3 NBA Playoffs Betting Futures
The NBA playoffs are finally here, and it should be an entertaining few months of basketball! Will the Brooklyn Nets rally behind their superstar trio, or are we sleeping on the 76ers / Bucks of the Eastern Conference? The West is wide open with the Lakers, Clippers, Jazz, and Suns all making realistic claims to the finals. We will cut through those questions to find the best value opportunities at the most appealing odds for the NBA Playoffs.
BEST BETS
Portland Blazers Win Series vs. Denver Nuggets (-110)
Where: SugarHouse - Offer: Deposit $250, Bonus $250
The Nuggets are without Jamal Murray and Will Barton. That will likely be a massive problem in this series. Sure, Denver has the probable MVP on their squad, but it’s not outrageous to think that Portland has the better overall team in this situation.
The Blazers are peaking at the right time, firing on all cylinders with big man Jusuf Nurkic finding his footing to close out the season. Portland has a massive advantage in the backcourt with Lillard / McCollum facing injury-replacements like Facundo Campazzo and Austin Rivers. Even though the Blazers don’t have home court advantage, look for them to take care of business in this intriguing series.
Philadelphia 76ers To Win Eastern Conference
Where: William Hill - Offer: Deposit $250, Bonus $250
This is a pure value bet. The 76ers have a terrific path to get to the Eastern Conference Finals. They’ll face Boston in the first round with the Knicks/Hawks on deck. Meanwhile, the Bucks and Nets will battle things out on the other side of the bracket, assuming both of them make it to the second round.
If Philadelphia glides into the Conference Finals (as expected), then we can reevaluate or hedge our bet if necessary. It is extremely hard to envision a scenario where the Sixers don’t make it past the second round. Assuming the 76ers are in the Conference Finals, you would be able to hedge any potential elimination games or maybe even the series price depending on the opponent. This seems like a highly profitable strategy.
LONGSHOT
James Harden to win NBA Finals MVP (+1300)
Where: FanDuel Sportsbook - Offer: Deposit $500, Bonus $500
Yes, this longshot contradicts our bet on Philadelphia earlier in the article. However, we need to zoom out and view things from a value perspective. The Nets are favored to win the Eastern Conference at -110. They are favored to win the NBA Finals at +250. So who would be the Finals MVP if that scenario actually took place?
I would agree that Kevin Durant is the frontrunner to win the award, but it’s much closer than these odds indicate. James Harden has just as much ability to take over any given game, and he could have a fantastic playoff run. All things are health permitting, but it’s surprising to see Harden with long odds like this. As mentioned earlier, you can always hedge (to Durant / Irving) if the Nets make the Finals and are on the brink of winning it all.
