The 2023 NBA playoffs are in full force, and that means gamblers are putting down big money. For all you Las Vegas sports bettors, here is some information you should know before placing a bet.
Some people think favorites are a sure thing. However, favorites don’t always win, and upsets are common. The Milwaukee Bucks found that out the hard way after a brutal series loss to the Miami Heat.
The Milwaukee Bucks came into the playoffs as the betting favorite but were defeated in the first round of the postseason. This is a team that dominated the regular season and had a chance of chasing their second title. You can’t always believe the hype.
The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a first-round loss to the New York Knicks in a disappointing 4-1 series. Despite this blunder, they did manage to make some history. This marked their first playoff appearance without Lebron James since 1998. The Knicks won the first game 101-97. The Cavaliers followed it up with a 17-point blowout in game 2 for their first playoff victory without James. That’s pretty insane to think about.
For all you Lebron James versus Michael Jordan debaters out there, the King has earned a new career stat. The Los Angeles Lakers entered the first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies as underdogs, a first for Lebron James in his career. It made his eventual victory even more satisfying.
Unfortunately for sportsbooks, the Lakers’ defeat of the Sacramento Kings in the first round threw off the odds. Some handles even admit that things will only get worse for them every time the Lakers accumulate a win. Bookies need King James to exit.
The NBA playoffs start with 16 teams and dwindle their way down to one from each conference. We already know who the biggest liability is, but who are the oddsmakers rooting for? What team gives them the best chance of making money? Believe it or not, that honor goes to the Phoenix Suns, who dramatically got their odds altered after the acquisition of Kevin Durant. Since then, many bettors have been skeptical of taking the team at given odds. If they win it all, the bookmakers can sleep easy and make some decent money.
Despite some pretty interesting underdogs, most of the handle is focused on big market teams. These include the Lakers, the Warriors, and the Kings before they were eliminated. It is also being reported that a great deal of interest is coming towards the Knicks and the Nuggets.
Oddsmakers will lose at least two liabilities in the second round, and it will be fun to see. For example, the Warriors defeating the Lakers would be a lesser of two evils and take the oddsmakers’ biggest liability off the board. If the Lakers win, it would be a loss of a big market and a big liability for oddsmakers.
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