The conference finals are underway, with the Miami Heat pulling away from the Boston Celtics for a Game 1 win in the East, while the Golden State Warriors blew out the Dallas Mavericks in their opener out West.
Miami's Game 1 win has bumped the Heat up the board and now has Jimmy Butler & Co. as the second overall favorite in the odds to win the NBA Championship (Boston dropped from 2/1 to 3/1). The Warriors are still the top chalk in the NBA Championship futures while Dallas remains the long shot, priced as large as 10/1.
Here's an updated look at the NBA Championship odds as of May 19.
2021-22 NBA Championship odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks. Analysis below may not match live odds. Compare NBA futures odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
NBA Championship favorites
Golden State Warriors (+100 to +120)
The Warriors needed a little extra time to take care of the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies, but dealt a serious first blow to the Mavericks with a crushing 112-87 win Wednesday night.
Golden State lost three of the four regular-season meetings with Dallas but never had its complete "Big Three" of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green for those contests. Fielding a healthier squad, Golden State took a comfortable W, with seven players in double figures and no need to lean on its stars down the stretch.
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Miami Heat (+250 to +320)
Miami was a home favorite vs. Boston for Game 1 and came through with a dominant third quarter that made the difference in the series opener. Butler continues to play at a high level and the Heat's defense did a great job slowing down the Celtics' scorers Tuesday.
That said, Boston was down both Marcus Smart and Al Horford in the opener and oddsmakers had the Celtics as series favorites before Game 1 tipped off. If the Cs can steal a win in South Beach for Game 2, NBA title odds will see another shakeup soon.
2022 NBA Championship line movement
See the line movement for potential NBA Finals teams starting from last summer. Filter by Favorites, Contenders, Long Shots and Lottery Tickets (the longest of shots). Tap the team logos or lines (mouse over on desktop) to isolate individual teams.
Understanding NBA Championship odds
Sportsbooks will post NBA finals futures as early as the summer before the season starts. These NBA futures are constantly adjusted throughout the offseason 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:
- Milwaukee Bucks +240
This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to win $240 if the Bucks win the NBA title. If it's close to the end of the regular season or even during the playoffs and the NBA has a very dominant team, you might see that a team is has a minus sign (-) ahead of its odds.
- Golden State Warriors -150
This means that if you bet on the Golden State Warriors during the 2018-2019 NBA season you would have needed to bet $150 to profit $100 if the Warriors 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.
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 hasn't been this great in decades.
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 futures bet on another East contender has tremendous value.
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.
Which states have legal NBA betting?
The 30 states below have legalized single-game wagering to some degree, whether that be at retail locations or online mobile betting on betting sites. In addition, nine other states are in the process of considering legal sports betting.
If you're in a state that allows mobile, 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.
| Legal State | Retail | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Yes | Yes |
| Arkansas | Yes | No |
| Colorado | Yes | Yes |
| Connecticut | Yes | Yes |
| Delaware | Yes | No |
| DC | Yes | Yes |
| Illinois | Yes | Yes |
| Indiana | Yes | Yes |
| Iowa | Yes | Yes |
| Louisiana | Yes | Yes |
| Maryland | Yes | No |
| Michigan | Yes | Yes |
| Mississippi | Yes | No |
| Montana | Yes | No |
| Nevada | Yes | Yes |
| New Hampshire | Yes | Yes |
| New Jersey | Yes | Yes |
| New Mexico | Yes | No |
| New York | Yes | Yes |
| North Carolina | Yes | No |
| Oregon | Yes | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | Yes |
| Rhode Island | Yes | Yes |
| South Dakota | Yes | No |
| Tennessee | No | Yes |
| Virginia | No | Yes |
| Washington | Yes | Yes |
| West Virginia | Yes | Yes |
| Wisconsin | Yes | No |
| Wyoming | No | Yes |
Legal states as of Feb. 15, 2022.
NBA Championship Odds FAQs
The Golden State Warriors are the current favorites to win the NBA championship.
NBA Championship odds above are in American format, meaning a $100 bet at odds of +250 would profit $250 if it wins.
Oddsmakers at sportsbooks create odds to win the NBA Championship based on the team's implied probability to win the title. The team with the lowest odds has the best chance to win the NBA Championship.
