Eight teams remain in the NBA playoffs and the Golden State Warriors continue to be the odds favorite to win the 2019 NBA Championship and their third-straight title.
According to the South Point Casino and Sports Book in Las Vegas, the Warriors are -150 to win the NBA title this year. The top two teams in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors, are both 5/1 odds to win the championship.
UPDATED NBA TITLE ODDS (MONEY LINE):
Golden State Warriors -150
Milwaukee Bucks +500
Toronto Raptors +500
Houston Rockets +700
Boston Celtics +1200
Portland Blazers +2000
Denver Nuggets +2500
Philadelphia Sixers +4000
The Denver Nuggets defeated the San Antonino Spurs in seven games to advance to the Western Conference semifinals. Even though the Nuggets are the #2 seed, they are 25/1 odds to win the NBA crown.
The Boston Celtics, fresh off a sweep of the Pacers, are 12/1 odds to win. The Celtics upset the Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Semifinals with a 112-90 victory on Sunday night.
Raptors and Bucks at 5/1
The Toronto Raptors easily defeated the Philly Sixers 108-95 in the opening game of their series. So long as the Raptors do not overlook the Sixers, the Raptors are on an inevitable collision course with the Greek Freak and the Milwaukee Bucks.
It is surprising to see the Raptors at the same price as the Bucks. Both are listed as the second favorite on the board behind the Warriors. It almost feels like the bookies are saying, “It’s gonna be the Warriors in the Finals against the Raptors or Bucks, but we don’t know which one because it’s such a coin flip.”
The Bucks are in a rare hole right now after a horrible shooting night. The Celtics stepped up their defensive intensity and held the Bucks to only 34.8 percent from the field, including only 33.3 percent from three-point range.
The Greek Freak had an off night during the Bucks loss in Game 1, even though he scored 22 points. He shot only 7-for-21 from the field. Only two other players scored double figures with Kris Middleton adding 16 points and 10 rebounds. Backup center Nikola Mirotic added 13 points off the bench in only 21 minutes of action.
Warriors and Rockets Officiating Nightmare
It seems like the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets are constantly working the refs to get them to officiate a game that best suits their playing style.
The Warriors are irked that James Harden’s angle shooting on drawing fouls. The Rockets are angry that that they, especially James Harden, get zero respect whenever they play the Warriors. As a result, the refs call fewer fouls on the Warriors, which results into fewer free throws and missed points for the Rockets.
Both the Warriors and Rockets were jawing at each other and the officials from the opening tip-off in Game 1. It got so bad that even Chris Paul got bounced by the zebras.
The Rockets are 7/1 odds to win the NBA title, but that would require them to pick off the top-seeded Warriors in the Semifinals, then go on to run the table in the Western Finals and NBA Finals.
The Warriors are the two-time defending champions. They have been the favorites by bookmakers and the public to three-peat since the preseason.
