Story bychart visualization1 / 22026 NBA Championship Odds: Thunder Still on Top Despite Recent Setbacks1 / 22026 NBA Championship Odds: Thunder Still on Top Despite Recent Setbacks2 / 22026 NBA Championship Odds: Thunder Still on Top Despite Recent Setbackschart visualizationRyan MurphyMon, January 5, 2026 at 5:48 PM UTC¡1 min readIt's going to take more than a few losses to shake bettors' faith in the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC's NBA championship odds have remained rock solid at +135 over the past two weeks despite posting a pedestrian 6-4 record. That stretch includes back-to-back losses to the San Antonio Spurs as well as a surprising 108-105 defeat to the Phoenix Suns on January 4. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn spite of those setbacks, the Thunder still have the NBA's best record at 30-6 and are on pace to establish the highest net rating in league history. Let's dive into the latest odds as the new year gets underway.đ 2026 NBA Championship oddsđ 2026 NBA Finals odds over timeHere's a visual representation of how the NBA championship has odds evolved since June 2025.đ° Sportsbook betting splits and insightsHighest 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⢠  WarriorsAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementData courtesy of BetMGM.2026 NBA Championship opening oddsThunder +230Knicks +900Pacers +900Timberwolves +1000Cavaliers +1100Rockets +1200Lakers +1600Spurs +1600Nuggets +1700Celtics +2000Warriors +2300Magic +2500Mavericks +4000Clippers +400076ers +4500Heat +5000Pistons +7000Bucks +7500Grizzlies +10000Raptors +15000Suns +17000Kings +20000Pelicans +20000Nets +25000Hawks +30000Bulls +40000Trail Blazers +40000Wizards +60000Hornets +60000Jazz +60000đ¤ AI NBA Championship predictionWe 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.
