National Basketball Association

Bet Celtics to win NBA title, other best futures bets, long shots, odds

Published Mar. 1, 2023 3:10 p.m. ET

Co-Host of THE HERD and FOX Sports Betting Analyst

The end of the NBA season will be here before we know it. And now that the page on the calendar has officially turned to March, the regular season will, in fact, be over next month.

That flew by fast.

While there's still time on the clock, there are a few teams whose titles futures are worth a sprinkle.

Check out the teams I think you should budget a few bucks on to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy this summer, with odds via FOX Bet.

Denver Nuggets: +700 at FOX Bet (bet $10 to win $80 total)

The team with the best record in the Western Conference is the Rodney Dangerfield of the NBA this season — they get no respect.

Denver is No. 3 offensively, and with a healthy trio of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., that squad will have the firepower to take down anyone. Remember, Porter has missed 17 games and Murray 14. Their lead in the West would be larger had those two not missed those games. Neither of those players is a good defender, but other starters like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Aaron Gordon make up for it. After the Warriors, Denver's starting five has the second-highest net rating of any lineup in the league when at full strength.

When betting on futures, the path is everything, and there are several scenarios to consider. Denver’s opening-round playoff series will probably be vs. the Utah Jazz or Minnesota Timberwolves. But, there is a chance it could be against the New Orleans Pelicans. If Zion Williamson returns, the Pelicans will be extremely dangerous. After that, the next likely matchup would be the Phoenix Suns or Los Angeles Clippers. Denver is 4-0 against the Clippers this season, winning every game by double digits. Keep in mind Kawhi Leonard played in three of the four games.

The concern with the Nuggets in the postseason will be with their defense and how they struggle to get stops. Denver is 15th in defensive efficiency, behind the likes of Oklahoma City and Orlando. But the current NBA is so heavily skewed to the offenses. Will it matter?

This team has the talent to make a deep run.

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Golden State Warriors: +1400 at FOX Bet (bet $10 to win $150 total)

The Warriors opened the season as one of the favorites to win it all at FOX Bet, but their number keeps cratering as they continue to hover around .500. Regular season stats don’t mean all that much given this team’s history, but the stats are troubling. Golden State ranks 18th in defensive efficiency and 12th on the offensive side. The only regulars in the rotation to play in all the games are Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney. Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins have missed 23 and 24 games, respectively.

Here’s where the value is: If the Warriors can secure the No. 6 seed, their path would be against the Sacramento Kings, likely followed by the Grizzlies. The Warriors are 2-0 against Memphis this season, and last year, they beat them in the postseason (4-2).

The defending champs have a lot of questions regarding the bench, and justifiably so. Something else to consider when wagering the Warriors is the wear and tear of the aging starters. Steph has been hurt, but he is reportedly returning to action soon. If everyone is healthy, the Warriors at +1400 feels like a bargain, especially if they end up with the sixth seed.

Boston Celtics: +275 at FOX Bet (bet $10 to win $37.50 total)

It’s no fun picking the favorite to win it all, but there’s so much to love about the Celtics at both ends.

They’re ranked second in offense, sixth on defense, have two elite wing players in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and ideal role players like Malcolm Brogdon, Grant Williams and Derrick White. The No. 1 seed will be important, as the Bucks have caught them with a 14-game winning streak, but Boston still leads the NBA in point differential (+5.7).

If the C's end up being the No. 2 seed, that will hurt. In that spot, the Celtics could end up facing the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks or Philadelphia 76ers. The path as a No. 1 seed would be easier, as the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks will beat each other up. Both of those teams also have issues on the offensive side of the ball.

I give the Celtics the edge over the Bucks in the East because of their depth and because they’re the better shooting team.

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Dallas Mavericks: +1400 at FOX Bet (bet $10 to win $150 total)

Can I call the team with the best player in the league a long shot?

We’ve seen Luka Dončić absolutely dominate the postseason for three straight years, pushing the loaded Clippers to six and seven games while posting staggering numbers (35-10-7 on 49/40 shooting two years ago; 31-9-8 in 2020 as a 21-year-old).

This year’s playoff handicap is muddled because of a trade that robbed a poor defensive team (22nd in efficiency) of its best wing stopper (Dorian Finney-Smith). Toss in the injury to stretch-big Maxi Kleber (just 22 games played) and new addition Kyrie Irving, and what do you do with this team?

Not sure how anyone can trust Irving, but he’s incentivized to play his best basketball. As a free agent, he has one last chance to be a good teammate and prove he can deliver in big spots if he wants a multi-year contract. Young Josh Green — the team’s best wing defender — is the team’s X-factor.

With Luka and Kyrie, the juice is worth the squeeze at these odds.

Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports betting analyst, and he also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. He joined FS1 in 2016 and has appeared on every show on the network. In 2017, McIntyre began producing gambling content on the NFL, college football and NBA for FOX Sports. He had a gambling podcast for FOX, "Coming Up Winners," in 2018 and 2019. Before arriving at FOX, he created the website The Big Lead, which he sold in 2010.

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