The New York Knicks winning their first NBA title since 1973 in five games was bad for sportsbooks.
Key Takeaways
- The Knicks turned into a liability for BetMGM as the Finals went along.
- Bettors kept backing New York in both futures markets and live betting in games.
- Jalen Brunson took home Finals MVP, a small relief for operators.
The good news for operators was that they avoided bettors unloading on the Knicks in a Game 6 or 7. Still, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks captured a massive betting audience, picking up steam throughout their playoff run, attracting betting action in both futures markets and individual games.
The Knicks took a commanding 3-1 series lead with a dramatic Game 4 win and then closed out the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 on the road in Game 5, rewarding bettors.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account“Before the NBA Finals began, the sportsbook was cheering for the Knicks because the Spurs were the biggest remaining liability on the futures market,” BetMGM trader Anthony Parenti said. “However, by the time New York took a 2-0 series lead, our liability had flipped. Knicks winning the title ended up making a lot of our customers very happy."
From beginning to end
At the beginning of the playoffs, BetMGM had taken more money on the Spurs (+450) to win the NBA title than Oklahoma City, the favorite in 2025-2026.
New York was at +2,200 to win the NBA championship at BetMGM during the first round of the playoffs.
The Knicks even began the best-of-seven series as +170 underdogs, with the Spurs at -210. After New York took a 2-0 lead, the odds shifted to Knicks -140, and by the time they were up 3-1, the Knickerbockers (-550) had 77% of the bets and 53% of the handle.
Massive wagering
A Knicks team that struggled to compete at times over the last two decades became a major driver of betting activity. DraftKings reported last week that Game 4 was the most-bet NBA contest in the operator’s history. BetMGM experienced an average 28.6% year-over-year increase in money wagered on each Finals game.
Had the series lasted longer, it might’ve done more damage to sportsbooks, but it would’ve produced incredible handles, especially in a Game 7, because of the hysteria surrounding the Knicks.
“The Knicks and the public are locked in on each other,” DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello told Covers last week.
New York also did a number on sportsbooks through live betting, as the darling trailed by double digits in every game, allowing bettors to pound even better underdog odds. The Knicks were down 29 before the incredible rally in Game 4, and they came back from 16 in the first half in Game 5.
Other Finals betting notes
The Knicks won Game 5 as 5.5-point underdogs. They were getting 67% of the spread bets and 77% of the handle. More than 50% of the moneyline handle was also backing New York at +165 to win outright and close out the series.
A BetMGM bettor cashed a $20,000 ticket at +2,200 on the Knicks, returning a $440,000 payout.
Brunson took home an NBA title and series MVP on Saturday night. He was a -110 favorite by the end of New York’s run to win the individual award at BetMGM, getting 22% of the tickets and 60% of the market’s handle.
However, teammate OG Anunoby was a bigger liability at BetMGM, with his odds getting as high as +50,000 to start the playoffs and shortening to +200 by Game 5.
