Kevin Durant’s right calf strain has unsurprisingly caused a drastic shift in the NBA playoffs betting market and could produce a different championship favorite for the first time all season.
With Durant out for Game 6 on Friday against the Rockets, the two-time defending champions are now consensus 7.5-point underdogs in Houston. That spread would be the largest Golden State has faced with Steph Curry in the lineup and Steve Kerr as head coach — a span of 440 games
dating back to 2014, including the postseason.
Durant will be reevaluated next week, according to a statement released by the Warriors on Thursday. The team stopped short of officially ruling him out a possible Game 7 in Oakland.“I don’t think there’s going to be many people looking to bet the Warriors in this game, so might as well tax
it on the higher side of Houston,” Jeff Sherman, Las Vegas SuperBook vice president of risk, told ESPN. “I don’t expect Golden State to win this one.”
The Warriors are already short-handed, losing DeMarcus Cousins to a torn quadriceps muscle in his left leg on April 24. Kerr has also tightened his rotation by starting sixth man Andre Iguodala this entire series. Consequently, Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are each averaging
more than seven additional minutes per game than they did during the regular season.
“It really wouldn’t surprise me if [the Warriors] have some gamesmanship and maybe consider just trying to stay in it and not really put in that full effort and just worry about getting back home and winning Game 7,” Alan Berg, senior oddsmaker at Caesars Entertainment, told ESPN.
By comparison, Houston was favored by 3.5 at home in Game 3 and Golden State was favored by 1 in Game 4 on the road. However, Durant’s injury only amplifies this specific handicapping situation, with the Rockets facing elimination.
