2024 NBA Finals Odds, Betting Trends: Everything You Need To Know

Patrick Everson Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

NBA Finals odds are coming more into focus, as the playoffs approach Round 2. The looming question: Will anyone stand in the way of the clear-cut two best teams?

The Boston Celtics remain atop odds to win the NBA Finals. Then there's a notable gap to the No. 2 choice Denver Nuggets and the next group of teams.

Here's everything you need to know about 2023-24 NBA Finals odds: action, movement and betting trends. Check back regularly for updates, and use our BetMGM bonus code to get more when you wager.

NBA Finals Odds

Playing Favorites

With the Milwaukee Bucks injury-riddled – and now eliminated – the Boston Celtics' path to a championship perhaps got a little easier. The Celtics are tidy +110 favorites in BetMGM's odds to win the NBA Finals.

The Denver Nuggets, aiming for a second straight title, have a tougher road to travel through the West. And it just got tougher.

Prior to Round 2 of the playoffs, Denver was the +260 second choice to win the championship. But the Nuggets lost Game 1 to the Timberwolves and dropped to +450, though that's still No. 2.

Boston has been plenty popular with bettors, but BetMGM would be fine with a Celtics crown.

"The Celtics would be a pretty decent result for us, should they win the championship," BetMGM trader Hal Egeland said. "The Nuggets would be a relatively small loser for now. I anticipate that to grow a bit should they keep advancing, but they won’t be a terrible result for us either way.

"Each team has had a decent amount of action recently. But liability isn’t piling up on either team, since they’re the two shortest on the board."

Boston faces No. 4 seed Cleveland in Round 2.

Hungry Like The Wolves

Minnesota's regular-season success continued through the first round and into Game 1 of the second round. The Timberwolves had a shot at the West's No. 1 seed entering the last game of the regular season. But they had to settle for the No. 3 seed, behind Oklahoma City and Denver.

However, Minnesota was the first team through to the second round. The T-wolves swept Phoenix 4-0 in the first round. Then Anthony Edwards & Co. went on the road and beat Denver in the second-round opener.

BetMGM accordingly has Minnesota as the +575 third choice in NBA Finals odds. A continued Minnesota run is a growing concern behind the counter.

"There was a lot of T-wolves money early in the year, for both the Western Conference and the NBA Finals. They’re one of our worst results. So we’ll be pulling for the Nuggets," Egeland said. "We’d really like to avoid a T-Wolves vs. Thunder Western Conference finals. We’d just about guarantee ourselves a losing book on the Western Conference should they match up."

Last June, Minnesota opened +6600 to win the championship. Entering the first round, the Timberwolves were +2000, and they halved those odds after beating Phoenix.

Knicks of Time

Like Minnesota, New York is a big mover in BetMGM's NBA championship odds market. Last summer, the Knicks opened +4000. Coincidentally, the Knicks were also +4000 at the beginning of the postseason.

Jalen Brunson and Co. got as short as +1200 after taking a 3-1 series lead over Philadelphia. Following a Game 5 loss at home, the Knicks slipped a bit to +1400.

But New York finished off that series in Game 6 and is rapidly gaining in popularity with bettors, now sitting at +1000 in NBA Finals odds.

"The Knicks are actually still a pretty decent result for us. But there’s certainly been a big increase in interest, particularly on our digital platform," Egeland said of betting via mobile/online. "In New York, we're live on digital only, so that makes sense. The Knicks are currently just about break-even on our digital book, but a great result if just looking at our retail properties."

Even with New York generating so much action of late, BetMGM actually wouldn't mind a prolonged playoff run. The Knicks face the Pacers in Round 2.

"A Celtics-Knicks Eastern Conference finals would do wonders in terms of handle," Egeland said. "I think it would probably walk us into a spot where we lose on the Eastern Conference, regardless of outcome. But the handle on the individual games would far outweigh the potential liabilities in our futures book."

Ticket Takers and Money Makers

When factoring in both retail and digital betting, Egeland said the Celtics, Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers are 1-2-3 in both tickets and money. Within that mix, Boston and Denver are well ahead of Los Angeles.

But the Lakers action consistently came at much longer odds, so liability stacked up on LeBron James & Co. However, L.A. lost to Denver 4-1 in the first round, squelching that liability.

So who is BetMGM rooting for in the NBA Finals odds market, as the playoffs enter Round 2?

"Of the teams who I consider legitimate contenders, the Mavericks will likely be our key rooting interest in the West," Egeland said. "We’d love a team like the Cavaliers or the Pacers to make it to the Finals. But being realistic, the Mavericks and Celtics are the two teams we’ll be cheering for."

The Mavs beat the Los Angeles Clippers 4-2 on a first-round series. BetMGM has Dallas the +1000 co-fifth choice with New York in NBA Finals futures odds.

Indiana beat Milwaukee 4-2 in a first-round series and at +5000 is the second-longest shot to win the title. Cleveland beat Orlando 4-3 in a first-round series, and the Cavs are also +6600 in NBA championship odds.

Interestingly, the key championship liabilities for BetMGM all hail from the same division.

"We’ll be cheering against all of the remaining teams from the Northwest Division," Egeland said. "The Nuggets, Timberwolves and Thunder would all be losers for us. Unfortunately, I’d be somewhat surprised if one of them didn’t win the West."

No. 1 seed Oklahoma City swept New Orleans in the first round and meets Dallas in the second round.

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Patrick Everson

Patrick Everson is a senior reporter for VegasInsider. Based in Las Vegas since 1994, he's worked in the sports betting journalism/content space for more than a decade. He's most known for his deep roster of contacts behind sportsbook counters, providing readers and viewers with the ins-and-outs of how events are being bet. He's also a thought leader in the sports betting space, often appearing on or moderating panels at national conferences. More from Patrick Everson