The third-round of the 2020-21 NBA Playoffs are underway and we’re that much closer to crowning new champions. The action has been intense so far as each team tries to assert why they deserve to walk away with the Larry O’Brien Championship once the postseason concludes. But who has the best odds to win it all? BetOnline has the answer to that.
With the Brooklyn Nets being eliminated from the postseason, the Milwaukee Bucks are BetOnline’s new favorites to win the 2020-21 NBA Championship at +110. This is a fairly big improvement from the +700 odds Milwaukee had at the start of Round 2. Nevertheless, defeating the favored contenders can do that for a team. The Bucks showed a lot of resilience in their second-round series against the Nets, battling back from both 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
One of the main reasons why the Bucks have made it as far as they have is because of their rebounding. They lead the current postseason with 51.8 rebounds per game and it’s always hard to out-rebound Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s averaging a whopping 13.6 RPG. Speaking of the new NBA Finals MVP favorite (+125), Antetokounmpo averaged 31.9 PPG against the Nets last round and Milwaukee will be depending on him having similar success against the Atlanta Hawks.
Odds to Win 2020-21 NBA Championship
Odds* via BetOnline as of Monday, June 21
- Milwaukee Bucks (+110)
- Phoenix Suns (+140)
- Los Angeles Clippers (+800)
- Atlanta Hawks (+1100)
* Odds will be updated at the beginning of each round of the NBA Playoffs.
Suns Entered Round 3 With Second-Best Odds
At +140 odds, the Phoenix Suns have the second-best shot at winning the 2020-21 NBA Championship. No team has been better defensively than the Suns this postseason as they’ve held opponents to a league-low 102.0 points per game. They’ve also the opposition to .426 field goal (16th) and .333 3-point percentages. With the Suns pulling off that kind of defense, it’s no surprise that their opponents haven’t found much success.
However, just because Phoenix is a great defensive team doesn’t mean they’re not producing on offense. The Suns have been one of the more efficient postseason teams so far, averaging .489/.386/.869 shooting splits. That’s not even to mention how Devin Booker is averaging 29.0 PPG in the playoffs and 34.0 PPG in his last three contests. There’s also Chris Paul, who’ll hopefully make his return to the lineup soon after testing positive for COVID-10. Still, Paul has been one of the Suns best players this offseason even as he plays into his mid-30s, averaging 15.7 points and 8.7 assists per game up to this point.
Clippers Continue to Search for First NBA Championship
When the Los Angeles Lakers were alive and kicking in the postseason, they were regarded as having the best odds to win an NBA Championship in their city. However, they were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in six games. Now, the Clippers (+800) are Los Angeles’ sole team as they have already begun their series against the Suns in the Western Conference Finals.
A lot of people had their hesitations about the Clippers, especially when Kawhi Leonard was ruled to be out indefinitely with a knee injury. Instead of collapsing without their best player, the rest of the team has managed to step up. Paul George silenced the doubters as he averaged 29.0 PPG/9.5 PPG/4.8 APG in the second-round series against the Utah Jazz. Reggie Jackson also had one of the most impressive playoff performances of his career, averaging 18.0 PPG on .588/.500/1.000. It’s that kind of secondary performance that will help the Clippers have a shot at making the NBA Finals.
Hawks are the Biggest Longshot
Not a lot of people expected the Atlanta Hawks to upset the Philadelphia 76ers in Round 2, but here we are. Now, the Hawks have +1100 odds to win the NBA Championship, which is an upgrade over the +2000 they were set to ahead of the second round. To no one’s surprise, Trae Young has been an important factor in getting Atlanta to the Eastern Conference Finals. He’s averaging 29.1 PPG through the first two rounds and is leading all active postseason players with 10.4 APG.
One thing that the Hawks are really good at is forcing their opponents to turn over the ball. Opposing teams average 13.0 turnovers per game (3rd) against Atlanta during the current playoffs. It definitely helps when Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic are both averaging 1.3 steals per game. Speaking of Bogdanovic, he’s had a couple of big games in the playoffs, averaging 16.4 PPG through the first nine contests. However, he’s averaging just 5.7 in his last three games, which means he’ll have to step it up to give the Hawks their best shot at playing for the NBA Championship.
