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NBA playoff odds are target-rich for interesting bets, as the second round winds down and the conference finals arrive.
And we’re not just talking about wagers on which teams win or lose, or popular prop bets featuring the biggest stars. Bettors can get much more micro than that.
For example: method of first basket. How would you like to put 15 bucks on that market and walk away with more than $3,000?
Read on for more on that wager, fun parlay payouts, along with other notable bets and major wagers — winners and losers alike — tied to NBA playoffs betting.
Center of Attention
FanDuel Sportsbook offers method of first basket props on NBA games. And such a bet actually has two components: which player scores, and by which method.
The options include dunk, layup, free throw, 3-pointer or other.
In Wednesday night’s Game 5 between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves, a FanDuel Sportsbook customer decided to wager a little to win quite a lot, comparatively speaking. It was a $15 bet on Rudy Gobert to score the game’s first points, with other being the method, at odds of +21000.
In easier-to-read terms, those odds translate to 210/1.
Sure enough, other hit when Gobert made a very short shot — though not a layup — less than a minute into the game. And just like that, $15 turned into $3,165.
Is it life-changing? No.
Is it tremendous ROI on a bet that cashed within 34 seconds of tipoff? Absolutely!
Boston, We Have a Problem
The second round isn’t unfolding anywhere near as planned for the defending NBA champion Celtics. To start with, the New York Knicks stormed back from big deficits to steal Games 1 and 2 on the road.
Boston rebounded to win Game 3 at Madison Square Garden. But Game 4 turned out about as bad as it possibly could for the Celtics: They lost 121-113 to fall into a 3-1 series hole, and star player Jayson Tatum’s season ended with a torn Achilles.
Keep in mind that before this series began, Boston was a hefty -800 favorite to advance, with New York in the +500/+550 range. The Celtics won Game 5 without Tatum, but are still +225 underdogs to complete the comeback.
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For one Vegas high-roller who made a huge play before Game 1, it’s going to sting particularly hard if the Celtics don’t win this series. The specific amount of the bet and the sportsbook that took the bet requested anonymity, but in general terms, the oddsmaker said:
“We did take a mid-six-figure bet on Celtics -800 to win the series.”
To provide a little clarity: If the bet is $500,000 — right in the middle of the mid-six-figures — then the bettor would profit $62,500 if the Celtics win the series. But Boston still has to get two more victories without its best player, against a surging and confident Knicks squad.
Game 6 is Friday night in New York.
Interestingly, after Boston fell behind in the series, a couple of Caesars Sports customers saw perceived value in getting on Celtics championship futures at better odds.
The wagers:
- $6,000 Celtics +4500 to win the NBA Finals, when Boston trailed New York 3-1. If Boston somehow repeats as champion, then the bettor profits a hefty $270,000 (total payout $276,000).
- $10,000 Celtics +1800 to win the NBA Finals, after Boston won Game 5 to pull within 3-2. Should shorthanded Boston win the title, the bettor would profit $180,000 ($19,000 total payout).
Hungry Like the Wolves
Minnesota is the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. But by identical 4-1 counts, the Timberwolves eliminated the Lakers and Warriors, with Minnesota an underdog in both series.
The T-Wolves are on to the Western Conference finals. If you were to bet now on Minnesota to win the NBA Finals, then you’d get just +550 odds at Caesars. In fact, the Timberwolves are the second choice in NBA championship odds, behind only the -135 favorite Oklahoma City Thunder.
But a few weeks ago, the Timberwolves could be had for a long-shot +6000. A prescient Caesars customer locked in those odds, putting $8,000 on Minnesota to lift the trophy.
If Anthony Edwards & Co. go all the way, then the bettor nets a massive $480,000 profit (total payout $488,000).
I Like Big Bets and I Cannot Lie
NBA playoff odds have drawn an assortment of major wagers over the past week or so. As noted above, a Celtics backer has a few hundred thousand on Boston to win its series vs. New York.
For Wednesday’s Game 5 between New York and Boston, a DraftKings Sportsbook customer was all over the Knicks in various ways, on straight bets and parlays:
Alas, the Knicks neither won nor covered as 5-point underdogs. So the bettor was out $99,500. Not ideal.
And how about wrapping this up with a little bet to win a lot less?
During the Indiana Pacers’ Game 4 blowout of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday — the Pacers led 80-39 at halftime — a DraftKings customer put $10 on Pacers moneyline -100000.
Indiana ultimately coasted to a 129-109 victory. And the bettor won … a penny.
Literally. That’s it.
But the story makes it worth it, right?
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on X: @PatrickE_Vegas.
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