The Golden State Warriors opened as heavy favorites to win the 2019 NBA Finals prior to Game 1 against the Toronto Raptors. After sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals, it wasn’t all that surprising, but the recent shift in odds following the first game was certainly eye-opening.
As Odds Shark revealed prior to Thursday’s opener, Golden State was a -280 favorite to win their fourth championship in five years. Those odds were down a bit from where they started on some sites, sitting with the Warriors at roughly -330 and the Raptors anywhere from +210 to +260, depending on where you looked.
With the Raptors taking Game 1 in impressive 118-109 fashion, it led to a fairly drastic change in the odds to win the NBA Finals.
Warriors vs. Raptors NBA Finals Series Odds Updated
Although the Raptors hold home court advantage and defended that with their win, oddsmakers seemingly walked away more convinced of their chances to win the title after Game 1. In turn, it’s led to the series odds shifting towards Toronto.
As Eli Hershkovich of Radio.com revealed, the opening odds for the Warriors of -330 have now moved to Golden State sitting at -150 as Game 2 approaches. This has led to the Raptors moving to +130 to win the 2019 NBA Finals.
Quite the shift from how Warriors-Raptors opened:
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After seeing how the opener played out, it’s not all that surprising to see the Raptors getting some love, but this jump is pretty massive for just one game. It is worth noting, however, that the Raptors are also favored to take Game 2 and jump to a 2-0 series lead before things head to the Bay Area.
Raptors Favored Over Warriors in Game 2 of NBA Finals
The Raptors’ strong showing in Game 1 has led to oddsmakers buying into Toronto across the board it seems. As Odds Shark revealed, they opened as -1.5 point favorites for Sunday’s game with an over/under set at 215.5.
A number of things stood out from the Raptors’ series-opening victory, but specifically, the fact that they got it done with Kawhi Leonard having a mediocre night shooting is noteworthy. Leonard scored 23 points with eight rebounds and five assists but knocked down 5-of-14 from the field.
Pascal Siakam led the way for the Raptors, scoring 32 points with eight rebounds and five assists while shooting 14-of-17 from the field. In total, five Raptors players scored in double figures, including Fred VanVleet logging 33 minutes off the bench and scoring 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
On the Warriors side, Stephen Curry poured in 34 points while Klay Thompson added 21, but only one other player in Draymond Green (10 points) scored in double figures. Green wound up finishing the night with a triple-double, adding on 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
One other noteworthy situation involved the status of DeMarcus Cousins, who suited up for Game 1 but played just eight minutes. It’s unknown exactly how healthy he is, but the Warriors could attempt to ramp up his minutes sooner than later, assuming he’s prepared to do so.
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Warriors-Raptors NBA Finals Series Odds Shift Drastically After Game 1