NBA Favorite Warriors Drawing More Betting Action Than Any Other Team
OAKLAND (CBS SF) - Coming out of the All-Star break, the Golden State Warriors are seen by many as the favorites among Las Vegas bookies. And the short odds apparently aren't scaring away many bets.
As of Thursday, the Warriors are 3/1 to win it all according to Bovada, 12-5 via William Hill's Nevada sports book and 4/1 at Fantasy 911. Only LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers are in the same ballpark. The Cavs are 7-3 favorites on BetOnline and slightly better than 3-1 on th3 5Dimes website, both just a shade ahead of the Warriors.
Perhaps more surprisingly, ESPN reports the Warriors are drawing a larger share of the bets on the NBA title than any other team. Citing William Hill's statistics, ESPN reports that 14 percent of the bets are on the Dubs, with the Defending champion San Antonio Spurs getting 12 percent of the action and the Cavs earning 11 percent of the bets.
Moments after the announcement of his return to Cleveland, LeBron's Cavilers skyrocketed to the favorite position in Vegas. At that point, the Warriors were at 25-1 bet, the 8th most likely champion.
In the ESPN Vegas Rankings blog, Dave Tully found consensus among NBA handicappers that the Warriors are the strongest title contenders, with the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls also rated as better betting values than Cleveland.
