NBA Finals Odds: Warriors Surging, Lakers Fall Following Game 1 Playoff Action

Breaking down the the latest odds to win the NBA Finals after the opening game of each first-round series in the playoffs.

The Warriors are up 1-0 on Houston and now fourth in the odds to win the NBA Finals. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Game 1 in every NBA playoff series is complete, and there has been some movement in the latest odds to win the NBA Finals.

Two road teams pulled off wins in Game 1 -- the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves -- and both squads have seen their odds jump heading into their Game 2 matchups this week.

Meanwhile, the No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder put on a show on Sunday, beating the Memphis Grizzlies by 51 points in Game 1. OKC remains the favorite to win the title at +165, but the Boston Celtics (+185) aren't far behind after picking up a double-digit win of their own in Game 1.

A lot can change over the course of the next week, but there are a few teams that bettors may want to consider in the latest odds before the market changes again. Here's a breakdown of the latest odds and a few teams that I'm watching ahead of the Game 2 action early this week.

Latest NBA Championship Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

• Oklahoma City Thunder: +165
• Boston Celtics: +185
• Cleveland Cavaliers: +600
• Golden State Warriors: +1500
• Los Angeles Lakers: +2000
• Los Angeles Clippers: +3000
• New York Knicks: +3500
• Minnesota Timberwolves: +4000
• Denver Nuggets: +4000
• Milwaukee Bucks: +9000
• Indiana Pacers: +10000
• Houston Rockets: +14000
• Memphis Grizzlies: +80000
• Detroit Pistons: +80000
• Orlando Magic: +100000
• Miami Heat: +100000

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors were favored to win their series against the young Houston Rockets despite being a lower seed, and now that they've taken Game 1, they're in the driver's seat to do so. Oddsmakers have jumped Golden State ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers in the odds to in the Finals entering Game 2.

With Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler both playing at a high level, Golden State has two of the best closers in the NBA. Plus, Houston had the league's worst field goal percentage (38.1 percent) in clutch time during the regular season.

So, the Rockets may continue to struggle in close games in this series. I don't think Houston has enough experience -- or offensive talent -- to bounce this veteran Golden State team from the playoffs. Oddsmakers seem to agree.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers struggled in Game 1 against Minnesota, and they've now lost home court heading into Game 2. Minnesota isn't a push over -- it finished four in the NBA in net rating during the regular season -- and the Lakers' lack of rim protection was an issue in Game 1.

L.A. may need to commit to just going small and trying to beat the Timberwolves on the offensive end in Game 2. The Lakers aren't out of this series, but they need Austin Reaves and some of their secondary scorers to play much better going forward. The Lakers dropped to fifth in the odds, and they are a team I'd avoid at this price as long as they are behind in the series.

Los Angeles Clippers

Despite losing Game 1 in overtime, the Clippers are getting some serious love from oddsmakers. Not only do the Clips have better odds to win it all than their first-round opponent -- the Denver Nuggets -- but they are sixth overall in the odds.

L.A. is favored on the road in Game 2, and it did hold the lead for most of Game 1. The Clippers are a sneaky team to target if they can even the series on Monday night.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Since the 1996-97 season, every team that has won the NBA Finals finished the regular season with a top-eight net rating. Minnesota (fourth) fits that bill.

The Timberwolves are a tough matchup for the Lakers because Naz Reid, Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards are so physical and can take advantage of the Lakers' lack of rim protection. That helped them pull away in Game 1, and I'm not totally sold on the Lakers coming back to win this series.

Remember, Minnesota was in the Western Conference Finals last season and knocked off the defending champion Nuggets without home-court advantage in the second round.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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