There’s no place like home. Just don’t tell that to the teams hosting games to begin the second round of the NBA playoffs.
The road team has won every game in the conference semifinals through Tuesday’s action, causing yet another shift in series and Finals odds.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have the third-best odds to win the Finals, but they fell from 5-1 to 10-1 following Tuesday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Tyrese Haliburton‘s 3-pointer with one second remaining capped a furious rally, as the Pacers stunned the Cavaliers for a second straight game to take a 2-0 series lead over the Eastern Conference’s top seed.
The Pacers are now the favorites in the series at -190 and moved from 30-1 to 15-1 win the Finals.
Things are just as jumbled in the West. Despite losing Stephen Curry to a hamstring injury in the second quarter of Tuesday’s Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Golden State Warriors took a 1-0 series lead behind a superb defensive effort.
The semifinals continue Wednesday with a pair of Game 2’s, as the Boston Celtics and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder look to get even in their respective series.
The Celtics squandered a 20-point lead to the New York Knicks on Monday in Game 1 and fell in OT, while the Thunder were dealt a loss in a shocking come-from-behind win by the Denver Nuggets.
Early favorites for Finals MVP have remained somewhat intact, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jayson Tatum holding a significant lead on the rest of the field. Donovan Mitchell, Nikola Jokic and Anthony Edwards round out the top five.
A full list of MVP candidate odds can be found below, along with each team’s odds to win their current series, the conference and the Finals.
Resources: Daily Lines | Where to watch | NBA Playoff Bracket
Odds accurate as of publication. For latest and most complete odds go to ESPN BET
NBA Finals MVP favorites
The NBA Finals MVP Award recognizes the player deemed most valuable to his team in the NBA Finals only.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder: +160
Jayson Tatum, Celtics: +250
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers: 12-1
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets: 14-1
Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves: 15-1
Jaylen Brown, Celtics: 20-1
Stephen Curry, Warriors: 25-1
Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers: 25-1
Jalen Brunson, Knicks: 30-1
Pascal Siakam, Pacers: 33-1
Evan Mobley, Cavaliers: 40-1
Darius Garland, Cavaliers: 60-1
Jalen Williams, Thunder: 60-1
Kristaps Porzingis, Celtics: 60-1
Derrick White, Celtics: 66-1
Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks: 75-1
Chet Holmgren, Thunder: 100-1
Draymond Green, Warriors: 150-1
Jrue Holiday, Celtics: 250-1
Jarrett Allen, Cavaliers: 300-1
Jamal Murray, Nuggets: 500-1
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