After the sportsbooks opened up the betting line for the NBA Finals winner, the early money has come in on the New York Knicks to win it all.
After the San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night, DraftKings Sportsbook revealed the opening odds for the 2025-26 NBA Finals, with the Spurs as a -220 favorite and the Knicks as a +180 underdog.
One day later, the early money had come in on the Knicks to win the series, causing the line to drop. Now, the Spurs are -205 betting favorites, while the Knicks are +170 underdogs, indicating that the betting public is taking a shot on the Knicks to win their first NBA title since 1973.
The Case for the New York Knicks
It’s easy to see why the betting public is backing the Knicks early on, given how much momentum the team carries into the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
After beating the Atlanta Hawks in the first round 4-2, the Knicks swept the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games each to advance to the NBA Finals. They have been absolutely blowing teams out, including beating the Cavs by double digits in all four games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Overall, the Knicks are 12-2 during this year’s postseason, with both of their losses coming by just one point each to the Hawks in the first round. The Knicks are a wagon right now, and it feels like there is no stopping them, though the Spurs are certainly going to try.
One more reason why the betting public might like the Knicks is the fact that they beat the Spurs 2-1 in the three games they played during the regular season, including beating San Antonio in the NBA Cup Finals in December, though Spurs superstar Vitor Wembanyama was on a minutes restriction in that game.
The Case for the San Antonio Spurs
As for the Spurs, it’s understandable why they are the betting favorites to win it all this season.
The team had the second-best regular season record, and then during the postseason, they beat the Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 in the first round, the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-2 in the second round, and then defeated the mighty Thunder 4-3 in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals.
Defeating the Thunder is a huge deal, as Oklahoma City was the defending NBA Champions, had the best record in the league this season, and was favored to repeat in the betting odds before the postseason began. But the Spurs put an end to the Thunder’s season when they won in Game 7.
Although the Knicks have some amazing players on their roster, including Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby, the Spurs can counter them with their stud center Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, and more on their deep and loaded roster.
This should be a phenomenal NBA Finals between the best team in the East and the best team in the West. The Spurs will enter the finals as the betting favorite, but you cannot count the Knicks out, and the early money on them shows that the betting public thinks they have a chance to pull off the upset.
Early Money Coming in on New York Knicks to Win the NBA Finals