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Updated NBA Finals MVP Odds After Game 1: Curry No Longer Odds-On Favorite, Siakam’s Odds Improve to 10-1

  • Despite sixth straight 30+ point outing, Curry’s MVP odds suffer
  • After breakout Game 1 performance, Pascal Siakam moves up odds board
  • What’s the best bet to make?

Anyone will tell you that one game does not a series make, especially when you’re talking about the NBA Finals.

But one game can definitely tilt an odds board when you’re trying to predict the Finals MVP.

That’s the case after the Raptors kept the good times rolling across the country, taking Game 1 against the Warriors on Thursday.

2019 NBA Finals MVP Odds

Player (Team)  Odds at to win 2019 NBA Finals MVP at BetOnline
Steph Curry (Warriors) +100
Kawhi Leonard (Raptors) +300
Draymond Green (Warriors) +1000
Kevin Durant (Warriors) +1000
Pascal Siakam (Raptors) +1000
Klay Thompson (Warriors) +1200
Andre Iguodala (Warriors) +2500
Fred VanVleet (Raptors) +3300
Kyle Lowry (Raptors) +3300
Marc Gasol (Raptors) +3300
Serge Ibaka (Raptors) +5000

*Odds taken May 31, 2019.

Literally two sleeps ago, Stephen Curry was the runaway favorite to claim the award, clocking in at -125. Is it time to seek out another option, or did BetOnline just offer you a better payout to invest in now?

Only Change in Curry’s Game Was Result

Anyone watching knows that the Warriors didn’t bring their best effort to Game 1.

While their 16 turnovers weren’t far off from the 14.4 they’ve averaged this playoffs, many of them were unforced, and a few were preseason-level lazy.

2019 NBA Championship Odds Tracker
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Also, the top shooting team in the postseason (48.4%), Golden State shot just 43.6% from the field.

Curry, who was a man on fire against the Trail Blazers, was defended better than he had been the entire playoffs by the Raptors. And yet, he still finished with a game-high 34 points.

While he shot just 8-for-18 from the field, time and again he found ways to manufacture points, in this case going perfect on 14 free throw attempts.

Had the Warriors found a way to eke this one out – it was a one-possession game with nine minutes in the fourth quarter – the narrative would be how Curry dragged his team to victory with another stellar outing, his sixth-straight 30+ point game in a row.

Time to Pounce on Durant or Kawhi?

For now, the two players we’d kill to see go head-to-head (minus Raptor fans, I’m sure) are Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard.

While Durant appears to be out until perhaps Game 4, his return still has the potential to alter the complexion of this series.

Meanwhile, Leonard, who’s literally been the entire band for Toronto to get to this point, played backup singer in the opener, gladly letting the Warriors bring double teams and deferring to his teammates, who shined.

Even then, he still finished with 23 points on a tidy 14 field goal attempts, while anchoring the defense.

But at some point, you’d expect Leonard to have an impact game, as he’s done that consistently in every series.

He tallied five 30+ point games against the 76ers, four more against the Bucks, and a couple against the Magic. He’s a scoring powder keg that’s about to explode.

Notable Movers on the Board

Pascal Siakam was a wrecking ball in Game 1, pouring in 32 points on a sparkling 14-for-17 from the field, showing off his entire repertoire and showing everyone why he’s the likely most improved player in the NBA this year.

He shot from a +1400 to +1000, but how much more are you going to get from him at this clip?

Draymond Green notched another triple-double, and somehow his odds lengthened (+800 to +1000). And maybe winning plays count when the clock strikes quadruple zero, but not exactly when making MVP calculations.

Case-in-point? Kyle Lowry was a factor, but a seven-point, six-rebound, nine-assist line with two key charges drawn still deep-sixed his odds from +1400 to +3300.

What’s the Best Bet to Make?

While Durant’s impact would be immense it might be too late in the series.

Instead, it’s going to take some tremendous heavy lifting for Curry to put his team in position to claim their three-peat. Getting in on him now is a good wager. I’d lean to Draymond as a backup bet.

On the other side, at this point, Kawhi is still the only target for Finals MVP.

As well as Marc Gasol, Fred VanVleet and Siakam played in Game 1, knocking off the defending champs is going to take a supernova effort, and that’s where Leonard needs to get it done.

The post Updated NBA Finals MVP Odds After Game 1: Curry No Longer Odds-On Favorite, Siakam’s Odds Improve to 10-1 appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.



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