Warriors NBA Championship Odds Shorten to +185 After Advancing to Western Conference Finals

• The Golden State Warriors are back in the Western Conference Finals after ousting the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night
• The Warriors own the best odds to win the NBA Championship
• See the latest updated odds, and if we think Golden State is the best bet

It was probably not as conventional as they would have liked it, but the Golden State Warriors have punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals.

The Dubs finally put away the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6 of their Second Round playoff series, breaking open a back-and-forth affair in the fourth quarter to win 110-96.

It’s their first trip this deep into the playoffs since 2019, when they made the NBA Finals, eventually losing to the Toronto Raptors.

Perhaps a little surprisingly, Golden State’s 2022 NBA Championship odds have improved to +185 (more on that below).

2022 NBA Championship Odds

Odds as of May 13th at FanDuel

Entering Round 2, the Warriors were the betting favorite, at +280. The second-best odds belong to the Phoenix Suns (+320), but they still have business to deal with, staring down a Game 7 Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks.

The only other team to make the NBA’s Final Four, the Miami Heat, sit in third with +400 odds. The East’s top seed awaits the winner of Bucks-Celtics, who have their own Game 7 showdown Sunday.

Warriors Advance Past Grizzlies

Golden State dispatched the upstart Grizzlies after getting run out of the gym in Game 5.

The old guard — the remaining members of the dynastic title teams in the 2010’s — helped the Warriors bounce back in Game 6 after a 39-point beatdown last time out, in a game they trailed by as many as 55.

GAME 6 KLAY pic.twitter.com/ugTYgyd77F

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 14, 2022

Klay Thompson led the way with 30 points, going 8-for-14 from three-point range to go along with eight boards. His Splash Brother, Steph Curry, didn’t shoot it great, but finished with 29 points, hitting only 6-for-17 from downtown.

Draymond Green was his all-around usual self, putting up 14 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists. Veteran Kevon Looney was dusted off for this one and shined, grabbing a game-high 22 rebounds — 11 on the offensive end — to go along with five dimes and four points.

Stephen Curry.
BANG! pic.twitter.com/8S6s55rrRv

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 14, 2022

First-time all-star Andrew Wiggins also came through in the clutch, potting 10 of his 18 points in the decisive fourth quarter, adding 10 boards and three blocks.

Golden State’s odds to win the Western Conference are also the shortest at -145. Phoenix is second at +150, followed by the Mavs at +800.

Is Golden State the Best Bet?

It’s hard to quantify just how good Golden State is, as they didn’t always look great against Memphis, and they struggled in long stretches in last three games — when Ja Morant was out.

The Grizzlies’ size and Morant’s athleticism made it a bad matchup, but the Dubs also showed major flaws.

Top of mind has to be turnovers. The Warriors committed 17 turnovers in Game 6, and they averaged 17.8 turnovers in the series, committing at least 16 in every game.

Fortunately. their rebounding, particularly on the offensive glass, turned into a major weapon. They had 25 offensive rebounds in Game 6, and cracked double digits in that category four times in this series.

The Warriors had 70 rebounds tonight to close out the Grizzlies. That's an NBA high for rebounds by any team in any game this season. Kevon Looney had 21, Draymond Green had 15, Andrew Wiggins had 11. They had 45 defensive rebounds and 25 offensive rebounds. Wild.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 14, 2022

Still, Golden State’s offense, which looked dynamite against the Nuggets, was choppy for long stretches against a Memphis squad that was third in defensive rating in the playoffs.

That might not be a problem in the West Finals, where the Suns and Mavericks rank eighth and 10th in defensive rating in the 16-team playoff field, but should they advance to the Finals, the Bucks, Celtics and Heat are ranked 1-2-4 in that statistic.

The 21-3 run that sent the @warriors to the West Finals!

Chase Center IGNITES late in Game 6 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Fei3jGr2Be

— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2022

It’s great to see Golden State back in the thick of the title picture, and I don’t hate them as a wager.

However, the last three teams standing in the East look a cut above the rest of the field, and getting the defending champs at +900 odds is incredible value. I’d side with any of the Heat, Celts and Bucks before dropping a wager on any remaining West squad.