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NBA title odds: Nets separate from pack

Mike Stobe / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Brooklyn Nets overtook the Los Angeles Lakers as the 2021 title favorites roughly one month ago. If bettors revisit the odds during the buffer period before the play-in tournament begins, they'll notice another boost from Brooklyn, which has officially separated from the rest of the pack.

Odds to win the 2021 NBA title

Team Odds
Nets +160
Lakers +450
Clippers +600
76ers +600
Jazz +600
Bucks +900
Suns +1800
Nuggets +2800
Heat +4500
Mavericks +5000
Trail Blazers +6500
Warriors +10000
Knicks +12000
Hawks +13000
Celtics +13000
Grizzlies +25000
Wizards +25000
Hornets +30000
Pacers +30000
Spurs +50000

Brooklyn paces the NBA in offensive rating (116.3), and the sky's the limit with its Big Three healthy. A lack of chemistry was a major worry, but the Nets are firing on all cylinders heading into the postseason.

Trending up

76ers (+1200 to +600)

The Nets aren't the only risers in the East. The Philadelphia 76ers - who finished one game ahead of Brooklyn in the regular season - slashed their odds in half since the final week of April.

Philly ranks No. 2 in the league in defensive efficiency and No. 5 in net rating. The sixth-best team against the spread (38-31-3, 55.1%) also closed out the year strong, winning 10 of its final 12 games.

Trending down

Nuggets (+1800 to +2800)

The public simply isn't buying the depleted Denver Nuggets. Though they've gone 13-5 since losing star guard Jamal Murray to an ACL injury, the absences of Will Barton and PJ Dozier leave the backcourt extremely thin.

The Nuggets will need Herculean playoff efforts from Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. to navigate through a cutthroat West.

Celtics (+6000 to +13000)

The Boston Celtics still have a clean slate entering the play-in, but this just doesn't feel like the year for a team struggling to field a consistent starting five.

Jaylen Brown is out for the campaign, Kemba Walker and Tristan Thompson combined to miss 47 games during the regular season, and Evan Fournier's been in and out of the lineup.

This would be the true definition of a flier.

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.

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