Booker and Middleton Injuries Impact NBA Futures Betting

Phoenix and Milwaukee were favored to win their respective conferences before the playoffs began, while the Suns were the overall favorite to go all the way and win the NBA Championship.  But injuries are now taking a toll.

Now, with Devin Booker out 2-3 weeks (and possibly more considering it’s a hamstring injury) and Kris Middleton sidelined for at least the remainder of the Bulls series, the Suns and Bucks have seen their odds worsen immensely.

BetOnline initially made Milwaukee a -1000 to advance past Round 1 and Phoenix -2500, meaning both had greater than a 90 percent chance to move on.

Here are the book’s current odds with each series tied 1-1, and the lingering injuries in mind:

Bulls +230

Bucks -275

(Odds imply a 73.3 percent probability Bucks advance)

Pelicans +265

Suns -315

(Odds imply a 75.9 percent probability Suns advance)

Both teams are favored by around 2 points on the road Friday night. The Suns would be 5.5- to 6-point favorites with Booker in the lineup while the Bucks would be -4 or -4.5 with Middleton.

Additionally, the Bucks now have the third-best odds in the East while the Suns have slipped to second in the West behind Golden State.

Nick Bahe and Drew Butler give out their NBA picks against the spread for game 3 in the Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans First-round series.

NBA Finals

Warriors                      +275

Boston Celtics             +450

Phoenix Suns              +475

Miami Heat                 +700

Milwaukee Bucks        +800

Memphis Grizzlies      +1000

Philadelphia 76ers      +1000

Brooklyn Nets             +2200

Dallas Mavericks         +2500

Utah Jazz                     +4000

New Orleans Pelicans +8000

Chicago Bulls               +10000

Timberwolves             +20000

Atlanta Hawks             +50000

Denver Nuggets          +50000

Toronto Raptors         +75000

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics             +185

Miami Heat                 +250

Milwaukee Bucks        +400

Philadelphia 76ers      +450

Brooklyn Nets             +1100

Chicago Bulls               +5000

Atlanta Hawks             +25000

Toronto Raptors         +40000

Western Conference

Warriors                      +125

Phoenix Suns              +225

Memphis Grizzlies      +450

Dallas Mavericks         +900

Utah Jazz                     +1600

New Orleans Pelicans +5000

Timberwolves             +10000

Denver Nuggets          +25000

Find all NBA Playoffs Odds Here

- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com