Game 1 of the NBA Finals played out just as the betting market foretold. Public bettors loaded up on the Warriors while professionals hammered the Raptors, moving the line from Golden State -1 to Raptors -2.
Toronto rewarded the sharps with a 118-109 victory, and Drake with a 1-0 series lead.
Interestingly, the Warriors are still -150 series favorites (down from -310 prior to Game 1) at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, so oddsmakers expect Golden State to bounce back.
However, the betting line for Sunday's Game 2 is following in the footprints of the number for Thursday's series-opening matchup.
Golden State opened as a 1-point favorite and bettors are already backing the Warriors. While not as drastic as Game 1's betting splits, The Action Network's public betting data is reporting 58% of tickets and 62% of dollars wagered on the spread taking the defending champs.
Despite the early backing, the line has moved away from Golden State and now sits at Toronto -1.5 at Westgate, and even -2 at DraftKings and many other sportsbooks across the market.
This reverse line movement indicates that the bigger bets — or those made by respected players — are convincing oddsmakers to move the line in favor of the Raptors.
There's still plenty of time for more action to come in on Game 2 of the NBA Finals and shape this line further, so be sure to download The Action Network's mobile app for real-time line moves and betting percentage updates.
