The NBA regular season is winding down, with the playoff picture coming into clearer focus on a daily basis. With that playoff picture getting more clear with each game, championship favorites have emerged from each conference.
Here, we look at who the NBA betting lines in each conference are and what the most likely NBA Finals matchups will be as the season gets set to shift toward the playoffs.
Potential NBA Championship Matchups Before Starting the Playoffs
Eastern Conference Championship Odds
In the Eastern Conference, there are three teams that have broken away from the pack in terms of their NBA Finals odds. The Milwaukee Bucks are the favorites to win the East, as they have the best record in the conference entering the stretch run. Joining them are the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, both of whom are more than capable of beating the East’s top seed in a best-of-seven series.
Milwaukee and Boston have the upper hand going into the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, by virtue of having won the East in recent seasons. Philadelphia has a ton of talent, including MVP favorite Joel Embiid, but they have yet to advance to the conference final round with their current nucleus. That could be a huge factor as these three teams look to hold off the rest of the competition.
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Western Conference Championship Odds
In the Western Conference, things are much wider open, as there are five teams that are inside of +1000 odds to advance to the NBA Finals. The current favorite to do so is the Phoenix Suns, who earned that distinction by bringing in Kevin Durant to join Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton in their starting lineup. But there are several viable contenders there, with the Suns vying for a conference title.
The Denver Nuggets lead that group of other contenders, as they have had the best record in the Western Conference for much of this season. Joining them are the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers. If any of these teams can peak at the right time, they could upset the Suns and make it to the NBA Finals to face the champion of the Eastern Conference.
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Most Likely NBA Finals Matchups
Based on the current conference championship odds in the NBA, the most likely NBA Finals matchup appears to be a rematch between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns from the 2021 Finals. But without there being a clear favorite in either conference, we could easily see some other matchups instead. A Finals matchup between the Celtics and Warriors for the second straight year is more than possible, as are matchups between Finals newcomers like the 76ers and Nuggets or Clippers.
What will ultimately determine how things go in the playoffs this year is the health of every team competing. Injuries to key players on any of these teams could derail their title hopes, while elevating the chances of the competitors around them. Keeping an eye on the injury reports for each team throughout the playoff push will be vital for basketball bettors down the stretch.
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2022-2023 Season League Standings
2023 Eastern Conference Standings
| Rank | Name | W | L | CONF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | c – Milwaukee Bucks | 55 | 22 | 32-16 |
| 02 | x – Boston Celtics | 53 | 24 | 31-17 |
| 03 | x – Philadelphia 76ers | 50 | 26 | 30-16 |
| 04 | x – Cleveland Cavaliers | 48 | 29 | 31-16 |
| 05 | New York Knicks | 44 | 33 | 29-19 |
| 06 | Brooklyn Nets | 41 | 35 | 27-21 |
| 07 | Miami Heat | 40 | 37 | 21-27 |
| 08 | Atlanta Hawks | 38 | 38 | 24-23 |
| 09 | Toronto Raptors | 38 | 38 | 23-23 |
| 10 | Chicago Bulls | 36 | 40 | 25-23 |
| 11 | Washington Wizards | 34 | 42 | 20-27 |
| 12 | Indiana Pacers | 33 | 44 | 23-25 |
| 13 | Orlando Magic | 32 | 44 | 18-28 |
| 14 | o – Charlotte Hornets | 26 | 51 | 14-34 |
| 15 | o – Detroit Pistons | 16 | 60 | 7-40 |
2023 Western Conference Standings
| Rank | Name | W | L | CONF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | nw – Denver Nuggets | 51 | 25 | 32-14 |
| 02 | sw –Memphis Grizzlies | 48 | 28 | 28-20 |
| 03 | x – Sacramento Kings | 46 | 30 | 30-16 |
| 04 | Phoenix Suns | 41 | 35 | 26-20 |
| 05 | Los Angeles Clippers | 41 | 36 | 24-23 |
| 06 | Golden State Warriors | 40 | 37 | 26-21 |
| 07 | New Orleans Pelicans | 39 | 38 | 27-21 |
| 08 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 39 | 38 | 27-21 |
| 09 | Los Angeles Lakers | 38 | 38 | 22-24 |
| 10 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 38 | 39 | 23-25 |
| 11 | Dallas Mavericks | 37 | 40 | 27-23 |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | 36 | 40 | 23-25 |
| 13 | Portland Trail Blazers | 32 | 44 | 22-24 |
| 14 | o – San Antonio Spurs | 19 | 57 | 7-39 |
| 15 | o – Houston Rockets | 18 | 59 | 11-39 |
x – Clinched Playoffs Berth | e – Clinched Eastern Conference | a – Clinched Atlantic Division | c – Clinched Central Division
se – Clinched Southeast Division | w – Clinched Western Conference | sw – Clinched Southwest Division
nw – Clinched Northwest Division | p – Clinched Pacific Division | o – Eliminated From Playoffs contention
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