The 2025 NBA playoff bracket has reached the conference semifinals, and eight teams are pursuing the NBA Championship. Odds heavily favor the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics to reach the Finals, but as the competition has intensified, both teams will have to jump a couple of hurdles to get there.
Below, we will discuss how to bet on the NBA with the available online sports betting sites and how to understand basketball game lines and future odds.
Game line odds for the Conference Semifinals
Game lines offer three ways to bet on a specific game: spread, win, and total odds. For bettors who want to bet on the outright winner, win odds are available and indicate the favorite to win the competition.
Both the spread and total odds offer ways to bet on the game’s final score. The totals indicate the number of points scored in the game by both teams, and you can bet on whether the score will be over or under the number of points offered.
In spread betting, individuals can wager on whether a team will win or lose by a specific number of points. The favored team is assigned a negative point spread and must win by more than that margin to cover the spread. The underdog team receives a positive point spread, allowing them to either lose by fewer points than the spread or win outright to cover.
Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Game 2)
- Spread: +11.0 (-110), -11.0 (-110)
- Win: +430, -625
- Total: O230.5 (-110), U230.5 (-110)
*Denver leads 1-0
Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Game 1)
- Spread: +7.0 (-110), -7.0 (-110)
- Win: +225, -275
- Total: O209.5 (-110), U209.5 (-110)
Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (Game 2)
- Spread: +9.0 (-115), -9.0 (-105)
- Win: +290, -380
- Total: O230.0 (-115), U230.0 (-105)
*Indiana leads 1-0
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics (Game 2)
- Spread: +10.0 (-115), -10.0 (-105)
- Win: +360, -500
- Total: O211.0 (-110), U211.0 (-110)
*New York leads 1-0
Future Odds
Online basketball futures offer great value to bettors who lock in their bets early. Future odds for the conference, division, and championship are available all year round. As you can see with the odds below from Bovada’s online sportsbook, a $100 bet on the Knicks to win the NBA Finals will yield $3,000 in profit; however, that bet is risky.
NBA Champion
- Oklahoma City Thunder +160
- Boston Celtics +225
- Cleveland Cavaliers +625
- Minnesota Timberwolves +1100
- Denver Nuggets +1200
- Golden State Warriors +1400
- Indiana Pacers +3000
- New York Knicks +3000