NBA basketball remains a big draw in Texas throughout the regular season and into the playoffs and NBA Finals. While Victor Wembanyama tries to help the San Antonio Spurs return to greatness, Luka Doncic already has the Dallas Mavericks contending as one of the league’s toughest teams. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets are on the outside looking in at present, but with several young stars having helped them improve to a .500 record in 2023-24, the future is bright in H-Town.
If Texas manages to legalize sports betting, you’ll be able to bet at legal online sportsbooks on which team you think will win the NBA title. Like everything in Texas, betting on the NBA is bound to be big.
Here’s a complete guide to what you can look forward to when it comes to betting on the NBA Finals at the top online sportsbooks in Texas.
Best NBA Finals betting app
DraftKings Sportsbook is one of the best online sports betting sites for wagering on the NBA Finals, and it’ll come to Texas when it legally can. It features competitive NBA lines, dependable software and a nice variety of NBA Finals promos like “No Sweat Same Game Parlays” that let you build an SGP and wager it, and if you lose get your bet amount back as a bonus bet.
We’re also partial to DraftKings’ tremendous live betting platform that is easy to use, very responsive whether using the website or app, and filled with lots of different markets. As you follow the conference winners battle it out for the title, DraftKings is a top choice of betting app to wager as you watch.
Spurs, Mavericks, and Rockets as NBA Finals contenders
Texas not only has three NBA franchises, all three have histories of success with each having won the NBA Finals and captured titles in the past.
The San Antonio Spurs own the most NBA titles of the Texas teams, having won five NBA Finals from 1999 to 2014 with teams led by stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, with David Robinson contributing to the first two and Manu Ginobili part of the last four. The Spurs have endured some losing seasons since those greats left, but are looking to rebuild with legendary coach Gregg Popovich still at the helm. You can check the current Spurs NBA Finals odds here.
The Houston Rockets collected two NBA titles in 1994 and 1995 behind Hall of Famer Hakeem Alajuwon. They’ve won division titles and been competitive more recently as well, as as noted the team was in contention for the playoffs last year up until the last month of the season. Find out what the latest Rockets NBA Finals odds are here.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks have one NBA title, making a magical run through the playoffs to win it all in 2011 led by Dirk Nowitzki. More recently Luka Doncic has become the Mavs’ leader, taking the team deep into the playoffs repeatedly as they try to make their way back to the NBA Finals. up-to-date Mavericks NBA Finals odds here.
How does NBA Playoffs betting work?
The NBA Playoffs see the top 16 teams in the league, eight from each conference, compete for the title through a four-round elimination tournament.
In recent years, a play-in tournament has been added to determine each conference’s No. 7 and 8 seeds. Teams are seeded in a bracket and face off in best-of-seven series each round until just two remain, one from each conference. The two conference winners then face off in another best-of-seven series for the NBA Finals. Each series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with home court advantage going to the team with the best record.
Betting starts in the offseason with NBA Finals futures where you can bet on any team to win the NBA Finals. The odds change all year long based on each team’s performance and overall chances of winning. That means the prices on the real contenders are better earlier in the season than late.
Once the playoffs start, you’ll see more of the standard wagers like NBA spread betting and moneyline betting.
Here’s a look at even more betting opportunities surrounding the playoffs and finals:
Other types of NBA Finals and NBA Playoffs bets
- Game Lines: Moneylines, spreads, and totals for each game in the NBA Playoffs
- Props: Over/unders on team and player stats for each game in the NBA Playoffs
- Live Betting: Live lines during each playoff game
- Series Bets: Moneylines and spreads for each playoff series, including the NBA Finals
Odds boosts and promos
Online sportsbooks like DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM run all kinds of promos surrounding the NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals. These might include reload bonuses, matching deposits, odds and profit boosts on series and game bets, and even giveaways that provide huge odds on NBA Finals props.
NBA Finals results
Here’s a look at the past 10 NBA Finals series:
| Year | Champion | Series Record | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Denver Nuggets | 4-1 | Miami Heat |
| 2022 | Golden State Warriors | 4-2 | Boston Celtics |
| 2021 | Milwaukee Bucks | 4-2 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 | Miami Heat |
| 2019 | Toronto Raptors | 4-2 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2018 | Golden State Warriors | 4-0 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2017 | Golden State Warriors | 4-1 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2016 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4-3 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2015 | Golden State Warriors | 4-2 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2014 | San Antonio Spurs | 4-1 | Miami Heat |