2025 NBA Finals Odds: Celtics Favorites To Win Back-To-Back Championships
Odds for the 2025 NBA Finals are now out. The Boston Celtics, who just won their 18th championship, are the favorites to raise banner No. 19 as they return the bulk of this past season’s roster. Following suit are the Western Conference contenders – the Denver Nuggets (), Oklahoma City Thunder (), and Minnesota Timberwolves (). The Bucks, Knicks, and 76ers are the next round of contenders out the Eastern Conference and mark the end of Tier 2.
Let’s dive into NBA Title odds for the 2024-25 season.
Odds to Win 2025 NBA Finals
Compare NBA Finals odds from the best sports betting sites below. Click anywhere to place a bet.
Free agency will likely sway numbers for several teams after it opens on June 30. Each year, we’re surprised by multiple moves, as the NBA offers the busiest free agency period of the major sports. Rumors and early reports will move lines prematurely. Top names this year to watch for include LeBron James, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey. James and Maxey are expected to remain put with max contracts while George could leave. Also watch for OG Anouby and DeMar DeRozen, both of whom are expected be on the move.
This year’s NBA Draft doesn’t offer a generational top player in the lottery. Likely, odds won’t move with draft picks and, if they do, it’ll be a negligible number.
Some players could be on their way to a new city via trade. Popular names rumored include Donovan Mitchell, Zach LaVine, and Jimmy Butler. All three of those players would significantly move the needle both for their departed team and their new one.
NBA Finals Odds History
Sportsbooks, and NBA fans in general, have a pretty good idea of the contenders well before the season starts. Above all sports, the NBA is a player-driven league and having one or two dominant forces keeps you in the conversation. That said, some longer shots do break through from time to time. Look no further than the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors for a prime example, when Stephen Curry exploded onto the scene. Kawhi Leonard willed a talented, but far from elite, Toronto Raptors team to a title in 2019. Nikola Jokic took a step forward into MVP territory in 2023 to win the Nuggets their first title.
But, coming off the age of the Super Team, we generally have an idea of who will be in the May conversation. This coming year, the Celtics, Nuggets, Thunder, and Wolves run back more or less the same core roster, barring a surprise trade. As we saw with Boston this past year, though, veteran role players are critical to getting over that playoff hump.
The Knicks went and landed scorer Mikal Bridges from – you guessed it – Villanova. While firmly in the conversation anyway, a (hopefully) healthier NovaKnicks running it back with another talented scorer could be a dangerous team next postseason. Be sure to watch for more big moves like that upcoming.
| Year | Champion | Preseason Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | Boston Celtics | +400 |
| 2022-23 | Denver Nuggets | +1800 |
| 2021-22 | Golden State Warriors | +600 |
| 2020-21 | Milwaukee Bucks | +550 |
| 2019-20 | Los Angeles Lakers | +450 |
| 2018-19 | Toronto Raptors | +1900 |
| 2017-18 | Golden State Warriors | -187 |
| 2016-17 | Golden State Warriors | -128 |
| 2015-16 | Cleveland Cavaliers | +280 |
| 2014-15 | Golden State Warriors | +2800 |
Longest Shots To Win The NBA Finals
Just nine teams with preseason odds at 10-1 or longer have ever won an NBA championship. Two of them came in the last six years, after the Warriors dynasty hit its peak and the “Super Team” began to phase out. Aging of historic superstars like James and Curry also account for an increase in teams with longer odds winning titles. Historically, it’s easy to spot the Super Team era (2013-2018) and eras dominated by legends like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
In the transition years is when those longer shots emerge. Without an obvious best player in the league – and thanks to the Celtics being so bullishly priced – we could be in for another longshot champion in 2025.
| Year | Champion | Preseason Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | Golden State Warriors | +2800 |
| 2010-11 | Dallas Mavericks | +2000 |
| 2018-19 | Toronto Raptors | +1900 |
| 2022-23 | Denver Nuggets | +1800 |
| 2003-04 | Detroit Pistons | +1500 |
| 1993-94 | Houston Rockets | +1200 |
| 2013-14 | San Antonio Spurs | +1200 |
| 2002-03 | San Antonio Spurs | +1100 |
| 2007-08 | Boston Celtics | +1000 |
Since 1984-85 season.
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