The 2025 NBA playoffs get underway on Saturday, April 19, and the latest betting odds for which team will be crowned champion still has the Oklahoma City Thunder (+175) and Boston Celtics (+195) in a tight race atop the leaderboard as of April 16.
Here's a look at where all other contenders behind Oklahoma City and Boston currently sit as they all vie to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy.
2025 NBA Finals odds
| Teams | Odds |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +175 |
| Boston Celtics | +195 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +550 |
| LA Lakers | +1000 |
| Golden State Warriors | +1400 |
| LA Clippers | +2500 |
| New York Knicks | +3500 |
| Denver Nuggets | +4000 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +6500 |
| Indiana Pacers | +7000 |
Odds as of April 16th, 2025 14:42pm EDT. |
2025 NBA Finals Contenders: Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics
Oklahoma City awaits either the Memphis Grizzlies or the winner of the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks' play-in tournament game in the opening round, while Boston will pair off with the Orlando Magic in a best-of-seven series.
The reigning champion Celtics actually had a losing 1-2 record versus Orlando during the regular season, but are currently listed as the monster -7000 favorites to emerge from that matchup on the moneyline. The same should ring true for the Thunder no matter which team they're forced to compete against.
These two teams have atop atop the odds from start to finish, and oddsmakers project them to inevitably meet in the Finals to prove who will be remembered as the best of the best. Should Oklahoma City win, it would extend the league's historic streak of a unique champion being crowned every year since 2019, while a Boston repeat would be the first since the Golden State Warriors pulled it off seven years ago.
2025 NBA Finals Darkhorse: Golden State Warriors
The Warriors got an ideal draw for their older core after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament to secure the No. 7 spot. They managed to avoid a meeting with the Thunder until the conference finals at the earliest, and now get to challenge the No. 2 Houston Rockets who, while formidable defensively, are unproven and inexperienced.
The addition of "Playoff Jimmy" Butler was designed to extend Golden State's championship window, and thus far, the returns have been bountiful. Butler dropped 38 points with 18 free-throw attempts in the win over Memphis, and if that level of production carries over to the Houston series and beyond, the Warriors could be in line for title No. 5 of the Stephen Curry era.
2025 NBA Finalists Odds
| Finalists | Odds |
|---|---|
| Boston Celtics vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | +175 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | +370 |
| Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers | +1000 |
| Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors | +1200 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Los Angeles Lakers | +1700 |
| New York Knicks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | +1900 |
| Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Clippers | +2100 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors | +2100 |
| Boston Celtics vs. Denver Nuggets | +2500 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Los Angeles Clippers | +3100 |
| Boston Celtics vs. Minnesota Timberwolves | +3200 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Denver Nuggets | +3800 |
Odds as of April 16, 2025 at FanDuel
2025 Exact NBA Finals Result Odds
| Finals Result | Odds |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma City Thunder over Boston Celtics | +420 |
| Boston Celtics over Oklahoma City Thunder | +460 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder over Cleveland Cavaliers | +600 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers over Oklahoma City Thunder | +1100 |
| Boston Celtics over Los Angeles Lakers | +1600 |
| Boston Celtics over Golden State Warriors | +1800 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder over New York Knicks | +2700 |
| Los Angeles Lakers over Boston Celtics | +2900 |
| Boston Celtics over Los Angeles Clippers | +3000 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers over Los Angeles Lakers | +3000 |
| Boston Celtics over Denver Nuggets | +3200 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers over Golden State Warriors | +3200 |
Odds as of April 16, 2025 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
| Year | Winning Team | Preseason Odds To Win Title | Opponent In Finals | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Boston Celtics | +350 | Dallas Mavericks | 4-1 |
| 2023 | Denver Nuggets | +1800 | Miami Heat | 4-1 |
| 2022 | Golden State Warriors | +900 | Boston Celtics | 4-2 |
| 2021 | Milwaukee Bucks | +550 | Phoenix Suns | 4-2 |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Lakers | +450 | Miami Heat | 4-2 |
| 2019 | Toronto Raptors | +1850 | Golden State Warriors | 4-2 |
| 2018 | Golden State Warriors | -187 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4-0 |
| 2017 | Golden State Warriors | -128 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4-1 |
| 2016 | Cleveland Cavaliers | +280 | Golden State Warriors | 4-3 |
| 2015 | Golden State Warriors | +2800 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4-2 |
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
| Team | NBA Titles | NBA Finals Appearances | Most Recent NBA Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | 18 | 23 | 2024 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 17 | 32 | 2020 |
| Golden State Warriors | 7 | 12 | 2022 |
| Chicago Bulls | 6 | 6 | 1998 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 5 | 6 | 2014 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 3 | 9 | 1983 |
| Detroit Pistons | 3 | 7 | 2004 |
| Miami Heat | 3 | 6 | 2013 |
| New York Knicks | 2 | 8 | 1973 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 2 | 3 | 2021 |
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
| Team | Number Of Seasons | Furthest Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Clippers | 49 | Western Conference Final (2021) |
| Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats | 30 | Eastern Conference Semifinals (1993, 1998, 2001, 2002) |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 29 | Western Conference Final (2004) |
| Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies | 23 | Western Conference Final (2013) |
| New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans | 17 | Western 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.
