Here come the San Antonio Spurs!
Written off by many as a bubble team when the season began, the Spurs have moved within 3.5 games of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference standings on the strength of a four-game win streak. That span includes an impressive 116-106 victory over the aforementioned Thunder, whom the Spurs are now 4-1 against this season.
San Antonio has a golden opportunity to move even closer - and improve its title odds - as OKC deals with an abdominal strain to reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Let’s break down the latest odds with February underway and All-Star Weekend fast approaching.
🏆 2026 NBA Championship odds
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The Thunder's odds have moved from +230 before the season began to +120 today. Rounding out the Top 5 are the Denver Nuggets (+550), Cleveland Cavaliers (+1200), Detroit Pistons (+1400), and New York Knicks (+1400).
The Timberwolves have tumbled from +1400 to +2800 over the past week after losing two straight games to the Pelicans and Clippers and failing to make any truly impactful moves at the NBA Trade Deadline.
📈 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. Holmgren’s strength and timing appear to 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