Clippers largest 1st-round underdogs since 1988
The LA Clippers are the biggest underdogs in an NBA playoff series in the past 30 years.
At the SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas, the Clippers are 100-1 to upset the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors in their best-of-seven first-round series, which tips off Saturday (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC).
According to online archive SportsOddsHistory.com, since 1988 only three teams have entered an NBA playoff series with odds greater than 50-1: The 2013 Milwaukee Bucks (vs. the Miami Heat) and 1992 Miami Heat (vs. the Chicago Bulls) were each 75-1, and the 2016 Memphis Grizzlies were 66-1 against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Warriors are -50,000 to beat the Clippers at the SuperBook, meaning bettors would need to put $50,000 on Golden State to win $100. According to SuperBook director of race and sports John Murray, there had been no straight bets on the Warriors for the series as of Friday morning, while nine bets were placed on the Clippers, ranging from $2 to $100, the largest of which would pay out $10,000.
Some bettors had included the Warriors in parlays, including a $37,000 three-leg parlay that included heavy first-round favorites -- Milwaukee and the Toronto Raptors along with Golden State. The bet would pay a net $3,100 if all three teams advance to the second round, according to Murray.
The odds are so lopsided on the Clippers-Warriors series that some Las Vegas sportsbooks chose to keep it off the board.
Golden State is an odds-on favorite at around -200 to win its third straight NBA title. The Bucks are next at +600, followed by the Houston Rockets (+800). The Raptors are +1,200, and the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics are +1,800.
At the SuperBook, more money was bet on the Warriors to win the NBA title this season than all but one team -- the Los Angeles Lakers, who missed the playoffs for the sixth straight season.
