Long before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season, the Denver Nuggets (+475) opened as the betting favorite to repeat as NBA champions.

82 regular season games later, Denver (+300) is still one of the favorites.

But, it was the Boston Celtics (+390) that took over the top spot as betting favorites when the NBA regular season officially began, with Denver falling to third (+525), one spot lower than the Milwaukee Bucks (+400).

In a season dominated by expected contenders, one of the biggest risers in the NBA Finals conversation is the Oklahoma City Thunder (+1600).

On Opening Night, Oklahoma City’s odds to win the finals were +6800, and they finished the NBA season with a record of 57-25 and claimed the official No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

The below NBA Playoff Betting article covers the following topics:

• Eastern Conference Contenders
• Western Conference Contenders
• NBA Playoffs – Popular Bets
• NBA Playoffs – Prop Betting
• NBA Playoffs – Betting Strategies
• Advanced Betting Technology For Bettors
• A Bettors Biggest Edge

Eastern Conference Contenders

Boston Celtics (+160)

To start the 2024 NBA playoffs, the Boston Celtics are the betting favorite to win the Finals at +180 odds. To win the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are heavily favored at -200.

Boston is expected to make a strong run through the Eastern Conference in the NBA Playoffs, and because of this foreseen dominance, Celtics’ power forward Jayson Tatum is also the betting favorite to take home the NBA Finals MVP Award (+185).

The Celtics will have a home-court advantage as long as they are alive in the playoffs. This year, Boston was a ridiculous 37-4 straight up at home and 22-17-2 (56.4%) Against The Spread (ATS) on their home court.

Milwaukee Bucks (+1600)

The Bucks’ went just 3-7 in their final 10 regular season games, and with the limping effort into the playoffs, Milwuakee’s NBA Finals odds have also fallen back.

A few of those losses were frustrating too, including three consecutive losses to the Washington Wizards (15-67), Memphis Grizzlies (27-55), and Toronto Raptors (25-57).

The Bucks opened the 2023 season at +400 to win the NBA Finals, but it’s beginning to look more like a year of transition for Milwaukee.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence in the playoffs has diminished Milwaukee’s chances at an NBA Finals appearance, and Antetokounmpo has fallen off the NBA Finals MVP odds board at most sportsbooks.

Philadelphia 76ers (+1700)

When the Philadelphia 76ers have superstar center Joel Embiid in the lineup, they may have, arguably, the most game-changing talent on the floor.

Unfortunately, Embiid only played in 39 of 82 games this season, and with his status in a state of flux, bettors may be more reluctant to get behind the Sixers’ title odds.

Philly opened the season with odds of around +4000, so they’ve still impressed enough in the East to remain a relative threat.

Obviously, with Embiid only suiting up in 39 games this year, he won’t be the MVP, but if the Sixers were to find postseason success, he could win NBA Finals MVP.

Embiid’s current odds to be the NBA Finals MVP is +6000.

Any bettor that believes in betting the Sixers at +1700 to win it all should consider parlaying a Philly title with an Embiid for MVP wager.

It’s hard to visualize a scenario where Philadelphia wins the championship, and someone other than Embiid is named finals MVP.

Western Conference Contenders

Denver Nuggets (+300)

The Denver Nuggets never lost more than three games in a row all season, so in a seven-game series, they may be the toughest test in the West.

After winning it all in 2023, the Nuggets starting five remains the same, with a few different key role-players coming off the bench.

Essentially, this team is an exact copy of last year’s championship squad.

That recent experience of winning it all can go a long way for this Denver unit.

Nikola Jokic has a realistic shot of being named MVP for the third time in four years, and if the Nuggets were to repeat, Jokic (+250) could be named NBA Finals MVP for the second year in a row.

Los Angeles Clippers (+1300)

The Los Angeles Clippers finished the regular season with the fourth-best record in the Western Conference (51-31), and the veteran trio of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden could be enough to carry them to the Finals.

Through all 82 regular season games, and the first four playoff games, the Clippers have only covered 46.5% of spreads (40-46) hold a 56% rate on the under (37-47-2).

Los Angeles was 12th in the NBA in points per game (115.6) and 10th in the NBA in points allowed (112.3), proving to be an above average club on both sides of the ball.

The Clippers are near the middle of the pack in most statistics, which gives them a feel of a middle-of-the-pack kind of team. They’ll need their veteran star players to be at the top of their game.

Oklahoma City Thunder (+1600)

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the No. 1 seed in the West, yet they hold the conference’s third-shortest odds to win the NBA Finals.

Also, the Thunder will receive home court advantage throughout the playoffs, and they were a wildly impressive 33-8 at home this season with an against the spread record of 27-14 (65.9%).

