Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images. Pictured: Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets’ NBA title chances took a huge hit Monday night when Jamal Murray tore his ACL near the end of the game against Golden State.
The injury, which the team announced on Tuesday, will cause Murray to miss the rest of the season and postseason, leaving Denver without its most dynamic scorer who took a large step forward in last year’s playoff bubble.
Sportsbooks quickly adjusted on Tuesday after the news broke.
_BookPromo=483
FanDuel and BetMGM each moved the Nuggets to +3000 to win the title. They were previously +1400 at FanDuel and +1600 at MGM.
DraftKings was still at +1600 at time of publish. PointsBet pulled their odds off the board before re-opening the Nuggets at +3000 from their original number of +1500. Before the injury, the Nuggets were +900 to win the Western Conference at PointsBet. That number is now +1500.
Murray was averaging career-highs in scoring (21.2 points per game) and shooting percentage from both the field (47.7%) and 3-point range (40%). He formed a formidable pairing with MVP front runner Nikola Jokic. Now Denver will need more out of players like Michael Porter Jr. and newly-acquired wing Aaron Gordon.
Denver wasn’t the only team to see an odds shift since the news broke. The Phoenix Suns moved from +2000 at BetMGM to +1600. The Portland Trail Blazers also saw a big boost from +7000 to +5000.
The Suns are +2800 at DraftKings and +2500 at PointsBet.
The Brooklyn Nets remain the favorite at around a +225 consensus line to win it all — just ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers — however, it was Denver listed as BetMGM’s biggest championship liability.