The East is home to the top three Finals favorite at the midway point

The Eastern Conference is home to the top three NBA Finals favorites.

The Boston Celtics are still the favorites to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the midway point of the season. The Celtics were at +500 to win the Finals BetMGM had just started the season, and they are now at +400. They sit in the East’s first place.

Both teams that were following the Celtics prior to the season were in West. To win back-to-back, the defending champion Warriors were +600 Golden State is now No. After some early-season struggles with depth and issues, Golden State is the favorite at +900.

The Clippers were ranked No. They were the favorite at +700, and are now at +1100. The Clippers look to continue their run of games with a healthy lineup. Los Angeles’s.500 rating has remained steady for most of the season due to injuries sustained by Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and other players. The Clippers are the most talented team from the NBA. But that doesn’t matter much if injuries make it impossible for the team to develop any continuity.

The half-way point is where the Clippers and Warriors have been replaced by the Nuggets and Bucks. Milwaukee is currently at +550 to win, while Brooklyn is slightly further back at +800.

Milwaukee is currently four games behind the Celtics, and has now played 38 of the 45 games without Khris Midton. Middleton is closer to recovering from knee soreness which has kept him out of the game for over a week. The Bucks’ odds are clearly banking on Middleton being healthy for the playoffs. If he’s not available for all or part of the postseason like he was a season ago, Milwaukee’s chances to get a second Finals win in three seasons are a lot tougher.

Brooklyn, meanwhile, is hoping that Kevin Durant won’t have any long-term effects from the MCL injury he suffered earlier this season. Durant is expected to be out for at least a few more weeks. However, a pre-All Star Game return from Durant would be huge for a Nets squad that has been missing his 30 point per game. Brooklyn is currently fourth in the East, having lost all three of its games since Durant’s 102-101 victory against the Heat on January 8.

Clear favorites are common in most divisions

There aren’t too many competitive divisions when you look at BetMGM’s division odds. There are three divisions that have a gap of less than four games between the first and second place, but only one division has a favorite with greater odds than -250.

This division is called the Pacific. There are four teams that have odds of winning with a +500 percentage or greater. The Kings currently have a 3.5-game lead on the Warriors as they’ve been one of the most surprising teams in the NBA. Sacramento, currently at 25-18, is currently third in West after the Denver Nuggets or the Memphis Grizzlies. The Kings and Warriors are tied at +175 to win this division.

The Clippers are four games behind the Kings, and they are +500 to win their division. LA has the same odds of winning the Western Conference, which is odd. The Suns are five points behind Sacramento at 21-24 and at +400 to win this division. The Clippers are only two games behind the Lakers, while the Suns are one-game back. Yet, the Lakers’ division odds are +2000.

Who are the top value plays?

The Denver Nuggets are a great option if you don’t want to be limited by the Top 3 East teams, Clippers, Warriors and Warriors. Denver is the West’s first team and has a +850 chance to win the Finals, and a +400 chance to win the conference. Those are tantalizing odds if you think the additions of Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will bolster the Nuggets’ defense in the playoffs. There’s no question that Denver can and will be able to score on anyone.

Also worth considering +1600 for the 76ers, especially in relation to other teams. The Phoenix Suns have similar title odds, even though they are three games behind.500. Chris Paul looks to have fallen off the wagon this season. Given the success Donovan Mitchell has had in Cleveland, the Cavaliers might be worth a look at +2000. Due to the lack of support LukaDoncic currently has, the Cavaliers seem a better bet than Dallas @ +2500.

NBA Finals favorites

• Boston Celtics (+400)

• Milwaukee Bucks (+550)

• Brooklyn Nets (+800)

• Denver Nuggets (+850)

• Golden State Warriors (+900)

• Memphis Grizzlies (+1000).

• Los Angeles Clippers (+1100)

• Philadelphia 76ers (+1600).

• Phoenix Suns (+1600).

• New Orleans Pelicans (+1800)

• Cleveland Cavaliers (+2000).

Favorites of the Eastern Conference

Favorites of the Western Conference

• Denver Nuggets (+400)

• Golden State Warriors (+400)

• Memphis Grizzlies (+450).

• Los Angeles Clippers (+500)

• Phoenix Suns (+750).

• New Orleans Pelicans (+900)