Latest news with #Avello
Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Thunder vs. Pacers betting report: 'We're taking a lot of Pacers money'
An unexpected NBA Finals matchup — or at least a half-unexpected matchup — has drawn speculation that the series won't be popular. But if betting on NBA Finals odds is any indication, then Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder is plenty popular. With Game 1 at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, the series definitely has bettors' attention. Even with OKC a seemingly prohibitive favorite — and perhaps because of that — and Indiana conversely a sizable underdog. "It's the odds of the series, making people think it's gonna turn off the bettors. But it's not. We're taking a lot of Pacers money on the series, and we've taken a lot of Pacers money the last six weeks," said Johnny Avello, director of sportsbook operations for DraftKings. Further, thanks to prop bets and such, bettors are finding favorable ways to bet the favorite Thunder, as well. Avello helps dive into NBA Finals odds and action. A Lot of Opportunities Oklahoma City is a hefty -700 favorite to win the NBA Finals, meaning it takes a $700 bet to win $100 (total payout $800). On the flip side, Indiana is a +500 underdog, so a $100 bet would profit $500 (total payout $600) if the Pacers pull the upset. "It's a different look. But nevertheless, it's the NBA Finals, and it'll write big business," Avello said. As noted above, public bettors are attracted to the Pacers' series price. It's an opportunity to bet a little and win five times that bet. But there are opportunities to boost profits on the favorite, too. "Betting the Thunder on the number of games in the series, you're getting a plus-money price," Avello said. "If you think the Thunder win in five games, it's +250. A six-game series is +450, or a sweep is +260. That's one way people are betting it." To spell it out in full: Rather than betting $700 on OKC -700 to win the series — again, to profit $100 — one could bet $100 on Thunder +250 to win in five games to profit $250. For Thursday's best-of-seven series opener, bettors are getting involved on both sides, though in different ways. Late Saturday night, DraftKings opened the Thunder -9, and on Wednesday afternoon, OKC advanced to -9.5. On the moneyline — just wagering on which team wins the game, regardless of margin — it's Oklahoma City -410/Indiana +320. "In Game 1, they're betting the 'dog on the moneyline. But on the spread, they're betting the Thunder," Avello said. Needs and Liabilities Oklahoma City was either No. 1 or No. 2 in NBA championship odds all season long. Now, as noted above, the Thunder are strong favorites. That wasn't the case for Indiana. There were points during the regular season where bettors could get the Pacers at +10000 (100/1) or more in NBA Finals futures odds. At the outset of the playoffs, in mid-April, you could still get Indiana at a hefty +8500 to lift the trophy. A $100 bet back then would be four wins away from $8,500 profit now. So DraftKings' need at the moment is no surprise. "The ideal outcome for us is for the Thunder to win the whole thing, because they were a short price all year," Avello said. "Whereas the Pacers were longer shots before the playoffs started. It doesn't take much to build up liability." I Like Big Bets and I Cannot Lie A DraftKings customer waited until late April to get involved with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but then did so with a splash. On April 28, the bettor put $100,000 on Thunder -175 to win the Western Conference. OKC delivered a 4-1 series win over Minnesota, and the customer profited $57,140 (total payout $157,140). But there could be a lot more to come for this bettor, who has two major wagers on the Thunder to win the NBA Finals: $105,000 Thunder +160 $100,000 Thunder +130 The first bet would profit $168,000 and the second $130,000 if the Thunder — now -700 favorites to win the championship — claim their first NBA title. That's $298,000 potential profit, on a total payout of $503,000. On the flip side, small bets that cash big are quite nice, as well. A FanDuel Sportsbook customer already learned that once with a $100 bet on Pacers +7000 to win the Eastern Conference, a wager made back on Feb. 20. So that wager already cashed for $7,000 profit. At the same time, the bettor put $100 on Pacers +13000 (130/1) to win the NBA Finals. If somehow the Pacers pull the big upset, that customer knocks down another $13,000 in profit. It's hard not to root for a five-figure win on a $100 bet. Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for 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. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
New York Post
21-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Why Knicks have the betting edge over Pacers in Eastern Conference finals — DraftKings oddsmaker breaks it down
