The Minnesota Timberwolves edged the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round Western Conference Playoff series, and betting oddsmakers took note.
The Lakers, who opened the playoffs with the fourth-best odds (+1400 at DraftKings Sportsbook) to win the NBA Championship, are now +5000 at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the title. They were still +2000 after losing Game 1 of this series, but after losing two straight in Minnesota, their odds have sunk to eighth in the NBA.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves have seen their odds to win the title skyrocket, moving from +6500 before the playoffs started to +2200 at DraftKings. Those are the fifth-best odds in the league and trail only the Oklahoma City Thunder (+150) and Golden State Warriors (+1800) in the Western Conference.
This is a complete about-face from where things started. The third-seeded Lakers, headlined by LeBron James and Luka Doncic, were -190 to beat the sixth-seeded Timberwolves in their opening series odds. Now, Minnesota is -550 to complete the upset.
Anthony Edwards has been the star of the show so far, continuing to establish himself as the future face of the league by dominating late in the T-Wolves' two home wins. Julius Randle is having a strong series and Jaden McDaniels has been a breakout star.
The Lakers return home for Game 5, but they’ll need to beat the odds to keep their championship hopes alive.
The Thunder have been the betting favorites to win the title since the playoffs started and are already onto the Western Conference semis after sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.
The Warriors lead the Houston Rockets 2-1 in their opening series, though since Jimmy Butler got injured, their odds to win the title have sunk.
The reigning champion Boston Celtics are second in the odds to win the title at +190. They lead their series against the Magic 3-1. The Cleveland Cavaliers, up 3-0 against the Heat, are second with +550 odds.
Here’s where the odds stand for every team with all odds coming from DraftKings.
NBA Championship Odds Oklahoma City Thunder +150Boston Celtics +190Cleveland Cavaliers +550Golden State Warriors +1800Minnesota Timberwolves +2200Los Angeles Clippers +2500New York Knicks +4500Los Angeles Lakers +5000Denver Nuggets +6000Indiana Pacers +7500Milwaukee Bucks +10000Houston Rockets +12000Orlando Magic +20000Detroit Pistons +40000Miami Heat +200000