Top NBA Pick: Indiana Pacers To Win NBA 2025 Championship (+1200) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
What happened to our inevitable NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder? As we go to press, the top contenders from the Eastern and Western Conferences are behind 0-1 in their respective second-round matchups. Yet they remain the favorites to win the title; Bovada has the Thunder at +170 on their NBA futures list, and the defending champions from Boston at +200.
It’s obviously way too early to write off either team. There’s a good chance they’ll have knotted things up at 1-1 by the time you read this, if you’re checking in after Wednesday’s TNT playoff doubleheader. But as I write this, the NBA odds are tilted too heavily in their direction – and that might not change if both teams win.
Meanwhile, there’s a team out there that’s about to bring a 2-0 series advantage back to their home court. The Indiana Pacers have put the No. 1 seed in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on their heels; despite this advantage, you can still get Indiana at +1200 to win their first NBA championship. We’ll buy that for a dollar.
What About the Knicks?
Fair enough: If we’re so big on Indiana at +1200, why aren’t we following that same logic to take the New York Knicks at +3000 now that they’re up 1-0 on Boston?
These things aren’t mutually exclusive. You’re allowed to place more than one futures bet; there’s a compelling case to be made for both Indiana and New York – and for the Golden State Warriors, the third-favorites on the NBA championships odds at +1100. Let’s also put the Denver Nuggets (+1200) on the list, after their victory over OKC in Game 1.
Having said that, let’s not get too excited over the Knicks. They were somewhat fortunate to put away the Detroit Pistons 4-2 SU and ATS in the opening round; they also needed Boston (–9 at home) to miss a mountain of 3-pointers to take Monday’s second-round opener 108-105 in overtime.
What About the Warriors (and Nuggets)?
Golden State definitely had some legs after acquiring Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline. And they’re up 1-0 on the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are now second from the bottom of the NBA title odds at +1600. However, Steph Curry left their 99-88 win in Tuesday’s opener with a strained hamstring and isn’t expected to be available for Game 2 on Thursday.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, are about as healthy as an NBA team can be at this time of year. They’ve got arguably the toughest opponents in the league right now in Oklahoma City, but this is a Denver team that won the championship just two years ago, and while Shai-Gilgeous Alexander is probably going to win this year’s MVP award, Nikola Jokic is still the league’s best player as far as the advanced stats are concerned.
However, does Jokic have enough of a supporting cast this year? Instead of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown, these Nuggets are relying on Peyton Watson for defensive help; they’re not going to get it from Russell Westbrook, although his scoring and overall craftiness is still on display.
The Pick
So let’s turn our attention back to the Pacers.
They got off to a very slow start this year, especially Tyrese Haliburton, who was infamously named the league’s most overrated player in that April poll conducted by The Athletic. Maybe they should have just said “Most Hated.”
In any case, Haliburton is back to playing like a fringe MVP candidate. He’s got a former NBA champion as his running mate in Pascal Siakam, and they’re surrounded by shooters. Yes, depth is a concern, and this is indeed a chalky league with two Goliaths on the horizon in OKC and Boston. But at these basketball odds? In this economy?
Bet accordingly, and may the sphere be with you.
NBA Pick: Indiana Pacers To Win NBA 2025 Championship (+1200) at Bovada
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
