Huge Favorites in NBA Playoffs

Oddsmakers aren’t giving the underdogs very good chances of winning their opening playoff series. The smallest favorite is Washington, which is -205 to defeat Atlanta. Golden State is the largest favorite at a lofty -7500 over Portland.

Many sportsbooks released their odds Thursday afternoon, but some are still waiting for them to be more stable.

Odds at BetOnline.com are:

Boston -500, Chicago +405

Cleveland -1250, Indiana +850

Toronto -365, Milwaukee +305

Washington -205, Atlanta +175

Golden State -7500, Portland +3000

Houston -360, Oklahoma City +300

LA Clippers -220, Utah +190

San Antonio -1000, Memphis +725

In the Eastern Conference, the Hawks are obviously the underdog with the greatest chance of pulling off the upset, provided they are at full strength. Atlanta was a completely different team when Millsap wasn’t in the line-up and if he’s healthy, the Hawks can’t be dismissed.

The Milwaukee Bucks are another team that can pull off the upset, even though Kyle Lowery has returned. The Bucks are the type of team nobody really wants to face and have some talented unheralded players.

In the Western Conference, Golden State and San Antonio should advance to the next round with ease. The question that remains is Russell Westbrook able to get the Thunder past Houston? The oddsmakers say probably not and it’s hard to argue against them, but Houston has a big drop-off after James Harden. The Thunder also have a similar drop in talent after Westbrook, but may be worth a shot at lofty odds.

The Jazz are a team that can give anybody problems with their style of play. The Clippers aren’t a team that likes to run up-and-down the court so much, so may be better prepared to withstand the Jazz. The Clippers took three of the four meetings between the teams.

Los Angeles is the better of the two teams and is more playoff tested, so they’ll be tough to handle.