What are the current NBA Nuggets odds to win finals? The quest for the NBA Championship has begun. As we head toward the NBA Finals, there is a focus on a few teams. Entering the NBA playoffs, the Denver Nuggets were on the shortlist of 2024 NBA Championship odds. That list includes names like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, and others.
So, what are the Nuggets odds to win the finals? Can they make NBA history and become the first team to win the NBA title in back-to-back seasons since the Golden State Warriors did so in 2017 and 2018? The NBA playoffs are a long and winding road, but let’s check out the 2024 NBA Championship odds for the Denver Nuggets going forward.
Current Performance Analysis: What Are Nuggets Odds To Win Finals?
The regular season was one of the most successful in NBA history, not just Nuggets franchise history. They tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the best record in the Western Conference. That said, the Boston Celtics finished with the best record in the NBA by a whopping seven games.
Though it was surprising that the Oklahoma City Thunder finished with such a strong record, no one is surprised at the success of the Nuggets. They were consistently one of the NBA futures with the best odds to win. Then again, you tend to get the best odds from online sportsbooks when you are the defending champions.
After defeating the Miami Heat to win the NBA title for the first time last year (more on that later), the Nuggets steamrolled through the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Among the NBA futures, the Nuggets have the second-best odds to win the NBA Championship behind the Boston Celtics.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and guard Jamal Murray (27) stand on the court during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Nuggets Strengths and Weaknesses
Before the Nuggets can look ahead to the NBA Finals and strong Eastern Conference teams like the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, and Cleveland Cavaliers, it helps to know what their strengths and weaknesses are.
Strengths
The reason that the Nuggets have had great moneyline odds in nearly every game is because of two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Poised to win his third regular season MVP, Jokic helped the Nuggets cruise through the regular season and an opening round matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jamal Murray was a key component as the Nuggets won their first championship, and will be integral if a deep run is going to happen to the 2024 NBA Finals. The West was thick with great teams like the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and Golden State Warriors.
The depth of the Nuggets is what made them favorites in NBA division winner markets and NBA conference winner markets. Jokic has been dominant for years, especially against NBA finalists the Miami Heat a year ago and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope rings add some additional experience they needed.
If they are going to win the NBA championship again this year, betting odds will be strong that Jokic is MVP.
Weaknesses
All NBA teams have their weaknesses. For the Nuggets, it is their interior defense. Anthony Davis of the Lakers showed the ability to dominate inside despite the Lakers not managing to win a single game in the first round.
If the Nuggets are going to win the NBA Championship, especially against teams like the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, and Boston Celtics, they need to shore up that interior defense. Facing the Celtics and a guy like Jayson Tatum will create a huge mismatch. After all, there is a reason why the Celtics have the best 2024 NBA Championship odds.
"I think Denver is cooked. I think it's over."
— @ColinCowherd on Timberwolves taking 2-0 lead over Nuggets pic.twitter.com/wnnqA5FidF
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 7, 2024
Playoff Challenges vs. Timberwolves
The biggest obstacle for the Nuggets as they attempt to win the 2024 NBA Championship is in the form of Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Though the Nuggets had the second-best NBA Championship odds among NBA futures, that has shifted.
Anthony Edwards
Edwards has become a full-blown superstar this season and it is evident why. The T-Wolves’ odds to win the 2024 NBA Championship weren’t high to begin the series. In both games, the Wolves were underdogs when it came to the point spread. Edwards, however, has become the safest bet there is.
Edwards put up 43 points in Game 1 of the series to stun the defending NBA champions on their home floor. Things only got worse for the Nuggets in Game 2. Edwards had 27 points and the Wolves left the court with a 26-point victory and a 2-0 series lead.
A Closer Look at the Series
The Nuggets 2024 NBA Finals odds have taken a massive hit. They went from roughly +400 to around +1200 depending on where you look. Many bets are shifting to the Wolves not only in the series, but in terms of league futures and with good reason.
The Nuggets need to shoot better – just 34.9% from the floor in Game 2 – and find their stroke from three-point range. Bets will likely still be in their favor for Game 3, especially given their record this season. But the time is running out for the Nuggets to make things right.
We talked about interior defense being a big issue for the Nuggets above. The Wolves exploited that weakness exceptionally in Game 2, earning 52 points in the paint (the Nuggets had 34 of their own). You can bet on the Nuggets using the adversity to come out fired up on the road. They’ll need to if they have a hope of winning the series.
ClutchBuzz NBA Championship Betting Odds and Expert Predictions
Before the series with the Timberwolves began, predictions would have been similar. The Wolves could present challenges, but the defending champions would find a way to move on. Now, two games into the series, that doesn’t seem like such a safe bet.
All that said, the Nuggets are still the champs. They won 57 games in the regular season. They can be the best team on the court on any given night. Jokic is as dominant as they come, and Murray can turn it on for stretches. As it stands, the Nuggets have moved from +400 to +1200 to make the NBA Finals.
Game 3 is going to be pivotal for a lot of reasons. If they lose, the Nuggets are done. So it is normal the Denver Nuggets odds tonight are not so favorable.
If they can win, however, and do so in a convincing fashion, then the series could turn. Betting on the Nuggets feels safe in Game 3, but bears watching moving throughout the rest of the series.
[clutchbuzz_betnow id=’317612′]
Historical Context and Previous Playoff Performance
The Nuggets didn’t have much success as a team prior to the weird 2020 bubble season. They made it to the Conference Finals that year, succumbing to the eventual NBA Champion Lakers, the two teams unknowingly becoming entwined for years to come.
The Miami Heat wound up making a Cinderella run that year as well. That will become important further down.
Playoff History
NBA Finals odds weren’t typically associated with the Nuggets because they simply didn’t make it that far. Though they had made the Conference Finals three times prior, the next level had escaped them. NBA futures centered more around the Lakers, the Celtics, and the Warriors, among others.
The loss to the Lakers in the 2020 Western Conference Finals felt different, though. The league was about to be put on notice and the Nuggets season was a sign of future NBA finals odds to come. Betting on the Nuggets had felt foreign before but things were changing.
A Breakthrough to Glory
Things changed for the franchise entering the 2022-23 season. Though no one had the Nuggets as the team to reach the NBA Finals, let alone win it all, they began the playoffs in dominant fashion. It was easy betting on the Nuggets as they steamrolled their way to the NBA Finals for the first time ever.
Their NBA Championship odds were through the roof when they met the Heat in the NBA Finals. The Heat were no match for the dominant Nuggets, though bets were aplenty for the underdogs. In the end, it took five games for the Nuggets to dispatch the Heat to win its first league title.
Final Thoughts: Nuggets Odds To Win Finals
The Nuggets, despite falling behind in their second round matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves, are still a good bet to reach the NBA Finals. Their odds to win the 2024 NBA Championship have taken a hit, especially after losing home court advantage through two games of the second round.
A rebound against the Minnesota Timberwolves will be needed above all else. Regular season success is fine and well but the path to the 2024 NBA Finals is tough in the Western Conference, even with talented teams like the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Clippers out of the picture.
