Celtics, Bucks enter season as NBA title favorites at sportsbooks

Celtics, Bucks enter season as NBA title favorites at sportsbooks،

David Purdum, ESPN editorOctober 24, 2023, 1:30 p.m.
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- Joined ESPN in 2014
- Journalist covering the gaming industry since 2008

The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks enter the NBA season as favorites to win the championship at sportsbooks across the country.

The Celtics and Bucks are co-favorites at several sportsbooks, while Caesars Sportsbook has Boston at slightly better odds, listed at +380, followed by Milwaukee at +400. The defending champion Denver Nuggets are next at +420, and the Phoenix Suns (+600) and Golden State Warriors (+850) round out the teams with single-digit odds to start the season at Caesars Sportsbook.

The Celtics and Bucks, who each revamped their backcourts during the offseason, are also favorites to win the NBA Cup, the season’s inaugural tournament. Boston added veteran guard Jrue Holiday and Milwaukee traded for superstar Damian Lillard to pair him with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Nuggets attracted the most and biggest bets during the offseason to win the title at Caesars Sportsbook, which said it took a $30,000 bet on Denver at 4-1 odds from a Nevada bettor which would pay a net amount of $120,000.

The Los Angeles Lakers, who are about 11-1 to win the title, have garnered the most support from bettors at the FanDuel and SuperBook sportsbooks. The LA Clippers are 18-1 and the Miami Heat are 22-1.

The Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers are the biggest players by far, each with 500-1 odds at Caesars Sportsbook.

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is the favorite to win the regular season MVP at 3-1, followed by Antetokounmpo (6-1) and Luka Doncic (11-2) of the Dallas Mavericks.

Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, the first overall pick in the draft, is one of the favorites at -150 odds to win Rookie of the Year. Wembanyama is the first player to be a favorite to win Rookie of the Year since Kevin Durant in 2007-08, according to betting database SportsOddsHistory.com.

The season begins Tuesday, with the Nuggets hosting the Lakers and the Warriors hosting the Suns.

Odds of winning the NBA championship (via Caesars Sportsbook, as of October 24):