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NBA betting: How have Finals odds shifted after the Suns' Game 1 win?

Tuesday night was a good night for the Phoenix Suns.

In their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993, the Suns turned in an excellent Game 1 performance, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 118-105 to take an early lead in the series. The Suns were led once again by Chris Paul, who poured in 32 points and dished out nine assists. Phoenix also received a tremendous effort from big man Deandre Ayton, who posted 22 points and 19 rebounds. Devin Booker also added 27 points in the win.

The Suns were anywhere from a 4.5 to 6-point favorite at BetMGM (the point spread shifted as information surrounding the injury status of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo trickled out), and they ended up covering the spread fairly comfortably.

Earlier Tuesday, the Suns were -190 favorites at BetMGM to win the series, with the Bucks at +160. Following Game 1, those odds have shifted with the Suns now at -300 and the Bucks at +240.

Before Game 1, one BetMGM customer put down big money on the Suns at the Mirage in Las Vegas. The bettor wagered $300,000 on the Suns to win the title at -200. The bet would win $150,000.

Game 2 is set for Thursday night and the Suns are the favorites yet again. As of Wednesday morning, BetMGM has the Suns listed as 5.5-point favorites with the total sitting at 220.5.

Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul, left, talks with Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) during the first half of Game 1 of basketball's NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, Tuesday, July 6, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul, left, talks with Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) during the first half of Game 1 of basketball's NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, Tuesday, July 6, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Chris Paul now heavy MVP favorite

The Finals MVP odds have moved quite a bit as well. Paul entered the series as the MVP favorite at +150. Now he is listed at -145 following his stellar Game 1 outing. Booker and Antetokounmpo are next at +350. Antetokounmpo, when he was still considered doubtful to play in Game 1 thanks to a knee injury, was listed at +450. Booker had +250 odds on Tuesday.

Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton fell from +500 to +1000. His teammate, point guard Jrue Holiday, had a much bigger fall, dropping from +1100 all the way to +10000 following a 10-point outing on just 4-of-14 shooting.

Ayton, the Suns’ 22-year-old center, saw his odds improve from +2000 to +1800. As of now, though, most of the attention is on the 36-year-old Paul.

Paul has been a perennial all-star throughout his 16-year career, but hadn’t made it to the Finals. Until now. He posted 41 points in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals to get the Suns to this point. That strong play carried over to Game 1 of the Finals as he looks to put an exclamation point on a Hall of Fame-caliber career.

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