NBA Championship 2022: Which Teams Do the Odds Favor?

The regular season is winding down with few games left to play. This year has been filled with mouth-watering action all season long.

We’ve seen the super teams struggle, superstars rising to the occasion, plenty of 40-50 game points, clutch wins, a few blowouts, and more. The post-season is upon us, and we can’t be more excited about this year’s playoff tournament. 

As it stands, the NBA betting odds favor the Phoenix Suns, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. They are +300 and have been the best team from almost start to finish.

The Suns are officially the only 60-win team this season and are currently 63-16, a new franchise record. With 38-11 against Western Conference teams and 25-5 against the East, they are surely a team to avoid in the playoffs. Phoenix also has the best record since the start of 2022, winning 35 games out of 43.

The only team that comes close to the Suns in the West and overall are the 2-seed Memphis Grizzlies. At press time, they are 55-24 and have won 8 of their last ten games. 

What’s impressive about the Grizzlies is that they’re doing this without their All-Star guard Ja Morant. The Memphis are 20-2 without Ja this season. Despite their form, they are still not among the top 5 favorites to win the Championship. Many experts believe this young roster lacks playoff experience.

The Golden State Warriors (50-29) have fallen to 3rd place on the odds list. They are 3-7 in their last ten games. Also, they are without Steph Curry, who is out with a foot injury.

Another early-season contender, the Brooklyn Nets, are still top three favorites despite their recent disappointing form. The Nets are arguably the most talked about team this season, mostly for the wrong reasons. 

Kyrie Irving’s vaccine stance dominated the headlines early on in the season. Head Coach Steve Nash has also had to deal with Kevin Durant’s unavailability due to injury.  During his absence, the Nets lost 11 straight games and dropped to the play-in spot. 

They are also without James Harden, who reportedly demanded a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers. In exchange for Harden, the 76ers gave up Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond.

The Nets currently sit 8th in the Eastern Conference stands and will have to settle for the play-in tournament with the Toronto Raptors securing the final automatic playoff spot. Brooklyn may be down now, but nobody wants to play against them in the first round.

The Eastern Conference has been the most competitive, with only two wins separating the 1-seed Miami Heat from the 4th seed with less than four games to play. The Heat are 52-28 and are the only 50-win team in the East, although the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers could potentially join this club. These three teams currently have the same record (49-30) and are only separated by a tie-breaker. 

The Bucks are currently the 2nd favorite team to win the chip and will be looking to repeat their title run. Also, the Bucks are 31-18 against the Eastern Conference and 18-12 against the Western.

The hottest team in terms of current streak are the Boston Celtics. They are 23-5 since January 31 (32-11 in 2022) and have the 5th best odds to win their 18th Larry O’Brien trophy. 

The Utah Jazz (47-32) and Denver Nuggets (47-33) round out the top 10.