Bucks’ Loss to Heat Shakes Up NBA Futures Odds, Celtics Now Clear Favorites

We already have our story of the NBA Playoffs, as the Miami Heat knocked off the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks to become the sixth No. 8 seed ever to advance to the quarterfinals. The Bucks came into the playoffs as the betting favorites to win the 2022-23 championship, so obviously, their quick exit has drastically affected NBA futures odds.

With the Bucks’ elimination, the Boston Celtics are the outright leader for shortest odds to win the NBA Finals (+140, DraftKings Sportsbook). With its biggest threat in the East out of the way, Boston is in a prime position to win the Eastern Conference for the second-straight season.

Of course, Milwaukee’s exit impacts the rest of the field, too, especially those in the Eastern Conference. The Philadelphia 76ers (+750), New York Knicks (+2000), and Miami Heat (+3500) have all seen their NBA futures odds shorten as well.

See the updated lines: NBA MVP odds

NBA Futures: Odds to Win 2023 Championship 

The Celtics now have the tightest price to win the NBA Finals, offered at around 3-to-2 odds at sportsbooks. In the West, the Phoenix Suns, who knocked off the Los Angeles Clippers in five games, have the best chance of winning the NBA Finals, according to the betting odds.

Here are 2023 NBA Finals 0dds from the top US sports betting apps. These odds will update daily:

	Bet Now	Bet Now	Bet Now	Bet Now	Average Odds	Chance of Winning	7 Day Change	14 Day Change	21 Day Change
DEN Nuggets	-800	-800	-910	-1000	-774	87.41%	-0.89%	22.22%	33.46%
MIA Heat	+550	+550	+600	+650	+528	16.80%	0.77%	1.60%	-2.35%

Historic Upset Impacts NBA Futures Prices

The Bucks entered the postseason with the best record in the NBA, and they were the betting favorites to win the 2023 NBA Finals. With sportsbooks offering Bucks’ odds to win the Finals as low as +275, Milwaukee entered the postseason as fairly heavy favorites, with the current favorites, the Celtics, just behind them.

While this does not qualify as the biggest series upset in terms of betting odds, the Heat opened with +750 odds to beat the Bucks, making their series win the fifth-biggest betting upset in NBA Playoff History.

Miami becomes the first eighth seed to knock off a one seed since the 2012 Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Chicago Bulls (who lost Derrick Rose to an injury. The 2011 Grizzlies and 2007 Warriors also pulled off the feat. The Heat are also the first team to advance in the NBA Playoffs after playing in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

The Heat’s odds of winning the NBA Finals are still unfavorable (+3500), as the East is a tough conference. Next, they have to take on a Knicks team that throttled the Cavaliers, but with Jimmy Butler turning into the best player in basketball during the postseason, there is no telling how far the Heat can go.

Betting Favorites to Win NBA Finals

With the previous favorite going down, it is time to look at the new betting favorites of winning the 2023 NBA Finals. There is still time to place your NBA Finals futures bets, but prices increase as the number of teams decreases. 

Boston Celtics +140

The defending Eastern Conference Champions are now the favorites to win the NBA Finals but are still looking to advance to the second round of the NBA Playoffs after Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks spoiled a potential home-clinching game with a massive 16-point fourth-quarter comeback victory in Game 5. 

Still, Boston has been one of the best teams in the NBA this season on both ends of the court. You can argue that not only do the Celtics have one of the most lethal offenses in the NBA, but there are four all-defense-caliber players on this team in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Robert Williams. 

Phoenix Suns +400

Phoenix is looking for its first trip to the Finals since 2020, when the Suns fell to the Bucks in six games. Now, they’ve added Kevin Durant at the trade deadline, and although he has not played much for the Suns, he still looks like his lethal self, averaging 26.7 points per game and shooting a blistering 53.7% from beyond the arc. 

Phoenix has an easier road to the Finals, which makes its odds of winning the Finals more attractive, but as we just saw with Milwuakeew’s stunning upset, anything is possible in the NBA playoffs. Still, after knocking off the Clipper in five games, it is clear that Phoenix is the scariest team in the West. 

Also check: 2023 NBA Finals odds

Previous NBA Finals Winners’ Futures Odds

Here are the pre-playoff futures odds of the previous NBA champions.