NBA playoffs ready for tip-off: Which team has the best odds to win the title?

• Sports books will see plenty of action surrounding the NBA Playoffs, which begin Saturday. Eight teams will kick off the first-round series.
• The Oklahoma City Thunder have the best odds to win the title, followed by the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
• Last season, the 5-seed Dallas Mavericks and the 6-seed Indiana Pacers bucked the odds with deep playoff runs.

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The NBA Playoffs begin Saturday, April 19, with four games, including matchups featuring the teams in the two biggest TV markets, Los Angeles and New York. That means sports books are about to see some big action.

Who has the best odds to win the championship?

According to USBets, in 2024, sports books in Las Vegas saw over $500 million wagered during the three months of the playoffs. This year, the team with the best odds to win it all is the Oklahoma City Thunder, the top seed in the Western Conference with a league-best 68 wins this season. They were also the top seed last year but lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round.

The Thunder believe they have learned from their mistakes last season and are ready for their first-round opponent, either Dallas once again or the Memphis Grizzlies.

“I’m not gonna lie and like say like we don’t think about it, but it’s something that we kind of put on the back burner,” Thunder forward Jalen Williams said. “When you start looking too far ahead, you miss what’s in front of you. So, I think we’ve done a really good job of just kind of like taking each day at a time and not trying to bite off more than you can chew. Obviously, all those are super cool accomplishments, and we kind of know the rare air that we’re in, but at the same time, the teams we’re playing don’t really care.”

Who follows the Thunder, and who is an upset pick?

According to Fanduel sports book, Oklahoma City is +175 to win the championship, which means a $100 ticket would earn a better $175 if the Thunder won the title. Following the Thunder are the two Eastern Conference favorites: The defending champion Boston Celtics and the team with the best record in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

A surprising team with fairly good odds to win the title is the Golden State Warriors, a 7-seed who had to win a play-in game to make it to this point. They’re at +2200, which is the fifth-best in the league. That’s right behind the 3-seed Los Angeles Lakers (+1500). Head coach Steve Kerr said his guys were tired after fighting to just make it to the playoffs, and they’re happy to have four days off before facing the 2-seed Houston.

“I feel like winning that Memphis game allowed us to get our feet on the ground four straight days at home. I think Draymond, in particular, will be rested and ready, and he needed that, frankly,” Kerr said.

Draymond Green and the Warriors are 23-8 since trading for star forward Jimmy Butler, and there is some “upset” precedent for teams on a roll heading into the playoffs.

Who bucked the odds last season to make a deep run?

In 2024, betters did quite well following the 5-seed Dallas Mavericks and the 6-seed Indiana Pacers through the playoffs. Both teams were underdogs in every playoff series and managed to keep bucking the odds.

The Pacers finally lost to the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. The Mavericks, led by current Laker Luka Dončić, advanced to the NBA Finals before losing to Boston in five games.

It goes to show that the higher seeds are vulnerable, especially when playing in a best-of-seven series, which guarantees the lower seed at least two home games to do some damage.