We did it. It started all the way back on October 24, but we all got through the NBA’s 82-game regular season together. Now it’s time for the really fun stuff.
The NBA playoffs are just around the corner, with series set to get underway this Saturday. However, we’ve also got an incredibly competitive (at least in the West) Play-In Tournament this week.
Let’s take a look at where the NBA Championship odds currently sit, less than 36 hours away from the Play-In.
2025 NBA Championship Odds
The four teams with the shortest odds on this list shouldn’t come as too much of a shock.
After winning the Western Conference by a staggering 16 games, the Thunder (+165) are the rightful favorites to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy at season’s end, with the reigning Champion Celtics (+190) sitting just slightly behind them. However, it is worth noting that Boston does not have home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs, as the Cavaliers (+700) claimed the one-seed with their 64-win campaign. You’d think that would be enough for better odds, yet Cleveland looked shaky down the stretch, posting an 8-7 record in its final 15 contests with an underwhelming 2.7 net rating.
The Lakers (+1400) also didn’t play amazingly well in the season’s final 15 games, registering a negative net rating in that span of time (-0.7). Still, they’re the Lakers. They employ LeBron James and Luka Doncic. They’re always going to be an extremely public team.
Where things get really interesting is the Warriors (+1700), who possess the fifth-best odds to win the championship despite not technically possessing a playoff spot. Golden State has seen its fortune completely shift since acquiring Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, yet the squad was unable to entirely dig itself out of its first-half hole, finishing 48-34 — a single game out of the six-seed in the West. Now, the Warriors will have to face-off with the Grizzlies (+30000) on Tuesday in the Play-In. The magnitude of this contest can not be overstated. Yes, Golden State would have a second opportunity to clinch a postseason berth if it lost to Memphis, but the difference between the seven-seed and the eight-seed is paramount. If the Warriors can defeat the Grizzlies, it would set up a first-round tilt with the inexperienced Rockets (+8000) instead of the aforementioned Thunder. Golden State would be favored in a series with Houston.
The Clippers (+4000) are another team to watch. It was Los Angeles who knocked the Warriors into the Play-In with an overtime victory on Sunday — the team’s eighth straight win. No one posted a better net rating (15.0) than the Clippers across the regular season’s final 15 games and Los Angeles looks like it could be a tough out with James Harden and Kawhi Leonard both healthy and playing exceedingly well.
Finally, let’s briefly touch on the Bucks (+11000). Any organization that employs Giannis Antetokounmpo has to be taken seriously in the postseason and there’s always the chance that Milwaukee regains the services of Damian Lillard at some point in the playoffs. As the five-seed in the East, the Bucks won’t have home court advantage in their first-round meeting with the Pacers (+8000), but Milwaukee’s side of the bracket will avoid the Celtics until the Eastern Conference Finals. Just saying.
