Raptors and Bucks Given the Same Odds to Win 2019 NBA Championship

• The Milwaukee Bucks lost by 22 in Game 1, which was their widest margin of defeat all season
• The Boston Celtics have yet to lose a playoff game this postseason
• The Celtics are worth a look to win it all at +1200

We’re just one game into the Eastern Conference Semifinals but a lot has changed. The Milwaukee Bucks have proven to be far more vulnerable than originally perceived and the Toronto Raptors have looked stronger than most thought. Now the two teams have the same average NBA Championship odds at +680 across a number of online sportsbooks. Is either a good bet?

2019 NBA Championship Odds

*Odds taken 04/29/19

Bucks Stunned in Game 1

The Milwaukee Bucks were supposed to be untouchable in the Eastern Conference. With home court advantage and a team that won the most games in the regular season, most experts felt like this team wouldn’t have a hard time representing the East in the NBA Finals.

However, the Bucks not only lost Game 1 but were blown out 112-90. That was their biggest loss of the year in terms of margin. What’s even more concerning is that the Celtics knocked this team out of the playoffs last year while missing Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, so one has to wonder if they have their number.

Kyrie Irving = Kobe Bryant pic.twitter.com/iXZ8E64tZS

— Chris Montano (@gswchris) April 28, 2019

The Bucks do need to be worried here. Of course, Irving went off (26 points) for the Celtics but Al Horford (20), Jaylen Brown (19) and Hayward (13) played well. The Bucks got nothing from three of their five starters as Eric Bledsoe, Sterling Brown and Brook Lopez combined for 12 points on 3-of-17 shooting.

The Bucks got nothing from three of their five starters as Eric Bledsoe, Sterling Brown, and Brook Lopez combined for 12 points.

Milwaukee scored 21 points or less in three of their four quarters, while Boston scored at least 24 in each, shooting 54% from the field.

Raptors Rise to the Occasion

So much for those Toronto Raptors Game 1 woes. They crushed Philadelphia 108-95 in a game where the final score wasn’t even indicative of how badly the 76ers were outplayed. Philadelphia has some real concerns going forward as Toronto looks very focused.

Kawhi Leonard caught & dunked this with one hand… ?

(?: @Raptors)

pic.twitter.com/9jSa63k47r

— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) April 24, 2019

The Raptors are the team with better depth but they didn’t need it as they received 74 points from Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam, who shot an incredible 28-of-38 from the field. Leonard has feasted against this team, averaging 30.3 points per game in three regular season contests against the 76ers.

Philly has to be worried as all five of their starters scored in double-figures, so it’s not as if someone didn’t show up. However, their lack of chemistry was evident as they looked disjointed. Joel Embiid was just five-of-18 from the field as Marc Gasol stymied him. Embiid is battling an illness and a knee injury, so he might not do better in Game 2.

Pray for Ben Simmons for what Kawhi Leonard is about to do to him this series pic.twitter.com/Vdygiql15S

— GlassHalfFultz (@pickuphoop) April 25, 2019

Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler – as they have been all playoffs – were inconsistent. They combined for just 24 points and were whipped at the defensive end. Even with all five starters in double figures and the bench contributing 24 points, the 76ers still only mustered 95 points. This is a bad matchup for them.

Bet the Celtics

Looking ahead to the Eastern Conference Finals and beyond, the team I like the most from the East right now is the Celtics at +1200. Given how awful the Bucks looked in the opening game, I have to stay away from them.

Kyrie Irving seals his man for your Heads Up Play of the Day! pic.twitter.com/n0bEK7iaz2

— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 28, 2019

As for Toronto, they would have home court advantage in the NBA Finals but I don’t like their chances. I still think Boston edges them in a seven-game series.

That being the case, I do like the Celtics’ NBA Championship odds at +1200. We’ll see what happens in Game 2 and beyond, but they appear to be peaking right now. They’re a good bet, which you can probably hedge in the NBA Finals if they get there.

Pick: Boston Celtics (+1200)