The Toronto Raptors' Wednesday night opponents at Amalie Arena have emerged as the top team on the latest NBA championship odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Brooklyn Nets now lead the way as +250 chalk on those NBA betting futures despite their recent uneven performance on the court. The Nets flashed playoff form during a spectacular 20-3 SU run in February and March but have cooled off this month, and they now trail the Philadelphia 76ers in the race for first place in the overall Eastern Conference standings.
Meanwhile, both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers have struggled to keep pace in the race for the top of the Western Conference standings.
Winners in consecutive games on just one occasion during their current shaky 7-10 SU run, the defending-champion Lakers have tumbled to fifth place in the Western Conference, eight games back of the first-place Utah Jazz. However, the Lakers' current slide has yet to impact them on the NBA futures, where they are strong +325 second favourites at sports betting sites with both Anthony Davis and LeBron James expected to return soon from injury.
The Clippers have overcome a mid-season swoon during a stellar 14-3 SU run. While that impressive stretch has not been enough for them to overtake Utah in the Western Conference standings, the Clippers remain a strong +500 wager on the NBA futures.
The Jazz continue to lead the NBA with a 43-15 SU record, but continue to sit short of the favourites with +800 odds to win the NBA championship. A dismal playoff track record has not helped Utah's cause. The Jazz have been one of the NBA's most successful teams over the past four seasons, but they have failed to get past the second round in each of their past eight trips to the post-season.
Further down the NBA championship odds, the Milwaukee Bucks are set at +950 on the betting lines, just ahead of the Sixers at +1100. The surprising Phoenix Suns follow at +1600 on those NBA odds, while the Denver Nuggets trail as a +3300 wager to win the title.
And the Toronto Raptors have resuscitated their playoff hopes during their current three-game win streak but still face a tough task of climbing out of 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings. As a result, the Raptors have tumbled to a distant +20000 bet on the title odds.
The Raptors' post-season hopes were devastated during the month of March, when they mustered just a single straight-up victory in 14 total games. Now sporting a disappointing 24-34 SU record, and sitting a half-game out of the playoff picture in the East, the Raptors have tumbled to a +500 underdog to advance to the NBA playoffs for an eighth straight season.
