NBA Finals: Odds on Game 1 long on L.A. Lakers

Just hours away from the start of the 2009 NBA Finals with the Game 1 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic, perfect time to look at the latest odds, not only on Game 1, but the odds to win the NBA Finals, as well. Earlier this week we took a look at the opening odds on the 2009 NBA Finals and the Game 1 Orlando vs. Los Angeles, but there are some changes since, with the bettors flocking the sportsbooks to place their bets on the NBA Championship and the first game in the series.

Let's begin with the Game 1 odds at the online sportsbook Bookmaker, where a couple of days ago the Lakers were -290 favorite and Orlando was +240 underdog. Today, the day of Game 1 in the 2009 NBA Finals the odds have slightly changed, although not enough to make a big difference. The latest NBA Finals odds show that L.A. Lakers are still big favorite to win the first game in the Finals with odds -275, while Orlando Magic remain underdog holding odds +235. The slight change in the odds show that an unexpected number of bettors are actually trying their luck with Orlando Magic to deliver an upset tonight and win Game 1, but with the long odds on the Lakers it's more like a shot in the dark - if it hits the payout would be big, but it remains unlikely. The same is true for the odds to win the NBA Championship outright. Bookmaker had to shorten slightly the odds on the Lakers to become the 2009 NBA Champion from -290 to the latest -270, while Orlando Magic is sitting on +230 odds to win the NBA Finals, down from +240 a couple of days ago.

A similar scenario appears to hold true at the other popular online sportsbook we consulted today - Bodog Sports, where the Lakers are the odds-on favorite team to win the 2009 NBA Finals with odds -265, just a small payout improvement from the previous -270 odds posted a day or so ago. Similarly the odds on the Orlando Magic to win the 2009 NBA Finals went from +230 to +225. And as far as the betting odds on Game 1 tonight, Bodog is indeed offering a slightly better payout on your bets if you take Orlando: the bookie has the Lakers -280 to win Game 1, while Orlando will pay out on +240 if they manage to deliver the upset to the Lakers. The Magic vs. Lakers point spread in Game 1 remains -6 points chalk the Lakers with the total expected by the odds makers set at 206 points.

Published on 06/04/2009