2024 NBA Championship Odds: Mavs Advance, Will Face Favored Celtics

The storylines surrounding the NBA Championship odds are plentiful.

Luka Doncic's first time in the Finals.

Kyrie Irving in a highest-stakes rematch with the Boston Celtics.

The Dallas Mavericks, after emphatically disposing of the T-Wolves, are playing for the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time since 2011 — when they claimed the title as sizeable underdogs.

Can history repeat itself? NBA odds to win the title saw Boston open in the -220 range, with the series set to begin on June 6.

NBA Championship odds

We have the latest NBA odds, including odds to win the NBA Finals, Game 1 odds, and series score odds.

Odds at a glance:

• Dallas Mavericks to Win: +184 
• Boston Celtics to Win: -220
• Dallas Mavericks in 4 Games: +2200 
• Boston Celtics in 4 Games: +650 
• Dallas Mavericks in 5 Games: +1100 
• Boston Celtics in 5 Games: +310 
• Dallas Mavericks in 6 Games: +550 
• Boston Celtics in 6 Games: +470
• Dallas Mavericks in 7 Games: +800 
• Boston Celtics in 7 Games: +410

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

NBA Finals Series odds

Result
Dallas Mavericks to Win	+184	+175	+180
Dallas Mavericks in 4 Games	+2200	+1900	+2200
Dallas Mavericks in 5 Games	+1100	+1200	+1400
Dallas Mavericks in 6 Games	+550	+550	+500
Dallas Mavericks in 7 Games	+800	+800	+800
Boston Celtics to Win	-220	-215	-220
Boston Celtics in 4 Games	+650	+600	+800
Boston Celtics in 5 Games	+310	+34	+320
Boston Celtics in 6 Games	+470	+475	+450
Boston Celtics in 7 Games	+410	+350	+320

Live odds to win NBA Finals

Live Game 1 NBA Finals odds

2024 NBA title odds favorites

Boston Celtics (-240 to -222)

The Boston Celtics are back in the NBA Finals. It hasn't been a long drought, though, since they fell to the Golden State Warriors two years ago in six games. Still, the Celtics haven't won a championship since the Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen heyday of 2007-08.

Doubters will say the Celtics have had it easy this postseason as their opponents have rarely been at full strength, including the just vanquished Indiana Pacers, who lost star point guard Tyrese Haliburton for the final two games of the East Finals. And despite the sweep, three of the four games were decided by five points or less, so the Pacers hung in there. In fact, the Celtics trailed in the fourth quarter in all three of those close games.

But, it doesn't matter how you win but that you win, and a less-than-dominant run has not deterred NBA playoff odds.

2024 NBA Finals underdog

Dallas Mavericks (+175 to +184)

The Dallas Mavericks have been something of an under-the-radar team during the playoffs, but the Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving-led brigade of functional talent has shown its post-trade deadline surge was no fluke.

After dispatching their eternal foe Clippers and No. 1 seed Thunder, the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves was expected to be a fearsome test.

However, the Mavs jumped out to a 3-0 series lead before losing 105-100 on Tuesday night — but then Doncic reminded everyone that he's him, posting a 36/10/5 stat line, while Irving also dropped 36 as the Mavs cruised to an easy Game 5 (and WCF) win.

Best NBA futures bonuses

 All Users
Instant payout for NBA moneylines
If your team goes up by 20+! Claim Now
See our bet365 sportsbook review

New Users
Get a no-sweat first bet
Up to $1,500! Claim Now
See our BetMGM sportsbook review

Eligible USA locations only. Also, see our full list of best sportsbook promotions for 2024.
21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

NBA Finals odds over time

Here's a look at how NBA championship odds stack up league-wide this season. We'll be updating throughout the playoffs to show how the odds race evolves.    

Understanding NBA Finals futures, point spreads and lines

Sportsbooks will post NBA Finals futures as soon as the previous season concludes, and some even sooner. These betting boards are constantly adjusted throughout the summer and ensuing season as players get hurt or are traded. Once the regular season begins, NBA Finals odds will change daily as teams win and lose games, and as more players are injured or traded. Sportsbooks will also adjust the NBA title odds based on handle and liability to certain teams.

NBA Championship odds will usually look like this:

• Dallas Mavericks +240

This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to win $240 if the Mavs win the NBA title. If it's close to the end of the season or the NBA has a very dominant team, you could see a minus sign (-) ahead of a team's odds. 

