Celtics Open As Favorite To Win Inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament

The NBA announced its inaugural in-season tournament last week, and the Boston Celtics opened as the favorite to take home the crown.

The tournament will tip off Friday, Nov. 3 and culminate with the championship Saturday, Dec. 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

All 30 teams were drawn into five groups with the Celtics in Group C alongside the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic.

Boston opened at 7-1 on DraftKings and +750 on Caesars to be the inaugural champions of the in-season tournament. The Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks also are among the favorites.

The top two teams also are the favorites to win the NBA title, so sportsbooks went with the safe choice that those teams also will win the in-season tournament.

Denver is the favorite to win the NBA title but not the in-season tournament, however. This could be because Jamaal Murray is playing for Canada in the FIBA World Cup this year. Serbia has not announced if Nikola Jokic will play. Kristaps Porzingis will play for Lativa in the World Cup, but Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown won’t participate after competing in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Boston should have fresher legs early in the season, which gives it a slight advantage over Denver. That would be the main rationale for having the Celtics as the favorite.

The NBA admitted it will take time to gain investment from players and fans. WNBA fans are lukewarm to the Commissioner’s Cup, which is an in-season tournament that has regular season games count toward the tournament’s standings.

The NBA in-season tournament potentially could be a lose-lose situation for the Celtics since they’re the favorite. If Boston loses, that only will add to criticism over the team’s ceiling without Marcus Smart and Grant Williams. If the Green win, there at best will be a neutral response toward the Celtics’ title hopes.

The play-in tournament has delivered big moments for NBA fans, so the league likely is hoping for exciting contests, especially when it competes during the NFL season.

Boston faces high expectations next season, and it will be tested early on with the in-season tournament.