The 2024 NBA In-Season Tournament odds are topped by the two teams favored to win the NBA title, Boston and Oklahoma City. But as last season showed in the inaugural edition, the best teams in the league are looking ahead to the playoffs. This leaves a lot of room for other teams to step up, and give you more betting value!
I’ll dig into the 2024 NBA Cup odds and examine the favorites and sleepers, before giving you my betting picks! I’ll also take a look at the NBA In-Season tournament MVP odds, and give you my prediction for that.
2024 NBA In-Season Tournament Odds
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | +500 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +750 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +950 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +1000 |
| New York Knicks | +1000 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +1000 |
| Denver Nuggets | +1500 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +1700 |
| Phoenix Suns | +2000 |
| Sacramento Kings | +2000 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +2200 |
| Indiana Pacers | +2500 |
| Orlando Magic | +2500 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | +2800 |
The Boston Celtics (+500) are favored at NBA betting sites to win the In-Season Tournament, coming in with a 16.7% implied probability of winning the title! Oklahoma City (+750) is next with an 11.8% implied chance to win, distancing themselves from the rest of the pack. These lines are very similar to the NBA title odds as the top eight teams here, are also the top eight favored to win the championship.
Minnesota (+950) is just ahead of Milwaukee (+1000), New York (+1000), and Philadelphia (+1000), and then there is a drop-off to Denver (+1500) and Dallas (+1700). It should be noted that last year’s winners, the Los Angeles Lakers (+2800) won the inaugural edition, opening with NBA in-season tournament odds around +1400. Don’t be afraid to look further down the board to find some betting value!
You can find this market, as well as NBA In Season Tournament MVP odds and each group winner, at Bovada, by going to Sports > Basketball > NBA Futures > In Season Tournament Cup.
Favorites in the NBA In-Season Tournament Odds
Let’s examine the NBA in-season tournament winner odds for the favorites.
Boston Celtics (+500)
The Celtics rolled to the NBA title last season, and were by far the best team in the league. However, they were ousted by Indiana in the quarterfinals. Boston did top East Group C by point differential over Orlando, but they couldn’t keep up with Indiana’s offense in a 122-112 loss.
JT and JB bought in from the beginning ☘️
The Celtics’ core has been through it all in Boston. Go inside the franchise’s 18th championship with ‘Raising 18’, now on the NBA App!
📲: https://t.co/tRktuXNe2p pic.twitter.com/7fBF5AoCvv
— NBA (@NBA) October 20, 2024
However, you have to wonder with top teams like the Celtics, just how motivated they are in a tournament like this. The Celtics’ obvious mission last season was to win the title, which they were happy to win over the In Season Tournament. Boston has the talent to win any game they play in, and two of their players are in the top three of the 2024 NBA In Season Tournament MVP Odds in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Will they push themselves to the limit to win this tournament? A repeat win of the NBA Championship is a stronger motivation for the Celtics.
Oklahoma City Thunder (+750)
The Thunder were 1-3 in their four West Group C games, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sat out one of those games with a sprained knee. If it was an NBA playoff game, the Thunder star would have definitely played.
Dub dime 🤝 Caruso cut pic.twitter.com/rYmUZsTYww
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 18, 2024
Oklahoma City is second to Boston in the 2024-2025 NBA title odds, and there are many who are picking the Thunder to win it all. They improved with the additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, who is injured to start the season. But Oklahoma City picked up those two for the long haul, and again, their mission is to win the NBA Finals.
Minnesota Timberwolves (+950)
The Timberwolves finished second in West Group C to Sacramento last season, posting a 3-1 record. The difference was a 124-111 loss in Sacramento, which featured a fantastic duel between the Kings’ De’Aaron Fox (36 points) and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards (35 points).
it’s go time. pic.twitter.com/AIhV7HKtcQ
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 17, 2024
The Timberwolves will have plenty of motivation to win this after participating in the biggest trade of the offseason. Minnesota sent Karl-Anthony Towns and Donte DiVincenzo to New York for Julius Randle, and there are varying opinions on if this makes Minnesota better or worse.
However, Edwards has only one speed, and that’s to win all the time. He won’t let the Timberwolves take any games off. A win in the NBA In Season Tournament would bolster Minnesota’s profile, and their odds to win the NBA In Season Tournament offer much more NBA online betting value than the favorites!
Sleepers in the 2024 NBA Cup Odds
Next, let’s go down the board at Bovada and see if we can find more betting value!
Sacramento Kings (+2000)
The Kings were our pick to win the 2023 NBA In Season Tournament, and went 4-0 through West Group C. But the Kings lost 127-117 at home to New Orleans in the quarterfinals, and it seems like the Pelicans just had Sacramento’s number, winning all five games last season against the Kings.
De’Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan getting loud at practice 🗣️
The Kings duo have their final #NBAPreseason game tonight at 10:30pm/et on NBA League Pass! pic.twitter.com/sXYgJ8EpBJ
— NBA (@NBA) October 17, 2024
The Kings added DeMar DeRozan in the offseason, and along with Fox, Sacramento now has two of the best closers in the NBA. Fox won NBA Clutch Player of the Year two seasons ago. DeRozan finished second to Golden State’s Stephen Curry last season. The Kings have long odds to win the NBA title, but they’re well-placed to win this tournament.