No one believed in the Knicks until now. 'We can see the Big City is Knicks City by the amount being bet on them right now,' DraftKings' Johnny Avello told The Post. Eighty-eight percent of bets are on the Knicks to win their series against the Pacers, the Las Vegas-based oddsmaker said in a phone interview Tuesday. The Knicks are 4.5-point favorites entering Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, although in the last round we saw every underdog win outright in Game 1 on the road, including wins by the Pacers and Knicks against top-seeded Cavaliers and Celtics, respectively. Indiana finds itself as a slight underdog to win the series, coming in at +125 with the comeback on the Knicks at -145. 'These two teams battle each other and are pretty close in talent,' Avello said. 'The Knicks' starting five is probably a bit better, but the Pacers are deeper.' When pricing a series or a game, oddsmakers use house-made power rankings, regardless of sport, to aid in pricing the wager. In this series, Avello told The Post that they view the Knicks having the more elite talent, with four Knicks among the top five players in this series. He also added point values to each player, noting how much the spread would swing if a certain player missed a game. 'Brunson is probably four to give points to the spread,' Avello said. '(Tyrese) Haliburton's worth about 3.5 and (Karl-Anthony) Towns is in that range as well.' Josh Hart and the Knicks are four wins away from the Finals. NBAE via Getty Images Perhaps surprisingly, he views Knicks defensive wing Mikal Bridges and Pacers star Pascal Siakam in the same light in terms of value to the spread. 'Bridges is worth about 2.5 points to the spread, the same with Siakam,' he continued. '[OG] Anunoby is worth about two points to the spread.' Avello added that former Knick Obi Toppin is about worthless to the spread. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. It is important to note that team context is important, as DraftKings viewed Celtics star Jayson Tatum as a 3.5-point player to the spread but few would deny that he is a better player than Towns and Haliburton. The total for Game 1 is a healthy 222.5, a massive total considering the referees' officiating has generally allowed the game to play out and called fewer fouls—that is, unless you're Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. DraftKings evaluates refereeing on a year-to-year basis and the officiating is certainly an area worth dissecting again. Betting on the NBA? 'We look at those stats on a year-to-year basis,' Avello said. 'The reality is the casual bettor doesn't like to bet the Under, so we feel pretty safe there.' He doesn't expect too slow-paced a series, though. 'I don't know if you can say these games will be slow. 222.5 going to 223. I can see this going higher,' Avello said. 'Both teams are really shooting well. Yeah, they pick you up and wear you out but the Knicks are quick to get the ball up. If teams are off shooting, the total can really go down.' Tyrese Hailburton dribbles against the Knicks last year against the Knicks in Game 7. AP Looking ahead, Avello has the Thunder as -525 favorites if they face the Knicks in the finals and -600 should they meet up with the Pacers. If the Timberwolves somehow take down the Goliath Thunder, they will be favored -150 against the Knicks and -165 against the Pacers. Why Trust New York Post Betting Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he's showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA Draft 2025 betting, odds, lines: How Cooper Flagg would change the title odds for every lottery team
Freshman Cooper Flagg led the Duke Blue Devils to a Final Four appearance in the 2025 NCAA tournament before losing 70-67 in a shocker to Houston. Flagg won the Naismith Trophy for national college player of the year, along with several other awards and certainly lived up to the hype as the No. 1 overall recruit. He is widely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft in June and has the potential to change a franchise, depending on which team wins the NBA Draft Lottery on Monday. But just how big a difference will Flagg make to his incoming team? Yahoo Sports asked BetMGM NBA trader Halvor Egeland to quantify how much every lottery team's projected 2025-26 NBA title odds would change if it won the lottery and took Flagg No. 1 overall, as well as chatted with several other oddsmakers about Flagg's potential impact. "He's a great player, but nowhere near the potential of Victor Wembanyama," Egeland told Yahoo Sports in regard to Flagg's potential compared to other No. 1 overall picks. "I don't see the ceiling of Anthony Edwards personally, but it depends on the situation he goes into. I think the most interesting landing spot is San Antonio because it becomes one of the most desirable places to play." Oddsmakers also cautioned that Flagg's impact