NBA series odds snapshot

Betting markets still have the higher seed favored in seven of the National Basketball Association’s eight first-round series, even after opening weekend produced a few surprises. (nytimes.com) The outlier is Houston against Los Angeles: The Athletic reported the Rockets were the only lower seed priced as the series favorite when the board opened, with the Lakers listed as the No. 4 seed but an underdog because of injuries. Fox Sports listed Houston at -245 and Los Angeles at +200 on April 20, one game into the series. (nytimes.com) (foxsports.com) The rest of the bracket still looks top-heavy in the odds. Fox Sports listed Detroit at -500 against Orlando, Boston at -900 against Philadelphia, New York at -425 against Atlanta, Cleveland at -800 against Toronto, Oklahoma City at -3000 against Phoenix and Denver at -575 against Minnesota on April 20. (foxsports.com) Those prices moved only modestly after Game 1 in several series. VegasInsider showed Cleveland moving from -700 before Game 1 to -900 before Game 2, and New York moving from -300 to -425 after its opening win over Atlanta. (vegasinsider.com) The one result that cut against the seed line most sharply was Orlando’s Game 1 win in Detroit. Even with the Magic up 1-0, Fox Sports still listed the Pistons as a -500 series favorite on April 20. (foxsports.com) That gap between one-game results and series prices comes from the format as much as the teams. The first round is best-of-seven, and the higher seed gets home court advantage, which gives bookmakers more room to keep stronger regular-season teams as favorites after a single loss. (nba.com) (sports.yahoo.com) The bracket itself helps explain why sportsbooks leaned that way before the games started. NBA.com’s playoff field had Detroit, Boston, New York and Cleveland as the top four seeds in the East, with Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver and the Lakers in those slots in the West. (nba.com) Opening-weekend betting results also show favorites mostly held serve. VegasInsider reported favorites went 6-2 straight up and home teams went 7-1 straight up through the first eight games. (vegasinsider.com) The next test for those prices comes with the early Game 2s on April 20 and April 21, when New York hosts Atlanta, Cleveland hosts Toronto and Boston hosts Philadelphia. If the favorites keep winning at home, the market’s opening view of this round will look mostly unchanged. (vegasinsider.com) (foxsports.com)