With the 2025/26 NBA season now well underway, sports bettors across the world have plenty of useful information they can use to their advantage.
Reigning champions Oklahoma City Thunder are the big favourites to win the title with NBA betting site Betway and they will be a tough nut to crack.
However, winning back-to-back titles is never easy in any sport and plenty of other teams will believe they have a genuine chance of knocking Thunder off their perch.
With that in mind, read on as we offer some long-range bets for the NBA season, starting with that all-important battle for the championship.
NBA Championship – Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets were defeated 4-3 by Thunder in last season’s Western Conference semi-finals, but they are fancied to gain their revenge this time around.
The Nuggets should finish second or third in the standings this term, which would probably help them avoid Thunder until the Conference finals.
Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has started the season strongly, and the Nuggets will be a force to be reckoned with if he continues in the same vein.
Denver made several shrewd additions to their squad this summer and have the necessary strength in depth to mount a sustained challenge for the NBA title.
Western Conference – Oklahoma City Thunder
While the Nuggets are fancied to emerge victorious in the play-offs, Thunder could be tough to stop in their quest to finish top of the Western Conference at the end of the regular season.
Thunder posted a 68-14 record last time around to finish comfortably clear of Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and the Nuggets at the top of the table.
Although they have made an impressive start to the new campaign, the Western Conference is stacked with teams capable of winning the NBA championship.
Odds of 13/10 to clinch the divisional title should pay dividends, but Thunder may come up short in the face of stiff competition in the play-offs.
Eastern Conference – Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks have been written off as potential title contenders by many pundits, but a strong case can be made for suggesting they have been underestimated.
They have made a decent start to the campaign in the Eastern Conference and could mount a sustained bid to finish on top of the pile after 82 games.
Odds of 14/1 to win the division should give punters a good run for their money, particularly if Giannis Antetokounmpo maintains the form he has shown in the first few games.
The New York Knicks have been well backed in this market, but the Bucks’ recent 121-111 victory over them demonstrated the threat they pose.
Regular season MVP – Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo won the regular season MVP award in 2018/19 and 2019/20, and is the value bet to get his hands on the prestigious prize again this term.
The Greek star has made an excellent start to the new campaign and looks worth a punt at odds of 8/1 to bag the word for the third time in his career.
The 30-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to the Knicks, and he will be eager to demonstrate why they should push the boat out to sign him next summer.
With plenty riding on his performances this season, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks could collectively benefit from the speculation surrounding his future.
