$1 million NBA Finals bet on Thunder placed but public loves Pacers
Big money is coming in on the heavily-favored Thunder in the NBA Finals.
Yahoo Sports' Ben Fawkes reported Thursday that an MGM bettor in Las Vegas put down $1.05 million on Oklahoma City to win the series at -700 odds.
They would win $150,000 if the Thunder can take down the Pacers.
It's the biggest NBA Finals bet at legal sportsbooks in the United States thus far, Fawkes added.
The betting whales have consistently backed OKC, with 88.2 percent of the handle going to the Thunder at ESPN BET.
The public is a different story.
Just 22.2 percent of tickets at ESPN BET are on the Thunder.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the favorites in the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It's a similar story at BetMGM Sportsbook where 94 percent of bets are on the Pacers to win the series.
With Indiana around +500 at most major sportsbooks, Vegas bookies are hoping it's the Thunder that emerge victorious.
'The Thunder are big favorites to win the NBA Championship and a great result for the sportsbook on the futures market,' BetMGM Sportsbook trading manager Christian Cipollini said in a press release. 'We are cheering against the Pacers lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy.'
Betting on the NBA?
The Thunder come into the series as a historic favorite.
They have the second-shortest odds in an NBA Finals match-up since 2005, with the only bigger favorites being the 2017-18 Warriors, who were -1075 against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
OKC is a 9.5-point home favorite for Game 1 against the Pacers on Thursday night.
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