NBA betting: $380K on a Sixers championship and other big playoff bets
Several BetMGM bettors are hoping that Christmas comes early this year and that they'll be visited by the benevolent Ghost of NBA Futures. There's a hefty sack of money waiting for those who are on the good bet list, including a potential $380,000 payout if the Sixers claim the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
The long shots
Skeptics will say that the Cavs, Bulls, and Raptors have no chance of winning a title this year, but they also said that a beanstalk wouldn't grow from purported magic beans, and look how that turned out. Each of those teams were the target of a $1,000 wager earlier in the season. Chicago and Cleveland were nabbed at 150-to-1 and would pay out $150,000, while a Toronto title would be worth $125,000 at 125-to-1 odds.
A couple of large wagers were also placed on the Bulls and Cavs to win the East, with $5,000 on the Bulls at 20-to-1 for a $100,000 payday, and $2,000 on the Cavs at 80-to-1 for a potential cash of $160,000.
Here comes the Suns
The NBA's top team is BetMGM's biggest liability in the futures market, with nearly a third of the championship handle and over 55% of the Western Conference handle on the Suns, including some significant wagers. One bettor parted with $20,000 in an effort to make $60,000 on a Phoenix championship at +300. If the Suns meet the Bucks in the Finals again and emerge victorious, that will pay out $250,000 to a BetMGM customer who put down $5,000 at 50-to-1 on that exact scenario.
Simply winning the West would be good enough for a couple of bettors, one of whom placed $20,000 on Phoenix at +120, and another who wagered $10,000 at +500 odds.
The wild, wild East
The remainder of sizable title bets are all on teams in the wide-open Eastern Conference. A pair of those wagers are looking like great value at the moment. One BetMGM customer bet $19,000 to win $380,000 right before the James Harden trade that the Philadelphia 76ers' process would finally culminate in a championship. Another bettor holds a $10,000 ticket on the top-seeded Heat for a $200,000 payout.
Reigning champion Milwaukee will return $75,000 on one bettor's $10,000 investment should the Bucks repeat this year. The Brooklyn Nets are currently +700 to win the title after opening the season as a heavy +225 favorite, which is around the time a $20,000 bet came in on them that would pay out $48,000 if they win it all. Their first obstacle on the road to a championship is Tuesday night's play-in game, where the Nets are 9.5-point favorites versus a Cavs team missing Jarrett Allen.
