The betting public is siding with the Golden State Warriors over the Boston Celtics as the NBA Finals tips off Thursday.
The Warriors were -150 favorites to capture the championship as of Thursday morning and have attracted the majority of bets to win the best-of-seven series at most sportsbooks. At online sportsbook PointsBet, 87% of the money has been wagered on the Warriors to win the Finals.
The largest reported bets, however, have been on the Celtics, including a couple from bettors whose opinions are respected by bookmakers.
Jeff Sherman, a vice president of risk who oversees NBA odds for the SuperBook in Las Vegas, told ESPN that his shop accepted multiple bets on the Celtics to win the series at odds of +145 and +140 from influential bettors as well as a money-line bet on Boston to win Game 1 on Thursday in San Francisco.