Boston Celtics 2024-25 NBA Season Preview, Betting Odds

Coming off their first NBA championship since 2008, the Boston Celtics seek to become the first repeat winners of the Larry O'Brien trophy since 2018 this upcoming season, and as this 2024-25 preview will demonstrate, oddsmakers feel confident that will be the case. 

Here's a look at all of the important betting odds pertaining to the Celtics as they embark on their quest towards a possible 19th championship.

Boston Celtics' 2024 Offseason Additions

Boston Celtics' 2024 Offseason Departures

Boston Celtics' 2025 NBA Championship, Eastern Conference, Atlantic Division Betting Odds

Odds as of October 17, 2024 at FanDuel

Boston deservedly sits atop the betting odds as the favorites to repeat as titleholders, which therefore makes them the top dogs to also become Eastern Conference champions and finish with the best overall win-loss record in the loaded Atlantic Division.

The team has won three-straight division crowns, and represented the East in the Finals two of the last three years. The Celtics are also returning 15 players who comprised 93 percent of their total minutes played, which is all anyone can ask for in defense of a title.

Best Bet: Boston Celtics To Win Eastern Conference, +155

Based on recent history, with a unique champion prevailing on six-straight occasions, it's unlikely the Celtics will repeat when taking into account the period of parity the Association is currently experiencing. 

Alas, it would still be viewed as a major disappointment if Boston didn't at least get out of the East considering their top-end talent, and that includes Kristaps Porzingis being out of action for what could be the remainder of the calendar year following surgery to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon. 

The competition will be fierce, as fellow division rivals in the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks underwent major changes this summer to bring aboard All-Star talent. Even so, the Celtics' dominance shouldn't dissipate too much barring an extreme championship hangover. Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday were also a part of the USA Olympic men's gold medal team, as well, so it remains to be seen if they'll be at all rusty following a full playoff run with the added time spent competing in Paris, France. 

Boston Celtics' 2024-25 NBA Win Total Odds

Odds as of October 17, 2024 at FanDuel

The Celtics finished with a league-best 64-18 record in 2023-24 with just three losses the entire postseason en route to the championship. It marked the first time since 2009 that the franchise managed to win at least 60 games over the course of a full 82-game slate. 

Best Bet: UNDER 58.5 Wins, -115

A drop off of six wins to reach the UNDER on 58.5 seems extreme for a roster as loaded as Boston's, but with Porzingis being hurt, probable fatigue setting in, and the overall landscape of the league getting stronger and deeper, the Celtics can still see a decline in their winning percentage and remain the beasts of the East.

Boston Celtics' 2024 NBA Cup Odds

Odds as of October 17, 2024 at FanDuel

The Celtics could be vulnerable in what's just the second-ever tournament to determine a winner of the Emirates NBA Cup, as the aforementioned injury to Porzingis should have him removed as a factor here altogether. To be fair, though, Boston did go an impressive 21-4 without him available last season, including 10-2 in the playoffs.

The 2023 In-Season Tournament ended with a loss to the Indiana Pacers in the quarterfinals after taking East Group C with a 3-1 record.

Boston Celtics' 2024-25 NBA Awards Odds

Odds as of October 17, 2024 at FanDuel

Best Bet: Jayson Tatum For NBA Most Valuable Player, +1300

As things currently stand, Tatum would only have the seventh-best odds to become the first Celtics player to win MVP since Larry Bird in 1986.

It was surprising to see Tatum's teammate Jaylen Brown take home MVP for both the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals to culminate Boston's title run, as Tatum was favored to go two for two on that front. It also became a hot topic in Paris when the 26-year-old forward wasn't receiving a ton of playing time under head coach Steve Kerr.

Call it feeling disrespected, having a chip on his shoulder, or simply trying to shut down his skeptics, but we may see an invigorated Tatum channel his inner Rodney Dangerfield and play some of the best basketball of his career. The odds are juicy enough to take a chance, although voters may hold it against him that the talent surrounding him is so incredible.

2024-25 NBA Team Previews, Betting Odds