The Nuggets finished the regular season 13-5 in games without injured star Jamal Murray and still managed to improve their playoff seeding.
Don’t count oddsmakers as all that impressed.
There are seven teams with a better chance to win the NBA finals compared to the Nuggets, according to at least three sportsbooks as of Friday morning. Odds for Denver to bring home the title are listed at , , and . Listed below is the likelihood for when the Nuggets will be eliminated from the postseason, .
Lose in the first round: -120
Lose in the conference semifinals: +135
Lose in the conference finals: +800
Lose in the NBA finals: +1800
Five favorites to win the championship
Brooklyn Nets: Bookmakers are putting a lot of faith in the first-season chemistry of superstars Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Title odds: +240.
Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both healthy after dealing with injury issues. Bad news for the rest of the league. Title odds: +375
Los Angeles Clippers: Kawhi Leonard’s team is simply too talented on paper not to compete for a championship. Don’t tell that to the 2020 Nuggets. Title odds: +600
Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid, next to Nikola Jokic, has arguably the second-best MVP resume this season. But he missed extended time with a knee injury. Title odds: +750
Utah Jazz: Despite the best regular-season record (52-20) in the NBA, and likely defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert, the Jazz is not considered playoff frontrunners. Title odds: +750
* Odds via BetMGM on Friday morning
First-round series odds
WEST
— No. 1 Jazz (TBD) vs. No. 8 Grizzlies/Warriors (TBD)
— No. 7 Lakers (-120) vs. No. 2 Suns (+125)
— No. 6 Blazers (-120) vs. No. 3 Nuggets (+100)
— No. 4 Clippers (-375) vs. No. 5 Mavericks (+300)
EAST
— No. 1 Sixers (-1000) vs. No. 8 Wizards (+650)
— No. 2 Nets (-1100) vs. No. 7 Celtics (+700)
— No. 3 Bucks (-275) vs No. 6 Heat (+225)
— No. 5 Hawks (-120) vs. No. 4 Knicks (+100)
* Odds via BetMGM on Friday morning
Five prop bets to watch
Comeback kings. The Nuggets had a penchant last season for falling behind in a series only to come back and win (see: Jazz, Clippers). for another come-from-behind series win against the Trail Blazers.
In for the long haul. Denver had four of its five series go seven games in the last two seasons. Could it happen again? Sportsbetting.com puts the four most likely outcomes against the Blazers . The favorite is a 4-3 win by the Nuggets (+400), followed by a Blazers 4-2 victory (+450), a Denver 4-2 outcome (+450) and a Portland 4-3 slugfest (+500).
Clean sweep. The odds aren’t likely for a quick Blazers-Nuggets series. for a winner to advance in just four games. Portland has +1,200 to win in four, while Denver has +1,400 to claim victory.
Big Honey pours it on. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic averaged a career-high 26.4 points during the regular season. If you’re betting on him to score the most points in the first round, the . The favorite, however, is Portland’s Damian Lillard, who averaged 28.8 points, at -125. Looking for a bigger longshot? How about Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. at +2,200 or Blazers’ Carmelo Anthony at a whopping +25,000.
There can be only one. The Nuggets are a bit of a long shot to win it all. But if they do, there’s a good chance Jokic will be named Finals MVP. . The favorite? Lakers’ LeBron James at +450.
