The NBA championship odds have considerably changed since the start of the 2025-26 season. Will the OKC Thunder, heavy favorites (+225) to defend their championship, still be on top? Will the Denver Nuggets, initially considered the Thunder’s biggest challengers, remain second with +550 to +1100 odds?
After Sunday’s games, the playoff picture is almost complete. Once the play-in tournament is over, four teams, two from each conference, will join the others who have already secured outright postseason slots.
Before 16 teams will start the slugfest, here are the updated odds of title contenders before the playoffs begin.
2026 NBA Championship Odds Still Favor OKC Thunder
Last season, the OKC Thunder finished the regular season with a 68-14 record, the best in the entire NBA. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. finished an incredible 16 games ahead of the Houston Rockets (52-30) for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City easily had the best NBA championship odds to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
This season, the Thunder’s reign at the top nearly came to an end. A strong push from the San Antonio Spurs almost prevented the defending champs from finishing with the best record.
The Thunder piled a 64-18 win-loss record, unsurprisingly giving them the best NBA championship odds (+115).
The Spurs (62-20) blew past the Denver Nuggets to take the No. 2 spot with +550, the same odds FanDuel is giving the Boston Celtics to win the championship. The Nuggets (+950), the Cleveland Cavaliers (+1600) and the New York Knicks (+1800) round up the top 6.
Surprisingly, the Detroit Pistons (60-22), the top-seeded Eastern Conference team, is seventh with +2200 odds. Despite Cade Cunningham’s return, oddsmakers aren’t bullish about the Pistons’ championship aspirations.
The NBA championship odds for the LA Lakers dropped to +2500 from +1400 last season. Injuries to Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) are the biggest reasons LA isn’t considered a serious challenger for the crown.
Boston Celtics Made Biggest Jump in NBA Championship Odds
The Boston Celtics traded multiple key contributors from the 2024 championship-winning team in the offseason. While Jayson Tatum recovered from a ruptured Achilles, it seemed like the Cs were ready to embrace a gap year.
NBA experts predicted them to be a play-in tournament team. Boston had +8000 NBA championship odds from DraftKings.
Behind Jaylen Brown, the Cs finished with a 56-26 record to earn the No. 2 seed in the East. Tatum’s return has also made them an even more dangerous team in the eyes of bookies. The Celtics’ NBA championship odds dramatically improved from +8000 to +550.
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