The NBA Conference Finals are here, with the final four teams ready to do battle in their quest for their spot in the Finals.
Fans are in for a treat in the Western Conference Finals, as Anthony Edwards and Shia Gilgeous-Alexander meet up for the Minnesota Timberwolves vs the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, there might be less star power, but there’s all kinds of drama and history as the New York Knicks meet the Indiana Pacers.
Read on for some NBA betting insights and a Conference Finals preview…
View the latest NBA odds at Bovada
Latest Odds
- New York Knicks (-180)
- Indiana Pacers (+155)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (-175)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (+240)
New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers
New York Knicks
Taking the defending NBA Champions, the Boston Celtics, out in six games might have come with a Jayson Tatum-sizes asterisk, but the New York Knicks are a legit threat to go all the way to the Finals.
Like Pacers below, New York won three out of their four games after being down by double digits in each of them. This NBA Conference matchup might come down to grit, which the Knicks have in abundance with Jalen Brunson and center Mitchell Robinson.
At -180 currently, the Knicks are favored to beat the Pacers and head to the Finals. Do they have what it takes to get there?
That comes down to the pressure-packed atmosphere of NYC, where fans and media are hungry for a championship that has eluded them since 1973. X-factors like Karl-Anthony Towns might be feeling it too. The big man won the NBA’s 3-point contest at the All-Star game a few years ago, but he was shooting just 15% in their series against the Celtics.
If KAT can claw his way back to making treys, the Knicks could make thing tough for Indiana.
Same for Brunson, who put the Knicks on his back last season in the playoffs before Indiana took them down in 7 games. He averages 26 points per game this season, and he has turned it up to just under 29 ppg so far in the playoffs.
Indiana Pacers
With the number 4 seed coming into the playoffs, the Indiana Pacers might have had some extra motivation and a chip on their shoulder when they met the Cleveland Cavaliers.
By stomping the Cavs in just 5 games, they proved they were a force for the rest of the NBA to reckon with.
Bovada has over 400 different bets on each series of the NBA Conference Finals for bettors to reckon with too.
Indiana heads into the best-of-7 series with the New York Knicks as underdogs again, but at +155 currently for Game 1, it’s just a small ‘dog disadvantage.
The Pacers head into the series with A) more rest than the Knicks and B) a fresh reminder from last season, where they beat New York in the second round in seven games.
One betting insight for this NBA Conference Finals matchup could come in extra handy for live betting fans: the Pacers ability to come from behind is historic.
They were down by 19 points in Game 5 against the Cavs, and came back to win the game and the series. It was the third game of the playoffs where Indiana was losing by 19 or more points before eventually winning the game.
And while we’re not in the business of predicting winners and losers, keep in mind the Pacers are building on their run to last year’s Conference Finals, where they learned some tough lessons in losing to the Boston Celtics – who are no longer a factor in this year’s Playoffs…
All the Knicks-Pacers bets can be found right here.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves
Oklahoma City Thunder
With their current – and unfamiliar – status as the NBA Futures favorites to win the Championship, the Thunder are ready to roll. OKC is currently -175 to win it all in June.
They beat Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in seven games with a blowout final game, and Shia Gilgeous Alexander (-160 to be named the NBA Finals MVP) is the main reason why.
SGA had a major breakout season, finishing first overall in scoring with 32.7 points per game. This postseason has seen him drop to “only” 29 ppg, but he’s averaging a full rebound more too, playing a more full-court game that the Playoffs call for.
Gilgeous-Alexander has also had a great time against the Minnesota Timberwolves this season, averaging 35 ppg.
Keep that in mind when looking at SGA for your Player Props at Bovada.
With the Wolves keying on SGA, also look for Jalen Williams to get more open space, Williams has averaged 3 more minutes per game in the postseason compared to the regular season, and picked up close to three more assists per game too.
Catch all 400+ bets for the Thunder-Timberwolves series here.
Minnesota Timberwolves
For the Minnesota Timberwolves, it’s all about Ant.
Anthony Edwards exploded onto the scene during last year’s NBA Playoffs, and this season he’s doing it again. After SGA, Edwards (+600) has the next-best odds to take home the NBA Finals MVP award, and he’s taken over this year’s postseason with his on-court magic and off-court mouth.
The trash-talking fan favorite has averaged 26.5 points to go along with 8 boards and 6 assists per game this playoff season.
His all-around play and ability to step up in the big games was especially evident in their series-clinching win over Steph Curry and Golden State in the NBA Conference Semi-Finals, as he racked up 22 points, 12 assists and 3 blocks.
Beyond Ant, do the Wolves have teeth? This is where it gets a little dicey for Minnesota. Mike Conley had a heel injury and missed the last game, Julius Randle led the team with just 4.7 APG, and Rudy Gobert is notoriously up-an-down.
All these doubts give the oddsmakers reason to put the T-Wolves at +240 for Game 1 of their NBA Conference Finals meeting against Oklahoma City
But the season series was a 2-2 draw, proving Minnesota can hang with the 68-game winning Thunder.
And if we put aside the Conference Final odds for a minutes, just watching two of the NBA’s brightest and biggest stars, Anthony Edwards and Shia Gilgeous-Alexander, will be reason enough to tune in every night. You never know what might happen.
