The 2024–25 NBA regular season is finally wrapped up, and the playoffs are promising some great matchups early on. The Boston Celtics are the defending champions, having beaten the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals, making them the sole leaders of the most championships won by a team (18), surpassing the Lakers (17).
The 79th NBA season has been a really exciting one so far. LeBron James and Bronny became the first father-son duo to play together in an NBA game, while Nikola Jokic scored a 61-point triple-double, which is the highest-scoring triple-double in NBA history. The defending champions, the Boston Celtics, also broke the record for the most three-pointers made in a single season (1364).
The 2025 NBA playoffs bracket is finally set, and the action started on Saturday, April 19, and the finals will be played in June. The Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers were the NBA playoffs’ opening matchup this season, which saw the Pacers get a big win in game 1 of this series.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | National Basketball Association (NBA) 2025 Playoffs |
| 🏟️ Venues: | Venues across the United States |
| 🗓️ Dates: | 19 April – June 2024 |
Here’s a look at the 2025 NBA playoffs odds for the winners of the NBA Championship from the best online basketball betting sites:
The Oklahoma City Thunder are defending the best team in the NBA this season. They set a new NBA record with 51 double-digit wins out of their 68 wins in the regular season. The Boston Celtics will have a good chance of winning the title back-to-back, as they haven’t lost any of their championship roster from last year.
The Cleveland Cavaliers had the best record in the Eastern Conference this season with 64 wins and 18 losses. The Cavs are real contenders for the title with this very solid roster. The Golden State Warriors are back in the playoffs after missing them last year. Steph Curry and Draymond Green have a lot of playoff experience, and they can make some noise this year. The Los Angeles Lakers have the best duo on paper, LeBron James and Luka Doncic, and they have been doing well since the Slovenian superstar joined them.
Here’s a look at the NBA playoffs odds 2025 to win the NBA Eastern Conference from the latest basketball sportsbooks:
The Boston Celtics had the second-best defense in the NBA regular season, and they have star power on the offense in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They lost only two of 14 playoff games on their route to the final last year, and they won the EC title. The Cleveland Cavaliers have improved a lot this year, as they had a 48-34 record last season compared to their 64-18 record this time.
The New York Knicks have one of the most balanced rosters this year, with players like Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges. The Indiana Pacers have a tough path to the finals, but they are in great form right now, having won eight of their last nine games. The Milwaukee Bucks are still missing Damian Lillard, so their chances aren’t that high, even though Giannis Antetokounmpo is putting up MVP numbers yet again.
The Cavs had the best regular season in the EC, while the Boston Celtics came second and the Knicks came third in the 2024-25 NBA standings. The Orlando Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament and qualified for the playoffs, while the Miami Heat became the first No. 10 seed to qualify for the postseason in NBA history.
The most notable injury in the Eastern Conference has definitely been Damian Lillard for the Bucks, but he is back in training and should be ready this week. The Miami Heat are still missing Kevin Love, while Jaden Ivey is out for the Detroit Pistons until the end of the season.
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This is our 2025 NBA playoffs bet of the day, as we expect a big performance from the Cavaliers this season. The Cavs clinched the No. 1 seed for the first time in nine years, and they had an outstanding start to the season by winning 15 consecutive games. Donovan Mitchell is on fire right now and scored 30 points last game, while Ty Jerome has stepped up big time as the sixth man this season. The NBA 2k bookies have some enticing odds on the Cavs to win the EC. They have what it takes with coach Kenny Atkinson to win the title.
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The New York Knicks are superior to the Detroit Pistons in this matchup, especially on defense. The Knicks have already won the first game of this series, and they can definitely win three of the next four if they perform at this same level. The Pistons lost six of their last eight games, while the Knicks won nine of their last 13 games. The Pistons had 19 turnovers last game against the Knicks, while New York controlled the game and won pretty easily.
Here’s a look at the NBA 2025 latest odds for the winners of the Western Conference this season:
The Oklahoma City Thunder have now topped the Western Conference regular season in back-to-back seasons, and they have the MVP finalist contender, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, on their side. The Golden State Warriors have won the Western Conference in six of the last 10 seasons, while the Los Angeles Lakers will be going for glory in Luka’s first season with the team.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, having won nine of their last 10 games, including a win over the Lakers in the playoffs first round. The Denver Nuggets haven’t been as dangerous as they were two years ago, but they still have one of the best players in the league in Nikola Jokic.
It’s not a surprise that OKC topped the Western Conference standings this season, but the Houston Rockets finishing second wasn’t on anyone’s radar. The Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Clippers all finished with the same record of 50-32. The Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies qualified through the play-in tournament.
There aren’t any big injuries in the Western Conference so far, as Chet Holmgren is back for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Ja Morant should be fine as well after he sprained his ankle against the Warriors in the play-in game.
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The Los Angeles Lakers have performed really well with Luka Doncic in fine form in the last few games. They have won 19 of their last 24 home games this season, which is outstanding, but they need to step up on the road to clinch the title. Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith have been playing well lately, and they have the ability to improve even more with the help of LeBron James and Luka Doncic. The value on the Lakers with such high odds is really appealing, especially with the star power that they have.
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The odds for this series were slightly in favor of the Clippers before game 1, but it flipped to them being slight underdogs after they lost. The Los Angeles Clippers played a very good game and lost by only two points in overtime, so they have good chances of getting a comeback, especially with Kawhi Leonard and James Harden being healthy and performing at a high level. The Clippers ranked 4th among the best defensive teams in the regular season, while the Nuggets were 25th, so Los Angeles will have the edge, especially if they can tie the score in game 2.
There are a lot of good teams this season that are capable of winning the title, and we will go with the Lakers and Cavs to do well. Make sure you use our 2025 NBA playoffs predictions and bet on them at the best basketball sportsbooks to have more fun watching the games.
