NBA Betting: Will Anybody Be Able to Beat Boston in the 2024 NBA Playoffs

The Boston Celtics have been dominating the NBA this season leading betting sites setting them a big favorite to win this year’s NBA Championship. They won their eleventh straight game over the weekend with a whopping 140-88 win over the Golden State Warriors. The team now has a whopping eight game lead in the East, all but assuring the top overall seed.

Below, we are sharing the three teams USA Legal Betting experts see as their biggest rival. We will discuss how each stacks up against the Celtics and if they can knock off this historically great team.

Odds to win NBA Finals: +210 at FanDuel Sportsbook 

Boston owns the NBA’s best overall record (48-12) and home record (29-3) this season. The lead the league in point differential (+11.4) and rebounds (47.1 RPG) while ranking third in scoring (121.3 PPG), fourth in opponent scoring (109.9 PPG), second in blocks (6.6 BPG), and fourth in three-point percentage (38.6%).

The Celtics are currently riding an 11-game winning streak and have won six straight by at least 18 points. They are blowing out most of their opponents, with several of their losses coming only when they are resting Jayson Tatum and/or Jaylen Brown.

The key to the team’s success was their offseason move. They allowed Marcus Smart and Grant Williams to leave while adding Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Both have fit in perfectly, and it has given Boston the edge that they have been missing over the past few seasons.

Odds to win NBA Finals: +700 at BetMGM Sportsbook 

Bookmakers had Milwaukee and Boston almost dead even to win the East to begin the season. The Celtics have lived up to the hype, but the Bucks have not. The addition of Damian Lillard has taken time to adjust, and the team is now with a new head coach in Doc Rivers. They have been playing far better since the All-Star break but are still over eight games behind Boston.

While the Bucks have one of the most efficient offenses in recent memory, but their defense has been an issue. It is why the team has a measly +4.4-point differential. The good news is that has been getting better of late, leading to wins over Boston, Philly, Charlotte (twice), and Chicago.

The Bucks can score with the Celtics, but they don’t have the defense to contain Tatum, Porzingis, and Brown. Even if they did find a way, Boston has too many scoring options for a shallow Bucks defense to stop. Considering Boston would have homecourt advantage in the playoffs, we don’t like the Bucks chances at an upset.

Odds to win NBA Finals: +350 at BetRivers Sportsbook 

The Western Conference race is far closer than the one in the East, with Denver currently sitting just a half game out of the lead. Their road to the NBA Finals is far from guaranteed, but we think this is the only one of the groups that can go seven games with the Celtics.

Nikola Jokic gives the Nuggets a chance to beat anyone in the league, but the rest of this roster is deep. Jamal Murray is having the best season of his careers when it comings to scoring efficiency, making 47.9% of his shots from the field and 41.9% from three. Michael Porter Jr has been very good once again, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been locking down on defense.

While we give the Celtics roster the slight edge when it comes to overall talent, the Nuggets have the experience of winning an NBA title. As good as the Celtics have been, they have not won a title in the Tatum-Brown era. They made the NBA Finals in 2022 but lost in six games to the Warriors.

While a very good Western Conference has us hesitant to bet on Denver to repeat as Champions, we do believe they can beat Boston in a best of seven series.