With a 16-5 straight up and 12-9 against the spread run through the postseason, the Golden State Warriors won their second straight NBA title last season. The Warriors will go for the three-peat and their fourth title in five years in 2019.
NBA championship 2019 odds: Warriors betting favorites to win the NBA title yet again
Golden State will try to earn another NBA championship next season, and the sportsbooks have them set as the clear betting favorites over Houston and Philadelphia.
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Golden State is a +125 favorite on the odds to win the 2019 NBA championship at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
It’s difficult to make a strong case against the Warriors; they were already a championship caliber team when their core was just Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Adding Kevin Durant to that core has put the Warriors a clear step ahead of the rest of the league, and barring injuries there isn’t a clear end in sight.
The Houston Rockets (+500) might disagree that they are a step behind the Warriors. The Rockets had a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference Finals over the Warriors before losing Chris Paul to an injury in Game 5.
Houston also let double-digit leads slip away in both Game 6 and Game 7, even without Paul in action. If they can manage to stay healthy this time around, the Rockets could at least prove to be an obstacle to the Warriors.
Will LeBron James sign with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason? Rumors have been swirling about this being a likely destination for James, who has appeared in each of the last eight NBA Finals. The odds on Los Angeles have plummeted down from +1600 to +700 in the wake of these rumors and the Lakers’ cap space for two big free agents, and they might fall even lower if James decides to take his talents to California.
With an excellent young core in place, the Philadelphia 76ers (+500) and Boston Celtics (+600) look to be in position to be the top two teams in the Eastern Conference for years to come, especially if James heads out west. Boston topped Philadelphia in five games last postseason and will be even more dangerous if Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward are healthy.
Other potential 2019 NBA championship contenders include the Cleveland Cavaliers (+2500), San Antonio Spurs (+2500), Miami Heat (+4000) and Toronto Raptors (+6600). Cleveland’s odds are likely to fall even further if LeBron James decides to leave again.
2019 NBA Championship Betting Lines
Golden State Warriors +125
Houston Rockets +500
Philadelphia 76ers +500
Boston Celtics +600
Los Angeles Lakers +700
Cleveland Cavaliers +2500
San Antonio Spurs +2500
Miami Heat +4000
Toronto Raptors +6600
For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes or listen to it at OddsShark.libsyn.com.