DeRozan, in particular, will be ready for this tournament. He went to the postseason once in his three years in Chicago, losing in five games to Milwaukee in 2022. The Bulls were also 0-4 in the NBA In Season Tournament last season.
Memphis Grizzlies (+3000)
The Grizzlies are on a redemption mission after a terrible 2023-2024 season. Ja Morant was suspended, and then got hurt when he returned. They finished 27-55 to miss the playoffs, and finished 0-4 in the In Season Tournament.
Together. pic.twitter.com/O1XfhbKYIT
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) October 19, 2024
Morant is back, healthy, and reportedly focused to get back to where he was before the suspension and injury. The Grizzlies also drafted Zach Edey, the current favorite in the NBA Rookie of the Year odds. Memphis was supposed to be the next great team, and a win in the In Season Tournament would go a long way in getting some of their momentum back.
NBA In-Season Tournament MVP Odds and Betting Pick
Finally, let’s check out the NBA Cup MVP odds for the 2024 edition:
| PLAYER | OPENING ODDS |
|---|---|
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | +850 |
| Jayson Tatum | +1000 |
| Jaylen Brown | +1200 |
| Anthony Edwards | +1200 |
| Jalen Brunson | +1200 |
| Joel Embiid | +1200 |
| Nikola Jokić | +1400 |
| Luka DonÄić | +1700 |
All the players listed in the 2024 NBA In-Season Tournament MVP odds are also legitimate NBA MVP favorites for the regular season. But all of these players have bigger fish to fry and they want a Finals title.
I’m going to go a bit further down the board at Bovada, which should point towards my betting pick to win the tournament. My recommendation goes to DeMar DeRozan (+5000), who offers a ton of betting value, and he’ll have as much motivation to win this as anyone. As great of a player DeRozan is, he doesn’t have many accolades in terms of winning, and I think he’ll take over late in these games.
2024 NBA In-Season Tournament Prediction and Betting Pick
I believe Sacramento is going to put everything into winning the NBA In-Season Tournament. I think many of the teams above them will have one eye on winning a championship, and you’ll see some stars sitting out.
The Kings, if they’re honest, should know this is their best chance to win anything this season. Let’s take Sacramento as our 2024 NBA In-Season Tournament betting pick.
Where to Bet on 2024 NBA In-Season Tournament Odds?
Here are my 2024 NBA Cup betting picks:
- Sacramento Kings (+2000)
- DeMar DeRozan to win MVP (+5000)
You can wager on these betting markets, as well as group winners, at Bovada, where you’ll receive a welcome bonus of 100% matched, up to $1,000 on your first deposit! This is one of the best welcome bonuses you’ll find at offshore sportsbooks, so take those bonus funds and start betting on NBA futures today!
NBA In-Season Tournament Rules and Format
The 2024 NBA In-Season Tournament rules are straightforward and easy to follow through the two stages. It’s important to note that wins and losses will count toward the team’s regular-season records, except in the NBA In-Season Tournament Championship.
Group Play Rules
Six groups of five teams will make up the Group Play stage. Each team’s NBA In-Season Tournament matchups will consist of four games against each team in the group, with two games at home and two on the road.
A total of eight teams will advance from the Group Stage to the Knockout Rounds. The team with the best record in each group will automatically advance to the next round. Additionally, a wild card from each conference will receive an invitation to the Knockout Rounds.
Wild card teams consist of two clubs who didn’t win their group, but finished with the best record in the Group Play phase. The NBA has set out rules for tiebreakers among teams with the same records:
- Point differential
- Total points scored
- Regular-season record from the 2023-2024 season
- Random drawing
Point differential is the first means of breaking up a tie. Suppose the point differential is the same between teams. In that case, total points, the 2023-24 regular-season record, and a random drawing will be used in the unlikely scenario that there isn’t a resolution based on the first three criteria.
Knockout Rounds Rules
The Knockout Round games are a single-elimination game format in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals. In each conference, the Quarterfinal games will be hosted by two teams with the best records from the Group Play stage.
During days when Knockout Round games are not scheduled, the other 22 NBA teams who did not qualify will play two regular-season games on December 12-13 and December 15-16. The four teams who lost in the Quarterfinals are scheduled to play a regular-season game on those same days.
NBA In-Season Tournament Prize
The tournament prize pool will be distributed to players on teams who participated in the Knockout Rounds. Players on teams that advance the furthest will be allocated more of the prize pool.
Following the NBA In-Season Tournament Championship, the NBA Cup will be awarded to the winning team. Additionally, an MVP and All-Tournament Team will be announced by the NBA.
NBA In-Season Tournament Schedule
On Friday, November 12, the 2024 NBA In-Season Tournament tips off with the Group Play stage. The second NBA Cup will be awarded to a team in the NBA In-Season Tournament Championship on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
The 2024 NBA In-Season Tournament includes two stages and a championship game. All 30 teams are eligible to participate in the opening Group Play. Let’s take a brief look at the NBA midseason tournament schedule:
Group Play
Each team in the NBA In-Season Tournament will play four Group Play games on designated “Tournament Nights” on Tuesday and Friday from November 12 to December 3.
Knockout Rounds
The Quarterfinals are scheduled for December 10-11. On December 14, the Semifinals will be played in Las Vegas.
Championship
On Tuesday, December 17, the final two teams will compete for the inaugural NBA Cup in Las Vegas.
