2024 NBA futures odds, preview & picks for East, West
Grant Mitchell | For FrontPageBets
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The NBA will soon be back to regularly scheduled programming following the conclusion of the All-Star break and teams in both conferences are now making their final pushes for the postseason.
The most popular NBA futures bets at online sportsbooks are usually centered around NBA Finals odds, but we're digging into betting lines for both conferences. Below are odds and picks for the East and West including the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and more.
2024 NBA Eastern Conference predictions: Boston Celtics (+120 or better)
The Celtics are the clear-cut best team in the NBA. They have the best net rating (+10.3) by a fair margin, make more 3s than every team, are first in offensive efficiency and third in defensive efficiency.
Boston's starting lineup is the most versatile on both ends and creates matchup problems for every team with no exceptions. Their bench also has the best scoring differential per 100 possessions of every team, and they’re a ridiculous 26-3 at home.
The two other top contenders in the East, the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, are flawed. Milwaukee still hasn’t gotten the best out of Damian Lillard and is a bottom-10 defensive unit with a coach in Doc Rivers known for underperforming in the postseason.
Philly had an excellent start but lost Joel Embiid to injury. Even once he returns, he and his team are going to have to overcome the stigma of being regular-season wonders with little postseason success. Boston is also the favorite to win the NBA Finals at around +260 at most online sportsbooks.
2024 NBA Western Conference predictions: Phoenix Suns (+750 or better)
The Suns’ starting lineup has an offensive rating of 130, the second-best in the Western Conference and well above the best team mark in the league. They have unmatched scoring potential with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, and are coming into their own on defense, ranking sixth in points allowed per 100 possessions in February.
The playoffs are largely about scoring in the half-court, and that’s something Phoenix has no trouble with. They also bolstered their wing depth with the recent addition of Royce O’Neale and have the league’s most efficient 3-point shooter, Grayson Allen (48.2%) to round out their starting five.
The Durant and Booker-led Suns took the defending champion Denver Nuggets to six games in the Western Conference semifinal round last year, making them the only team to take more than a game off the champs. They’re much better this time and are playing complimentary basketball in every phase.
Durant and Beal will need to stay healthy, and Jusuf Nurkic will have to dial it in on defense in a potential series against Nikola Jokic, but this team is a not-so-sleepy giant that’s ready for the postseason.
NBA futures long shot picks: Cleveland Cavaliers (+800) in East and Dallas Mavericks (+1600) in West
The Cavs are the hottest team in basketball with wins in 18 of their last 20 games. They climbed all the way to second in defensive rating and have a legitimate playoff star in Donovan Mitchell who can carry the scoring burden when times get tough.
Cleveland might not be used to making deep playoff runs, but they have tremendous size, shooting off the bench, and outstanding defense. They’re 0-2 against Boston and 2-2 against Milwaukee but seem to get better with every passing game.
Dallas made two of the best moves of the trade deadline, getting Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington to add pick-and-roll partners for two of the best scorers in the game, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The pair gives Dallas more rolling lob threats and solid screeners and the ability to create more mismatches when opponents switch their defense.
Luka led the Mavs to the Western Conference Finals a couple of years ago and has what is probably the best supporting cast in his NBA career. Dallas plays a slow tempo and isn’t great on defense but can score with any team.
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Grant is a Virginia-based writer for Catena Media who graduated from Virginia Tech in 2021 with a degree in sports media & analytics. He has contributed to well-known publications such as Forbes, and appeared on the VSiN TV network.
