Current Betting Odds & Predictions to Make the NBA Playoffs in 2024
The latest betting odds & predictions for the teams vying for the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Our expert analysis also highlights the favorites & best futures bets.
If you are a die-hard basketball fan, specifically the NBA, and are looking to get an edge for a futures bet on the NBA playoff odds, you have come to the right place. We provide the current NBA playoff odds 2024 for every team, how and where to bet, dark horse candidates for your consideration to maximize the upside on your wagers, influential trends, stats, NBA playoff history and so much more. Keep reading to dig into the NBA playoff betting odds and complete coverage of this exciting futures market.
Current NBA Playoff Odds
The latest NBA odds to make the playoffs come from the esteemed DraftKings Sportsbook. DraftKings is an industry leader with competitive odds on a vast range of sports and markets, particularly futures in a major sport like basketball. Become a new member today and bet $5 on any of the current NBA playoff odds listed below to seize $150 in bonus bets.
Before analyzing the NBA playoff odds 2024 attached to each team in the table below, note that these odds reflect team odds to make the playoffs rather than miss the playoffs:
Boston Celtics: -8000
Milwaukee Bucks: -8000
Denver Nuggets: -2500
Phoenix Suns: -1000
Cleveland Cavaliers: -1400
Philadelphia 76ers: -800
Golden State Warriors: -400
Miami Heat: -600
Los Angeles Lakers:-350
Los Angeles Clippers: -250
Memphis Grizzlies: -250
Dallas Mavericks: -200
New York Knicks: -310
Sacramento Kings: -185
New Orleans Pelicans: -150
Minnesota Timberwolves: -150
Oklahoma City Thunder: -135
Atlanta Hawks: -200
Indiana Pacers: +120
Brooklyn Nets: +145
Chicago Bulls: +160
Orlando Magic: +165
Toronto Raptors: +185
Utah Jazz: +360
Houston Rockets: +600
Charlotte Hornets: +475
San Antonio Spurs: +1100
Detroit Pistons: +950
Washington Wizards: +1100
Portland Trail Blazers: +1100
Betting on NBA Playoffs
Of course, DraftKings isn’t the only premier sportsbook with first-rate NBA odds to make the playoffs. FanDuel, Caesars, BetMGM and Bet365 are just a few other highly-reputable options that dish exciting futures odds on this market.
It’s helpful to compare and contrast odds and lines at different books to discover the best value and bang for your buck. For example, comparing DraftKings with FanDuel’s chances to make the NBA playoffs, you uncover the +205 difference attached to the Charlotte Hornets. DraftKings is giving the Hornets a higher chance of making the playoffs at +475, compared to FanDuel, which gives the Hornets +680 odds.
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NBA Playoff Predictions: Who Will Make the Playoffs in 2024?
Teams to Make the Playoffs
- Eastern Conference
- Locks: Bucks (-8000), Celtics (-8000), Cavaliers (-1400) - While the Bucks and Celtics are certainly 1-2 in any fashion with the point guard upgrades of Damian Lillard (MIL) and Jrue Holiday (BOS), the Cavaliers sneak into this tier after earning a top-five seed in last year’s playoffs with their young core. With Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, we expect the young core to take another step forward in 2024.
- Should Be In: 76ers (-800), Heat (-600), Knicks (-310) - This is the next tier, and we are very confident all three of these teams get in. The 76ers still have reigning MVP, Joel Embiid, and for now, James Harden. Without Harden, this team is still good enough to get in. The Heat, led by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, really faltered during the regular season last year, but after a run to the finals again, we like the Heat to rev the engines for a more inspired regular season campaign. The Knicks have a solid foundation with Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, if anything, they should build on their second-round exit a year ago.
- Our Picks for #7 and #8: Atlanta Hawks (-200), Chicago Bulls (+160) - We expect a resurgent bounce-back season for the Trae Young-led Hawks – a team that has been disappointing the last couple of campaigns. With backcourt mate Dejounte Murray, we like this small-ball group to take off in 2024. As for Chicago, they still have so many veteran stars in place to secure a playoff spot. With his seat warming, we expect Bill Donovan to go all out getting his team to compete at a level that was missing in 2022-23.
- Western Conference
- Locks: Nuggets (-2500), Suns (-1000), Warriors (-400), Lakers (-350) - While the West is a much tighter picture, top to bottom, we feel more than comfortable putting Jokic, Durant, Curry and LeBron in our lock categories. And it’s not just those individuals for each team. The Nuggets have a supporting cast headline by Jamaal Murray that helped lead this team to championship, the Suns have Booker and Beal, the Warriors are full of usual suspects and the Lakers went hard in free agency to build around LeBron and AD.
- Should Be In: Mavericks (-200), Kings (-185) - The Mavericks missed the playoffs in 2022-23, but we’d be hard-pressed to pick against Mark Cuban, Doncic and Irving to go back-to-back missing the postseason. This feels like a do-or-die year for this current roster before the situation is forced into new directions. There is too much talent in Dallas to say they miss. For the Kings, it was sad to see this team exit in the first round of the playoffs last season, but Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox left it all on the court and proved this team is here to stay. We only see the Kings improving this season.
- Our Picks for #7 and #8: Pelicans (-150), Thunder (-135) - On paper, the Pelicans are a playoff team. The question is whether or nor they can stay healthy and put it all together. We have optimism for Zion Williamson’s health, and we believe in CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram and this supporting cast. Yes, a lot of teams will fight tooth and nail for these final spots, but the Pelicans’ ceiling is much higher than the rest of the pack. As for the Thunder, they have a true star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the presence of Chet Holmgren, the do-it-all player in Josh Giddey and a brilliant coach in Daigneault. The Thunder have been an impressive organization with little resources over the last decade, and we expect a breakout season from this group in 2024.
