It’s been a wild week in basketball betting online with a surplus of heavyweight bouts between title contenders, including the LA Lakers win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night. In the wake of a week to remember, we look at the latest odds to win the NBA Championship and if those teams have what it takes to win the NBA Finals.

Milwaukee Bucks +180
Are the Bucks the true favorites to the win the NBA title? Nah, this is more of a risk move for bookies who know Milwaukee should have an easier path to the finals given it plays in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks biggest competition are the Toronto Raptors and they’ve won both meetings with the defending NBA champs so far this season.

That’s not taking anything away from Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the top player in the league and a threat to score 30 points a night at will. Even against the Lakers defensive combo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the “Greek Freak” still scored 32 points. It’s just the rest of Milwaukee’s team bettors should be concerned with.

Los Angeles Clippers +280
We knew going into the 2019-20 NBA season that the Clippers cared little for regular season results. Los Angeles was focused on at least scoring home court in the opening two rounds and staying healthy to make a run at the NBA title. And the Clippers have done just that. Los Angeles has erred on the side of caution when it came to their superstars and are picking up steam at the right time.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are the healthiest they’ve been all season and along with the return of Patrick Beverly to the lineup, LA has won six in a row heading into the weekend and gaining ground on the Lakers in the Pacific Division. This price is a bit of a protective number for books, knowing Leonard can find a different level in the postseason after what we witnessed last year in Toronto.

Los Angeles Lakers +300
The top team in the West is the third overall choice in the odds to win the NBA Finals. The Lakers have James and Davis – two of the best two-way players in the NBA – but the supporting cast is shaky and chalked full of aging legs that might not be able to produce, let alone survive a deep postseason run. This pales in comparison to the Clippers, who have the top bench in the league.

However, we’re talking about LeBron here. He’s elevated his game to bring up those around him and is playing with purpose in the wake of the Kobe Bryant tragedy. Los Angeles will try to hold on to home court in the final month of the regular season, since its 23-7 inside the Staples Center and wouldn’t need to travel if it ran into the Clippers in the Western Conference finals – a plus for this veteran team.

Houston Rockets +1800
The gap between those top three contenders and the Rockets is sizable, but warranted after watching how the Clippers shutdown “small ball” in their win over Houston earlier this week. The Rockets have an explosive combo in James Harden and Russell Westbrook, but teams will likely pick their poison with Westbrook’s poor shooting than allow Harden to get hot.

Houston is currently fifth in the Western Conference playoff picture, which means no home court for the postseason – pending an upset of a higher seed. And while the Rockets 18/1 ticket price is ahead of Denver 35/1 and Utah 40/1, we’re not sure the Rockets would survive a playoff series against either of those two defensively-minded teams.