NBA Finals betting: The Boston Celtics are now better than even money to win the Eastern Conference
Boston has an eight-game lead over Milwaukee in the East
As the Boston Celtics run away with the Eastern Conference, their playoff odds are shrinking too.
Boston is now +220 to win the NBA Finals on the heels of its demolition of Golden State on Sunday. The Celtics had a 44-point halftime lead on the way to a 140-88 win over the Warriors. The victory was Boston’s third by 50 or more points this season.
The Celtics now have an eight-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in the East and will be able to rest their key players over the final weeks of the regular season. In the West, the top three teams are separated by just a half-game in the standings and the Sacramento Kings are eight games back of the conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Kings are seventh in the West.
Boston’s big lead in the East has made them better than even money favorites to win the conference title too. Boston is now -115 to win the East, while the Bucks are +275 and no one else is better than +900.
Those short odds are a sign of confidence in the Celtics’ regular-season performance and also because every other top team in the conference has dealt with a significant injury at some point this season. The Bucks’ Khris Middleton has missed 19 games so far and is averaging 26 minutes a game. The Philadelphia 76ers are without Joel Embiid and hope to get him back for the playoffs. The New York Knicks have seen Julius Randle and OG Anunoby miss significant time and Jalen Brunson suffered a left knee contusion Sunday night against the Cavaliers.
Oh, and the Cavaliers announced Monday that Donovan Mitchell had received a PRP injection in his left knee and is out for at least the next week.
The Nuggets are the No. 2 favorites
The defending champion Denver Nuggets loom as the No. 2 favorites behind the Celtics at +450. Denver is just ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers at +500 and the Bucks at +700.
Denver is one of the three teams at the top of the West along with the Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder, while the Clippers have fallen three games back of the top spot in the conference.
Despite being separated by just a half-game at the top of the conference, the Thunder and Wolves’ title odds aren’t as low as you may expect. OKC is at +2000 to win the title and the Wolves are at +2500.
Minnesota has the same Finals odds as the Cavaliers and both the Timberwolves and Thunder have worse odds than the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are at +1800 to win the Finals despite sitting in sixth in the West and just a half-game above the play-in tournament with 21 games to go.
NBA Finals favorites
Boston Celtics (+220)
Denver Nuggets (+450)
Los Angeles Clippers (+500)
Milwaukee Bucks (+700)
Phoenix Suns (+1800)
Oklahoma City Thunder (+2000)
Cleveland Cavaliers (+2500)
Minnesota Timberwolves (+2500)
Dallas Mavericks (+3000)
New York Knicks (+3000)
Philadelphia 76ers (+3300)
Golden State Warriors (+3500)
Los Angeles Lakers (+3500)
Miami Heat (+3500)
