- The Oklahoma City Thunder have the shortest odds to win the 2025 NBA Cup at +230.
- The lowest odds of any team in the past two years were +450.
- No team that was the favorite to win the NBA Cup entering the tournament has won the title.
LAS VEGAS – With the second week of NBA Cup group play set to begin on Friday, here is a look at which teams have the shortest odds to win the 2025 NBA Cup.
Emirates NBA Cup Champion Odds
- Oklahoma City Thunder +230
- Cleveland Cavaliers +1100
- Los Angeles Lakers +1300
- Orlando Magic +1600
- Golden State Warriors +1700
- Houston Rockets +1700
Legal sports betting sites slightly differ in odds between the NBA Cup and the finals, the Magic seeing the most notable jump, listed with the fifth shortest odds to win the in-season tournament while being tied for the 13th best odds to win the finals at +4500.
The Nuggets’ odds are inverted relative to the Magic, as Denver is listed with the second shortest odds to win the title (+600) but just 11th to win the NBA Cup at +2100.
The Thunder are the favorites to win both at +230 in each market and it’s not hard to see why, as Oklahoma City has gone 8-1 through their first nine games of the season, the best record in the league thus far.
They managed to reach the NBA Cup final last season, losing to the Bucks 97-81 in the title game.
The Cavaliers have the second shortest odds to win the NBA Cup and the third shortest odds to win the finals. The Cavs are off to a 5-3 to start the season, but have been nagged by injuries to Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and De’Andre Hunter already.
Cleveland also lost their first game of group play to the Raptors on Halloween, making it an uphill battle for them to qualify for the knockout rounds.
California and Texas Teams Come To Play
The Lakers have been on a roll, going 7-2 in their first nine games, led by MVP level play from Luka Doncic, who has averaged 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per game so far this season.
Los Angeles also has the return of LeBron James to look forward to, who has yet to make his season debut.
The Warriors sit at +1700 to win the NBA Cup, though they have been going through a rough stretch as of late, losing three of their last four after starting 4-1.
Their first game in group play comes tomorrow against the Nuggets on the road.
Rounding out the top six is the Houston Rockets, who also have +1700 odds to win the NBA Cup. The Kevin Durant experiment seems to be paying dividends for Houston, who has started the season 5-2, winning five straight after dropping their first two games.
They’ve done so with a massive boost in 3-point efficiency, shooting over 40% from deep as a team after shooting 35% last season. Such efficiency is likely unsustainable for a whole season, but is a very encouraging sign for the Rockets.
An interesting note to point out is that the favorite at legal NBA betting sites has yet to win the NBA Cup in the two years since its inception. The Lakers in 2023 had the sixth shortest odds (+1300) while the Bucks had the third shortest odds (+850) last season.
The Thunder, however, have the shortest odds entering the tournament of any team in the last two years, surpassing the 2024 Celtics, who had +450 odds.
