Expert analysis wasn’t needed to know how well Steph Curry played in Game 4 on Friday, and oddsmakers were quickly on the move after the Warriors’ win over the Boston Celtics.
The Golden State guard has now moved ahead as the lone favorite to win NBA Finals MVP. Curry’s odds before Game 4 were at +205 on DraftKings Sportsbook, but now they have shortened to -135. This means a $100 bet on Curry’s odds before Game 4 would have paid out $305, but now that same bet would pay out $174.07.
Jayson Tatum has been the favorite before Game 4 (+105), but after a loss and a poor performance, the Celtics forward has dropped below Curry at +170 odds to win Finals MVP. Tatum vowed to be better during his Game 4 postgame news conference, and the Celtics will likely need to lean on his shoulders to get a bounce-back win.
Jaylen Brown appeared to be a dark horse contender to win Finals MVP, but, like Tatum, a Celtics loss has dropped his odds from +350 to +600.
The race for Finals MVP is between these three players as Marcus Smart has the fourth shortest odds but at a steep 50-to-1 odds. The next Golden State player behind Curry is Andrew Wiggins at even more longer odds at 1500-to-1.
If the Warriors win the NBA Finals, Curry is a shoo-in to win MVP, but the three-time NBA champion has played so well in the finals that it presents an interesting debate on if Curry should win Finals MVP if the Celtics win banner No. 18. The last player to win NBA Finals MVP after losing the finals was Jerry West in 1969 — the first year the honor was given out.
The series is now tied at 2-2 after the Warriors’ win Friday, and the NBA Finals has now shifted to a best-of-three series with the pivotal Game 5 played Monday at Chase Center.
