Warriors Remain Overwhelming Title Favorites Despite Game 2 Loss

The Highlights

• The Warriors are coming off a 22-point loss to the Rockets in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
• Following the loss, Golden State is a -245 favorite to win the NBA championship.
• Golden State is a larger favorite to advance to the NBA Finals than Boston, which holds a 2-0 series lead over Cleveland.

The Golden State Warriors suffered their third loss of this NBA postseason Wednesday night, a 127-105 beatdown at the hands of the Houston Rockets. The loss knotted up the Western Conference Finals at 1-1 with the series heading to Oakland for Sunday's Game 3.

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Mainstream sports media personalities have quickly pivoted from "Warriors are unbeatable" to "Rockets have what it takes to win the championship" takes, but oddsmakers aren't overreacting.

Following a loss in Game 2, Golden State reopened as a -245 favorite to win the NBA championship, followed by Houston (+327), Boston (+1050) and Cleveland (+1550.

After accounting for the vig, odds suggest there's still a 65.0% chance that the Warriors win the 2018 NBA title, compared to a 21.4% chance for the Rockets, 8.0% for the Celtics and 5.6% for the Cavaliers.

Golden State (-290) is a massive favorite in its series with Houston (+245), implying that the Warriors have a 72.0% chance to advance out of the Western Conference Finals.

While home-court advantage is certainly a factor, betting odds suggest that the Cavaliers, trailing 0-2, still have a better chance of advancing to the NBA Finals than the Rockets.

In Game 3, Golden State opened as a 7-point favorite against Houston and has moved to -7.5 behind 70% of tickets and 66% of early dollars wagered.