Despite the San Antonio Spurs dethroning the reigning league champions and looking like the team to beat heading into the best-of-seven NBA Finals, bettors are finding plenty of value with the underdog New York Knicks.
Key Takeaways
- FanDuel and DraftKings both reported that more than 60% of the money is on underdog New York to win the NBA title.
- Caesars has taken more Knicks tickets, but the handle is leaning toward the favored Spurs.
- Several big bets with large payouts were made at opportune times.
Three U.S. sportsbooks told Covers this week that the Eastern Conference champs are taking more action than the Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs to win the series at around 2-to-1 odds before Wednesday’s Game 1.
“Early action has seen this series pretty evenly bet to this point,” David Lieberman, Caesars Sportsbook’s pro basketball lead, said. “As far as tickets, there are more on the Knicks so far by about 2:1, while the Spurs have taken slightly more money.”
FanDuel reported that the Knicks, who are currently +162 in the NBA Finals odds, are getting 56% of the bets and 65% of the handle. DraftKings said 63% of the money is backing New York, leaving the Spurs with 37% of the handle.
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Bigger liability
Since the NBA championship market opened last summer, BetMGM has seen the Knicks take 14.1% of the total wagers, with San Antonio second at 12.2%. However, the Spurs, who took a smaller percentage of the money, are a bigger threat to the operator.
“The Spurs have the best player and the better overall team, making them clear favorites in the NBA Finals,” BetMGM sports trader Anthony Parenti said. “The sportsbook will be cheering for the Knicks as San Antonio is the biggest remaining liability on the futures book.”
The Spurs are a 4.5-point favorite at home in Game 1, and DraftKings reported early Wednesday that 55% of the handle and 54% of the bets have come in on the underdog Knicks to cover the spread.
| Operator | Spurs’ series odds | Knicks’ series odds |
|---|---|---|
| FanDuel | -194 | +162 |
| DraftKings | -205 | +170 |
| BetMGM | -210 | +170 |
| Caesars | -195 | +165 |
Spurs’ odds to get here
The Spurs started with the longer championship odds, opening at +2,500 in BetMGM’s odds last summer and ballooning to +6,600 when the season began with Wembanyama dealing with a calf issue.
By Christmas, San Antonio’s odds shortened to +2,200 and then down to +1,200 a week later. After winning 62 regular-season games and claiming the second seed in the Western Conference, the Spurs entered the playoffs at +450 to win it all at BetMGM. San Antonio was still +300 before they shocked the +140 favorite to win it all before the playoffs began in the conference finals in seven games.
Knicks’ odds to get here
New York opened with much lighter +700 odds to win the NBA title, but the Knicks lengthened to around +1,000 when the season began. Their odds spiked as high as +2,000 late in the regular season, when they won 53 games to take the third seed in the East.
New York’s chances grew dimmer when it was tied 2-2 in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks. Still, the Knicks enter the final series winning 12 consecutive games over the Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers, going from +900 at the start of the second round to win it all to under +200 heading into the final series.
Big payouts
Caesars reported multiple futures wagers that could result in significant payouts. A Kentucky bettor placed a $5,000 bet at the beginning of the regular season on the Spurs when they were +2,500 for a potential $125,000 win. A New York customer is looking to cash in for $120K on a $10K bet placed in February on the Spurs at +1,200.
A bettor in New Jersey found great value on the Knicks in April, getting $5K down to win $100K. A Colorado customer foresaw this exact matchup in October, betting $500 on a Knicks over Spurs final that would pay $95K. In February, a New York bettor took the Knicks over the Spurs for $1,000 with odds of +10,000, while a Caesars customer in Massachusetts did the same in early May, which would produce a $90K win on a $2K bet.
BetMGM said it took a $50,000 wager on the Spurs at +650 and a $22,000 futures bet on the Knicks at +2,200.
A bettor at @BetMGM wagered $20,000 on @nyknicks +2200 to win the NBA Championship
— John Ewing (@johnewing) June 1, 2026
Knicks +170 to upset the Spurs in the NBA Finals
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Stars lead MVP betting
The top talents in the series are unsurprisingly getting the most betting action for NBA Finals MVP odds at multiple sportsbooks.
Wembanyama, who started the playoffs at +600 to win the award, is now -190 at BetMGM, while New York star guard Jalen Brunson has gone from +2,800 to +200 to take home series MVP.
Brunson is BetMGM’s biggest liability in the futures market with 16.5% of the tickets, with Wembanyama second at 14.4%. DraftKings said the Spurs’ second-year center is the most-bet player by handle. Brunson is second, with Karl-Anthony Towns third.
The Knicks’ center is getting the third-most tickets at BetMGM. Caesars said it has seen significant interest in Knicks forward OG Anunoby (+3,500) and Spurs guard Dylan Harper (+15,000).
