By TheNuts - May 21, 2026
NBA title odds for 2026: Thunder and Spurs continue to lead Knicks and Cavaliers
With just four teams remaining in the 2026 NBA playoffs, there will be plenty of star power and interesting subplots in both conference finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, the Western Conference finalists, are still the leading candidates to win the championship. The New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, the conference's two preseason favorites, will square off in the East.
New York is still well ahead of Cleveland, but Oklahoma City and San Antonio continue to be the obvious betting favorites at
sportsbooks.
The Thunder were favored against the field prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference finals (-165 on DraftKings, -160 on BetMGM). San Antonio increased its odds from about +310 to +155, but they are still the favorites at plus-money (+120).
The Cavaliers (+2000 on DK, +2200 on BetMGM) and Knicks (+550 on both) are further behind.
Western Conference Finals:
The Thunder and Spurs have been the clear favorites to win the NBA Finals since mid-March. The series that every basketball fan has been waiting for has finally arrived after two months and two playoff series.
So far in their quest to repeat, Oklahoma City has dominated. Before losing to the Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Monday night, the Thunder had an 8-0 record this playoffs.
Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will remain a key component of San Antonio's athletic defense in the Western Conference finals after winning his second consecutive MVP award.
The Spurs handed OKC its first postseason defeat in Game 1. The Spurs considerably narrowed the title chances gap with the current NBA champions even before the NBA playoffs started. In December, San Antonio's odds were down to +4500, but after a consistently strong regular season, they moved up the board.
As demonstrated in Game 1, San Antonio great Victor Wembanyama has the ability to dominate the Western Conference playoffs when he is on the court. During the regular season, Wembanyama's playing time versus the Thunder was limited to 28 minutes. Despite this, the Spurs defeated Oklahoma City 4-1, including in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. Despite their lack of deep playoff experience, a healthy San Antonio should not be intimidated by the reigning champions since they have talent on par with the Thunder.
Oklahoma City's NBA championship odds are marginally lower than they were at the same time in 2025 due to a challenging conference finals matchup versus San Antonio (-175 last year, compared to -160 this season before their first game of the conference finals). The Thunder missed the Western Conference's No. 2 and No. 3 seeds last postseason due to the draw, while Minnesota, ranked sixth, unexpectedly advanced to the conference finals.
A year later, in what has begun as an unforgettable Western Conference finals, Oklahoma City will be put to the test by the Spurs.
Eastern Conference Finals:
The Knicks are overwhelming favorites (-275 to advance on BetMGM) over the Cavaliers going into the Eastern Conference finals. New York and Cleveland had the same +700 title odds when the 2026 NBA title odds first appeared in June of last year, and they remained the two favorites in the East for the most of the regular season.
When the Boston Celtics unexpectedly became a title contender in March after star Jayson Tatum recovered from injury, Cleveland's chances decreased. The Cavaliers are the obvious underdog among the remaining four NBA playoff teams after defeating the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the second round. Over the past week, Cleveland's odds have increased from +3500 to +2200.
In the Eastern Conference finals, rest and recuperation will be crucial. New York has a distinct rest edge over the Cavaliers going into the conference finals after taking eight days off after sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round.
Cleveland fought through two complete seven-game series, winning Game 7 in Detroit on Sunday, while the Knicks rested and waited.
Thus far in the postseason, New York is likewise performing at a very high level. The Knicks have won seven straight games since losing Game 3 against Atlanta in the first round, with six of those victories coming by a margin of at least 14 points. Cleveland may find it difficult to stay up with New York's strong and well-rounded offense if they consistently step up the throttle. Karl-Anthony Towns is providing excellent interior play for point guard Jalen Brunson, who is performing at a high level.
As the conference finals go on, it will be important to keep an eye on the condition of Knicks wing OG Anunoby. Due to a hamstring injury, Anunoby missed the last two games of New York's second-round victory over Philadelphia. He will be crucial in slowing down Cleveland's gifted perimeter players.
Cleveland responds with more firepower and better physical play from Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley's interior. The big guys won the series after being put to the test in the first two rounds against both Toronto and Detroit.
Every time they get the opportunity to touch the paint, James Harden and Donovan Mitchell put pressure on opposing defenders. It might be difficult for New York to slow down Harden and Mitchell if Anunoby is not fully recovered.
The Cavaliers won the lone game following the Harden deal, despite New York winning the regular-season series 2-1 versus Cleveland.