The Boston Celtics are a superstar down and on the verge of elimination, but that didn’t stop them from making a big statement against the New York Knicks, which led to betting oddsmakers dramatically changing their chances of winning the NBA Championship.
After a dominant, 127-102, win over New York in Game 5, the Celtics moved from +3000 to win the NBA Championship to +1700 at DraftKings Sportsbooks. They were +195, the second betting favorite, heading into Game 4. Then Jayson Tatum ruptured his achilles and their odds nosedived to the lowest of the remaining teams.
Jaylen Brown and Derrick White responded, scoring a combined 60 points at home in Game 5 to keep the defending NBA Champions’ hopes of a repeat alive. The Celtics’ defense was suffocating in the second half, limiting the Knicks to 43 points. Boston showed it’s more than capable of beating New York with or without Tatum.
The Knicks are a -2.5 favorite (-110 odds) at DraftKings on the spread at home in Game 6 and -135 on the moneyline. They’re -225 at DK to win the series. If they lose Game 6, it’s safe to assume the Celtics will be the favorites to win Game 7. Boston was -5 at DK in Game 5.
If you think the Celtics will win the series, betting them at +225 is the best value. It’s basically a two-game parlay, but their +114 moneyline odds to win Game 6 aren’t that enticing and, as mentioned, if they win that game, they’ll likely be the betting favorite to win Game 7.
The Knicks, on the other hand, saw their odds to win the NBA Championship drop from +500 to +600 at DraftKings. They’re now tied with the Paces for the third-best odds to win the title. DK has a lookahead series line for a potential Knicks-Pacers ECF with the Knicks -125 to +105 for Indiana. The Pacers have already advanced to the ECF.
The Minnesota Timberwolves booked their spot in the WCF by dispatching the Warriors last night. They’re +550 at DraftKings to win the title, behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are -125. OKC is up 3-2 in its series against the Denver Nuggets. Game 6 is tonight.
Here are the latest NBA Championship odds at DraftKings.
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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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