Betting odds flip to favor Warriors setting regular-season record

ByBen Fawkes ESPN logo
Thursday, February 25, 2016

After starting the 2015-16 NBA season with 24 straight victories, the Golden State Warriors have had the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' record 72-win regular season on their radar.

Now the Warriors are actually favored in Las Vegas to break the record.

The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook opened the prop "Will Golden State win 73 or more games in the 2015-16 regular season" on Nov. 24, when Golden State was 15-0. At the time, the odds on the Warriors breaking the record ("yes") were plus-500, while the odds on them falling short ("no") were minus-700.

During the All-State break, Golden State became favored to break the record for the first time all season, at minus-160, with fewer than 73 wins at plus-140.

After a 118-112 victoryWednesday night over the Miami Heat to get to 51-5 on the season, the "yes" bet is currently minus-125, while "no" is plus-105.The win pushed the Warriors to the best 56-game start in NBA history. The Bulls were 50-6 through 56 games in 1995-96.

According to Jeff Sherman, the manager at the SuperBook, the prop has received considerable action. In an email, he said 75 percent of the tickets and 60 percent of the money has been wagered on Golden State to break the record.

The Cleveland Cavaliers opened as 9-4 favorites to win the title this year, with Golden State and the Oklahoma City Thunder at 5-1. The Warriors are now a 10-11 favorite to repeat, with the Cavaliers (11-4) and San Antonio Spurs (7-2) behind them.

ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.

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