Oklahoma City’s young trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Josh Giddey have turned the tide for the Thunder much quicker than some may have anticipated.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s odds to win the NBA Finals MVP is +950, the third-shortest odds, and as the NBA’s third-leading scorer with 30.1 points per game (behind only Antetokounmpo’s 30.4 ppg and Doncic’s 33.9 ppg), he would make a fine choice for Finals MVP.

The No. 1 seed in the West indicates that the Thunder should no longer be considered a surprise.

NBA Finals MVP Odds

Below, you can also find the latest odds for the NBA Finals MVP this year:

NBA Playoffs – Popular Bets

Point Spread Betting

The most popular way to bet on NBA games has been to bet the spread.

Point Spread Example:

Golden State +3.5 | -110

Sacramento -3.5 | -110

In our game above, the sportsbooks have set the point spread at 3.5 points. We can see that Golden State is the underdog because they have the plus (+) sign in front of the 3.5. This means they are receiving an additional 3.5 points.

If a bettor wanted to wager on the Warriors +3.5, Golden State would need to either lose by three points or less OR win the game outright to win the bet.

For Sacramento, because they are -3.5 points, the Kings would need to win the game by four points or more to cash a bet.

Totals (O/U)

Totals betting refers to how many combined points both teams will score. Totals betting is often referred to as Over/Under betting as well.

Totals Betting Example:

Golden State vs Sacramento

Total (O/U) – +215.5 points | Over -110 | Under -110

In our example above, the total has been set for +215.5 points. As a bettor, we must now decide if the game’s combined score will be Over or Under that number.

It’s just that easy.

Moneyline

Moneyline betting is all about picking winners. Of course, bettors must be aware of the odds for each team.

Moneyline Betting Example:

Golden State | +120

Sacramento | -125

In our example game above, Golden State is the underdog, and Sacramento is the favorite.

At +120 odds, a $100 bettor would win $120 in profit.

At -125 odds, a bettor would have to wager $125 to win $100 in profit.

Moneyline betting doesn’t require a team to win by a specific amount of points like point spread betting.

However, sportsbooks will adjust the odds so that we are deterred from just betting on the favorites all the time.

Moneyline betting is about understanding when to pick our spots with underdogs capable of winning the game outright.

NBA Playoffs – Prop Betting

A prop bet is a sports bet where the outcome of the bet is typically not related to the outcome of the game. Prop bets can be team, game or player related.

A popular NBA playoff prop bet is picking which team will win the series.

NBA Player Prop betting is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to bet on basketball, whether it’s playoff or regular season games.

Before the legalization of sports betting, many of us were active Fantasy Sports players.

Because fantasy sports have been around for so long and because many of us are more familiar with individual players than we are with all 30 NBA teams, we can be more comfortable betting on player performance-related wagers.

Some of the more popular NBA player props include:

• Player O/U total points or assists or rebounds, etc.
• Player O/U total points and assists combined
• Player O/U total points, assists and rebounds combined
• Player to score 1st field goal or first basket of the game
• Player O/U to record a double/double: Yes/No
• Player to receive a technical foul: Yes/No

NBA Playoffs – Betting Strategies

The amount of technology being used by the sportsbooks to analyze the massive amounts of data now available for all major sports means lines and odds today are sharper (more accurate) than ever before.

There was a brief period when sports bettors were at a disadvantage against the sportsbooks unless they had the required data-science skills and access to the huge data streams being used by operators to set their odds.

However, thanks to some companies who have created technology that benefits the sports bettors and not the sportsbooks, the playing field for recreational bettors has never been more level.

Advanced Betting Technology For Bettors

BestOdds Edge is a sports betting platform that bettors of all experience and skill levels use, allowing us to compete head-to-head with the sportsbooks.

For the first time, recreational sports bettors can now access the information and tools used by those creating and setting the odds.

What BestOdds Edge can do so well for bettors is to help analyze the hundreds of available prop bets on the market and quickly identify the opportunities that are advantageous for bettors.

With hundreds of available bets for each game, the time and effort required to properly analyze all the available options is unrealistic for most sports bettors.

BestOdds Edge not only does the analysis work for all of us, but they then provide that data and information in easy-to-consume formats that make handicapping our bets a very efficient and easy process.

BestOdds Edge allows bettors access to the same data and information used by sportsbooks to create their odds, allowing us to make the most informed decisions possible when placing our next bet.

A Bettors Biggest Edge

As discussed above, the technology available for sports bettors today has helped make the goal of becoming a long-term profitable bettor much more realistic.

However, it’s still important to understand that the single greatest edge a bettor has over the sportsbooks is our ability to shop around and find the Best Odds available.

Before the playoffs started, the Oklahoma City Thunder could be found at +1200 to win the NBA Championship or as high as +1600 to win it all.

The difference in ROI between +1200 and +1600 is huge. A bettor has created a significant edge in their favor by playing the Best Odds available.