Everything that happens in sports has additional context when viewed from a betting perspective. From season-changing injuries to record-setting moments and so much more, the news cycle will constantly and significantly affect the sports betting industry.
Our betting buzz file — with contributions from David Purdum, Doug Greenberg and others — aims to provide fans a look at the sports betting stories that are driving the conversation.
Key links: Sports betting home | MLB odds page | NFL odds page
NBA odds page | NHL Odds Page | ESPN BET
May 7: Stephen Curry injury shifts Game 2 line five points
David Purdum: The Golden State Warriors remained a small underdog in their playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves as oddsmakers monitor the hamstring strain Stephen Curry suffered early in the Warriors’ Game 1 victory Tuesday.
The Warriors were around a +140 underdog to win the series Wednesday at sportsbooks, with the Timberwolves listed at -165. A spokesperson for BetMGM said its trading team is taking a “wait-and-see” approach to Curry’s injury, adding that the Timberwolves would become significant favorites in the series if he were to be ruled out.
ESPN BET’s trading director Adrian Horton said that normally the road team winning in Game 1 would shift the series odds significantly, but with the uncertainty surrounding Curry’s injury, the price was holding steady with the Timberwolves remaining the favorites.
“If Curry was confirmed healthy, we’d typically expect something closer to even, or the Warriors even being favored to win the series,” Horton said. “The fact that the Timberwolves remain favored indicates the uncertainty around his status, especially given Steve Kerr’s comments on Tuesday that he is unlikely to play on Thursday.”
Minnesota was a 10.5-point favorite in Thursday’s Game 2, up four to five points from the Game 1 line.
“Golden State closed as a 5.5-point ‘dog in Game 1, and after winning yesterday, a healthy roster would typically move the line closer for the next matchup,” Horton said. “Instead, the jump to Wolves -9.5 reflects expectations that Curry may sit for a game or two, and with early action, we’re already out to Wolves -10.5 on Wednesday morning.”
Fanatics Sportsbook said it refunded $500,000 in prop bets on Curry due to the injury as part of the company’s “Fair Play” policy. A customer in Michigan won $224,773 off a $5,000 four-leg that included Curry to score 28-plus points. The other three legs of the parlay all hit, and the company promotion nullified the Curry leg, resulting in the big win.
May 6: Stars, Jets face off after braving remarkably long live odds
Doug Greenberg: Going into last weekend, NHL teams facing a multi-goal deficit in the third period of a Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 7 had won just three times. When the dust settled on the postseason’s first round, the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets both accomplished the feat, overcoming immense in-game odds to move on to the second round.
At their longest points, Dallas was a +2000 live underdog to beat the Colorado Avalanche, while Winnipeg was +2500 on the live line in the closing minutes of regulation against the St. Louis Blues, according to ESPN BET odds.
Going into the playoffs, Colorado was the slight favorite to lift the Cup, sporting +700 odds just ahead of the reigning champion Florida Panthers (+750) at ESPN BET. The Avs received healthy support across the sportsbook marketplace, finishing their postseason run with the highest handle percentages for championship futures at BetMGM and DraftKings, also attracting the most tickets at the former. St. Louis was a much longer shot at 50-1, but was considered a huge liability at BetMGM and ESPN BET.
The Stars’ and Jets’ reward for persevering through their first-round series is playing each other in the second round. For the Stars, it’s the culmination of weeks of tumult: After acquiring Mikko Rantanen at the trade deadline, Dallas became +600 co-favorites to win the Cup at ESPN BET, but fell to +1100 after going on a seven-game losing streak to end the regular season. The Stars are now once again the Cup favorites with +400 odds.
Winnipeg, meanwhile, is tied with the Washington Capitals for the worst odds remaining to win it all (+900 at ESPN BET), an ironic twist given the Jets and Caps ended the regular season with the best records in their respective conferences.
Bettors are likewise not giving Winnipeg much of a chance, as Dallas has attracted the vast majority of bets and money to win the series at major sportsbooks (-175 at ESPN BET). Since the weekend, the Stars have garnered more action to win the Stanley Cup than any other team at BetMGM and ESPN BET.
Odds & Ends
- Going into the second round, no team with home ice advantage was favored to win its series, the first time that’s happened in this round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in over 30 years, according to ESPN Research. After a 5-4 victory over Florida on Monday night, the home-team Toronto Maple Leafs moved to -125 to win their series.
- Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon was by far the most-backed player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP at BetMGM, taking in 10.6% of the wagers and 11.3% of the handle to be the book’s largest liability.
- Although a Canadian team has not won the Stanley Cup in 32 years, the country remains well-represented among sportsbooks’ largest liabilities: The Edmonton Oilers attracted a leading 21.2% of bets and 13.2% of handle at ESPN BET, while the Maple Leafs have 10.7% of tickets and 11.9% of money at BetMGM, the most for any team remaining.
See more:
- Betting tips for Hurricanes-Capitals, Oilers-Golden Knights
- Expert picks for the second round
- Stanley Cup Playoffs daily preview
May 5: Warriors’ record playoff streak of being favored to end
David Purdum: The Golden State Warriors have been favored in all 27 playoff series under head coach Steve Kerr. It’s the longest such streak by any team since the 1976 ABA/NBA merger, according to ESPN Research. And it’s poised to end this week.
