The NBA Finals MVP was a three-player race before Game 5 between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics. However, a monster performance from Andrew Wiggins has him creeping closer to the lead.
It’s a lead oddsmakers hope he can take from Steph Curry.
Curry was the odds-on favorite entering Game 5, and despite a lackluster performance, his odds shortened even more from -145 to -350. It was Wiggins, though, who carried the Warriors to a 104-94 win with 26 points and 13 rebounds.
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A 150-1 longshot before Game 5, Wiggins saw his odds drop all the way to +2000 at BetMGM.
Curry was ice cold from the field in Game 4, missing all nine of his 3-point attempts and finishing with just 16 points on 7-of-22 shooting.
But it didn’t matter. Golden State won anyway and moved closer to a championship by taking a 3-2 series lead. It’s been assumed to this point that a Warriors win means a Curry win. His first four games were so good there was discussion of Curry winning even in a loss.
Jayson Tatum’s 27 points in Game 5 kept his name near the top of the board despite dropping from +185 to +350. Jaylen Brown (18 points on 5-18 shooting) stumbled from +700 to +2500.
While Wiggins has come on strong with double-doubles in each of his last two games, he’s averaging 18 points and nine rebounds per game in the series. That includes just 11 points in Game 2.
Meanwhile, Curry is averaging 30.6 points per game and remains the biggest liability for sportsbooks.
At BetMGM, 34 percent of the money wagered in the NBA Finals MVP market is on Curry to win the award. Wiggins moved from 10th to eighth in total bets taken and isn’t in the top three for liabilities. A Wiggins win is a win for the house.