The Philadelphia 76ers are now the clear-cut betting favorites to represent the East in the 2027 NBA Finals.
Tyrese Maxey and Co. entered the season tied with the New York Knicks as Eastern Conference favorites, but an Opening Night victory over the reigning champions has pushed Philadelphia into the lead. Their NBA championship odds on BetMGM have since shortened from +1000 to +850 amid their triumphant start.
If the Sixers live up to the hype, they’ll reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2001 and just the second time since their championship win in 1983.
Oddsmakers Love Philadelphia 76ers
Predictably, the new-look Sixers have emerged as a betting darling, capturing 37.6% of all money wagered on BetMGM’s title odds, according to ESPN’s David Purdum. That total exceeds the combined handle of the Knicks, Spurs, Thunder, Heat and Lakers.
“The Sixers will of course be one of the most popular teams this year … [we] just got front-loaded with action [on the Sixers],” BetMGM oddsmaker Christian Cipollini told ESPN. “I think it’ll smooth out a bit as the season goes.”
Sixers have also accounted for more than 1/3rd of title tickets on Hard Rock Bet.
“The NBA has 30 teams, but right now, two are attracting more than twice as much championship money as the other 28 combined,” Hard Rock Bet spokesperson Jon Chapper told ESPN. “Philadelphia and Miami are taking $7 out of every $10 wagered with us on the title in straight bets alone. That’s a remarkable concentration of interest before the season has even tipped off, and it shows just how much excitement a few blockbuster offseason moves can generate.”
Sixers, the Team to Beat?
Following the Sixers’ Opening Night win against the Knicks, ESPN’s Jay Williams declared Philadelphia the team to beat in the East.
“It just felt like the line of demarcation in the Eastern Conference is the Philadelphia 76ers. And that’s period,” Williams said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Wednesday.
“It’s championship or bust. Anything less than getting short of NBA Finals is a failure of a season. And that’s okay. That’s what LeBron James, that’s what Tyrese Maxey, that’s what Joel Embiid, and think about the names I just rattled off. That’s a damn All-Star team.”
The Sixers (1-0) will next face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
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