The NBA playoffs have been very exciting so far this year, as we have had a lot of upsets in the early matchups. The 2024 playoffs started on April 20 and will run until early June. The Denver Nuggets are the NBA defending champions, as they won their first-ever championship last year.
The 2024 NBA playoff bracket has had a lot of upsets in the early rounds. In the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. The Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat, while the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic, but the Indiana Pacers beating the Milwaukee Bucks was the biggest surprise. The Celtics are 3-1 up on the Cavs in the EC semi-finals so far, while the Knicks are 3-2 up on the Pacers.
The Western Conference had some big surprises too, as the Minnesota Timberwolves knocked out the Phoenix Suns in the first round. The Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers, while the Oklahoma City Thunder qualified over the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Clippers. OKC Thunder and the Mavs are tied 2-2 in an interesting WC semi-finals matchup, while the Nuggets are up 3-2 on the Wolves.
Here are the updated odds for the winner of the 23/24 NBA championship:
The Boston Celtics have been the favorites to win the title since day one of the playoffs. They had odds of 2.625 (13/8) earlier, but they have been dominant in both of their matchups so far, and that’s why their odds have gone down a lot. The Denver Nuggets are the defending champions and favorites to reach the Western Conference final. Nikola Jokic is playing at his best level right now, so they are a dangerous team in the playoffs.
The third and fourth favorites are facing each other in the Western Conference semi-finals. We had the Mavs winning the conference at odds of 8.0 (7/1) in our 2024 NBA conference odds and predictions, and they have performed well in the playoffs so far. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Suns as underdogs. They are one game away from getting knocked out, but if they can overcome the Nuggets, they will have good winning chances.