in his first year may not be as big as some expect. "What we've seen from him, even in his limited college experience, is that he's a fabulous player," said Johnny Avello, DraftKings Sportsbook director. "But remember that Duke won the ACC conference title without him, so there were a lot of good players around him as well. Pro basketball is a whole different game. Even though he's a really good player, it takes a while." Here is how Flagg would change the title odds for every lottery team: Teams listed in order of odds to get No. 1 overall pick. BetMGM projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 250-1 Odds with Flagg: 200-1 Jeff Sherman, vice president of risk at Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook: "I think Utah has a lot of nice, young pieces and just locked up its coach for an extension. Flagg would get a lot of playing time right away. A team like Utah did a lot more sitting out players than they needed to do to get the No. 1 spot. I think he could add a lot to a team like that and you'd probably see a healthier roster this season. I'd probably move from 200-1 to 100-1." BetMGM projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 250-1 Odds with Flagg: 200-1 Avello: "They didn't have a good season. There are a lot of parts there, but I think they are 250-1 with him if he goes there. They might even be higher." BetMGM projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 250-1 Odds with Flagg: 200-1 Avello: "They had a lot of injuries this year, so they're a little better team than the Wizards. Charlotte is probably 175-1 if he goes there." BetMGM projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 80-1 Odds with Flagg: 70-1 Avello: "Zion Williamson just hasn't panned out so far, so maybe the two of them together could work some magic. I think around 150-1 with [Flagg], though." BetMGM projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 20-1 Odds with Flagg: 15-1 *The Sixers' first-round pick is top-6 protected; if it falls between 7-14, it will go to Oklahoma City. Egeland: "Easily the most interesting one and one of the tougher teams to price in general, but we're probably going to open them somewhat short. Could be 20-1 and move to 14-1. That's a more significant move." Sherman: "I would be initially at 25-1 for the 76ers, but if they got Flagg and with getting Jared McCain back, I could see them at 16-1." Avello: "The 76ers were actually a contender, but just had a bad season. They have quite a nucleus there with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. I think they're in the 15-1 range with him. That's a team he can go to and make an impact pretty early. They already have the pieces there to contend for a championship." BetMGM projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 150-1 Odds with Flagg: 125-1 Avello: "The Nets are probably 150-1 range or so with him. They had a pretty good year, and he would definitely help them." Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 150-1 Odds with Flagg: 125-1 Avello: "Decent season for the Raptors and they'd win some more games with him but nowhere close to a contender. Toronto maybe 125-1 with him." Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 30-1 Odds with Flagg: 25-1 Egeland: "They could even open up shorter than 30-1, but Wemby's health is going to play the biggest factor in this one." Sherman: "I have the Spurs and Rockets as possible Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and [Kevin] Durant destinations. I was thinking San Antonio like 20-1, and if you do Flagg on top of that — 16-1. Even more, they could include him in a trade if they wanted immediate help. It would give them more flexibility. My initial thought was lower on those teams that the public is going to go after once odds are released, like San Antonio and Houston." Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 20-1 Odds with Flagg: 18-1 *This is the Phoenix Suns' pick, which will go to the Rockets. Avello: "Real successful year for the Rockets. I would make them 30-1 with him. They're already showing they are a good team. He would enhance the team and make them a surefire contender." Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 150-1 Odds with Flagg: 125-1 Egeland: "I do like some of the pieces here, but Flagg isn't going to be enough to put them over so many other teams in the West." Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 45-1 Odds with Flagg: 40-1 Egeland: "Assuming Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis are back, this is a good team and would be quite a landing spot after the Luka Dončić trade." Sherman: "The only thing with the Kyrie aspect is he's supposed to be back in January, and at his age, I don't know how effective he'll be. Initially I'd have Dallas at 60-1 and if they got Flagg, I could see going 40-1. If Kyrie was completely healthy, it would be a different conversation." Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 100-1 Odds with Flagg: 80-1 Egeland: "Don't think it does much to their title hopes." *The Kings' first-round pick is top-12 protected; if it falls out of that range, it goes to Atlanta. Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 80-1 Odds with Flagg: 70-1 Egeland: "That's another one that won't make too big of a difference." *This is the Atlanta Hawks' pick, which will go to the Spurs.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA Draft 2025 betting, odds, lines: How Cooper Flagg would change the title odds for every lottery team
