Detroit is the 2026-27 Central Division favorite at +100, with Cleveland next at +160. Those are DraftKings prices as listed by ESPN on September 24, 2026, and even money says the Pistons repeat about half the time.
Detroit won the division last season at 60-22, eight games clear of Cleveland. The Cavaliers then knocked the Pistons out of the playoffs in seven games, so the two teams at the top of this board arrive with a score to settle in both directions.
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2026-27 Central Division odds
| Team | Division odds | Implied chance | Title odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Pistons | +100 | 50.0% | +2500 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +160 | 38.5% | +2200 |
| Indiana Pacers | +370 | 21.3% | +4000 |
| Chicago Bulls | +9000 | 1.1% | +70000 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +30000 | 0.3% | +70000 |
ESPN files this market under its 2027 season, which it names 2026-27, and the division cannot be settled before the regular season ends on April 11, 2027. The implied chance is 100 divided by the price plus 100. The five chances add up to 111.2%, and the 11.2 points over 100 are the book’s margin.
The title column runs the other way at the top. Cleveland is the shorter price to win the championship, +2200 against Detroit’s +2500, while Detroit is the shorter price to win the division. In the Eastern Conference market Detroit is +800 and Cleveland +900.
Indiana is the price to read twice. The Pacers finished last in the division at 19-63, yet at +370 they are third, and the market gives them a 21.3% chance of going from worst to first. A futures bet is worth making only when you rate a team’s chance higher than the price does, and every number on this board will move once games are played.
How the Central finished in 2025-26
| Team | Record | Games behind | How the season ended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Pistons | 60-22 | – | No. 1 seed in the East; lost 4-3 to Cleveland in the second round |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 52-30 | 8 | No. 4 seed; reached the Eastern Conference finals, swept by New York |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 32-50 | 28 | Missed the playoffs |
| Chicago Bulls | 31-51 | 29 | Missed the playoffs |
| Indiana Pacers | 19-63 | 41 | Missed the playoffs |
Records are ESPN’s final 2025-26 standings. Only two Central teams finished above .500, and the gap from second to third was 20 games.
Detroit’s 60 wins were the most in the East. Boston was next with 56.
Detroit and Cleveland
The Detroit Pistons had the best record in the East and outscored opponents by 8.2 points a game. Their first round nearly ended early. Orlando led the series 3-1, and Detroit won the last three games, 116-109, 93-79 and 116-94.
Then the Cleveland Cavaliers did the same thing to them. Detroit won the first two games of the second round, 111-101 and 107-97, and Cleveland took four of the next five, closing it 125-94 in Game 7. The Cavaliers had already needed seven games to get past Toronto. New York then swept them in the conference finals, 4-0.
The Pistons open 2026-27 at home to Boston on October 20, opening night. Cleveland starts two days later, at Philadelphia on October 22.
The bottom three
The Milwaukee Bucks went 32-50 and the Chicago Bulls 31-51, and neither reached the play-in. The market has closed the door on both: Chicago is +9000 for the division and Milwaukee +30000, the longest price on this board.
The Indiana Pacers won 19 games and lost by 8.0 points a game. Their +370 is priced for a different team from the one in last season’s standings. Indiana opens at New Orleans on October 21, Milwaukee at Washington the same night, and Chicago at Toronto.
Recent Central Division winners
| Season | Winner | Record | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Detroit Pistons | 60-22 | Cleveland Cavaliers, 52-30 |
| 2024-25 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 64-18 | Indiana Pacers, 50-32 |
| 2023-24 | Milwaukee Bucks | 49-33 | Cleveland Cavaliers, 48-34 |
Three seasons, three different winners. Detroit’s climb is the steepest line in the table. The Pistons went 14-68 in 2023-24, 44-38 in 2024-25 and 60-22 last season.
Cleveland is in all three rows: runner-up, then winner, then runner-up again. No other team appears more than once.
The 2026-27 calendar
- Preseason: from September 30, 2026.
- Regular season: October 20, 2026 to April 11, 2027.
- Play-in tournament: from April 12, 2027.
- Playoffs: from April 17, 2027.
The division is decided by the regular-season standings, so it is settled by April 11. Game predictions for every Central team appear on our NBA predictions hub once lines are posted, and the full title board is on our NBA championship odds page.
Detroit at +100 is the number to watch first. It says the Central is a coin flip between the Pistons and everyone else.