NBA Playoffs 2024: Longshot Candidates to Watch
With NBA playoff odds, any team with a longer price than +250 to succeed we deem a longshot. This narrows the pool to the Jazz, Hornets, Rockets, Wizards, Spurs and Pistons.
Our two dark horse candidates are the Pistons and Rockets.
Houston Rockets NBA Odds to Make the Playoffs (+600 at DraftKings)
The Rockets may have spent the last couple of seasons in the cellar of the Western Conference, but with a team that has accumulated some elite young talent in the likes of Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr, Alperen Sengun and now two first-round picks in Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, the young core is bountiful and ready to mix with a barrage of veteran free agent signees.
The Rockets entered the offseason with $66 million in cap space; the most in the NBA. They spent the majority of it on Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jock Landale and Jeff Green. While chemistry and roles will naturally take some time to be defined, the depth and talent of the new-look Rockets spell tremendous value of +600 NBA playoff odds 2024 at DraftKings.
Detroit Pistons NBA Odds to Make the Playoffs (+950 at DraftKings)
Our Eastern Conference pick is a bit more of a stretch, but that’s why it's called a longshot. The Pistons were missing the services of former #1 pick and starting point guard Cade Cunningham for a majority of the 2022-23 season. Entering a season where he is healthy and set to run with backcourt mates Ausar Thompson and Jaden Ivy, the Pistons could quickly display one of the best young guard trios in the sport if all goes well.
They added the veteran presences of Monte Morris and Joe Harris for leadership, defense and perimeter shooting. In the frontcourt, the Pistons feature exciting young talents such as Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren, James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III. We haven’t even mentioned their leading scorer from a year ago, Bojan Bogdanovic.
The biggest question mark for the Pistons is their defense, but if they can make the most of their young talent and round it into a cohesive unit, the sky's the limit for this Pistons core.
Trends & Statistics for Who Will Make the NBA Playoffs
Before you place your bets on current NBA playoff odds, consider some telling stats and trends about teams who make the postseason.
If you are intrigued by the downfall of the defending champion Denver Nuggets, better think twice. Only two teams have ever won the NBA Finals and missed the playoffs the following season and every team who has won in the 21st century has reached the playoffs the next year.
What about the Miami Heat? In the three-point era, only three teams have lost in the NBA Finals and failed to return to the playoffs the following season. The common denominator on those teams was their star player(s) departing for a new team. Thankfully for the Heat, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are back.
The NBA is a sport driven by individual, established stars. Yes, the supporting cast and system are crucial, but the best of the best in the sport tend to lead their teams to the playoffs at the minimum. You’ll notice only one team that made the playoffs in 2022-23 has a plus-money chance to make the NBA playoffs in 2024: the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets are in a unique situation because they traded off their veteran superstar players Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at the deadline to opt for a younger, deeper roster. The move might be better for their long-term optics, but it has damaged their short-term playoff betting odds
Teams that Have Made the NBA Playoffs Most Often
- Los Angeles Lakers: 63 Times
- Boston Celtics: 60 Times
- Philadelphia 76ers: 53 Times
Who Made the NBA Playoffs Last Year?
The table below lists all the teams who made the playoffs during the 2022-2023 season, their conference and seeding and regular season records:
| Team | Conference | Season Record |
|---|---|---|
Denver Nuggets | Western Conference (#1 Seed) | 53-29 |
Milwaukee Bucks | Eastern Conference (#1 Seed) | 58-24 |
Boston Celtics | Eastern Conference (#2 Seed) | 57-25 |
Memphis Grizzlies | Western Conference (#2 Seed) | 51-31 |
Philadelphia 76ers | Eastern Conference (#3 Seed) | 54-28 |
Sacramento Kings | Western Conference (#3 Seed) | 48-34 |
Phoenix Suns | Western Conference (#4 Seed) | 45-37 |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Eastern Conference (#4 Seed) | 51-31 |
New York Knicks | Eastern Conference (#5 Seed) | 47-35 |
Los Angeles Clippers | Western Conference (#5 Seed) | 44-38 |
Golden State Warriors | Western Conference (#6 Seed) | 44-38 |
Brooklyn Nets | Eastern Conference (#6 Seed) | 45-37 |
Atlanta Hawks | Eastern Conference (#7 Seed) | 41-41 |
Los Angeles Lakers | Western Conference (#7 Seed) | 43-39 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | Western Conference (#8 Seed) | 42-40 |
Miami Heat | Eastern Conference (#8 Seed) | 44-38 |
Per the table above, all of these teams have improved in some way during the offseason. In turn, all of these teams are favored to make the playoffs in the upcoming season. Again, the only team who is not expected to make the playoffs again are the Brooklyn Nets, who have NBA playoff odds of +145.
FAQs
How do Sportsbooks Calculate NBA Playoff Odds?
Sportsbooks set their NBA playoff odds 2024 based on the teams’ previous seasons and current roster construction following the NBA Draft and free agency.
Do NBA Playoff Odds Change Throughout the Season?
Yes, chances to make the NBA playoffs change over the course of the long season. This could be determined on a day-to-day basis, depending on the result of each team’s games. So, be sure to come back here for an updated look and head to DraftKings to monitor current NBA playoff betting odds.
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