Freshman Cooper Flagg led the Duke Blue Devils to a Final Four appearance in the 2025 NCAA tournament before losing 70-67 in a shocker to Houston. Flagg won the Naismith Trophy for national college player of the year, along with several other awards and certainly lived up to the hype as the No. 1 overall recruit. He is widely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft in June and has the potential to change a franchise, depending on which team wins the NBA Draft Lottery on Monday. But just how big a difference will Flagg make to his incoming team? Yahoo Sports asked BetMGM NBA trader Halvor Egeland to quantify how much every lottery team's projected 2025-26 NBA title odds would change if it won the lottery and took Flagg No. 1 overall, as well as chatted with several other oddsmakers about Flagg's potential impact. "He's a great player, but nowhere near the potential of Victor Wembanyama," Egeland told Yahoo Sports in regard to Flagg's potential compared to other No. 1 overall picks. "I don't see the ceiling of Anthony Edwards personally, but it depends on the situation he goes into. I think the most interesting landing spot is San Antonio because it becomes one of the most desirable places to play." Oddsmakers also cautioned that Flagg's impact in his first year may not be as big as some expect. "What we've seen from him, even in his limited college experience, is that he's a fabulous player," said Johnny Avello, DraftKings Sportsbook director. "But remember that Duke won the ACC conference title without him, so there were a lot of good players around him as well. Pro basketball is a whole different game. Even though he's a really good player, it takes a while." Here is how Flagg would change the title odds for every lottery team: Teams listed in order of odds to get No. 1 overall pick. BetMGM projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 250-1 Odds with Flagg: 200-1 Jeff Sherman, vice president of risk at Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook: "I think Utah has a lot of nice, young pieces and just locked up its coach for an extension. Flagg would get a lot of playing time right away. A team like Utah did a lot more sitting out players than they needed to do to get the No. 1 spot. I think he could add a lot to a team like that and you'd probably see a healthier roster this season. I'd probably move from 200-1 to 100-1." BetMGM projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 250-1 Odds with Flagg: 200-1 Avello: "They didn't have a good season. There are a lot of parts there, but I think they are 250-1 with him if he goes there. They might even be higher." BetMGM projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 250-1 Odds with Flagg: 200-1 Avello: "They had a lot of injuries this year, so they're a little better team than the Wizards. Charlotte is probably 175-1 if he goes there." BetMGM projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 80-1 Odds with Flagg: 70-1 Avello: "Zion Williamson just hasn't panned out so far, so maybe the two of them together could work some magic. I think around 150-1 with [Flagg], though." BetMGM projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 20-1 Odds with Flagg: 15-1 *The Sixers' first-round pick is top-6 protected; if it falls between 7-14, it will go to Oklahoma City. Egeland: "Easily the most interesting one and one of the tougher teams to price in general, but we're probably going to open them somewhat short. Could be 20-1 and move to 14-1. That's a more significant move." Sherman: "I would be initially at 25-1 for the 76ers, but if they got Flagg and with getting Jared McCain back, I could see them at 16-1." Avello: "The 76ers were actually a contender, but just had a bad season. They have quite a nucleus there with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. I think they're in the 15-1 range with him. That's a team he can go to and make an impact pretty early. They already have the pieces there to contend for a championship." BetMGM projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 150-1 Odds with Flagg: 125-1 Avello: "The Nets are probably 150-1 range or so with him. They had a pretty good year, and he would definitely help them." Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 150-1 Odds with Flagg: 125-1 Avello: "Decent season for the Raptors and they'd win some more games with him but nowhere close to a contender. Toronto maybe 125-1 with him." Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 30-1 Odds with Flagg: 25-1 Egeland: "They could even open up shorter than 30-1, but Wemby's health is going to play the biggest factor in this one." Sherman: "I have the Spurs and Rockets as possible Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and [Kevin] Durant destinations. I was thinking San Antonio like 20-1, and if you do Flagg on top of that — 16-1. Even more, they could include him in a trade if they wanted immediate help. It would give them more flexibility. My initial thought was lower on those teams that the public is going to go after once odds are released, like San Antonio and Houston." Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 20-1 Odds with Flagg: 18-1 *This is the Phoenix Suns' pick, which will go to the Rockets. Avello: "Real successful year for the Rockets. I would make them 30-1 with him. They're already showing they are a good team. He would enhance the team and make them a surefire contender." Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 150-1 Odds with Flagg: 125-1 Egeland: "I do like some of the pieces here, but Flagg isn't going to be enough to put them over so many other teams in the West." Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 45-1 Odds with Flagg: 40-1 Egeland: "Assuming Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis are back, this is a good team and would be quite a landing spot after the Luka Dončić trade." Sherman: "The only thing with the Kyrie aspect is he's supposed to be back in January, and at his age, I don't know how effective he'll be. Initially I'd have Dallas at 60-1 and if they got Flagg, I could see going 40-1. If Kyrie was completely healthy, it would be a different conversation." Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 100-1 Odds with Flagg: 80-1 Egeland: "Don't think it does much to their title hopes." *The Kings' first-round pick is top-12 protected; if it falls out of that range, it goes to Atlanta. Projected 2025-26 NBA title odds: 80-1 Odds with Flagg: 70-1 Egeland: "That's another one that won't make too big of a difference." *This is the Atlanta Hawks' pick, which will go to the Spurs.
USA Today
09-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
The Knicks' 2-0 lead on the Celtics has created value on both sides of the series line
The Knicks' 2-0 lead on the Celtics has created value on both sides of the series line In most cases, when a team takes a 2-0 series lead in the playoffs, that team becomes a massive favorite to complete the series win and move on. The Eastern Conference semifinal series between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics isn't most cases. Despite a 2-0 lead on the Celtics, the Knicks are still series underdogs at +100 odds at DraftKings, trailing the Celtics at -120 because, well, it's hard to imagine the defending champs will continue losing the way they have, blowing multiple 20-point leads. The Knicks' 2-0 advantage on Boston is stunning, and not just because they were a +500 underdog entering the series. It's also because the Celtics were the East's overall title favorites, expected to prevail over every other team on their side of the bracket. The odd circumstances of it all has created value on both sides of the line, according to DraftKings director Johnny Avello. "The Knicks, there's an opportunity. The team's up 2-0 and they're still getting even money. So, if you think the Knicks can finish this team off at some point -- because Celtics gotta win four out of five -- that's still some pretty good value on the Knicks," Avello told BetFTW. "But, it's also value on the Celtics if you think they're going to rebound from this 0-2 deficit. So, we're seeing money on both of those sides." He's right. The Celtics opened the series as -800 favorites. They're now -120 to prevail, which is value that wasn't previously available for people who still believe they can bounce back. Plenty people do. Boston remains the second overall title favorite at +310, which is far better than the Knicks at +1300 and only trails the Oklahoma City Thunder at +130. It's a much different story than what's happening in the other East semifinal, where the underdog Pacers' 2-0 lead completely flipped their series odds against the Cleveland Cavaliers to become a -205 favorite. Bettors think the Cavs can bounce back, Avello said, but it's a cautious optimism: "We're not seeing them bet with both hands." Given how underdogs have dominated the early part of the second round, smart money might just shift to the Thunder, who redeemed their Game 1 loss to Denver with a 43-point beatdown. "The Thunder bounced back [Wednesday], and they bounced back in a big way. So I believe that the bettors will continue to bet the Thunder," Avello said.
