Orlando is usually a place to visit in a carefree sort of way. However, the NBA will be all business at the Magic Kingdom of Disney. The ESPN Sports Zone will serve as host for what is called a quarantined “Bubble.” Each team will play eight “regular season” games to determine playoff seeding. Most important of all to NBA betting fans is that games will run most days from noon to 9 p.m. ET. For this reason, the wagering possibilities resemble March Madness. One thing that hasn’t changed are the top favorites. Bargain hunters are seeking a dark horse.
2020 Odds to Win the NBA Finals
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Lakers | +250 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +250 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | +333 |
| Houston Rockets | +1200 |
| Boston Celtics | +2000 |
| Toronto Raptors | +2400 |
| Denver Nuggets | +2500 |
| Miami Heat | +2700 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +2700 |
| Utah Jazz | +2900 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +3600 |
| Brooklyn Nets | +6000 |
| All other teams | +10000 |
Eastern Conference Teams and Current Seeding:
1-Milwaukee Bucks, 2-Toronto Raptors, 3-Boston Celtics, 4-Miami Heat, 5-Indiana Pacers, 6-Philadelphia 76ers, 7-Brooklyn Nets, 8-Orlando Magic, 9-Washington Wizards
Western Conference Teams and Current Seeding:
1-Los Angeles Lakers, 2-Los Angeles Clippers, 3-Denver Nuggets, 4- Utah Jazz, 5-Oklahoma City Thunder, 6-Houston Rockets, 7-Dallas Mavericks, 8-Memphis Grizzlies, 9-Portland Trail Blazers, 10-New Orleans Pelicans, 11-Sacramento Kings, 12-San Antonio Spurs, 13-Phoenix Suns
2020 NBA Finals Championship Odds Overview
The first seed in East Milwaukee is seen as the class of the Eastern Conference. Many in the basketball community believe that the Bucks should have beaten eventual champion Toronto in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals. Of great concern is if Milwaukee has championship depth. One year ago, the NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo lacked support when it mattered most.
Naturally, the Lakers are an understandable online betting pick. Los Angeles beat Milwaukee a few weeks before the shutdown. And was the hottest team in the Association when play stopped. LeBron James is the name brand that comes with a full retail price tag.
Next would be a Clippers team led by Kawhi Leonard. Although quite good their defense was mediocre. Leonard was the 2019 NBA Finals MVP. Correspondingly he has transformed the Clippers franchise.
From this point, the betting public is not enamored. Milwaukee and the Lakers were the most complete NBA teams when play stopped.
A Dark Horse to Believe In
With top stars, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons missing a lot of time due to injuries did Philadelphia struggle. Assuming both players come back healthy the 76ers could be quite dangerous. Embiid is arguably the best center in the NBA. While Simmons is a versatile do it all guard. Philadelphia was considered an NBA betting underachiever. Yet that ignores the severe impact of those aforementioned injures. By contrast to the other teams below the big three, the 76ers are the most capable of making a run.
Opening Night TNT Doubleheader Set for July 30
Fashion that the debut evening of the NBA return will feature some of the game’s biggest names. Rookie sensation Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans are fighting for the final Western Conference playoff spot. They will face an underrated but capable Utah Jazz team at 6:30 p.m. ET. TNT will telecast the game.
It follows that the top two teams in the Western Conference will meet as well. The Lakers and Clippers go at 9 p.m. ET. TNT will get the broadcast as well. Correlate the high viewership and betting handle expected.