The regular NBA season is coming to an end, and this weekend is the start of the 2024 NBA postseason playoffs. The Boston Celtics are the betting favorites to win the Championship Series. But the Denver Nuggets are the defending champions and will have plenty to say. In our latest NBA betting futures, we tell you who will win this year.
It feels a little bit like Groundhog Day with the Boston Celtics. Throughout the majority of the 2022/23 season, they were the favorites. Then in the Conference Finals, they went and lost to the Miami Heat.
In 2023/24, it has – so far – been the same story. The Celtics have been favorites for pretty much the entire season. But with the favorites tag comes expectation. Last year, they couldn’t live up to it. This season they are a year older and wiser. So can they finally get the job done in 2024?
The best NBA playoffs betting sites favor the Boston Celtics. They have throughout the season. And with the postseason set to start, the Celtics are now just +160 to win a record 18th Championship.
The closest team to Boston in the betting is the Denver Nuggets. Last year the Nuggets came to life in the postseason. Led by a combination of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter, the Nuggets were on another level in the playoffs.
Mike Malone’s team won 16 of the 20 matches they played. They even managed to sweep the Lakers in a ridiculously one-sided conference finals. And when they came to face the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, the writing was on the wall from very early on.
To repeat last season’s win, the Nuggets are +300.
Confirming how much the bookmakers think this is between two franchises, the third betting favorites are the Dallas Mavericks, the LA Clippers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder. All three are +1400.
Below are more options from different sportsbooks on our NBA betting table. You can read more about the bookmakers we have used on our best betting sites 2024 page.
| 2023/24 NBA Championship Winner Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | +160 | +160 | +160 |
| Dener Nuggets | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| LA Lakers | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Phoenix Suns | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| New York Knicks | +3500 | +3500 | +3500 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Indiana Pacers | +7500 | +7500 | +7500 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | +8000 | +8000 | +8000 |
| Sacramento Kings | +8000 | +8000 | +8000 |
| Miami Heat | +10000 | +10000 | +10000 |
| Orlando Magic | +15000 | +15000 | +15000 |
| Chicago Bulls | +25000 | +25000 | +25000 |
We already know the two outstanding favorites to win the 2024 NBA Championship are the Celtics and the Nuggets. So let’s take a closer look at both franchises.
The Boston Celtics finished the regular season with a 64-18 record. They were 14 wins ahead of the Knicks, who finished second on 50-32.
No one in the whole of the NBA has come close to matching the Celtics’ record.
But we’ve seen before. This is where the real work begins for Joe Mazzulla and his team. And if they fall short again, Mazzulla could find himself coming under fire. So there is pressure both on and off the court for the Celtics.
The Celtics’ outstanding season in 2023/24 has seen them named the No.1 seeds, meaning they will have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The last time they had home advantage was in 2008. And we all know what happened that year.
As things stand, Boston doesn’t know who they will take on in the 1st Round of the Playoffs. They need to wait for the end of the Play-In Tournament for confirmation.
In the betting to win the Eastern Conference, Boston is -200 with the best NBA betting sites.
The Denver Nuggets have reached the playoffs for a sixth successive season. Mike Malone’s team goes into the postseason as the No.2 seed in the Western Conference due to the tiebreaker rule. Oklahoma City is the No.1 seed.
Despite this, the Nuggets are still the favorites to win the Conference Finals at -145. Oklahoma is next at +600.
In the First Round of the playoffs, the Nuggets will be facing the LA Lakers. This gives LeBron and Co. the chance to gain some real revenge for last year’s humiliation in the Conference Finals.
But it may also get the Nuggets going again. And if they can get to the level they showed 12 months ago, it could fire them to a second successive NBA Championship.
We feel this will be a final between the Celtics and the Nuggets. The Celtics have been the standout team all season. The Nuggets have big-game players who know how to win Championships.
For our betting pick, we have to go with the Celtics. We picked them earlier in the season. We can’t abandon them now.
But we do like the look of the Nuggets. And we wouldn’t be against backing them now, especially as they are better odds than the Celtics. And if the two franchises make the finals, we would have it down as a 50/50 call, so a small cover bet on Denver won’t go amiss.
Check below for our list of the top sportsbooks where you can wager:
About the Author
Over the last 10 years, Dean has sharpened his expertise in crafting and revising content for his soccer and cricket betting platforms. Driven by his passion for sports betting and writing, he embarked on a journey of writing about sports wagering. Although Dean's preferred areas of focus are the English Premier League and cricket, his extensive sports knowledge enables him to tackle nearly any sport. Gone are the days of traveling the world to witness events like FIFA World Cups and Ashes cricket, as Dean now prefers the comfort of his own home while enjoying sports.
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