The course of the 2022 NBA Finals very well might have swung on the herculean effort turned in by Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry on Friday night.
Curry, who has averaged a team-high 34.3 points per game during the finals, surpassed that — racking up 43 points on 14-of-26 shooting — carrying Golden State to a 107-97 rout in Boston.
That victory appears to have flipped the script of the series, with national oddsmakers seeing the deadlocked finals as the Warriors to lose.
Both Boston and Golden State return to the Chase Center in San Francisco at 6 p.m. Pacific time Monday for Game 5 on ABC.
This game of a best-of-seven series has proved consequential, with 82% of teams that capture Game 5 going on to win the series.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Warriors stand entering Game 5.
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NBA Finals Schedule
- Game 1: Boston 120, Golden State 108
- Game 2: Golden State 107, Boston 88
- Game 3: Boston 116, Golden State 100
- Game 4: Golden State 107, Boston 97 (Series tied 2-2).
- Game 5: Monday at Golden State, 6 p.m., ABC
- Game 6: Thursday at Boston, 6 p.m., ABC
- Game 7: June 19 at Golden State, 5 p.m., ABC (if nec.)
Warriors Reclaim No. 1 Spot on NBA Title Odds Boards
For the third time in 10 days, the series frontrunner in the NBA Finals has shifted, with Golden State reclaiming its long-held position as title favorite Monday.
Steve Kerr’s squad has gone from +140 to -150 (Boston +125) on BetMGM, thanks to the team’s performance in Game 4.
Over at Caesars Sportsbook, Golden State’s odds have soared from +190 after Game 3 to -140, while the Celtics have fallen from -230 to +120 to win the title.
Golden State a Slight Home Favorite in Game 5
As for Monday’s Game 5, it’s little surprise the four major online sportsbooks are in lockstep that the Warriors are the team to beat.
Overall, Golden State’s odds range from -160 on DraftKings Sportsbook to -172 on FanDuel Sportsbook, with BetMGM (-165) and Caesars Sportsbook (-170) in between those two.
At BetMGM, the Warriors are a 3.5-point favorite with an over-under of 210.5 total points.
For those looking to place a prop bet on the series, BetMGM has a plethora of series and Finals MVP options to choose from.
The operator has Curry as the MVP frontrunner at -145, followed by Celtics guards Jayson Tatum (+185) and Jaylen Brown (+700). Rounding out the top 5 are forwards Al Horford of Boston and Andrew Wiggins of Golden State, who are at +15000 apiece.
For those looking to place a wager on how long the Finals will last, BetMGM has the Warriors winning in seven games at +200, followed by Warriors in six (+275), Celtics in six (+300), and Celtics in seven (+325).