• Boston Celtics -150

This means that if you bet on the Celtics during the 2023-2024 NBA season you would have needed to bet $150 to profit $100 if Boston won the championship.

Above we have posted the American odds for the NBA championship. However, these are easy to convert to decimal odds or fractional odds with our odds converter tool.

Reading the NBA Finals moneyline odds

Betting the moneyline (ML) in the NBA means simply picking which team wins the game outright. Moneyline favorites have a negative value (-110), while moneyline underdogs have a positive value (+110). It's a two-way market, which means there are only two options to place a wager. 

Team	Moneyline odds
Boston Celtics	-130
Dallas Mavericks	+110

American odds are very straightforward. If a sportsbook has the Boston Celtics listed as -130 favorites, you would have to bet $130 to win $100. If you wagered $100 on the opposing underdog Minnesota Timberwolves at +110, you would get a $210 return, including your original stake.

Past NBA Finals winners

The Denver Nuggets hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2023, toppling the eighth-seeded Miami Heat by a 4-1 tally.

Here are the last 10 NBA Finals winners, along with their opening odds.

Season	NBA Finals Winner	Opening odds	Runner up
2022-23	Denver Nuggets	+1,800	Miami Heat
2021-22	Golden State Warriors	+1,200	Boston Celtics
2020-21	Milwaukee Bucks	+500	Phoenix Suns
2019-20	Los Angeles Lakers	+1,800	Miami Heat
2018-19	Toronto Raptors	+6,600	Golden State Warriors
2017-18	Golden State Warriors	-168	Cleveland Cavaliers
2016-17	Golden State Warriors	+215	Cleveland Cavaliers
2015-16	Cleveland Cavaliers	+300	Golden State Warriors
2014-15	Golden State Warriors	+2,500	Cleveland Cavaliers
2013-14	San Antonio Spurs	+1,000	Miami Heat

Teams with the most NBA Championships

No team has ever enjoyed a longer stretch of dominance than the Celtics, who won eight straight championships from 1959 to 1966. The franchise's stunning superiority was due in large part to the spectacular play of Bill Russell, who won 11 titles in his 13 years in the league.

Team	NBA championships
Los Angeles Lakers	17
Boston Celtics	17
Golden State Warriors	7
Chicago Bulls	6
San Antonio Spurs	5
Philadelphia 76ers	3
Detroit Pistons	3
Miami Heat	3
Milwaukee Bucks	2
New York Knicks	2
Houston Rockets	2
Toronto Raptors	1
Dallas Mavericks	1
Cleveland Cavaliers	1
Portland Trail Blazers	1
Denver Nuggets	1

Best NBA Finals betting sites

If you're in a state that allows mobile, or online betting, make sure you know which sites are the best basketball betting sites. The best betting sites offer sharp odds, quick payouts and are safe and secure when it comes to depositing and withdrawing your money. 

NBA Championship odds trends

• The Western Conference has won 14 of the last 21 NBA Championships.
  
  
• A No. 1 seed has won the championship in 11 of the last 21 seasons.
  
  
• The last time a non-Top-3 seed won the championship was 1995 (Houston, No. 6).
  
  
• The Golden State Warriors have won four of the past eight NBA titles, and been Western Conference champions in two of those four seasons they didn't lift the Larry O. 

How to bet NBA Finals odds

There are many strategies to consider when making an NBA futures bet on which team will win the championship. Obviously, you're looking to bet on who you think can navigate through the NBA playoffs and come out on top. So, just because a team is in first place at the NBA All-Star break, it doesn't mean that's the best roster to win in the postseason. 

One thing to consider is the conference the teams play in because a team needs to win its conference before it can win the NBA title. The West has long been considered the better of the two conferences, but the East's depth of elite teams has recently become as impressive, if not more. 

Also, consider how an injury may affect a futures bet. Let's say the Milwaukee Bucks are a heavy favorite to win the Eastern Conference and a short favorite to win the NBA title. But what happens if Giannis Antetokounmpo gets hurt? In that case, a ticket on a rival team to win becomes extremely valuable.

Other things to consider are strength of schedule, and even load management. Maybe a team is undervalued in the futures market because it has played the more difficult portion of its schedule early on. Or perhaps a team has more losses than it should because it has been sitting its best player on the second half of back-to-back games all season. 

Check out more insight into how to bet on basketball.

NBA Championship Odds FAQs

Pages related to this topic