2024 NBA Playoffs: Eastern & Western Conference Finals Series Odds

Long known as the province of the favorites, NBA playoffs odds have seen the dogs barking thus far. Underdogs have won five of 12 series, including three of the four second-round matchups, albeit barely in the case of Mavericks odds. Here, we’ll continue our look at NBA conference finals odds with breakdowns of the conference finals, matching the Mavericks against the Timberwolves and the Celtics against the Pacers.

Use the odds below to find the best prices across betting sites for NBA conference finals odds, and click any of those odds to make a wager.

Eastern Conference Finals Odds: Pacers vs. Celtics

Eastern Conference Finals MVP Odds

According to the market, the Pacers’ improbable run ends here. Current odds imply an 86% chance the Celtics will advance.

The discourse around Boston has been largely neutral, if not negative, during their 8-2 run thus far. However, big picture, the Celtics have somehow increased their NBA-leading +11.3 net rating to +11.8 during the playoffs, per Cleaning The Glass.

Of course, a team could hardly enjoy an easier path to this point. The Celtics got to play Miami without half of its roster and then a Cavaliers team that wound up much the same by the end. How much should bettors grade this team’s performance on a massive curve?

This time around, it’s the Celtics who enter at a health disadvantage. Kristaps Porzingis remains out for the time being after reportedly missing Monday’s practice. It seems unlikely he’s ready to go in Game 1.

On the surface, things certainly look grim for Indiana. They’ve thrived in transition this year, but Boston has been diligent about stopping opposing fast breaks. Only two teams allowed fewer points per possession in transition, and no team allowed fewer overall points added.

That doesn’t bode well, as it means Indiana must score in the half-court against Boston’s elite defense.

On the other side of the ball, how much of Boston’s offense shifts to the paint? They’ve been notoriously 3-point-happy under Joe Mazzulla, but Indiana is dreadful at protecting the paint. Meanwhile, no team allowed fewer 3s, though that may have been a function of teams happily enjoying layup drills.

Thing to watch: Does Boston give Indiana an early freebie? The Celtics dropped bizarrely listless home games to undermanned Heat and Cavs teams. If they do so here, look for the Pacers to have some value on the games handicaps, at least.

Western Conference Finals Odds: Mavericks vs. Timberwolves

Western Conference Finals MVP Odds

To be the champ, you have to beat the champ, as the saying goes, and the market appears to be taking that to heart. With the Wolves having vanquished the highly regarded Nuggets, the market has rolled over that confidence and installed them as solid favorites here against Dallas.

Dallas’ defense reached another level against Minnesota. They allowed 113 points per 100 possessions in the series. That would have been good for No. 8 in the NBA and almost 3 points better than their season-long mark. If that doesn’t sound terribly impressive, keep in mind that OKC had the No. 3 offense in the NBA.

The key for Dallas seemed to be cheating off of the Thunder’s shooters to swarm the paint. Since OKC shot better from deep than all but two teams this year, that was a pretty bold strategy.

Minnesota has an even more extreme version of that shot profile. Like the Thunder, they didn’t shoot 3s very often, but when they did, they were money — nobody converted at a more efficient rate.

The Mavs also took full advantage of OKC’s dreadful rebounding. Minnesota ranked 7th in rebounding rate, though.

Thing to watch: The health of Luka Doncic. He didn’t have a great series against OKC, clocking in below his season averages in most of his stats, by quite a bit in PPG (33.9 to 24.7) and FG% (48.7 to 44.7). He looked notably slow at times. Dallas will really need he and Kyrie Irving to generate buckets in the mid-range, since Minnesota is elite at running teams off the 3-point line and erasing opponents at the rim.

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