2026 NBA Championship Odds: Spurred On

The San Antonio Spurs appear ready for primetime after leapfrogging Denver and Houston in the standings.

Ryan Murphy - Managing Editor at Covers.com
Ryan Murphy β€’ Managing Editor
Feb 9, 2026 β€’ 16:10 ET β€’ 5 min read
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks the ball during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center.
Photo By - Reuters Connect. San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks the ball during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center.

Here come the San Antonio Spurs!

Written off by many as a bubble team when the season began, the Spurs have moved within 3.5 games of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference standings on the strength of a four-game win streak. That span includes an impressive 116-106 victory over the aforementioned Thunder, whom the Spurs are now 4-1 against this season.

San Antonio has a golden opportunity to move even closer - and improve its title odds - as OKC deals with an abdominal strain to reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Let’s break down the latest odds with February underway and All-Star Weekend fast approaching.

πŸ† 2026 NBA Championship odds

Team bet365
Celtics Oklahoma City Thunder +120
Nuggets Denver Nuggets +550
Cavaliers Cleveland Cavaliers +1200
Pistons Detroit Pistons +1400
Knicks New York Knicks +1400
Spurs San Antonio Spurs +1500
Celtics Boston Celtics +1500
Rockets Houston Rockets +2200
Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves +2800
Lakers Los Angeles Lakers +4000

The Thunder's odds have moved from +230 before the season began to +120 today. Rounding out the Top 5 are the Denver Nuggets (+550), Cleveland Cavaliers (+1200), Detroit Pistons (+1400), and New York Knicks (+1400).

The Timberwolves have tumbled from +1400 to +2800 over the past week after losing two straight games to the Pelicans and Clippers and failing to make any truly impactful moves at the NBA Trade Deadline.

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πŸ“ˆ 2026 NBA Finals odds over time

Here's a visual representation of how the NBA championship has odds evolved since June 2025.

πŸ’° Sportsbook betting splits and insights

Highest ticket percentage
•    Nuggets 8.8%
•    Thunder 8.7%
•    Mavericks 8.2%
 
Highest handle percentage
•    Thunder 17.9%
•    Mavericks 16.3%
•    Lakers 13.3%
 
Biggest liability
•    Mavericks 
•    Lakers
•    Warriors 

Data courtesy of BetMGM.

2026 NBA Championship opening odds

  • Thunder +230
  • Knicks +900
  • Pacers +900
  • Timberwolves +1000
  • Cavaliers +1100
  • Rockets +1200
  • Lakers +1600
  • Spurs +1600
  • Nuggets +1700
  • Celtics +2000
  • Warriors +2300
  • Magic +2500
  • Mavericks +4000
  • Clippers +4000
  • 76ers +4500
  • Heat +5000
  • Pistons +7000
  • Bucks +7500
  • Grizzlies +10000
  • Raptors +15000
  • Suns +17000
  • Kings +20000
  • Pelicans +20000
  • Nets +25000
  • Hawks +30000
  • Bulls +40000
  • Trail Blazers +40000
  • Wizards +60000
  • Hornets +60000
  • Jazz +60000

πŸ€– AI NBA Championship prediction

We turned to the enormous computing power of ChatGPT to find out who the large language model believes will be the last team standing this season. Not surprisingly, it stuck with the defending champs.

Oklahoma City has the cleanest runway to be the best team in 2026: an MVP-caliber engine in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander entering the heart of his prime, a two-way star wing in Jalen Williams, and a 7-footer in Chet Holmgren whose blend of rim protection, spacing, and feel supercharges modern schemes. That trio already drives elite half-court efficiency and a top-tier defense, and it’s backed by organizational continuity that reliably turns role players into playoff-useful pieces. Holmgren’s strength and timing appear to be fully NBA-hardened, unlocking more switching and fewer help-and-recover compromises, while SGA’s mid-range and foul-drawing remain matchup-proof in May and June.

Depth and optionality push the Thunder over the top. They can win big or small, play five-out without sacrificing rim protection, and toggle between pressure defense and conservative coverages depending on opponent. Crucially, they still have surplus picks and cap flexibility to plug the inevitable holes that show up in a long postseason, whether that’s a second unit scorer, another stretch big, or a specialist wing.

Expect a rotation stacked with plus length, shooting, and decision-making around the core; enough to outlast the West’s heavyweights and finish the job in the Finals.

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Ryan Murphy Managing Editor at Covers
Managing Editor

Ryan Murphy began his love affair with sports journalism at the age of nine when he wrote his first article about his little league baseball team. He has since authored his own weekly column for Fox Sports and has been a trusted voice within the sports betting industry for the past eight years with stops at XL Media and Churchill Downs. He’s been proud to serve as Managing Editor at Covers since 2022.

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