There are still a lot of NBA teams in championship contention, but some are edging ahead in the eyes of the bookmakers. Early performances and form are being studied by those hoping to predict this season’s outcome.
Take a look below for the biggest contenders for the 2024 NBA championship from the Eastern and Western conferences.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are the current Eastern Conference and NBA Championship favorites. A perfect home record so far this season puts the Celtics in a great position.
A recent victory against Eastern Conference third favorites, the Philadelphia 76ers, showed that they can even grind out wins despite a sloppy performance and the loss of Jayson Tatum, who was ejected from the game.
Derek White was instrumental in this game and has been key to the Celtic’s form this season. If they can continue in this vein and clinch the Championship, they will go one ahead of the Lakers and become the leading NBA team in Championship victories with 18.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are currently battling it out with the Celtics in the Eastern Conference and are 9/4 second favorites to take the league. They are joint second favorites alongside the Denver Nuggets for the championship at 4/1, just behind the Celtics, who are 7/2 at many sites listed on a guide to offshore sports betting.
Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the big reason the Bucks are so dangerous, and this double act could take them all the way.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets currently find themselves as the bookmaker’s favorite for the Western Conference and second only to the Boston Celtics for the Championship.
The Nuggets won last season’s championship, which was the first title in their history. Their main man is the 6ft 11″ Serbian Nikola Jokić who was named the FMVP last year and the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award in 2021 and 2022.
The Nuggets will be looking to make it back-to-back titles and are narrowly ahead of the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference at the moment.
Phoenix Suns
The fourth favorite for the 2024 NBA Championship and second behind the Denver Nuggets for the Western Conference is the Phoenix Suns. Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker are at the top of their game and are all big scorers, making the Suns a lethal team.
The experience of Frank Vogel as head coach will also be invaluable to the Suns, who have a real chance of taking home some silverware this year.
Outsiders
You can never write off the LA Lakers, especially with LeBron James still smashing records as he goes. As seventh favorites, odds of around 20/1 could offer good value for money if James and Anthony Davis keep fit.
The Golden State Warriors are also in contention and are joint fifth favorites with the Philadelphia 76ers at around 15/1. Both these teams have the potential to cause trouble, and Steph Curry and Klay Thompson at the Warriors and current MVP Joel Embiid at the 76ers means they are good options.
Conclusion
There are bound to be a few more twists and turns in this season’s NBA, so keeping an eye on current form and results will keep you in the loop.
The Celtics’ next match is away at the Pacers on December 5 before back-to-back home ties against the Cavaliers.
The Denver Nuggets face the Sacramento Kings, the Clippers, and then the Rockets in this busy holiday season.
This provides basketball fans with lots of betting opportunities with match and player action available. The outright conference and championship betting odds will also fluctuate based on results, so the favorites listed above could change in the coming weeks.
