NBA Championship Odds & Dark Horse Picks 1 Week Before 2024-25 Season

The 2024-25 NBA regular season is officially less than a week away from starting. It’s been four months since the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2023-24 NBA Finals, leaving time to tell who’ll hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy when June rolls around.

Even though the action doesn’t begin until Tuesday, it isn’t too late to start thinking about this year’s championship future.

With meaningful basketball games arriving soon, let’s dive into the latest 2024-25 NBA Championship odds — as well as a couple of dark horse picks.

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Last 10 NBA Champions

• 2024: Boston Celtics (def. Dallas Mavericks 4-1)
• 2023: Denver Nuggets (def. Miami Heat 4-1)
• 2022: Golden State Warriors (def. Boston Celtics 4-2)
• 2021: Milwaukee Bucks (def. Phoenix Suns 4-2)
• 2020: Los Angeles Lakers (def. Miami Heat 4-2)
• 2019: Toronto Raptors (def. Golden State Warriors 4-2)
• 2018: Golden State Warriors (def. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0)
• 2017: Golden State Warriors (def. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1)
• 2016: Cleveland Cavaliers (def. Golden State Warriors 4-3)
• 2015: Golden State Warriors (def. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2)

NBA Championship 2025 Odds Update (10/16)

All 2025 NBA Championship futures odds are courtesy of BetOnline as of 11:24 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 16. 

• Boston Celtics (+315)
• Oklahoma City Thunder (+600)
• New York Knicks (+750)
• Philadelphia 76ers (+800)
• Denver Nuggets (+1000)
• Dallas Mavericks (+1100)
• Minnesota Timberwolves (+1100)
• Milwaukee Bucks (+1400)
• Phoenix Suns (+2500)
• Los Angeles Lakers (+2800)
• Memphis Grizzlies (+3300)
• Golden State Warriors (+3500)
• Cleveland Cavaliers (+4000)
• Orlando Magic (+4000)
• New Orleans Pelicans (+4000)
• Miami Heat (+4500)
• Sacramento Kings (+4500)
• Indiana Pacers (+5000)
• Houston Rockets (+6600)
• LA Clippers (+6600)
• San Antonio Spurs (+8000)
• Atlanta Hawks (+20000)
• Chicago Bulls (+75000)
• Brooklyn Nets (+100000)
• Charlotte Hornets (+100000)
• Detroit Pistons (+100000)
• Portland Trail Blazers (+100000)
• Toronto Raptors (+100000)
• Utah Jazz (+100000)
• Washington Wizards (+100000)

Check out our NBA picks page throughout the 2024-25 season

There hasn’t been a ton of movement since our last NBA Championship update on Sept. 27. The Boston Celtics are still BetOnline’s favorites to repeat as champions at +315 odds, which carry an implied probability of 24.1% which is actually down 1.9% from last month.

One of the more notable changes is that the Phoenix Suns have gone from +3300 to +2500 odds to win the 2024-25 NBA Finals. As long as Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal can stay healthy and on the floor together, the sky could be the limit for the Suns.

Another interesting change is how the Houston Rockets leaped up from +8000 to +6600. The Rockets are still likely a few years away from challenging for a championship, however, consistent play from their young core could see the Rockets return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20.

When it comes to the bigger falls, we’ve seen the San Antonio Spurs drop from +6600 odds to +8000. Victor Wembanyama will certainly be one of the NBA’s best players again this season, but it’s clear that he’ll need more help if the Spurs want to be a title threat.

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NBA Championship Dark Horse Picks

While it’s easy to picture a team like the Celtics or Oklahoma City Thunder winning the 2024-25 NBA Championship, it isn’t always the favorites who take home the top prize. Sometimes, a dark horse team shocks the basketball world by going on an unexpected Cinderella run.

With that in mind, here are two early dark horse championship picks I like.

1. Milwaukee Bucks — +1400 on BetOnline

Even though the Milwaukee Bucks aren’t the biggest dark horses, I still think that they could surprise a lot of people this season.

The 2023-24 campaign didn’t go the way that the Bucks planned as they finished with just 49 wins, marking their second-lowest win total of the last six seasons. Things got even worse when Milwaukee fell to the Indiana Pacers in six games during the first round of the playoffs, leaving many to wonder if Doc Rivers’ team is still good enough to compete for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Having said that, I expect the Bucks to bounce back this season. For starters, Rivers has had nearly a year to familiarize himself with the players after being hired by the team in January. Secondly, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have now had even more time to foster chemistry. If both superstars can stay healthy, the Bucks are good enough to compete with any team.

Thirdly, the Eastern Conference isn’t all that threatening outside of the Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers. Even then, the Knicks and 76ers changed a lot about their lineups this summer, leaving time to tell if the chemistry is there or not.

If the Bucks’ best players stay healthy and everyone buys into Rivers’ system, the franchise could bring home its second title in five seasons.

2. Phoenix Suns — +2500 on BetOnline

As mentioned before, the Suns’ championship odds have seen a lot of movement in the last month and those odds could become even shorter if they play up to their potential.

Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are two of the NBA’s top players while Bradley Beal is still a strong third-scoring option. The issue is that Phoenix’s ‘Big 3’ only played 41 games together last season due to a litany of injuries that kept piling up. Nevertheless, the trio did play 18 consecutive games together to close out the regular season, going 12-6 SU along the way.

For reference, that’s a 55-win pace across 82 games — six more than they finished with last year.

The Western Conference is projected to be close, however, that doesn’t mean the Suns can’t compete with the best teams. As long as they avoid major injuries, they should remain in the championship mix.

Get 50% up to $1,000 on NBA futures picks over on BetOnline

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Are you looking to make the most of your NBA betting plays? Check out our NBA Picks page for consensus picks for every 2024-25 game.

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