The Oklahoma City Thunder will head into the NBA playoffs as large favorites to repeat as champions, but the betting public will be more focused on the teams just below them on the odds board.
The Thunder are +110 to win the NBA Finals, followed by the San Antonio Spurs (+500) and Boston Celtics (+550) in the next tier with the Denver Nuggets (+900) rounding out the group of favored teams, according to DraftKings odds. There is a sizable gap on the odds board before the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks check in at 17-1 and 18-1, respectively.
The top four all have considerable bets and handle across the sportsbook marketplace, but Oklahoma City and Denver are largely not liabilities due to their relatively short odds all season.
"Among the true contenders, OKC is the best result on the futures market," BetMGM sports trader Anthony Parenti said in an email release. "The sportsbook is in the enviable position of getting to cheer for the favorite to win it all."
The Thunder are not the top-ranked team by handle at DraftKings or BetMGM. Instead, San Antonio and Boston have become larger liabilities, namely because they started the season as long shots and morphed into contenders, giving bettors the opportunity to grab them at big prices throughout the campaign.