The Boston Celtics’ chances of making the playoffs are dwindling as they dominate the Eastern Conference. After crushing Golden State on Sunday, Boston is suddenly +220 to win the NBA Finals. The Celtics defeated the Warriors 140-88, building a 44-point lead at the half. Boston had won three times this season by 50 points or more. Currently leading the Milwaukee Bucks by eight games in the East, the Celtics will have the remaining few weeks of the regular season to rest their star players. The top three teams in the West are separated by just a half-game in the standings, and the Sacramento Kings are eight games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are leading the league.
Boston’s big lead in the East has made them better than even money favorites to win the conference title too. Boston is now -115 to win the East, while the Bucks are +275 and no one else is better than +900.
Those short odds are a sign of confidence in the Celtics’ regular-season performance and also because every other top team in the conference has dealt with a significant injury at some point this season. The Bucks’ Khris Middleton has missed 19 games so far and is averaging 26 minutes a game. The Philadelphia 76ers are without Joel Embiid and hope to get him back for the playoffs. The New York Knicks have seen Julius Randle and OG Anunoby miss significant time and Jalen Brunson suffered a left knee contusion Sunday night against the Cavaliers.
Oh, and the Cavaliers announced Monday that Donovan Mitchell had received a PRP injection in his left knee and is out for at least the next week.
Denver is one of the three teams at the top of the West along with the Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder, while the Clippers have fallen three games back of the top spot in the conference.
Despite being separated by just a half-game at the top of the conference, the Thunder and Wolves’ title odds aren’t as low as you may expect. OKC is at +2000 to win the title and the Wolves are at +2500.
Minnesota has the same Finals odds as the Cavaliers and both the Timberwolves and Thunder have worse odds than the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are at +1800 to win the Finals despite sitting in sixth in the West and just a half-game above the play-in tournament with 21 games to go.
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