Three teams stand ahead of the pack on the NBA championship odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com as the league’s relaunched regular season winds down and the start of the postseason grows closer.
The Los Angeles Lakers continue to lead the way as the +220 favorites on the odds to win the NBA championship this summer, with the Milwaukee Bucks right behind them at +250 on those futures, and the Los Angeles Clippers the +325 third favorite to claim the title.
LeBron James and company have already clinched the top overall seed in the Western Conference, but they’ve looked rusty since the NBA returned to the hardwood in late July. The Lakers have won just three of seven games since the league restart, covering the spread just once in that span at online betting sites. Los Angeles will have its final playoff tuneup on Thursday night, when it takes on the Sacramento Kings.
Likewise, the Bucks have already locked down top spot in the Eastern Conference standings, but they’ve picked up the win in just two of their first six games of the league restart as they prepare for the postseason. The Clippers, sitting in second place in the Western Conference standings, have split their first six games of the restart with three wins and three losses.
The Toronto Raptors are next up on the updated NBA championship odds at +1000, and the defending league champions will be the second seed in the Eastern Conference behind the Bucks. The Raptors have lost just once since play resumed, falling to the Celtics 122-100 on August 7, and overall they’ve managed to win nine of their last 10 games with seven covers.
The Houston Rockets are then at +1200 on the futures, with the Celtics a step back at +1400 on those NBA odds, followed by a jump to the Philadelphia 76ers at +2800. The Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat are both at +3000, followed by the Dallas Mavericks at +4000.
Rounding out the latest NBA championship odds are the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz both at +5000, the Oklahoma City Thunder at +8000, the Indiana Pacers at +15000, the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns at +20000, the Orlando Magic at +25000, the Memphis Grizzlies at +30000, and the San Antonio Spurs at +40000.