Updated NBA Championship Odds Before Conference Semifinals Tip Off

Steve StarrSteve Starr | April 26, 2019
Updated NBA Championship Odds Before Conference Semifinals Tip Off
Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors will face the 76ers in Round 2. (Photo by Icon Sportswire)
  • BetOnline has updated NBA Championship odds for all the remaining playoff teams
  • Golden State remains heavy favorites to three-peat (-150) heading into Round 2
  • The Celtics (+1400) and Raptors (+1000) are increasingly attractive bets with the Warriors struggling

With a 37-foot, cold-blooded, series-clinching dagger that probably even made Steph envious, Portland’s Damian Lillard provided the exclamation point on what was an entertaining yet predictable first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Well, predictable other than the fact that the Warriors and Clippers are somehow headed to game six. With those two teams, as well as the Nuggets and Spurs, still left to battle it out, the Conference Semifinal field isn’t set in stone. However, let’s check BetOnline to see how championship odds have shifted, and if there are any new values on the board.

2019 NBA Championship Odds

Team Odds to Win the 2019 NBA Championship at BetOnline
Golden State Warriors -150
Milwaukee Bucks +500
Houston Rockets +550
Toronto Raptors +900
Boston Celtics +1400
Philadelphia 76ers +2000
Denver Nuggets +3300
Portland Trailblazers +3300
San Antonio Spurs +6600
Los Angeles Clippers +15000

*Odds taken on 04/26/19

Golden State Warriors (-150)

It wasn’t supposed to be this hard. You could almost dismiss Golden State’s historic 31-point comeback loss to the Clippers in game 2 as a minor blip on the radar, but game 5’s 129-121 loss to the Clippers suggests something is very wrong here. The Warriors were 19-1 at home the last two postseasons. They’re 1-2 in this series.

Whether it was the two losses, the torn quad that will remove DeMarcus Cousins from the rest of the playoffs, or the Rockets’ convincing 4-1 series triumph over the Utah Sister Wives, the Warriors’ odds to win the title dropped slightly from -200 at season’s close.

Houston Rockets (+550)

Listed at 12/1 to win the NBA Championship Trophy just two weeks ago, the Rockets’ betting window that I advised you to jump on in my 2019 playoffs bracket preview article and in my 2019 championship picks article has sadly now closed. But while I can claim victory on spotting a bargain, can Houston actually defeat Golden State in round two?

With talking heads already anticipating yet another choke job from the likely second-place finisher in the MVP race, the next two weeks will undoubtedly define James Harden’s career.

Toronto Raptors (+900)

After an opening game loss made fans in the North understandably jittery, Toronto closed out the Magic rather decisively, winning four straight games. Kahwi Leonard is already being called “the greatest playoff performer in Raptors history” after averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, three assists and 1.2 steals per game in round one, but c’mon, he wasn’t acquired to beat Orlando.

The Raptors were 3-1 this season against their next opponent, the 76ers, who have lost 13 straight games in Toronto since 2012. You have to go back even further to 2001 to find the last time these two franchises met in the playoffs: Allen Iverson over Vince Carter in a 7-game epic playoff duel for the ages.

I like the Raptors to win the series in 7. Winning the championship still seems like a tall order, but if Houston can take down Golden State, getting Toronto at 10/1 could look like a steal.

Boston Celtics (+1400)

Despite sweeping the Pacers and finally looking like the team that many experts predicted to make the NBA Finals before the season started, the Celtics are more of a value today (14/1) than when the playoffs first started.

While it’s difficult to fathom how Giannis Antetokounmpo can be stopped after Milwaukee dismantled the Pistons for their first playoff series victory since 2001, I could see Boston pulling the upset. Bucks guard Malcolm Brogden is set to miss at least half the series, and the Celtics seemingly have found a rotational rhythm since losing Marcus Smart to a left oblique tear.

You can still get Boston at 5/1 to win the East. While I don’t envision the Celtics winning the championship by any means, the Warriors struggles put every possibility on the table.

Steve Starr

Steve is one of the many Americans who spends Sunday watching football on the couch and gorging on heart-clogging eats. He describes himself as a good father, great dog owner, and mediocre gambler and husband.

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