NBA title odds: 76ers favored to win East ahead of season's final month
With just one month left in the regular season, the 76ers have only played five games with their superstar duo. The early returns have them priced among the favorites to win it all.
After winning each of its first five games with James Harden in the lineup, Philadelphia is the front-runner to win the Eastern Conference. It's also the third-favorite to win it all, trailing only the Suns and Warriors while remaining just ahead of the Nets and Bucks. Those five are the only teams priced shorter than 10-1 as of Monday.
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Phoenix Suns | +400 |
| Golden State Warriors | +450 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +600 |
| Brooklyn Nets | +650 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +700 |
| Miami Heat | +1000 |
| Utah Jazz | +1800 |
| Boston Celtics | +2000 |
| Chicago Bulls | +2500 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +2500 |
| Denver Nuggets | +3000 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +4000 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +6000 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | +6000 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | +8000 |
| Toronto Raptors | +10000 |
| Atlanta Hawks | +15000 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +15000 |
| Charlotte Hornets | +20000 |
| Indiana Pacers | +50000 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | +50000 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | +50000 |
| Sacramento Kings | +50000 |
| San Antonio Spurs | +50000 |
| Washington Wizards | +50000 |
| Detroit Pistons | +100000 |
| Houston Rockets | +100000 |
| New York Knicks | +100000 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +100000 |
| Orlando Magic | +100000 |
The Suns are still atop the title oddsboard - and rightfully so, as they own the NBA's best record (51-13) and net rating (plus-7.7) through the first three-quarters of the season. But after a relatively healthy run in 2020-21, injuries could be an issue for Phoenix, which could be without star point guard Chris Paul through the rest of the regular season.
It's a similar story for nearly every title contender. The Warriors have battled injuries to seemingly every key player aside from Stephen Curry, the Nets' roster woes are well-documented, and the Bucks haven't had center Brook Lopez for nearly the entire season.
The only team operating at full strength is, ironically, the 76ers, who have built a core around oft-injured stars Harden and Joel Embiid. So far, those two have been worth the price of admission: Entering Monday, Harden averaged 26.8 points and 12 assists in his new uniform, while Embiid has continued to play like the MVP favorite he is - even with a smaller scoring workload.
Those two have helped the Sixers climb to the No. 2 seed in the East behind the Heat, who are quietly hanging around as dark-horse contenders despite less fanfare than the other top options. They've dealt with their own injuries to key players throughout the year, but nearly their entire roster - including former All-NBA guard Victor Oladipo, who hadn't played all season before Monday - is healthy ahead of the final few weeks.
While the 76ers' rise has stolen headlines, the Celtics are also surging thanks to a healthy rotation and two young stars finding their rhythm. Since Jan. 23, Boston owns an NBA-best 16-3 record with a net rating (plus-16.1) more than double that of the next-best team (Nuggets, plus-7.6). Jayson Tatum has averaged 29.4 points with two 50-point games to complement the league's top-ranked defense in that stretch.
Not every team has an arrow pointing up, though. After entering the season as the favorite to win the West, the Lakers are priced as 60-1 title long shots and are currently clinging to the No. 9 seed, setting up a potential play-in matchup with the Pelicans and either the Timberwolves or Clippers.
C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at [email protected].