{"id":710152,"date":"2026-04-14T07:06:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T07:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/710152\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T07:06:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T07:06:35","slug":"nuggets-among-title-favorites-as-nba-postseason-tips-denver-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/710152\/","title":{"rendered":"Nuggets among title favorites as NBA postseason tips \u2013 Denver Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 NBA postseason is officially here and the oddsmakers aren\u2019t sleeping on the Denver Nuggets.<\/p>\n

The Mile High City crew enter the playoffs at +1000 to win the NBA championship, slotting them as the fourth-most likely team to hoist the Larry O\u2019Brien Trophy in June. Only the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder (+115), the San Antonio Spurs (+550) and the Boston Celtics (+550) carry shorter odds<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That feels about right for a team that won a dozen straight games to close the regular season and lock up the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. It also feels like a number that underestimates just how dangerous Nikola Jokic can be when the lights are brightest but is understandable when considering the toughest competition is on the Nuggets\u2019 path.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where the full board stands for the Nuggets heading into the postseason<\/p>\n

Team
\nOdds<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City Thunder
\n+115<\/p>\n

San Antonio Spurs
\n+550<\/p>\n

Boston Celtics
\n+550<\/p>\n

Denver Nuggets
\n+1000<\/p>\n

Cleveland Cavaliers
\n+1100<\/p>\n

Detroit Pistons
\n+2000<\/p>\n

New York Knicks
\n+2200<\/p>\n

Houston Rockets
\n+6000<\/p>\n

Minnesota Timberwolves
\n+8000<\/p>\n

Charlotte Hornets
\n+8000<\/p>\n

Atlanta Hawks
\n+12500<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers
\n+20000<\/p>\n

Philadelphia 76ers
\n+20000<\/p>\n

Orlando Magic
\n+22500<\/p>\n

Toronto Raptors
\n+25000<\/p>\n

Phoenix Suns
\n+50000<\/p>\n

Portland Trail Blazers
\n+60000<\/p>\n

Golden State Warriors
\n+60000<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Clippers
\n+75000<\/p>\n

Miami Heat
\n+75000<\/p>\n

Jokic is averaging a triple-double for the second consecutive season, and he and Jamal Murray became the first pair of teammates in NBA history to each record at least 1,500 points and 500 assists in the same season. Denver also owns the No. 1 offensive rating in the league, a stat that could hint at a deep playoff run.<\/p>\n

The road won\u2019t be easy. The Nuggets draw the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team with back-to-back Western Conference finals appearances on its resume, in Round 1. Win that and a potential second-round collision with Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs looms \u2014 a series multiple national analysts are already calling one of the most anticipated matchups of the entire bracket. If Denver survives both, the Thunder would likely be waiting in the conference finals. Though, no reigning champion has gotten past the second round since the prime Steph Curry Warriors.<\/p>\n

The oddsmakers are clearly buying into this Nuggets core that has been here many times in the past seven years.<\/p>\n

Sports Illustrated\u2019s Peter Dewey put it plainly: \u201cI have Denver as my No. 2 team \u2014 even though it\u2019s fourth in the odds \u2014 because we\u2019ve seen Nikola Jokic and this Nuggets core win a title before.\u201d CBS Sports projects the Nuggets on a collision course with OKC in the Western Conference finals, noting that Denver\u2019s experience edge is real.<\/p>\n

At +1000, the Nuggets aren\u2019t favorites. But they\u2019re not underdogs, either. They\u2019re exactly what they\u2019ve been for much of the Jokic era \u2014 a team nobody wants to see in a seven-game series. The Nuggets are respected, just not favored after the first round.<\/a><\/p>\n

The play-in tournament tips Tuesday. Denver\u2019s first-round series begins this weekend.<\/p>\n

Follow @Shapalicious<\/a><\/p>\n

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