The Phoenix Suns shellacking of Dallas in Monday night’s Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals appears to have caught the attention of Arizona sports betting apps.
The Suns, who picked up a wire-to-wire 121-114 win in Game 1, are now again the betting favorite to win the 2022 NBA Championship.
It’s a spot Phoenix has held for much of the season, after finishing with a franchise-record 64 wins, eight more than the next closest club (Memphis).
Phoenix looked like a title favorite Monday, finishing the night with six players scoring at least 10 points, including all five of the team’s starters.
Chris Paul, who finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists, said the team’s victory was anything but a cake walk, showing how hard it is to finish the job once the playoffs kick off.
“We’ll take the win. It’s not always going to be pretty. We played well pretty much most of the game,” Paul said. “We’ll look at film tomorrow and see what we need to do differently for Game 2.”
Suns vs. Mavericks Series Schedule
- Game 1: Suns 121, Mavericks 114. Suns lead 1-0
- Game 2: Wednesday, 7 p.m. TNT, in Phoenix.
- Game 3: May 6, 6:30 p.m., ESPN, in Dallas.
- Game 4: May 8, 12:30 p.m. ESPN, in Dallas.
- Game 5: May 10, TBD TNT, in Phoenix (if necessary).
- Game 6: May 12, TBD ESPN, in Dallas (if necessary).
- Game 7: May 15, TBD, in Phoenix (if necessary).
Suns Once Again the NBA Title Betting Favorites
The Suns woke up Tuesday as the consensus Arizona sports betting NBA title frontrunner, after needing six games to get past eighth-seeded New Orleans in the opening round.
The club’s best odds come from DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona, which lists Phoenix at +235 to win its first title in franchise history, just ahead of Golden State, which is listed at +270.
Oddsmakers at BetMGM Arizona and FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona list Phoenix at +250 to win it all — coming in ahead of the Warriors, who are at +260 and +270, respectively.
Over at Caesars Sportsbook, the Suns and Warriors find themselves knotted atop the Emperor’s big board at +260.
Phoenix Consensus Favorite Over Dallas in Game 2
The Suns and Mavericks will once again meet at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix at 7 p.m. Arizona time Wednesday, in a contest oddsmakers see faring much the same as Game 1.
Three sportsbooks list the Suns at -6 in Game 2, while BetMGM Arizona has Phoenix at -5.5.
For those looking to place a moneyline wager, BetMGM Arizona lists Phoenix at -250, while DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona list the Suns at -255.
For Suns coach Monty Williams, Monday’s game signifies how sharp teams must be to win come the postseason.
Williams said his club, which won the Western Conference title before falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in last year’s NBA Finals, showed it’s up to the task in handling their business in Game 1.
“You have to have what we call the appropriate fear and that allows for you to bring your A-game every time you step on the floor,” Williams said. “It's just a high level of respect. So, we've had to turn the page if you will.”
