The Los Angeles Lakers continue to march up the NBA Finals odds board with their run of excellent form: LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Co. are now 35-1 for the NBA title after being 50-1 a week ago and 65-1 a week before that.
Elsewhere in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs continued to shorten (+650 to +600), the Denver Nuggets lengthened a bit (+700 to +800), and the Houston Rockets saw one of the largest week-over-week demotions, going from 40-1 to 70-1.
Another team to keep an eye on is the Detroit Pistons, which fell from 20-1 to 25-1 amid a Cade Cunningham injury that will likely keep him out through at least the beginning of April. BetMGM took a $25,000 wager at 14-1 odds for the Pistons to win the championship, and they are also the sportsbook’s largest liability for the Eastern Conference.
Cunningham’s extended absence could very well prevent him from adhering to the “65-game rule” and, thus, make him ineligible for awards or All-NBA teams. To that end, he went from 60-1 to off the board for MVP, though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is nearing lock status at -800 anyway.
The bottom of the NBA Finals odds board is also starting to free up with several teams being eliminated from playoff contention: The Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards are all officially off the board.
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and are as of publication.
