The reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics continue to have a stranglehold on the betting odds leaderboard to repeat as winners of the Larry O'Brien trophy in 2025 at +250, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder at +500.

Here's a look at where the Celtics, Thunder, and all other 28 teams across the Association sit in this race. 

2025 NBA Championship odds

Odds To Win NBA - Championship 2025
TeamsCuotas
Boston Celtics+225
Oklahoma City Thunder+350
New York Knicks+1000
Dallas Mavericks+1100
Cleveland Cavaliers+1400
Denver Nuggets+1600
Golden State Warriors+1600
Milwaukee Bucks+2200
Minnesota Timberwolves+2200
Phoenix Suns+2200
Memphis Grizzlies+2500
Philadelphia 76ers+3000
Houston Rockets+3500
LA Lakers+3500
Orlando Magic+4000
Miami Heat+5000
LA Clippers+7000
Sacramento Kings+10000
Indiana Pacers+12500
Atlanta Hawks+15000
San Antonio Spurs+25000
Toronto Raptors+50000
New Orleans Pelicans+75000
Brooklyn Nets+100000
Charlotte Hornets+100000
Chicago Bulls+100000
Detroit Pistons+100000
Portland Trail Blazers+100000
Utah Jazz+100000
Washington Wizards+100000

Odds as of Diciembre 22nd, 2024 03:35am EST.

Why are the Boston Celtics favored to repeat?

A recent NBA Cup victory over the once 15-0 Cleveland Cavaliers reminded the basketball world that Boston is still head honcho in the Eastern Conference and perhaps the entire league. The road to a title runs through them, and not that they needed it, but reinforcements are on the way.

Kristaps Porzingis recently participated in a full scrimmage and could be returning to the lineup sooner than originally projected, and that's a scary addition for a Celtics squad that's gone 12-3 SU without him and has the second-best offense overall by scoring 121.8 points per 100 possessions. 

After last season's dominant playoff run, the Celtics also command the 20.9% of the NBA Championship handle, according to BetMGM's data. 

2025 NBA Championship Contender: Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder have held down the fort to the best of their ability since Chet Holmgren went down with a serious hip injury, going 3-2 SU while still owning the No. 2 record in the loaded Western Conference at 11-4. 

Head coach Mark Daigneault has resorted to utilizing smaller lineups, and while the team is getting massacred on the boards (50.8 to opponents, 30th), Oklahoma City still ranks in the top 10 in both offense and defense over this five-game window. 

2025 NBA Finalists Odds

Finals MatchupOdds
Boston Celtics vs. Oklahoma City Thunder+650
Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks+1200
Boston Celtics vs. Minnesota Timberwolves+1400
New York Knicks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder+1500
Boston Celtics vs. Denver Nuggets+1500
Boston Celtics vs. Phoenix Suns+1800
Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers+2500
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder+2500
New York Knicks vs. Dallas Mavericks+2600
Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors+2700

Odds as of November 20, 2024 at FanDuel

2025 Exact NBA Finals Result Odds

Finals ResultOdds
Boston Celtics over Oklahoma City Thunder+1280
Oklahoma City Thunder over Boston Celtics+1460
Boston Celtics over Dallas Mavericks+2000
Boston Celtics vs. Minnesota Timberwolves+2200
Boston Celtics over Denver Nuggets+2300
Oklahoma City Thunder over New York Knicks+2600
Dallas Mavericks over Boston Celtics+2700
Boston Celtics over Phoenix Suns+2800
New York Knicks over Oklahoma City Thunder+3000
Minnesota Timberwolves over Boston Celtics+3400

Odds as of November 20, 2024 at FanDuel

NBA Championship Betting Strategy

Much of what formulates odds for NBA title contenders obviously stems from regular-season success. However, once the postseason comes and goes, how far a team advances can greatly impact the championship odds heading into next year before free agency and the draft gets underway.

What Impacts NBA Championship Odds?

  • Winning and losing streaks
  • Injuries to key players
  • Seeding in the standings
  • Win-loss records against specific opponents
  • Postseason success

How To Bet On NBA Futures

An NBA futures bet tends to revolve around the outcomes of both the regular season and playoffs as opposed to specific games the day of.

Here are some examples of some of the more popular futures bets:

  • Which team will win the NBA Championship?
  • Which player will win the Most Valuable Player award?
  • Will Team X qualify for the NBA playoffs?

Last 10 NBA Championship Winners

NBA Champions (2014-2024)
YearWinning TeamPreseason Odds To Win TitleOpponent In FinalsSeries
2024Boston Celtics+350Dallas Mavericks4-1
2023Denver Nuggets+1800Miami Heat4-1
2022Golden State Warriors+900Boston Celtics4-2
2021Milwaukee Bucks+550Phoenix Suns4-2
2020Los Angeles Lakers+450Miami Heat4-2
2019Toronto Raptors+1850Golden State Warriors4-2
2018Golden State Warriors-187Cleveland Cavaliers4-0
2017Golden State Warriors-128Cleveland Cavaliers4-1
2016Cleveland Cavaliers+280Golden State Warriors4-3
2015Golden State Warriors+2800Cleveland Cavaliers4-2

The Celtics' win in 2024 marked the sixth-different champion in as many years, a feat which hadn't been accomplished by the league since 1975-80.

The last team to win consecutive championships was the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. That capped off a 10-year run in which only five different teams (Warriors, Lakers, Mavericks, Cavaliers, and Spurs) won a title.

NBA Teams With The Most Championships

TeamNBA TitlesNBA Finals AppearancesMost Recent NBA Title
Boston Celtics18232024
Los Angeles Lakers17322020
Golden State Warriors7122022
Chicago Bulls661998
San Antonio Spurs562014
Philadelphia 76ers391983
Detroit Pistons372004
Miami Heat362013
New York Knicks281973
Milwaukee Bucks232021

Boston's 2024 win moved it past the Los Angeles Lakers for the most championship wins by a single franchise in league history. 

The Bulls are the most efficient, sweeping six titles during the 1990s, and the Warriors have the most recent title wins, with four in the last ten years.

NBA Teams That Have Never Appeared In A Finals

TeamNumber Of SeasonsFurthest Finish
Los Angeles Clippers49Western Conference Final (2021)
Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats30Eastern Conference Semifinals (1993, 1998, 2001, 2002)
Minnesota Timberwolves29Western Conference Final (2004)
Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies23Western Conference Final (2013)
New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans17Western Conference Semifinals (2008, 2018)

What a sad, sad list of teams. If you’re a fan of these squads, apologies in advance — your team (probably) isn’t breaking the curse this year. Never say never though! The Clippers and Pelicans have made exciting runs recently, we’re all rooting for them to make it eventually.

NBA Championship Odds Trends

  • Four of the last six NBA Finals have been decided in six games.
  • In the last 21 years, the Western Conference is 12-9 in NBA Finals.
  • Also over the past 21 years, the No. 1 seed has won the championship 13 times. Those are solid odds.
  • The lowest-seeded team to win the NBA Finals in recent history was the sixth-seed 1995 Houston Rockets.
  • Since 2010, the top team in the regular season has won the championship five times.
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