NBA Eastern Conference Odds: Immense Value In Bucks

The Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks are both enduring periods of middling form but are still well above .600 for the season, which makes them favorites in the NBA Eastern Conference odds. Are there any other value contenders out there? Odds Shark breaks down the Eastern Conference market below.

According to the NBA Eastern Conference odds at Betway, the Brooklyn Nets are heavy favorites to win the conference, followed by the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks (+333), Miami Heat (+600) and Philadelphia 76ers (+850).

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Who Will Win The NBA Eastern Conference?

Odds as of January 26 at Betway

Favorites To Win The Eastern Conference

The two favorites for the title are also heavily favored in the NBA Eastern Conference odds.

Brooklyn Nets (+140)

With a 29-18 record, there is still plenty of work to be done for the Nets to finish with the requisite seeding to ease their postseason in the East. As of January 26, they are one game behind the conference-leading Miami Heat. But there isn’t much to be concerned about for the Nets, especially with Kyrie Irving back on the court, albeit in a limited capacity.

The bad news, however, will continue to be the discernible absence of Kevin Durant, who will likely be out four to six weeks after he was diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his left knee. Most of the Nets’ key players are clear of the NBA’s health and safety protocols. For now, the reliance will be clearly on James Harden. With 23.0 points and 10.1 assists per game this season, Harden is averaging a double-double.

“I’m definitely back,” Harden said. “It’s just throughout the course of the year, we’ve had so much going on, a lot of injuries and whatnot and obviously the situation with Kai. It’s really difficult to get a rhythm like we all want to, but we’ve just got to continue to fight, continue to take one game at a time and push through. But eventually, this thing is going to come together where we’re all together and we all make a really huge run at this thing.”

When it comes to these NBA Eastern Conference odds, there is no reason to panic, either with the Nets already on your betting slip or if you’re uncertain whether they are worth the punt. The Nets will continue to rely on their offense, which is averaging 112.2 points (fourth in the NBA) and 25.6 assists (seventh) per night. If they can maintain that offensive proficiency, they will remain a title contender.

Milwaukee Bucks (+300)

The NBA Eastern Conference odds for the Bucks have lengthened from Odds Shark’s previous update. They did lose five of seven games around the middle of January, but since then have won three straight to move to 30-19 for the season.

Some of their issues have stemmed from an inability to consistently beat their foes in the East, which is a bit inexplicable. They have a 19-15 record against conference opponents, which means the Bucks have lost just four games against the tougher Western Conference all season.

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“I don’t know why we play well in big games, but at the end of the day we’ve got to just keep building good habits moving forward,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “Big games with big excitement or even games nobody watches, nobody cares about, we have to keep building good habits, so we can be good in May and June.”

Some of those good habits that Antetokounmpo spoke about would have certainly been the most basic NBA metrics that indicate the effectiveness of a team. From that standpoint, the Bucks have been excellent on the offensive end. They average 112 points per game to rank fifth in the NBA and pull down 47.2 boards per game, the No. 2 mark in the league.

Value Picks To Win The Eastern Conference

There are certainly a few compelling value choices based on these NBA Eastern Conference odds, including ...

Miami Heat (+600)

Since Odds Shark’s previous update, the Heat’s NBA Eastern Conference odds have not changed at all. That may be a bit surprising considering they have the best record in the East (30-17 with a win percentage of .638). However, they will have to overcome either Brooklyn or Milwaukee – or possibly both – in the postseason, which is probably why these odds haven’t shortened yet.

The Heat have won six of their last eight games, and are now starting to pick up some momentum as the season progresses. They now have Bam Adebayo back from surgery on his thumb. Tyler Herro is leading the scoring with an average of 20.7 points per game. Kyle Lowry is averaging 8.3 assists per game and Jimmy Butler is shooting close to 50 percent from the field, both leading the Heat in those respective metrics. There is a lot going right for the Heat; keep a close watch on them.

“We’re just blessed to have a team like this,” Adebayo said. “Everybody buys in. Everybody wants to compete. And everybody wants to get the job done.”

Philadelphia 76ers (+850)

The 76ers are depleted but Joel Embiid’s recent dominance over the rest of the NBA has almost compensated for that. He has made himself available on a nightly basis and that has helped the 76ers move to 28-19 for the season, with a winning percentage of close to .600.

Bet On NBA Eastern Conference Odds Today

As of January 26, Embiid has played 19 straight games. In that period, the 76ers have won 13 and Embiid has averaged 33.3 points. That is staggering because it is indicative of the reliability and strength of Embiid across the board. The 76ers have been without Seth Curry (ankle), Danny Green (hip) and Shake Milton (back) for a while now, making Embiid’s achievements even more commendable.

“What he’s doing is special,” Tobias Harris said. “We rely on him night in and night out. He’s the anchor for our team. the anchor for our offensive flow out there. Really getting everyone involved out there in their spots and still being able to get the shots that he wanted.”

NBA Eastern Conference Betting Strategy

The postseason is a long way away but making decisions on the Eastern Conference winners at this stage of the season could be potentially lucrative, especially with some uncertainty still around. The defending champions are currently providing the best combination of value and likelihood. They have been in sprightly form through the season, and have already shown the rest of the NBA how easily they can pick themselves up for the postseason.

The Nets are obviously the easiest choice but Durant is injured and Irving is still ineligible for games in New York. Despite the excellence of Harden, I would not be swayed to bet on the Nets to win this conference.

At face value, the Heat or the Bulls present strong cases with their large payouts but beware of chasing astronomical returns at this stage of the season. That is because if the favorites remain healthy, it is highly unlikely that both of them will falter in the postseason. For now, our bet would be on Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.

Odds Shark will return toward the end of February for another update to the NBA Eastern Conference odds. Stay tuned for more.

Understanding NBA Eastern Conference Odds

At your NBA betting site of choice, you’ll see Eastern Conference futures odds displayed like this:

NBA Eastern Conference Futures

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 and Nets as the favorites, each at +225.

Let’s say you’re loving the 76ers at +550 and you bet they make the NBA Finals. A $100 bet would get you a payout of $650 – you get your original money back coupled with your winnings of $550.

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