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Phoenix Suns given 5% chance to win NBA title in 2023 NBA championship prediction

Some NBA championship predictions aren't high on the Phoenix Suns' chances in the 2023 NBA playoffs.
Some NBA championship predictions aren't high on the Phoenix Suns' chances in the 2023 NBA playoffs.

The Phoenix Suns are a favorite to win the NBA Championship and are the favorite to win the Western Conference in recent odds for the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

But recent projections for the NBA playoffs paint a different story for the Suns' NBA title chances.

Two different sites give the Suns a 5% chance or lower to win the NBA Finals this season.

Five Thirty Eight has Phoenix at 4% to win the NBA championship in its updated 2022-23 NBA predictions, seventh in the NBA.

Three Eastern Conference teams lead that site's projections, with the Boston Celtics given a 27% chance to win the title.

The Milwaukee Bucks are second at 16% and the Philadelphia 76ers are third at 13%.

The Suns come in after four Western Conference teams with the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies both at 11% to win the NBA Finals this season and the Golden State Warriors at 5%.

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Another site, Basketball Reference, gives Phoenix a 5% shot at winning the NBA title, putting the Suns at eighth in its playoff probabilities report.

The Celtics are at 24.8% to win the championship in the NBA this season, according to that site, with the Cleveland Cavaliers at 14.6%. The Grizzlies are at 10.1%.

The Bucks are at 9.9% to win the title, followed by the 76ers at 9.6%. The Nuggets are at 8.6%, with the Sacramento Kings also ahead of the Suns at 6.1%.

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Odds much higher on Suns' NBA title chances

Some recent odds are much higher on the Suns' NBA title chances.

Tipico Sportsbook has Phoenix at third in its odds to win the NBA Championship, at +480.

Only the Bucks (+285) and Celtics (+350) are higher.

It has the Suns as the favorites in the Western Conference, with +200 odds. The Nuggets are second at +320 and the Warriors are third at +550.

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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NBA championship prediction: Phoenix Suns given 5% chance to win title