NBA Betting Update: Nets, Warriors top futures markets

With the NBA All-Star Game right around the corner, it may be time to take a look at some futures bets. Here are the favorites and sleepers to keep an eye on in the NBA Championship outright betting markets.

The favorites

When the season started, the Brooklyn Nets (+240), Los Angeles Lakers (+400), and Golden State Warriors (+900) were the three favorites to win the NBA Finals.

As it currently sits, the Nets are still favored to win it all at +300, followed by the Warriors at +460, but the Lakers have dropped all the way down to +1800 as they are floating around the .500 mark.

The Nets are certainly one of the best two rosters in the NBA, but are they a good team? The Nets employ Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin, and LaMarcus Aldrige but are currently 29-22 and holding the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn’s stars can’t seem to get on the same page this season, which would typically fall on the shoulders of head coach Steve Nash, but that might not be the case here.

Rumors have been swirling about Harden’s desire to get out of Brooklyn after he recently turned down a max extension that would pay him over $40 million into his late 30s. Harden is rumored to not like living in Brooklyn, and it’s certainly not helping that the Nets can’t seem to find their footing.

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Durant was playing at an MVP level but injured his knee in a collision with a teammate. He has missed the last two weeks with a sprained MCL and doesn’t look to be coming back for another two to four weeks. The Nets were soaring with Durant but have been in a freefall since losing him.

There isn’t much to say about Irving; the talent has always been there, but it’s the above-the-shoulder issues that have hindered him throughout his career. Irving’s refusal to get the COVID vaccine has made him a part-time player who is only used when the Nets are on the road. Irving is 29 and at his athletic peak, and this time he has not only ruffled feathers in Brooklyn’s front office, but also among his teammates.

The Nets have been perhaps the most disappointing super-team in NBA history, but they are still favored to win the NBA Finals this season. It’s been shown time and time again that the regular season isn’t the be all and end all in the NBA, but with Harden beginning to think about playing elsewhere and Irving only playing part time, it’s going to be tough to get on the same page coming down the stretch. It’s very possible that Durant comes back and things go back to normal for the Nets, but when they are paying only +300 to win it all, it might be wise to look elsewhere.

The Warriors, on the other hand, have been stellar. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green seem like they haven’t missed a beat playing together. Curry has been unbelievable this season and has once again cemented himself right in the favorites for NBA MVP. They look to be back to their winning ways after a couple of down years by the bay, as they are 39-13 and second place in the West. This team led by their big three has been around the block more than once, the Warriors at +460 look the safest pick to win the 2022 NBA Finals.

The sleepers

Bovada is giving up +1800 for the Philadelphia 76ers to win the NBA Championship. The Sixers have won 15 of their last 19 games and are playing the best basketball in the NBA, led by MVP front runner Joel Embiid. The Sixers certainly have their fair share of drama surrounding the team – namely in the form of Ben Simmons – but have finally found their stride. Philly is another team that has been there and done that. While the Sixers haven’t advanced very far into the playoffs in recent years, they have been there. Doc Rivers has the 10th most wins of any coach in history and has seen it all. At that price, the 76ers make for a very interesting longshot to bet on.

The Chicago Bulls have been the surprise of the 2021/22 NBA season thus far. They are first place in the Eastern Conference with a 32-18 record and are +2400 to win the title. The Bulls have been led by their offseason additions DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. This odd dynamic seems to be working well for the Bulls, as they got off to a scorching start to the season and never looked back. Everyone has waited for them to fall off, but they just keep winning. They’re playing great basketball but it’s about keeping it up in the second half, and these odds seem to reflect that the top betting sites don’t think they’ll be able to keep this up much longer.

The Utah Jazz is another team with plenty of playoff experience. They are +1300 to win the NBA Finals this season, and it’s not far-fetched for a Jazz team led by Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert could make a run at some point. It definitely hurts losing Joe Ingles to an ACL tear, but they are still a very deep and well-rounded team. The Jazz are 31-21 sitting in the fourth seed and seem to be holding steady. In a strong Western Conference it will surely be a tough road ahead, but the Jazz are full of proven winners that just work well together.

The fact of the matter is that the NBA is a fluid league where anything can happen on any given night. Even though there is no sure thing, there is some telling odds that seem too good to be true. The NBA will crown a champion in June of 2022, but the fun part is guessing who will be there.