As Jayson Tatum was being pushed in a wheelchair back to the Boston Celtics locker room, oddsmakers were busy dropping his team’s betting odds to win the NBA Championship.
Tatum’s injury didn’t look good on the court and it feels like oddsmakers are baking in an assumption of bad news based on the latest movement.
The New York Knicks beat the Celtics in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup, but the story of the game was Tatum injuring his lower right leg on a non-contact injury.
The Celtics entered the game with +195 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the title, but are now +1400 at DraftKings. While being on the brink of elimination certainly plays a factor in that, it was Tatum’s injury that truly tanked their odds.
Tatum was in the midst of a legendary game, scoring 42 points and single-handedly keeping the Celtics in front through three quarters. On an OG Anunoby steal, Tatum attempted to burst forward to try and prevent a breakaway dunk, but instantly went down in pain. He was writhing on the ground afterward and needed to be brought in a wheelchair back to the Celtics locker room.
The Celtics championship odds dropped immediately after. It’s clear oddsmakers were reacting to his injury as much, if not more, than the Celtics loss.
The Knicks certainly looked the part of a champion before Tatum’s injury. They overcame another double-digit deficit in the second half behind the outstanding play of Jaylon Brunson and Mikal Bridges. Brunson and Tatum were putting on an offensive show before Tatum’s injury. That’s when the Knicks pulled away.
The Knicks came into the game with +2500 odds at DraftKings to win the title but are now +650 at DraftKings. Those are the second-best odds behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are now even money (+100) at DraftKings. The Thunder were +135 coming into the day, so the Tatum injury gave them a little boost too, though they’ve been the betting favorites most of the season.
Here’s how the oddsboard shakes out with all odds from DraftKings.
There have been a lot of nasty injuries in these playoffs. Steph Curry hurt his hamstring and the Warriors’ odds dropped as a result. Donovan Mitchell’s ankle injury has certainly hurt the Cavs’ odds as they’re down 3-1 against the Pacers. Now Tatum appears to be sidelined indefinitely.
We’ll keep an eye on the injury news and see if anything changes. But it seems oddsmakers are assuming Tatum is done for this series and possibly beyond based on the dramatic odds movement.
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