Into the final stretch of the 2020-21 NBA regular season we go and there’s a new all-out favorite to win the title this summer.
Bookies are backing the Brooklyn Nets as NBA Finals favorites, per OddsShark.com, at +250, ahead of the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers along with the upstart Utah Jazz.
Despite injuries that will keep James Harden out for the rest of the regular season, his acquisition from the Houston Rockets in January is what has helped make the Nets such a bona fide title pick for many bettors.
The Nets are 34-17 in their last 51 games and when Harden returns for the playoffs, he’ll reunite one of the most feared trios in the game alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Brooklyn’s “Big 3” are just slim favorites ahead of the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, who saw their odds drop after both LeBron James and Anthony Davis suffered injuries that kept them out for extended periods. Still, they’re looked at more favorably than their crosstown-rival Clippers with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Rounding out the top four is the Utah Jazz, who are riding a stifling defense along with the star playing of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell to show they’re for real.
Other notable favorites are the surging Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, who are battling within the top-three in the Eastern Conference with the Nets.
Here’s where each team stacks up in the eyes of the bookies:
Brooklyn Nets: +250
Los Angeles Lakers: +350
Los Angeles Clippers: +600
Utah Jazz: +750
Milwaukee Bucks: +800
Philadelphia 76ers: +1200
Phoenix Suns: +1500
Denver Nuggets: +2800
Miami Heat: +3500
Dallas Mavericks: +4000
Boston Celtics: +5000
Portland Trail Blazers: +6600
Atlanta Hawks: +10000
New York Knicks: +10000
Golden State Warriors: +15000
Indiana Pacers: +25000
Memphis Grizzlies: +25000
Toronto Raptors: +30000
Washington Wizards: +30000
Charlotte Hornets: +40000
Chicago Bulls: +40000
San Antonio Spurs: +40000
New Orleans Pelicans: +50000
Sacramento Kings: +250000
Cleveland Cavaliers: +250000
