2023-24 NBA championship odds: Celtics favored, Clippers take another leap

chonprasit

National Basketball Association

Updated Jan. 30, 2024 11:51 a.m. ET

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We’re into the 2024 portion of the NBA regular season, and headed for the All-Star break.

The Boston Celtics (+310) remain alone atop the oddsboard as the favorites to win the title.

Boston was at +340 at the beginning of January.

Behind them are the defending champion Denver Nuggets at +440.

Rounding out the top three are the Milwaukee Bucks at +500.

One team, however, has made a leap up the betting board and that’s the LA Clippers. Last week, their odds shortened to +850 from +1100, and now they sit at +700.

Let’s check out the title odds for every team.

CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS FOR 2023-24 NBA SEASON: *

Boston Celtics: +310 (bet $10 to win $41 total)

Denver Nuggets: +440 (bet $10 to win $54 total)

Milwaukee Bucks: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)

LA Clippers: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)

Philadelphia 76ers: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)

Phoenix Suns: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)

Minnesota Timberwolves: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)

Oklahoma City Thunder: +1900 (bet $10 to win $200 total)

Los Angeles Lakers: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)

Miami Heat: +3400 (bet $10 to win $350 total)

New York Knicks: +3400 (bet $10 to win $350 total)

Dallas Mavericks: +4200 (bet $10 to win $430 total)

Sacramento Kings: +4600 (bet $10 to win $470 total)

New Orleans Pelicans +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)

Cleveland Cavaliers: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)

Golden State Warriors: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)

Indiana Pacers: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)

Orlando Magic: +13000 (bet $10 to win $1,310 total)

Atlanta Hawks: +13000 (bet $10 to win $1,310 total)

Houston Rockets: +21000 (bet $10 to win $2,110 total)

Chicago Bulls: +24000 (bet $10 to win $2,410 total)

Utah Jazz: +40000 (bet $10 to win $4,010 total)

Toronto Raptors: +60000 (bet $10 to win $6,010 total)

Brooklyn Nets: +60000 (bet $10 to win $6,010 total)

Memphis Grizzlies: +100000 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)

* Odds as of 1/30/2024

FOX Sports NBA analyst and writer Ric Bucher lauded the Clippers’ recent success, moving them into the top spot in his weekly NBA power rankings (prior to their loss to Cleveland on Monday night).

“The only top team to come out of the week unblemished were the Clippers, who extended their winning streak to five with a solid throttling of the previously third-ranked Boston Celtics on their home floor. That win, combined with the other carnage, pushed L.A.’s other team from fifth into first.”

So, which team will win it all at the end of the season?

For that, we turned to Bucher during the preseason.

FOX Sports NBA Analyst Ric Bucher’s picks: *

“Yes, the Nuggets lost a couple of key contributors in Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, but they also have a core that is in its prime, signed through next season — meaning no personal contract agendas — and is now bolstered by the collective understanding of exactly what it takes to win it all. That puts them on par with the current nuclei in Golden State and Milwaukee.

“The difference? Those teams are exiting their prime. The Nuggets are entering it. Oh, and they have a 7-foot riddle, Nikola Jokic, for which no one in the league appears to have the answer.”

Long-shot bet to make playoffs

“The Thunder are currently the 11th-best team in the Western Conference, based on their odds to win the conference title. That almost certainly won’t be where they are at season’s end. I would count on them being one of the eight playoff contestants, even if it requires coming in through the Play-In Tournament.

“The depth and versatility of their roster, led by All-Star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, defensive stopper Lu Dort, Inspector Gadget Chet Holmgren and crafty Josh Giddey, might be one of the league’s best-kept secrets.”

PICK: Thunder (+8500 at time of pick, bet $10 to win $860 total) to make playoffs

PICK: Celtics-Nuggets reach NBA Finals (+900 at time of pick, bet $10 to win $100 total)

PICK: Nuggets to win NBA title (+550 at time of pick, bet $10 to win $65 total)

* Editor’s note: Picks made prior to the start of the NBA season

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