After Game 1 on Thursday night, a new candidate for NBA Finals MVP was born.
Kristaps Porzinikis’ dominating performance off the bench in the Celtics’ 107-89 win over the Mavericks saw his odds to win the award rise to +650, the fourth-highest odds at BetMGM Sportsbook.
Porzingis, who missed the semifinals and conference finals with a calf injury, had the sixth-best odds of any player to win the Finals MVP award before the series at +5,000.
He gave the Celtics an immediate boost, and the team took a 1-0 series lead.
Porzingis finished with 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks in just 21 minutes.
The Latvian native entered the game with just over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter and immediately made his presence known, scoring 11 points with two interceptions in the period and sending the Boston crowd into a frenzy.
Jayson Tatum, who had 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in Game 1, remains the favorite to win the award at +115 odds.
Following Tatum is Jaylen Brown, who played stellar defense in the series opener, scoring 22 points, recording three steals and three blocked shots, rising from +625 to +200.
With this loss, Luka Doncic’s Finals MVP odds have dropped from +200 to +350.
Doncic won the award by attracting the most bets (19.1%) and the most prize money (23.2%) at BetMGM.
Do you bet on the NBA?
The Celtics were expected to be the overwhelming favorites to win the series from the start of the season, but their Game 1 win further solidified them as the series favorites in the eyes of oddsmakers.
Boston is currently priced at -450 to win the series at BetMGM, while Dallas is the underdog at +340.
Game 2 will be Sunday night in Boston, starting at 8pm ET.
