The Milwaukee Bucks sealed a 4-2 series win with a 105-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns to claim their first NBA title since 1971 on Tuesday night before a crowd of 17,000 fans at the Fiserv Forum.

The Bucks won the series after losing the first two games, being only the fifth team in NBA history to achieve such a feat. For the Suns, the wait for a first NBA crown goes on, with this being their third Finals series defeat after 1976 and 1993.

Online sportsbook BetOnline have priced the Bucks as a +700 chance to successfully defend the NBA Championship in 2022.


The Freak Factor

Giannis Antetokounmpo (aka the ‘Greek Freak’) recorded 50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks in Milwaukee’s win in Game 6, which tied him with Bob Pettit in the 1958 Finals for the most ever in a title-clinching game.

  • The 26-year-old also became only the seventh player to register 50 points in a Finals game.
  • It was also the third game in the series in which Antetokounmpo managed at least 40 points and 10 rebounds.
  • During the Finals series against the Suns, Antetokounmpo also averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, while shooting 61.8% from the field.

Those stats helped Antetokounmpo to match the feat of Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon in collecting a regular season MVP, NBA Finals MVP and NBA defensive player of the year awards.


2022 NBA Championship Odds from BetOnline

There is already a market up for the 2022 NBA Championship, with the Brooklyn Nets the +325 favorites to win the title with BetOnline Sportsbook. The second favorites are the Los Angeles Lakers at +475, with Milwaukee next up at +700 and Golden State Warriors at +950.

  • Brooklyn Nets +325
  • Los Angeles Lakers +475
  • Milwaukee Bucks +700
  • Golden State Warriors +950
  • Phoenix Suns +950
  • Los Angeles Clippers +1400
  • Philadelphia 76ers +1400
  • Utah Jazz +1600
  • Denver Nuggets +1800
  • Dallas Mavericks +2500
  • Miami Heat +2500
  • Atlanta Hawks +2800
  • Boston Celtics +3300
  • New York Knicks +3300
  • Portland Trail Blazers +3300
  • New Orleans Pelicans +5000
  • Toronto Raptors +5000
  • Indiana Pacers +6600
  • Memphis Grizzlies +6600
  • Washington Wizards +8000

It’s easy to see why the Nets are the early favorites in the 2022 NBA odds, with injuries to All Star players Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving hampering their efforts this year. If they can stay fit and healthy, Brooklyn will be the team to beat.


* NBA 2022 odds correct at the time of writing. All betting odds subject to changes.

Thomas Nielsen
Writer

Tom covers UFC, NFL and MLB for Vegas-odds.com. When he's not writing about sports, he's usually playing poker or betting on the spread. Contributor at GamblingIndustryNews.com and PokerIndustryNews.com