2019 NBA Title Odds: Warriors Favored for 3-Peat Ahead of Bucks in Latest Lines

The Golden State Warriors might be on pace to finish with their worst record of the Steve Kerr era, but oddsmakers remain firmly behind the two-time reigning NBA champions.

The Warriors are a minus-200 favorite to win the 2019 Finals. The Milwaukee Bucks (+450) are in second, with the Houston Rockets (+600) trailing closely behind.

The Warriors are clearly playing at about 70 or 80 percent of their capabilities, with their focus largely on staying healthy for the playoffs.

Occasionally, Golden State provides a reminder why the team remains by far the NBA's best. On Sunday, the Warriors beat the Charlotte Hornets 137-90. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 49 points, and Kevin Durant was 5-of-5 from the field en route to an 11-point night. Golden State shot 21-of-33 from beyond the arc as a team.

The Warriors are a game up on the Denver Nuggets for first place in the Western Conference and play Denver at home Tuesday. Given the stakes, that matchup is likely to coax out the best of Golden State once again.

One could make a strong case the Bucks have been superior to the Warriors during the regular season.

Milwaukee owns the NBA's best record (57-20) and sits first in net rating (9.0), per NBA.com. Giannis Antetokounmpo is in a tight race for MVP, and Mike Budenholzer is building a strong case for Coach of the Year.

Having said that, the Bucks haven't advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 2001, and in his three trips to the postseason, Antetokounmpo finished with minus-12.0, 1.3 and minus-0.8 net ratings, according to NBA.com. Until he develops a more consistent long-range jumper, that's an area opponents will attempt to exploit in a seven-game series.

Far more concerning for Milwaukee, the 24-year-old is nursing an ankle injury. As much as the Bucks have done to build a strong supporting cast around their star, the team's title hopes rest almost solely on his health and performance.

If Antetokounmpo is less than 100 percent when the playoffs roll around, then Milwaukee will have a hard time against a tough top half of the Eastern Conference.