NBA Finals Betting 2025
We rank the top NBA Finals betting offers and deliver expert betting tips on the entire NBA postseason.
Top Offers from NBA Finals Betting Sites
- Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Must be 21+ to participate. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, DC, IL, IN, KY, LA, MD, MS, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY) Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS, NV), 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI). Visit BetMGM.com for T&Cs. US promotional offers not available in NY, NV, or Puerto Rico.
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Must be 21+ to play. T&Cs apply. - 3
Must be 21+ to participate. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, IL, IA, KY, LA, NJ, NC, OH, PA, TN and VA). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ). Call 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Deposit required. Paid in Bonus Bets. Bets wager excluded from returns. New Customer only. T&Cs Apply. - GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD). 21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/WY). Void in ONT/OR/NH. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS). 1 per new customer. $5+ first-time bet req. Max. $200 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Bets that expire in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. Ends 5/18/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK.
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Must be 21+ to play. T&Cs apply.
Who is Favored to Win the NBA Finals?
Compare odds across betting sites below:
How do the NBA Finals Work?
The NBA Finals culminate a two-month playoff season after an 82-game regular season and are a favorite among top betting markets worldwide.
The overwhelming majority of NBA champions—more than 70%—have been No. 1 seeds, meaning they had the best record in their respective conference. Long shots rarely appear in the NBA Finals, let alone win them. Still, the best-of-7 series does provide tremendous betting opportunities.
The NBA is split into two 15-team conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference, with 29 teams in the United States and one in Canada. The top eight teams in each conference make the playoffs and are seeded 1 through 8, creating a bracket. Teams advance along that bracket and are not reseeded. Therefore, in the conference semifinals, the 1-8 matchup winner meets the 4-5 winner, and the 2-7 winner meets the 3-6 winner.
Beginning with the 2015-16 season, the NBA started to seed its playoff teams by overall records within each conference rather than by rewarding division winners. Previously, the division winners received the top three seeds, even if a non-division winner had a better record than one of the division winners.
All rounds are best-of-7 series, with the team with the better record hosting Games 1, 2, 5, and 7. In the NBA Finals, the conference champion with the better record gets home-court advantage.
How to Read NBA Finals Odds
Much like in the regular season, NBA betting sites use a point-spread system to predict the winner of each contest and the margin of victory. Bookmakers also establish an over/under for how many points will be scored by both teams combined and whether or not the number will be higher (over) or lower (under).
Bettors can also wager moneylines on individual games or the series as a whole.
Moneylines are based on positive and negative figures and indicate how much money a better must wager to win $100 or how much a $100 bet would win. Negative numbers indicate how much you must bet to win $100. For example, if Golden State has a moneyline of -1200, you must bet $1200 to win $100.
Sportsbooks also offer the opportunity to bet on who will lead after each quarter, at halftime, and through three quarters, with the chance to do in-play betting. Bettors will also have a host of prop bet options.
NBA Finals Prop Bets
There are many prop bet options during the NBA Finals, both for the series and individual games. Bettors can also wager on who will win the Most Valuable Player award.
For example, some of the team prop bets for past NBA Finals have included:
- "Will there be a game-winning shot at the buzzer, an ejection, or a suspension?"
- "What will be the highest margin of victory?"
- "Will there be an overtime game?"
- "Will the series go four, five, six, or seven games?"
Prop bets on most major players’ scoring, assists, and/or rebounds are typically available, as are head-to-head propositions between opposing players.
When betting the series's length, remember that four-game sweeps are atypical, occurring in just nine of the first 72 NBA Finals, while the most common series length has been six games (26 of 72). Five- and seven-game series happen roughly with the same frequency, each about 25 percent of the time.
NBA Finals Betting Tips
Buy the Hype Around No. 1 Seeds
The rise of so-called "superteams" in the NBA (squads with three or more stars) has led to fairly predictable results in the NBA Finals. The No. 1 seeds have won 52 titles, which amounts to 74.3 percent of all championships won since 1947. From 2013-2019, a No. 1 seed or betting favorite has won the NBA title in every season but two.
The only seasons in which a No. 1 seed didn’t win during that span were 2017-18 and 2018-19. In the '17-'18 season, the Warriors battled injuries during the regular season and finished as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. They were still -1075 to beat the Cavaliers, which they did.
In 2019, the Toronto Raptors stunned the Warriors in six games to win their first-ever NBA Championship. They were the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed and a +230 underdog heading into the Finals.
The only other underdog to win the title since 2013 is Cleveland (+180) in the 2015-2016 season. That Cavaliers team was the only squad to win an NBA Finals after trailing three games to 1.
Only 10 No. 2 seeds have ever won NBA Titles, the last one being the 2012 Miami Heat. Through the 2017-18 season, only seven No. 3 seeds, one No. 4 seed, and one No. 6 seed have won the title. No five, seven, or eight seeds have ever done so.
In-Series Comebacks are Memorable, but Rare
While anything can happen in the NBA Playoffs, historical trends seem to strongly predetermine outcomes, something to keep in mind when betting on them.
The most glaring example is that no team that has lost the first three games of a series has ever come back to win that series.
This feat has been accomplished in other sports leagues but never in the NBA, which leads to many non-elimination games garnering "must-win" distinctions. Only three teams in NBA history have come back to force Game 7, and that's only happened once (in 1951) in the NBA Finals.
However, 11 teams have come back from 3-1 deficits in NBA history, and four of those teams won the NBA Championship. The most recent accomplishment of this feat came in 2016, when the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors, marking the first time a team had ever blown a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
While this event is fresh on many NBA fans' minds, it's important to remember that such comebacks are extremely rare and, in many instances, not worth betting on.
Sign Up with Multiple NBA Finals Betting Sites
NBA Finals betting sites compete for market share throughout the regular NBA season and especially during the NBA playoffs, offering attractive bonuses, promotions, and contests. You should consider signing up with multiple sportsbooks, as it can give you more chances to claim greater deals and rewards.
By registering with multiple sites in your state, you can enjoy several benefits:
- You can unlock various sign-up bonuses, potentially accumulating thousands of dollars in bonus funds
- You can compare the odds offered by different NBA sportsbooks for each game
- Lastly, maintaining multiple accounts allows you to access betting options and ongoing bonuses.
However, ensure you only use the NBA online betting sites recommended on this page to comply with legal requirements.
NBA Finals Winners Since 2010
| Year | Winner | Opponent | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Celtics | Mavericks | 4-1 |
| 2023 | Nuggets (-430) | Heat | 4-1 |
| 2022 | Warriors (-155) | Celtics | 4-2 |
| 2021 | Bucks (+145) | Suns | 4-2 |
| 2020 | Lakers (-400) | Heat | 4-2 |
| 2019 | Raptors (+230) | Warriors | 4-2 |
| 2018 | Warriors (-1075) | Cavaliers | 4-0 |
| 2017 | Warriors (-300) | Cavaliers | 4-1 |
| 2016 | Cavaliers (+180) | Warriors | 4-3 |
| 2015 | Warriors (-220) | Cavaliers | 4-2 |
| 2014 | Spurs (-155) | Heat | 4-1 |
| 2013 | Heat (-220) | Spurs | 4-3 |
| 2012 | Heat (+155) | Thunder | 4-1 |
| 2011 | Mavericks (+155) | Heat | 4-2 |
| 2010 | Lakers (-190) | Celtics | 4-3 |
NBA Finals FAQs
Can I bet on the NBA Finals?
Yes, but you must live in a state with legalized sports betting to do so. Just choose one of the NBA finals betting sites on this page, grab the welcome bonus and start betting on the NBA and NBA finals.
