2026 NBA Championship Odds: Thunder Heavily Favored Amid Best Start in Franchise History

2026 NBA Championship Odds: Thunder Heavily Favored Amid Best Start in Franchise History

2026 NBA Championship Odds: Thunder Heavily Favored Amid Best Start in Franchise History

2026 NBA Championship Odds: Thunder Heavily Favored Amid Best Start in Franchise History

Look out, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are finally back at full strength.

All-NBA forward Jalen Williams made his long-awaited return to the defending champs on November 28, re-joining a squad that had gone 18-1 in his absence.

OKC has since rattled off a pair of victories and is now on pace to win the most regular season games in NBA history. It's heady territory for a young team that seems to be getting better with every passing week.

Let's dive into the latest NBA Championship odds as early season action unfolds.

🏆 2026 NBA Championship odds

📈 2026 NBA Finals odds over time

Here's a visual representation of how the NBA championship has odds evolved since June 2025.

💰 Sportsbook betting splits and insights

Highest ticket percentage•    Nuggets 8.8%•    Thunder 8.7%•    Mavericks 8.2% Highest handle percentage•    Thunder 17.9%•    Mavericks 16.3%•    Lakers 13.3% Biggest liability•    Mavericks •    Lakers•    Warriors

Data courtesy of BetMGM.

2026 NBA Championship opening odds

• Thunder +230

• Knicks +900

• Pacers +900

• Timberwolves +1000

• Cavaliers +1100

• Rockets +1200

• Lakers +1600

• Spurs +1600

• Nuggets +1700

• Celtics +2000

• Warriors +2300

• Magic +2500

• Mavericks +4000

• Clippers +4000

• 76ers +4500

• Heat +5000

• Pistons +7000

• Bucks +7500

• Grizzlies +10000

• Raptors +15000

• Suns +17000

• Kings +20000

• Pelicans +20000

• Nets +25000

• Hawks +30000

• Bulls +40000

• Trail Blazers +40000

• Wizards +60000

• Hornets +60000

• Jazz +60000

🤖 AI NBA Championship prediction

We turned to the enormous computing power of ChatGPT to find out who the large language model believes will be the last team standing this season. Not surprisingly, it stuck with the defending champs.

Oklahoma City has the cleanest runway to be the best team in 2026: an MVP-caliber engine in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander entering the heart of his prime, a two-way star wing in Jalen Williams, and a 7-footer in Chet Holmgren whose blend of rim protection, spacing, and feel supercharges modern schemes. That trio already drives elite half-court efficiency and a top-tier defense, and it’s backed by organizational continuity that reliably turns role players into playoff-useful pieces. By 2026, Holmgren’s strength and timing should be fully NBA-hardened, unlocking more switching and fewer help-and-recover compromises, while SGA’s mid-range and foul-drawing remain matchup-proof in May and June.

Depth and optionality push the Thunder over the top. They can win big or small, play five-out without sacrificing rim protection, and toggle between pressure defense and conservative coverages depending on opponent. Crucially, they still have surplus picks and cap flexibility to plug the inevitable holes that show up in a long postseason, whether that’s a second unit scorer, another stretch big, or a specialist wing.

Expect a rotation stacked with plus length, shooting, and decision-making around the core; enough to outlast the West’s heavyweights and finish the job in the Finals.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here