The Nets are the favorites to win the NBA Finals while the Knicks are distant long shots. Let’s look at futures odds for both teams.
The New York City basketball scene is popping right now. The Brooklyn Nets are gearing up for a deep run into the playoffs after coasting on cruise control for most of the season. Meanwhile, the Knicks are looking to defend Madison Square Garden and win their first playoff series since 2013.
Those pesky Knicks have exceeded everyone’s expectations. They were picked to finish last in the NBA and now they are hosting a playoff series. Life hits you fast.
As for the Nets, they are the No. 1 villain in the Eastern Conference. The big three of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving is going to be nearly impossible to contain for a seven-game series.
NBA Championship Odds
Here are the current odds to win the NBA Finals at DraftKings Sportsbook:
Brooklyn Nets +250
Los Angeles Lakers +400
Los Angeles Clippers +500
Philadelphia 76ers +650
Utah Jazz +700
Milwaukee Bucks +800
Phoenix Suns +2000
Denver Nuggets +3000
Miami Heat +3000
Dallas Mavericks +5000
Portland Trail Blazers +5500
Atlanta Hawks +10000
Boston Celtics +10000
Golden State Warriors +10000
New York Knicks +10000
Indiana Pacers +25000
Memphis Grizzlies +25000
Washington Wizards +25000
This is a tough way to bet for anyone who is looking to put some money down on the Nets or Knicks. The Nets are the favorite and while +250 isn’t terrible, it’s not the best value play. For Brooklyn bettors, look to the NBA Finals MVP odds, but more on that later.
As for the Knicks, they don’t have much of a chance to win a championship this year. If you think they do, you can get fantastic odds, but they are a long shot to win it for a reason. There is money to be made on the Knicks on the series line or in individual games, but anyone betting on a Knicks championship is hoping for a miracle.
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Eastern Conference Odds
Let’s take a look at FanDuel Sportsbook’s odds to win the Eastern Conference:
Brooklyn Nets +105
Philadelphia 76ers +270
Milwaukee Bucks +350
Miami Heat +1300
Atlanta Hawks +3000
New York Knicks +4200
Boston Celtics +4900
Indiana Pacers +10000
Washington Wizards +16000
The same logic applies here to both teams. The Nets are strong favorites to win the East at almost even money. They will have to go through an Eastern Conference gauntlet that will likely include the Celtics, Bucks/Heat, and Sixers. Again, they should be the favorite in the East, but those odds aren’t enticing enough for us.
Again, the Knicks might win a series, but they are going to have a tough time trying to make it out of the Eastern Conference. In order to do so, they would likely need some help with an upset in Philly or Brooklyn’s first-round series.
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CLAIM OFFER!Knicks-Hawks Series Line
PointsBet: Knicks +100 // Hawks -120
DraftKings: Knicks -113 // Hawks -113
FanDuel: Knicks -105 // Hawks -115
BetMGM: Knicks -110 // Hawks -110
OK, here we go. This is where you can really make your money. Sportsbooks have this Knicks-Hawks series as a coin flip. The Knicks are favored by a hair at some sportsbooks simply because they have the home-court advantage. These are two teams with very little playoff experience, but Tom Thibodeau’s pedigree could be what puts them over the top.
Betting on individual games might be the move in this series. The home team is likely going to be the slight favorite in each game. The Knicks are 13-4 against the spread as the home favorite and 17-9 ATS as a road dog. That bodes well for Knicks bettors.
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Nets-Celtics Series Line
PointsBet: Nets -1000 // Celtics +600
DraftKings: Nets -1430 // Celtics +700
FanDuel: Nets -1050 // Celtics +630
BetMGM: Nets -1100 // Celtics +700
Again, the Nets are a tough team to bet in these playoffs. The fact that we haven’t seen much of the fully-charged Nets this year has made them nearly impossible to handicap on a night-to-night basis. This logic extends to the playoffs. We don’t think the juice is worth the squeeze in this series.
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NBA Finals MVP Odds
Here’s a glance at where the odds to win NBA Finals MVP stack up:
Kevin Durant +420
LeBron James +550
Kawhi Leonard +750
Donovan Mitchell +850
Giannis Antetokounmpo +850
Joel Embiid +900
James Harden +1300
Kyrie Irving +1300
Anthony Davis +2900
Paul George +3000
Jimmy Butler +3400
Nikola Jokic +3800
Chris Paul +4200
Devin Booker +4200
Luka Doncic +4200
Rudy Gobert +4200
Damian Lillard +6000
Bojan Bogdanovic +10000
Jayson Tatum +10000
Mike Conley +10000
Trae Young +10000
Ben Simmons +12000
Julius Randle +12000
Tobias Harris +12000
Stephen Curry +13000
Bam Adebayo +15000
Finally, we are at the point where it makes sense to bet on the Nets! Hallelujah! Kevin Durant is the odds-on favorite to win the MVP at +420, but we are looking more at James Harden and Kyrie Irving, both of whom are listed at +1300.
Durant is the lead dog on that team without a doubt, but Harden and Irving are both capable of taking over a series. A couple of triple-doubles for Harden or a 40-point outburst in a series clincher from Irving could be enough to put them over the top.
In short, if you are someone who thinks the Nets are going to win it all, it makes more sense to bet on one of the big three winning Finals MVP as opposed to taking Brooklyn outright.
Julius Randle is really only viable as a long-shot play for diehard Knicks fans, but there is something we can’t get over: How is Bogdan Bogdanovic favored over Randle to win Finals MVP? That makes no sense to us at all. This isn’t meant as a knock on Bogdanovic, but Randle is a legitimate MVP candidate. It makes no sense!
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NBA Futures
What are you betting on in these NBA Playoffs? Take a look at all NBA futures odds across the biggest online sportsbooks in New Jersey: