Skip to main content

NBA Championship Odds: Latest NBA Playoff Matchups & Favorites Ahead of Postseason

Andrew Brennan

Last Updated: April 16, 2025 9:41 AM EDT â€ĸ 4 min 1 sec read.

NBA Championship Odds: Latest Standings, Matchups & Favorites Ahead of Playoffs
Pictured: Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) and guard Stephen Curry (30) meet after a play against the Memphis Grizzlies. Photo by Cary Edmondson via Imagn Images.

The NBA playoffs are just days away, and the last two spots are up for grabs over the next couple of nights. We explore the NBA Play-In Tournament odds to determine which teams will book the last two postseason tickets and compete for the NBA championship odds.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder - the East and West's top seeds - must wait a little longer to find out their fates. However, the two seeds - the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets - will square off against the early play-in winners, the Orlando Magic and Golden State Warriors.

Read on for the rest of the matchups, including the pairing for Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks and LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers.

📊 Eastern Conference NBA championship odds

NBA championship odds via FanDuel as of Wednesday, April 16.

  • Celtics (+190)
  • Cavaliers (+490)
  • Knicks (+3100)
  • Pacers (+7500)
  • Bucks (+16000)
  • Pistons (+42000)
  • Magic (+100000)
  • Bulls (+100000)
  • Hawks (+100000)
  • Heat (+100000)
Same Game Parlays
Play Now
Each product featured on our website has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission. 19+. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly.

🏀 Eastern Conference standings

(Teams in bold are involved in the NBA Play-In Tournament)

  1. Cleveland Cavaliers (64-18)
  2. Boston Celtics (61-21)
  3. New York Knicks (51-31)
  4. Indiana Pacers (50-32)
  5. Milwaukee Bucks (48-34)
  6. Detroit Pistons (44-38)
  7. Orlando Magic (41-41)
  8. Atlanta Hawks (40-42)
  9. Chicago Bulls (39-43)
  10. Miami Heat (37-45)

🤜🤛 Eastern Conference first-round matchups

  • Cavaliers (1) vs. 8-seed from play-in tournament
  • Celtics (2) vs. Magic (7)
  • Knicks (3) vs. Pistons (6)
  • Pacers (4) vs. Bucks (5)

There will be two play-in tournament games to determine who Cleveland faces. The Bulls (9) and Heat (10) will square off tonight, with the loser being eliminated and the winner taking on the Hawks. The winner of the final game on April 18 will become the No. 8 seed and face the Cavaliers.

Elsewhere in the East, we can see by the latest NBA championship odds that the Pistons aren't expected to provide the Knicks with much of a challenge. The Pacers and Bucks are priced much more tightly to win it all, though, leading us to believe we could be in for a tightly contested first-round series between the No. 4 and 5 seeds.

👑 Eastern Conference favorite

🍀 Boston Celtics (+220 via BetMGM)

The reigning NBA champions enter the postseason with the second-best odds to repeat, and you could make an argument they're even better on paper this year. The last team to repeat was the Golden State Warriors in 2017-18, and the Celtics are priced to become the next club to accomplish the feat. 

Boston should enter the playoffs healthy, too. The only question mark is Jaylen Brown, who's expected to be ready for the first round.

Live Betting Odds

Terms and conditions apply.

Play Now
Each product featured on our website has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission. 19+. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly.

📊 Western Conference NBA championship odds

Odds via FanDuel as of Wednesday, April 16.

  • Thunder (+175)
  • Lakers (+1500)
  • Warriors (+1900)
  • Clippers (+3200)
  • Nuggets (+3900)
  • Timberwolves (+5500)
  • Rockets (+7500)
  • Grizzlies (+65000)
  • Kings (+100000)
  • Mavericks (+100000)

🏀 Western Conference standings

(Teams in bold are involved in the NBA Play-In Tournament)

  1. Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14)
  2. Houston Rockets (52-30)
  3. Los Angeles Lakers (50-32)
  4. Denver Nuggets (50-32)
  5. Los Angeles Clippers (50-32)
  6. Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33)
  7. Golden State Warriors (48-34)
  8. Memphis Grizzlies (48-34)
  9. Sacramento Kings (40-42)
  10. Dallas Mavericks (39-43)

🤜🤛 Western Conference first-round matchups

  • Thunder (1) vs. 8-seed from play-in tournament
  • Rockets (2) vs. Warriors (7)
  • Lakers (3) vs. Timberwolves (6)
  • Nuggets (4) vs. Clippers (5)

It's the same format in the West as in the East to determine the opponents of Oklahoma City. The Kings (9) and Mavericks (10) will do battle tonight, with the loser being eliminated and the winner taking on the Grizzlies. The winner of that final game on April 18 will become the No. 8 seed and face the Thunder.

The Western Conference matchups we already know about are doozies.

The Lakers and Timberwolves should provide fireworks regularly, and we'll see how the Nuggets respond to the firing of Malone in games that really matter. Amazingly, the No. 3, 4, and 5 seeds all finished with the same 50-32 record. The Rockets and Warriors will also square off and look to recreate some classic playoff series.

👑 Western Conference favorite

🌩ī¸ Oklahoma City Thunder (+185 via Caesars)

What more can we say about the Thunder that hasn't been repeated throughout the season? They feature the overwhelming NBA MVP odds favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with a ton of talented sidekicks accompanying him. 

A starting lineup of Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams should strike fear in any opponent due to its versatility and defensive prowess.

The Thunder are the favorites for a reason, and they'll look to bring this organization its first title since 1978-79, when Jack Sikma led the Seattle SuperSonics to glory.

Excellent Live Betting Platform

Caesars is a 21+ product

Play Now
Each product featured on our website has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission. 19+. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly.

📅 NBA playoffs schedule

  • April 15-18: NBA Play-In Tournament
  • April 19: First round begins
  • May 3-6: Conference semifinals begin
  • May 18-21: Conference finals begin
  • June 5: NBA Finals begin

❓ NBA championship FAQs

Who is favored to win the 2025 NBA championship?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the favorites to win the 2025 NBA championship at +185.

Who won the NBA Finals last year?

The Boston Celtics won the 2024 NBA Finals, defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games.

When will the 2025 NBA Finals be decided?

The 2025 NBA Finals are set to begin on June 5.

When's the last time an NBA team won back-to-back titles?

The last time an NBA team went back-to-back was when the Golden State Warriors won the championship in 2017 and 2018.

🏀 Best NBA betting sites

Looking to bet on the NBA today? Here are our best NBA betting sites as determined by our expert team at Sportsbook Review, along with our best sportsbook promos available for NBA games.

(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.

Not intended for use in MA.
Each betting site featured on SBR has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission.

Written By:
Andrew Brennan
Andrew Brennan is a publishing editor for Sportsbook Review. He also heads the website’s MLB coverage, from the various futures markets to daily picks. Andrew believes a math-based approach is the best way to enjoy long-term success in sports betting, and he’s spent the better part of the last year fine-tuning his own process for MLB, NBA, and NFL picks. Andrew uses eight different sportsbooks to find the best odds available and various projection models to gather as much information as he can. His most used sportsbooks are bet365, FanDuel, and theScore Bet. When it comes to daily projection models, he regularly references NumberFire across all sports, as it’s one of the best free tools available. In terms of which daily markets Andrew attacks, he almost exclusively bets on pitcher strikeouts for baseball. When the winter rolls around, you’ll see him providing more variety when it comes to the NBA (points, assists, rebounds) and NFL (almost any offensive-based player prop). He used these tools to go +150 units in 2023. Andrew is also a passionate fantasy sports player. He’s played fantasy football, fantasy Premier League, and fantasy baseball for the last decade. He graduated from Durham College with his diploma in journalism after earning his degree in law from Carleton University. He’s worked in sports media since early 2017, first contributing at FanSided before moving to theScore. He joined SBR in 2022.