NBA Futures: Best Bets to Win NBA Championship (2020-21)
With the All-Star break officially here as of this weekend, the shortened 2021 NBA season is officially halfway over. With the usual teams at or near the top, the future board for the NBA Championship looks mostly as expected as we begin the back half of what should be an exciting final sprint.
Just like the teams and players themselves, the All-Star break gives bettors a chance to re-evaluate the future’s market at large.
Let’s take a closer look at where the Finals Champion market lies and where the value current sits.
Check out our consensus and the odds at each sportsbook for NBA division winners >>
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Favorite Play
Following what was a relatively slow start given their level of talent, the Brooklyn Nets have been on a torrid pace as the All-Star break approached. Having now won 10 of their last 11, James Harden has been the workhorse for a team that has already gone stretches of missing one or both of the Durant/Irving pieces of the trio.
While the Lakers are the official favorite to win the NBA Championship, I think the much deeper Brooklyn is better equipped for a deep run this season. Already showing signs of tiredness and wear, the Lakers go about as deep as LeBron and AD, while the Nets should have the luxury in the final weeks to rest at least two of their big three completely.
Value Play
As the only team heading into the break with a winning percentage above 70%, the Utah Jazz have played incredible basketball to this point. At one point, winning 11 straight, losing one, and winning their next 9, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert have been the most dangerous 1-2 punch in the league up to this point.
Ranking in the top five in points per game (116.6), points allowed per game (107.8), rebounds per game (48), and points differential (+8.8), through the first half of the season, it’s tough to not find value in nearly the 9/1 odds available right now. Add in the fact that this team has the playoff experience, making it into the final eight every season since 2015-16, and the Jazz certainly have all the pieces to keep this momentum going well into the spring.
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TJ Perun is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from TJ, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.