LAS VEGAS — (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder are such heavy favorites to win the NBA title that many bettors are looking for other wagers instead.
Professional bettors, in particular, have searched out player propositions and hit the under on the totals rather than take the Thunder at -700 at BetMGM Sportsbook or -650 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Indiana is listed at +500 at BetMGM and +475 at DraftKings for the NBA Finals that open Thursday.
“It's just not enticing to bet a money line or spread,” BetMGM trading manager Christian Cipollini said. “That number kind of scares you off even if you do like the Pacers. You're like, ‘They’re +500 for a reason.'”
The Thunder have won seven games this postseason by double digits, four by at least 30 points.
Oklahoma City is the biggest favorite since Golden State in 2018, according to sportsoddshistory.com. That Warriors team, led by Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, was listed at -1075 and swept Cleveland and LeBron James.
The Thunder franchise won its only previous title in 1979, when it was in Seattle and known as the SuperSonics. The team relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008.
CBS SportsLine handicapper Bruce Marshall said he thinks the Thunder will be pushed much harder by the Pacers, saying he could see the series going seven games.
“I think they’re probably going to win the series, but I don’t see any value with that sort of price for them,” Marshall said. ”I think there's enough here that Indiana can make it interesting."
For those who don't want to bet $700 at BetMGM or $650 on Oklahoma City to win $100 at DraftKings, they could consider laying money on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for finals MVP.
This year's league MVP is the -600 favorite at DraftKings, the largest favorite since the sportsbook began posting odds in 2019, but a little bit of a discount compared to betting on the team.
Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 29.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists in the playoffs.
“We know he's going to score 30 points at least every game,” said Johnny Avello, DraftKings race and sports operations director. “There's one (game) where he might be off a little bit. They still have to win because they're not going to give it to him if they lose the series.”
Pascal Siakam edged teammate Tyrese Haliburton to win the Eastern Conference Finals MVP when Indiana beat New York, which caused some debate about whether it went to the right player.
Haliburton is listed behind Gilgeous-Alexander at DraftKings at +750 for finals MVP and Siakam is next at +1600.
“You could pick either guy here,” Avello said. “Siakam is just playing really well right now. Not that Haliburton's not.”
One reason Marshall believed the Pacers can make this a competitive series is that they play so well away from home — and how poorly the Thunder can play outside their comfort zone.
Indiana is 6-2 on the road, winning all three games in the Eastern Conference semifinals at top-seeded Cleveland and taking two at Madison Square Garden to eliminate the Knicks.
The Thunder are 0-7 against the point spread in road playoff games, but have the home-court advantage. Oklahoma City is favored at BetMGM by 9 1/2 points in Game 1.
“It's two different teams at home and on the road,” Marshall said. “It's pretty stark."
Given that most of the futures money and series betting have been on Oklahoma City, it would seem counterintuitive for a sportsbook to want the Thunder to win the championship.
But that's exactly the situation at BetMGM, which has priced the Thunder in a way throughout the season and playoffs to make it worthwhile.
“I don't think they ever got worse than maybe +400 to win it all,” Cipollini said. “It still has been our best outcome basically from the beginning of the season.”
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