A little under 10 months ago, hearts broke everywhere in Boston when superstar Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles in the postseason against the New York Knicks. Because of that injury, the assumption was that Tatum, one of the best players in the league, would miss this entire season. Well, now Jayson Tatum returning for the Celtics will boost their NBA Finals odds.
While no set date has been announced for Tatum to suit up again, Bill Simmons dropped quite the update, stating that he could end up back on the hardwood by the end of this week - there's speculation that Tatum could play this Friday night. If that were to happen, it'd of course be a shocker and something that not many people expected.
| NBA Finals odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thunder to win | +150 | +150 | +150 |
| Spurs to win | +700 | +700 | +700 |
| Nuggets to win | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Celtics to win | +900 | +900 | +900 |
For now, Boston has been pretty quiet on Tatum's status, leaving everyone guessing on when he might get back on the floor. Obviously, the last thing the staff is going to want to do is rush him back too soon and rush further injury. If that happens, it'd be nothing short of a devastating setback for Boston, as Tatum is in the prime of his career.
As things stand, the Celtics have been given +900 NBA betting odds to win it all this year per the top sports betting sites. If Boston is at full health, there's no question they are going to be serious contenders to win it all. However, it really depends on if Tatum is good to go for the playoff or not. It will be interesting to see what happens, but his status could be updated soon.
40 weeks🙏🏽
I’ve really grown to appreciate this journey I’ve been on and allow time for me to pat myself on the back for showing up everyday!— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) February 17, 2026
Oklahoma City remains the strong favorite to win the NBA Finals title
While there's a ton of focus on Tatum and Boston right now, keep in mind that Oklahoma City remains the strong favorite to win the NBA Finals title. The Thunder won their first title in franchise history last season, taking down the Pacers with the glory on the line. Last week, OKC took down Denver in a close win, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Hartenstein were out of overtime as a precaution.
"Just so we're all clear in a non-emotional moment, that if we were in that situation, that's what we would do. We obviously did it. I understand it's a little unorthodox, but at the end of the day, we're trying to prioritize the health of our players as they come back from an injury," Coach Mark Daigneault said after a recent win over Denver on why his two stars weren't on the floor in the extra session.
Interested in getting in on the betting action? Now's our chance to remind you that the local sportsbooks we work with offer up some pretty fantastic promo codes and bonuses for you to check out. There's still plenty of time left in the NBA regular season, but those promos are only going to heat up once the basketball postseason gets here too.
As for the action on the hardwood, Oklahoma City holds +150 basketball betting odds to repeat as the champs. This tells you that the oddsmakers in Las Vegas are quite high on Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of OKC to impress enough to bring home the title. It won't be easy, but the Thunder certainly look like the real deal right now.
Now can you see why, even as a guy who grew up in Oklahoma City, I just couldn't get my arm around the Durant-Westbrook-Harden 2012 Thunder, as all-time MVP talented as they were? All 3 are just so unlovable. The current Thunder are 10X easier to root for, and a better team.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) February 16, 2026
The Spurs have seen their NBA Final odds fly up of late
Another team for hoops fans to keep a close eye on would definitely be San Antonio, as the Spurs have seen their NBA Finals odds fly up of late. This shouldn't be a huge surprise, as the Spurs are playing their best hoops right now and Victor Wembanyama keeps on living to the hype this season with the Western Conference powerhouse.
For a little while, the expectation was that the Nuggets would be the Western Conference team who would give Oklahoma City the most run for their money - Denver has also been playing sharp this year, which has been great to see for the fans all over Colorado. However, Denver has fallen behind San Antonio in terms of the NBA Finals odds, which just recently happened.
Right now, San Antonio holds the second-best NBA betting odds to win the Finals at +700, while the Nuggets are third at +750. From our chair, we think that Oklahoma City will go on to play in the Western Conference Finals later this year and then take on either Denver or San Antonio. Either series would be great, as both the Nuggets and Spurs would love nothing more than to upset the Thunder.
