NBA Futures Action Point To Nets vs. Lakers NBA Finals Clash at DraftKings

With the 2021 NBA season closing in a few weeks, lots of basketball bettors are focused on getting their NBA futures tickets in before the prices shift dramatically as the season closes and playoffs begin. Our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook have shared the public betting information on many NBA futures markets. This includes the conference title betting splits, which we take a look at here.

DraftKings has provided us with the public betting consensus on the futures for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference winners. Let’s take a look at how the money has been wagered, how it aligns with odds, and if there are ways to view the data to help make a decision on a wager.

Eastern Conference Winner Betting Splits

For the Eastern Conference winner, here are the odds, percentage of betting handle, bets, and more from DraftKings Sportsbook. As you can see, there is a ton of money being wagered on the Nets, who are the clear favorites to win the Eastern Conference.

Eastern Conference Winner Splits
Handle Rank	Team	Odds	% of Handle	% of Bets
1	BKN Nets	-112	64%	51%
2	PHI 76ers	+440	20%	22%
3	BOS Celtics	+2200	4%	6%
4	MIL Bucks	+350	4%	9%
5	MIA Heat	+1200	3%	4%
6	NY Knicks	+15000	2%	2%
7	IND Pacers	+6000	1%	1%
8	CHI Bulls	+15000	1%	1%
9	ATL Hawks	+4000	< 1%	1%
10	WAS Wizards	+25000	< 1%	1%
Provided by DraftKings Sportsbook

In the NBA, the Eastern Conference is essentially a battle between the Nets, Sixers, and Milwaukee Bucks. The Sixers and Bucks are +440 and +350 respectively, but an overwhelming majority of the money and bets are on the Brookyln Nets. If the Nets do not win the Eastern Conference, DraftKings Sportsbook will make out well.

NBA Eastern Conference Champ Picks

Bucks +350
Sixers +440

These are two good prices if you have a Nets futures ticket already, or a hedge if you have the Nets to win the NBA Finals.

Western Conference Winner Betting Splits

The Western Conference race is much more interesting, as there are a few teams that could come out of the conference. The Lakers are +175, the Clippers are +260, Utah is +310, and the Phoenix Suns are +900. Here is a look at the betting splits.

Western Conference Winner Splits
Handle Rank	Team	Odds	% of Handle	% of Bets
1	LA Lakers	+175	33%	53%
2	DEN Nuggets	+1400	18%	12%
3	POR Trail Blazers	+3200	4%	3%
4	GS Warriors	+15000	13%	3%
5	LA Clippers	+260	7%	9%
6	UTA Jazz	+310	13%	10%
7	PHO Suns	+900	7%	6%
8	DAL Mavericks	+1900	3%	2%
9	NO Pelicans	+15000	< 1%	< 1%
10	HOU Rockets	+100000	< 1%	< 1%
Provided by DraftKings Sportsbook

The Lakers have the most betting handle and total bets taken, as they are the defending champions. With that in mind, the handle number is at 33% which is almost half of Nets in the east. Something to note is the difference in handle to bets, as the Lakers have 53% of the total bets. This means heavy money has come in at some point on other teams. The Warriors at 13% of total handle and 3% of the bets is the likely culprit for this difference.

For DraftKings Sportsbook, if any team besides the Lakers makes the NBA Finals they will likely come out on top.

NBA Western Conference Champ Picks

Nuggets +1400
Clippers +260

The Nuggets price is far too high, even without Jamal Murray. The Clippers at +260 is a good hedge off your Lakers futures tickets or Finals tickets, if you have those.

Bet NBA Futures at DraftKings Sportsbook

At DraftKings Sportsbook, you can bet on a number of NBA futures markets as the season comes to a close and the playoffs begin. In addition to betting on both the Eastern and Western Conference champions, you can wager on other team futures, player futures, and more. Here’s a look at the futures markets available at DraftKings Sportsbook.