NBA Championship Won by Clippers, Lakers or Bucks Given -280 Odds; Field Is +240

• A prop has been posted pitting Lakers, Clippers and Bucks to win the NBA Championship versus the field
• One of the Los Angeles teams should win the West though the current top-seeded Bucks are no sure thing in the East
• Read below to see if there is value with this prop or if it makes sense to bet these teams to win the championship (or conferences) individually

After closing out a successful All-Star weekend, the NBA season now shifts to the second half of its season with the trade deadline and a push for the playoffs coming into focus.

With the NBA Championship odds showing a distinct tier of contenders, online sportsbooks have posted a prop that gives you three favorites to win the championship versus the field. Is it a good bet to get the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks or is the field the better bet?

2020 NBA Championship Odds

Odds taken February 17th.

Will Lakers, Clippers Win the West?

Part of what we’re looking at here is whether or not we think the Lakers or Clippers will win the West. At this point, that’s a resounding ‘yes’ to me. We saw the Denver Nuggets, who are currently the No. 2 seed, lose at home to the Los Angeles Lakers right before the break and that’s a telling sign.

Taking a look at the competition, there are teams like the Nuggets, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets. The Rockets are trying a smallball experiment that isn’t likely to work in the playoffs while the Nuggets and Jazz are a cut below the Lakers and Clippers. The superstars of the LA teams will be the difference in a playoff series.

Will the Bucks Win the East?

For much of the season, I did think the Bucks would win the East. They’re a team on a mission as they currently have the best record in the NBA and again have the MVP frontrunner in Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s averaging over 34 points, 15 rebounds and six assists per 36 minutes, which has never been done before.

The challenge with the Bucks is we’re not sure if they’re playoffs strong. The Toronto Raptors seemed to have their number in the postseason last year and I wouldn’t be shocked if it happened again. Even a team like the Miami Heat or the Boston Celtics might be able to stymie them.

For whatever reason, we’ve seen this consistently happen for Mike Budenholzer-coached teams. He coached a 60-win Atlanta Hawks team that he couldn’t get to the finals and when they won 48 games the following year, they lost in the second round.

On paper, the Bucks look very strong as Khris Middleton is an All-Star and Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez score in double figures. At the same time, Bledsoe was a complete no-show in the playoffs while Middleton’s numbers decreased significantly. They could win the East but I don’t trust them. I don’t view them as being a big asset with this prop.

What’s the Best Bet?

You can get the Lakers at +165 to win the Western Conference and the Clippers at +200. In my opinion, betting both together is a better bet than taking all three at -280 to win the NBA Championship. Then you could wait and bet the West winner to beat the East in the Finals too as that’s the outcome I’d expect.

The only way to slow down Kawhi tonight. 😂@kawhileonard | #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/fjqFd0GMnP

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 17, 2020

In terms of this prop, I don’t see someone outside of these three teams winning the championship, so if you’re not as weary of the Bucks as I am, then laying the -280 seems to make sense.