NBA: Boston Celtics Favoured to Win the NBA In-Season Tournament

Bettors can start placing bets on the NBA Cup now

Odds were released for the Emirates NBA Cup — or NBA In-Season Tournament — following the group draw on July 12. This year’s In-Season Tournament will start on November 12 and will end on December 17 with the championship in Las Vegas. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural tournament last season. “All 30 teams have been randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on win-loss records from the 2023-24 regular season.” On BetMGM, the Boston Celtics are the betting favourites to win the tournament. The Celtics have +450 odds to win the NBA Cup. The Oklahoma City Thunder have the second best odds. The Thunder are at +750 right now. Three teams are tied for the third best odds: the Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Milwaukee Bucks. The Timberwolves, Knicks, and Bucks have +1000 odds at the moment.

The odds for the NBA Cup winners and NBA championship winners are slightly different. Although the Celtics, Thunder, Timberwolves, Knicks, and Bucks have the best odds to win the NBA Cup, only three of those teams are in the top five for the NBA Championship. The Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets have the sixth and seventh best odds to win the NBA Cup, but they have the third and fourth best odds to win the NBA championship with +800 and +850 odds.

The Toronto Raptors and east group B

This year, the Toronto Raptors are in east group B. The other teams in that group are the Miami Heat, Bucks, Indiana Pacers, and Detroit Pistons. The Bucks are the betting favourites. The Bucks have +130 odds to win the group. The Pacers and Heat are right behind them at +180 and +300. The Raptors and Pistons are huge underdogs and tied for the worst odds to win the group with +3500 odds. On paper, this is a tough group for the Raptors. The Heat, Bucks, and Pacers were playoff teams last season. And all three should be competitive next season, based on their rosters and recent history.

Heading into the season, the Raptors are at best the third or fourth best team in this group. The Raptors should have a tough time getting out of this group. But if the other teams struggle with chemistry and injuries, the Raptors should have a shot at advancing. If all teams are healthy, the Raptors probably aren’t a great bet. But at +3500, the sportsbooks might be underrating the Raptors. This team has a lot of young talent with a lot of room for improvement. They could shock a couple of teams if they get some momentum early in the season.

The other groups

There are five other groups. At +160, the New York Knicks are the betting favourites to win group east A. The other teams in that group are the 76ers, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, and Brooklyn Nets. On paper, this group should be a race between the Knicks and 76ers. The 76ers have the second best odds at +175. At -175, the Celtics are favoured to win east group C. The other teams in that group are the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Wizards. The Celtics should win that group.

The #EmiratesNBACup 2024 Group Draw results!

Starting November 12, all 30 teams will compete for the NBA Cup with 8 teams advancing out of groups into the knockout rounds, with the semifinals and championship held in Las Vegas, December 14 and 17! pic.twitter.com/K9BT9b1wT2
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2024

At +150, the Timberwolves are the betting favourites in west group A. They are in a group with the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trail Blazers. The odds are close for this group. The Trail Blazers are the only team with odds worse than +500. The other teams are +150 to +500. The Thunder are leading west group B with +120 odds. The Lakers and Phoenix Suns have the next best odds at +240 and +300. The San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz are also in that group. West group C is the final group. This group has the most competitive odds. The Nuggets are the betting favourites with +280 odds. But the team with the worst odds, the Golden State Warriors, are only +450 underdogs. The other teams in that group are the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Memphis Grizzlies.