The Thunder and reigning champion Celtics are the consensus favorites to win this season’s title, showing +180 and +190 odds, respectively, at ESPN BET.
The Thunder finished the season outscoring teams by 12.9 points per game, smashing the previous mark of 12.3 held by the 1971-72 Lakers that had stood for more than half a century.
Seeing as though he saw them in the playoffs last year, the Los Angeles Lakers plan to rely on Luka Doncic’s experiences in playing the Timberwolves, this year’s Round 1 opponent, after the superstar defeated Minnesota as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Clippers locked up the No. 5 seed with the win and will play the Nuggets. The Warriors fell into the play-in with the loss and will play Memphis in the 7-8 game.