Odds To Win The NBA Eastern Conference: Bucks Odds-On Faves Heading To Orlando

The NBA has a formal plan to resume play on July 31 that will see an NBA champion crowned in 2020 and the Milwaukee Bucks are the odds-on favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.

The Bucks sit at -200 to run the gauntlet and face the best of the Western Conference for a chance to win the title at the NBA’s bubble city in Orlando, Florida. Milwaukee had the best record in the NBA before the league suspended its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the Bucks in the East are the Boston Celtics (+600), Toronto Raptors (+950), Philadelphia 76ers (+1200) and Miami Heat (+1800) to round out the top five teams on the oddsboard for the Eastern Conference championship.

This is an unconventional NBA playoff structure in 2020 so if you’re new to betting and want to know how to bet on basketball, what NBA futures are, or even how betting works without fans in attendance, click on these links to get you up to speed.

Odds as of June 8 at BetOnline

Can Bucks Run Through The East?

Prior to the season’s suspension, the Milwaukee Bucks were rolling. They were 53-12 SU through 65 games and leading the NBA in points scored per game and ranked first in point differential at +11.2. Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to take his game to a whole new level, which has him as an odds-on favorite to win NBA MVP.

With those numbers in mind, the Bucks certainly deserve to be the favorite going into Orlando but with no home-court advantage and a completely different feel to these games, should any team be an odds-on favorite? It’s hard to say. From a roster standpoint, they may be one of the best in the NBA from 1 through 12.

Guards Wesley Matthews and Donte DiVincenzo have played excellent perimeter defense and picked up the scoring slack to give the Bucks better shooting to surround Giannis when he makes his unguardable drives to the basket. They also added former Hornets forward Marvin Williams, which will be huge for them to keep Giannis rested as he’s only averaging 30.8 minutes per game.

The Heat Is On

The Miami Heat may not have top-end superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James but they have star power by committee and no player personifies that more than Jimmy Butler.

The all-star swingman has been a game-changer in South Beach and the Heat may be best equipped in guarding the likes of Giannis, Jayson Tatum or Pascal Siakam by adding Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder.

The Heat are currently fourth in the East standings behind the Bucks, Raptors and Celtics. Trailing Boston by only 2.5 games, these eight remaining regular-season games in Orlando will be crucial if they want to delay an eventual clash with Milwaukee.

Raptors Not Extinct Yet

The Raptors are showing the world that they were successful before Kawhi Leonard and can be successful after. The Raps are an outstanding 46-18 SU and second in the Eastern Conference standings. Obviously, having a stud like Leonard is a huge difference-maker in the postseason but all-star Pascal Siakam has taken the torch while fellow all-star Kyle Lowry might be playing some of the best basketball of his career.

Toronto has shown with its stellar defense that a matchup with the Bucks won’t strike fear in the Dinos’ hearts. Being the defending champions, the Raptors may be the sneaky best bet at +950 with their pedigree and game plan on how to stop Giannis in the postseason.

Understanding NBA Eastern Conference Odds

At your betting site of choice, you’ll see prop odds displayed like this:

Milwaukee Bucks -200

Boston Celtics +600

Toronto Raptors +950

Philadelphia 76ers +1200

Washington Wizards +50000

Similar to a moneyline bet where the favorites are represented with minus signs (-) and underdogs with plus signs (+), the team with the lowest odds is the front-runner. In this scenario it’s the Bucks, while the rest are dogs.

Let’s say you’re loving the 76ers at +1200. A $100 bet would get you a payout of $1,300 – you get your original money back coupled with your winnings of $1,200.

Our Odds Calculator will tell you how much you’d win based on the amount bet and odds offered.

What is a Basketball Prop Bet?

Any wager on the occurrence or non-occurrence of specific player or team milestones that don’t automatically correlate to the outcome of a certain game is a prop bet. Here you’re betting on the odds for an NBA team to win the Eastern Conference.

When bookmakers set the lines, they aren’t etched in stone. The odds will change as we move closer to the finals and teams move on or are eliminated from contention. If you come across odds you like, we suggest taking them to get the ultimate value on a winning bet. Taking a team at +900 at the beginning of the playoffs is better than getting them at -200 a week before the NBA Finals.