Betting Odds: Thunder Favored Despite 2-1 Deficit in NBA Finals

The Oklahoma City Thunder are still the team to beat in the NBA Finals, despite the Indiana Pacers taking a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder are heavily favored to win the next three of four games at -250, while the Pacers are still considered underdogs at +200, despite needing just two more victories to advance. In Game 3 on Wednesday night, the Pacers outplayed the Thunder in the fourth quarter to take a series lead, just as they did in Game 1. The Pacers have not trailed in a series all playoffs, and the Thunder lost their previous two Game 3s on the road to the Nuggets and Timberwolves before Wednesday night’s game. However, Oklahoma City won Game 4 in those previous series and also took Game 5 back at home. Friday night’s Game 4 is in Indianapolis before the series returns to OKC on Monday. The Thunder are favored by 6.5 points to win Friday night’s game, but they were careless with the ball on Wednesday night as Indiana employed a full-court press on a regular basis after made baskets. The Thunder turned the ball over 17 times and only forced 13 turnovers themselves. OKC also missed nine of its last 10 shots and allowed Indiana to shoot nearly 52% from the field despite the Pacers going just 9-of-27 from behind the 3-point line. If the Thunder are to come back and win the series as favorites, the most likely outcome is now a seven-game series. The Thunder in seven is +170 at BetMGM, while a six-game series win is +195. However, if you think the Pacers can win the series, there’s serious money to be made on the correct result. A six-game Pacers win is +575, a win in Game 7 is +725, and three straight wins to close out the series in Game 5 is +1000. In conclusion, while the Pacers have taken a 2-1 series lead, the Thunder remain the team to beat in this Western Conference Finals. The Thunder have a strong chance of winning in seven games or less, but if you think the Pacers can pull off a miracle and win in six or seven games, there are some lucrative betting opportunities available.