A nightmare fourth quarter in Thursday’s Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals has upended the futures market across national online sportsbook apps for Golden State.
The Warriors — who were outscored, 40-16, in the final stanza of Game 1’s 120-108 loss — are now the series underdog against Boston.
That slide can be attributed to the three-pronged attack of Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and Derrick White — who scored 71 points between them in Game 1 — in addition to superstar forward Jayson Tatum, who had 12 points and 13 assists.
That quartet, in addition to point guard Marcus Smart (18 points), sparked a 24-point turnaround for the Eastern Conference champions that might have extinguished the Warriors’ chances in the series.
That’s the takeaway from four major online sportsbooks, at least, all of whom have cooled significantly on Steve Kerr’s squad.
Here’s what you need to know heading into Sunday’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals, which tips off from Chase Center at 5 p.m. Pacific time.
There is no legal California sports betting.
But two different sports betting initiatives will go before voters in November.
NBA Finals Schedule
- Game 1: Boston 120, Golden State 108. Celtics lead 1-0
- Game 2: Sunday at Golden State, 5 p.m., ABC
- Game 3: June 8 at Boston, 6 p.m., ABC
- Game 4: June 10 at Boston, 6 p.m., ABC
- Game 5: June 13 at Golden State, 6 p.m., ABC (if nec.)
- Game 6: June 16 at Boston, 6 p.m., ABC (if nec.)
- Game 7: June 19 at Golden State, 5 p.m., ABC (if nec.)
Warriors the Underdog for the First Time in a Long Time
The Warriors no longer find themselves in the driver’s seat of the NBA title chase for the first time in weeks.
BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook all list the Celtics as the series favorites heading into Game 2.
The Warriors' best odds come from BetMGM and FanDuel Sportsbook, which list Golden State at +140 to win the series (compared to -165 and -170 for Boston, respectively).
Golden State is listed at +145 to win the 2022 title at Caesars Sportsbook (Boston -165) and +160 on DraftKings Sportsbook (Boston -190).
By comparison, the Warriors entered the NBA Finals with odds ranging from -150 to -160 on the four sites, spelling out the huge tumble they’ve taken over the past 24 hours.
Golden State Still the Game 2 Favorites
One positive for Steph Curry and company is the four major sportsbooks have Golden State as the Game 2 favorites Sunday night.
The Warriors are anywhere from -170 (DraftKings Sportsbook) to -190 (Caesars Sportsbook) to even the series before the finals shift back to Boston for Games 3 and 4.
FanDuel Sportsbook has Golden State at -174 in Game 2, while BetMGM has them at -185.
BetMGM lists Golden State as a 4.5-point favorite in the game, with the over/under total points at 215.5.
A year ago, Milwaukee overcame a 2-0 series deficit to win the NBA Finals in six games.
