The NBA Playoffs are down to just two teams as the Miami Heat will face the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals. Find Heat versus Nuggets NBA Finals odds here.
NBA Playoffs odds
Check out NBA Playoffs odds here. We will have the best game lines and odds to win each Conference Finals series. Also be sure to check out the best betting sites available.
NBA player props
Check out our FREE props tool below to help you find the best NBA odds at all of the US sportsbooks.
NBA odds to win championship
Here are where the NBA title odds stand for the remaining teams in the postseason.
| Team | NBA title odds April 10 | NBA title odds May 1 | NBA title odds May 15 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Bucks | +265 | Off The Board | Off The Board |
| Boston Celtics | +320 | +120 | +100 |
| Phoenix Suns | +425 | +600 | Off The Board |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +900 | +1200 | Off The Board |
| Golden State Warriors | +950 | +600 | Off The Board |
| Denver Nuggets | +1100 | +600 | +240 |
| LA Lakers | +1800 | +750 | +320 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +2000 | Off The Board | Off The Board |
| LA Clippers | +4000 | Off The Board | Off The Board |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +4000 | Off The Board | Off The Board |
| Sacramento Kings | +8000 | Off The Board | Off The Board |
| New York Knicks | +14000 | +3000 | Off The Board |
| Miami Heat | +25000 | +2800 | +1600 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +30000 | Off The Board | Off The Board |
| Toronto Raptors | +35000 | Off The Board | Off The Board |
| Atlanta Hawks | +35000 | Off The Board | Off The Board |
| New Orleans Pelicans | +60000 | Off The Board | Off The Board |
| Brooklyn Nets | +60000 | Off The Board | Off The Board |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +100000 | Off The Board | Off The Board |
| Chicago Bulls | +100000 | Off The Board | Off The Board |
How does the Play-In Tournament work?
The NBA’s Play-In Tournament annually takes place right before the start of the traditional postseason. The tourney decides the 7 and 8 seeds in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference.
The format gives an advantage to the teams with higher regular season winning percentages as the teams with the seventh-highest and eighth-highest winning percentages each get two chances to win one game to earn a playoff berth. Teams with the ninth-highest and 10th-highest winning percentages in each conference have to nab two straight victories to earn a place in the traditional postseason under the format.
The Heat and Lakers were the most successful teams to advance out of the Play-In round in 2023.
Miami actually dropped its first Play-In game as it fell to the Hawks, 116-105. Jimmy Butler’s squad then took on the Bulls for the rights to the 8 seed in the East. The Heat toppled Chicago, 102-91. They then pulled off an all-time upset in the first round by taking down the 1-seeded Bucks.
The Lakers, meanwhile, had to go to OT against Minnesota in the Play-In round but escaped with a 108-102 win to snag the 7 seed in the West. LeBron’s Lakers then went on to upset the 2-seeded Grizzlies in the first round.
What are NBA futures?
In betting terms, “futures,” usually refer to wagers with a season-long outcome such as the NBA champion, NBA division winner, or individual award winners. Prior to the season, it’s possible to bet Over or Under on Team Win totals, i.e. the number of games a team is expected to win during the regular season.
Due to the shortened season, bets on Win Totals and division winners have been rendered null and void with the investment going back to bettors.
How to bet the NBA Playoffs
Betting on a potential outcome such as the NBA champion is known as a futures bet. There are several other ways to bet on individual games in the NBA Playoffs including taking the winner on the moneyline. This is the simplest way to bet, but the favored team will always have negative odds to encourage action on both sides. For example, if the Bucks face the Nuggets in the first game of the NBA Finals, the Bucks might be listed with -250 odds for Game 1, indicating that a $25 bet on the Bucks to win would only profit $10.
Betting NBA Spreads
If you want a better chance at even money, you’ll have to bet the point spread for a game. The spread is set based on a number that oddsmakers feel will encourage action on both sides of the line. Taking an example from the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs, the Lakers were expected to blow past the eighth-seeded Blazers in Game 4 of their series. They were listed as Lakers (-9.5), indicating the Lakers would have to win by double digits for their backers to cash. Conversely, the Blazers (+9.5) would pay out as long as they lost by 9 or fewer points. With no home court advantage in the 2020 NBA playoffs, most point spreads have been small, with plenty hovering around -1.5 or even a “PK” or Pick ‘Em line that functions just like a moneyline.
Betting NBA Totals
Since NBA games often finish in scattered fashion with late buckets and free throws, you may not feel as confident about choosing a winner or betting the spread. If so, you can get some action on the point total or over/under. The total refers to the combined score between two opponents and in today’s NBA, it usually ranges between 205 and 230 points. For example, if a line between the Knicks and Hawks is set at 222.5 and the Knicks defeat the Hawks, 112-110, the Under is successful. These lines are set depending on the typical pace and style of each opponent while accounting for things like home-court advantage and back-to-back scheduling. Those factors are almost completely irrelevant in this year’s playoffs, so betting the point total will be all about matchups.
Betting NBA Props
It’s also possible to bet on the prospects of individual players in the form of proposition bets. This is an excellent way to strategize while betting on the NBA since certain players thrive in certain matchups and it can be predictable which nights they will give their absolute best effort. If the Lakers are playing a Game 7 in the WCF, you can certainly target a proposition on LeBron James going Over 46.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists. If James posts a relatively typical line of 27 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds, the Over would cash. There are also novel NBA prop bets about whether a player will record a double-double, triple-double, or hit a certain number of 3-pointers.
Betting NBA Finals Champion
Bettors can wager on future outcomes without picking the NBA Finals champion since each playoff series will have a series line. For example, the No.3-seeded Bucks were listed with -310 odds to defeat the Miami Heat in the first round, but if you felt Miami matched up well against Milwaukee, you could get plus odds on the Heat winning that series (+240). These odds will change after each result with the team leading the series getting a significant bump as the favorite.