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NBA Playoff Predictions For The 2025 Season (Updated NBA Championship Odds 2024-2025)

Publish Date: 10/21/2024
Fact checked by: Allan Howe

As is the case in most seasons, there are no more than six or seven teams that have a legitimate shot at the NBA title. The Boston Celtics are favored to repeat and should.

(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Who is the best Western Conference bet to knock them off and can anyone upset them in the Eastern Conference?

Odds of NBA Teams To Reach Playoffs

Team Consensus DraftKings FanDuel BetMGM BetRivers
Celtics -20000 -10000 -8000 -10000 -10000
Knicks -7059 -5000 -8000 -10000 -5000
Thunder -4865 -4000 -6000 -5000 -5000
76ers -2264 -1600 -2000 -2000 -5000
Bucks -2173 -1600 -1800 -2000 -2000
Timberwolves -893 -900 -800 -2000 -1000
Cavaliers -886 -900 -850 -2000 -910
Nuggets -817 -750 -650 -750 -1250
Magic -744 -900 -700 -900 -670
Pacers -596 -700 -550 -750 -560
Mavericks -524 -525 -430 -550 -670
Heat -412 -500 -325 -400 -455
Suns -276 -265 -340 -225 -240
Grizzlies -236 -245 -215 -275 -250
Kings -179 -170 -194 -190 -175
Pelicans -158 -170 -158 -140 -148
Warriors -120 -110 -110 -115 -115
Rockets -104 -110 -110 -115 -106
Hawks +165 +170 +146 +165 +180
Raptors +557 +600 +570 +450 +500

*Odds as of October 21st

Odds of NBA Teams to Win The NBA Cup

Team Consensus DraftKings FanDuel BetMGM Caesars Sportsbook
Celtics +450 +400 +400 +525 +550
Thunder +833 +600 +1000 +800 +900
Knicks +967 +1000 +1100 +850 +800
Timberwolves +1117 +950 +1200 +1100 +1200
76ers +1333 +1300 +1400 +1000 +1400
Bucks +1500 +1400 +1500 +1300 +1600
Mavericks +1650 +2500 +1700 +1800 +750
Cavaliers +1900 +2000 +2000 +2000 +2000
Nuggets +1933 +2000 +1800 +1500 +2000
Suns +1967 +2000 +2100 +2000 +1600
Kings +1967 +2200 +1700 +2500 +2000
Pacers +2100 +2500 +2000 +2000 +2500
Grizzlies +2300 +2500 +2200 +2500 +1800
Magic +2367 +2500 +2400 +2500 +2200
Pelicans +2867 +3000 +2600 +2500 +3000
Rockets +3033 +3500 +2600 +2500 +3000
Lakers +3267 +5000 +2600 +2500 +2200
Heat +3733 +4000 +3200 +3500 +4000
Warriors +4633 +5000 +4900 +4500 +4000
Hawks +11000 +13000 +10000 +20000 +10000
Raptors +28333 +35000 +25000 +20000 +25000

*Odds as of October 21st

Eastern Conference Play In

  • Indiana Pacers (46-36)
  • Miami Heat (44-38)
  • Atlanta Hawks (34-48)
  • Toronto Raptors (30-52)

Best Bet To Win a First Round Series: The Pacers. Indiana gained plenty of momentum last season and that experience will pay off during the 2025 NBA playoffs. Indiana is a threat to get out of the first round and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Having Pascal Siakam will pay dividends for a team with high expectations.

Eastern Conference First Found

  • No. 1 seed Boston Celtics (61-21) over No. 8 Miami Heat (44-38), 4-1
  • No. 5 Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32) over No. 4 Milwaukee Bucks (52-30), 4-3
  • No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers (52-30) over No. 6 Orlando Magic (48-34), 4-2
  • No. 2 New York Knicks (54-28) over No. 7 Indiana Pacers (46-36), 4-2

Synopsis: We see the Cavs getting past the Milwaukee Bucks in what would be a mild upset. The Cavs have a good enough offense and with Evan Mobley taking a step forward, the Cavs will get to the second round. Look for Donovan Mitchell to have a big playoff series. The Knicks will get challenged, but will get past the confident Pacers.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

  • No. 1 Boston Celtics over No. 5 Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-1
  • No. 2 New York Knicks over No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers, 4-2

Synopsis: Tyrese Maxey vs. Jalen Brunson will be one heck of a matchup. Joel Embiid will play well, but Karl-Anthony Towns will give the Knicks enough to get by a team that has some aging veterans off the bench. Will there be some grumblings or will the 76ers stay mentally focused? Also look for the play of O.G. Anunoby to be key for New York in the postseason.

