Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images. Pictured: Khris Middleton (left) and Jae Crowder.
The NBA Finals get underway on Tuesday night in Phoenix, when Chris Paul and the Suns will host the new Eastern Conference-champion Milwaukee Bucks.
On paper, it’s not a huge surprise that Phoenix is at this point since it was the No. 1 seed. Milwaukee, meanwhile, was one of three favorites in the Eastern Conference and was expected to beat the Hawks in the conference finals, at least by the sportsbooks.
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The lines immediately came out across the sports-betting industry right after Milwaukee sealed its Game 6 win over the Hawks on Saturday night.
PointsBet: Suns -170, Bucks +145
BetMGM: Suns -160, Bucks +135
William Hill: Suns -160, Bucks +140
FanDuel and William Hill already have lines for Game 1 up, with the Suns favored by 5.5 points with a total of 217 points. The same numbers can also be found at William Hill.
Obviously, the status of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo could affect those numbers. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Award winner was rumored to be in line for a potential Game 7 return, which means there’s a chance he’s available for Game 1 on Tuesday in Phoenix.
Speaking of Antetokounmpo, he’s the second favorite to be the NBA Finals MVP behind Suns point guard Chris Paul. Here are each the odds for each team’s big three from BetMGM:
| Chris Paul | +150 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | +200 |
| Devin Booker | +275 |
| Khris Middleton | +800 |
| Deandre Ayton | +1800 |
| Jrue Holiday | +2200 |
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Here is the schedule for the series, which will get going on Tuesday night in Phoenix:
Complete #NBAFinals broadcast schedule ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/fx4DOD0iZ5
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) July 4, 2021