NBA Finals 2020: Championship Odds and Predictions for Remaining Teams

Five teams remain in the hunt for the 2020 NBA championship, and that number will be trimmed to four on Tuesday night.

That's when the second-seeded Los Angeles Clippers and third-seeded Denver Nuggets will settle the score of the only conference semifinal series that's undecided. After falling into a 3-1 deficit, the Nuggets have won back-to-back games to force a Game 7 for the second consecutive round.

While they rallied to beat the Utah Jazz in Game 1 under similar circumstances, oddsmakers are dubious (at best) about the Nuggets' chances of completing the rally this time around. Denver has by the far the longest title odds of any team still standing in the postseason.

After examining each club's latest championship odds from FanDuel, we'll break down three wagers that have our attention.

2019-20 NBA Championship Odds

Los Angeles Lakers: +135

Los Angeles Clippers: +300

Boston Celtics: +360

Miami Heat: +480

Denver Nuggets: +1800

Odds Breakdown and Predictions

The Favorites: Los Angeles Lakers (+135)

L.A.'s supporting cast can be inconsistent, and this offense can get stuck in the mud when its long shots aren't falling and it can't get out in transition.

But through all of this club's warts, the fact remains the LeBron James-Anthony Davis combo is the most potent pairing in this field. Hollywood's biggest basketball stars have propelled the Purple and Gold to an 8-2 record through two rounds and a postseason-best plus-9.0 net efficiency rating.

"It just feels like everything is falling into place," Davis told reporters. "When I got here obviously the goal was to win championships, and we're eight wins away. It's been a great process for me. ... It's everything that I envisioned."

Stopping (or containing, rather) one of James or Davis is a brutal test for any defense, but bottling up both could be impossible over a seven-game series. The Lakers may not offer the biggest return on investment for their wagering backers, but the trade-off is getting the group with the highest overall ceiling.

I'm in lockstep with the oddsmakers who believe this team is the likeliest to lift the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy when it's all said and done.

The Value Bet: Boston Celtics (+360)

While the Milwaukee Bucks paced the Eastern Conference (and NBA at large) in wins this season, there were times the Toronto Raptors looked like the class of the East. The Philadelphia 76ers, meanwhile, flashed arguably unrivaled potential in spurts, though their jumbo-sized roster never quite came together, and Ben Simmons' ill-timed injury torpedoed their title hopes.

Saying all that, the Celtics deserve major props for dispatching the Sixers and Raptors in consecutive rounds. The Shamrocks barely broke a sweat while bouncing the ballers from the City of Brotherly Love, and while they needed seven games to oust the Raptors, Boston never trailed in that series and posted its two most lopsided victories (18-point triumph in Game 1, 22-point win in Game 5).

Now, the Celtics draw the Heat, who steamrolled through the first two rounds with a sweep of the Indiana Pacers and a five-game series win over the top-seeded Bucks. This could be Boston's toughest test to date, but on paper, it's hard not to like what this team can do.

"Boston is the better team," ESPN's Tim Bontemps wrote. "Miami is a tough-minded, well-coached group led by two All-Stars in [Bam] Adebayo and [Jimmy] Butler. But Boston has [Marcus] Smart, probably the single-best player in the league to guard Butler, and [Kemba] Walker and [Jayson] Tatum are the most explosive offensive players in the series."

The Heat boast better depth, but top-level talent wins out this time of year, and the Celtics' collection is impressive. Tatum is breaking out in a big way, Walker is relishing his first chance to compete for a title and Gordon Hayward, a former All-Star, could be nearing his return from a month-long absence with a sprained ankle.

The Celtics are my pick to win the East, and while they wouldn't be favored against anyone other than probably the Nuggets in the Finals, they have the firepower to knock off one of L.A.'s juggernauts.

The Long Shots: Denver Nuggets (+1800)

Before getting into why ambitious gamblers might want to consider taking a flier on the Nuggets, this section has to start here: I don't see them knocking off the Clippers on Tuesday, let alone outlasting the Lakers if they do.

So, the long shot label doesn't simply reflect this team's odds. The eye test also concludes this team has by far the biggest hurdle between them and a championship celebration.

Having said that, Denver is making a habit out of defying the odds. It gets harder to keep writing this club off when it keeps coming back from the dead on the strength of its high-powered offense.

Nikola Jokic is a walking mismatch as a skilled 7-footer. Jamal Murray becomes the Human Torch when he's feeling it. Rookie Michael Porter Jr. packs a powerful enough scoring punch to swing games in Denver's favor. The Nuggets have a ton of talent—only the Bucks and Raptors have more wins since the start of last season—and that talent is weaponized by an unwavering sense of self-belief.

"I think it comes down to a tremendous belief and confidence in who we are, what we're about and what we're trying to accomplish," head coach Mike Malone said.

If the Nuggets can find their way past the Clippers on Tuesday, why can't they find a way to keep their magic going for another two rounds? It may not be what my crystal ball sees in the team's future, but Denver has done everything in its power to convert doubters into believers over this round and last.