It’s the evening of NBA Opening Night. After a wild 2025/2026 postseason, it’s time to see who can write their name in history during this 2026/27 season. Will the Knicks repeat as champions? Can the Thunder or Celtics win the crown back? San Antonio is on the rise and hungry for a championship. I could go on and on about these teams vying for the title, so let’s dig into a prediction and best bets for the NBA title winner.
NBA Championship Favorites
Here’s a look at the top teams in the NBA Championship odds market at DraftKings Sportsbook:
The Thunder and Spurs — who battled in a seven-game Western Conference Finals a season ago — are co-favorites at +270 each. Oddsmakers are confident that the West is a two-man race; five of the next six favorites come from the Eastern Conference. The defending champion New York Knicks are tied with the Philadelphia 76ers, who added Jaylen Brown and LeBron James in a couple of massive offseason moves. Rounding out the top contenders are the Boston Celtics, who swapped out Brown for Paul George in that trade with Philadelphia.
With too many potential long shots down the board to name, let’s get started with our official NBA Championship prediction and best bets.
NBA Championship Prediction
It’s hard not to back the machine that is Oklahoma City. The Western Conference Finals were a disaster for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s co-stars, as Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell missed significant time due to injury, while Chet Holmgren played as poorly as possible against Victor Wembanyama. Despite that, the Thunder still took the Spurs to seven games and had as good a chance to win the title as anybody.
Oklahoma City’s stock fell a bit too far during the offseason for my liking. Cap concerns led GM Sam Presti to trade Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, while their only replacements came from the draft. However, this just sets up another bet on the internal development of the Thunder, which has paid off many times in the past.
Ultimately, I’m not buying any decline from the Thunder this season. If Williams stays healthy, he forms an All-NBA trio with Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren. Mitchell looked like a breakout candidate, Cason Wallace continues to build confidence, Isaiah Hartenstein is rock-steady in the paint and Alex Caruso is arguably the best defender at his position in the league. That alone is enough to make them contenders, and Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring excellence will take them over the top.
The bench breakout candidates can’t be overlooked as well. Jaylin Williams, Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz and Jared McCain all have the potential to be significant bench contributors, and I wouldn’t even count out some solid minutes from Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber either. It’s a deep team once again, led by an MVP with a chip on his shoulder. Count me in.
Championship Best Bets
Why not take a shot with the Knicks? After all, they sliced and diced their way through the postseason, going 16-3 to capture an elusive Larry O’Brien trophy for New York. Outside of Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti, they brought back the whole team. With no current health concerns, it should be a no-brainer, right?
It’s the quality of the East that gives me pause here. Last year’s top two seeds — the Pistons and Celtics — were big postseason disappointments. The Sixers and Cavaliers managed to spring upsets, but never looked like serious contenders. The bottom of the Eastern playoff picture was littered with teams going nowhere fast.
A lot has changed after this offseason. For starters, Detroit and Boston aren’t going anywhere and should be competing with New York for the top seed. Toronto took a huge step forward by trading for Kawhi Leonard, while Philadelphia picked up Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, giving them arguably the league’s best starting five when healthy. Miami poached Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Bucks, while Cleveland and Atlanta made more upgrades to its respective starting lineups. Oh, and the Pacers have Tyrese Haliburton back with a better supporting cast than he had for the 2024/25 Finals run.
If the Knicks make it out of the East intact, they have the best chance of taking down the Spurs or Thunder, but it’s no sure thing in such a loaded conference. I still see them as a value, but this could get dicey. As long as they have Jalen Brunson, they have a chance.
The Raptors are an excellent longshot wager in the Eastern Conference. Last season, head coach Darko Rajaković built the league’s seventh-best defense on the foundation of Scottie Barnes and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles. Despite being a young team, Toronto looked remarkably composed throughout the season, as it took the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in an electric first-round series.
In one move, the Raptors removed their biggest anchor (Brandon Ingram) while acquiring a true superstar. Kawhi Leonard is back in Toronto for the first time since winning a championship in 2019. Once again, he’s playing on a deep team with excellent co-stars. Trying to score on Leonard, Barnes, and CMB is going to be a nightmare for their opponents all season long.
There are some definite holes on this roster, as I’m not a big fan of Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett is a little too high up in the scoring hierarchy for me. Jakob Poeltl is also quite diminished and injury-prone, leaving their center depth a bit vulnerable. But the Raptors are ready to push the chips in and should be active at the deadline, trying to capitalize on whatever high-level basketball Leonard has left. If he’s healthy come playoff time, the ceiling is very high for Toronto.
This is far and away my biggest “hear me out” of the NBA futures slate. So, hear me out.
The Indiana Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals in the 2024-25 season was based on a few basic principles. Play fast, stay versatile offensively, let Tyrese Haliburton cook and take plenty of defensive risks. Their entire core from two years ago, from the rotation to the head coach, has stuck around. There’s one notable exception: Indiana let Myles Turner walk, and replaced him with Ivica Zubac — who is going to be a massive upgrade.
Assuming Haliburton remains healthy, he should return to his old ways as an elite offensive engine. Pascal Siakam still has the goods to be a secondary scoring option, while Andrew Nembhard has continued to grow and the rest of the squad features plenty of elite play-finishers to capitalize on their excellent passing. Rick Carlisle always finds a way to get the most out of his squads, and I believe Indiana’s gap year has put them too far outside the minds of championship bettors. There is value to be had on the Pacers, and I love taking a shot on them and the Raptors to emerge from the East.
