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Updated 2021 NBA Championship Odds as 2nd Round Playoff Series Begin

Chris Amberley

by Chris Amberley in NBA Basketball

Updated Jun 5, 2021 · 5:49 AM PDT

James Harden lays it up
Brooklyn will face Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference Semifinals beginning on Saturday, June 5th. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)
  • Brooklyn remains a strong favorite to win the NBA Title as the 2nd Round of the Playoffs begin on Saturday (June 5th)
  • After knocking out the defending champs, Phoenix still offers value at +800
  • See below for updated NBA Championship odds and analysis

Dallas and the LA Clippers may still be fighting in the 1st Round of the NBA Playoffs, but that isn’t going to stop the 2nd Round from starting on Saturday

Brooklyn and Milwaukee tip-off first, and of the nine teams currently still standing, only four have ever won the Championship.

Oddsmakers expect a first-time winner to hoist the trophy in 2021, as the top-two contenders to win it all on the odds board are still looking for their inaugural title.

2021 NBA Championship Odds

Team Odds at FanDuel
Brooklyn Nets +170
Utah Jazz +320
Milwaukee Bucks +550
Los Angeles Clippers +600
Phoenix Suns +1000
Philadelphia 76ers +1200
Denver Nuggets +2400
Atlanta Hawks +3500
Dallas Mavericks +6500

Odds as of June 4th.

Brooklyn remains a strong favorite in the NBA Championship Odds, while Utah’s price has been shortened from +600 to +320 after they breezed past Memphis. The Bucks and Phoenix round out the top-four, while Atlanta saw the biggest adjustment of any remaining team to its price tag.

The Hawks were as along as 100-1 prior to the start of the 1st Round, but have now been shortened to +3500.

Brooklyn Should Fear the Deer

We weren’t backing Brooklyn at +220 ahead of Round 1, so we’re definitely not buying them now at +170. The Nets are set to battle the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinal, which shapes up to be one of the best series of the entire postseason.

No team looked more impressive in the 1st Round than Milwaukee, as they easily swept defending Eastern Conference Champion Miami.  The Bucks outscored the Heat by 82 points over the course of four games, while holding them to just 98 points per outing.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was his usual stat stuffing self, but unlike last year’s playoffs, this time around he had plenty of help. Four other Milwaukee players averaged in double-figures, while the team buried 13 triples per contest. They averaged 119 points per game, while racking up 12.6 more boards per outing than any other team.

The Bucks were 2-1 versus the Nets during the regular season, sweeping them on their home court, while falling by just 2 points on the road. Giannis was dominant in those three outings posting 39.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5 assists, but he wasn’t alone. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday averaged 24.7 and 21 points respectively, while Holiday also dished out 6.7 assists and shot 52.4% from beyond the arc.

Granted, Milwaukee never faced Brooklyn’s Big Three of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving all at the same time like they will in the 2nd Round, but the Bucks do have the pieces to slow down the trio. Giannis is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and is one of the few players in the world that can hang with KD. Holiday meanwhile, is a two-time All-NBA Defense team member, and held Harden to just 3 points and 2 assists while guarding him over 25 partial possessions this season.

There was value on Milwaukee before the playoffs started at +800, and they’re still worthy of a bet at +550. Given the Joel Embiid injury in Philly, these are the two most talented teams left in the East, and if the Bucks knock off the Nets, they’ll likely be the championship co-favorites at worst heading into the Conference Finals.

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The Rising Suns

Speaking of value, that’s exactly what the Phoenix Suns are at +1000. Devin Booker and company dispatched the defending champs in six games, and now face MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Phoenix opened as a -215 favorite to win the series, and have an excellent chance of reaching the finals. Their backcourt of Booker and Chris Paul has a massive advantage over Denver, and while Jokic is a nightmare to handle, the Suns sixth ranked scoring defense is much better equipped to slow him down than Portland was.

Booker proved he’s nearly impossible to defend against the Lakers, and while Paul is still nursing a shoulder injury, his leadership and experience are invaluable. Aside from Paul, the Suns are relatively healthy while the Nuggets are missing two of their top four regular season scorers (Jamal Murray and Will Barton).

Should Phoenix advance they’ll likely meet top-seed Utah in the Conference Final, a team they swept in the regular season. If you believe in the Suns, lock them in now because their number is only going to get shorter in the next couple weeks.

A Sleeper Worth a Sprinkle

If +1000 odds aren’t long enough to peak your interest, how about Atlanta at +3500. The Hawks breezed past the New York Knicks in the 1st Round, and now have their sights set on upsetting Philly with Embiid hobbled.

If healthy, Embiid is the best player on the floor for either side, but with his status in question, that honor now belongs to Trae Young. The third-year star averaged 29.2 points and 9.8 assists per game against New York, but he’s not the only threat the Hawks possess. Both John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic are quality scoring options, while Danilo Gallinari provides instant offense off the bench.

Atlanta opened as a +160 underdog to advance to the East Final, but that number has already moved in the Hawks’ favor. If they can upset the Sixers they’ll once again be a sizeable dog to a more talented team in the Conference Final, but holding an Atlanta NBA Championship ticket will at the very least give you a profitable hedging opportunity.

 

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