Updated NBA Championship Odds & Semifinal Preview

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We’re down to eight teams in the hunt for the Larry O’Brien trophy. Below, you can find the odds to win the title for all eight teams, per Sports Betting Dime.

Brooklyn Nets +110

The current favorites to win the whole thing, Brooklyn has made short work of Milwaukee through two semifinal games. They won the first game by a 115-107 final before stomping the Bucks by 39 points in Game 2. Both of these wins came without the help of superstar James Harden, who left Game 1 early with a hamstring injury. It was no problem, especially with the recent surge of Blake Griffin. Griffin, who many thought had little high-level basketball left, has been explosive in the postseason, and the tandem of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant has averaged 54 points per game in the semis.

Utah Jazz +350

After losing their first playoff game this year, the Utah Jazz went and ripped off four consecutive wins to take their first-round series over Memphis. Now, they’ll have their work cut out for them as they play the Clippers in the semifinals. Game 1 is tonight from Salt Lake City, where the Jazz are four-point favorites. Known as one of the best two-way teams in the league, the Jazz have scored 120+ in their last four games and averaging 127 per game — more than 10 ppg more than their regular-season average. Donovan Mitchell is putting up 28.5 points per game during the postseason.

LA Clippers +500

After an early exit a year ago that drew tons of criticism, the Clippers are hoping for a better showing in 2021. They start their semifinal round against Utah tonight and the main thing is that they’re healthy and battle-tested. The Clips survived a seven-game first-round series with Dallas and have their big guns playing well. Paul George is averaging 23.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game in the postseason, while Kawhi Leonard is at 32.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. The Clips also have a bench unit with a good mix of firepower and playoff experience.

Phoenix Suns +750

It looks like Phoenix Suns fans finally have a winner. They were left out of the postseason for a decade, yet this team has come together as a team good enough to dethrone the Lakers. They’re already up 1-0 in their semifinal series against Denver and are one of the trendy picks moving forward. Adding Chris Paul this year was huge, as he brought much-needed consistency to a young roster. In seven playoff games, he’s averaging 8.1 assists per game and helped secure their Game 1 dub vs. Denver. Phoenix is allowing the least points per game in the postseason.

Philadelphia 76ers +1200

The 76ers rolled through their first-round games against Washington and rank No. 1 in scoring during the postseason. Philadelphia has a balanced offense and Joel Embiid is back. He missed Game 5 in the first round but then came back to score 39 points in Philly’s Game 1 loss to Atlanta. For the postseason, he’s averaging 27 points per game in five games. Tobias Harris (24.2 ppg), Seth Curry (16.7 ppg), and Ben Simmons (15.2 ppg) round out their scoring leaders.

Milwaukee Bucks +1400

The Bucks survived the first round but the semifinals have been a different story. They’re already down 0-2 to Brooklyn and a lot of the burden is on their second star, Khris Middleton. A two-time all-star, Middleton is shooting 30.6 percent in the semis on a lot of shots (13-for-43). From three, he’s shooting 18.8 percent. Giannis has played well but he’s going to need the supporting cast to step up if they’re going to make this a series — sounds familiar, right?

Atlanta Hawks +2500

After beating the Knicks in five games, the Hawks lead 1-0 in the semifinals against Philadelphia. It was the first playoff series win for Atlanta since 2016 when Mike Budenholzer was still the head coach. For the last few years, they have completely overhauled their roster, mostly with solid picks in the NBA draft. This year, expectations were higher than normal, so when they started 14-20, third-year coach Lloyd Pierce was fired. Immediately after his firing, the Hawks went on a run under interim head coach Nate McMillan, winning eight straight games. Atlanta finished the year 27-11 under McMillan and carried that momentum into the postseason. All five of their regular starters are averaging double-figures in the playoffs, though De’Andre Hunter missed Game 1 of the semis and is a game-time decision for tonight’s Game 2.

Denver Nuggets +4000

The Nuggets survived Dame Lillard and the Blazers in the first round but they trail 1-0 so far in their semifinal round against Phoenix. They currently have the longest odds to win the title at +4000. Of all the teams that remain in the postseason, they’re ranked dead last in scoring defense (119.9 ppg). The Nuggets only got to the line for six free-throw attempts in Game 1, compared to 20 by the Suns.