NBA Finals in Las Vegas: Game 4 betting odds, picks and preview

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, June 9, 2017 | 2 a.m.

Gasps and cheers collided in local sports books when Stephen Curry sunk both of his free throws before Kevin Love missed a 3-point attempt badly to end Game 3 of the NBA Finals Wednesday night in Cleveland.

The game came down to the last minute, but the point spread wasn’t decided until the final seconds. Curry’s free throws sealed a 118-113 win for the Warriors to put them ahead 3-0 in the series, and ensured a reaction from everyone who had action on the pregame betting line.

The spread closed Golden State minus-4 at many sports books, meaning its backers needed both free throws while Cleveland bettors’ hopes of at least one miss were extinguished.

Many casinos preferred a miss too, as the majority of bettors backed the Warriors before their sixth straight postseason cover and 15th consecutive victory. At William Hill sports books, 81 percent of the money was on Golden State.

But it wasn’t too tough of a defeat for sports books to swallow. Bookmakers surely recouped some of their losses with the large volume bet through other avenues such as proposition wagering, the type of large volume more unlikely to materialize for Game 4, which tips at 6 p.m. tonight on ABC.

The trilogy installment of the Warriors-Cavaliers Finals pairing looks like a sweep — Game 4 odds imply a 71 percent chance — and that’s when the betting public tends to check out. Betting handle will probably drop considerably for Game 4, and is certainly trending to be much less than last year’s series that concluded in an epic seven games.

That’s a little underwhelming for the industry. The championship series is traditionally the last big betting event on the sports calendar, ushering in a relative two-month dark period in sports books before football season begins.

Instead of basketball season departing on a high with a few millions changing hands, it looks like bookies and bettors are going to be left with nothing more than hollow arguments on if Kevin Durant has surpassed LeBron James. Books have taken Durant’s MVP odds off the board, as it appears he has it locked up by averaging 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists per game to go with shooting 56 percent in the Finals.

James has been every bit as terrific though — averaging 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 55 percent — albeit in a losing effort. From a betting standpoint, he still looms over Durant.

James was worth as much as seven points to the spread this season, while Durant’s presence never shifted a betting line more than three points. Durant is on what’s clearly the better team, one that’s about fill its trophy case with a second NBA championship in three years and leave sports books feeling empty a few days ahead of schedule.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.