Sportsbooks are rooting for the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the NBA Finals after they defeated the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 Sunday.
Despite being overwhelming favorites to win the Finals, BetMGM reported it stood to gain if the Thunder capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Key takeaways
- The Thunder have the NBA's third-smallest market size.
- The L.A. Lakers were the biggest liability to win the Finals.
- Only 4.9% of NBA Finals bets were on the Indiana Pacers.
Sportsbooks often face heavy liability from the top teams and outcomes in futures betting markets. That’s not the case in 2025 NBA Finals odds, where the -175 Thunder would be a welcome winner for sportsbooks.
“BetMGM is cheering for the Thunder to win the NBA Championship heading into the Conference Finals,” said Christian Cipollini, BetMGM Trading Manager. “OKC is the best result for the sportsbook on the futures market.”
The Thunder, who opened at +950 and now have a 63.6% implied chance to win the title, are only fourth in total tickets (9.8%). The podium spots belong to the Boston Celtics (12.5%), the L.A. Lakers (12.3%), and Denver Nuggets (11.8%).
The Lakers, eliminated in the first round, also had the highest percentage of tickets (18.4%) to win the Western Conference. That made them the biggest liability to clinch the West and the third-highest to win the NBA Finals.
The Thunder had the highest handle for NBA Finals winners (22.6%) and Western Conference bets (27%), though their shortened odds make them less of a burden for books.
The biggest liability to win the title were the Golden State Warriors and the team that just eliminated them in five games, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
More NBA betting trends
Over in the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks are -155 to beat the Indiana Pacers and face either the Thunder or the Timberwolves in the NBA Finals.
The Knicks, who haven’t won the Finals since 1973, have 6.7% of the tickets and 6.2% of the handle to end their streak. They also have 14.8% of the tickets and 11.7% of the action to win the East.
The Pacers enjoy the least support of any remaining team with 4.9% of bets and 4.1% of handle on NBA Finals futures bets. However, they have 14.2% of tickets and 18% of the money to win the East, with higher action than the Knicks.
The defending-champion Celtics led the conference in handle (41.5%), while the top-seed Cleveland Cavaliers had the high mark in tickets (27.2%).
The Detroit Pistons, who lost to the Knicks in six games in the first round, were the biggest liability to clinch the conference title.
Matchup breakdowns
The Thunder blew out the Nuggets in Game 7 Sunday, 125-93, while the Timberwolves have rested since last Wednesday following their five-game series win over the Warriors. The Thunder and Wolves split their regular-season series 2-2 and played three of those matchups from Feb. 13-24.
The Pacers are arguably playing their best ball of the year, while the Knicks just eliminated the reigning champion Celtics in six contests. The favored New Yorkers won the season series 2-1, with the most recent matchup Feb. 11.
