There’s a new contender for the NBA Finals MVP after Thursday night’s Game 1.
With a dominant performance off the bench for the Celtics in their 107-89 win over the Mavericks, Kristaps Porzinigis jumped to +650 odds to win the award, the fourth-best odds at BetMGM Sportsbook.
Coming off a calf injury that sidelined him for the semifinals and conference finals, Porzingis had been +5000 to be Finals MVP before the series, the sixth-best odds among all players.
He provided an immediate boost for the Celtics as they jumped out to a 1-0 series lead.
Porzingis dropped 20 points with six rebounds and three blocks in just 21 minutes.
The Latvia native entered the game with a little more than seven minutes left in the first quarter and immediately left his mark, scoring 11 points with two rejections in the period, sending the Boston crowd into a frenzy.
Jayson Tatum, who scored 16 points with 11 rebounds and six assists in Game 1, remains the favorite to win the award at +115 odds.
Tatum is followed by Jaylen Brown, who moved from +625 to +200 after scoring 22 points with excellent defense during the series opener, grabbing three steals and blocking three shots.
The loss dropped Luka Doncic from +200 to +350 to be Finals MVP.
Doncic has attracted the most bets (19.1 percent) and most money (23.2 percent) to win the award at BetMGM.
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After opening as a massive favorite, the Celtics further established themselves as the expected series winner in the eyes of oddsmakers with their Game 1 win.
Boston is now -450 to win the series at BetMGM, while Dallas is a +340 underdog.
Game 2 tips off at 8 p.m. ET in Boston on Sunday night.