Thunder favored to repeat
Updated futures show the Oklahoma City Thunder are the betting favorites to repeat as NBA champions — oddsmakers moved them to the top of the board. (oddsshark.com) Meanwhile the Pistons’ magic number to clinch the East’s No. 1 seed is now under close watch as the Celtics and Knicks battle for second. (freep.com)
The Thunder are being priced as the short favorites in multiple futures markets — listed at +135 on OddsShark and at +130 on FanDuel in the March 24 odds snapshots. (oddsshark.com) (sportsbook.fanduel.com) Books have shortened OKC substantially since the preseason — BetMGM notes the market opened roughly +240 for the Thunder and bettors have pushed the line markedly lower this season. (sports.betmgm.com) Oklahoma City’s on-court form mirrors the market: the Thunder sit atop the Western Conference in the NBA’s March 23 playoff picture at 57-15, the best record in the league. (nba.com) Detroit’s path to locking the East’s top seed is now numerically narrow — NBA.com’s March 23 snapshot shows the Pistons at 52-19 and the Celtics at 47-24, meaning Detroit needs seven more wins to be mathematically unreachable by Boston (magic number = 7). (nba.com) The Pistons clinched a playoff berth while already managing key absences; All-Star Cade Cunningham has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung and is expected to miss at least two weeks as Detroit continues toward seeding decisions. (nba.com) (sports.yahoo.com) OKC’s remaining schedule includes a March 25 meeting with Boston as the regular season winds down, a matchup that figures to draw sharp attention from futures traders ahead of the April postseason. (sportsbookwire.usatoday.com)
