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NBA Playoffs Odds

No postseason lasts longer than the NBA playoffs, which feature five rounds and 20 teams, with the play in games being 1 game and each round after a best-of-7 series. NBA playoff odds come out not just for which team will win the championship, but which team will win each series, which will win each game, which wins the Western Conference and Eastern Conference Finals, and even which teams will simply make the NBA playoffs 2023.

Bookies.com is your spot for live NBA odds that will give you the best, most up-to-date and diverse betting options for the postseason.

How to Read NBA Playoff Odds

Every type of wager is available in the NBA postseason, including NBA playoff series odds, individual game odds with point spread, Over/Under and moneyline (straight-up winner). You can also consider futures to win the conference finals and NBA Finals. NBA odds to make the playoffs are available through the regular season and are often posted during the prior offseason.

NBA championship futures are posted with odds that relate to a $100 wager. For example:

NBA – Winner

  • Milwaukee Bucks +290
  • Boston Celtics +320
  • Phoenix Suns +650
  • Denver Nuggets +750

At those odds, a $100 bet on the Bucks would bring you $190 in profit. Obviously, the bigger the underdog, the bigger the potential payout (and less chance of winning). Putting $100 on the Nuggets would net you $750. You can get Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics, the No. 2 team in the East, at +320.

NBA Playoff series odds are handled the same way, matching two teams against each other. Unlike other playoff odds that may be available all year, playoff series odds are available for just a few days, from when the matchup is announced to before tipoff. For example:

First-round Western Conference

  • Oklahoma City Thunder -315
  • Memphis Grizzlies +205

Those odds start to shift then after each game of the series.

The Bookies.com odds calculator can do the math for you, instantly showing potential payouts and helping bettors make smart moves.

What to Consider When Betting on the NBA Playoffs

There are myriad ways to exploit NBA playoff odds to your liking, from betting on single NBA games, to entire series, to conference and championship futures.

Attrition is a key factor in the NBA playoffs. Did one team fight through long series to get to Round 2 while the other cruised to a sweep and has been resting at home for six days?

So is head-to-head. One team must beat the other four times to advance – how did they fare against one another in the regular season? Did a key injury or other factors quash the result? This is especially important when betting series rather than individual games.

Regardless of whether you’re going single playoff game or full series, be sure to shop around at top online sportsbooks for the best prices when you bet on the NBA playoff odds. Imagine finding Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors at +1300 to win the 2023 NBA title on one site but finding them at +1500 on another. That’s a $200 potential difference in profit just by shopping around.

Why Bet on the NBA Playoffs with Bookies

Bookies.com is a one-stop shop for all betting markets, including NBA playoffs 2023. From the best experts to world-class betting tools we are a trusted source for sports betting. There are several tools immediately at your disposal to make fast, informed decisions, a key for mobile betting.

Parlay Calculator: Parlays are low-risk, high-reward wagers and can be done with any kind of picks. They can also be tricky to calculate, as parlay payouts change based on odds and number of wagers included. Our free parlay calculator is a go-to resource for instantly calculating odds and payouts.

NBA Futures Odds: NBA futures are hugely popular and are available all season. Our live futures charts feature not just the latest NBA Playoffs betting odds, but direct you to the best available odds for each potential pick.

Consensus Picks: Knowing how other bettors have analyzed a NBA matchup could help you decide which side to back, or to fade. Our NBA consensus page offers a measurement of where the majority of bettors are putting their money. The public consistently leans toward favorites and the Over, which can sometimes offer value on the other side.

Expert NBA Picks: Bookies.com’s team of handicappers and analysts has well over 100 years of combined experience across all sports, including the NBA. They have proven track records with the winning percentages to back it up. From an individual playoff game to overall playoff predictions, if you are looking for tips to bet on NBA action, this is the spot.

NBA ATS Trends: The Memphis Grizzlies weren’t NBA title contenders in 2021-22, but they were the best team to back against the spread. You can check out how each team is faring on spread bets this season and see by how many points they covered – or failed to cover.

NBA Over/Under Trends: Games involving the Golden State Warriors hit the Over a solid 58.0% of the time in 2021-22. The team that by far hit the Under the most: yhe high-scoring Chicago Bulls (57.1%). This page breaks down the O/U betting trends for all 30 teams.

NBA Playoff Odds FAQ

Which team has the most playoff appearances?

As much as the Celtics would like to lay claim as the greatest franchise in NBA history, no team holds a candle to the Lakers. They’ve been in existence 65 years and qualified for the playoffs in 60 of them. In more than half of those (31), they’ve advanced to the NBA Finals.

Teams with most NBA Playoff Appearances

  • 60: Los Angeles Lakers
  • 51: Boston Celtics
  • 47: Philadelphia 76ers
  • 42: New York Knicks
  • 42: Atlanta Hawks
  • 40: Detroit Pistons
  • 33: San Antonio Spurs
  • 32: Chicago Bulls
  • 29: Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers

Which team has the most consecutive playoff appearances?

The Syracuse Nationals turned into the Philadelphia 76ers in 1964, but they combined to go to the playoffs for 22 consecutive seasons, tied for most in NBA history. But it’s a record about to be broken.

The San Antonio Spurs are getting spoiled with the amount of playoff games over the year, reaching the playoffs from 1988 every season through 2019. One more year and the Spurs take the crown.

Teams with the Most Consecutive Playoffs Appearances

No.TeamYears
22 Syracuse Nationals/
Philadelphia 76ers
1950-1971
22 San Antonio Spurs 1998-2019
21 Portland Trail Blazers 1983-2003
20 Utah Jazz 1984-2003
19 Boston Celtics 1951-1969
17 Los Angeles Lakers 1977-1993
16 Minneapolis/
L.A. Lakers
1959-1974
14 Fort Wayne/
Detroit Pistons
1950-1963
14 Boston Celtics 1980-1993
14 Chicago Bulls 1985-1998
14New York Knicks 1988-2001

What is the average number of wins needed to make the NBA playoffs in the West?

Ten of the 15 teams in each conference advance to the postseason – more than half – so in theory, teams that win half their games should be on a track to qualify. That hasn’t necessarily been the case in the Western Conference, which has consistently been the deeper of the two sides for a while.

Since the strike-shortened season of 2011-12, the average number of wins needed to qualify as the last seed in the Western Conference Playoffs is 45.1, well over the 41-41 record needed to win half. In 2021-22, the No. 8 team in the West, the San Antonio Spurs, went 48-34.

What is the average number of wins needed to make the NBA playoffs in the East?

Eastern Conference teams haven’t needed as many wins to advance to the NBA Playoffs. Since the 2011-12 season, only twice has the eighth-place team in the East has needed more than 41 wins to qualify. The average needed to sneak in is 40.4 wins, just under the 50% rate. Three times in that span it only took a 38-44 record to advance.

Which coach has the most consecutive NBA playoff appearances?

The Spurs have advanced to the playoffs a record 22 years in a row. Gregg Popovich has been the team’s head coach for each of them – nobody has led their team to more playoff berths in a row.

Phil Jackson, who guided Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers to 20 straight playoff berths, is No. 2, followed by legendary Knicks and Heat coach Pat Riley (19).

Which NBA team has missed the playoffs the most?

The Sacramento Kings haven’t made the playoffs since getting knocked out of the first round of the 2006 Playoffs, a span of 13 seasons. That’s second all-time to a 15-year run of futility by the Los Angeles Clippers (1977-91).

Who is favored to win the NBA playoffs?

Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, and the Suns are the favorites in the West, while Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are atop the East. They’re favorites to win the 2023 NBA Finals, with the Boston Celtics right under the Bucks on the odds chart.