The Boston Celtics, fresh off winning the franchise’s 18th NBA championship, enter the offseason with some of the shortest sportsbook odds for a repeat title since the great Golden State teams of the late 2010s.
The Celtics are the clear-cut betting favorites to win the 2025 championship at sportsbooks around the nation. At ESPN BET, Boston is +280 for next year’s title, which would be the shortest preseason title odds since the 2017-18 Warriors (-180). Since 2009, the preseason NBA title favorite has won nine of the last 16 seasons, according to ESPN Stats and Information.
The Celtics finished off the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the Finals on Monday, capping a dominating season in which they were the championship favorites from the first game of the season to the last. Boston was a betting underdog in just three games during the regular season and two in the playoffs.
The Celtics, Denver Nuggets (+650) and Minnesota Timberwolves (+850) are the only teams with 2025 championship odds shorter than 10-1 as of Monday at ESPN BET. Six of the past eight NBA champions had single-digit odds in the preseason, according to betting archive SportsOddsHistory.com.
The Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder are each 10-1, followed by the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers at 16-1.
The Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards have the longest title odds for next season at ESPN BET, each at 500-1.
Odds to win the 2025 NBA championship, as of Monday, via ESPN BET:
Celtics +280; Nuggets +650; Timberwolves +800; Mavericks +1000; Bucks +1000; Thunder +1000; Knicks +1600; 76ers +1600; Clippers +2000; Warriors +2200; Cavaliers +2500; Heat +2500; Suns +2500; Pacers +3300; Lakers +3300; Grizzlies +4000; Kings +5000; Pelicans +6000; Rockets +8000; Magic +8000; Hawks +10000; Bulls +20000; Spurs +20000; Raptors +20000; Nets +50000; Hornets +50000; Pistons +50000; Trail Blazers +50000; Jazz +50000; Wizards +50000.