where you want to play and know it’s available in your state, head to their desktop site or download the mobile app.
- Create an account. This process usually takes up to five minutes. You’ll need to provide personal information, such as your name, email, address, and more.
- Make your first deposit. If the welcome bonus calls for a minimum deposit, meet that threshold.
- Go to the NBA betting page to locate the NBA finals odds betting markets or the individual game.
- Add your bet to your betslip, input the amount you want to wager, confirm it, and wait for the results.
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Conclusion on NBA Finals Vegas Odds
The NBA season runs from October to June and the playoffs run through multiple series starting in April. At the end of it, in June, crowning the NBA champion is a big deal and is one of the most highly anticipated sports betting events.
After reading this page, we hope you better understand the various betting markets for the NBA finals, how to get started with betting, some strategies you can use to make this betting market easier to win money off of, and more.
As we approach the beginning of the Play-In Tournament on April 11, 2023, bookmark this page and come back as you gear up for the final (no pun intended) stretch of the 2022-23 NBA season.
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