Eastern Conference Finals

  • No. 1 Boston Celtics over No. 2 New York Knicks, 4-3

Synopsis: It will be a war between a team looking to repeat against a team desperately looking to win a NBA title. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are tough hombres when it matters and they will make a difference in this series.

Western Conference Play In

  • Memphis Grizzlies (47-35)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (46-36)
  • Houston Rockets (45-37)
  • Golden State Warriors (45-37)

Best Bet To Win a First Round Series: The Grizzlies. Memphis is a dangerous team that will be a tough out for the Timberwolves or whomever else it plays in the postseason. This is assuming Ja Morant is healthy and there is no way Memphis can be decimated by injury for the second consecutive season, right?

Western Conference First Round

  • No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder (58-24) over No. 8 Golden State Warriors (45-37), 4-2
  • No. 4 Dallas Mavericks (53-29) over No. 5 Sacramento Kings (50-32), 4-2
  • No. 3 Denver Nuggets (54-28) over No. 6 Phoenix Suns (48-34), 4-1
  • No. 2 Minnesota Timberwolves (54-28) over No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies (47-35), 4-2

Synopsis: The West is tough, but we don’t project any first round upsets. Besides the Thunder, all four top seeds have playoff experience winning big series with their current cores.

The Thunder will just be too talented for Golden State or whatever team emerges from the play-in. Will this be the Warriors’ swan song with Steph Curry and Draymond Green in the same lineup? It probably will be. The No. 4 vs. 5 series in the West will likely be between two teams that have NBA title aspirations.

Sacramento just won’t be able to hold off the scoring of Dallas when it matters. The Nuggets will just convert too many easy buckets for Phoenix to have a realistic shot to beat them. There figures to be at least one West team that won’t be healthy around this time and it could shake things up.

Western Conference Semifinals

  • No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder over No. 4 Dallas Mavericks, 4-3
  • No. 3 Denver Nuggets over No. 2 Minnesota Timberwolves, 4-2

Synopsis: OKC’s young core will finally get the breakthrough playoff series win it covets. Its perimeter defense with Alex Caruso in the fold, plus Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams, will slow down the defending conference champions just enough. Those who follow the NBA closely know how good Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is, and this season the casual fan will know it, too.

As for Denver, it has to take a stand; it’s now or never and even though Denver is not terribly deep, it will be a case of Joker’s Revenge as Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets will atone for last year’s playoff collapse against Minnesota.

Western Conference Finals

  • No. 3 Denver Nuggets over No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, 4-2

Synopsis: It will be the Thunder’s time one day, just not now as the old guard will pull through after getting over the hump against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In order for Denver to get this far, Michael Porter Jr. will have to play better than he did in last year’s playoffs, and we think he will.

Aaron Gordon will outplay whoever checks him on OKC’s young frontline. Should the Timberwolves get past Denver, that increases the Thunder’s chances of advancing to the NBA Finals. A healthy Nuggets team has one run left in it.

2025 NBA Finals

  • Boston Celtics over Denver Nuggets, 4-2

Synopsis: The Celtics will repeat as champions for the first time since Bill Russell led his team (as a player-coach) to a big upset of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1969 NBA Finals.

Boston has the best combination of talent, coaching, motivation and depth that no team can match. OKC is close, it just doesn’t have the championship experience. Denver will finally run out of gas against a team that is just too potent on both sides of the ball.

Boston has the Michael Jordan mentality; creating slights to get motivated for another championship run. They also are the only team you can point to without a glaring weakness.

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