The NBA regular season gets back into the swing of things on Thursday, Feb. 19 after the league’s All-Star festivities took place over the weekend. The Thunder hold the best record in the NBA at 42-14 while the Pistons have the best record in the Eastern Conference at 40-13. But where do both of these contenders stand in the NBA futures odds at DraftKings Sportsbook? With the NBA’s second half nearly here, here are the latest NBA futures odds for Finals winner, conference winners and key awards.
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NBA Western Conference winner odds
The Thunder have been the kings of the West all season long, though their once-commanding lead has shrunk of late as they’re just 5-5 over their last 10 games. The Spurs have had their number, going 4-1 against OKC this season, but despite San Antonio sitting in second place in the West by just three games, the Nuggets, who trail the Thunder by six games, have the second-shortest odds to win the conference. The Nuggets are a veteran group that recently won a title, and they pushed the Thunder to seven games in the second round of the postseason last year.
NBA Eastern Conference winner odds
The East appears to be a four-team race with Cleveland, New York, Detroit and Boston all sitting between +300 and +380. The Pistons hold a bigger lead (5.5 games) in the East than the Thunder do in the West, but they have the third-best odds to win the conference, trailing the Cavaliers and Knicks. The Cavs have started to heat up after a bit of an uneven start, while New York made the Eastern Conference Finals last year and are third in the conference entering the second half. All four of the top teams in the conference are hot of late, with the Pistons and Knicks winners of eight of their last 10, the Celtics winners of seven of their last 10 and the Cavs winning nine of 10 entering the break.
NBA Finals winner odds
- Thunder +130
- Nuggets +450
- Cavaliers +1200
- Knicks +1300
- Pistons +1500
- Celtics +1500
- Spurs +1600
- Rockets +2200
- Lakers +3500
- Timberwolves +3500
- 76ers +4000
- Warriors +12000
- Magic +12000
- Hornets +20000
- Heat +20000
- Suns +25000
- Raptors +25000
Oddsmakers seem to think the winner of this year’s Finals will come from the Western Conference, with the defending champions Thunder owning the best odds and the Nuggets close behind before you find the Cavs at +1200. The Thunder opened the season on a tremendous run that had many thinking they could challenge for the best regular-season record in NBA history. That’s already out the window, but they appear ready to defend their NBA title. The Nuggets weathered the storm well in Nikola Jokic’s absence, and the three-time MVP is back after a leg injury and Denver should be dangerous moving forward. If you’re a believer in the Pistons, the +1500 price is awfully intriguing for a team contending for the best record in the NBA this year. Detroit has the fifth-shortest odds and third-best of all the Eastern Conference teams behind Cleveland and New York.
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NBA MVP odds
Gilgeous-Alexander won his first MVP award last year and despite suffering an injury recently, he’s the clear favorite to take home the hardware for the second year in a row. SGA ranks second in the league in scoring at 31.8 points per game, trailing only Doncic. Jokic, who also missed considerable time of late, is a three-time MVP and is Gilgeous-Alexander’s clear top competition for the award. Jokic is again averaging a triple-double per game and is the only other player with MVP odds shorter than +1400.
NBA Rookie of the Year odds
Flagg was the clear favorite to win this award entering the year, and the Dallas phenom and former No. 1 overall pick is far and away the leader in the clubhouse here as we enter the second half of the season. Flagg is averaging 20.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game at just 19 years old, and he scored 27 or more in four of his last five games played entering the All-Star Break. Knueppel, Flagg’s former college teammate, is having a nice rookie season of his own with 18.9 points per game and a 43.1% mark from 3-point range, but it may not be enough to catch Flagg for Rookie of the Year.