Thunder Open Season as Overwhelming Favorite to Repeat as NBA Champion
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The Oklahoma City Thunder start their title defense Tuesday against the Houston Rockets carrying 2-1 championship odds at ESPN BET, the shortest preseason price posted for any team since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors.
Oddsmakers’ confidence follows a 2024-25 campaign in which Oklahoma City was listed as an underdog in only three games before capturing the franchise’s first NBA crown.
“They’re head and shoulders above [everyone], and they’ll be favored in just about every game, unless there’s something unforeseen,” veteran Westgate SuperBook oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets share the second-lowest title odds at +650. The New York Knicks sit at +1000, while the Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers are each priced at +1500.
Despite the Thunder’s short number, many bettors are looking elsewhere. Nearly half of all money wagered on the championship market at ESPN BET is on Denver, and the Nuggets have also drawn the most tickets and handle at BetMGM. Denver’s odds have dropped from roughly 15-1 to +650 after an offseason retooling around center Nikola Jokic.
Jokic is the MVP front-runner at +215 at ESPN BET, followed by Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at +250. The Lakers’ Luka Doncic is next at +440.
Source: ESPN
