NBA Awards Betting Trends
BetMGM released betting trends for the NBA’s major awards Tuesday.
Here’s a peek under the hood.
Highest Ticket Percentage
Joel Embiid 19.4%Nikola Jokic 14.4%Stephen Curry 12.8%Ja Morant 10.3%Giannis Antetokounmpo 7.6%Devin Booker 6.7%Kevin Durant 5.4%LeBron James 4.2%Chris Paul 4.0%DeMar DeRozan 3.9%
Highest Handle Percentage
Joel Embiid 21.1%Stephen Curry 20.9%Nikola Jokic 11.9%Giannis Antetokounmpo 11.0%Kevin Durant 10.6%Ja Morant 6.2%Devin Booker 3.7%LeBron James 3.4%Luka Doncic 2.8%Chris Paul 2.3%
Largest Line Movements
Chris Paul opened +10000, now +2500Ja Morant opened +5000, now +1200Nikola Jokic opened +1600, now +350Joel Embiid opened +700, now +150Giannis Antetokounmpo opened +800, now +400Trae Young opened +1600, now +50000James Harden opened +2500, now +25000LeBron James opened +1400, now +15000Kevin Durant opened +700, now +6600Luka Doncic opened +400, now +5000
It’s coming down to a four-way race for the Maurice Podoloff Trophy with Embiid the clear favorite followed by Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Curry. However, it will be interesting to see how Philadelphia's acquisition of James Harden impacts Embiid and the 76ers moving forward.
See Also: Best NBA MVP Odds After the Trade Deadline
It’s worth highlighting that Bam Adebayo currently has 7.9 percent of tickets and 3.9 percent of the handle, but his odds have shifted from opening +1400 to win the award to a current +12500, so he’s now in long shot territory.
There are two obvious trends to note with the Rookie of the Year bets and odds.
First, Evan Mobley has all but wrapped up the award, and there’s probably limited value left in backing him at -375. The freshman out of USC has Cleveland contending in the Eastern Conference, entering the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year.
On the flip side, 2021 first overall selection Cade Cunningham has seen his odds climb to +900 after opening as the favorite to win the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy. With the Pistons still in the NBA basement, Cunningham’s fall is likely most associated with his inability to improve his team than anything he’s accomplished individually.
Make sure to keep an eye on our Live Odds page throughout the week to get the best lines possible and connect with others in the SBR community on our popular sports betting forum.
