- Giannis Antetokounmpo has opened as the odds-on favorite to win the 2023 NBA Finals MVP award.
- Antetokounmpo’s Bucks are the current +275 betting favorite to win the Larry O’Brien Award.
- Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Phoenix’s Kevin Durant are next in the BetOnline odds board at +500 apiece.
With the NBA playoffs set to start this weekend, the top basketball sportsbooks have opened the betting lines for the 2023 NBA Finals MVP award.
Since the Milwaukee Bucks are the current betting favorites to win it all this season, it’s not a surprise that BetOnline opened Giannis Antetokounmpo as the odds-on favorite to win the award.
According to the sportsbook, The Greek Freak is the +300 chalk to win a second Finals MVP award. Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Phoenix’s Kevin Durant are chasing Antetokounmpo at +500 odds apiece. Golden State’s Steph Curry is the only other player with odds shorter than +1000 at +850.
Giannis Leads in Finals MVP Odds Ahead of Playoffs
The Milwaukee Bucks head to the postseason as the top overall seed of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Milwaukee finished with a 58-24 SU regular season record, one game better than the 57-25 SU Boston Celtics, for the best mark in the entire league.
The Bucks are also the current +130 betting favorites to win the Eastern Conference and the +275 chalk to win the Larry O’Brien trophy.
BetOnline is also favoring a Bucks vs Suns championship series at +590. They have the Bucks as the East representative in three out of its Top Four NBA Finals Exact Matchup betting favorites.
As the proverbial “best player on the best team,” Antetokounmpo is the logical choice to win the award.
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads all superstars in NBA Finals MVP odds ahead of playoffshttps://t.co/H5x192LEaM
— Bucks Nation (@BucksNationCP) April 11, 2023,
When you talk about the Bucks, you can’t start any conversation without mentioning Antetokounmpo first. The Greek Freak led the team in scoring and rebounding at 31.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game this season.
He also finished 5th in the NBA’s scoring race and was the third-best rebounder in the league this season. Antetokounmpo also put up 5.7 assists per game while shooting 55.3% from the floor.
The Bucks open their playoff campaign against a still-to-be-determined opponent. The 7th-seeded Miami Heat host the 10th-seeded Chicago Bulls on Friday night to determine which team will complete the playoff cast in the East. The Heat are currently listed as -5.5 point spread favorites to beat the Bulls.
Tatum Looking to Lead the Celtics Back to the Finals
The Celtics were two victories away from winning the NBA title last season, but after taking a 2-1 series lead, they watched the Golden State Warriors win three straight games to win another NBA championship. Boston entered this season with plenty to prove.
They had the best record during the first half of the season and were the title favorites for most of the year before the Bucks overtook them.
Jayson Tatum had a forgettable 2022 NBA championship series performance but like the Celtics, he has been on a mission this year.
Tatum averaged a career-high 30.1 points per game this season and finished as the 6th best scorer in the NBA. He also averaged a career-high 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
During the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, Tatum won MVP honors after scoring an All-Star game record of 55 points to lead Team Giannis to a 184-175 win over Team LeBron.
A Celtics vs Suns NBA Finals matchup is ranked second in BetOnline’s Exact NBA Finals Matchup odds board at +670 odds. According to the same odds board, Boston is the Eastern Conference representative in three out of the Top Six Finals matchups and 5 in the Top 11.
No. 2 Boston will face the 7th seed Atlanta Hawks in the opening round of the playoffs and are the heavy -1300 favorites to win the series.
The Celtics are currently the largest favorite in the first round of the playoffs with no other team having odds better than -1000 to win their series. Boston is a -185 favorite to win the series 4-1.
The Phoenix Suns remain UNDEFEATED with Kevin Durant (8-0) 🔥
KD hasn’t lost a game since JAN 4th 👀
🏀 The Sun sit at +500 to win the NBA Finals ➡️ https://t.co/kwwmONpUy2#WeAreTheValley #NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/9cX4R3zOcu
— BetUS NBA 🏀 (@BetUS_NBA) April 7, 2023
Suns Still Spotless With Durant
The Phoenix Suns have the third-best odds to win the title at +500 odds. Phoenix finished with a regular season record of 45-37 and is the 4th seed in the Western Conference. Despite being in the middle of the West team standings, the Suns have the shortest title odds for any Western Conference team.
Durant has an impressive playoff resume and he has won the Finals MVP award twice in his career. Although KD was riddled with injuries this season, the 2014 NBA MVP was a menace when he was on the court.
Durant averaged 29.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 56.0% from the field. For whatever it’s worth, the Suns head to the postseason with a perfect 8-0 SU record when Durant plays.
BetOnline has Phoenix in each of its Top Two Exact Finals Matchup favorites. At +590, they are favored to face the Bucks in the Finals. The Suns are also a +670 to meet the Celtics in the 2023 NBA Finals.
The Suns are also the +180 favorites to win the Western Conference at Bet365 with the West’s No. 1 seeded Denver Nuggets trailing them at +370 odds.
The Suns are however in for a tough first-round assignment as they take on the 5th-seeded L.A. Clippers. Oddsmakers have opened them as heavy -465 favorites to advance to the next round.
However, with Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook on the opposite end of the court, it won’t be a walk in the park for the Suns. Phoenix has opened as -7.5 point spread favorites to take Game 1.
