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NBA betting: Suns become the No. 2 Finals favorite after trading for Kevin Durant

The Phoenix Suns are now the No. 2 favorite to win the NBA Finals.

The Suns jumped to +450 to win the title at BetMGM after trading for Kevin Durant overnight Wednesday. Durant is heading to the Suns along with T.J. Warren, with Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson heading to the Nets along with a bevy of first-round picks and an MIA Jae Crowder.

Phoenix sits fifth in the Western Conference ahead of Thursday night’s game at Atlanta and was at +1800 to win the title before trading for Durant. The Suns had the same title odds as the Cleveland Cavaliers less than a week ago and were the No. 11 favorite on Feb. 3.

Now only the Celtics have better odds than the Suns. Boston continues to be the NBA Finals favorite at +325 to win the title and just +140 to win the East. The Bucks are the No. 3 favorite to win the title at +550 and +240 to win the conference. Milwaukee had been the No. 2 favorite before the Durant deal.

Denver’s status as West favorite is also gone. The Nuggets have been the best team in the conference all season long and are now the No. 4 favorite to win the title at +700. Denver is at +350 to win the West while the Suns are at +225.

Durant’s impact in Phoenix likely won’t be felt until after the All-Star Break as he continues his recovery from a knee injury. The Suns have four games before the break and are tied with the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers at 8.5 games back of the Nuggets. The Mavericks currently occupy the fourth spot while the Oklahoma City Thunder are in 12th and out of the play-in tournament at 11.5 games back of the Nuggets.

Yeah, the West is extremely tight. But oddsmakers are betting that Phoenix will be an incredibly good team with Durant on the floor for the final 22 games of the season and that seeding won’t really matter in the playoffs. As long as Phoenix avoids a matchup with Denver in the first round, the Suns will likely be favorites over any other team not named the Warriors in the West if Durant, Devin Booker and Chris Paul are all healthy in the postseason.

Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant (7) looks to drive during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, in Chicago. Chicago won 121-112. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Kevin Durant is heading to the Phoenix Suns. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Warriors’ odds get worse with Curry’s injury

Golden State was +900 to win the NBA title a week ago. Now the Warriors are at +1400 after Steph Curry injured his left knee against the Mavericks on Saturday night. Curry’s knee injury isn’t considered serious, but he’s still set to miss multiple weeks. And the Warriors haven’t been world-beaters with him on the floor anyway this season.

The defending champs currently sit ninth in the West at 28-27 and are just 1.5 games ahead of the Utah Jazz in 11th. Golden State is a remarkable 21-6 at home but an equally remarkable 7-21 on the road. With teams like the Nuggets and the Clippers occupying the top six spots, the Warriors could find themselves in the play-in tournament barring a collapse by a top team ahead of them. That’s a big reason why their odds have gotten worse.

Favorites to win the NBA Finals